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Monday 29 March 2021

Psalms 72

It's a slow business getting through the psalms. The translation (updated with the musical stats) from a 2010 post is here.

Gunkel identified Psalms 72 as a 'royal' psalm, 'royal' being one of  'five basic types' of psalm, the others being 'hymn, communal lament, individual lament, and individual song of praise.' (Tate 1990, p222) As you can imagine based on my comment on the previous post, this reduces to three types: royal, lament, and song of praise. Of these I think royal is a useless category. This list leaves me cold. What about historical, like Psalms 78? What about wisdom? 

Even then, Psalms is a book of praises moving us and the whole people away from our tendency to me-first individualism into a single worshipping body, utterly delighted in the work of God, and caring for the least among us as Yahweh does. This is the substance of what is called Torah, wrongly called 'Law' and better received as instruction from the Mystery. 

You will not be disappointed. You will not miss your misbegotten individualistic freedom in this service. You will use every bit of your intellect and strength and heart to achieve and be rewarded with the blessings of these poems. There are more makarisms in the Psalms than anywhere in the Bible. At a quick glance I count 25 in the Psalms, 36 altogether in TNK (see the link below). 

To take part in the happiness (awr) requires steps (awr). Let my steps (awuri) be so guided that I may be in the happiness stated (awri). Scan the concordance to find steps. You will notice things.

The music is below. Sing and imagine the structure imposed by the music. Someone - do it in the Locrian mode - (See this video for an intro.)

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