Wednesday 16 March 2011

Psalm 22 and the Lord's Prayer

I want you to see two things:

First. As I pointed out in an earlier one line post, there is the Hart, the Beloved of the Song circled by dogs and lions and - by recognizing the repetition of 'eating' and the eccentric repetition of hart and eat in the poem, we can see the hart implicitly identified with the food, and thus offering itself as the living bread that is the substance of the Eschatalogical Banquet.

The submission of the Hart is our model for all that goes by the name of love, even the gravity of attraction experienced by elementary particles as they congregate to form the stars that in their nuclear furnaces sang for joy at the creation of the world, they too being the repository of information that would give light and heat to the planets that circle them.

Secondly. A neighboring parish has a session on the Lord's prayer this weekend, led by Dom Crossan (and I will attend and hope to ask sensible questions about History Scripturalized or something or maybe I will just be on mute.) But notice how the Lord's Prayer petition of praise - for thine is the kingdom - is concentrically circled five times in the second half of the psalm. Note also the four concentric circles around the second occurrence of eat and of course the association of eat and worship. (See also eating in Torah, e.g. Exodus 12:8 and in the NT John 6:51, 53 etc.) So that's how Jesus reads the psalms. And the food that is the bread of the sandwich structure of the Psalter is for the redeemed, mercied royalty of the earth (see psalm 149).

Here it is! And this time I have coloured the English for the non-Hebrew-philes. Note - you can include bulls as an animal in the concentric circles, but the Hebrew words are different.

לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר
מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד
1
For the leader to the hart of the dawn
A Psalm of david
אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי
רָחוֹק מִישׁוּעָתִי דִּבְרֵי שַׁאֲגָתִי
2
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
so distant from my salvation are the words of my groaning
אֱלֹהַי אֶקְרָא יוֹמָם וְלֹא תַעֲנֶה
וְלַיְלָה וְלֹא דֻמִיָּה לִי
3
My God, I call by day and you do not answer
and by night and I am not mute
וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ
יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל
4
But you are holy
seated on the praises of Israel

בְּךָ בָּטְחוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ
בָּטְחוּ וַתְּפַלְּטֵמוֹ
5
In you our fathers trusted
They trusted and you secured them
אֵלֶיךָ זָעֲקוּ וְנִמְלָטוּ
בְּךָ בָטְחוּ וְלֹא בוֹשׁוּ
6
To you they appealed and you let them escape
In you they trusted and were not ashamed
וְאָנֹכִי תוֹלַעַת וְלֹא אִישׁ
חֶרְפַּת אָדָם וּבְזוּי עָם
7
But I am a worm and no man
a reproach of humanity and despised of the people

כָּל רֹאַי יַלְעִגוּ לִי
יַפְטִירוּ בְשָׂפָה
יָנִיעוּ רֹאשׁ
8
All who see me will deride me
They purse their lips
They toss their head
גֹּל אֶל יְהוָה
יְפַלְּטֵהוּ
יַצִּילֵהוּ
כִּי חָפֵץ בּוֹ
9
Roll with יְהוָה
he will secure him
Let him deliver him
for he delights in him

כִּי אַתָּה גֹחִי מִבָּטֶן
מַבְטִיחִי עַל שְׁדֵי אִמִּי
10
For you yourself took me from a belly
giving me trust on the breasts of my mother
עָלֶיךָ הָשְׁלַכְתִּי מֵרָחֶם
מִבֶּטֶן אִמִּי אֵלִי אָתָּה
11
On you I was cast from a womb
From my mother's belly you are my God
אַל תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי
כִּי צָרָה קְרוֹבָה
כִּי אֵין עוֹזֵר
12
do not be far from me
for trouble is near
for there is no help

סְבָבוּנִי פָּרִים רַבִּים
אַבִּירֵי בָשָׁן כִּתְּרוּנִי
13
Many bulls circled me
The valiant of Bashan surrounded me
פָּצוּ עָלַי
פִּיהֶם אַרְיֵה טֹרֵף וְשֹׁאֵג
14
They gape at me
their mouths a lion tearing and roaring
כַּמַּיִם נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי
וְהִתְפָּרְדוּ כָּל עַצְמוֹתָי
הָיָה לִבִּי כַּדּוֹנָג נָמֵס בְּתוֹךְ מֵעָי
15
Like water I am poured out
and all my bones are separated
My heart is like wax melted in the midst of my loins
יָבֵשׁ כַּחֶרֶשׂ כֹּחִי
וּלְשׁוֹנִי מֻדְבָּק מַלְקוֹחָי
וְלַעֲפַר מָוֶת תִּשְׁפְּתֵנִי
16
My strength is dried up like a potsherd
and my tongue cleaves to my jaws
and you will bring me into the dust of death

כִּי סְבָבוּנִי כְּלָבִים
עֲדַת מְרֵעִים הִקִּיפוּנִי
כָּאֲרִי יָדַי וְרַגְלָי
17
For dogs circled me
An assembly of evildoers enclosed me
They gouge my hands and my feet
אֲסַפֵּר כָּל עַצְמוֹתָי
הֵמָּה יַבִּיטוּ יִרְאוּ בִי
18
I will tell all my bones
They gape and stare at me
יְחַלְּקוּ בְגָדַי לָהֶם
וְעַל לְבוּשִׁי יַפִּילוּ גוֹרָל
19
They part my clothing among them
and for my garment they cast lots

וְאַתָּה יְהוָה אַל תִּרְחָק
אֱיָלוּתִי לְעֶזְרָתִי חוּשָׁה
20
But you, יְהוָה, you be not distant
Hurry, my hart, to my help
הַצִּילָה מֵחֶרֶב נַפְשִׁי
מִיַּד כֶּלֶב יְחִידָתִי
21
Deliver my being from the sword
my uniqueness away from the dog's paw
הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִפִּי אַרְיֵה
וּמִקַּרְנֵי רֵמִים עֲנִיתָנִי
22
Save me from the lion's mouth
from the horns of wild bulls you have answered me

אֲסַפְּרָה שִׁמְךָ לְאֶחָי
בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל אֲהַלְלֶךָּ
23
I will declare your name to my kin
In the midst of the congregation I will praise you
יִרְאֵי יְהוָה הַלְלוּהוּ
כָּל זֶרַע יַעֲקֹב כַּבְּדוּהוּ
וְגוּרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ
כָּל זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל
24
You who fear יְהוָה praise him
All the seed of Jacob glorify him
and stand in awe of him
all the seed of Israel
כִּי לֹא בָזָה וְלֹא שִׁקַּץ עֱנוּת עָנִי
וְלֹא הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו מִמֶּנּוּ
וּבְשַׁוְּעוֹ אֵלָיו שָׁמֵעַ
25
For he has not despised nor detested the affliction of the afflicted
and he has not concealed his presence from him
but when he cried for help to him he heard him
מֵאִתְּךָ תְּהִלָּתִי בְּקָהָל רָב
נְדָרַי אֲשַׁלֵּם נֶגֶד יְרֵאָיו
26
From you is my praise in the great congregation
My vows I will pay before those who fear him

יֹאכְלוּ עֲנָוִים וְיִשְׂבָּעוּ
יְהַלְלוּ יְהוָה דֹּרְשָׁיו
יְחִי לְבַבְכֶם לָעַד
27
The afflicted will eat and be satisfied
Those who seek יְהוָה will praise him
May your heart live for ever
יִזְכְּרוּ וְיָשֻׁבוּ אֶל יְהוָה כָּל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ
וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ כָּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת גּוֹיִם
28
All the ends of the earth will remember and will turn to יְהוָה
All the tribes of the nations will worship in your presence

כִּי לַיהוָה הַמְּלוּכָה
וּמֹשֵׁל בַּגּוֹיִם
29
for to יְהוָה is the kingdom
and he governs in the nations
אָכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ כָּל דִּשְׁנֵי אֶרֶץ לְפָנָיו
יִכְרְעוּ כָּל יוֹרְדֵי עָפָר
וְנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא חִיָּה
30
They will eat and worship - all who sleep in the earth - in his presence
All who go down to the dust will bow
but his being he could not keep alive
זֶרַע יַעַבְדֶנּוּ
יְסֻפַּר לַאדֹנָי לַדּוֹר
31
A seed will serve him
It will be recounted of the Lord for a generation
יָבֹאוּ וְיַגִּידוּ צִדְקָתוֹ לְעַם נוֹלָד
כִּי עָשָׂה יְהוָה
32
They will come and will tell his righteousness to a people to be born
for יְהוָה has made it so
See also the keyword tables following the ideas in Magné here

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