Friday 25 March 2011

Oh my grammatical letters

I realize that on the edges, I slightly oversimplified the splitting of the Hebrew alphabet into 2 groups of 11, e.g. here (but it was a medieval suggestion, not mine.  Around about that time Joel Hoffman was talking about a moveable something or other - here, metathesis. I knew it was meta something and I actually found it in Putnam and then searched Joel's blog for it. I see now - by direct evidence, that one of the first 11, (the grammatical letters imaged as a cricket team), taf, has the ability to infiltrate enemy lines.  So it finds its way into the middle of the word worship: שׁחה becomes שׁתח every time it appears in the psalms.  I think this might be important - this worship. Remember what Paul noted concerning the golden calf...
StemTranscriptionHebrewPsalm verseEnglish
שׁחה $XHוַאֲנִי בְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ
אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ
אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ
בְּיִרְאָתֶךָ
5.8But I, in the greatness of your loving kindness
will enter your house
I will adore in your holy temple
in your fear
יִזְכְּרוּ וְיָשֻׁבוּ אֶל יְהוָה כָּל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ
וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ כָּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת גּוֹיִם
22.28All the ends of the earth will remember and will turn to יְהוָה
All the tribes of the nations will worship in your presence
אָכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ כָּל דִּשְׁנֵי אֶרֶץ לְפָנָיו
יִכְרְעוּ כָּל יוֹרְדֵי עָפָר
וְנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא חִיָּה
22.30All who sleep in the earth will eat and worship in his presence
All who go down to the dust will bow
but his being he could not keep alive
הָבוּ לַיהוָה כְּבוֹד שְׁמוֹ
הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַיהוָה בְּהַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ
29.2Ascribe to יְהוָה the glory of his name
worship יְהוָה in the beauty of holiness

וְיִתְאָו הַמֶּלֶךְ יָפְיֵךְ
כִּי הוּא אֲדֹנַיִךְ וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִי לוֹ
45.12and the king desires your beauty
for he is your Lord so worship him
כָּל הָאָרֶץ יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ
וִיזַמְּרוּ לָךְ
יְזַמְּרוּ שִׁמְךָ
סֶלָה
66.4All the earth will worship you
and will sing a psalm to you
and they will sing a psalm to your name
Selah
וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ כָל מְלָכִים
כָּל גּוֹיִם יַעַבְדוּהוּ
72.11and all kings will worship him
all nations will serve him
לֹא יִהְיֶה בְךָ אֵל זָר
וְלֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְאֵל נֵכָר
81.10there will not be among you a strange god
and you will not worship a foreign god
כָּל גּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ יָבוֹאוּ
וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי
וִיכַבְּדוּ לִשְׁמֶךָ
86.9All nations whom you made will come
and worship in your presence, O Lord
and glorify your name
בֹּאוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנִכְרָעָה
נִבְרְכָה לִפְנֵי יְהוָה עֹשֵׂנוּ
95.6Come let us worship and bow down
blessed in the presence of יְהוָה making us
הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַיהוָה בְּהַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ
חִילוּ מִפָּנָיו כָּל הָאָרֶץ
96.9worship יְהוָה in the beauty of holiness
let all the earth tremble in his presence
יֵבֹשׁוּ כָּל עֹבְדֵי פֶסֶל
הַמִּתְהַלְלִים בָּאֱלִילִים
הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ כָּל אֱלֹהִים
97.7all servants of a graven image will be ashamed
boasting in the idols
worship him all gods
רוֹמְמוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַהֲדֹם רַגְלָיו
קָדוֹשׁ הוּא
99.5Exalt יְהוָה our God
and worship at his footstool
he is holy
רוֹמְמוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְהַר קָדְשׁוֹ
כִּי קָדוֹשׁ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ
99.9Exalt יְהוָה our God
and worship at his holy hill
for יְהוָה our God is holy
יַעֲשׂוּ עֵגֶל בְּחֹרֵב
וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְמַסֵּכָה
106.19they made a calf in Horeb
and they worshiped before the image
נָבוֹאָה לְמִשְׁכְּנוֹתָיו
נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לַהֲדֹם רַגְלָיו
132.7we will go into his dwelling place
we will worship at his footstool
אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל-הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ
וְאוֹדֶה אֶת-שְׁמֶךָ
עַל-חַסְדְּךָ וְעַל-אֲמִתֶּךָ
כִּי-הִגְדַּלְתָּ עַל-כָּל-שִׁמְךָ אִמְרָתֶךָ
138.2I will worship in your holy temple
and praise your name
for your loving-kindness and for your truth
for you magnify your promise by your full name


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