Outline of Chapter 33:

Inscription

       vv.    1–5        The Psalmist Calls for a Musical Celebration of God and His perfection

       vv.    6–9        God Created the World and the Universe by the Word of His Power

       vv.   10–15      God is Involved with the Man of His Creation

       vv.   16–17      Human Power does not Guarantee Deliverance

       vv.   18–22      God’s Salvation and Grace is Based Upon our Trust in Him

Charts and Maps

       v.     33:17      The Various Translations of Rô^bv

       v.     33:17      Salvation Verbs

       v.     33:22      The Full Translation of Psalm 33

I ntroduction: Since this is one of the first psalms which I will cover, I need to explain why I am placing it here, right after Gen. 14. This particular psalm was probably written by King David (see below, after the inscription); and therefore, was written a millennium after the events of this chapter. However, I don’t particularly want to cover all of the psalms at one time, nor do I want to cover the majority of them while covering the life of David. Therefore, I have chosen to appropriately insert these psalms whenever I can come up with a reasonable excuse to do so. They are not necessarily being placed by their time of writing, and they are placed only partially due to their subject matter. Psalm 33 deals with the creation of the earth; therefore, it’s placement in Genesis is apropos. It also deals with war and God’s deliverance in war; therefore, inserting this psalm at the end of Gen. 14 is particularly appropriate. We do not know the exact occasion of this psalm; however, it’s call for a new song and its subject matter seem to indicate that a victory at war has recently occurred. This is not absolutely necessary, as David, a man with a great past on the battlefield, could, at any time, look back and write this.

First, David calls upon those within his hearing to celebrate God with music. David first presents God as invariant, perfect, faithful, righteous and just; and that the earth is filled with His grace. Then, God is presented as the Creator and Restorer of the Universe (vv. 6–7). Then His involvement in the history of mankind is noted (vv. 8–10); His own plans are presented as eternal (v. 11); and blessings are invoked for the nation and people who belong to Him (v. 12). In fact, there is nothing in this psalm which presents our Lord as anything other than universal

Barnes breaks this psalm up into three parts: (1) the psalmist exhorts the reader to praise God (vv. 1–3); (2) he gives the reader reasons to praise God (vv. 4–19); and, (3) the expression of a purpose thus to praise him (vv. 20–22). My take on the final three verses is that they provide the individual interaction between God and man, which is, in itself, a cause for praise. In the first portion of this psalm, the writer calls upon the reader to sing and to use musical instruments to praise God. When it comes to why should we praise God, the psalmist cites God’s character and essence (vv. 4–5); His creation of the universe (vv. 6–9); the stability of His counsel and purposes (vv. 10–11); and His involvement and interaction with both those who acknowledge Him to be God and those who do not (vv. 12–19). Finally, in the third portion of this psalm, we have the purpose of the writer and those associated with him, which is to praise God. The NIV Study Bible also breaks this up into the same three parts, vv. 1–3 being an introduction, vv. 20–22 a conclusion, and vv. 4–19 consisting of two parts of 8 verses each. I personally do not see that final division at all. Any break between vv. 11 and 12 seems to be arbitrary to me. Keil and Delitzsch give this psalm a similar division, most accurately allowing vv. 1–3 as an introduction; vv. 20–22 as a closing; and, most accurately, breaking up the remaining verses into eight tetrastichs (eight sections of four verses each). I will end this psalm by so dividing it, and letting it stand on its own with a bare minimum of commentary. The first line of each tetrastich, as well as the first lines of the introduction and the conclusion, have the Name of God in them, with the exception of vv. 14 and 16.

There is a universality to this psalm, even though it was probably written by David during Israel’s client nation status under God. Any one at any time from any nation can exegete this psalm and find personal application. Or, as Barnes put it, [this] psalm...is appropriate to the people of all lands and times, and will be better appreciated in proportion as men become more and more acquainted with God in the wisdom, the power, and the skill which he has shown in the works of creation, and in his providential government of the world.

An acrostic is a psalm wherein the first verse begins with an aleph, the second with a bêyth, etc. While this psalm is not a true acrostic, it does have 22 verses, one verse for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. However, there is no other way to connect this to the Hebrew alphabet (v. 1 does not even have an aleph in it; several verses begin with the same letter, kaph; and I could discern no other alphabetic pattern). Psalm 103 is also a 22 verse psalm with no other alphabetic pattern. However, Psalm 34 is a true acrostic.

In the Septuagint, this is Psalm 32; in the Massoretic text it is Psalm 33.

The Psalmist Calls for a Musical Celebration of God and His Perfection

Psalm 33 has no inscription in the Massoretic text, making it only one of four in the first book of the psalms (Psalms 1–41). It conspicuously falls between a large number of psalms which are ascribed to David. The previous 22 psalms are all ascribed to David in the inscription. The following eight are ascribed to David. This belongs to the first section of the book of Psalms, which appears to be strictly psalms of David. In the Septuagint, the inscription reads by David; there is no inscription in the Massoretic text.

It appears as though Psalm 33 is a continuation of Psalm 32 (we will discuss that later). It is not the same psalm, but somewhat of a companion psalm. Psalm 32, 33 and 34 all mention the eye(s) of God, which is another thing which ties them together and suggests that David wrote Psalm 33, as he wrote the other two psalms.

Barnes offers the counter-argument that there is nothing in this psalm which ties it directly to David (which is true of most of his psalms, apart from the inscription). Barnes points out that this psalm is so general that it could have been written by anyone anywhere at anytime after the instituting of the nation Israel. Barnes supposes that this psalm was originally just chunked into the other psalms by David, and, presumably, the Septuagint translators simply added the by line. Now, on the other hand, the previous psalm ends with the grace of God toward His righteous ones, which is a major theme of this psalm. Therefore, it could have been thought that this psalm was merely a continuation of the previous psalm, and therefore no byline would be necessary.

King David was the second king of Israel, called, in Scripture, a man after God’s own heart. David wrote many of the psalms and the book of Samuel deals primarily with David and his rule.

Now that we are dealing with poetry, we find that the rules are not all the same, the word usage is somewhat different, and the order of the words is sometimes even more different than we would expect. Therefore, let’s see what others have done with this first verse:

CEV                                       You are the Lord’s people. Obey him and celebrate! He deserves your praise.

The Emphasized Bible           Shout for joy, ye righteous in Yahweh, To the upright seemly is praise.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Sing forth, O you righteous, to the Lord; it is fit that the upright acclaim Him.

NASB                                    Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.

NIV                                 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Young's Lit. Translation Sing, ye righteous, in Jehovah, For upright ones praise is comely.

As you see in the CEV, some of these paraphrases go pretty far away from the words which are found. The other translations are either word-for-word translations or relatively close to being word-for-word translations; therefore, their meaning does not deviate as much. We begin this psalm with the 2^nd person, masculine plural, Piel imperative of rânan (ן ַנ ָר) [pronounced raw-NAHN], and it means to give a ringing cry, to emit a tremulous sound, to vibrate the voice. In the Piel, it means to shout for joy, to rejoice. When followed by a lâmed, it means celebrate with shouting. Strong’s #7442 BDB #943. The Hebrew people were very demonstrative, and a song which begins like this might presumably cause the crowd to cheer aloud. The ones to whom David is speaking are called by the masculine plural adjective tsaddîyq (קי ̣ ַצ) [pronounced tsahd-DEEK], which means just, righteous, justified. When used as a substantive, it would mean righteous ones, justified ones. Strong’s #6662 BDB #843. This has two interpretations—in an assembly of worship, while there is singing, or the Word is being read aloud, or a sacrifice is being made—the righteous are those in attendance. The unbelieving Jew would have no reason to be in attendance (we are speaking theoretically here). Righteous also stands for those whom God has justified, which is the general assembly of all believers. As Jesus said to His disciples: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33). Paul concurs, writing to the Romans: For, not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the Law with reference to righteousness to everyone who believes (Rom. 10:3–4).

This is followed by in Y^ehowah. You will recall the often used phrase in the New Testament, in Christ. This means exactly the same thing. In is the prefixed preposition bêyth, which means in, into, at, by, with, against; the key is proximity. Strong’s #none BDB #88. Man has always been ultimately righteous by association with God rather than by his personal behavior. This is what we find in the first few words of this psalm.

This is followed by the lâmed preposition. Recall that when rânan was followed by a lâmed, that it means celebrate by shouting. We actually would not translate the lâmed. What follows is the masculine plural adjective yâshâr (ר ָשָי) [pronounced yaw-SHAWR] and it means right, correct, upright, straight, uniform, even. It is in the masculne plural and is preceded by a definite article; therefore, it means upright ones. When describing man, it refers to moral stability and stable, correct behavior and thinking. Strong’s #3477 BDB #449

What is to be emitted is the feminine singular adjective nâzeh (ה∵ואָנ) [pronounced naw-VEH], which means comely, seemly, beautiful. Strong’s #5000 BDB #410. This is followed by the feminine singular noun th^ehîllâh (ה- ̣ה) [pronounced t^ehil-LAW], which means praise, a song of praise. Strong’s #8416 BDB #239.

What is difficult is that the main verb, rânan, can be followed by a lâmed preposition; however, that occurs a couple of words later and therefore, some translators have separated the verb from that preposition, allowing the preposition to begin the second line. We could carry the main verb for both lines, which would give us:

Shout in celebration, you justified ones in Jehovah;

Shout in celebration, you upright ones, a beautiful song of praise!

Offhand, I do not know of any other translator who took this approach; however, the use of the lâmed might allow for such an interpretation.

In some ways, this psalm—at least the first couple verses—appear to continue Psalm 32; the last verse in Psalm 32 is: Be happy in Jehovah and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all of your who are upright in heart. In fact, there is somewhat of an inverse relationship between these two psalms. Psalm 32 begins by speaking of those whose sins have been covered by God: Blessed is he whose transgression [or, rebellion] has been forgiven, whose sin has been covered. Blessed is the man to whom Jehovah does not impute punishment for iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. In other words, it begins with forgiveness and ends with a call to shout for joy. Psalm 33 begins with a call to musically celebrate God’s character and ends with salvation. The overall tenor and subjects of the psalms are different—David, in Psalm 32, speaks of God’s temporal forgiveness throughout the bulk of the psalm and God’s instruction via His Word; in Psalm 33, we speak of God’s total involvement with mankind. In a way, these are two sides of the same coin. In Psalm 32, God’s involvement with David is the topic and in the next psalm, it is God’s involvement with His creation in general is covered. We spoke of Psalm 33—that it was very general and could have been written by anyone, at anytime, and anywhere. The previous psalm is quite another story—it speaks of a sin which David kept quiet, which would reasonably be his sin with Bathsheba, and we will, therefore, cover it at that time. My purpose here is to indicate that these are, in a way, twin psalms, possibly written together; in the first, David is being introspective and in the second, David is being extrospective.

Calling to celebrate because of being righteous is found elsewhere in the psalms; e.g., Psalm 97:12, which reads: Be glad in Jehovah, you righteous ones; and give thanks to His holy name. The psalms, being what they are, often call to man to rejoice in God (e.g., Psalm 92;1 147:1). Paul says the same thing to the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I say, rejoice! (Phillip. 4:4).

Just in case you have a King James Bible, there are two musical instruments found here, and not three. The King James’ translators inserted a conjunction where none existed. It (the harp of ten strings) is also the same instrument in Psalm 144:9 but they are different instruments in Psalm 92:3.

We begin this verse with the Hiphil imperative of yâdâh (ה ָד ָי) [pronounced yaw-DAWH], which means , in the Qal and the Hiphil, to profess, to confess, to give thanks, to praise, to celebrate. Strong’s #3034 (3027) BDB #392. Then two musical instruments are given. I honestly don’t know what’s up with some of those who belong to the Church of Christ, but there are several times throughout Scripture where men are called upon to use musical instruments in the praising of God—and, for reasons that I am unaware—some Church of God groups do not believe in accompanying choirs and vocalists with musical instruments. David, as well as the other psalmists, clearly recognize the power and persuasion of music (see also Psalm 71:22 92:3 144:9 147:7). Furthermore, music is found throughout Scripture, beginning in Genesis (Gen. 4:21); it is an integral part of the psalms, although we have lost the actual musical accompaniment; Paul mentions music in the epistles (I Cor. 14:7); and it is even mentioned in the last book of the Bible (Rev. 5:9). We will certainly have strong disagreements as to what is good music and what is not; however, I would wager that there will be music in heaven which will, despite our different tastes, take us to that same place that our favorite music does today.

We have no clear indication as to what the music of that time sounded like. There are too many variations: pitch, duration, texture, rhythm, color and...form: and, although we have developed a way to record music visually (which, nevertheless, does not even begin to record all that is there); the only real way to begin to grasp music is to hear it. Obviously, we will never hear the music of the ancient world. We have no idea as to its tempo, the range of abilities of the musicians, or anything else about the music. Even though there is music put out by Christian groups which make me cringe, I am certainly not the final authority on what is and what is not Christian music. All that we have remaining of these ancient psalms are the words, which are apparently the deciding factor. There are even obscure Hebrew words in the inscription which certainly had something to do with the actual music; however, even these meanings are lost to us. What we understand from this passage is that the music was generally (if not always) accompanied by musical instruments and that it was very demonstrative.

What we know about musical instruments of the ancient world, apart from the words found in these passages, is based upon drawings on walls and the discovery of some of these old instruments as well. In my ZPEB, I have the picture of a lyre which comes from the 15^th century b.c., and is a box with six strings stretched across the box to a piece of bamboo. McGee says it is like a zither. On the next page are drawn pictures of eight different stringed instruments from the ancient world. My familiarity with harps has its foundation in Marx Brothers movies, and from having been to a house wherein was a harp. Here, we have a 10-stringed harp, which is in keeping with several of the pictures in ZPEB.

In this verse, we also have a kînnôwr (ר ̣) [pronounced kin-NOHR], which means lyre. This is a stringed instrument used in popular and sacred music. Strong’s #3658 BDB #490. This was David’s instrument of choice (I Sam. 16:16 19:9 Psalm 43:4 62:8). From the pictures, it appears as though the music came from the strings without much thought given to the body of the instrument, which could shape the sound of the strings. It did not appear that there was any way to adjust the pitch of the individual strings; and certainly not a way to do so while playing. This would mean that a song would be limited to six notes and any combination of those notes. Rotherham suggests that this might refer to a lute, instead, with is, essentially, a three-stringed guitar; and our extant pictures of this lute have women playing the instrument. According to my Bible Almanac, the lute was not used in the Temple worship (they do not justify this statement, however). The lyre is actually a smaller but more sophisticated stringed instrument than the lute.

The final verb is the Piel imperative of zâmar (ר ַמָז) [pronounced zaw-MAHR], which means to make music in praise of God, to make melody and it is found only in poetry. Strong’s #2167 (& #2168) BDB #274. David encourages those to make music which praises God.

This verse continues with the introduction. Again, we have a 2^nd person masculine singular, imperative (a Qal imperative) of shîyr (רי ̣ש) [pronounced sheer], which means to sing. The first use of this verb is in Ex. 15:1 when Moses and the sons of Israel sang a victory song to Jehovah. We will find this word throughout the psalms (e.g., Psalm 7:title 13:6 33:3 21:13). Strong’s #7891 BDB #1010. This is followed by to Him a new song. My guess is that David wrote Psalm 32 and 33 together and one led into the other; this verse simply refers to the new psalm. As Barnes puts it: A song specially composed for this occasion; expressive of the peculiar feelings suggested by this occasion, or appropriate to this new manifestation of the Divine goodness and mercy. Such occasions, exhibiting some new phrase of the Divine goodness, demanded new language appropriate to them. So now, new hymns of praise, and new tunes in music, are demanded to meet the every-varying manifestations of the mercy of God; and as the church is extended in the world, its modes of praise must be adapted to the new state of things which will arise. Nothing could be more absurd than to attempt to restrict the church in its praises to the exact words which were used in the time of David, or to the music which was employed then. We find this same phrase in Psalm 40:3 96:1 98:1 144:9 149:1, as well as in Isa. 42:10 Rev. 5:9 14:3. This new song could refer to Christ’s blood sacrifice for our souls.

On the second line, we have the Hiphil imperative of an interesting word yâţa^bv (ב ַט ָי) [pronounced yaw-TA^BV], which means to be good, well, to be pleasing, to do good, to deal well, to make glad, to make a thing good. In the Hiphil, it means to do well, to cause to do well, to do rightly, to do good, to make merry, to make fit, to adjust. Strong’s #3190 BDB #405. Following this is the Piel infinitive construct of nâgan (ן-גָנ) [pronounced naw-GAHN], which means to touch, to play a stringed instrument. Strong’s #5059 BDB #618. These two words are variously translated together as play skillfully (NASB, NIV, Young), play skillfully on the strings (Owen), with skill, sweep the strings (Rotherham), and play beautiful music (CEV).

This is followed by the bêyth preposition, which can mean in, among, in the midst of, with, in the presence of, near; and the feminine singular noun t^erûw׳âh (ה ָער  ׃) [pronounced t'rū-AWH], which means a shout or blast [of war, alarm or joy]. Strong’s #8643 BDB #929. One of my memories of a great Christmas was a beautiful sunny day when my friend Kenny was here and we were at another family’s house, and Kenny was playing solo on a violin (okay, fiddle) and during a particularly good part, Steve would cry out, which was a perfect addition. This is not a new thing, as is obvious with this verse. 3,000 years ago, the moving portion of a song on a stringed instrument would cause a listener to shout aloud in joy, as a response and an accompaniment. We find similar phrasing in Psalm 98:4: Shout joyfully to Jehovah, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises! And Psalm 35:27: Let them shout for joy and rejoice, those who favor my vindication; and let them continually say, “Jehovah be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.” Psalm 47:1: Clap your hands, all people; shout to God with the voice of joy.

We are told in this psalm to sing enthusiastically to the Lord because of His perfect character and because He is our creator. In Revelation, we will sing a new song to Him. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy You are to take the book and to break its seals, for You were slain and you purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Rev. 5:9–10). You see, we sing to Him in heaven because He has redeemed us; because He has paid for us with His blood.

With v. 4, we break away from the imperatives and that which is God’s is described. The shouting aloud of the previous verse was not simply a response to the music, but to what David had to say. In the Old Testament, there was no one who was as dedicated to the Word of God as David. He recognized its importance and studied it regularly. He was a man after God’s Own heart, as the Scripture says. Here he describes the word of Jehovah with the adjective yâshâr (ר ָשָי) [pronounced yaw-SHAWR], which means right, correct, upright, straight, uniform, accurate, lacking in contradiction, having internal integrity, even. When teaching non-Euclidian geometry to my honor students, I taught them the concept of internal uniformity—that is, there could be no internal contradictions in a proper system of mathematics. When used of God or to God’s Word, yâshâr means no internal contradictions. Strong’s #3477 BDB #449. David referred to Scripture when he spoke of the Word of God; Christ Jesus was the living Word of God, as John called Him in the first chapter of John. God’s Word is the basis for creation, for His Law, for His continued support. Psalm 19:8: The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes. Psalm 147:8: He declares His words to Jacob; His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. The NIV Study Bible: [His Word is]...right and true. Not chaotic, devious or erratic. Under the Lord’s rule in the creation there is goodness, order and dependability. It is God’s Word which expresses His true essence.

Then we have and all of His... which is followed by ma׳ăseh (ה ∵ ֲע ַמ) [pronounced mah-ğa-SEH] and it means deed, work, that which is done. When exegeting this verse, Thieme rendered this as provision. Strong's #4639 BDB #795. This is followed by the bêyth preposition (a favorite of David’s in this psalm) and the feminine singular noun ěmûwnâh (ה ָננ ָה) [pronounced em-oo-NAWH] and it means firmness, steadiness, steadfast, dependable, faithfulness. It means this is something that you can lean into; you can brace yourself against it; you can steady yourself with it. Strong’s #530 BDB #53. When God says something, it is absolutely true and can be depended upon. In other words, that which God has said and done, can be depended upon and you can steady yourself against it. Psalm 119:90: Your faithfulness is found in all generations; You established the earth and it stands firm. Because of God’s creation, we can place our dependence upon Him. All the paths of Jehovah are grace and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies (Psalm 25:10).

Barnes noted: The fact that God says a thing is the highest proof that it is true...He does all tha the promises, and all that he does is such as to claim universal confidence. Whatever he does is, from the very fact that he does it, worth of the confidence of all his creatures...God is the only Being of whom we have any knowledge, concerning whom we can feel this certain assurance.

This verse begins with the Qal active participle of âhê^bv (ב ֵה ָא) [pronounced aw-HAYV^B], which means to love. Strong’s #157 BDB #12. There are two things which God loves, and they are named here: righteousness and justice. The first is the feminine singular noun ts^edâqâh (ה ָק ָד  ׃צ) [pronounced ts^edaw-KAW], which means righteousness, executed righteousness and justice, righteous vindication. Strong’s #6666 BDB #842. The second is the masculine singular noun mish^epâţ (ט ָ  ׃ש  ̣מ) [pronounced mish-PAWT], which means judgement, a verdict rendered by a judge, the act of deciding a case, the place where a judgement is rendered, manner, custom, fashion. Strong's #4941 BDB #1048. Psalm 11:7: For Jehovah is righteous; He loves righteousness. The upright will behold His face. Psalm 37:28–29: For Jehovah loves justice, and He does not forsake His godly ones—they are preserved forever. However, the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and they will live in it forever.

The next line begin with the masculine singular construct of cheçed (ד ∵ס ∵ח) [pronounced KHEH-sed], which means grace, benevolence, mercy, kindness. Strong's #2617 BDB #338. The main verb is the 3^rd person feminine singular, Qal perfect of to fill, to fill up. The subject of this verb is, therefore, the land or the earth. That is the feminine singular noun erets (ץ ∵ר ∵א) [pronounced EH-rets], which means earth (all or a portion of it), land. Strong's #776 BDB #75. Grace is not the subject, as grace is a masculine singular noun. The earth is filled with Your grace, O Jehovah; teach me your statutes (Psalm 119:64). How valuable is your grace, O Jehovah—it is in all the heavens; your faithfulness in the skies. You righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep. O Jehovah, You preserve man and beast. How valuable is Your grace, O God. And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life and in Your light, we see light. Continue Your grace to those who know You and Your righteousness to the upright in heart (Psalm 36:5–9).

God Created the World and the Universe by the Word of His Power

Gen. 1:6–10

In previous verses, God’s Word is said to be dependable and true. This is now illustrated by creation, all of which came about by the Word of His power. God merely spoke and brought the universe into existence.

We begin this verse with the bêyth preposition again. Here, it would be correctly rendered in, with or by. The verb is the Niphal perfect of ׳âsâh (ה ָ ָע) [pronounced ģaw-SAWH] which means to do, to make, to construct, to fashion, to form, to prepare. The Niphal is the passive stem, meaning that the heavens were made, constructed or fashioned. Strong's #6213 BDB #793. Then God said “Let there by an atmosphere in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the atmosphere and separated the waters which were below the atmosphere from the waters which were above the atmosphere. And it came to pass. And God called the atmosphere heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day (Gen. 1:6–7). Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of Jehovah, for He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away (Psalm 148:4–6).

Heavens is most often found in the dual, not in the plural. I must admit that bothered me for a long time. In the church where I was raised, I was taught that there were the three heavens—the first heaven, or the earth’s atmosphere; the second heaven, or space; and the third heaven, or God’s throne room. Therefore, when I read the word heavens in the dual, I really wanted to see heavens, plural, as in three. However, we are speaking of creation, and in creation, there are two kinds of heavens—there is atmosphere, which for us is nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and several other gases—and there is space, wherein we have no atmosphere. In other words, from a scientific standpoint, even though this is phrased in layman’s language, we have exactly two types of heavens created—space and atmosphere.

In the second line, we also have bêyth again and the feminine singular construct of rûwach (ח ַחר) [pronounced ROO-ahkh], which means wind, breath, spirit, apparition. Strong’s #7307 BDB #924. When we speak, we are exuding our breath. This is, in part, what is meant. When God speaks, the breath leaves His mouth and what He calls into creation comes to pass. However, part of God’s creative force is the Holy Spirit, Who goes forth and does that which God commands. What is made by the breath of His mouth is all their and we have the masculine singular noun tsâbâ (א ָב ָצ) [pronounced tsaw^b-VAW], and it can mean army, war, or warfare. It is usually translated hosts in the KJV, which here would refer to the armies of stars in the heavens. Strong's #6635 BDB #838. The stars are represented as armies or marshaled hosts, led forth at his command, and under his direction.

This takes us to the first chapter of Genesis and the creation of everything—God spoke and the heavens and all of the stars and planets of the heavens were created. By faith, we understand that the ages were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible (Heb. 11:3). By the Word of God, the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water (II Peter 3:5b). Now, it is interesting that the author of this psalm would speak of the creation of the heavens and the host of the heavens and not mention the earth—however, in all reality, what we have here is God creating space and matter. In the creation of space and matter, this included planet earth. So the psalmist really didn’t leave anything out. To someone of the ancient world, it might have been disconcerting that David did not mention the earth; however, to us, who have the most rudimentary understanding of the universe, we realize that David herein has, in all actuality, mentioned the earth. In other words, there are ideas here, couched in poetic language, that we would not have expected from ancient man. They belie the understanding of the Creator of the Universe.

Now you will note that David dealt with that which was most important first—God’s character. Vv. 4–5 tell us of God’s character first, and these two verses tell of His creation and restoration of the earth.

We have another participle (a Qal active participle) of kânaç (ס-נָ) [pronounced kaw-NAHS], which means to gather, to collect. Strong’s #3664 BDB #488. The participle does not refer to a one-time deal, as a verb in the perfect tense would, but to a continuous process. God continues to gather the sea together. He maintains them within their borders.

Jehovah gathers as the masculine singular of nêd (ד ֵנ) [pronounced nade], which means a heap (of waters). Strong’s #5067 BDB #622. It is preceded by a definite article. What God gathers as a heap are the waters of the sea. According to Rotherham, this should read: Who gathered as into a skin-bottle the waters of the sea. He bases this upon the readings in the Aramaic, Septuagint and Syriac codices. The NEB says goat-skins, and bases this upon the Septuagint. In any case, God set specific boundaries for the seas; he designed specific containers for the waters of the earth.

Then God placed in storehouses the deeps. The word for storehouses, in the Hebrew, is the masculine plural of ôtsâr (ר ָצא) [pronounced oh-TSAWR] and it is a depository, a storehouse, a treasury. It is where things are laid up in storage, whether it be grain, gold or rain. Strong’s #214 BDB #69. This indicates that God, from the beginning, stored aside a great deal of water into some sort of a depository or storehouse. What He stored was the feminine plural of t^ehôwm (םה  ׃) [pronounced t^e-HOME], which is a surging mass of water, either a sea or a subterranean water-supply. In the plural, it can mean bursts of water. The same word is used for the abyss, the primeval oceans, the vast depths. Strong's #8415 BDB #1062. Although it appears as though this is a reference to underground water supplies, this could also refer to a great deal of water which was amassed in the atmosphere as well. Some creationists suggests that there was a canopy of water vapor in the skies during the time of antediluvian man.

The parallel verse in Genesis reads: Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it came to pass (Gen. 1:9). God told Job, “[Who} enclosed the sea with doors, when, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; when I made a cloud its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band; and I placed boundaries on it and I set a bolt and doors, and I said, ‘So far you will come, but no further; and here your proud waves will stop’?” (Job 38:8–11). You have set a boundary that they may not pass over that they may not return to cover the earth (Psalm 104:9) "Do you not fear Me?" declares Jehovah. "Do you not tremble in My presence? For I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea—an eternal decree, so that it cannot cross over it; though the waves toss, yet they will not prevail; though they roar, they will cannot cross over it." (Jer. 2:22–23; see also Prov. 8:28–29).

The first verb is a change of pace; it is the 3^rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect of yârê (א ֵר ָי) [pronounced yaw-RAY] means to fear, to fear-respect, to reverence, to have a reverential respect. Strong’s #3372 BDB #431. The subject of the verb is sort of a problem, as it appears to be all of the earth or all of the land; however, both nouns are in the singular. All of the earth is simply a metonym for all of the inhabitants of the earth. Now, although I would choose to teach this psalm after exegeting the book of Genesis, bear in mind that this psalm was written during the time of King David’s monarchy, during a time when Israel was at a peak in its power and relationship to God. However, the psalmist understood, as did every other writer of Scripture, that the God of Israel was the God of the Universe, One Who demanded reverential-fear from all mankind. Therefore, throughout this psalm, Jehovah God of Israel is presented as the God of all mankind.

This reverential respect/fear is a theme throughout Scripture (Lev. 19:14 Deut. 4:10 14:23 31:12–13 I Chron. 16:25 Psalm 67:7 96:9 112:1 Prov. 9:10 Matt. 10:26 Rev. 14:7)—it is not simply some discarded Old Testament doctrine. One of the very simple illustrations of our Lord's deity is in our reverence to Him. I Chron. 16:15 reads: For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised. And He is to be feared above all gods. Deut. 6:13: You will fear Jehovah your God; and you will worship Him and swear by His name. You will not follow other gods—not any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for Jehovah your God is in your midst and He is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of Jehovah your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. Christ Jesus was also the recipient of worship: And those who were in the board worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!" (Matt. 14:33). And when they [the disciples] saw Him, they worshiped Him (Matt. 28:17a). And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "And let all the angels of God worship Him." (Heb. 1:6; Deut. 32:43 in the Septuagint). That, at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth (Philip. 2:10).

The second line begins with the preposition mîn and the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix. Literally, this means from Him or out from Him. However, mîn also means on account of, since, above, than, so that not. Strong's #4480 BDB #577. In the English, we generally place this phrase at the end of the second line.

Now, it is with the next verb, we have a plural subject. That verb is the 3^rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect of gûwr (ר) [pronounced goor], which means to dread, to be afraid of, to stand in awe of. Strong’s #1481 BDB #158. Those who will fear God are those who are inhabiting (Qal active participle, masculine plural construct) the feminine singular noun tê^bvêl (ל̤ב̤) [pronounced tay^b-VAYL], which means the fertile and inhabited earth, the habitable globe, world. This is the word often used in poetry in connection to the creation of the entire earth. Strong’s #8398 BDB #385.

What is clear is that God has a tremendous, unimaginable power, which is revealed in His creation. Therefore, we stand in awe of Him; we rightfully give to Him our respect.

You will note in the most literal rendering of this verse, a great deal of the meaning is lost. Part of this is due to the variance in what the Hebrew words can mean and part of it is that the Hebrew has no neuter gender. We have the 3^rd person, personal pronoun used twice in this verse; it is a pronoun used often for emphasis, which is its use here. What God did was the Qal perfect of âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH], which simply means to speak, to say, to utter. Strong’s #559 BDB #55. This is followed by the wâw consecutive and the Qal imperfect of hâyâh (ה ָי ָה) [pronounced haw-YAW], which means to be. Without a specific subject and object, it often means and it will come to be, and it will come to pass, then it came to pass (with the wâw consecutive). Strong's #1961 BDB #224. The masculine singularity of the verb does not refer to God but is equivalent to the Greek neuter case.

The verb in the second line is the 3^rd person masculine singular, Piel perfect of tsâwâh (ה ָו ָצ) [pronounced tsaw-WAW], which means to commission, to mandate, to lay charge upon, to give charge to, charge, command, order. This is a verb found only in the Piel. Strong's #6680 BDB #845. The 3^rd person masculine singular refers back to the personal pronoun (used again in the second line). The second verb is the Qal imperfect of ׳âmad (ד ַמ ָע) [pronounced ģaw-MAHD], which means to take a stand, to stand, to remain, to endure, to withstand. Strong's #5975 BDB #763. What God has commanded has taken a stand and had endured.

David calls to our attention that whatever God called into being, it came into being. Throughout the first chapter of Genesis, we have, And God said...and...came into being; as a for instance: And God said, “Let there be light.” And light was (Gen. 1:3). The same formula is found in Gen. 1:6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26. Psalm 148, after called upon all His creation to praise him, reads: Let them praise the name of Jehovah, for He commanded and they were created (Psalm 148:5).

God Is Involved with the Man of His Creation

In the previous few verses, we looked at the creative power of God. Some of our founding fathers were not Christians, as we understand Christians to be, but deists (or so I recall from my American history classes of so many years ago). They have no trouble believing that God created the heavens and the earth. The come to this conclusion from the orderliness of the world. However, they believe that God, for whatever reason, has walked away from His creation and left man completely in charge. In other words, if we don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. And, more particularly, if you don’t look out for #1, then no one will. Now, it is obvious that we have some responsibility in this world and that, because of our free will, what we do with our lives is important. However, it is false that only we can take care of ourselves. God’s hand and His sovereignty continue to play a part in this world’s affairs. And God takes care of us: “For this reason, I say to you, do not be overly concerned about your need for what you will eat or what you will drink; for your body, for what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Observe the birds in the air: they don’t sow, nor do they reap, nor do they gather produce into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they? What which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his life’s span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow: they do not toil, nor do they spin; yet I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. So if God arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not do more for you, you men of a little faith? Do not be overly concerned the, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘With what will we clothe ourselves?’ For these are things which the Gentiles eagerly search for; however, your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Consequently, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you. Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough evil of its own.” [i.e., you don’t need to add additional evil for each day by being worried about your basic provisions] (Matt. 6:25–34). Like all spiritual concepts, this can be distorted. This doesn’t mean that we go sit on a park bench and God provides for us. God provides the means by which we secure our basic necessities. Paul clearly told us, “If a man does not provide for his family, he is worse than an infidel.” (I Tim. 5:8). The key is the mental attitude. Jesus clearly explained to His disciples that God was providing that day their necessities for them. In other words, God still was a part of their day-to-day lives, which is the opposite of what the deists taught. In these verses which follow, David tells us that God is clearly involved in all that we do. Not only has He created this earth and universe, but He is still actively involved.

The first thing that He is said to do is the Hiphil perfect of pârar (ר ַר ָ) [pronounced paw-RAHR], which means to break, to break in pieces, to make void, to make of no effect, to declare void, to bring to nothing, to take away, to avert, to violate (a covenant), to frustrate in the Hiphil. Strong’s #6331 and 6565 BDB #830. What God brings to nothing is the feminine singular construct of ׳êtsâh (ה ָצ ֵע) [pronounced gay-TZAW], which means counsel, advice, wisdom, purpose. Strong’s #6098 BDB #420. This is followed by the very familiar word gôwyîm (ם ̣י) [pronounced GOH-yeem], which you recognize as goy or goyim. This word means people, nation; in the plural it is used predominantly (if not exclusively) for Gentile nations. We might take it today to mean heathen nations. Strong’s #1471 BDB #156.

The next thing which God does is the Hiphil perfect of nûw (אנ) [pronounced noo] which means to stand in opposition to, to take a stand against (such that the aims, position, desire, etc. of the other person is hindered, nullified, or restrained). Strong's #5106 BDB #626. What God stands in opposition to is the feminine plural construct of mach^ěshâ^bv&ac