Psalm 11

This article is about Psalm 11 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 11 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 12.
Psalm 11
"In the LORD put I my trust"
Psalm 11 in the 9th-century Utrecht Psalter, where the illustration of the text is often literal
Other name
  • Psalm 10
  • "In Domino confido"
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 11
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

Psalm 11 is the eleventh psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?" In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it is psalm 10, in a slightly different numbering, "In Domino confido".[1] Its authorship is traditionally assigned to King David, but most scholars place its origin some time after the end of the Babylonian captivity.[2]

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It was set to music by composers including Heinrich Schütz, Joseph Stephenson and Benjamin Cooke.

Text

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Hebrew

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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 לְדָ֫וִ֥ד בַּֽיהֹוָ֨ה ׀ חָסִ֗יתִי אֵ֭יךְ תֹּאמְר֣וּ לְנַפְשִׁ֑י (נודו) [נ֝֗וּדִי] הַרְכֶ֥ם צִפּֽוֹר׃‎ For the Leader. [A Psalm] of David. In the LORD have I taken refuge; how say ye to my soul: 'Flee thou! to your mountain, ye birds'?
2 כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה הָרְשָׁעִ֡ים יִדְרְכ֬וּן קֶ֗שֶׁת כּוֹנְנ֣וּ חִצָּ֣ם עַל־יֶ֑תֶר לִיר֥וֹת בְּמוֹ־אֹ֝֗פֶל לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃‎ For, lo, the wicked bend the bow, they have made ready their arrow upon the string, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 כִּ֣י הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת יֵהָרֵס֑וּן צַ֝דִּ֗יק מַה־פָּעָֽל׃‎ When the foundations are destroyed, what hath the righteous wrought?
4 יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל קׇדְשׁ֗וֹ יְהֹוָה֮ בַּשָּׁמַ֢יִם כִּ֫סְא֥וֹ עֵינָ֥יו יֶחֱז֑וּ עַפְעַפָּ֥יו יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָֽם׃‎ The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD, His throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men.
5 יְהֹוָה֮ צַדִּ֢יק יִ֫בְחָ֥ן וְ֭רָשָׁע וְאֹהֵ֣ב חָמָ֑ס שָֽׂנְאָ֥ה נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃‎ The LORD trieth the righteous; but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth.
6 יַמְטֵ֥ר עַל־רְשָׁעִ֗ים פַּ֫חִ֥ים אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גׇפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפ֗וֹת מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃‎ Upon the wicked He will cause to rain coals; fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 כִּֽי־צַדִּ֣יק יְ֭הֹוָה צְדָק֣וֹת אָהֵ֑ב יָ֝שָׁ֗ר יֶחֱז֥וּ פָנֵֽימוֹ׃‎ For the LORD is righteous, He loveth righteousness; the upright shall behold His face.

King James Version

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  1. In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
  2. For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
  3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
  4. The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
  5. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
  6. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
  7. For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

Structure

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The shape of this psalm differs from the usual scheme,[5] for which the Old Testament scholar Hermann Gunkel finally assigns as a "confidence Psalm in the form of conversation". Erhard S. Gerstenberger calls the psalm a "disputierendes prayer" within the genus of Lamentations of an individual.[6] Hans-Joachim Kraus [de] has the psalm as a song of prayer.[7]

Usually, the Psalm is organized as follows:[8]

  1. Verse 1a: trust in YHWH
  2. Verse 1b-3: Rejecting the advice of well-meaning friends
  3. Verse 4-7: YHWH as fair judge and legal helpers of the persecuted

A division into verses is sometimes not done.[9]

Interpretation

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The psalm is strongly individual. Klaus Seybold [de] calls this the personal testimony of persecution, who have opted for the legal process.[10] Hermann Gunkel agrees calling it the "subjective response of a single poet to an involuntary emergency". Oswald Loretz [de] sees the psalm as "a product of post-exil scriptural scholarship that seeks to modernise traditional text" "ein Produkt nachexilischer Schriftgelehrsamkeit, die die Texte der Tradition modernisieren will").[5][9][11]

The psalm leads off with a question which is put to the writer's soul: 'Why should I flee like a bird to the mountains?' Barnes and many others see the fleeing as negative and running away rather than trusting God.[12] The Psalmist instead resolves to trust God. There is an irony in that David often did flee from Saul to the mountains, but in the long run became King in Jerusalem in 1 Sam chapters 21 through 23.[13] Additionally there is a contrast with Psalm 7: the wicked shoot arrows at the righteous in Psalm 11, but in Psalm 7 God readied his bow and arrows for the wicked.[14] There is also a tension: God is felt to be far away and unresponsive - but He is not and that tension also appears in other Psalms, such as in Psalm 22.

Uses

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Catholicism

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According to the Rule of St. Benedict (530AD), Psalm 1 to Psalm 20 were mainly reserved for Office of Prime. This psalm was traditionally performed at the Office of Prime on Wednesday.[15]

In the current liturgy, Psalm 11 is, most solemnly recited or sung during vespers on Monday of the first week.[16]

Book of Common Prayer

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In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the second day of the month.[17]

Music

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Heinrich Schütz set a metred hymn paraphrasing Psalm 11 in German, "Ich trau auf Gott, was soll's denn sein", SWV 107, included in the Becker Psalter. Joseph Stephenson included a paraphrase in English, "Since I have plac'd my trust in God", in his 1757 collection Church Harmony, Sacred to Devotion.[18] Benjamin Cooke wrote a setting of a metred paraphrase in English of verses 1–3, "On God My Steadfast Hopes Rely", published in 1794.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 10". Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  2. ^ Morgenstern, Julian. "Psalm 11." Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 69, no. 3, 1950, pp. 221–231.
  3. ^ "Psalms – Chapter 11". Mechon Mamre.
  4. ^ "Psalms 11 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
  5. ^ a b Hermann Gunkel, Die Psalmen. vol 6. (Auflage, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1986), p 40.
  6. ^ Erhard S. Gerstenberger [de], Psalms. Part 1 (Ps 1–60) with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry. (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1988), p.78.
  7. ^ Hans-Joachim Kraus,Psalmen 1–59. 7. Auflage, (Neukirchener Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2003), p. 228.
  8. ^ Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalmen 1–59. 7. Auflage, (Neukirchener Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2003), p229.
  9. ^ a b Oswald Loretz, Psalmstudien. Kolometrie, Strophik und Theologie ausgewählter Psalmen. (de Gruyter, Berlin 2002), p. 106
  10. ^ Klaus Seybold: Die Psalmen Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 1996, p 60.
  11. ^ Erhard S. Gerstenberger, Psalms. Part 1 (Ps 1–60) with an Introduction to Cultic Poetry. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 1988, p78f.
  12. ^ "Psalm 11 Barnes' Notes".
  13. ^ "1 Samuel 21 ESV - - Bible Gateway".
  14. ^ "Psalm 7:12 ESV - - Bible Gateway".
  15. ^ traduction par Prosper Guéranger, Règle de saint Benoît, (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, réimpression 2007) p46.
  16. ^ The main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks.
  17. ^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 202-203
  18. ^ Church Harmony, Sacred to Devotion (Stephenson, Joseph): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
  19. ^ On God My Steadfast Hopes Rely (Cooke, Benjamin): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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