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PSALM 108

STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. Psalm 108:1-5 is taken from Psalm 57:7-11.
   
   
2. Psalm 108:6-13 is taken from Psalm 60:5-12.
   
   
3. For the exegetical details see the full notes online at Psalms 57 and 60.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 108:1-6
 ¹My heart is steadfast, O God;
 I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul.
 ²Awake, harp and lyre;
 I will awaken the dawn!
 ³I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples,
 And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
 ⁴For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens,
 And Your truth reaches to the skies.
 ⁵Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
 And Your glory above all the earth.
 ⁶That Your beloved may be delivered,
 Save with Your right hand, and answer me!

108:1a "steadfast" This VERB (BDB 465, KB 464, Niphal PARTICIPLE) denotes a life of faith and faithfulness (cf. Ps. 57:8 [twice]; 112:7) to God's right path (cf. Ps. 16:11; 139:24). An example of someone who is not steadfast is given in Ps. 78:37.

The LXX, Peshitta, and Vulgate repeat the phrase, which shows that some assimilation between this Psalm and Ps. 57:7-11 has occurred.

For "heart" see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HEART.

▣ "O God" This is the title/name Elohim (cf. Gen. 1:1) used of Israel's Deity as the Creator, Provider, and Sustainer of all life on this planet.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.

108:1b-3 The characteristics of a steadfast heart are

1. I will sing ‒ BDB 1010, KB 1479, Qal COHORTATIVE
2. I will sing praises ‒ BDB 274, KB 273, Piel COHORTATIVE
3. I will awaken the dawn ‒ BDB 734, KB 802, Hiphil COHORTATIVE
4. I will give thanks ‒ BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense
5. I will sing praises ‒ same as #2

Most of these activities were done at temple worhsip times, but

1. "at dawn" seems to imply a daily, private worship schedule
2. although it must be acknowledged that the Hebrew can mean, "I will awake the dawn"; meaning his praises bring light and hope, not a reference to when he praises
3. the NET Bible sees this as imagery of "the times of deliverance and vindication the psalmist anticipates," p. 979

The NKJV is literal but NRSV, TEV, and NJB use the parallel in Ps. 57:8 to add the third use of the VERB "awake" (BDB 734, KB 802), which appears twice in the MT. Here, the word (BDB 458) is used of the psalmist's being (i.e., nephesh). This use of the term "glory" occurs in Ps. 7:5; 16:9; 30:12; 57:8.

The NET Bible (p. 979) suggests an emendation from כבוד (BDB 458) to "my life," כבד (lit. "liver", BDB 458). It makes reference to AB, p. 94, but AB uses the quote by Anath to explain theVERB "exalt" used by YHWH and not as a support for the suggested emendation.

SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (OT, kabod)

SPECIAL TOPIC: NPEHESH

108:3 Notice the praise of YHWH extends to

1. the peoples
2. the nations
3. all the earth (cf. Ps. 108:5b

The universal element so characteristic of the previous Psalms continues! YHWH is the one true God, the only Creator, the only Savior. He Himself formed mankind in His image and likeness (cf. Gen. 1:26-27) for fellowship (cf. Gen. 3:8).

SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

This is the special covenant NOUN (hesed) that described YHWH's faithfulness to His promises. Mankind's ultimate hope is in the merciful and faithful character of God!

SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (HESED)

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)

▣ "above the heavens" Notice the parallel with the next two lines. YHWH's lovingkindness and truth reach above the heavens. Yea, YHWH Himself reaches above the physical creation (Ps. 108:5). The "heavens" are the atmosphere above the earth, not YHWH's dwelling place.

SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEAVEN

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEAVEN and the THIRD HEAVEN

108:5 "glory" See note at Ps. 108:1.

SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (OT, kabod)

108:6 "Your beloved" Here, this refers to the covenant people (cf. Ps. 60:5; 127:2; Jer. 11:15). It came to be a title for the Messiah (especially from the Servant Songs of Isaiah, i.e., Isa. 42:1). YHWH refers to Jesus by this title

1. at His baptism ‒ Matt. 3:17
2. in a quote from Isaiah ‒ Matt. 12:18
3. at His transfiguration ‒ Matt. 17:5

It later becomes a title of family endearment for those who follow Jesus (i.e., Rom. 1:7; Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13).

▣ The first strophe has several IMPERATIVES.

1. awake, harp and lyre, Ps. 108:2 ‒ BDB 734, KB 802, Qal
2. be exalted, O God, Ps. 108:5 ‒ BDB 926, KB 1202, Qal
3. save, Ps. 108:6 ‒ BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil
4. answer, Ps. 108:6 ‒ BDB 772, KB 851, Qal

Number 3 and 4 are prayer requests. Numbers 1 and 2 are related to praise.

▣ "Your right hand" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPHMORPHIC LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE GOD

SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 108:7-9
 ⁷God has spoken in His holiness:
 "I will exult, I will portion out Shechem
 And measure out the valley of Succoth.
 ⁸Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
 Ephraim also is the helmet of My head;
 Judah is My scepter.
 ⁹Moab is My washbowl;
 Over Edom I shall throw My shoe;
 Over Philistia I will shout aloud."

108:7-9 YHWH is speaking (several COHORTATIVES) from His temple (lit. "sanctuary") about His ownership of Canaan. This strophe is from Ps. 60:6-8. Some of these lines became slogans, catchphrases, or liturgy.

108:7a "in His holiness" This is imagery for the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant. See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HOLY ONE

The MT, "with exultation" (BDB 759, KB 831, Qal COHORTATIVE) is followed by most English translations (with variations). The NEB and REB divide the Hebrew text differently.

1. MT ‒ אעלזה
2. NEB ‒ אעל זה
   

   The UBS Text Project, p. 388, gives a third suggestion by emendation

3. "I shall be exalted" (LXX) ‒ אעלה

108:8 "Judah is My scepter" This is an allusion to Jacob's blessing of his children in Genesis 49, especially Gen. 49:10. This is also mentioned in Num. 24:17 (cf. Ps. 60:7).

108:9 "I shall throw my shoe" This is imagery suggesting ownership of a servant, slave, or military victory.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 108:10-13
 ¹⁰Who will bring me into the besieged city?
 Who will lead me to Edom?
 ¹¹Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us?
 And will You not go forth with our armies, O God?
 ¹²Oh give us help against the adversary,
 For deliverance by man is in vain.
 ¹³Through God we will do valiantly,
 And it is He who shall tread down our adversaries.

108:10-13 Because YHWH is the owner and controller of the Promised Land (i.e., Canaan), surely He will not allow His people to be defeated and displaced! But remember ‒ Gen. 15:12-21; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-28.

108:10a "the besieged city" The MT has "fortified city" (BDB 747 CONSTRUCT BDB 131). This may refer to the city of Bozrah because Edom is mentioned in the next line of poetry. Bozrah (BDB 131 II) is from the same Hebrew root as "city" or "fortification" (BDB 131, see IVP Bible Background Commentary, p. 551).

The textual question is just like Ps. 60:9. Should the time of the first line of poetry match the time of the second line?

1. God will lead
2. God has led (UBS Text Project gives this an "A" rating)

Remember, time is not part of the Hebrew VERB; only context can denote the time element with the help of the VERB stem. Here, the parallel in Ps. 60:9 must be taken into account.

108:11 The covenant people were defeated in battle (cf. Ps. 44:9) because YHWH did not accompany them. The ark was carried into battle as a symbol of YHWH's personal presence with the soldiers. But if His people had proved unfaithful to the covenant, He would not give them the victory.

108:12 This is an acknowledgment that Israel's only hope is YHWH. Their military might and battle strategies cannot bring victory, only YHWH can!

108:13 "He who shall tread down" This is military imagery of victory (cf. 2 Sam. 22:43; Ps. 44:5; Zech. 10:5).

It may be related to

1. standing on an enemy's neck
2. walking over dead soldiers in the mire/dust
3. a rapid movement of an army in pursuit of a retreating victor

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Who are the two speakers in this Psalm?
2. What other Psalms does this one draw from?
3. What is Ps. 108:7-9 trying to communicate?
4. What major truths are expressed in Ps. 108:11-12?

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