Psalm 19
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| Psalm 19 | |
|---|---|
| "The heavens declare the glory of God" | |
| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. Psalm 19 in a Scottish Metrical Psalter | |
| Other name | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
|
| Text | Attributed to David |
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
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| Psalm 19 | |
|---|---|
← Psalm 18 Psalm 20 → | |
| Book | Book of Psalms |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 19 |
Psalm 19 is the 19th psalm in the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The heavens declare the almighty of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 18. The Latin version begins "Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei".[1] The psalm is attributed to David.
The psalm considers the glory of God in creation, and moves to reflect on the character and use of "the law of the LORD". Psalm 1, this psalm and Psalm 119 have been referred to as "the psalms of the Law".[2] It forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestant liturgies and psalmody. It has often been set to music, notably by Heinrich Schütz, by Johann Sebastian Bach who began a cantata with its beginning, by Joseph Haydn, who based a movement from Die Schöpfung on the psalm, and by Beethoven, who set a paraphrase by Gellert in "Die Himmel rühmen des Ewigen Ehre". Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville wrote a grand motet Caeli enarrant in 1750 and François Giroust in 1791.
Commentary
The classical Jewish commentators all point to the connection the psalmist makes between the Sun and the Torah. These connections include:[3]
- The Torah enlightens man, just as the sun lights his way (Rashi)
- Both the sun and the Torah testify to the glory of their Creator (Ibn Ezra and Radak)
- The Torah is more perfect, whole, or complete than the powerful sun (Metzudat David)
- While the sun conveys God's glory and greatness in the physical world, the Torah expresses God's glory in the spiritual realm (Malbim).
According to the Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon, this psalm compares and contrasts "the study of God's two great books—nature and Scripture".[4] Explaining the emphasis on the heavens, Spurgeon explains, "The book of nature has three leaves, heaven, earth, and sea, of which heaven is the first and the most glorious…” Beginning in verse 7 (KJV), the psalmist then extols the perfection of the law of Moses and "the doctrine of God, the whole run and rule of sacred Writ".[4]
John Mason Good theorizes that this psalm was composed either in the morning or around noon, when the bright sun eclipses the other heavenly bodies; he contrasts this with Psalm 8, in which the psalmist contemplates the starry sky in the evening.[4] Praising the poetry of this psalm, 20th-century British writer C. S. Lewis is quoted as saying: "I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world".[5]
On the matter of unity, Artur Weiser states that the first part (verses 1 to 7) are a completely distinct song from the second (verses 8 to 15). He upholds that not only the subjects, but also the metrics, the language and the tone are distinct and the two parts could not have been composed by the same author.[6] Lewis, on the other hand, indicates nature as "an index, a symbol, a manifestation, of the Divine" and he points that here "the searching and cleansing sun becomes an image of the searching and cleansing Law", on which he suppresses the idea of these two subjects not being correlated.[7] Rav Elchanan Samet identifies the same problems that Weiser did: "These two halves are strikingly different from one another in their content as well as in their style, to the point that it is difficult to point to verbal, stylistic, or conceptual connections between them." Nonetheless, he points that these two parts have been in unity since the Septuagint and agrees with it, "the inclination to adopt this [critical] solution is liable to stem from intellectual laziness."[8]
Concerning Psalm 19's place in the architectural arrangement of the Psalms, Psalm 18 precedes Psalm 19, wherein David's adversaries are vanquished. Following this triumph and following Psalm 19, a succession of five royal Psalms, Psalms 20 through 24, according to O. Palmer Robertson, seemingly accentuating the unequivocal establishment of the Davidic kingdom [9]
The centrality of Psalm 19 within a literary chiasm extending from Psalm 15 to Psalm 24 has been also expounded upon in Carissa Quinn's doctoral thesis.[10]
Text
The following table shows the Hebrew text[11][12] of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint[13] and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions.[note 1] In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 18.
| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
|---|---|---|---|
| [a] | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 1 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם מְֽסַפְּרִ֥ים כְּבֽוֹד־אֵ֑ל וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דָ֗יו מַגִּ֥יד הָרָקִֽיעַ׃ | The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 2 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.י֣וֹם לְ֭יוֹם יַבִּ֣יעַֽ אֹ֑מֶר וְלַ֥יְלָה לְּ֝לַ֗יְלָה יְחַוֶּה־דָּֽעַת׃ | Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 3 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.אֵֽין־אֹ֭מֶר וְאֵ֣ין דְּבָרִ֑ים בְּ֝לִ֗י נִשְׁמָ֥ע קוֹלָֽם׃ | There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 4 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.בְּכׇל־הָאָ֨רֶץ ׀ יָ֘צָ֤א קַוָּ֗ם וּבִקְצֵ֣ה תֵ֭בֵל מִלֵּיהֶ֑ם לַ֝שֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ שָֽׂם־אֹ֥הֶל בָּהֶֽם׃ | Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 5 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.וְה֗וּא כְּ֭חָתָן יֹצֵ֣א מֵחֻפָּת֑וֹ יָשִׂ֥ישׂ כְּ֝גִבּ֗וֹר לָר֥וּץ אֹֽרַח׃ | Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 6 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.מִקְצֵ֤ה הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ מֽוֹצָא֗וֹ וּתְקוּפָת֥וֹ עַל־קְצוֹתָ֑ם וְאֵ֥ין נִ֝סְתָּ֗ר מֵחַמָּתֽוֹ׃ | His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 7 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.תּ֘וֹרַ֤ת יְהֹוָ֣ה תְּ֭מִימָה מְשִׁ֣יבַת נָ֑פֶשׁ עֵד֥וּת יְהֹוָ֥ה נֶ֝אֱמָנָ֗ה מַחְכִּ֥ימַת פֶּֽתִי׃ | The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 8 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.פִּקּ֘וּדֵ֤י יְהֹוָ֣ה יְ֭שָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵ֑ב מִצְוַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֥ה בָּ֝רָ֗ה מְאִירַ֥ת עֵינָֽיִם׃ | The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 9 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.יִרְאַ֤ת יְהֹוָ֨ה ׀ טְהוֹרָה֮ עוֹמֶ֢דֶת לָ֫עַ֥ד מִֽשְׁפְּטֵי־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱמֶ֑ת צָֽדְק֥וּ יַחְדָּֽו׃ | The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 10 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.הַֽנֶּחֱמָדִ֗ים מִ֭זָּהָב וּמִפַּ֣ז רָ֑ב וּמְתוּקִ֥ים מִ֝דְּבַ֗שׁ וְנֹ֣פֶת צוּפִֽים׃ | More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 11 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.גַּֽם־עַ֭בְדְּךָ נִזְהָ֣ר בָּהֶ֑ם בְּ֝שׇׁמְרָ֗ם עֵ֣קֶב רָֽב׃ | Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 12 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.שְׁגִיא֥וֹת מִֽי־יָבִ֑ין מִֽנִּסְתָּר֥וֹת נַקֵּֽנִי׃ | Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 13 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.גַּ֤ם מִזֵּדִ֨ים ׀ חֲשֹׂ֬ךְ עַבְדֶּ֗ךָ אַֽל־יִמְשְׁלוּ־בִ֣י אָ֣ז אֵיתָ֑ם וְ֝נִקֵּ֗יתִי מִפֶּ֥שַֽׁע רָֽב׃ | Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| 14 | Page Template:Script/styles hebrew.css has no content.יִ֥הְיֽוּ־לְרָצ֨וֹן ׀ אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה צוּרִ֥י וְגֹאֲלִֽי׃ | Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
Uses
The final verse in both the Hebrew and KJV versions, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer," is used as a prayer in both the Jewish[14] and Christian traditions.[4] A version which refers to "the meditation of our hearts", i.e. those of the congregation, is often used at the start of a sermon.[15][16]
Judaism
Psalm 19 is recited in its entirety during the Pesukei dezimra of Shabbat and Yom Tov.[14]Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. It is also recited as the psalm of the day on Shavuot in the Gra siddur.[14] In Siddur Avodas Yisroel, it is recited as the psalm of the day on Hanukkah, and as the Shabbat psalm for the Torah portion of Yitro.[14] Some say this psalm on a wedding day, and as a prayer for heavenly guidance.[17]
The verses of this psalm are recited before each hakafah on Simchat Torah.[3]
In the ancient Jewish text Perek Shirah, verse 2 (in the Hebrew) is said by the heavens and verse 3 is said by the day.[14][18]
Verses 8 and 9 (in the Hebrew) are recited in the synagogue after the first person is called up to the Torah.[14]Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
Verses 12 and 13 (in the Hebrew) are part of Selichos.[14]
Verse 15 (in the Hebrew) is recited in several parts of the Jewish prayer service, including: at the conclusion of the Amidah;[14]Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. and in some communities during the removal of the Torah scroll from the Ark on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Yom Tov;[14]Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. as part of Selichos;[14] and at the conclusion of Tefillah Zakah, a prayer for Yom Kippur eve.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
New Testament
Verse 4 is quoted in Romans Script error: No such module "Bibleverse"..[19]
Catholic Church
In the Rule of Saint Benedict of the Benedictine Order, the psalm is to be recited at Prime on Saturdays.[20]
Coptic Orthodox Church
In the Agpeya, the Coptic Church's book of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office of Prime.[21]
Book of Common Prayer
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the fourth day of the month,[22] as well as at Mattins on Christmas Day.[23]
Musical settings
Psalm 19 has been set to music several times. Handel's Messiah features a setting of the fourth verse of the Psalm in the chorus "Their Sound is Gone Out."
In France, Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville composed in 1749, le grand motet de type versaillais "Cæli enarrant gloriam Dei " and Camille Saint-Saëns composed in 1865 one "Cæli enarrant" (Psaume XVIII) op. 42.
Notable settings to German texts include:
- Heinrich Schütz in "Script error: No such module "Lang".", SWV 115 as part of the Becker Psalter, published in 1628.
- Johann Sebastian Bach in the cantata Script error: No such module "Lang"., BWV 76 (1723)
- Joseph Haydn in "Die Himmel erzählen" ("The Heavens are Telling") – the chorus at the end of part 1 of his oratorio Die Schöpfung (1798)
- Ludwig van Beethoven in his 1803 song for voice and piano, "Script error: No such module "Lang".", setting a paraphrase by Gellert in "Die Himmel rühmen des Ewigen Ehre", a song from an 1803 lieder collection.
In Protestant Christianity, various metrical settings of Psalm 19 have been published, including "The heav'ns and firmament on high do wondrously declare" in The Whole Booke of Psalmes (Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins, 1584)[24][25] and "The heav’ns God’s glory do declare" in the Scottish Psalter (1650).[26]
The American composer Steve Reich set part of the Hebrew text in his 1981 work Tehillim.[27]
The Rastafarian song "Rivers of Babylon" (recorded 1970 by The Melodians) includes a reference to the Amidah through verse 14 of Psalm 19 in English together with a reference to Psalm 137 that was written in memory of the first destruction of Zion (Jerusalem) by the Babylonians in 586 BC (the city and the Second Temple were destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans). This song was also popularized as a cover recorded by Boney M. in 1978.
"Torat Hashem Temimah" (The word of God is perfect), consisting of the first five words of verse 8 (in the Hebrew), is a popular Jewish song.[28]
Other
"The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether", a phrase from Psalm 19:9, is inscribed on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.[29]
Notes
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- ^ A 1917 translation directly from Hebrew to English by the Jewish Publication Society can be found here or here, and an 1844 translation directly from the Septuagint by L. C. L. Brenton can be found here. Both translations are in the public domain.
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- ^ In the Jewish verse numbering, the ascription of this psalm is verse 1, and the rest of the psalm begins from verse 2. However, the Christian verse numbering does not count the ascription as a separate verse.
References
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- ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 18 (19) Script error: No such module "webarchive". medievalist.net
- ^ Breen, C., The Psalms of the Law, The Furrow, Vol. 15, No. 8 (Aug., 1964), pp. 516-525
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yaffe, Barry (October 7, 2019). "Tehillim 19 and the Essence of Simchas Torah". Orthodox Union. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Psalm 19 Bible Commentary: Charles H. Spurgeon's Treasury of David". Christianity.com. 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Guzik, David (2019). "PSALM 19 – THE HEAVENS, THE WORD, AND THE GLORY OF GOD". Enduring Word. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ Artur Weiser, Os Salmos (Paulus, 1994), Template:ISBN p. 141
- ^ C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (London: Geoffrey Bles, 1958), Template:ISBN p.69
- ^ Rav Elchanan Samet, Shiur #61: Psalm 19 "The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God" Script error: No such module "webarchive".. Retrieved February 04, 2021.
- ^ The Flow of the Psalms, O Palmer Robertson, pp.66-74, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62995-133-1
- ^ Toward the Kingdom: The Shape and Message of Psalm 15 to Psalm 24 presented at the Institute of Biblical Research, Carissa Quinn, https://www.academia.edu/28709636/Toward_the_Kingdom_The_Shape_and_Message_of_Psalms_15_24
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Psalms – Chapter 19". Mechon Mamre.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Psalms 19 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Psalm 18 - Septuagint and Brenton's Septuagint Translation". Ellopos. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brauner, Reuven (2013). "Shimush Pesukim: Comprehensive Index to Liturgical and Ceremonial Uses of Biblical Verses and Passages" (PDF) (2nd ed.). p. 33. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2020.
- ^ Moger, P., Like as the hart Script error: No such module "webarchive"., sermon given at Peterhouse Chapel, Cambridge, 5 February 2006, 6.00pm Evensong, accessed 9 October 2021
- ^ Kittmer, J., Address by John Kittmer, HMA to Greece, at a service at St Paul's Anglican Church in Athens to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen's 90th Birthday, 5 June 2016, published 9 June 2016, accessed 9 October 2021
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Psalms for Special Occasions". Psalms online. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Slifkin, Nosson (2002). "Perek Shirah" (PDF). Zoo Torah. pp. 3, 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 838. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Psalter of the Divine Office according to the Rule of Saint Benedict". Rosarychurch.net. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Prime". agpeya.org. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Book of Common Prayer: Proper Psalms On Certain Days" (PDF). The Church of England. p. 6. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Coeli enarrant". Hymnary.org. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Whole Booke of Psalmes collected into Englishe Metre (1584)". The Public Domain Review. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Psalm 19". The Westminster Standard. May 23, 2016. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.The Visual Commentary on Scripture VCS (2025-02-11). VCS Creative Conversations: Ben Quash with Steve Reich. Retrieved 2025-02-17 – via YouTube.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Torat Hashem Temimah". Zemirot Database. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ National Park Service, Abraham Lincoln: Words Inscribed on the Lincoln Memorial Washington, D.C. Script error: No such module "webarchive".
Sources
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Scherman, Rabbi Nosson (1985). The Complete ArtScroll Machzor – Rosh Hashanah (1st ed.). Mesorah Publications Ltd. ISBN 978-0-89906-676-9.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Scherman, Rabbi Nosson (1986). The Complete ArtScroll Machzor – Yom Kippur (1st ed.). Mesorah Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-89906-677-1.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Scherman, Rabbi Nosson (2003). The Complete ArtScroll Siddur (3rd ed.). Mesorah Publications, Ltd. ISBN 9780899066509.
External links
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- Pieces with text from Psalm 19: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Psalm 19: Free scores at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Script error: No such module "Bibleverse". in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre
- Text of Psalm 19 according to the 1928 Psalter
- For the leader. A psalm of David. / The heavens declare the glory of God; / the firmament proclaims the works of his hands text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Psalm 19 – The Heavens, the Word, and the Glory of God enduringword.com
- Psalm 19 / Refrain: The commandment of the Lord is pure / and gives light to the eyes. Church of England
- Hymns for Psalm 19 hymnary.org
- Rabbi Benjamin Segal's commentary on Psalm 19 Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- Matthew Henry's commentary on Psalm 19 (Matthew Henry (1662–1714) was a post-Reformation scholar)
- Charles Spurgeon's commentary on Psalm 19 (Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) was England's best-known preacher for the second half of the 19th century.)
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