Psalm 95:6-7

Psalm 95:6-7
Narrative Lectionary 118

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O come,A let us worshipB and bow down;C

Notes on verse 6a

A “come” = bo. This is to enter, come in, advance, fulfill, bring offerings, enter to worship, attack. It can also have a sexual connotation.
B “worship” = shachah. This is to bow down, make a humble entreaty, to do homage to royalty or to God.
C “bow down” = kara. This is to bow, crouch, kneel down, subdue. It is to bend the knee in many senses. It can also mean to smite, a woman crouching in childbirth, or bowing to worship God.

    let us kneelD beforeE the Lord,F our Maker!G

Notes on verse 6b

D “kneel” = barak. This is to kneel, to bless. It is blessing God as part of worship and adoration or blessing humans to help them. It can be used as a euphemism to say curse God.
E “before” = paneh. From panah (to turn, face, appear). This is face in a literal or figurative sense. It could be face, presence, anger, respect. It can also be used of God to indicate divine favor or presence.
F “Lord” = YHVH. From havah (to be, become) or hayah (to come to pass, become, be). This is the name of the God of Israel, the self-existent and eternal one, the tetragrammaton. This pronunciation has been lost to time so “Lord” is generally used in its place.
G “Maker” = asah. This is to make, do, act, appoint, become in many senses.

For he is our God,H
    and we are the peopleI of his pastureJ
    and the sheepK of his hand.L

Notes on verse 7a

H “God” = Theos. From Proto-Indo-European origins, meaning do, put, place. This is God or a god in general.
I “people” = am. From amam (to darken, hide, associate; creating shadows by huddling together). This is people or nation. It can be used specifically for a tribe, collectively of troops or armies, or figuratively to refer to a flock of animals.
J “pasture” = marit. 10x in OT. From ra’ah (to graze, tend a flock, keep company with; to pasture in a literal or figurative sense). This is shepherding, pasturage, a flock.
K “sheep” = tson. This is a flock of sheep and goats.
L “hand” = yad. This is hand, ability, power. Hand in a literal sense, but also what one can do or the means by which one does it.

O that todayM you would listenN to his voice!O

Notes on verse 7b

M “today” = yom. Root may mean being hot. This is the day in a literal or figurative sense. It can also mean birth, age, daylight, continually or other references to time.
N “listen” = shama. This is to hear, call, consent, or consider. It implies listening intelligently, giving attention, and, because of these two factors, obedience and action are often implied.
O “voice” = qol. This is a sound, used often for human voices. Also used when God speaks or angels, animals or instruments. It can be a cry or a noise, thunder or earthquakes and so on.


Image credit: “Sheep in Heather at Dusk” by Karen Bryan, 2015. {with a request to link to www.helpmetosave.com}

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