Psalms:
Bk 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
Bk 2: 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
Bk 3: 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
Bk 4: 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106
Bk 5: 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119a 119b 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132
133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
Additional Psalms: 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 Samuel Chronicles
Essays: Intro - Music - Form & Language
46:1 LA MENATSE'ACH LIVNEY KORACH AL ALAMOT SHIR
לַמְנַצֵּחַ לִבְנֵי קֹרַח עַל עֲלָמוֹת שִׁיר
KJ (King James translation): (To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
BN (BibleNet translation): For the Artistic Director; for the Beney Korach; on Alamot. A Song.
AL ALAMOT: I like this, if it is correct here - the technique that Bob Dylan learned from Woody Guthrie, and many of us borrowed from Dylan, with some simple variations. Take someone else's song, in this case one so well known you only have to name it, and write your own words to it. Then, if you are bothered about copyright, which King Bobby would not have been, you can always play two notes where the original had one, or one where the original had two, or modulate 3/8 into 5/8 tempo, or add a refrain, and hey presto, it's a new anagram - or a variant anagram of the single universal song.
But what was the original that was named Alamot?
And if it is not that, what was Alamot?
There is a root ALAM, used to mean "to hide". It comes up in Psalm 90:8 as ALUMIM; also in Nachum 3:11, and Toraically in Numbers 5:13. Psalm 26:4 used it as NA'ALAMIM for devious folk acting surreptitiously. Lots of other uses, including other Psalms (cf 10:1), and a famous phrase of Yesha-Yah (Isaiah 58:7) "U mibtsarcha lo tit'alem - do not ignore your own kinsmen" - but always the same base meaning, so no need for further evidence. But is that our Alamot?
Because there is the much better known root OLAM, which is "the world" and "eternity", LE OLAM VA ED, for ever and ever, and which gives ELEM for a young man who has reached puberty, and ALMAH for a young woman who has done the same - yes, the Almah of Isaiah 7:14 which is so central to Christianity: "a youthful spouse recently married" as Gesenius so splendidly expresses it. And how strange, that she should have been the May Queen in the very last Psalm, brought in at its end by royal procession to take her Queen Ishtar, I mean Esther, I mean Easter, part in the ceremony; and scholars have long been concerned that this and Psalm 43 are anonymous in the Masoretic texts, but definitely Davidic in the Septuagint (and therefore the Vulgate as well). Is it likely then, that this Psalm is in fact the continuation of the previous, and that this is the song sung by the ALMAH, accompanied probably by the choir of the vestal virgins, instrumentally accompanied by the Beney Korach?
And to give that hypothesis more weight, look at translations of Psalm 46, which mostly render AL ALAMOT as "for the maidens", or "set to the tune of 'maidens'".
However, just to show how widely this is disputed, the Septuagint renders the phrase as "hyper ton kryphion", which the Vulgate translates as "pro
occultis", both meaning "for the hidden"; Symmachus prefers the OLAM theory, rendering it in his Greek translation as "hyper ton aionion", "for the everlasting", while Aquila has "epi neanioteton"; and Jerome at Psalm 46 changes his opinion, going this time for "pro juventutibus", "for youth".
Two more options, the next connected to the last - see this link, where it is self-explanatory, but also needs questioning, in one part: why the assumption that it is soprano: teenage girls are much more likely to be mezzo, or even contralto?
46:5 NAHAR PELAGAV YESAMCHU IR ELOHIM KEDOSH MISHKENEY ELYON
KJ (46:4): There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
BN: There is a river, whose streams delight the city of the gods, the holiest dwelling-place of Elyon.
PELAGAV: See the link. But which river? If Elyon is Yeru-Shala'im, then, sadly, there is no river, but only the underground spring that feeds the pools of Giychon and Siloam. So this cannot be Yeru-Shala'im, despite what it says at the link below. If this is a continuation of the previous Psalm, then it might be the Leontes, now called the Litani, though that runs twenty miles north north of Tsur, so probably not that either. Might this be intended metaphorically - as there are four rivers that circumnavigate the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:10-14)?
46:6 ELOHIM BE KIRBAH BAL TIMOT YA'ZEREHA ELOHIM LIPHNOT BOKER
KJ (46:5): God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
BN: The gods sit at her heart; she shall not be moved; the gods shall help her, at the approach of morning.
TIMOT: We shall not be... I shall not be... and now she shall not be... see my notes at Psalm 1:3; or simply click here.
46:7 HAMU GOYIM MATU MAMLACHOT NATAN BE KOLO TAMUG ARETS
KJ (46:6): The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
BN: The nations moaned, whole kingdoms changed hands; the very sound of his voice melted the earth.
A four-part verse, musically structured, full of Mem sounds:
HAMU GOYIM
MATU MAMLACHOT
NATAN BE KOLO
TAMUG ARETS
46:8 YHVH TSEVA'OT IMANU MISGAV LANU ELOHEY YA'AKOV (SELAH)
KJ (46:7): The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
BN: The Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens is with us; the god of Ya'akov is our high tower. Selah
Never was polytheism better or more clearly expressed than in this verse. The Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens defines the Yisra-Eli "Olympus" - the hosts being the stars, the planets, the comets, even the supernovae and the black holes. And the Tower is the Tower of Babel; but not the physical one in Babylon; the metaphorical tower, the one climbed as Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28:10ff)- another way of saying the same thing, the Milky Way.
46:9 LECHU CHAZU MIPH'ALOT YHVH ASHER SAM SHAMOT BA ARETS
KJ (46:8): Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
BN: Come, behold the works of YHVH, who has caused desolation on the Earth.
Given that the original YHVH was the volcano-god of Sinai, this may be intended rather more literally than metaphorically; note also the switch here from Elohim. YHVH in the Zeus-Wotan role, "king" of Olympus-Valhalla.
46:10 MASHBIYT MILCHAMOT AD KETSEH HA ARETS KESHET YESHABER VE KITSETS CHANIT AGALOT YISROPH BA ESH
KJ (46:9): He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
BN: He causes wars to cease at every end of the Earth. {N} He breaks the bow, and breaks the spear in half. He burns the chariots in the fire.
Nice idealism, not too sure about the historical reality.
46:11 HARPHU U DE'U KI ANOCHI ELOHIM ARUM BA GOYIM ARUM BA ARETS
KJ (46:10): Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
BN: Be calm, and know that I am Elohim. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the Earth.
ARUM: RAM, as in AV-RAM, the great father, as in HU-RAM, "the great", the epithet of Eshmun-Azar of Tsur. Exactly how we might expect this song to be ended, in the temple of Eshmun-Azar in Tsur: exalting his deity first, and then the deity's representative on Earth, the sacred king - and sung by the woman about to be anointed as his First Lady, his Shegal.
And lastly, though I think it highly unlikely but want to be thorough in my investigation, there is the land of Eylam, or Persia, which happens to be spelled with the same letters in the same order, though here ALAMOT is plural, and countries usually are not.
So which of these definitions is it? We shall hopefully determine that as the text unravels.
46:2 ELOHIM LANU MACHASEH VA OZ EZRAH VETSAROT NIMTS'A ME'OD
KJ (46:1): God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
BN: The gods are our refuge and our strength, an immediate help in times of trouble.
46:3 AL KEN LO NIYR'A BE HAMIR ARETS U VE MOT HARIM BE LEV YAMIM
KJ (46:2): Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
BN: Therefore will we not fear, though the Earth go through changes, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the seas.
HAMIR...HARIM: As always, we need to note how much of the writing is mere word-play (much...writing: m...w... mere word-play: ditto m...w) for the simple affect of effective sound in a sung recital. And YAMIM half-rhymes internally with HARIM. And it is precisely to the HAREM (HARMON - הַרמוֹן - in Yehudit) that the SHEGAL will be taken, as soon as the ceremony is done.
So which of these definitions is it? We shall hopefully determine that as the text unravels.
46:2 ELOHIM LANU MACHASEH VA OZ EZRAH VETSAROT NIMTS'A ME'OD
אֱלֹהִים לָנוּ מַחֲסֶה וָעֹז עֶזְרָה בְצָרוֹת נִמְצָא מְאֹד
KJ (46:1): God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
BN: The gods are our refuge and our strength, an immediate help in times of trouble.
46:3 AL KEN LO NIYR'A BE HAMIR ARETS U VE MOT HARIM BE LEV YAMIM
עַל כֵּן לֹא נִירָא בְּהָמִיר אָרֶץ וּבְמוֹט הָרִים בְּלֵב יַמִּים
KJ (46:2): Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
BN: Therefore will we not fear, though the Earth go through changes, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the seas.
HAMIR...HARIM: As always, we need to note how much of the writing is mere word-play (much...writing: m...w... mere word-play: ditto m...w) for the simple affect of effective sound in a sung recital. And YAMIM half-rhymes internally with HARIM. And it is precisely to the HAREM (HARMON - הַרמוֹן - in Yehudit) that the SHEGAL will be taken, as soon as the ceremony is done.
46:4 YEHEMU YECHMERU MEYMAV YIR'ASHU HARIM BE GA'AVATO (SELAH)
KJ (46:3): Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
BN: Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains shake when it swells. (Selah)
יֶהֱמוּ יֶחְמְרוּ מֵימָיו יִרְעֲשׁוּ הָרִים בְּגַאֲוָתוֹ סֶלָה
KJ (46:3): Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
BN: Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains shake when it swells. (Selah)
YEHEMU...YECHMERU...MEYMAV...YIR-ASHU: No need to comment. Just sing it.
46:5 NAHAR PELAGAV YESAMCHU IR ELOHIM KEDOSH MISHKENEY ELYON
נָהָר פְּלָגָיו יְשַׂמְּחוּ עִיר אֱלֹהִים קְדֹשׁ מִשְׁכְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן
KJ (46:4): There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
BN: There is a river, whose streams delight the city of the gods, the holiest dwelling-place of Elyon.
PELAGAV: See the link. But which river? If Elyon is Yeru-Shala'im, then, sadly, there is no river, but only the underground spring that feeds the pools of Giychon and Siloam. So this cannot be Yeru-Shala'im, despite what it says at the link below. If this is a continuation of the previous Psalm, then it might be the Leontes, now called the Litani, though that runs twenty miles north north of Tsur, so probably not that either. Might this be intended metaphorically - as there are four rivers that circumnavigate the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:10-14)?
ELYON: See the link.
46:6 ELOHIM BE KIRBAH BAL TIMOT YA'ZEREHA ELOHIM LIPHNOT BOKER
אֱלֹהִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ בַּל תִּמּוֹט יַעְזְרֶהָ אֱלֹהִים לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר
KJ (46:5): God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
BN: The gods sit at her heart; she shall not be moved; the gods shall help her, at the approach of morning.
TIMOT: We shall not be... I shall not be... and now she shall not be... see my notes at Psalm 1:3; or simply click here.
46:7 HAMU GOYIM MATU MAMLACHOT NATAN BE KOLO TAMUG ARETS
הָמוּ גוֹיִם מָטוּ מַמְלָכוֹת נָתַן בְּקוֹלוֹ תָּמוּג אָרֶץ
KJ (46:6): The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
BN: The nations moaned, whole kingdoms changed hands; the very sound of his voice melted the earth.
A four-part verse, musically structured, full of Mem sounds:
HAMU GOYIM
MATU MAMLACHOT
NATAN BE KOLO
TAMUG ARETS
MUG: Yes, it means "melted", but the earth doesn't melt at the voice of the deity: it may drought, it may flood, but only the ice-caps melt. So this must be word-play, and the obvious by homophone is GOG and MAGOG. See the link.
46:8 YHVH TSEVA'OT IMANU MISGAV LANU ELOHEY YA'AKOV (SELAH)
יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ מִשְׂגָּב לָנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה
KJ (46:7): The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
BN: The Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens is with us; the god of Ya'akov is our high tower. Selah
Never was polytheism better or more clearly expressed than in this verse. The Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens defines the Yisra-Eli "Olympus" - the hosts being the stars, the planets, the comets, even the supernovae and the black holes. And the Tower is the Tower of Babel; but not the physical one in Babylon; the metaphorical tower, the one climbed as Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28:10ff)- another way of saying the same thing, the Milky Way.
46:9 LECHU CHAZU MIPH'ALOT YHVH ASHER SAM SHAMOT BA ARETS
לְכוּ חֲזוּ מִפְעֲלוֹת יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם שַׁמּוֹת בָּאָרֶץ
KJ (46:8): Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
BN: Come, behold the works of YHVH, who has caused desolation on the Earth.
Given that the original YHVH was the volcano-god of Sinai, this may be intended rather more literally than metaphorically; note also the switch here from Elohim. YHVH in the Zeus-Wotan role, "king" of Olympus-Valhalla.
46:10 MASHBIYT MILCHAMOT AD KETSEH HA ARETS KESHET YESHABER VE KITSETS CHANIT AGALOT YISROPH BA ESH
מַשְׁבִּית מִלְחָמוֹת עַד קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ קֶשֶׁת יְשַׁבֵּר וְקִצֵּץ חֲנִית עֲגָלוֹת יִשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ
KJ (46:9): He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
BN: He causes wars to cease at every end of the Earth. {N} He breaks the bow, and breaks the spear in half. He burns the chariots in the fire.
Nice idealism, not too sure about the historical reality.
46:11 HARPHU U DE'U KI ANOCHI ELOHIM ARUM BA GOYIM ARUM BA ARETS
הַרְפּוּ וּדְעוּ כִּי אָנֹכִי אֱלֹהִים אָרוּם בַּגּוֹיִם אָרוּם בָּאָרֶץ
KJ (46:10): Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
BN: Be calm, and know that I am Elohim. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the Earth.
ARUM: RAM, as in AV-RAM, the great father, as in HU-RAM, "the great", the epithet of Eshmun-Azar of Tsur. Exactly how we might expect this song to be ended, in the temple of Eshmun-Azar in Tsur: exalting his deity first, and then the deity's representative on Earth, the sacred king - and sung by the woman about to be anointed as his First Lady, his Shegal.
Which requires us to wonder, and the naming of YHVH does this anyway: was this a Phoenician original, later adapted by the Beney Yisra-El, some of these latter verses appended to make it fit culturally?
46:12 YHVH TSEVA'OT IMANU MISGAV LANU ELOHEY YA'AKOV (SELAH)
KJ (46:11): The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
BN: The Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens is with us; the god of Ya'akov is our high tower. Selah {P}
This last verse is a repeat of verse 8; can we regard it as a chorus/refrain and assume it was actually repeated more often than just these twice?
46:12 YHVH TSEVA'OT IMANU MISGAV LANU ELOHEY YA'AKOV (SELAH)
יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ מִשְׂגָּב לָנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה
KJ (46:11): The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
BN: The Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens is with us; the god of Ya'akov is our high tower. Selah {P}
This last verse is a repeat of verse 8; can we regard it as a chorus/refrain and assume it was actually repeated more often than just these twice?
Psalms:
Bk 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
Bk 2: 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
Bk 3: 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89
Bk 4: 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106
Bk 5: 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119a 119b 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132
133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
Additional Psalms: 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 Samuel Chronicles
Essays: Intro - Music - Form & Language
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