Psalm 19
"The heavens declare the glory of God"
Psalm 19 in a Scottish Metrical Psalter
Other name
  • Psalm 18
  • "Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei"
  • "Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes"
TextAttributed to David
LanguageHebrew (original)

Psalm 19 is the 19th psalm in the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The heavens declare the almighty of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 18. The Latin version begins "Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei".[1] The psalm is attributed to David.

The psalm considers the glory of God in creation, and moves to reflect on the character and use of "the law of the LORD". Psalm 1, this psalm and Psalm 119 have been referred to as "the psalms of the Law".[2] It forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestant liturgies. It has often been set to music, notably by Heinrich Schütz, by Johann Sebastian Bach who began a cantata with its beginning, by Joseph Haydn, who based a movement from Die Schöpfung on the psalm, and by Beethoven, who set a paraphrase by Gellert in "Die Himmel rühmen des Ewigen Ehre". Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville wrote a grand motet Caeli enarrant in 1750 and François Giroust in 1791.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text[3][4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse Hebrew English translation (JPS 1917)
1 לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃‎ For the Leader. A Psalm of David.
2 הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם מְֽסַפְּרִ֥ים כְּבֽוֹד־אֵ֑ל וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דָ֗יו מַגִּ֥יד הָרָקִֽיעַ׃‎ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork;
3 י֣וֹם לְ֭יוֹם יַבִּ֣יעַֽ אֹ֑מֶר וְלַ֥יְלָה לְּ֝לַ֗יְלָה יְחַוֶּה־דָּֽעַת׃‎ Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night revealeth knowledge;
4 אֵֽין־אֹ֭מֶר וְאֵ֣ין דְּבָרִ֑ים בְּ֝לִ֗י נִשְׁמָ֥ע קוֹלָֽם׃‎ There is no speech, there are no words, neither is their voice heard.
5 בְּכׇל־הָאָ֨רֶץ ׀ יָ֘צָ֤א קַוָּ֗ם וּבִקְצֵ֣ה תֵ֭בֵל מִלֵּיהֶ֑ם לַ֝שֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ שָֽׂם־אֹ֥הֶל בָּהֶֽם׃‎ Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tent for the sun,
6 וְה֗וּא כְּ֭חָתָן יֹצֵ֣א מֵחֻפָּת֑וֹ יָשִׂ֥ישׂ כְּ֝גִבּ֗וֹר לָר֥וּץ אֹֽרַח׃‎ Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.
7 מִקְצֵ֤ה הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ מֽוֹצָא֗וֹ וּתְקוּפָת֥וֹ עַל־קְצוֹתָ֑ם וְאֵ֥ין נִ֝סְתָּ֗ר מֵחַמָּתֽוֹ׃‎ His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
8 תּ֘וֹרַ֤ת יְהֹוָ֣ה תְּ֭מִימָה מְשִׁ֣יבַת נָ֑פֶשׁ עֵד֥וּת יְהֹוָ֥ה נֶ֝אֱמָנָ֗ה מַחְכִּ֥ימַת פֶּֽתִי׃‎ The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. .
9 פִּקּ֘וּדֵ֤י יְהֹוָ֣ה יְ֭שָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵ֑ב מִצְוַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֥ה בָּ֝רָ֗ה מְאִירַ֥ת עֵינָֽיִם׃‎ The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
10 יִרְאַ֤ת יְהֹוָ֨ה ׀ טְהוֹרָה֮ עוֹמֶ֢דֶת לָ֫עַ֥ד מִֽשְׁפְּטֵי־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱמֶ֑ת צָֽדְק֥וּ יַחְדָּֽו׃‎ The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, they are righteous altogether;
11 הַֽנֶּחֱמָדִ֗ים מִ֭זָּהָב וּמִפַּ֣ז רָ֑ב וּמְתוּקִ֥ים מִ֝דְּבַ֗שׁ וְנֹ֣פֶת צוּפִֽים׃‎ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
12 גַּֽם־עַ֭בְדְּךָ נִזְהָ֣ר בָּהֶ֑ם בְּ֝שׇׁמְרָ֗ם עֵ֣קֶב רָֽב׃‎ Moreover by them is Thy servant warned; in keeping of them there is great reward.
13 שְׁגִיא֥וֹת מִֽי־יָבִ֑ין מִֽנִּסְתָּר֥וֹת נַקֵּֽנִי׃‎ Who can discern his errors? Clear Thou me from hidden faults.
14 גַּ֤ם מִזֵּדִ֨ים ׀ חֲשֹׂ֬ךְ עַבְדֶּ֗ךָ אַֽל־יִמְשְׁלוּ־בִ֣י אָ֣ז אֵיתָ֑ם וְ֝נִקֵּ֗יתִי מִפֶּ֥שַֽׁע רָֽב׃‎ Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins, that they may not have dominion over me; then shall I be faultless, and I shall be clear from great transgression.
15 יִ֥הְיֽוּ־לְרָצ֨וֹן ׀ אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה צוּרִ֥י וְגֹאֲלִֽי׃‎ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before Thee, O LORD, my Rock, and my Redeemer.

King James Version

  1. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
  2. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
  3. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
  4. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
  5. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
  6. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
  7. The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
  8. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
  9. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
  10. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
  11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
  12. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
  13. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
  14. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Commentary

The classical Jewish commentators all point to the connection the psalmist makes between the Sun and the Torah. These connections include:[5]

According to the Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon, this psalm compares and contrasts "the study of God's two great books—nature and Scripture".[6] Explaining the emphasis on the heavens, Spurgeon explains, "The book of nature has three leaves, heaven, earth, and sea, of which heaven is the first and the most glorious…” Beginning in verse 7 (KJV), the psalmist then extols the perfection of the law of Moses and "the doctrine of God, the whole run and rule of sacred Writ".[6]

John Mason Good theorizes that this psalm was composed either in the morning or around noon, when the bright sun eclipses the other heavenly bodies; he contrasts this with Psalm 8, in which the psalmist contemplates the starry sky in the evening.[6] Praising the poetry of this psalm, 20th-century British writer C. S. Lewis is quoted as saying: "I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world".[7]

On the matter of unity, Artur Weiser states that the first part (verses 1 to 7) are a completely distinct song from the second (verses 8 to 15). He upholds that not only the subjects, but also the metrics, the language and the tone are distinct and the two parts could not have been composed by the same author.[8] Lewis, on the other hand, indicates nature as "an index, a symbol, a manifestation, of the Divine" and he points that here "the searching and cleansing sun becomes an image of the searching and cleansing Law", on which he suppresses the idea of these two subjects not being correlated.[9] Rav Elchanan Samet identifies the same problems that Weiser did: "These two halves are strikingly different from one another in their content as well as in their style, to the point that it is difficult to point to verbal, stylistic, or conceptual connections between them." Nonetheless, he points that these two parts have been in unity since the Septuagint and agrees with it, "the inclination to adopt this [critical] solution is liable to stem from intellectual laziness."[10]

Concerning Psalm 19's place in the architectural arrangement of the Psalms, Psalm 18 precedes Psalm 19, wherein David's adversaries are vanquished. Following this triumph and following Psalm 19, a succession of five royal Psalms, Psalms 20 through 24, according to O. Palmer Robertson, seemingly accentuating the unequivocal establishment of the Davidic kingdom [11]

The centrality of Psalm 19 within a literary chiasm extending from Psalm 15 to Psalm 24 has been also expounded upon in Carissa Quinn's doctoral thesis.[12]

Uses

The final verse in both the Hebrew and KJV versions, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer," is used as a prayer in both the Jewish[13] and Christian traditions.[6] A version which refers to "the meditation of our hearts", i.e. those of the congregation, is often used at the start of a sermon.[14][15]

Judaism

Psalm 19 is recited in its entirety during the Pesukei dezimra of Shabbat and Yom Tov.[13][16] It is also recited as the psalm of the day on Shavuot in the Gra siddur.[13] In Siddur Avodas Yisroel, it is recited as the psalm of the day on Hanukkah, and as the Shabbat psalm for the Torah portion of Yitro.[13] Some say this psalm on a wedding day, and as a prayer for heavenly guidance.[17]

The verses of this psalm are recited before each hakafah on Simchat Torah.[5]

In the ancient Jewish text Perek Shirah, verse 2 (in the Hebrew) is said by the heavens and verse 3 is said by the day.[13][18]

Verses 8 and 9 (in the Hebrew) are recited in the synagogue after the first person is called up to the Torah.[13][19]

Verses 12 and 13 (in the Hebrew) are part of Selichos.[13]

Verse 15 (in the Hebrew) is recited in several parts of the Jewish prayer service, including: at the conclusion of the Amidah;[13][20] during the removal of the Torah scroll from the Ark on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Yom Tov;[13][21] as part of Selichos;[13] and at the conclusion of Tefillah Zakah, a prayer for Yom Kippur eve.[22]

New Testament

Verse 4 is quoted in Romans 10:18.[23]

Catholic Church

In the Rule of Saint Benedict of the Benedictine Order, the psalm is to be recited at Prime on Saturdays.[24]

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the fourth day of the month,[25] as well as at Mattins on Christmas Day.[26]

Musical settings

Psalm 19 has been set to music several times. Handel's Messiah features a setting of the fourth verse of the Psalm in the chorus "Their Sound is Gone Out."

In France, Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville composed in 1749, le grand motet de type versaillais "Cæli enarrant gloriam Dei " and Camille Saint-Saëns composed in 1865 one "Cæli enarrant" (Psaume XVIII) op. 42.

Notable settings to German texts include:

In Protestant Christianity, various metrical settings of Psalm 19 have been published, including "The heav'ns and firmament on high do wondrously declare" in The Whole Booke of Psalmes (Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins, 1584)[27][28] and "The heav’ns God’s glory do declare" in the Scottish Psalter (1650).[29]

The American composer Steve Reich set part of the Hebrew text in his 1981 work Tehillim.

The Rastafarian song "Rivers of Babylon" (recorded 1970 by The Melodians) includes a reference to the Amidah through verse 14 of Psalm 19 in English together with a reference to Psalm 137 that was written in memory of the first destruction of Zion (Jerusalem) by the Babylonians in 586 BC (the city and the Second Temple were destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans). This song was also popularized as a cover recorded by Boney M. in 1978.

"Torat Hashem Temimah" (The word of God is perfect), consisting of the first five words of verse 8 (in the Hebrew), is a popular Jewish song.[30]

Other

"The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether", a phrase from Psalm 19:9, is inscribed on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.[31]

References

  1. ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 18 (19) Archived 2017-05-07 at the Wayback Machine medievalist.net
  2. ^ Breen, C., The Psalms of the Law, The Furrow, Vol. 15, No. 8 (Aug., 1964), pp. 516-525
  3. ^ "Psalms – Chapter 19". Mechon Mamre.
  4. ^ "Psalms 19 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
  5. ^ a b Yaffe, Barry (October 7, 2019). "Tehillim 19 and the Essence of Simchas Torah". Orthodox Union. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d "Psalm 19 Bible Commentary: Charles H. Spurgeon's Treasury of David". Christianity.com. 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Guzik, David (2019). "PSALM 19 – THE HEAVENS, THE WORD, AND THE GLORY OF GOD". Enduring Word. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  8. ^ Artur Weiser, Os Salmos (Paulus, 1994), ISBN 8534900361 p. 141
  9. ^ C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (London: Geoffrey Bles, 1958), ISBN 0-15-676248-X p.69
  10. ^ Rav Elchanan Samet, Shiur #61: Psalm 19 "The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God" Archived 2020-12-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 04, 2021.
  11. ^ The Flow of the Psalms, O Palmer Robertson, pp.66-74, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62995-133-1
  12. ^ Toward the Kingdom: The Shape and Message of Psalm 15 to Psalm 24 presented at the Institute of Biblical Research, Carissa Quinn, https://www.academia.edu/28709636/Toward_the_Kingdom_The_Shape_and_Message_of_Psalms_15_24
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Brauner, Reuven (2013). "Shimush Pesukim: Comprehensive Index to Liturgical and Ceremonial Uses of Biblical Verses and Passages" (PDF) (2nd ed.). p. 33. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Moger, P., Like as the hart Archived 2021-10-09 at the Wayback Machine, sermon given at Peterhouse Chapel, Cambridge, 5 February 2006, 6.00pm Evensong, accessed 9 October 2021
  15. ^ Kittmer, J., Address by John Kittmer, HMA to Greece, at a service at St Paul's Anglican Church in Athens to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen's 90th Birthday, 5 June 2016, published 9 June 2016, accessed 9 October 2021
  16. ^ Scherman 2003, p. 375.
  17. ^ "Psalms for Special Occasions". Psalms online. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  18. ^ Slifkin, Nosson (2002). "Perek Shirah" (PDF). Zoo Torah. pp. 3, 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  19. ^ Scherman 2003, p. 143.
  20. ^ Scherman 2003, p. 117.
  21. ^ Scherman 1985, p. 393.
  22. ^ Scherman 1986, p. 49.
  23. ^ Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 838. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  24. ^ "Psalter of the Divine Office according to the Rule of Saint Benedict". Rosarychurch.net. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  25. ^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff
  26. ^ "The Book of Common Prayer: Proper Psalms On Certain Days" (PDF). The Church of England. p. 6. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Coeli enarrant". Hymnary.org. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  28. ^ "The Whole Booke of Psalmes collected into Englishe Metre (1584)". The Public Domain Review. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  29. ^ "Psalm 19". The Westminster Standard. May 23, 2016. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  30. ^ "Torat Hashem Temimah". Zemirot Database. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  31. ^ National Park Service, Abraham Lincoln: Words Inscribed on the Lincoln Memorial Washington, D.C. Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine

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