Psalms 147

 

הַלְלוּ יָהּ כִּי־טוֹב זַמְּרָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ כִּי־נָעִים נָאוָה תְהִלָּה׃   147:1

Psal. 147:1   Hallelujah!

                                For singing the praise of our God is good.

                         Indeed it is delightful;

                                praise is beautiful.

בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלִַם יְהוָה נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְכַנֵּס׃   147:2

Psal. 147:2   The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem;

                                He will gather the dispersed of Israel.

This verse attests to the fact that at least this psalm is most likely post-Exilic.

הָרֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב וּמְחַבֵּשׁ לְעַצְּבוֹתָם׃   147:3

Psal. 147:3   He is the Healer for the broken of heart

                                and the Assuager for their wounds.

מוֹנֶה מִסְפָּר לַכּוֹכָבִים לְכֻלָּם שֵׁמוֹת יִקְרָא׃   147:4

Psal. 147:4   He is the Counter of the stars' number;

                                for each of them He can call the names.

גָּדוֹל אֲדוֹנֵינוּ וְרַב־כֹּחַ לִתְבוּנָתוֹ אֵין מִסְפָּר׃   147:5

Psal. 147:5   Great is our Master, and abounding in power;

                                to His understanding there is no limit.

מְעוֹדֵד עֲנָוִים יְהוָה מַשְׁפִּיל רְשָׁעִים עֲדֵי־אָרֶץ׃   147:6

Psal. 147:6   The Lord is the Upholder of the humble,

                                bringing down the wicked to the ground.

עֱנוּ לַיהוָה בְּתוֹדָה זַמְּרוּ לֵאלֹהֵינוּ בְכִנּוֹר׃   147:7

Psal. 147:7   Respond to the Lord with thanksgiving;

                                sing praises to our God, with the harp.

הַמְכַסֶּה שָׁמַיִם בְּעָבִים הַמֵּכִין לָאָרֶץ מָטָר הַמַּצְמִיחַ הָרִים חָצִיר׃   147:8

Psal. 147:8   It is He Who shrouds the heavens in clouds,

                                Who prepares rain for the earth,

                       Who makes mountains grow grass,

נוֹתֵן לִבְהֵמָה לַחְמָהּ לִבְנֵי עֹרֵב אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאוּ׃   147:9

Psal. 147:9   giving to the beast its food,

                                to the young of the raven that might cry out.

לֹא בִגְבוּרַת הַסּוּס יֶחְפָּץ לֹא־בְשׁוֹקֵי הָאִישׁ יִרְצֶה׃   147:10

Psal. 147:10   He would not delight in the strength of a horse,

                                He would not be pleased with the legs of a man.

רוֹצֶה יְהוָה אֶת־יְרֵאָיו אֶת־הַמְיַחֲלִים לְחַסְדּוֹ׃   147:11

Psal. 147:11   The Lord is pleased with His reverent ones,

                                with those waiting for His mercy.

שַׁבְּחִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶת־יְהוָה הַלְלִי אֱלֹהַיִךְ צִיּוֹן׃   147:12

Psal. 147:12   Laud the Lord, Jerusalem,

                                praise your God, Zion.

כִּי־חִזַּק בְּרִיחֵי שְׁעָרָיִךְ בֵּרַךְ בָּנַיִךְ בְּקִרְבֵּךְ׃   147:13

Psal. 147:13   For He strengthens the bars of your gates,

                                blesses your children in your midst,

הַשָּׂם־גְּבוּלֵךְ שָׁלוֹם חֵלֶב חִטִּים יַשְׂבִּיעֵךְ׃   147:14

Psal. 147:14   makes your territory peaceful.

                                He can give your fill of an abundance of wheat.

הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אִמְרָתוֹ אָרֶץ עַד־מְהֵרָה יָרוּץ דְּבָרוֹ׃   147:15

Psal. 147:15   It is He Who sends the earth His word;

                                with utmost speed His word can move swiftly.

הַנֹּתֵן שֶׁלֶג כַּצָּמֶר כְּפוֹר כָּאֵפֶר יְפַזֵּר׃   147:16

Psal. 147:16   It is He Who gives snow like wool;

                                He can scatter hoarfrost like ashes,

מַשְׁלִיךְ קַרְחוֹ כְפִתִּים לִפְנֵי קָרָתוֹ מִי יַעֲמֹד׃   147:17

Psal. 147:17   casting about His ice like crumbs.

                                 Who can stand before His cold?

יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיַמְסֵם יַשֵּׁב רוּחוֹ יִזְּלוּ־מָיִם׃   147:18

Psal. 147:18   Were He to send forth His word,

                                then He would melt them.

                          Were He to make His wind blow,

                                waters could become floods.

מַגִּיד (דְּבָרֹו) [דְּבָרָיו] לְיַעֲקֹב חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל׃   147:19

Psal. 147:19   Declaring His word to Jacob,

                                His statutes and His ordinances to Israel --

The word in the parentheses, translated by me as His word, is considered an error.  As spelled, the word is singular, and the correction in the brackets is plural, potentially altering the translation to His words.  I believe the original word is correctly spelled, and I don’t accept this alleged error.  Declaring His word to Jacob does not conflict with the plural statutes and ordinances in the next line of the verse.  They, along with the commandments and the narrative, in fact constitute God’s word (His Torah).

לֹא עָשָׂה כֵן לְכָל־גּוֹי וּמִשְׁפָּטִים בַּל־יְדָעוּם הַלְלוּ־יָהּ׃   147:20

Psal. 147:20   He has not done so to any other nation.

                                And His ordinances, they have not known them.

                          Hallelujah!

 

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