Psalms 108–13
Psalm 108:1-13
Psa.108.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזמור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לדוד: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 57:7-11 (verbal): Verses in Psalm 108 (especially 108:2–5) directly borrow language and lines from Psalm 57:7–11; Psalm 108 combines this material into a new context.
- Psalm 60:5-12 (verbal): Portions of Psalm 108 (notably 108:6–13) reuse and adapt language found in Psalm 60:5–12; Psalm 108 is a composite that draws on Psalm 60 as well as Psalm 57.
- Psalm 23:1 (structural): Shares the superscription formula 'מזמור לדוד' ('A Psalm of David'), indicating Davidic authorship and linking Psalm 108 to other psalms with the same heading.
- Psalm 3:1 (structural): Another example of the heading 'מזמור לדוד'/'מזמור לַמְּנַצֵּחַ' tradition; parallels Psalm 108's superscription in function and authorship attribution.
Alternative generated candidates
- A song; a psalm of David.
- A song, a psalm of David.
Psa.108.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- נכון: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשירה: VERB,qal,impf,1,NA,sg
- ואזמרה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אף: ADV
- כבודי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:1cs
Parallels
- Psalm 57:7 (quotation): Psalm 108 borrows verbatim from Psalm 57; verse closely mirrors the line 'My heart is fixed, O God... I will sing and give praise.'
- Psalm 9:1 (thematic): Both verses express wholehearted praise—'I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart' parallels the steadfast heart and intent to sing in Ps.108:2.
- Psalm 86:12 (thematic): Shares the motif of praising God with the whole heart and glorifying God—'I will praise thee... with all my heart; I will glorify thy name' echoes 'I will sing... even my glory.'
- Habakkuk 3:17-19 (thematic): Declares resolute joy and praise despite adverse circumstances ('yet I will rejoice in the LORD'), reflecting the same firmness of heart and commitment to sing found in Ps.108:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make melody—yes, I will sing praises; even my glory.
- My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praise—yes, my glory.
Psa.108.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- עורה: VERB,qal,imper,2,m,sg
- הנבל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וכנור: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אעירה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- שחר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 57:8 (quotation): Psalm 108:3 is a near-verbatim repetition of this line; both call the psaltery and harp to awake and declare rising at dawn.
- Psalm 59:16 (thematic): Expresses the same desire to sing of God's power/mercy in the morning—the motif of early rising to praise.
- Psalm 143:8 (thematic): Invokes the morning as the time for encountering God's steadfast love and trust, paralleling the dawn-waking devotion in Ps 108:3.
- Isaiah 50:4 (thematic): The Servant is ‘‘wakened morning by morning’’ to speak and serve—a related image of rising at dawn for vocation or praise.
Alternative generated candidates
- Awake, harp and lyre; I will rouse the dawn.
- Awake, harp and lyre! I will wake the dawn.
Psa.108.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אודך: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- בעמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואזמרך: VERB,qal,impf,1,-,sg
- בל: PART
- אמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 57:9 (quotation): Psalm 108:4 reproduces almost verbatim the line found in Psalm 57:9 ('I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD; I will sing praises to you among the nations'), indicating a direct textual repetition.
- Psalm 18:49 (verbal): Closely parallels the wording and sentiment ('Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, O LORD; and I will sing praises to your name'), sharing the same language of praising God among the nations.
- Psalm 96:3 (thematic): Calls to 'declare his glory among the nations' and to recount God's deeds to all peoples, echoing the theme of proclaiming praise to the LORD before the nations.
- Psalm 117:1 (thematic): A universal summons—'Praise the LORD, all nations!'—that reflects the same motif of all peoples (nations) offering praise to God as expressed in Psalm 108:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
- I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing to you among the peoples.
Psa.108.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מעל: PREP
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חסדך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- שחקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 36:5 (verbal): Nearly identical wording in Hebrew: 'Your steadfast love reaches to the heavens; your faithfulness to the clouds.' — a direct verbal parallel.
- Psalm 57:10 (quotation): Psalm 108 borrows lines from Psalm 57; this verse is effectively repeated here with the same language about steadfast love and faithfulness extending to the heavens and clouds.
- Psalm 89:2 (thematic): Shares the theme of God's enduring steadfast love and the establishment of his faithfulness in/with the heavens (faithfulness associated with the heavens).
- Psalm 108:4 (structural): The preceding clause in the same psalm forms the parallel couplet with v.5 — both lines together declare the greatness of God's steadfast love and the reach of his faithfulness.
Alternative generated candidates
- For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
- For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Psa.108.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- רומה: VERB,qal,imp,2,ms
- על: PREP
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כבודך: NOUN,m,sg,pronom-2-m
Parallels
- Ps.57:11 (quotation): Verbatim/near-verbatim parallel — Psalm 108:6 largely repeats the same wording as Psalm 57:11, calling God to be exalted above the heavens and for his glory to cover the earth.
- Ps.113:4 (verbal): Shares the language and theme of God's glory being above the heavens and his exaltation over the nations (’The LORD is high above all nations; his glory above the heavens’).
- Ps.148:13 (thematic): Declares that the LORD’s name alone is exalted and his majesty/glory is above earth and heaven, echoing the cosmic scope of divine exaltation in Psalm 108:6.
- Isa.66:1 (thematic): Affirms God's sovereignty over heaven and earth ('Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool'), thematically paralleling the call for God’s glory to be exalted over all creation.
- Eph.1:20-23 (thematic): New Testament parallel emphasizing divine exaltation — God raised Christ and seated him far above all rule and authority, applying the theme of supreme glory and dominion over heaven and earth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let your glory be above all the earth.
- Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let your glory be above all the earth.
Psa.108.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- למען: PREP
- יחלצון: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ידידיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2ms
- הושיעה: VERB,hiph,imp,2,ms
- ימינך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- וענני: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg+1cs
Parallels
- Exodus 15:6 (thematic): God’s right hand as the decisive agent of deliverance—the Song of the Sea celebrates the Lord’s right hand that shatters/delivers the enemy, paralleling the plea “save with your right hand.”
- Psalm 44:3 (thematic): Explicit attribution of victory/delivery to God’s right hand and arm rather than human power—echoes the request that God’s right hand save the beloved.
- Psalm 86:7 (verbal): A direct petition for God to answer and save (Hebrew uses ענני/‘answer me’), matching the cry “answer me” in Ps 108:7.
- Psalm 17:6 (verbal): Another personal plea using ענני (‘answer me’/‘incline your ear’), emphasizing the same appeal for God’s attentive response and deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- That your beloved may be delivered—save with your right hand and answer me.
- That those you love may be rescued—save with your right hand; answer me.
Psa.108.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בקדשו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss3,m
- אעלזה: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- אחלקה: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- שכם: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ועמק: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סכות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אמדד: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 60:8 (Heb. 60:8) (quotation): Nearly identical wording appears in Psalm 60 (part of which is repeated in Psalm 108): God speaks in his holiness and the image of dividing Shechem and measuring the valley of Succoth is repeated verbatim.
- Genesis 33:18-20 (allusion): References to Shechem (purchase of land and altar by Jacob) provide the same geographic and covenantal background for the image of allotting/possessing Shechem.
- Genesis 33:17 (allusion): Mentions Succoth (Sukkoth) as a place Jacob went to and encamped, supplying the geographic pair 'Shechem and Succoth' invoked in Psalm 108:8.
- Judges 8:4-5 (allusion): Succoth appears in the narrative of Gideon (refusal of aid by the men of Succoth), showing the same place-name in Israelite tradition and reinforcing the concrete territorial imagery of the psalm verse.
- Psalm 2:8 (thematic): God’s granting or apportioning of lands/nations to his king is a common prophetic/royal theme ("Ask of me...and I will give you the nations"), resonating with the psalm’s image of God determining territory (dividing Shechem, measuring Succoth).
Alternative generated candidates
- God has spoken in his holiness: "I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem and measure out the Valley of Sukkoth."
- God has spoken in his sanctuary: "I will exult, I will apportion Shechem and measure out the Vale of Succoth."
Psa.108.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- גלעד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- מנשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואפרים: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעוז: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ראשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מחקקי: VERB,piel,ptc,m,sg,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 60:8 (quotation): Psalm 108:9 repeats these lines nearly verbatim; both psalms declare Gilead and Manasseh as God's, and speak of Ephraim and Judah in leadership/warrior imagery.
- Genesis 49:10 (allusion): Jacob's blessing names Judah as the bearer of the scepter; Psalm's phrase 'Judah my scepter' alludes to Judah's dynastic/leadership role.
- Deuteronomy 33:17 (thematic): Moses' blessing of Joseph (Ephraim/Manasseh) uses military/strength imagery (horns, leadership), paralleling Ephraim as 'helmet' and Manasseh as a possession/force.
- Judges 5:14–17 (thematic): The Song of Deborah lists Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim and Judah among active tribal participants—resonant with Psalm's tribal/geographic claims and martial associations.
Alternative generated candidates
- Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is the stronghold of my head; Judah is my scepter.
- Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is the helmet of my head, Judah is my scepter.
Psa.108.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- סיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רחצי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- על: PREP
- אדום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשליך: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- נעלי: NOUN,f,sg,poss1sg
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- פלשת: NOUN,prop,f,sg
- אתרועע: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 60:8 (quotation): Nearly identical wording — Psalm 108:10 largely repeats Psalm 60:8: 'Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I shout.'
- 2 Samuel 8:2 (thematic): Describes David's defeat and subjugation of Moab, providing the historical/military background for Psalms' language of humiliating Moab.
- Ruth 4:7–8 (allusion): The transfer/removal of a sandal in Ruth enacts legal transfer of rights; casting a shoe over Edom in Ps.108:10 evokes this cultural motif of claiming possession or dominance.
- Obadiah 1:18 (thematic): Pronounces Judah's victory and Edom's devastation — thematically parallels the humiliation and overthrow of Edom implicit in 'I will cast out my shoe over Edom.'
Alternative generated candidates
- Moab is my washbasin; over Edom I will cast my shoe; I will shout in triumph over Philistia.
- Moab is my basin; upon Edom I will cast my shoe; over Philistia I will shout in triumph.
Psa.108.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יבלני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מבצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- נחני: VERB,hiph,imperfect,3,m,sg+1cs
- עד: PREP
- אדום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 60:9 (quotation): Nearly identical line in Psalm 60: who will bring me into the fortified city? who will lead me to Edom? — Psalm 108 repeats material from Psalm 60.
- Psalm 60:8 (verbal): Close verbal and thematic link: Psalm 60 speaks of Moab and Edom (e.g. 'over Edom I throw my shoe'), setting the same geographic/military imagery that appears in Ps.108:11.
- 2 Samuel 8:14 (thematic): Reports David's subjugation of Edom ('David put garrisons in Edom'), reflecting the historical/military background behind the psalmist’s desire to be led into Edom.
- Obadiah 1:1 (thematic): The oracle against Edom frames Edom as Israel’s antagonist; thematically related to the psalm’s focus on entering/conquering Edom.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
- Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
Psa.108.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הלא: PART
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- זנחתנו: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בצבאתינו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
Parallels
- Ps.60:11 (quotation): Nearly identical wording in the Hebrew — Ps.108:12 reuses the line from Ps.60 (a verbal/quoted transfer between psalms) about God having forsaken and not going out with his hosts.
- Ps.44:23-24 (thematic): Both passages plead against divine abandonment and ask why God has hidden his face or cast off his people, expressing communal distress at apparent forsaking.
- Ps.13:1 (thematic): A personal laments' cry—'How long wilt thou forget me?'—mirrors Ps.108:12’s theme of feeling forgotten or forsaken by God.
- Isa.49:14 (allusion): Zion’s declaration 'The Lord hath forsaken me' echoes the same theme of abandonment and loss of divine presence found in Ps.108:12.
- Lam.5:20 (thematic): The lament 'Why dost thou forget us for ever? why dost thou forsake us so long?' parallels Ps.108:12’s complaint about God’s apparent withdrawal from his people.
Alternative generated candidates
- Is it not God who has cast us off? Will not God go forth with our hosts?
- Has not God rejected us? Will not God go forth with our hosts?
Psa.108.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הבה: PRT
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- עזרת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- מצר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושוא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשועת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 60:12 (verbal): Psalm 108 repeats/echoes material from Psalm 60; the assertion of victory through God is nearly identical in wording and function.
- Psalm 20:7 (thematic): Contrasts trust in chariots and horses (human military help) with trust in the LORD — thematically parallels the rejection of mere human help.
- Psalm 118:8 (thematic): Declares it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man, resonating with the claim that human help is vain compared to God's aid.
- Proverbs 21:31 (thematic): Affirms that human preparations (e.g., horses) are not decisive for victory but that the outcome depends on the LORD — similar emphasis on God's help over human strength.
Alternative generated candidates
- Come to our aid, O God; vain is the help of man.
- Give us help against the foe, for vain is the help of man.
A song; a psalm of David.
My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make melody—indeed, I will awaken my glory.
Awake, harp and lyre! I will rouse the dawn.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let your glory be over all the earth.
That your beloved may be delivered—save by your right hand and answer me.
God has spoken in his holiness: "I will rejoice; I will portion out Shechem and measure the Valley of Succoth."
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is the helmet of my head; Judah is my scepter.
Moab is my wash-basin; over Edom I will cast my shoe; over Philistia I will shout in triumph.
Who will lead me into the fortified city? Who will bring me to Edom?
O God, have you rejected us? Will you not go forth, O God, with our hosts?
Give us aid against the foe; vain is the help of mortals.