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Psalms

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Psalm 89

1 A well-written song by Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing continually about the Lord’s faithful deeds; to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness. 2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established; in the skies you set up your faithfulness.” 3 The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant: 4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty and establish your throne throughout future generations.’” (Selah) 5 O Lord, the heavens praise your amazing deeds, as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.⁠ 6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, 7 a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly, and more awesome than all who surround him?⁠ 8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Who is strong like you, O Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds you. 9 You rule over the proud sea. When its waves surge, you calm them.⁠ 10 You crushed the Proud One and killed it; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies. 11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it contains. 12 You created the north and the south. Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name. 13 Your arm is powerful, your hand strong, your right hand victorious. 14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. 15 How blessed are the people who worship you! O Lord, they experience your favor. 16 They rejoice in your name all day long, and are vindicated by your justice. 17 For you give them splendor and strength. By your favor we are victorious.⁠ 18 For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel. 19 Then you spoke through a vision to your faithful followers and said: “I have placed a young hero over a warrior; I have raised up a young man from the people. 20 I have discovered David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. 21 My hand will support him, and my arm will strengthen him. 22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute from him; a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him. 23 I will crush his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him. 24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love, and by my name he will win victories. 25 I will place his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.⁠ 26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my father, my God, and the protector who delivers me.’⁠ 27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son, the most exalted of the earth’s kings.⁠ 28 I will always extend my loyal love to him, and my covenant with him is secure. 29 I will give him an eternal dynasty and make his throne as enduring as the skies above. 30 If his sons reject my law and disobey my regulations, 31 if they break my rules and do not keep my commandments,⁠ 32 I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club, their sin by inflicting them with bruises. 33 But I will not remove my loyal love from him nor be unfaithful to my promise.⁠ 34 I will not break my covenant or go back on what I promised. 35 Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness, I will never deceive David. 36 His dynasty will last forever. His throne will endure before me, like the sun;⁠ 37 it will remain stable, like the moon. His throne will endure like the skies.”⁠ (Selah) 38 But you have spurned and rejected him; you are angry with your chosen king. 39 You have repudiated your covenant with your servant; you have thrown his crown to the ground. 40 You have broken down all his walls; you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins. 41 All who pass by have robbed him; he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors. 42 You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious and all his enemies to rejoice. 43 You turn back his sword from the adversary and have not sustained him in battle. 44 You have brought to an end his splendor and have knocked his throne to the ground. 45 You have cut short his youth and have covered him with shame. (Selah) 46 How long, O Lord, will this last? Will you remain hidden forever? Will your anger continue to burn like fire? 47 Take note of my brief lifespan. Why do you make all people so mortal? 48 No man can live on without experiencing death or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah) 49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds, O Lord, the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David? 50 Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted and of how I must bear so many insults from people. 51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults; they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps. 52 The Lord deserves praise forevermore! We agree! We agree!⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 41:13 and Psalm 72:18 and Psalm 89:52 and Psalm 106:48

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Several psalms end with the same praise formula that marks clear divisions, used at the end of Psalms 41, 72, 89, and 106. These recurring lines help shape the Psalms into five sections, a structure that mirrors the five books of the Torah.

Passages

Psalm 41:13

Hebrew Bible
11 By this I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me. 12 As for me, you uphold me because of my integrity; you allow me permanent access to your presence. 13 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise in the future and forevermore. We agree! We agree!
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Psalm 72:18

Hebrew Bible
17 May his fame endure. May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky. May they use his name when they formulate their blessings. May all nations consider him to be favored by God. 18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise. He alone accomplishes amazing things. 19 His glorious name deserves praise forevermore. May his majestic splendor fill the whole earth. We agree! We agree!
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Psalm 89:52

Hebrew Bible
50 Take note, O Lord, of the way your servants are taunted and of how I must bear so many insults from people. 51 Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults; they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps. 52 The Lord deserves praise forevermore! We agree! We agree!
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Psalm 106:48

Hebrew Bible
46 He caused all their conquerors to have pity on them. 47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God. Gather us from among the nations. Then we will give thanks to your holy name, and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, in the future and forevermore. Let all the people say, “We agree! Praise the Lord!”
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... In the course of its literary history, the Psalms underwent various stages of formation. Its present shape is marked by a division into five parts—it is probable that the Psalter is seen in analogy to the Torah. The five-part structure is established by the four doxologies in Psalm 41:14; 72:18–19; 89:53; 106:48. This “Torah shape” of the Psalter is also underlined by the introductory Psalm 1, which qualifies the study of the Psalter as Torah study, as well as Psalm 119. In light of the strongly divergent order of the Psalter in Qumran and the theological similarity of the framework of the Psalter as a whole in Psalms 1–2 and 146–50 with the contemporary non-Essene wisdom texts (Book of Mysteries [1Q27; 4Q299–301]; 1Q/4QInstruction), this five-part division hardly arose before the second century B.C.E. It is striking that the liturgical tradition in the Psalter was aligned with the form and content of the Torah ..."
Konrad Schmid, Is There Theology in the Hebrew Bible?, CSHB 4 (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2015), 97.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 41:13 and Psalm 72:18 and Psalm 89:52 and Psalm 106:48

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