Psalm 46
Psalm 46 | |
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"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" | |
Other name |
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Language | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 46 is the 46th psalm of the
The psalm forms a regular part of
Text
Hebrew
The following table shows the Hebrew text[3][4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
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1 | לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ לִבְנֵי־קֹ֑רַח עַֽל־עֲלָמ֥וֹת שִֽׁיר׃ | For the Leader; [a Psalm] of the sons of Korah; upon Alamoth. A Song. |
2 | אֱלֹהִ֣ים לָ֭נוּ מַחֲסֶ֣ה וָעֹ֑ז עֶזְרָ֥ה בְ֝צָר֗וֹת נִמְצָ֥א מְאֹֽד׃ | God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. |
3 | עַל־כֵּ֣ן לֹֽא־נִ֭ירָא בְּהָמִ֣יר אָ֑רֶץ וּבְמ֥וֹט הָ֝רִ֗ים בְּלֵ֣ב יַמִּֽים׃ | Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, And though the mountains be moved into the heart of the seas; |
4 | יֶהֱמ֣וּ יֶחְמְר֣וּ מֵימָ֑יו יִ֥רְעֲשֽׁוּ הָרִ֖ים בְּגַאֲוָת֣וֹ סֶֽלָה׃ | Though the waters thereof roar and foam, Though the mountains shake at the swelling thereof. Selah |
5 | נָהָ֗ר פְּלָגָ֗יו יְשַׂמְּח֥וּ עִיר־אֱלֹהִ֑ים קְ֝דֹ֗שׁ מִשְׁכְּנֵ֥י עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ | There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, The holiest dwelling-place of the Most High. |
6 | אֱלֹהִ֣ים בְּ֭קִרְבָּהּ בַּל־תִּמּ֑וֹט יַעְזְרֶ֥הָ אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים לִפְנ֥וֹת בֹּֽקֶר׃ | God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, at the approach of morning. |
7 | הָמ֣וּ ג֭וֹיִם מָ֣טוּ מַמְלָכ֑וֹת נָתַ֥ן בְּ֝קוֹל֗וֹ תָּמ֥וּג אָֽרֶץ׃ | Nations were in tumult, kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. |
8 | יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֣וֹת עִמָּ֑נוּ מִשְׂגָּֽב־לָ֨נוּ אֱלֹהֵ֖י יַֽעֲקֹ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃ | The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our high tower. Selah |
9 | לְֽכוּ־חֲ֭זוּ מִפְעֲל֣וֹת יְהֹוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֖ם שַׁמּ֣וֹת בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ | Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who hath made desolations in the earth. |
10 | מַשְׁבִּ֥ית מִלְחָמוֹת֮ עַד־קְצֵ֢ה הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ קֶ֣שֶׁת יְ֭שַׁבֵּר וְקִצֵּ֣ץ חֲנִ֑ית עֲ֝גָל֗וֹת יִשְׂרֹ֥ף בָּאֵֽשׁ׃ | He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariots in the fire. |
11 | הַרְפּ֣וּ וּ֭דְעוּ כִּֽי־אָנֹכִ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים אָר֥וּם בַּ֝גּוֹיִ֗ם אָר֥וּם בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ | 'Let be, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' |
12 | יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֣וֹת עִמָּ֑נוּ מִשְׂגָּֽב־לָ֨נוּ אֱלֹהֵ֖י יַעֲקֹ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃ | The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our high tower. Selah |
King James Version
- God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
- Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
- There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
- God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
- The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
- The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
- Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
- He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
- Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
- The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Structure
The text is divided into three sections, each ending with a Selah, after verses 4, 8 and 12 according to the Hebrew verse numbering.[5]
Themes
According to
There is a difference of opinion among Christian scholars as to which "river" the psalm is referring to in verse 4 of the KJV, the streams of which make glad the city of God. Among the possibilities are:[9]
- The Jordan River. However, the Jordan River is a distance of 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Jerusalem (assuming that the "city of God" is a reference to Jerusalem). For this reason, some have found this possibility unlikely.
- A river in Jerusalem during the millennial reign of Christ. This river will run from beneath the Temple in Jerusalem eastward to the Dead Sea, as described in the forty-seventh chapter of the Book of Ezekiel.
- A river in Jerusalem after the millennial reign of Christ. This is the river that flows from the New Jerusalem, as described in the twenty-second chapter of the New Testament Book of Revelation.
It has been proposed that this psalm is prophesying the kingdom of God under Jesus Christ, which He inaugurated at His first coming and will conclude when He returns.
Verse 5
The reference to "morning" or the "break of day" in verse 5 alludes to Abraham, who would rise at daybreak to pray to God.[10]
Verse 10
- Be still, and know that I am God;
- I will be exalted among the nations,
- I will be exalted in the earth![11]
This verse is further developed in Psalm 47, which opens with the words "Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph![12] It is all the nations of the world who are addressed.[13]
Uses
In Judaism
Portions of the psalm are used or referenced in several Jewish prayers. Verse 2 in the Hebrew is part of
In the Siddur Avodas Yisroel, Psalm 46 is the psalm of the day for Shabbat Va'eira.[14]
Catholic Church
This psalm was traditionally recited or sung at the office of matins on Tuesday[16] after St. Benedict of Nursia established his rule of St. Benedict around 530, mainly in the numerical order of the psalms.[17] Today, Psalm 46 is sung or recited at Vespers on Friday of the first week of the liturgical four weekly cycle.
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 ninth day of the month.[18]
Politics
U.S. President Barack Obama referenced the psalm in several speeches, most notably his Tucson memorial speech[19] and his speech on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City.[20]
Musical settings
In the 17th century,
In the eighteenth century, the child Mozart wrote a short motet to the text of the first verse as a gift to the British Museum and an homage to 16th century English composers such as Thomas Tallis.
In contemporary music, the Christian duo
Shakespeare's alleged involvement
For several decades, some theorists have suggested that
Alleged evidence for this claim is that Shakespeare was in King James' service during the preparation of the King James Bible, and was generally considered to be 46 years old in 1611 when the translation was completed. There are a few extant examples of Shakespeare's actual signature, and on at least one occasion he signed it 'Shakspeare', which divides into four vowels and six consanants, thus '46'. The 46th word from the beginning of Psalm 46 is "shake" and the 46th word from the end (omitting the liturgical mark "Selah") is "spear" ("speare" in the original spelling).[22][23]
References
- ^ "Psalmus 45 (46)", Parallel Latin/English Psalter, Medievalist, archived from the original on 2017-09-30.
- ^ a b "Psalm 46". Bible Commentary. Christianity. 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Psalms – Chapter 46". Mechon Mamre.
- ^ "Psalms 46 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
- ^ Mechon Mamre, Psalm 46
- ^ Henry, Matthew. "Psalm 46". Complete commentary. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
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ignored (help) - ^ Jerusalem Bible (1966), Heading to Psalm 46
- ^ "Psalm 46" (PDF). Midrash Tehillim. Matsati. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Psalm 46 Meaning". Explaining the Book. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^ Levy, Rabbi Eric (2018). "46". Psalms. Orthodox Union. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Psalm 46:10: New King James Version
- ^ Psalm 47:1
- ^ Kirkpatrick, A. (1906), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Psalm 47, accessed 14 November 2021
- ^ a b c d Brauner, Reuven (2013). "Shimush Pesukim: Comprehensive Index to Liturgical and Ceremonial Uses of Biblical Verses and Passages" (PDF) (2nd ed.). p. 38.
- ^ Idelsohn 1932, p. 82.
- ^ Psautier latin-français du bréviaire monastique (2003) p. 189.
- ^ Prosper Guéranger, Règle de saint Benoît (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, 2007). p. 46
- ^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff
- ^ Simmons, Gregory; Miller, Sunlen; Tapper, Jake (January 12, 2011). "President Obama Seeks to Comfort Americans After Tragedy in Tucson". ABC News. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^ "Psalm 46: Obama's 9/11 Speech References Biblical Passage". HuffPost. September 12, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ISBN 978-0470674901.
- ^ Mabillard, Amanda (20 Aug 2000), "General Q & A", Shakespeare Online, retrieved June 13, 2019. Citing Humes. James C. Citizen Shakespeare: a social and political portrait. Lanham: University Press of America, 2003, p. 164.
- ^ Hensley, Dennis E. Was Shakespeare one of the Translators of the King James Bible?. The Christian Broadcasting Network. Accessed June 13, 2019.
Sources
- Idelsohn, Abraham Zebi (1932). Jewish Liturgy and its Development. H. Holt & Co.
External links
- Pieces with text from Psalm 46: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Psalm 46: Free scores at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- For the leader. A song of the Korahites. According to alamoth. / God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Psalm 46 / God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble Church of England