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Tuesday 9 November 2021

Psalms 110, the end of part 1 (of 7)

 Yes - it was before the foundation of the world. Time is of the essence. It's both what we have and what we don't have. And we don't understand that it all might evaporate by vacuum decay in a quantum fluctuation. We wouldn't know and it would be painless - but the universe could be rolled up, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. This mode of ending the world is briefly explored in the delightful book, The End of Everything (Astrophysically speaking) by Katie Mack.

Several of these psalms 110-117 have elements suitable to treatment as chorales. A portion of Psalms 110 is reprised at the end of parts 2 and 3 of this work. Chorales are praise. I said in the earlier post that prophet and storyteller alike should shake us from any lingering complacency. But why should we praise? Because that's where the psalms are leading us. Qohelet promises that we will be led to judgment. You can hear my reading of this lesson from evensong two weeks ago at the link. The promise in the psalms is that this judgement will be right. Somebody has to get the truth right.

Psalms 110

The incipit for Psalms 110
Of David, a psalm, an oracle
Syllables: 143. Words: 65. Roots: 53. Root Recurrence: 32%. Average per verse: 3.
לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר
נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י
עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ
1 Of David a psalm,
an oracle of Yahweh to my Lord. Sit at my right hand,
till I set your enemies as your footstool.
a ldvid mzmor
naum ihvh ladoni wb limini
yd-awit aoibiç hdom lrgliç
5
11
12
l/dvd m/zmr
nam ihvh l/adn\i wb l/imn\i
yd a/wit aib\ic hdm l/rgl\ic
מַטֵּֽה־עֻזְּךָ֗ יִשְׁלַ֣ח יְ֭הוָה מִצִּיּ֑וֹן
רְ֝דֵ֗ה בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֹיְבֶֽיךָ
2 Yahweh will send the rod of your strength out of Zion.
Rule within and among your enemies.
b m'th-yuzç iwlk ihvh mxion
rdh bqrb aoibiç
11
8
m+h yz\c i/wlk ihvh m/xivn
rdh b/qrb aib\ic
עַמְּךָ֣ נְדָבֹת֮ בְּי֪וֹם חֵ֫ילֶ֥ךָ
בְּֽהַדְרֵי־קֹ֭דֶשׁ מֵרֶ֣חֶם מִשְׁחָ֑ר
לְ֝ךָ֗ טַ֣ל יַלְדֻתֶֽיךָ
3 Your people are willing in the day of your weal.
In the honour of holiness from the womb of the dawn,
yours is the dew of your childhood.

g ymç ndbot biom kilç
bhdri-qodw mrkm mwkr
lç 'tl ildutç
10
9
7
ym\c ndb\t b/ivm kil\c
b/hdr\i qdw m/rkm m/wkr
l\c +l ild\tic
נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָ֨ה ׀ וְלֹ֥א יִנָּחֵ֗ם אַתָּֽה־כֹהֵ֥ן לְעוֹלָ֑ם
עַל־דִּ֝בְרָתִ֗י מַלְכִּי־צֶֽדֶק
4 Yahweh has sworn and without a sigh, You are a priest forever,
by the word of Melchizedek.
d nwby ihvh vla iinkm ath-cohn lyolm
yl-dbrti mlci-xdq
16
7
n/wby ihvh v/la i/nkm ath chn l/yvlm
yl dbr\ti mlc\i xdq
אֲדֹנָ֥י עַל־יְמִֽינְךָ֑
מָחַ֖ץ בְּיוֹם־אַפּ֣וֹ מְלָכִֽים
5 My Lord is at your right hand.
He will wound kings in the day of his anger.

h adonii yl-iminç
mkx biom-apo mlcim
7
9
adn\i yl imn\c
mkx b/ivm ap\v mlc\im
יָדִ֣ין בַּ֭גּוֹיִם מָלֵ֣א גְוִיּ֑וֹת
מָ֥חַץ רֹ֝֗אשׁ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ רַבָּֽה
6 He will advocate among the nations, a fullness of bodies.
He will wound exceedingly a head on earth.
v idin bgoiim mla gvviiot
mkx raw yl-arx rbh
10
8
i/din b/gvi\m mla gv\ivt
mkx raw yl arx rbh
מִ֭נַּחַל בַּדֶּ֣רֶךְ יִשְׁתֶּ֑ה
עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן יָרִ֥ים רֹֽאשׁ
7 ♪g He will imbibe from the torrent in the way.
Therefore he will lift a head high.
z mnkl bdrç iwth
yl-cn irim raw
8
5
m/nkl b/drc i/wth
yl cn i/rim raw
1[Matthew 22:44, Acts 2:34-35, Hebrews 1:13, 10:12-13, 1 Peter 3:22]
3weal, חיל (kil), or wealth or force, both of which I have used in other verses. The חיל of Egypt is destroyed in the sea. The parallels expressing womb and youth suggests a birthing image. The archaic weal (e.g. as in common weal) can be used to mean both wealth and hurt as in the birth process.
4[Hebrews 5:6, 7:17, 21]
Selected recurrence: advn aib ihvh ivm imn mkx mlc yl raw
Word / Gloss123456789VsStem
יהוה Yahweh
1יהוה
לאדני to my lord
1אדון
לימיני at my right hand
1ימן
איביך your enemies
1איב
יהוה Yahweh
2יהוה
איביך your enemies
2איב
ביום in the day of
3יום
יהוה Yahweh
4יהוה
על by
4על
מלכי Melchi-
4מלך
אדני my Lord
5אדון
על is at
5על
ימינך your right hand
5ימן
מחץ he will wound
5מחץ
ביום in the day of
5יום
מלכים kings
5מלך
מחץ he will wound
6מחץ
ראש a head
6ראש
על on
6על
על --
7על
ראש a head
7ראש
Psalms 110 - a sampling of the chorale. You can hear a mechanical rendering here.


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