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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 19

1 For the music director, a psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God;⁠ the sky displays his handiwork. 2 Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. 3 There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. 4 Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon. In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun.⁠ 5 Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber; like a strong man it enjoys running its course. 6 It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other;⁠ nothing can escape its heat.⁠ 7 The law of the Lord is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the Lord are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.⁠ 8 The Lord’s precepts are fair and make one joyful. The Lord’s commands are pure and give insight for life. 9 The commands to fear the Lord are right and endure forever. The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy and absolutely just. 10 They are of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold; they bring greater delight than honey, than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb. 11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; those who obey them receive a rich reward. 12 Who can know all his errors? Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of.⁠ 13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins; do not allow such sins to control me. Then I will be blameless and innocent of blatant rebellion. 14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord,⁠ my sheltering rock and my redeemer.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalms 19:6 and 1 Esdras 4:34 and Ecclesiastes 1:5

Hebrew Bible · Deuterocanon

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Summary

Psalm 19 describes the sun moving from one end of the sky to the other, and Ecclesiastes describes it going back to where it rises. In 1 Esdras, Zerubbabel connects the two images, saying the sun circles the heavens and returns to its place in one day.

Passages

Psalms 19:6

Hebrew Bible
4 Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon. In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber; like a strong man it enjoys running its course. 6 It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other; nothing can escape its heat.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

1 Esdras 4:34

Deuterocanon · Esdras A, 3 Esdras
33 Then the king and the nobles looked at one another. So he began to speak concerning truth. 34 “O sirs, aren’t women strong? The earth is great. The sky is high. The sun is swift in its course, for it circles around the sky, and returns on its course again in one day. 35 Isn’t he who makes these things great? Therefore the truth is great, and stronger than all things. 36 All the earth calls upon truth, and the sky blesses truth. All works shake and tremble, but with truth there is no unrighteous thing.
300–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Esdras

Ecclesiastes 1:5

Hebrew Bible
4 A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises again. 6 The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north; round and round the wind goes and on its rounds it returns. 7 All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is not full, and to the place where the streams flow, there they will flow again.
300–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ecclesiastes

References

“... 4:34. O men! The speaker first posits the results of his earlier arguments and restates the power of women. However, in a swift turn of mind and with no interruption, he regains the attention of the crowd by leaving the format of the speeches followed so far and moving to a new and different reasoning. His gaze is turned to the universe: earth, heaven, and sun. The speaker’s words are replete with biblical allusions. The description of the course of the sun seems a combination of two verses: Ps. 19:7 and Eccles. 1:5. The allusion to the height of the skies and the width of the earth echoes Job 11:9, where they are compared to God’s acts. ...”
Sara Japhet, “1 Esdras,” in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture, ed. Louis H. Feldman, James L. Kugel, and Lawrence H. Schiffman (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013), 1:170.

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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Psalms 19:6 and 1 Esdras 4:34 and Ecclesiastes 1:5

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