Psalms 50–23
Psalm 50:1-23
Psa.50.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- מזמור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאסף: VERB,qal,inf
- אל: NEG
- א: PRT
- להים: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ממזרח: PREP
- שמש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- מבאו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+POSS,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:1 (verbal): Both summon the heavens/earth to receive God's words: 'Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth,' close verbal and functional parallel.
- Isaiah 1:2 (verbal): Similarly opens with an address to heaven and earth because 'the Lord has spoken,' echoing the summons motif in Ps 50:1.
- Psalm 113:3 (verbal): Uses the identical geographic time-frame language—'From the rising of the sun to its setting'—to indicate the universal scope of praise, paralleling Ps 50:1's universal summons.
- Malachi 1:11 (verbal): Repeats the phrase 'from the rising of the sun to its setting' to describe God's worldwide honor, reflecting the same universal horizon invoked in Ps 50:1.
- Isaiah 45:6 (thematic): Declares God's universal sovereignty 'from the rising of the sun and from the west,' thematically paralleling Ps 50:1's proclamation of God's word over the whole earth.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the leader; of Asaph. God, the LORD, has spoken and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
- For the leader; A Psalm of Asaph. God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Psa.50.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- מציון: PREP+NOUN,prop,sg,abs
- מכלל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הופיע: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 48:2 (thematic): Both verses celebrate Zion as beautiful and glorious — Psalm 50:2 speaks of God appearing from Zion’s perfect beauty, Psalm 48:2 calls Mount Zion ‘beautiful in elevation’ and the joy of the whole earth.
- Isaiah 60:1-3 (verbal): Isaiah summons Zion to ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come,’ echoing the motif of divine radiance issuing to/from Zion found in Psalm 50:2 (‘God has shined’ from Zion).
- Habakkuk 3:3 (thematic): Habakkuk depicts God appearing from the mountains and His glory covering the heavens — a parallel image of God’s manifestation from a high place akin to God appearing from Zion in Psalm 50:2.
- Isaiah 52:1 (verbal): Isaiah 52:1 commands Zion to ‘put on thy beautiful garments,’ language that parallels Psalm 50:2’s focus on Zion’s beauty as the context for God’s revealing presence.
- Psalm 76:2 (thematic): Psalm 76:2 locates God’s dwelling in Zion/Salem, linking the theme of God’s presence centered on Zion that underlies Psalm 50:2’s statement that God appears from Zion.
Alternative generated candidates
- Out of Zion—the perfection of beauty—God has shone forth.
- Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.
Psa.50.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- יבא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- יחרש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לפניו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- תאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- וסביביו: CONJ+PREP,3,m,sg
- נשערה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מאד: ADV
Parallels
- Exodus 19:18 (verbal): The Sinai theophany: smoke and fire on the mountain as YHWH descends—echoes the image of God coming in smoke and consuming fire before him.
- Psalm 18:8-15 (verbal): David’s theophany language (earthquake, smoke, fire from God’s nostrils/mouth, tempest) closely parallels Psalm 50:3’s picture of divine approach with fire and a great storm.
- Habakkuk 3:5 (thematic): The prophet’s depiction of God’s coming with burning coals/pestilence and cosmic disturbance parallels the fire-before-him and surrounding tempest imagery in Ps 50:3.
- Isaiah 66:15 (thematic): Isaiah’s announcement that the Lord comes with fire and his chariots like a whirlwind corresponds to Ps 50:3’s combined motifs of fire and tempest as signs of God’s coming.
- Nahum 1:3-6 (thematic): Nahum portrays God’s way as in whirlwind and storm, rebuking the sea and shaking mountains—parallel cosmic/meteorological motifs emphasizing God’s awe-inspiring, consuming presence in Ps 50:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- Our God comes and will not keep silence; before him a consuming fire, and round about him a mighty tempest.
- Our God comes and will not be silent; fire consumes before him, and a great tempest rages round about him.
Psa.50.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- יקרא: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- מעל: PREP
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לדין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deut. 32:1 (verbal): Moses summons 'heaven and earth' to hear his song—closely parallels Psalm 50:4's calling of the heavens and the earth as audience for God's word/judgment.
- Isa. 1:2 (verbal): ‘Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth’—a direct verbal parallel in which the heavens and earth are addressed as witnesses to God's charge against his people.
- Deut. 30:19 (allusion): Uses the formula 'I call heaven and earth to witness'—the same legal/witness imagery of summoning creation to attest or be party to divine verdicts and covenant decisions.
- Joel 3:11-14 (thematic): A summons to assemble the nations for judgment (Valley of Jehoshaphat); thematically parallels Psalm 50:4's motif of calling parties together as part of divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
- He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, to judge his people:
Psa.50.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אספו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- חסידי: NOUN,m,pl,suf1
- כרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- בריתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss1,sg
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- זבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 24:7-8 (verbal): Covenant ratified with blood/sacrifice: Moses sprinkles blood and declares it the blood of the covenant—closely parallels 'my covenant by sacrifice.'
- Hebrews 9:18-22 (allusion): NT exposition that covenants are inaugurated/ratified with blood; echoes the idea of covenant established through sacrificial blood found in Ps 50:5.
- Jeremiah 7:21-23 (thematic): God criticizes empty offerings and insists on obedience to the covenant—relates to Ps 50's summons of the faithful who truly belong to God's covenant rather than hollow ritual.
- Hosea 6:6 (thematic): 'I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice' ( compassion over ritual )—parallels Ps 50's emphasis on the genuine covenantal relationship behind sacrifice.
- Psalm 50:14-15 (structural): Immediate continuation of the Psalm: God calls for 'sacrifices of thanksgiving' and invoking God in distress—develops what it means to be the faithful gathered to the covenantal God in v.5.
Alternative generated candidates
- “Gather to me my faithful ones, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
- “Gather to me my faithful ones, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
Psa.50.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגידו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- צדקו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- כי: CONJ
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שפט: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Psalm 19:1 (verbal): Both verses use the motif of the heavens 'declaring' or 'telling' God's attributes—Psalm 19:1 'The heavens declare the glory of God' parallels Ps 50:6's 'Let the heavens declare his righteousness.'
- Romans 1:20 (thematic): Paul's argument that creation reveals God's invisible qualities echoes Ps 50:6's idea that the heavens make known God's justice/character.
- Deuteronomy 32:1 (structural): Deuteronomy 32 opens with 'Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,' using the heavens as witness to divine words/judgment—parallel to Ps 50's summons of the heavens to declare God's righteousness.
- Psalm 96:11-13 (thematic): Psalm 96 calls the heavens and earth to rejoice because 'he comes to judge the earth,' combining the cosmic voice of creation with the theme of divine judgment found in Ps 50:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let the heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah
- Let the heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.
Psa.50.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שמעה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ואדברה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואעידה: CONJ+VERB,qal,fut,1,sg
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 6:4 (verbal): Shares the summons 'Hear, O Israel' (Shema); both open with a call for Israel's attention and affirmation of God's relationship to Israel.
- Deuteronomy 32:1 (structural): 'Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak' parallels the formula 'Hear, O my people, and I will speak'—a divine address that introduces a public speech or indictment.
- Exodus 20:2 (quotation): The declaration 'I am the LORD your God' echoes the covenantal self-identification used to ground commandments and covenant obligations.
- Micah 6:2 (thematic): God summons the mountains to witness his 'controversy' with Israel—parallel to Psalm 50's judicial tone of testifying or bringing accusation against the people.
- Amos 3:2 (allusion): 'You only have I known...' expresses the covenantal intimacy that grounds divine judgment—similar to Psalm 50's move from address to accusation within the covenant relationship.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you: I am God, your God.
- Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you: I am God, your God.
Psa.50.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- על: PREP
- זבחיך: NOUN,m,sg,poss2
- אוכיחך: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- ועולתיך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,pr2ms
- לנגדי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUF,1,com,sg
- תמיד: ADV
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:11-15 (thematic): God rejects worthless sacrifices when accompanied by injustice and wickedness—echoing Psalm 50’s point that offerings alone do not justify or please God.
- Hosea 6:6 (verbal): “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice” parallels Psalm 50’s emphasis that God values faithful covenant behavior over ritual offerings.
- Micah 6:6-8 (thematic): The rhetorical questioning of what offerings are acceptable leads to the demand for justice, mercy and humility rather than mere ritual, paralleling Psalm 50’s critique of empty sacrifices.
- Psalm 51:16-17 (verbal): David explicitly states God does not delight in sacrifices but in a broken, contrite heart—echoing Psalm 50’s claim that sacrifices alone are not the issue God reproves.
- Amos 5:21-24 (thematic): God rejects the people’s festivals and offerings because He requires justice and righteousness, similar to Psalm 50’s rebuke of ritual without right conduct.
Alternative generated candidates
- I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
- I will not reprove you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
Psa.50.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- אקח: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- מביתך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- פר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ממכלאתיך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+2ms
- עתודים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ps.50.10-12 (verbal): Direct continuation: v.10–12 expands v.9's claim by stating that all animals belong to God ('for every beast of the forest is mine'), underscoring that He does not need offerings from your house.
- Ps.24.1 (thematic): Declares that 'the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,' echoing the theme that God already owns all creatures and thus does not need sacrifices from humans.
- Isa.1.11-15 (thematic): God rejects numerous sacrifices offered without righteousness ('What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?'), paralleling Psalm 50:9's assertion that God does not require bulls from your house.
- Hos.6.6 (thematic): 'For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice' emphasizes God's preference for covenant faithfulness over ritual offerings, aligning with Psalm 50's critique of empty sacrificial claims.
- Mic.6.6-8 (thematic): The prophet questions what offerings could appease God and concludes God requires justice and mercy rather than mere sacrifices, resonating with Psalm 50's theme that God does not need livestock offerings.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats from your folds;
- I will not take a bull from your house, nor he-goats from your pens;
Psa.50.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כל: DET
- חיתו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- יער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בהררי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 24:1 (verbal): Declares God's ownership of the earth and its fullness—parallels Ps 50:10's claim that the beasts and cattle belong to the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 10:14 (verbal): Affirms that the heavens, the earth and all that is in them belong to Yahweh, echoing the theme of divine possession in Ps 50:10.
- Job 12:10 (thematic): States that the life of every living thing is in God's hand, connecting to Ps 50:10's assertion of God's sovereignty over animals.
- Psalm 104:24-27 (thematic): Describes God's creative care and provision for all creatures and the sea's living things, thematically echoing the claim that all beasts and cattle are God's.
Alternative generated candidates
- for every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
- for every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
Psa.50.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- כל: DET
- עוף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרים: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- וזיז: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמדי: PREP+1cs
Parallels
- Ps.50:10 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same psalm: declares God’s ownership of animals ('every beast of the forest is mine'), closely matching v.11’s claim about birds and beasts.
- Ps.24:1 (thematic): Affirms the same theological theme of divine ownership over creation: 'The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof,' implying animals belong to God.
- Job 12:7-10 (thematic): Job appeals to the creatures as evidence of God's hand and presence; explicitly asserts that the life of every living thing is in God’s hand, echoing God’s knowledge/possession of animals.
- Job 38:41 (thematic): In God’s speeches He demonstrates intimate knowledge and provision for birds ('Who provides for the raven...'), paralleling the claim 'I know all the birds of the mountains.'
- Matt.10:29-31 (allusion): Jesus teaches that not one sparrow falls without the Father’s knowledge and that God knows even the hairs of your head—an NT echo of God’s precise knowledge and care for birds and creatures.
Alternative generated candidates
- I know every bird of the hills, and whatever moves in the field is mine.
- I know every bird of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
Psa.50.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- ארעב: VERB,qal,imperf,1,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- תבל: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומלאה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 24:1 (verbal): Declares 'The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,' directly echoing the claim of divine ownership found in Ps 50:12.
- Job 41:11 (verbal): Says 'Who has given to me that I should repay? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine,' closely paralleling the wording and the idea that God needs nothing because all belongs to him.
- Psalm 89:11 (verbal): Affirms 'The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it,' reiterating the same theme of God's possession of the world.
- Deuteronomy 10:14 (thematic): States that heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it, belong to the LORD—an earlier legal/theological formulation of divine ownership reflected in Ps 50:12.
- 1 Chronicles 29:11 (thematic): A royal/prayer confession that 'Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power... all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours,' echoing the Psalm's emphasis that the world and its fullness belong to God.
Alternative generated candidates
- If I were hungry I would not tell you— for mine is the world and all that fills it.
- If I were hungry, would I tell you? For the world is mine, and all that fills it.
Psa.50.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- האוכל: VERB,qal,ptc,0,m,sg
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבירים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ודם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- עתודים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשתה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 50:12 (structural): Immediate context: God rhetorically denies any need for food or sacrifice ('If I were hungry I would not tell thee'), explaining the point of the question about eating flesh and drinking blood.
- Isaiah 1:11 (thematic): Isaiah rebukes ritual sacrifices as meaningless ('To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me?'), paralleling Psalm 50's challenge to the presumed benefit of offerings.
- Amos 5:21-22 (thematic): God rejects empty worship and offerings ('I hate, I despise your feasts... Though ye offer me burnt offerings... I will not accept them'), echoing Psalm 50's denial that God needs sacrificial meat or blood.
- Leviticus 17:11-12 (verbal): Leviticus ties life to blood and regulates its use in atonement, forbidding consumption of blood—this supplies the background to Psalm 50's imagery of eating flesh and drinking blood.
- Deuteronomy 12:23 (allusion): The law warns 'be sure that thou eat not the blood,' which contrasts with and illuminates Psalm 50's rhetorical question about God 'drinking blood' as a way to deny any dependence on sacrificial offerings.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
- Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of he-goats?
Psa.50.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- זבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תודה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ושלם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעליון: PREP+ADJ,m,sg
- נדריך: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 116:17 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language: 'I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving,' echoing the call to bring a thanksgiving sacrifice to God.
- Psalm 107:22 (verbal): Speaks of sacrificing 'the sacrifices of thanksgiving' and declaring God's works, closely paralleling the theme and phraseology of offering thanks to the Most High.
- Jonah 2:9 (verbal): Jonah's vow includes offering a thanksgiving sacrifice to the LORD, reflecting the same vow/offering language found in Psalm 50:14.
- Hebrews 13:15 (thematic): New Testament appropriation of the idea: believers are to continually 'offer to God a sacrifice of praise,' echoing the OT call to thanksgiving-sacrifices in spiritualized form.
- Leviticus 22:29 (verbal): Legal/ritual background: explicitly mentions bringing 'a sacrifice of thanksgiving' to the LORD, providing cultic precedent for the psalm's exhortation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Offer to God thanksgiving as your sacrifice, and pay your vows to the Most High.
- Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.
Psa.50.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וקראני: VERB,qal,imper,2,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- צרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחלצך: VERB,hiph,imprf,1,_,sg
- ותכבדני: VERB,piel,imprf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 91:15 (verbal): Both promise that when one calls God in trouble he will be delivered and honored ('I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him').
- Joel 2:32 (verbal): Declares that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered/saved, paralleling the summons to call in distress and receive deliverance.
- Romans 10:13 (thematic): New Testament citation of Joel's promise ('everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'), reflecting the same theme of calling and deliverance as Psalm 50:15.
- Psalm 86:7 (verbal): The psalmist says, 'In the day of my trouble I call upon you; for you will answer me,' closely mirroring the wording and assurance of deliverance in Ps 50:15.
- Psalm 34:17 (thematic): States that when the righteous cry for help the LORD hears and delivers them from all their troubles, echoing the promise of rescue when one calls in distress.
Alternative generated candidates
- Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
- And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Psa.50.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ולרשע: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- לספר: VERB,qal,inf
- חקי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ותשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בריתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss1,sg
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- פיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
Parallels
- Isaiah 29:13 (verbal): Speaks of honoring God with lips while hearts are far away—direct verbal parallel condemning mere lip-service to God's covenant and statutes.
- Matthew 15:7-9 (quotation): Jesus (quoting Isaiah 29:13) rebukes hypocritical leaders who honor God with their lips but not their hearts—New Testament application of the same critique.
- Jeremiah 7:8-11 (thematic): Condemns people who offer worship while practicing injustice and deceit—similar rebuke of trusting ritual words while violating covenantal obligations.
- Amos 5:21-24 (thematic): God rejects festivals and songs when justice and righteousness are absent—parallel theme that ritual observance without obedience to God’s covenant is unacceptable.
Alternative generated candidates
- But to the wicked God says: What right have you to recite my statutes, and to take my covenant upon your lips?
- But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes, and to take my covenant on your lips?
Psa.50.17 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- שנאת: NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- ותשלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- אחריך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:25 (verbal): “Because you ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof” — directly parallels rejecting God's instruction and refusing discipline.
- Proverbs 12:1 (verbal): “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid” — uses the same language of hating reproof/discipline.
- Jeremiah 7:24 (thematic): “But they did not listen or incline their ear… they went after their own counsels” — thematically echoes refusal to hear and cast off God's words.
- Isaiah 30:9-10 (thematic): “They are a rebellious people… who refuse to hear the law of the LORD” and who prefer empty speech — parallels hatred of instruction and ignoring God’s words.
- 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (thematic): “People will not endure sound doctrine; they will turn away their ears from the truth” — New Testament parallel of turning from God's teaching and refusing correction.
Alternative generated candidates
- You hate discipline and cast my words behind you.
- You hate discipline and cast my words behind you.
Psa.50.18 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- ראית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- גנב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותרץ: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ועם: CONJ+PREP
- מנאפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חלקך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:10-11 (verbal): Directly parallels the language and situation: a warning not to consent when sinners entice you—contrasts Psalm’s rebuke for joining a thief.
- Isaiah 1:23 (verbal): Speaks of leaders as ‘companions of thieves’; uses similar wording and rebukes collusion with thieves, echoing Psalm 50’s charge.
- Leviticus 19:11 (thematic): Commandment forbidding theft and dishonest dealing provides the legal/ethical background to the Psalm’s condemnation of siding with a thief.
- 1 Corinthians 5:11 (thematic): Paul’s injunction not to associate with sexually immoral people echoes the Psalm’s rebuke of fellowship with adulterers—both condemn improper association with sinners.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you saw a thief you consented with him, and with adulterers you have been a companion.
- When you saw a thief you went along with him, and with adulterers you have been a partner.
Psa.50.19 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- פיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- שלחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ברעה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולשונך: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+2ms
- תצמיד: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מרמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ps.34:13 (verbal): Commands to keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit closely mirror Ps 50:19’s charge about speaking evil and devising deceit with the tongue.
- Ps.52:2 (verbal): Accuses the wicked of a tongue that 'devises destruction' and practices deceit—language and theme nearly parallel to Ps 50:19’s description of a deceitful tongue.
- Ps.5:9 (thematic): Speaks of unfaithful mouths and flattering tongues; thematically connects to Ps 50:19’s condemnation of speech that harms and deceives.
- Prov.6:16-19 (thematic): Lists a false witness and a lying tongue among things hateful to the LORD, echoing Ps 50:19’s denunciation of deceitful speech.
- James 3:5-6 (thematic): Describes the tongue as capable of great harm and as a source of moral corruption—New Testament reflection on the destructive power of deceitful speech akin to Ps 50:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
- You let your mouth bring forth evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
Psa.50.20 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- תשב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- באחיך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const+2,m,sg
- תדבר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בבן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- תתן: VERB,qal,imprf,2,_,sg
- דפי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1,m,sg
Parallels
- Leviticus 19:16 (verbal): Explicit legal prohibition against being a talebearer or going about as a slanderer, closely matching the Psalm's rebuke of speaking against a brother.
- Psalm 15:3 (verbal): Describes the righteous person as one who does not slander with his tongue, paralleling the Psalm's condemnation of speaking against a fellow (ʼach).
- Psalm 101:5 (thematic): Declares that the speaker will purge from his house anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor, echoing Psalm 50's denunciation of covert attacks on a brother.
- Proverbs 16:28 (thematic): Notes that a perverse person and a gossip sow discord and separate close friends, thematically connected to the harm caused by speaking against a brother.
- James 4:11 (verbal): New Testament admonition not to speak evil against one another, reflecting the same ethical prohibition against slandering a fellow believer found in Psalm 50:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
- You sit and speak against your brother; you bring reproach upon the son of your mother.
Psa.50.21 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- עשית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- והחרשתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- דמית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- היות: VERB,qal,inf
- אהיה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- כמוך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אוכיחך: VERB,piel,impf,1,com,sg
- ואערכה: VERB,qal,impf,1,com,sg
- לעיניך: PREP
Parallels
- Romans 2:4-5 (thematic): Warns that God's kindness and patience are not to be taken as approval—those who presume on his forbearance are storing up wrath; parallels Psalm 50:21's theme that silence/patience is mistaken for likeness or approval and will be followed by reproof and judgment.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (thematic): Asserts that the Lord is patient, not wishing any to perish, so his apparent slowness should not be read as indifference—connects to the psalm's rebuke of those who interpret God's silence as kinship or acceptance.
- Habakkuk 1:13 (thematic): The prophet questions why God, who cannot look on evil, seems to look on traitors and remain silent—echoes the motif of perceived divine silence and the need for God to answer or reproach the wicked.
- Zephaniah 1:12 (thematic): Condemns the complacent attitude of those who say in their hearts that the LORD will do neither good nor bad; God will 'search' and act—parallels the psalm's critique of presumptuous complacency toward God's seeming inaction.
- Psalm 50:22 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same oracle: after declaring he will reprove and set their deeds before them, the speaker commands the heedless to consider lest judgment come—directly tied in context and purpose to 50:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought I was like yourself. I will reprove you and put the matter in order before your eyes.
- These things you have done, and I was silent—you thought I was one like yourself. But I will reprove you and set the matter before you.
Psa.50.22 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- בינו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- נא: PART
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- שכחי: NOUN,m,pl,constr
- אלוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פן: CONJ
- אטרף: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- מציל: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 9:17 (verbal): Uses the same charge against those who 'forget God' and pronounces judgment on them—verbal and thematic overlap with Ps 50:22's warning of destruction and lack of deliverance.
- Deuteronomy 8:19 (thematic): A covenantal warning that if Israel 'forgets the LORD' and follows other gods they will perish—parallels Ps 50:22's admonition that forgetting God brings catastrophic judgment.
- Proverbs 1:24-28 (thematic): Wisdom's rebuke to those who ignore her: when calamity comes they will call but receive no help—structurally and thematically similar to Ps 50:22's threat that there will be no deliverer.
- Romans 1:21-22 (thematic): Paul describes people who 'knew God' but did not honor him and whose minds were darkened—an NT echo of the theme that forgetting/ignoring God leads to moral ruin and divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Consider well this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver.
- Consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and none can deliver.
Psa.50.23 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- זבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תודה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יכבדנני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ושם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אראנו: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- בישע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 107:21-22 (verbal): Uses the phrase 'sacrifices of thanksgiving' and links thanksgiving with proclaiming God's deeds—closely echoes Ps 50:23's valuation of thanksgiving as a proper offering to God.
- Psalm 69:30-31 (verbal): Declares praising God 'with thanksgiving' and states that such praise pleases the LORD more than animal sacrifice, paralleling Ps 50:23's theme that thanksgiving honors God.
- Hosea 14:2 (verbal): Speaks of returning to the LORD with 'the calves of our lips' (or offerings of the lips), echoing the idea that verbal thanksgiving/praise functions as a sacrificial offering.
- Hebrews 13:15 (allusion): Calls Christians to 'offer a sacrifice of praise'—the 'fruit of lips'—which is an NT reapplication of the OT motif in Ps 50:23 that thanksgiving/praise is a true sacrifice that honors God.
- Psalm 100:4 (thematic): Commands worshipers to 'enter his gates with thanksgiving' and 'give thanks,' echoing Ps 50:23's central emphasis on thanksgiving as the proper way to honor and glorify God.
Alternative generated candidates
- The one who offers thanksgiving as a sacrifice honors me; and to him who sets his way aright I will show the salvation of God.
- Whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; and to him who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God.
A Psalm of Asaph. God, the LORD, has spoken and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
Our God comes and will not be silent; a consuming fire is before him, and a mighty tempest is all around him.
He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
“Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
Let the heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you: I am God, your God.
I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not take from your house a bull nor goats from your folds,
for every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird of the mountains, and all that moves in the field is mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you— for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High;
and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to recite my statutes, or to take my covenant on your lips?
For you hate instruction and cast my words behind you.
When you saw a thief you were pleased with him, and you have been a companion of adulterers.
You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.
These things you have done, and I held my peace; you thought I was one like yourself. I will reprove you, and set them in order before your eyes.
Consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver.
Whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me; and to him who orders his way I will show the salvation of God.