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The book of psalms

February 10, 2023

by Kalese Mnason with No Comment Books of the Bible

The book of psalms

We have been learning to translate the book of psalms, which is an intricately designed collection of poetry that recounts Israel’s history and God’s covenant promises. To fully understand what the book is about, here’s is a summary from Bible Project

The book of psalms is a collection of 150 ancient Hebrew poems, songs and prayers that come from different periods in Israel’s history. Many of these poems are connected to King David (73) who was known as a poet and a harp player.

There are, however, many different authors behind these poems. There are the poems of Asaph, or from the sons of Korah, some are from other worship leaders and the temple. Even Solomon and Moses have their own psalms.

However, nearly 1/3 of these are anonymous. Many of these poems came to be used by the choirs that sang in Israel’s temple. The book of psalms is actually not a hymn book. At some point in the period after Israel’s exile to Babylon, these ancient poems were gathered together and intentionally arranged into the book of Psalms before us.

It has a very unique design and message that you’re not going to notice unless you read it from beginning to end. To see how the book of psalms is designed it is most helpful to start at the end.

The book concludes with 5 poems of praise to the God of Israel and each one begins and ends with the word Hallelujah which is Hebrew for a command to tell a group of people to praise YAH which is short for the divine name Yahweh.

It is a really nice 5 part arrangement and it looks like someone is giving us a conclusion here to the book. This invites the question, does the book have any other signs of intentional design?

If you pay attention to the headings of the poems you’ll notice that at 5 places, Bible translators have the heading book 1, book 2, .., book 5 at various points.

These divide the book into 5 large sections. The reason for this is that the final poem in each of those sections have a very similar ending but looks like an editorial addition which reads something like, “May the Lord the God of Israel be blessed forever and ever, Amen and Amen”.

So the book has a conclusion, it has an internal organization into 5 main parts and so the natural place to go from here is now the beginning to look for an introduction where we find psalms 1 and 2.

Psalms 1 and 2

These 2 psalms stand outside of book one because most of the poems in book 1 are linked to David. Psalms 1 and 2 are anonymous. Psalm 1 celebrates how blessed the person is who meditates on the Torah, prayerfully reading it day-and-night and then obeying.

The word ‘Torah’ means teaching and more specifically it came to refer to the 5 books of Moses that begin the Old Testament. Here, the word seems to be used with both meanings in mind, which explains why it has 5 main parts.

The book of psalms is being offered as a new Torah that will teach God’s people the lifelong practice of prayer, as they strive to obey God’s commands given in the 1st Torah. Psalm 2 is the poetic reflection on God’s promise to King David from 2nd Samuel chapter 7, that 1 day a messianic king would come and establish God’s kingdom over the world, defeat evil and rebellion among the nations.

Psalm 2 concludes by saying that all those who take refuge in the messianic king will be blessed. Precisely the word used to open psalm 1 and so together these 2 poems tell us that the book of psalms is designed to be the prayer book of God’s people as they strive to be faithful to the commands of the Torah as they hope and wait for the future messianic kingdom. Now with these 2 themes introduced we can start to see how the smaller books have been designed as well around these 2 ideas.

The book of psalms, Book one.

Book one has right at the center, a collection of poems, palms 15 through 24 that opens and closes with a call to covenant faithfulness.

In psalms 16 to 18 we find the depiction of David as a model of this kind of faithfulness. He calls out to God to deliver him and God elevates him as king.

In the corresponding set of poems, psalms 20 to 23, the David of the past has become an image of the messianic king of the future who will also call out to God, He will be delivered and then given a kingdom over the nations.

Right at the center of this collection is psalm 19, dedicated to praising God for the Torah. So here we go. The 2 themes from psalm 1 and 2 are bound together tightly there.

Watch the video from Bible Project Here

Courtesy of Bible Project

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

Njang 3

January 21, 2023

by Kalese Mnason with No Comment Bible verses

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

Mbàynɨ̀sɨ lali meyn a ma ibàm a Bôbo Fɨ̀yìnì, dvɨ̂ kɨ tèyn.

Ghelɨ awo abɨ-a jɨŋ meyn kàli mà nô sɨ a idvɨ̀,

Nà choʼ àvɨ àkema.

Àŋena nɨn bê na, “Fɨ̀yìnì fɨ̀ nɨn gâmtɨ̀ wì ŋweyn.”
Mɨtì wa ghɨ àbâʼ a ma atu a Bôbo,

Ma wà ni meyn ma na koʼnɨ-à.

Wà lisi meyn ìwumi sɨ a ma atu.

Mɨ n-dzɨ̂ nô mɨ ɨlvɨ gha a Bôbo,

Wa yvɨ ma alèʼ alaynɨ-a nɨ̀ và

Mɨ n-nyɨŋì-à, ma nà buni-à, ku-à,

Wà n-kinî mà a Bôbo.

Mɨ n-fâyn wì afo,

Nô mɨ ta mbàynɨ̀sɨ̀ kèʼ ma kɨ̀ ɨbyâs ɨ̀jɨ̀m, dvɨ̂ kɨ tèyn.

Gàmtɨ ma ɨ nù mbàynɨ̀ semsɨ a Bôbo.

Wà lum wumsɨ̂ kɨ wumsɨ àŋena a Fɨ̀yìnì femfɨ.

À n-gâmtɨ Bôbo Fɨ̀yìnì gâmtɨ̀ ghelɨ.

Boysɨ ghelɨ̀ ghya a Bôbo.

¹Lord, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

²Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”^[b]

³But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

⁴I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.

⁵I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

⁶I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.

⁷Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.

⁸From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.

Psalm 2 – Njàŋsɨ̀ 2

November 25, 2022

by Kalese Mnason with No Comment Bible verses Featured

Njàŋsɨ̀ 2

Ghelɨ mbzɨ ti chɨ̀yntɨ̀ nà fɨm tèyn bòm ghà?

Àŋena nɨn yeyn kɨ ngeʼ salû bê na ghɨ n-nû Fɨyìnì.

Tɨfôyn tɨ mbzɨ tɨ chɨyntɨ meyn.

Nà baʼtɨ̂ sɨ nu Bôbo Fɨ̀yìnì,

Ŋêyn wùlɨ̀ vzɨ̀ a wù yìsi ɨ̀ lem sɨ a fòyn.

Àŋena nɨn bê na,

“Ghesɨ̀nà teyntɨ nchaʼ sèynsɨ̀ a ghɨ kùlɨ̀ ghesɨ̀nà ateyn tèyn.

Na ghesɨ̀nà soysɨ ngeŋsɨ ghesɨ̀nà,

Ɨ̀ fvɨ̀ sɨ a ndo àkòs afêyn a ghesɨ̀nà nɨn ghɨ ateyn tèyn.

Àŋena nɨn nî mɨtì,

Bôbo Fɨ̀yinì vzɨ̀ a wù n-duʼ alèʼ asaʼna nɨ̀ ŋweyn iyvɨ,

Ɨ ki àŋena chyeʼ kɨ chyeʼ.

Wù n-nyôsɨ̀ meyn ɨ̀toŋ,

Ɨ̀ nà byaytɨ̂ sɨ̂ àŋena, fî fâynsɨ̀ àŋena nô sɨ a ŋaŋ bê na,

“Ma choʼ meyn lèm fòyn a Zayòn,

A kfɨyn ìlaynɨ nɨ̀ mà.”

Mɨ n-fèʼtɨ̀ ìsaʼ i Bôbo Fɨ̀yìnì sɨ̂ zɨ̀ lvɨ̂yn;

Bôbo bè na,

“Sɨ zɨ̀tɨ layn, wà na ghɨ wayn sɨ̂ mà,

Ma ghɨ bæ̀ sɨ̂ và.

Wà kæ sɨ nà kôŋ à, a mà fu mbzɨ yèyn sɨ̂ và,

Nɨ̀ tɨ̀laʼ tìtɨ̀ a tɨ n-ghɨ a teyn,

A à na kelɨ kɨ nô và.

Ma àŋena dɨm,

A wà leŋ sàytɨ̀ àŋena nɨ̀ mbàŋ àkas,

Ma àŋena fì dɨm kɨ̀ dɨm,

A wà bɨ̀ytɨ̀ àŋena kɨ̀ ta ghɨ bɨ̀ytɨ̀ ntòyn àchaʼ.”

Yi ti n-dyêyn na zɨ̀ tɨfôyn tɨ mbzɨ tɨ nɨn kelɨ sɨ nà tofa.

Zɨ̀ ghî a yi n-saʼ mbzɨ toʼnɨ.

Yì na fâyn Bôbo Fɨ̀yìnì, koʼsɨ̂ ŋweyn.

Yì na saŋlɨ̂ nô sɨ a ŋaŋ, gvɨmlɨ̂ Bôbo.

Yì na ngvɨmlɨ̂ wâyn Fɨ̀yìnì,

Bu tì yi sesɨ ni awo àki-a nâ kì,

Wù kâʼ a wù shɨŋ nyòʼsɨ̀ ɨ̀toŋ, ɨ̀ bèbsɨ zɨ̀.

Ɨtoŋ ɨyafɨnɨ nɨ̀ ŋweyn nɨn bem nô abɨ,

Mɨtì njùŋ ɨ ghɨ sɨ̂ ghelɨ ghì a ghɨ ndù lèytɨ̀ a isas i tɨ̂wò nɨ̀ ŋweyn.

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspire

and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3 “Let us break their chains

and throw off their shackles.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

5 He rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 “I have installed my king

on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;

today I have become your father.

8 Ask me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will break them with a rod of iron;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;

be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear

and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry

and your way will lead to your destruction,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

the kom bible project

The book of psalms

Psalms 1 and 2

The book of psalms, Book one.

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 Lord, how many are my foes!

Njàŋsɨ̀ 2

Psalm 2

the kom bible project

¹Lord, how many are my foes!