Psalm 5
1. To the overcomer1 unto the executors.2 A ballad3 to David.4
2. Ear5 my sayings, Yehovah. Understand my meditation.6
3. Prick-up7 to the voice of my plea-for-help, my King and my Gods! 8 For I will pray9 unto Thee.
4. Yehovah, morning,10 Thou shalt hearken-to my voice. Morning,10 I will order11 to Thee, and I have closely-watched! 12, 13
5. For Thou art not a Mighty-One14 delighting-in culpability.15 Bad16 will not sojourn Thee.17
6. Boasters shall not take a stand straight-in-front-of18 Thine eyes. Thou hated all workers of willful-lust! 19
7. Thou shalt damn20 speakers of a lie.21 Yehovah will abominate22 a man of bloods23 and deceit!
8. And I, I will come, Thy House,24 in the multiplicity of Thy Grace! 25 I will worship26 unto the Temple of Thy Holy-[One]27 in Thy fear!28
9. Yehovah, favour me via Thy righteousness for-the-sake-of29 my overlords.30 Straighten Thy Way to my faces.31
10. For there is no establishment32 in his mouth. Their approach is ruins.33 Their throat is an open sepulchre.34 Their tongue shall divide.35
11. Incriminate36 them, Elohim! 37 They shall fall from their counsels! Thrust-them-out via multiplicity of their transgressions! 38 For they were bitter39 into40 Thee!
12. And all refugees in Thee have rejoiced to Hider! He will ululate! And Thou blanketed upon them! And He exulted! Lovers of Thy Name are in Thee!
13. For Thou, Thou shalt bless a righteous-[one], Yehovah! Thou shalt crown him desirability41 as a piercing-shield.42
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NOTE: Some footnote topics cover numerous texts. They have been recorded, and will be copied into documents discussing those topics. If you see footnote repetition from one text to another, this will explain why.
Regarding the accuracy of these conclusions: Were I gifted by the Spirit of Yehovah to do this work, it would be infallible, as was the case for all ministerially gifted persons in the Bible. No true prophet of God ever erred while prophesying. No true teacher of God ever taught any erroneous teaching. The standards of God have not changed, and the Spirit of God hasn’t weakened over the centuries. Since I am not gifted, my conclusions contain numerous errors, and must be considered and challenged if you (the reader) will not be deceived. I know some answers are correct, but I will have to change some answers as I learn more and as folks like you show me that my proposed answers need changing. If you don’t like this factor of uncertainty, ask Yehovah to give me a ministerial gift along these lines in His Word so that I can give infallible responses. If He does so, you will then be responsible to believe whatever He communicates through me. In the meantime, don’t be a sucker.
Regarding Hebrew words: If you see what appears to be computer nonsense when a Hebrew word is being discussed, your computer does not have the font to view it. If you desire to see the same article with the Hebrew word being visible and correct, let me know; I will send you a PDF form of the same document. (You will need an Adobe Acrobat reader to see it, which is freely available from the Adobe web site.) I have tried to remove all Hebrew words from the document I placed on the web to minimize this confusion.
1 The root of overcomer according to Gesenius’ lexicon means to excel, be bright, be preeminent, be perpetual, be overseer, be enduring; to act as overseer or superintendent or director or chief. The noun form has the following acceptations (according to Gesenius): eminence, perpetuity, strength, victory, enduring, everlastingness; endurance in time, perpetual, continual, unto the end. Biblical usage, however, directed me toward overcomer, one who is victorious and who endures. This has connected with numerous other texts throughout the Bible.
2 These executors are female. They will make sure inheritances are properly divided. How did I derive this definition for this Hebrew word? Lexicographers thought this word referred to a musical instrument. I did not agree. I noticed that this word appeared related to another word meaning inheritance. The verb root of this word means to inherit. One form (the Hebrew form called hiphil) is causative, meaning that this verb form causes to occur whatever the verb means. It often obtains the yod in the position of the word we are considering. If the verb means to inherit, the causative means to cause to inherit. One who causes others to inherit is an executor. Since this noun is feminine, plural, I rendered it the way I did.
3 A ballad is a story in song that tells of a person’s acts. While ballads can be mythical, Biblical ballads are never mythical, giving infallible information in their stories. Biblical ballads are nearly always future events, recorded as if they have already occurred.
4 David literally means beloved, but comes from a root supposedly meaning to boil. It is more like a lover, showing intense passion (not necessarily bad if the relationship is appropriate).
5 Ear is a coined word (a word I made up). While the ear of a human or animal is a noun, this is a verb in the Hebrew. Any noun in Hebrew can be made into a verb, and vice versa! This is intentional and part of Yehovah’s design of the language. To ear is to cause one’s own ear(s) to pick up what is being communicated, and it is also cause one’s own internal ear (of the mind) to pick up the message being communicated.
6 A meditation is a deep, relaxed thought. It is sometimes pictured by rumination in ruminants (like sheep and cattle) that chew, swallow, then bring up what they swallow into another stomach area to again ingest more. One who Biblically meditates on the Word of God thinks carefully about it literally, desiring to understand its implications and connections.
7 This is a ‘childism’ in the Bible, an expression that a child would understand better than many adults. When some animals hear a faint or unusual noise that might be significant, they make their ears stand up and/or focus on the sound. This is pricking-up.
8 Elohim means gods. When Elohim refers to Yehovah, it is describing Him as being all the true Gods there are. He is God of the mountains, God of the heavens, God of the seas, God of fruitfulness, God of justice, etc. The word is still plural, but normally demands a singular verb. When Elohim refers to false gods, it can also take a singular verb (when those referring to elohim are speaking of their gods), but often takes plural verb forms.
9 Prayer (of this type) comes from a root verb meaning to intervene, interpose, pray, to mediate, judge, to intercede. The main flavour can be described this way: rolling out details in order to properly determine what is appropriate. The Bible has several different words describing different types of prayer. This is the most common.
10 English would demand “in the morning,” but this would change the meaning. The focus is not so much on Yehovah’s hearkening in the morning (versus at any other time), but rather on the prophetic morning that the Word of God has indicated that Yehovah will turn all things around for the speaker. The text is worded in a way that makes it sound like the speaker is out of breath! (That is what occurs when the wording becomes very short.)
11 Ordering is not telling Yehovah or anyone else what to do, but rather is setting things in order in preparation for something. The speaker will be placing all things in order, waiting for Yehovah to arrive and to do what He has promised.
12 The verb I rendered closely watch could also be rendered by the coined word perspicuate from an already existent word perspicuous. It means to see through something that would be hard to penetrate or to see. This word carries with it the flavour of one expecting to see something that will (at least at first) be quite difficult to clearly see. It is like what a wolf does when it looks toward a sound, standing very still with immobile focus.
13 Whenever a past-tense verb immediately follows a future-tense verb in a related sequence in Hebrew, the past-tense verb shows result and will certainly follow once the future act is done. For example, one might say in English, “I will go to the store, and I will pick up some bread.” Biblical Hebrew would word it, “I will go to the store, and I have picked up some bread.” This construction shows certainty that the past-tense action will follow the future-tense action.
14 The Hebrew word el literally means mighty-one, and can refer to a human as well as to God. It is only indirectly related to elohim (which normally refers to God/gods). A mighty one is known for great deeds of power and other abilities. I am not familiar with el referring to females.
15 Culpability indicates guilt/responsibility for an act (usually bad) at any level of guilt. A person who spills sugar is culpable of spilling sugar; a person who murders thousands is culpable of murdering thousands. Culpability does not indicate intensity. Folks who actually murder others are culpable; folks who could have rescued some who were murdered, but didn’t, are also culpable.
16 The Hebrew word ra means bad, and refers to any type of harm or destruction. It never refers to moral or ethical evil. Moral and ethical Evil is expressed in the Hebrew word tlwa, pronounced ‘evelet,’ from the root pronounced ‘evil’ (believe it or not!). It is used far less than ra, bad.
If a city is destroyed, bad would be used. If a person’s finances go to indebtedness, bad would be used. The results of sin are bad. Sin itself is a great evil.
17 English grammar would demand the construction, “Bad will not sojourn with Thee” or “Bad will not sojourn in Thee.” Either one will change the meaning, however. Yehovah is the Place in several Scriptural texts. If you care to know more, use your tools to look this up.
18 The Hebrew word neged means straight-in-front-of, but also carries with it a secondary and very important flavour: equality. Yehovah saw that Adam had no one straight-in-front-of him to help him, so He took Eve out of him. Another Hebrew word with the simple meaning of to the faces of (‘in front of’) is used far more often.
19 The word Iniquity is aven, and has the following acceptation, according to the lexicon: trouble, wickedness, sorrow, idolatry. Yet, other Hebrew words carried these definitions. I sought a related word to find what it actually meant, and found eevah meaning desire, lust, will, and not necessarily with an evil connotation (used one time of Yehovah!). Yet, aven always carries an evil connotation. Thus, I propose that this word means willful-lust in an evil sense, that extremely strong desire to have one’s own way at any cost to anyone and everyone else. This is the basis and foundation of all idolatry!
20 The Hebrew word has the following acceptations according to the lexicon: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed, be exterminated, to blot out, do away with. Since another word rightly covers blot out, I have chosen another acceptation that combines perish with do away with. This is to damn. This word goes beyond execution, having to do with the everlasting state of destruction for some. Perish doesn’t quite have the force of this word.
21 Lie is almost always singular in the Bible. The Bible seems to refer to one lie in particular. We researched this lie, and determined (to our satisfaction) that it referred to the original lie: that man, by knowing good and evil, can be as Elohim (Gods). Determine this for yourself.
22 To abominate is to consider something or someone morally and/or ethically disgusting, contemptible.
23 Bloods is plural, because the killing of one person also destroys all that person’s potential offspring (having different bloods—Yehovah knew that different persons had different blood types and different genetic compositions). The killing of many is the destruction of bloods. A man of bloods is a man who either delights in shedding blood or has been a successful warrior. King David was a man of bloods without being guilty before Yehovah in his legitimate warfare.
24 English would demand that ‘into’ or ‘to’ be added: “I will come into Thy House” or “I will come to Thy House.” These both change the meaning. “I will come, Thy House” identifies the speaker and the House!
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is that judgment must begin at the House of God. And if it first is at us, what shall the end be of them who obey not the gospel of God?
25 Grace is a fervent, ardent zeal by which one is actuated. Defined a little simpler, grace is a very strong, burning zeal (conviction and drive to do something) by which one is motivated to take action regarding anything. That action can be on behalf of someone or something, or it can be against someone or something. It is like a mother who is both protecting her baby from an attacker (grace toward her baby) and is attacking the attacker at the same time (grace against the attacker). Many have rightly heard that Salvation is by grace (though few know what this means), but very few know that damnation is by the very same grace! Yehovah’s fervency and zeal is against those who spurn the price He paid in His grace, and who spurn His grace.
26 Worship, without exception, means to prostrate (lay flat, face down) oneself before another. This act can be performed for several reasons including: (a) to show humility before another, (b) to make an urgent request, (c) to demonstrate the willingness to fully serve another, (d) to surrender to another, (e) beg for mercy.
27 (Technical Explanation) Translators ignored the Hebrew construction of a noun followed by an adjective with a connected pronominal ending, choosing to render it as if it were a noun with a pronominal ending followed by an adjective. This ignores Biblical Hebrew grammar rules. The adjective that has a pronominal ending becomes a nominal adjective (an adjective that behaves as a noun). An English example of this is the adjective green. “The grass was green.” Yet it can become as a noun: “They golfed on the green.” I maintain that the two following examples greatly differ:
His Holy mountain
Mountain of His Holy-[one]
The first describes who owns the holy mountain. The second shows that the holy one that he owns in turn owns the mountain.
I do not know why translators have traditionally ignored the Hebrew grammar. I refuse to ignore what I see in the Hebrew. I believe that the Word of God (in the original manuscripts) is infallible. Why should I ignore anything?
28 Fear (as of God) in the Bible never means ‘reverential awe’ since this is far too weak a definition. It is a very strong emotional and ethical response against bringing wrath against oneself by displeasing another, along with a knowledge of what terrible things that other can do,and is often combined with a very strong emotional and ethical desire to please another if that other is good, along with a knowledge of the good things that other can do. The proper fear of Yehovah always prods a person to refuse to sin, and to do good works.
29 For-the-sake-of in English means for the benefit of, but the Hebrew does not necessarily mean that. It also carries the flavour, ‘in order to teach a lesson to’.
30 Overlords are cruel taskmasters.
31 Faces is always plural in Hebrew; every living thing has more than one face (depending on the being’s rank, responsibility, mood, etc.), and the singular of face would mean turn (as in “He turned a corner”). To my faces indicates a position where the speaker is looking.
32 The word nachon in Hebrew is used for ‘true’ in modern Hebrew. It really means established, however, from the root to establish.
33 Ruins are as expected in English; they can refer to the results of a destroyed city.
34 That is an open grave or an open grave building.
35 You must determine what their (plural) tongue (singular) will divide.
36 Incriminate here means to cause to be found guilty of great wrong.
37 Elohim means gods. When Elohim refers to Yehovah, it is describing Him as being all the true Gods there are. He is God of the mountains, God of the heavens, God of the seas, God of fruitfulness, God of justice, etc. The word is still plural, but normally demands a singular verb. When Elohim refers to false gods, it can also take a singular verb (when those referring to elohim are speaking of their gods), but often takes plural verb forms.
38 A transgression is crossing over a command’s boundary by doing more than the command allowed or by doing less than the command stipulated. Trans means cross, and gress means go. The term transgress is only used for violations of commands that amount to sin (against God or against a ruler).
39 Bitterness may seem far less serious than rebellion. Rather than being far less serious, however, it is different. Rebellion is taking a stand against authority. It isn’t merely disobeying that authority, but taking a stand against it. Bitterness is the result of a lasting hurt or offense, and can be accompanied by an unrelenting anger. Most bitterness is destructive. An exception occurs with Naomi (Book of Ruth) whose bitterness leads to Ruth’s Salvation and the lineage of King David (and thus, the Messiah). Apart from such an exception, bitterness that is not put away often leads to sin and to the determination to harm the innocent. Bitterness is the cause of some Moslems’ becoming suicide destroyers. Their deity has not taken action the way they thought, so they have determined in their bitterness to help their deity, and supposedly to obtain a reward. Almost all acts of violence arise from bitterness. Thus, rebellion’s initial seed is bitterness.
40 Bitterness isn’t so much against a target as it is the desire to do harm into a target! It is that personal.
41 English would demand, “Thou shalt crown him with desirability.” This would change the force, however. Him and desirability are being made identical (as if they are the same thing). If the statement had been, “Thou shalt crown him king,” no one would read it as if it were saying, “Thou shalt crown him with king”; that would make no sense. Him and king become identical; he will be king. In the same manner, he will be desirability in Yehovah’s eyes, and in the eyes of others. This desirability will act as a piercing-shield (see the next footnote).
42 (Technical) The meaning of the Hebrew word tzinah seemed shrouded in mystery. Lexicographers and translators thought it was a defensive weapon, like a shield. Yet, it also seemed to be like a barb of some type. The following text shows the difficulty:
Psalm 35:2 Take hold of shield and buckler (tzinah), and stand up for mine help.
If Yehovah will stand to help, He will not have two defensive weapons, but at least one offensive weapon. A buckler is a small shield. Will Yehovah stand up with two shields? But the next verse (Psalm 35:3) states,
Psalm 35:3 And draw out the spear!
Thus, He could use more than one form of shielding for the sake of the speaker, but Yehovah is not in need Himself of any defense. He is providing it for the speaker. I propose that He will have an instrument that will act as a shield of the speaker, a barb against the enemy. And His spear will be in addition to that so that He can slaughter. Yeshua is a shield to His own, and a piercer and slaughterer to His enemies (who refuse to turn).
I considered the root of the word tzinah, looking at tzin and tziah, the latter referring to dryness. (Mount Zion’s name comes from this.) I thought of the Hebrew shin, the word for tooth, and it seemed related (because in Hebrew, similar-sounding words are often related).
The lexicographer’s acceptations of tzinah were the following: something piercing, hook, barb; coolness, cold (of snow); shield. I saw that a shield and a barb were opposites in weaponry, unless a shield was constructed with a barb. I could not easily reconcile coldness of snow with these, until we considered that snow can act as a shield (especially if it covers footprints) and as a weapon in that it can slow pursuit.
In this Psalm 5 text, Yehovah is crowning the righteous-one with desirability as a tzinah. If a tzinah (whatever it means) is used both defensively and offensively, it is a very desirable item, for it can keep one safe in the heat of battle or attack.
Since magan means shield, I did not desire to use the same meaning twice. Thus, I put piercing shield (Angela’s proposal) to give this idea.