TheBibleNet: Psalm 136

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

This operates as a repetitive chant, but in fact it isn't the Hallel one, Psalm 118, which uses the same words, patterns, rhythms, but has a very different development - worth comparing them. That one is sung; would this have been done responsively: split line, chazan first, followed by the congregation stating KI LE'OLAM CHASDO in the way a modern community might repeat AMEN after each statement? We have to presume so.

136:1 HODU LA YHVH KI TOV KI LE OLAM CHASDO

הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: Give thanks to YHVH, for he is good ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

The same opening line as Psalms 106, 107 and 118; it is also mirrored in 1 Chronicles 16:34.

LA YHVH: The pronunciation of this depends less on grammar than on theology, which is to say on whether you are pronouncing the Tetragrammaton as it is written, or preferring to say ADONAI ("My Lord") in order to avoid the problem of not knowing how this combination of letters should be pronounced, or even if. If you are going for ADONAI, then LADONAI. To those who pronounce YHVH as Yeho'ah, Yahveh, Ha Shem, or by any other variation, your pronunciation is yours to determine.

136:2 HODU L'ELOHEY HA ELOHIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

הוֹדוּ לֵאלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: Give thanks to the god of gods ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

L'ELOHEY: The pronunciation really wants this to be LE'ELOHEY, but the double-e is extremely soft, less even than a pause, where transliterating it that way would make it much more separately emphatic.

We have been watching the slow progress of YHVH from obscure Midyanite volcano god, by way of the Mishkan, a long period of exile in Giv-On, a twenty-year sojourn in Kiryat Ye'arim, a tent in the capital while he waited for his installation as Prime Minister to the Round Table of the planetary and constellatory gods in Yeru-Shala'im; and now, this final stage, the coup d'état which has left him as sole ruler, President-for-Life, not just the Lord of the Hosts of the Heavens (YHVH Tseva'ot), but the "god of gods", Elohey ha Elohim, and in the next verse the "Lord of Lords" as well - the Omnideity.

136:3 HODU LA ADONEY HA ADONIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

הוֹדוּ לַאֲדֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים כִּי לְעֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: Give thanks to the Lord of Lords ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

136:4 LE OSEH NIPHLA'OT GEDOLOT LEVADO KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְעֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת לְבַדּוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: To he who, alone, performs great wonders ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

LEVADO: Everything, all on his own, Minister of Storms, Foreign Minister, Health & Welfare... just like Binyamin Netanyahu!

136:5 LE OSEH HA SHAMAYIM BITVUNAH KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְעֹשֵׂה הַשָּׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: To he who, in his wisdom, made the heavens ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

Is this one of the sources of the (rather unintelligent) concept of "intelligent design"?

136:6 LE ROK'A HA ARETS AL HA MAYIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְרֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: To he who established a firmament to separate the the Earth from the waters ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

ROK'A: See Genesis 1:6-10, where the RAKIY'A (רקיע) or firmament was created. And indeed stay with the link, because the next several verses will continue to follow that first account of Creation, almost word by word.

136:7 LE OSEH ORIM GEDOLIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: To he who made the great lights ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

Sun, moon (they didn't know back then that the moon was solid rock that only reflected solar light), the stars (in constellations) - the very "forces" whose seats in the Cabinet have been purged in favour of His Omnideity.

136:8 ET HA SHEMESH LE MEMSHELET BA YOM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת בַּיּוֹם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: The sun to rule by day ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

136:9 ET HA YARE'ACH VE CHOCHAVIM LE MEMSHELOT BA LAILAH KI LE OLAM CHASDO

אֶת הַיָּרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים לְמֶמְשְׁלוֹת בַּלָּיְלָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: The moon and stars to rule by night ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

Why is it not HA CHOCHAVIM (HA being the definite article), given that it was HA SHEMESH in the previous verse and HA YARE'ACH in this one? Is it simply a figure of speech, as it is in the English, or is there a suggestion that the KOCHAVIM are/were in some way subsidiary not just to the sun but also to the moon? Mind you, it should then also have been HA ORIM HA GEDOLIM in verse 7.

136:10 LE MAKEH MITSRAYIM BIVCHOREYHEM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְמַכֵּה מִצְרַיִם בִּבְכוֹרֵיהֶם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: To he who smote Mitsrayim through their first-born ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

Taking us from Genesis into Exodus; and that is actually a rather interesting leap. As though nothing but Creation in Genesis has anything to do with YHVH, that he only starts to be meaningful at the start of Exodus - when Mosheh has encountered him in Midyan. And indeed, at that encounter, YHVH confirms this - see my notes to El Shadai, and especially Exodus 6:3.

This verse does rather challenge its own statement - nothing terribly loving or kind about the massacre of the firstborn of Mitsrayim (the tale can be found at Exodus 12:12 ff).

136:11 VA YOTS'E YISRA-EL MITOCHAM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

וַיּוֹצֵא יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתּוֹכָם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: And brings Yisra-El out from among them ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

YOTS'E: Why is this in the present tense?

136:12 BE YAD CHAZAKAH U VIZRO'A NETUYAH KI LE OLAM CHASDO

בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

YAD CHAZAKAH U VIZRO'A NETUYAH: See Deuteronomy 4:34, 5:15, 7:19 and many other appearances of this same image.

136:13 LE GOZER YAM SUPH LIGZARIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְגֹזֵר יַם סוּף לִגְזָרִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endurethfor ever:

BN: To he who divided the Sea of Reeds in two parts ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

LIGZARIM: Or LI GEZARIM? This is not the verb that was used in the original legend; does its meaning affect the meaning of the legend itself? The concept of "division" has powerful Creational inferences which are not present in GAZAR - see my notes to Genesis 1 for more on this.

YAM SUPH: see my notes to Exodus 10:19.

136:14 VE HE'EVIR YISRA-EL BETOCHO KI LE OLAM CHASDO

וְהֶעֱבִיר יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּתוֹכוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: And brought Yisra-El through the midst of it ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

HE'EVIR: I was drawn to ask about GOZER and LIGZARIM in the previous verse, precisely because of HE'EVIR in this one; it too is not the word used in the original legend (VEKA'EHU - Exodus 14:16), and of course the root for HE'EVIR is also the root for HABIRU or Hebrew - Ivri (עברי) in the Yehudit. So using HE'EVIR definitely changes the meaning of the original.

136:15 VE NI'ER PAR'OH VE CHEYLO VE YAM SUPH KI LE OLAM CHASDO

וְנִעֵר פַּרְעֹה וְחֵילוֹ בְיַם סוּף כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Sea of Reeds ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

136:16 LE MOLICH AMO BA MIDBAR KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְמוֹלִיךְ עַמּוֹ בַּמִּדְבָּר כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: To he who led his people through the wilderness ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

LE MOLICH: This too a change from the wording of the original legend, but what a wonderful choice of word - for the lexicographer and etymologist anyway. The root is HALACH = "go". Ani Holech = "I go", in the base, active, Po'al form. Make it Hiphil, which is to say causative, the idea of getting someone else to do the thing (I write = ani kotev, ani maktiv = I dictate, or cause you to do the writing for me), and Ani Molech = I get you to go, or "I lead": the same with HE'EVIR in verse 14. And the person who leads the people is thus the MELECH, which is the word for "king"; and amongst the other peoples of Kena'an, the one who leads the entire universe, the principal deity, is MOLOCH. (And by an equally splendid play on sounds and words, his principal agents are his MAL'ACHIM, his "angels" or "messengers"; actually a different root, but nevertheless...)

136:17 LE MAKEH MELACHIM GEDOLIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

לְמַכֵּה מְלָכִים גְּדֹלִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: To he who smote great kings ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

MELACHIM: And there they are, no sooner mentioned than...

136:18 VA YAHAROG MELACHIM ADIYRIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

וַיַּהֲרֹג מְלָכִים אַדִּירִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: And slew mighty kings ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

ADIYRIM: Likewise takes us back to the parting of the waters; see Exodus 15:10. The word is used there for the waters themselves, but in the Passover Haggadah it will be applied to the deity, in the hymn sung at the festival meal, Adir Hu.

136:19 LE SIYCHON MELECH HA EMORI KI LE OLAM CHASD

לְסִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: Siychon king of the Emorim ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

Why LE Siychon? And LE Og in the next verse ditto; it conforms to the established pattern of this Psalm, but it is entirely ungrammatical on this occasion. LEHAROG, the verb that establishes this, in verse 18, is transitive. And didn't both of them just get mentioned in the previous Psalm too? And had that additional LE there too. Cf Psalm 135:11 (and while you're there, note that 135:10 echoes 136:17 and 18, and then keep following 135 for our next verses as well)

SIYCHON: Cf Judges 11:19 ff.

EMORI: Usually rendered with an A in English, as Amorites.

136:20 U LE OG MELECH HA BASHAN KI LE OLAM CHASDO

וּלְעוֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: And Og, king of Bashan ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

BASHAN: See the link.

136:21 VE NATAN ARTSAM LE NACHALAH KI LE OLAM CHASDO

וְנָתַן אַרְצָם לְנַחֲלָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: And gave their land as a bequest ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

Interesting to note, from verses like this one, that the "occupied territories" of today were geographically identical to the "occupied territories" of then, just as the area which is predominantly Palestinian today, meaning the Gaza Strip, is geographically identical to the predominantly Philistine of then. Plus ça change!

136:22 NACHALAH LE YISRA-EL AVDO KI LE OLAM CHASDO

נַחֲלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַבְדּוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: ...as a heritage to Yisra-El his worshipper ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

Yisra-El on this occasion, not Ya'akov. The inference of this verse, as the beginning of the conclusion of the piece, is that the Psalm formed part of a covenant renewal ceremony, a congregational affirmation of the cult. Numerous examples of these can be found in the Biblical accounts - twice with Mosheh (the first being the original, Exodus 21 ff, the second the renewal, Deuteronomy 31 ff), once at the end of his life with Yehoshu'a (Joshua 23 ff), once with Shemu-El at Mitspeh (1 Samuel 7:3)... many others.

136:23 SHE BE SHIPHLENU ZACHAR LANU KI LE OLAM CHASDO

שֶׁבְּשִׁפְלֵנוּ זָכַר לָנוּ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

BN: Who remembered us in our low estate ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

SHIPHLENU: The SHEPHELAH is the flat plains of central Yisra-El, from the root SHAPHAL meaning precisely that, "low", "flat", though Ecclesiastes 10:6 uses it metaphorically, applied to people, to mean "humble", and it seems to me that this is what is really intended in this verse.

136:24 VA YIPHREKENU MI TSAREYNU KI LE OLAM CHASDO

וַיִּפְרְקֵנוּ מִצָּרֵינוּ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: And delivered us from our troubles ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

TSAREYNU: As I have noted on virtually every occasion that this word has arisen, in these Psalms and in other books of the Tanach: TSAREYNU are "our troubles" and "our afflictions", but OYEVEYNU are "our enemies"; and while "our enemies" may well be the cause of "our troubles" and "our afflictions", it could just as easily be the weather, a bereavement in the family, or a downturn in the economy.

136:25 NOTEN LECHEM LE CHOL BASAR KI LE OLAM CHASDO

נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לְכָל בָּשָׂר כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: Who gives food to every creature ... for his loving-kindness is eternal.

136:26 HODU LE EL HA SHAMAYIM KI LE OLAM CHASDO

הוֹדוּ לְאֵל הַשָּׁמָיִם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

KJ: O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

BN: Give thanks to the god of the heavens ... for his loving-kindness is eternal. {P}

EL HA SHAMAYIM: An El is a "power" or a "force", which is why it came to mean "god". The head of the Kena'ani pantheon, and the one who created Creation in their world, was named EL, so presumably the use of his name in this closing verse is a deliberate enhancement, completion indeed, of verses 2 and 3.

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