Exploring the outer circle

There are psalms of David at the beginning and at the end of the Psalter. I sense that there are more than accidental relationships between these psalms so I have decided to explore a thing or two among them. This first post is on the word גמר, a word glossed in the KJV as cease, fail, come to an end, perfect, and perform, Considering that this word occurs only 5 times in the Bible and all of them are in the Psalter, this is quite a feat - five different glosses for the same word.  Apart from the use of this word in related languages, this is all the evidence we have of its use in Biblical Hebrew.

What if we showed in this and subsequent posts that the juxtaposition of these psalms was deliberate and that certain connections between them need to be seen. Perhaps not but let's see. (You can quickly see some connections among these psalms in this post like the false tongue and the net.) For fun I wanted to see if all these uses could be glossed concordantly.  So here they are in their parallel contexts:
Psalm 7

קוּמָה יְהוָה בְּאַפֶּךָ הִנָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְרוֹת צוֹרְרָי וְעוּרָה אֵלַי מִשְׁפָּט צִוִּיתָ	7	qvumah yy b)àpeka hinasé) b`àbrvot cvorray v`vurah )élày mishpa+ civuyta	Arise יְהוָה in your anger, be lifted up in the outbursts of my foe and awake my God judgment you command
וַעֲדַת לְאֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶךָּ וְעָלֶיהָ לַמָּרוֹם שׁוּבָה	8	và`adàt l)umym tsvobbeka v`aleyah làmarvom shvubah	So a congregation of people encircle you and for her to the heights return
יְהוָה יָדִין עַמִּים שָׁפְטֵנִי יְהוָה כְּצִדְקִי  וּכְתֻמִּי עָלָי	9	yy yadyn `àmym shap+ény yy kcidqy  vuktumy `alay	יְהוָה shall judge the peoples Judge me יְהוָה for my righteousness and my completeness in me
יִגְמָר נָא רַע רְשָׁעִים וּתְכוֹנֵן צַדִּיק וּבֹחֵן לִבּוֹת וּכְלָיוֹת אֱלֹהִים צַדִּיק	10	yigmar na) rà` rsha`ym vutkvonén càdyq vuboxén libvot vuklayvot )elohym càdyq	O let the evil of the wicked end and steady the righteous and test hearts and vital centres O God of righteousness

This section of Psalm 7 comes out of a protestation of innocence in respect to a defrauding accusation and what follows is a confidence that there is a judgment - but it is not clear who takes on the burden of judgment. The antecedent of the pronouns is ambiguous. This fits a God who steps into the net that the wicked have prepared and by his self-giving destroys both wicked and net.

Psalm 12 laments the worthlessness of the children of dust (the frame for that psalm).  יְהוָה promises to arise - answering the request of Psalm 7.

הוֹשִׁיעָה יְהוָה כִּי גָמַר חָסִיד כִּי פַסּוּ אֱמוּנִים מִבְּנֵי אָדָם	2	hvoshy`ah yy ky gamàr xasyd ky pàsvu )emvunym mibnéy )adam	Save יְהוָה for ended are the merciful for vanished are the faithful among the children of dust
שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת בְּלֵב וָלֵב יְדַבֵּרוּ	3	shav) ydàbrvu )ysh )et ré`éhvu spàt xalaqvot bléb valéb ydàbérvu	Emptiness they speak, each to his friend lip divided and heart from heart they speak
יַכְרֵת יְהוָה כָּל שִׂפְתֵי חֲלָקוֹת לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת	4	yàkrét yy kal siptéy xalaqvot lashvon mdàberet gdolvot	יְהוָה shall cut off all lips divided from the tongue speaking boasts

Psalm 57, one of the miktamim and sharing a section with Psalm 108, also later contains the net image similar to Psalm 7

חָנֵּנִי אֱלֹהִים חָנֵּנִי כִּי בְךָ חָסָיָה נַפְשִׁי וּבְצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ אֶחְסֶה עַד יַעֲבֹר הַוּוֹת	2	xanény )elohym xanény ky bka xasayah nàpshy vubcél knapeyka )exseh `àd yà`abor hàvuvot	Have mercy on me O God Have mercy on me for in you is refuge for my life and in the shadow of your wings I make my refuge until calamities are passed by
אֶקְרָא לֵאלֹהִים עֶלְיוֹן לָאֵל גֹּמֵר עָלָי	3	)eqra) lé)lohym `lyvon la)él gomér `alay	I will call to God Most High to God who ends all for me
יִשְׁלַח מִשָּׁמַיִם וְיוֹשִׁיעֵנִי חֵרֵף שֹׁאֲפִי סֶלָה יִשְׁלַח אֱלֹהִים חַסְדּוֹ וַאֲמִתּוֹ	4	yishlàx mishamàyim vyvoshy`ény xéréph sho)apy selah yishlàx )elohym xàsdvo và)amitvo	He will send from heaven and will save me he reproached the one crushing me Selah God will send his mercy and his truth
נַפְשִׁי בְּתוֹךְ לְבָאִם אֶשְׁכְּבָה לֹהֲטִים בְּנֵי אָדָם שִׁנֵּיהֶם חֲנִית וְחִצִּים וּלְשׁוֹנָם חֶרֶב חַדָּה	5	nàpshy btvok lba)im )eshkbah loha+ym bnéy )adam shinéyhem xanyt vxicym vulshvonam xreb xàdah	my life is among lions I lie with those on fire the children of dust their teeth like spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword

Psalm 77 is the only one of these not inscribed 'of David'. This preparation for Psalm 78 concludes that יְהוָה has not forgotten mercy.

אֶזְכְּרָה נְגִינָתִי בַּלָּיְלָה עִם לְבָבִי אָשִׂיחָה וַיְחַפֵּשׂ רוּחִי	7	)ezkrah ngynaty bàlaylah `im lbaby )asyxah vàyxàpés rvuxy	I remember my song in the night with my heart I ponder and I am diligent in my spirit
הַלְעוֹלָמִים יִזְנַח אֲדֹנָי וְלֹא יֹסִיף לִרְצוֹת עוֹד	8	hàl`volamym yiznàx )adonay vlo) yosyph lircvot `vod	in the ages to come will the Lord reject? will he never again be favorable?
הֶאָפֵס לָנֶצַח חַסְדּוֹ גָּמַר אֹמֶר לְדֹר וָדֹר	9	he)apés lanecàx xàsdvo gamàr )omer ldor vador	has his mercy ceased in perpetuity? a word from generation to generation ended?
הֲשָׁכַח חַנּוֹת אֵל אִם קָפַץ בְּאַף רַחֲמָיו סֶלָה	10	hashakàx xànvot )él )im qapàc b)àph ràxamayv selah	has God forgotten grace? as if his tender mercies were shut up in anger? Selah

Psalm 138 is the first of the closing bracket of Davidic psalms.

אִם-אֵלֵךְ בְּקֶרֶב צָרָה תְּחַיֵּנִי עַל אַף אֹיְבַי תִּשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ וְתוֹשִׁיעֵנִי יְמִינֶךָ	7	)im-)élék bqreb carah txàyény `àl )àph )oybày tishlàx yadeka vtvoshy`ény ymyneka	though I walk in midst of trouble you make me live against the wrath of my enemies you spread your hand and you save me by your right hand
יְהוָה יִגְמֹר בַּעֲדִי יְהוָה חַסְדְּךָ לְעוֹלָם מַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ אַל-תֶּרֶף	8	yy yigmor bà`ady yy xàsdka l`volam mà`aséy yadeyka )àl-tereph	יְהוָה will end his work for my sake יְהוָה your mercy is forever do not let go the work of your hands

There - they all share the sound 'end'. How then do I interpret this series of five psalm snippets all containing this word which I have glossed as the English verb 'to end'?  

The last usage seems to me to fulfill, complete, and perfect this word - to bring it to its end, which is to assure us that all this work is for our sakes and is brought to its end in the death of Jesus. There is a jump there from the I of the psalms to my 'I' inclusive and becoming 'we', but this - strangely enough, is how I read these promises. It is I suspect, the way Israel read them and therefore collected them. Also I think it is the way Jesus read them and the way the Anointing Spirit of this Anointed reads them today.