In the time leading up to Shavuot / Pentecost, when many are doing their readings in the Psalms, some thoughts that might stimulate areas for you to focus. These thoughts are based upon the recently-shared tools here on the website. I know the tools may be a stretch for many. Use or not. It is definitely your choice.
⦁ ▸
- Recall that the Psalms are songs, and many reflect a crying out to the LORD (יהוה). Three include h2199. זָעַק zâ‘aq, (two of those twice), forty-one include to call out or cry out h7121. קָרָא qârâ’, many “How long?” עד–אנה, and no doubt there are other similar words and phrases. (Note Psalm 22 includes both צעק and קרא.)
The most important thought I want to share is not the one we will spend most time on because another takes some more work of separating apart the pieces. In all of the comments here, please to remember three “rules” we have been using.
🅐 the homorganic consonant families (p.294 EDBH, gutturals, palatals, dentals, labials, and sibilants. (See Blog 6 – Phonetic Cognates and Cognate Meanings if needed.)
🅑 p.299 EDBH “In addition, words that contain similar consonants have similar meanings irrespective of the order of the consonants.”
🅒 the consonants מ and נ, though not a part of the interchange system that Hirsch uses (see bottom of p.244). “They are analyzed independently of the others.” See Appendix 5 Where מ reflects נ to see many examples of the מ ↔︎ נ reflection we have been using.
⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝ ⇝
▶︎ But let’s begin with most important first.
According to my search in Olive Tree NKJV Strong’s, fifty-six Psalms have in their beginning “To the Chief musician.” Some translations use “To the choirmaster.” The Hebrew is למנצח. Here is the parsing of the word in BDB:
▸ BDB All Results: נצח הַ לְ
- לְ
- GLOSS to, toward; for; in regard to; of, about
- PARSING Hebrew, particle, preposition
- הַ
- GLOSS the
- PARSING Hebrew, particle, definite article
- נצח
- GLOSS niphal: be enduring; piel: inspect; direct
- PARSING Hebrew, verb, piel, participle, masculine, singular, absolute
So, one might also translate as “To the director.”
As we look at this word, there is within it a cognate of משח p.144 separate out, the root for משיח Messiah. So, in a way, you may want to think of these Psalms as written to the Messiah as director of what we experience in life. (And whatever your faith is, you may have a different concept of Messiah – we have been sharing some ideas about the Messiah road or path in our Hebrew reflections.)
▶︎ ALSO – “Abiding/dwelling in the strength” – see the first word of Psalm 13, למנצח. Not only does it include the משח cognate, but we look at it as well in another way.
Psalms 13:1
1 לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמֹ֥ור לְדָוִֽד׃
Psalms 13:1
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 How long (עַד־אָ֣נָה), LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long (עַד־אָ֣נָה) will you hide you face from me?
If one separates למנצח into למנ and צח, you may see that צח is a cognate permutation of עז/עצ/אש, which we determined is “strength/concentrate energy.” There is no למנ root. We are going to show two connections using the rules above, for למן.
מ ↔︎ נ gives us למנ ↔︎ לנן
In NKJV: Psalms 91:1
1 He who dwells (h3427. יָשַׁב yâšaḇ) in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
which certainly makes the parallelism between dwells and abide more obvious. A more literal translation is:
Psalms 91:1
1 יֹ֭שֵׁב בְּסֵ֣תֶר עֶלְיֹ֑ון בְּצֵ֥ל שַׁ֝דַּ֗י יִתְלוֹנָֽן׃
Psalms 91:1
1 Dwelling in the secret place בסתר of the Most High,
In the shadow of the Almighty abides.
- (Strongs does not list a root לנן, but suggests the root is לון.)
The second connection is נמל, rearranging the letters of למן:
- Notice in Genesis 17:11 (the covenant) the נמל form is used “be circumcised.” מולis “to circumcise.”
- Please read the passages (verses listed in context) that you see listed, lest this writing be in vain. Psalm 37 plus Psalm 2 under “cutting down,” for example, really get the point across, especially if you are able to look in the Hebrew using the tools here. One of Hirsch’s areas of greatest depth of study was in The Psalms. Much is shared in the Psalms. Many of his insights come from these writings. מהרה ימלו in 37:2 and ואני נסכתי מלכי in 2:6 make full use of these tools. And Solomon’s “hint” in Proverbs 6 – see the director throughout. And for interest, look at the Hebrew in Exodus 15:18 יהוה ימלך לעלם ועד, which incorporates in the two middle words together the נמל/לנן picture, and points to the question “How long?” we are about to cover.
▶︎ The next thing I want to point out is where we often see in the first line of Psalms “of David,” the Hebrew word is לדוד, really meaning “to David,” sharing with us, perhaps, David’s perspective, as in 1Samuel13:14 and 16:7.
▶︎ A return to one of the forms of “crying out,” mentioned earlier, “How long?” This is an idiomatic translation of עד–אנה, which we’ll dissect a bit.
▸ First, עד:
• עַד-eternity, ever(-lasting, -more), old, perpetually, [phrase] world without end.
• עַד-against, and, as, at, before, by (that), even (to), for(-asmuch as), (hither-) to, [phrase] how long, into, as long (much) as, (so) that, till, toward, until, when, while, ([phrase] as) yet.
• עַד-[idiom] and, at, for, (hither-) to, on till, (un-) to, until, within. ((Where Zev Clementson lists here [idiom], Strong’s says Aramaic, corresponding to the second עַד, just above.]))
• עַד-prey.
• עֵד-witness.
• עֵד-filthy.
h5703. עַד ‘aḏ; from h5710. עָדָה ‘âḏâ; 49 occurrences; h5704. עַד ‘aḏ; 99 occurrences; h5705. עַד ‘aḏ; (Aramaic) 32 occurrences; h5706. עַד ‘aḏ; 3 occurrences; h5707. עֵד‘êḏ; 69 occurrences; h5708. עֵד ‘êḏ; 1 occurrence; {h5710. עָדָה ‘âḏâ; 226 occurrences / h5750. עוֹד ‘ôḏ; or עֹד ‘od; 30 occurrences; from h5749. עוּד ‘ûḏ; 45 occurrences}
GV p.179 עדד tear off [pieces]; p.180 עדה decorate [adorn]; p.180 עוד endure [continue]; p.106 יעד arrange [set specifics] No DVs.
CM עדד pierce (A31); עדה retain/relinquish (A57); עוד constrain by external force (A2); יעד bring together (C49)
- This word often has to do with “time,” and is often used as “until,” and is part of the common phrase “forever and ever,” לעלם ועד first seen in Ex15:18 noted above.
▸ Then אנה p.12 cause; direct to goal;; bring about (A44). One of its cognates is ענהp.188 respond; make dependent. Its usages include “humbling, afflicting, fasting, being meek, and testifying,” in addition to others.
BDB gives the second word אנה as the interrogative ה as a suffix to the word אן, defining as “where?” See its family here:
•אָן-[phrase] any (no) whither, now, where, whither(-soever).
h0575. אָן ’ân; or אָנָה ’anah; contracted from h0370. אַיִן ’aiyn; Gen. 16:8; 32:17(18); 37:30; Ex. 16:28; Num. 14:11; Deut. 1:28; Josh. 2:5; Judg. 19:17; 1 Sam. 10:14; 2 Sam. 2:1; 13:13; 1 Kgs. 2:36,42; 2 Kgs. 5:25; 6:6; Neh. 2:16; Job 8:2; 18:2; 19:2; Ps. 13:1,2; 62:3(4); 139:7; Song 6:1; Isa. 10:3; Jer. 15:2; Ezek. 21:16(11); Hab. 1:2; Zech. 2:2(6); 5:10.
p.12 אנה cause; direct to goal
GV p.13 אנן mourn loss; p.12 אנה cause [direct to goal]; p.5 און acquire; p.9 איןabsent No DVs
CM אנן grant/withdraw (A46); אנה bring about (A44); און form (A6); אין contain (A13)
- The more literal translation of the idiom “How long?” might be “Until what point?” It is considered a plea for mercy and/or justice. The point to connect with here has to do with “humbling” and “causing, directing to goal,” “mourning,” in this outcry.
▶︎ And finally, where we of needs must spend the greatest amount of time and space here is on this word for Psalm, מזמור. The book of Psalms is תהלים Tehilim, but some of the individual psalms, as noted here, are called מזמור, mizmor. Mizmor is listed as coming from the root זמר, which would be:
p.299 “The מ indicates that which emanates from an object or person,” plus:
So, one simple way of looking at this word is “from a pruning.” And David certainly had many circumstances in his life (as do we all) in which he required some pruning to keep him humble. Thus the purpose of “consequences.” We should not block or shield consequences, except in the most dire circumstances (e.g. child running into the street).
Some other ways to look at this word are in considering different possible two-letter combinations and distilling from there. For example, for מזמר (and recall there is also a Vav ו in מזמור which we will simplify by saying it is homorganic with ב and will indicate “being in” מזמר. We could also go into two-letter words like בש and בר and בן, all of which would add to the depth, but we will stick with ב + מזמר) we can see:
מז as שמ (banner/focus) – and the word for HaShem, the LORD (יהוה), our focus.
+
מר as מר/רמ (bring together/separate)
+
זר as שר/רש (interconnectedness of order/disorder)
+
ממ and there is not such a combination, so we return to our מ ↔︎ נ rule and look at מנ. (There is also no ננ word, though there are a number, like לנן above and בנן p.28 understand;; grasp (B33) that include ננ.) I have not yet done the full מן investigation, and am trying to get this blog out timely for use between now and Shavuot/Pentecost. Here is what we do know, from our Two-Letter Word work (first bulleted part by Zev Clementson, referred to numerous times, with addition of EDBH roots):
• מָן-manna.
• מָן-what, who(-msoever, [phrase] -so).
• מִן-above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, [idiom] neither, [idiom] nor, (out) of, over, since, [idiom] then, through, [idiom] whether, with.
• מִן-according, after, [phrase] because, [phrase] before, by, for, from, [idiom] him, [idiom] more than, (out) of, part, since, [idiom] these, to, upon, [phrase] when.
• מֵן-in (the same) (Psalm 68:23), stringed instrument (Psalm 150:4), whereby (Psalm 45:8 (defective plural)).
GV p.141 מנן hold back; p.141 מנה apportion [divide and limit]; p.137 מון define [group or species]; p.105 ימן sidle [to the] right
DV אמן – p.141 מנן distance [hold back]; p.141 מנה apportion [divide and limit]; p.137 מון define [group or species] > p.11 אמן depend upon; rely upon
DV מאן – p.141 מנן distance [hold back] > p.135 מאן refuse No other DVs
CM (מנן no cognates); מנה give/withhold (B67); (מון no cognates); ימן hide (C53); (אמן no cognates); (מאן no cognates)
There are some I want to be sure to point out here, the first being the Derivational Variant אמן, the word we know as “Amen,” listed here as “depend upon; rely upon.” The second is the root מון, define group or species, and the first time we it used is in the Creation account in Genesis1, where things are noted to be “according to its kind.” You likely can see how those two are related to one another. Our traditional usage of “right hand” ימין tends to follow the same idea, the old saying, “He’s my right-hand man,” meaning one I can rely upon (I have not yet completed study on ימן, so that’s my only comment.) מנן is also the root, according to EDBH, that the preposition “מ from” comes from, again, “that which emanates from an object or person.” To “emanate,” according to Merriam-Webster, is “to come out from a source,” its etymology there listed as Latin, from e– + manare “to flow.” We have spoken a good bit about “flow” on the website, and have another entry almost ready to post. But, for this purpose, get the sense for מן, again, as relating to something that can be “sensed,” though maybe not “seen,” coming from another, which fits with the other roots, something you can “rely upon” or “depend upon.”
In the discussion of mammon in Appendix 1, we covered the idea of something in which we place our confidence. We have made the point numerous times that our reliance should be upon the LORD. (See Mt6:24 and Lk16:9-13) We must focus on that “flow” which emanates from the LORD.
So, perhaps try to combine these thoughts in your head, and feel free to disagree with what I have come up with for Mizmor מזמור/מזמר. My thought, which of course we will tie into the other words, has to do with being in the state of reliance upon the status of Creation, from the LORD’s perspective, which includes the aspect of “pruning” in order to get us to where we need to be, in order to be a bountiful vine/tree/plant in God’s Creation. This is a great lesson on life, on parenting, on mentoring, whatever application you want to point to.
I remember old Joe (God rest his soul), a friend of ours who used to help us tend a community garden, getting out and “thrashing” some of the plants in order to strengthen them and help them produce. Our behaviors often need some thrashing or pruning in order for us to be “straightened,” and that is what consequences are all about. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
So, fit this idea of pruning, the interconnectedness of order and disorder, bringing together/separating, and focus into the context of the “director/the path of Messiah,” dwelling/abiding in his strength. We must rely on our guide to measure the consequences in our lives that we may learn and grow and abide with him.
I remind you of a book to which I commended you, a long time ago, The Universal Garden of Emuna , Shalom Arush/translated by Lazer Brody, which reflects exactly this viewpoint.
I have just another couple of comments to make about the above. Recall the Psalms are songs. See that the most common word for song is שיר Shir (from which Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs by Solomon). See that שיר and מזמר have in common a two-letter cognate permutation זר/שר, which we noted above is the interconnectedness of order/disorder. In common with these is ראש p.237 begin; animate;; move energetically (E65), which, among other things is where we get Bereshit/Genesis/In the beginning. The design, from the beginning was with consequences built in. We fight against them all the time. The more we fight, the greater the consequences.
A couple more very thought-provoking comments that I will leave you with, are listed under the זמר entry above, from EDBH:
③ singing a wordless melody
Exodus 15:1-2 from NKJV
1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang (h7891. שִׁיר šiyr) this song (h7892. שִׁירšiyr) to the LORD, and spoke, saying:
“I will sing (h7891. שִׁיר šiyr) to the LORD,
For he has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
2 The LORD is my strength and song (h2176. זִמְרָת zimrâṯ),
And he has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt him.
- h5115. נָוָה nâwâ is as prepare an habitation; EDBH has נוה p.151 dwell restfully and peacefully – “I will abide or dwell in him”
||
Comments:
What is meant by “singing a wordless melody?”
I will do my best to suggest an answer to this.
The first piece I want to share is:
Deuteronomy 34:10-12
10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet (h5030. נָבִיא nâḇîy’; from h5012. נָבָא nâḇâ’) like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, 12 and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
The general pattern in Scripture (and how we have come to understand the meaning in modern usage) is that a prophet looks at what has transpired and is transpiring and has insight into what is to come, as Joseph and Daniel with dreams, for example.
▸ h5012. נָבָא nâḇâ’; a primitive root; to prophesy, i.e. speak (or sing) by inspiration (in prediction or simple discourse): — prophesy(-ing), make self a prophet.
While it is not always an indication of prediction, often it is in Scripture (as with Jacob in Genesis 49, also, regarding his sons). Here in Exodus 15:1-2, it appears Moses/Moshe is applying what he has seen to what is yet to come. See how this might be applied in our lives, if we delve into the other levels of meaning of the Hebrew words:
Think of the song, what we sing to as a melody that is “wordless” as the “director” leading the song of our lives. The director speaks not “words,” but brings us encounters on a daily basis that we should interpret. (See Mt16:2-3 – the signs of the times) Our lives are parables, in a way, trying to speak to us wordlessly. Israel is one of the highlighted words, and their journey in the Wilderness is beginning, a song for them to understand, to discern, without words, and sing along with. What means the horse and its rider as they are thrown into the sea? And do they relate to us today?
Horse is from סוס p.169 move quickly
Its rider is from רכב p.244 place astride
In סוס the cognate permutation בש (influence; have impact), which, by the way, Adam and Eve did not have (Gn2:25 “not ashamed בוש”).
And רכב is as ב “in” + כר (impact of containing, covering/uncovering).
Life moves swiftly סוס. The one רכב is swept along in it. We can be oblivious to the events around us, or we can focus our attention, to make ourselves aware, in order to “hear God’s wordless song/melody” for us and react appropriately, in God’s instruction (the Word plus life lived as “carefully watched” in faith).
What happens to the swiftly moving and the one that is carried along in it/with it? They are “thrown unto” (h7411. רָמָה râmâ) “the sea” (h3220. יָם yâm).
h7411. רָמָה râmâ; a primitive root; to hurl; specifically, to shoot; figuratively, to delude or betray (as if causing to fall): — beguile, betray, (bow-)man, carry, deceive, throw.
AV (12) – deceived 4, beguiled 2, thrown 2, betray 1, bowmen + h7198 1, carrying 1, deceived so 1;
ים cognate permutations (strengthen/weaken)
I remind you that the cognate permutations for הר mountain has the meaning (transition), and again the warning not to connect it with רע – DO NOT EAT OF THAT TREE! God sees from a different perspective. See three Greek Scripture references that talk about faith and mountains being “thrown into the sea.” (Context always!) Matthew21:21; Mark11:21; Revelation8:8.
Those who move along with the rapid pace of the worldly life are deceived/beguiled into thinking strong and weak are different from how God sees them. If we only listen to his wordless melody we can understand.
⦁ Genesis 25:23
23 And the LORD said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the greater shall serve the lesser.”
⦁ Matthew 19:30
30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
⦁ Matthew 20:16
16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
⦁ Mark 10:31
31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
⦁ Luke 13:30
30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
Here we sit with our “measure of striving,” wanting “all,” when only one thing is necessary.
⦁ Luke 10:40-42
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Don’t be deceived by the pace of life. It moves quickly סוס. Instead, שבת p.264 curtail activity before completion. Notice what is taking place right around you. It is God’s wordless melody. Sing along.
⦁ Psalms 20:7
7 Some trust in chariots (h7393. רֶכֶב reḵeḇ), and some in horses (h5483. סוּס sûs);
But we will remember (h2142. זָכַר zâḵar) the name (h8034. שֵׁם šêm) of the LORD our God.
- זכר includes that שר cognate permutation (interconnectedness of order/disorder) it is part of the song, making sense of where God wants us; the כ is “like”
- שמ cognate permutations (banner/focus) this shall be our focus.
It is not in our control. We are surely deceived when we see “strong and weak.”
Read some Psalms. Blessings to you during the Counting of the Omer.
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