The Psalms Project
The Project Overview
We have undertaken a large project with the goal of
developing a deeper understanding of the Psalms, and a deeper relationship with
the God of the Psalms, as well as with the people of the Psalms. We started this project as a result of a
previous proposal: that anyone could profit spiritually by reading the Psalms as
prayers. We proposed a schedule for this
prayerful reading of the Psalms completely through once a week; or, failing
that, as often as possible. We committed
to following our own suggestion: so, after months of toil and many failures
several things are becoming clear.[1]
One thing is clear: we hunger for a deeper, better, more
prayerful understanding of the Psalms and of the God of the Psalms. It seems that available translations do not adequately
satisfy this hunger, so our project is simply to produce a better rendition of
the Psalms, and make it available to you for your prayers as well. This is hardly a one-man project, so we hope
that many of you will get involved in the various steps of the project, and make
the so necessary contributions without which we cannot succeed.
Ultimately, we hope that a set of living documents will be
produced, and that as these living documents are changed and improved they will
become the Standard Psalter for the whole English speaking, or at least the
whole American Church on earth. It is a
painful reality that the British English and American English dialects are
growing apart; the same thing may possibly be true of various British English
dialects. Sadly, the commonality of language,
understood in the King James Version, no longer exists: we spell and vocalize
words differently; we no longer speak the same language. We are not trying to do the impossible: to
repair an irreparable breach, to produce a Psalter for all speakers of
English. However, that would be a happy
accident, if it ever happened.
So far, in our project, we note that we have been
changed. It is one thing to know about
God. It is quite a different thing to
know God. Some folks are fond of calling
this an apophatic relationship with God.
We deplore this use of the term apophatic; think it somewhat confusing;
and because confusing, believe it is unnecessarily divisive. We began with God’s relationship with us, and
now we can feel that relationship deepening.
If you wish to call that apophatic, you may. We believe it suffices: that it is important
to know God for Himself, to appreciate and cultivate the relationship that He
has begun in us, to grow in friendship with Him, and to meet and love His other
friends as well. So, in our project, we
have fallen more deeply in love with God.
We call this simply, knowing God.
We have also noted that our understanding of the greatness
and Glory of God has increased. We have
long appreciated the book and idea that, Your
God is Too Small, J.B. Phillips.[2]
More and more, repeated reading in the
Psalms has made this theological necessity, more experiential. We used to know that God is necessarily big. Now, in coming to grips and identifying with
the struggles of the various Psalmists, this bigness has grown beyond something
known about; it has become an increasingly felt reality. Daily troubles are diminished as they are
seen more and more from the perspective of God’s Person and Temple.
Moreover, we have begun to perceive increased detail in the
Psalms. The Psalms are at one and the
same time historic and prophetic, contemporary and immediate. We frequently experience a major theological,
historic point; the Psalmists, in the face of their problems return to major
historic landmarks for fortification, reassurance, and strength: the creation,
the Abrahamic Covenant, the judgement of Egypt, the exodus, the Mosaic Covenant,[3]
the Davidic Covenant. These great
historic milestones are mixed with New Testament prophecies: details of the
crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Christ, details of His coming heavenly
Glory, details from the Apostles lives.
Both the historic and prophetic elements are seen together against the
contemporary life of the Psalmists themselves; the Psalmists understand that
the elements of their spiritual warfare are explained by salvation history and
resolved in salvation prophecy: everything is ultimately reconciled and
redeemed in the final and second coming of the kingdom. All of the events concerning the earthly
Tabernacle and Temple are gloriously seen as pictures of the eternal heavenly
Temple. Finally, as we prayerfully read
we become more and more immediately identified with the reality of the history,
the fidelity of the prophecy, the urgency of the Psalmists, until at last our
spiritual warfare meshes perfectly with their spiritual warfare.
What this means is that the Psalms are an excellent Old
Testament review, a majestic New Testament preview, a superior analysis of
spiritual warfare, and a profound application for life, all rolled into one
small package. At last, we begin to
grasp the fact that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.[4] The Psalms have now taken on new life in
us. God is at work.[5] Now it is time for us to respond.[6]
The Basic Project Plan
What we purpose to accomplish is a project in several parts.
In the first part, we hope to make a living paraphrase of the
Psalms from the King James Version. We
will begin with an electronic copy of the King James psalms: this copy is
subject to continual perfecting and correcting.
Then we will replace archaic word forms: all sorts of ancient pronouns,
as well as — est and — eth verb forms, a few very obscure words may also be
replaced at this level. Next, we will
remove unnecessary uses of the imperative you[7],
which are no longer, in common English use and only confuse. Extra helping verbs will also be
deleted. We will capitalize all pronouns
that refer to God. Finally, we will read
and reread the resultant paraphrase until it seems smooth to us. Please note, that this paraphrase will not
attempt to be wildly paraphrastic, but rather will strive to stay as close to
the text as possible. In its published
version the paraphrase will strip away all verse numbering, as these are thought
to be obstructive; and the sentences will be gathered into paragraphs.
In the second part, we hope to make a detailed comparison of
our Psalms KJB Paraphrase with the Masoretic Text (MT). This will serve to remove unnecessary words
and represent the MT as accurately as possible.
If observations seem appropriate, they will be reflected backwards into
the paraphrase. Otherwise, they will
simply be retained in a new and third document, Psalms MT Revision.
In the third part, we hope to make a detailed comparison of our
paraphrase and our MT Revision with the Latin Vulgate. Since we are not at all fluent in Latin, we
will be using The Jerusalem Bible as an aid.
If any of you are skilled with Latin, we could use your help. Our goal is to work backwards from the MT
toward a better basic text, backward toward the Bible as Jesus held and used it. Because Jerome is the dominant expert at this
point of study, we wish to learn everything possible from his experience. We hope that this will also go a long way
toward drawing Protestants and Roman Catholics together. This will result in a fourth document, Psalms
Vulgate Revision
In the fourth part, we hope to make a detailed comparison of
all our previous work with the Septuagint (LXX). Having moved backwards in time, we hope at
last to reach the Bible as Jesus and His Apostles touched it. This fifth document we hope will be a
faithful translation of the 33 AD Greek Psalter into American English.
In the fifth part, we hope to make a comparison with several
existing translations. If we are lucky
enough to find any without significant differences, we will be able to give
thanks to God and endorse them. If we
are not so lucky, we hope to have created a starting place for future devotion
and progress.
In the sixth part, we hope to collect these various documents,
Psalm by Psalm, examine several commentaries, and produce our own commentary on
the Psalms, one psalm at a time.
In the seventh part, we hope to make these documents available
to everyone who is interested, to leave them as living and open documents,
subject to continuous improvement, and all free of charge without any claim to
property rights. To this end, we hope to
publish samples as we go along. “Freely you
have received; freely give.”[8]
Here is a First Sample
Psalm 1.
Blessed [is]
the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
His delight [is] in the Law of
the Lord; and in His Law, He[9] meditates day and night. He shall
be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth His fruit in
his season; His leaf also shall not wither; and whatever He does shall prosper.
The ungodly [are] not so, but [are]
like the chaff, which the wind drives away.
Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in
the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the
way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.[10]
Psalm 2.
Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Christ, [saying], “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their
cords from us.”
He Who sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Then shall He speak to them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore
displeasure.
Yet have I set my King on Zion, my holy hill. I will declare the decree: the Lord has said to me, “You [are]
my Son; this day have I begotten You. Ask
of me, and I shall give [You] the
heathen [for] Your inheritance, and
the uttermost parts of the earth [for]
Your possession. You shall break them
with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Be wise now therefore, O you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you
perish [from] the way, when His wrath
is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all those who put their trust in Him.[11]
Psalm 3.
A Psalm of David,[12]
when he fled from Absalom his son.
Lord, how are those increased who trouble me? Many [are]
those who rise up against me. Many [are those] who say of my soul, “[There is] no help for him in God.” Selah.
You, O Lord, [are] a shield for me, my Glory,[13] and the lifter up of my head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me
out of His holy hill. Selah.
I laid me down and slept. I awaked, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be
afraid of ten thousands of people who have set [themselves] against me round about.
Arise, O Lord. Save me, O my God. For You have smitten all my enemies [on] the cheekbone. You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation [belongs] to the Lord. Your blessing [is] on Your
people. Selah.[14]
[1]
http://swantec.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-psalms-prayer-schedule.html
[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bertram_Phillips and http://www.newchurches.com/mediafiles/YourGodisTooSmall-Phillips.pdf
[3]
the Law, the Decalogue
[6]
Psalm 118:24; 122:1; 2 Corinthians 6:2
[7]
ye: go instead of go ye
[9]
These pronouns are capitalized because we believe that the Blessed Man is the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
[10]
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%201&version=KJV
[11]
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%202&version=KJV
[12]
Although David writes concerning himself: with his prophetic eye, David sees
the sufferings of Christ afar off, yet strangely and mysteriously imposed over
his own sufferings.
[13]
We believe that David refers to the Glory of God, resident first in the
Tabernacle and later in Solomon’s Temple.
We believe that Jesus is the first return of that Glory from 4 BC to 33
AD, and He is the second return of that Glory for which all Christians long.
[14]
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%203&version=KJV
