#Psalmtweet #Psalter 79:1

 

Why should the nations say, Where is their God?

מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֡ים בָּ֤אוּ גוֹיִ֨ם ׀ בְּֽנַחֲלָתֶ֗ךָ טִ֭מְּאוּ אֶת־הֵיכַ֣ל קָדְשֶׁ֑ךָ שָׂ֖מוּ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֣ם לְעִיִּֽים		1 A psalm of Asaph. O God the nations have come into your inheritance. They have defiled even your holy temple. They have set up Jerusalem in shambles.
a mzmor lasf alohim bau goiim bnkltç 'timau at-hicl qodwç wmu at-iruwlim lyiim	5 20 10	m/zmr l/asp alh\im ba\v gvi\m b/nkl\tc 'tma\v at hicl qdw\c wm\v at irvwlm l/yi\im

All the music is available for every chapter of the Hebrew Bible in single PDFs, e.g. the psalms are here or combined PDFs. The combined are more recent. (The singles appear to have been run in 2020. I do not recall any significant changes in the program since about 2018. There are some changes I would like to make, but they are minor and confined to the mode with the augmented 4th and would be 'corrected' or at least questioned by any trained musician reading the transcriptions. Unfortunately I do not have this program under source library management. Also I seem not to have included the footer in the files. It identifies the run version -- currently 3.3. I have a copy of this version from 2021 - only changes are in comments.*) Feel free to use them native or as input to arrangements.

*A search of Google Drive uncovered a copy from 2015 - This is still version 3.3! And it may uncover for me the place where I can correct the alteration of g to g# in the augmented mode. It also shows me when I deleted the credits in the footer. So the long and short of this is that the older 2020 copies are note for note identical to the later combined copies.

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 78:2

 Psalm 78 tells the whole story and how to use it.

This feels like the longest psalm (119 has more verses but is really 22 short poems). 
Yet in words 78 has 530 and 119 has 1064. And letters? 2250 vs 4459. 

אֶפְתְּחָ֣ה בְמָשָׁ֣ל פִּ֑י אַבִּ֥יעָה חִ֝יד֗וֹת מִנִּי־קֶֽדֶם		2 I will open my mouth in a parable. I will ferment riddles from of old,
b aptkh bmwl pi abiyh kidot mni-qdm	7 8	a/ptk\h b/mwl p\i a/by\h kid\vt mn\i qdm

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 77:8

 The drama in the Hebrew is so much more obvious than this translation. The verse must end with ever. or will he not again be favorable ever? Translator - don't smooth things out!

One wonders in these days about this question

הַֽ֭לְעוֹלָמִים יִזְנַ֥ח ׀ אֲדֹנָ֑י וְלֹֽא־יֹסִ֖יף לִרְצ֣וֹת עֽוֹד		8 ♪g In the eras to come will my Lord reject? Or will he never again be favorable?
k hlyolmim iznk adonii vla-iosif lrxot yod	9 6	hl/yvlm\im i/znk adn\i v/la isp l/rx\vt yvd

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 76:2-5, 1:1

 This slightly longer post shows how the music helps us to see larger structures in a Psalm and indeed, in the whole Bible.

The music indicates that this comment is connected probably to the prior verse.

Let's look:

Hmmm, G-d destroys weapons of war by light - perhaps bringing out of darkness the lies of war.

Verse 4 connects itself to verse 3?

How do we critique such analysis?

This analysis is incomplete.

One verse at a time is insufficient for analysis. Sometimes the continuation is a comment on the previous stanza. So for this psalm, verses 2-4 are a unit ending with Selah. Verse 5 comments on the whole prior unit. 

נוֹדָ֣ע בִּֽיהוּדָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֑ים בְּ֝יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל גָּד֥וֹל שְׁמֽוֹ		2 Renowned in Judah is God. In Israel great is his name.
b nody bihudh alohim biwral gdol wmo	8 8	nv/dy b/ihvdh alh\im b/iwral gdl wm\v
וַיְהִ֣י בְשָׁלֵ֣ם סֻכּ֑וֹ וּמְע֖וֹנָת֣וֹ בְצִיּֽוֹן		3 And there is in Salem his booth, and his habitation in Zion.
g vihi bwlm suco umyonto bxion	7 7	vi/hi b/wlm svc\v v/myvn\tv b/xivn
שָׁ֭מָּה שִׁבַּ֣ר רִשְׁפֵי־קָ֑שֶׁת מָגֵ֬ן וְחֶ֖רֶב וּמִלְחָמָ֣ה סֶֽלָה		4 ♪g There he shatters the fire-brands of bow, shield, and sword, and battle. Selah.
d wmh wibr rwpi-qwt mgn vkrb umlkmh slh	7 11	wm\h wbr rwp\i qw\t mgn v/krb vm/lkm\h slh
נָ֭אוֹר אַתָּ֥ה אַדִּ֗יר מֵֽהַרְרֵי־טָֽרֶף		5 ♪g Light-giving you are more excellent than mountains of prey.
h naor ath adir mhrri-'trf	10	n/avr ath adr m/hr\ri 'trp

You might have noticed that Psalm 1 begins on a note that is not the tonic.

The whole book of psalms -- indeed the 3 books are each a commentary on Torah and Prophets

No one ever suggested to me as a singer that the Psalter tells a story. But if you read it in sequence, paying attention to the clues -- of which there are many more than I can point out -- it is clearly providing the storied context for the birth of a people able to exercise mercy and praise the creator who has provided such a context.

Only four books in the Scripture begin on a note other than the tonic. Surprise - these are Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. I did a little analysis on first notes 7 years ago here.

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 75:5

 This particular verse pattern, e B g ^A ger-rev,f# e, occurs 48 times in the poetry books.

This is a common sequence of accents (te'amim). 

אָמַ֣רְתִּי לַֽ֭הוֹלְלִים אַל־תָּהֹ֑לּוּ וְ֝לָרְשָׁעִ֗ים אַל־תָּרִ֥ימוּ קָֽרֶן		5 I said to the boastful, Do not boast, and to the wicked, Do not exalt the horn.
h amrti lhollim al-tholu vlrwyim al-trimu qrn	10 10	amr\ti l/hvll\im al t/hl\v vl/rwy\im al t/rim\v qrn

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 74:1

 

Book 3: Psalms 73-89 is filled with corporate lament

מַשְׂכִּ֗יל לְאָ֫סָ֥ף לָמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים זָנַ֣חְתָּ לָנֶ֑צַח יֶעְשַׁ֥ן אַ֝פְּךָ֗ בְּצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֶֽךָ		1 An insight of Asaph. Why O God? will you reject us in perpetuity? Will your anger fume against the sheep of your pasture?
a mwcil lasf lmh alohim znkt lnxk iywn apç bxan mryitç	5 11 10	m/wcl l/asp lmh alh\im znk\t l/nxk i/ywn ap\c b/xan m/ry\itc

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 73:6

Psalm 73 begins Book 3 of the Psalter.

Now who might the poet be referring to here?

לָ֭כֵן עֲנָקַ֣תְמוֹ גַאֲוָ֑ה יַעֲטָף־שִׁ֝֗ית חָמָ֥ס לָֽמוֹ		6 ♪g So they are necklaced with pride, draped with their cloak of violence.
v lcn ynqtmo gavvh iy'tof-wit kms lmo	9 8	lcn ynq\tmv gavh i/y'tp wit kms l\mv