#Moses, #Psalmtweet Deuteronomy 32:7-9

 

Deuteronomy 32:7-9

This passage reminds me of Psalm 78. It shares 9 significant stems with verses 1-8.

 

אמר 1

אב 2

דור 3

עם 4

ספר 5

בן 6

ישראל 7

יהוה 8

יעקב 9

31 words are shared of a total of 103 words in the two passages.

We too are in the midst of many generations, fixing some prejudices, and inventing others, present or absent to the issues among nations that we see and hear about. One body emergent. All tied together -- whether we like it or not. 

What is our inheritance? How do we relate to the chosen share? Do we teach our children?

זְכֹר֙ יְמ֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם בִּ֖ינוּ שְׁנ֣וֹת דּוֹר־וָד֑וֹר שְׁאַ֤ל אָבִ֙יךָ֙ וְיַגֵּ֔דְךָ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְיֹ֥אמְרוּ לָֽךְ ר		7 Remember the days of eras past. Understand the years of generation upon generation. Ask your father and he will make it clear to you, your elders, and they will say to you:
z zcor imot yolm binu wnot dor-vdor wal abiç vigdç zqniç viamru lç r	13 18	zcr im\vt yvlm bin\v wn\vt dvr v/dvr wal ab\ic vi/gd\c zqn\ic vi/amr\v l\c
בְּהַנְחֵ֤ל עֶלְיוֹן֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם בְּהַפְרִיד֖וֹ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָ֑ם יַצֵּב֙ גְּבֻלֹ֣ת עַמִּ֔ים לְמִסְפַּ֖ר בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל ר		8 When the Most High gave inheritance to nations, when he separated for himself the children of humanity, he fixed the borders of the peoples for the record of the children of Israel.
k bhnkl ylion goiim bhprido bni adm ixb gbulot ymim lmspr bni iwral r	15 16	bh/nkl ylivn gvi\m bh/prd\v bn\i adm ixb gbl\t ym\im lm/spr bn\i iwral
כִּ֛י חֵ֥לֶק יְהֹוָ֖ה עַמּ֑וֹ יַעֲקֹ֖ב חֶ֥בֶל נַחֲלָתֽוֹ ר		9 ♪d For Yahweh's chosen share is his people. Jacob is the pledge of his inheritance.
't ci klq ihvh ymo iyqob kbl nklto r	8 10	ci klq ihvh ym\v iyqb kbl nkl\tv

#Moses, #Psalmtweet Deuteronomy 32:4-6

 

Deuteronomy 32:4-6

Is it Yahweh's fault that the world is impaired wkt? 

Just consider the first two words and their usage in the psalms. How close this language is to the Psalter. 

Rock as a symbol for Yahweh is common. It is used this way in the Psalms -- 8 times the phrase is 'my rock'. It is personal and reliable. I could not say this for the teachers I grew up with, especially the religious ones. They failed completely in their need to punish - a practice that is neither personal nor reliable. It's probable that you grew up with the 16th century fetish of necessary punishment. There is no such attribution of this character or name or reputation to Yahweh. It is entirely a human deviation and tortuous practice. If we are the destroyers, the ones who impair creation, our character and motivation is not of God.

If you had to save the world from itself, how would you do it? How would you define a satisfactory or complete result? Complete (tmm) is used 30 times in the psalms.

Impair / destroy occurs 18 times in the psalms, and most strangely in four psalms (57, 58, 59, 75) inscribed 'do not destroy'. In contrast, spot is never used. Blemish is a hapax, occurring once only in Psalm 50.

הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ כִּ֥י כָל־דְּרָכָ֖יו מִשְׁפָּ֑ט אֵ֤ל אֱמוּנָה֙ וְאֵ֣ין עָ֔וֶל צַדִּ֥יק וְיָשָׁ֖ר הֽוּא ר		4 The Rock, complete is his work, for all his ways are judgment. A God of faithfulness, and there is no injustice. A righteous one, and upright is he.
d hxur tmim poylo ci cl-drciv mwp't al amunh vain yvvl xdiq viwr hua r	14 15	h/xvr tmm pyl\v ci cl drc\iv m/wp't al amvn\h v/ain yvl xdiq v/iwr hva
שִׁחֵ֥ת ל֛וֹ לֹ֖א בָּנָ֣יו מוּמָ֑ם דּ֥וֹר עִקֵּ֖שׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּֽל ר		5 It became impaired for him. Not his children, their spot, a generation devious and tortuous.
h wikt lo la bniv mumm dor yiqw uptltol r	8 7	wkt l\v la bn\iv mvmm dvr yqw v/ptl\tl
הֲ־לַיְהוָה֙ תִּגְמְלוּ־זֹ֔את עַ֥ם נָבָ֖ל וְלֹ֣א חָכָ֑ם הֲלוֹא־הוּא֙ אָבִ֣יךָ קָּנֶ֔ךָ ה֥וּא עָֽשְׂךָ֖ וַֽיְכֹנְנֶֽךָ ר		6 Do you to Yahweh reward this, senseless people and unwise? Is not he your father? He purchased you himself. He made you, and he established you.
v h-lihvh tgmlu-zat ym nbl vla kcm hloa-hua abiç qnç hua ywç viconnç r	14 17	h l/ihvh t/gml\v zat ym nbl v/la kcm h/lva hva ab\ic qn\c hva yw\c vi/cn\nc

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 102:1

 

I read ani as poor rather than anh afflicted

Perhaps it's not important. I could have removed ani as a separate stem since it is derived from anh, and allowed either gloss, but I kept them separate and in the spirit of not overlapping glosses of differing Hebrew stems, I follow my rule without exception in this case.

This prayer is surrounded by the two psalms of David in Book 4, Psalms 101 and 103. David unifies the 5 books and provides in this case a frame around the prayer that balances the opening prayer of Book 4 following the failures recounted in Books 2 and 3. This could suggest to us that David, and Israel each provide the example of the disabled poor. [Seeing the Psalter on Psalm 102.]

תְּ֭פִלָּה לְעָנִ֣י כִֽי־יַעֲטֹ֑ף וְלִפְנֵ֥י יְ֝הוָ֗ה יִשְׁפֹּ֥ךְ שִׂיחֽוֹ		1 ♪g A prayer of the poor when disabled, and before the face of Yahweh he pours out his pondering.
a tpilh lyni ci-iy'tof vlpni ihvh iwpoç wiko	9 9	t/pl\h l/yni ci i/y'tp vl/pn\i ihvh i/wpc wik\v

#Moses, #Psalmtweet Deuteronomy 32:1-3

Hey wait a minute, how is this "Ha'azinu" a psalm tweet? Deuteronomy is not psalms. Indeed that is true, but Deuteronomy 32 and 33 are poetry in the midst of prose. And chapter 32 has been brought to my attention repeatedly in the last week or two, not to mention about 18 months ago, so I thought I would look at it a few verses at a time to see what I discover. (See this post for the whole chapter.)

This is somewhat unfamiliar ground, so during the process I will do larger chunks than one verse and of course review my translation as I struggle to underlay the text to the raw material of the Hebrew music. 

Deuteronomy 32:1-3 Poetry in the prose books. Sing as Recitative.

Note how verses 1 and 3 have similar musical shape. The shape of verse 1 occurs 76 times in the prose books. The shape of verse 3 occurs 6 times. (Deuteronomy 32:1, Isaiah 55:4, 63:4, Hosea 6:6, Habakkuk 2:12, 1 Chronicles 20:8). The opening d (rather than the tonic e) connects the verse to the prior verse. So the descriptions of what Moses has received are characteristic of the name of Yahweh. 

הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה וְתִשְׁמַ֥ע הָאָ֖רֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִֽי ר		1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and hear, O earth, the promises of my mouth.
a hazinu hwmiim vadbrh vtwmy harx amri-pi r	12 10	h/azn\v h/wmim va/dbr\h vt/wmy h/arx amr\i p\i
יַעֲרֹ֤ף כַּמָּטָר֙ לִקְחִ֔י תִּזַּ֥ל כַּטַּ֖ל אִמְרָתִ֑י כִּשְׂעִירִ֣ם עֲלֵי־דֶ֔שֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִ֖ים עֲלֵי־עֵֽשֶׂב ר		2 What I have received will seep in as rain. My promise will flow as dew, as drizzle over verdant herbs, and as copious showers on field-grass.
b iyrof cm'tr lqki tizl c'tl amrti cwyirim yli-dwa vcrbibim yli-ywb r	15 14	i/yrp c/m'tr lqk\i t/zl c/'tl amr\ti c/wyr\m yl\i dwa vc/rbb\im yl\i ywb
כִּ֛י שֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה אֶקְרָ֑א הָב֥וּ גֹ֖דֶל לֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ ר		3 ♪d For the name of Yahweh I proclaim. Ascribe greatness to our God.
g ci wm ihvh aqra hbu godl lalohinu r	6 9	ci wm ihvh a/qra hb\v gdl l/alh\inv

Resonances with psalms. Do you see any? I have noted some common words with Psalms 29:1-3, 37:1-3, and 96. Nothing too surprising, but particularly focused on the name (character / reputation) of Yahweh - and how we think about the promises of justice. You may note that field-grass in the psalms is sometimes a metaphor for the wicked (Psalm 92). Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 90 (a prayer of Moses) share about a third (215/678) of their total words. 

And there is some resonance with the final psalm of Book 3 of the Psalter, Psalm 72.

Word / Gloss	1	2	3	4	5	6	Vs	Stem
הארץ O earth	░						DEU 32:1	arx
כמטר as rain		░					DEU 32:2	m+r
וכרביבים and as copious showers			░				DEU 32:2	rbb
עשב field-grass				░			DEU 32:2	ywb
שם the name of					░		DEU 32:3	wm
יהוה Yahweh						░	DEU 32:3	ihvh
כמטר as rain		░					PSA 72:6	m+r
כרביבים as copious showers			░				PSA 72:6	rbb
ארץ earth	░						PSA 72:6	arx
ארץ the earth	░						PSA 72:8	arx
בארץ in the earth	░						PSA 72:16	arx
כעשב like the herbs of				░			PSA 72:16	ywb
הארץ the earth	░						PSA 72:16	arx
שמו his name					░		PSA 72:17	wm
שמו his name					░		PSA 72:17	wm
יהוה Yahweh						░	PSA 72:18	ihvh
שם the name of					░		PSA 72:19	wm
הארץ the earth	░						PSA 72:19	arx

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 101:2

 

All and earth in the last verse of this psalm is an interlocking frame with the previous psalm.

אַשְׂכִּ֤ילָה ׀ בְּדֶ֬רֶךְ תָּמִ֗ים מָ֭תַי תָּב֣וֹא אֵלָ֑י אֶתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בְּתָם־לְ֝בָבִ֗י בְּקֶ֣רֶב בֵּיתִֽי		2 I will teach insight in a way of completeness. When will you come to me? I will walk in the completeness of my heart within my house.
b awcilh bdrç tmim mtii tboa alii athlç btom-lbbi bqrb biti	14 13	a/wcl\h b/drc tmm mti t/bva al\i at/hlc b/tm lbb\i b/qrb bit\i

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 100:1

 

I did a setting of this in English here - there are several verses ornamenting the supertonic

A setting by Haïk-Vantoura is here.

מִזְמ֥וֹר לְתוֹדָ֑ה הָרִ֥יעוּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ		1 A psalm of thanksgiving. Raise a shout to Yahweh all the earth.
a mzmor ltodh hriyu lihvh cl-harx	5 9	m/zmr ltv/dh h/riy\v l/ihvh cl h/arx

#Psalmtweet #Psalter 99:1

 

The earth rejoice (cf Psalm 97) ... the people shudder! There is an environmental application here.

יְהוָ֣ה מָ֭לָךְ יִרְגְּז֣וּ עַמִּ֑ים יֹשֵׁ֥ב כְּ֝רוּבִ֗ים תָּנ֥וּט הָאָֽרֶץ		1 Yahweh reigns. Let peoples shudder. He sits on the cherubim. Let the earth be displaced.
a ihvh mlç irgzu ymim iowb crubim tnu't harx	9 10	ihvh mlc i/rgz\v ym\im iwb crvb\im t/nv't h/arx