Psalm 41. David s Enemies When David is on His Sickbed

Transcription

1 Psalm 41 Psalm 41:1 13 David s Enmis Whn David is on His Sickbd Ths studis ar dsignd for blivrs in Jsus Christ only. If you hav xrcisd faith in Christ, thn you ar in th right plac. If you hav not, thn you nd to hd th words of our Lord, Who said, For God so lovd th world that H gav His only-bgottn [or, uniquly-born] Son, so that vry [on] bliving [or, trusting] in Him shall not prish, but shall b hav trnal lif! For God did not snd His Son into th world so that H should judg th world, but so that th world shall b savd through Him. Th on bliving [or, trusting] in Him is not judgd, but th on not bliving has alrady bn judgd, bcaus h has not blivd in th Nam of th only-bgottn [or, uniquly-born] Son of God. (John 3:16 18). I am th Way and th Truth and th Lif! No on coms to th Fathr xcpt through [or, by mans of] M! (John 14:6). Evry study of th Word of God ought to b prcdd by a naming of your sins to God. This rstors you to fllowship with God (1John 1:8 10). If thr ar popl around, you would nam ths sins silntly. If thr is no on around, thn it dos not mattr if you nam thm silntly or whthr you spak aloud. Ths xgtical studis ar not dsignd for you to rad ach and vry word. For instanc, th Hbrw xgsis is put into gryish tabls, so that if you want to skip ovr thm, that is fin. If you qustion a translation, you can always rfr back to th appropriat Hbrw tabls to sort it all out. Th intnt is to mak this particular study th most complt and most accurat xamination of 2Samul 15 which is availabl in writing. Th ida is to mak vry phras, vrs and passag undrstandabl; and to mak application of all that is studid. Outlin of Chaptr 41: Introduction An Introduction to Psalm 41 Inscription Psalm 41 Inscription vv. 1 3 God Sustains th Hlplss vv. 4 9 David s Enmis Hop for His Dath vv God Givs David Tmporal and Ultimat Triumph Ovr His Enmis v. 13 Doxology for First Book of Psalms Addndum Psalm 41 Addndum Charts, Short Doctrins and Maps: Introduction Th Principals of Psalm 41 Introduction Why David Dos Not Hav Mor Spcifics in Psalm 41 Introduction Th Prqul of Psalm 41 Introduction A Synopsis of Psalm 41 Introduction Barns Outlins and Summarizs Psalm 41

2 Psalm 41 2 v. 1 A Nw Intrprtation of Psalm 41:1 v. 3 Clark Sums up th Bnfits of Bing a Mrciful Man v. 4 Links to th 40 Things W Rciv at Salvation v. 7 Links to Sins of th Tongu v. 9 Ahithophl v. 10 Do W Pray for Our Enmis or Against Thm? v. 12 Two Sparat Intrprtations of Psalm 41:9 12 v. 13 Endings of th 5 Books of th Psalms Addndum A Complt Translation of Psalm 41 Chaptr Outlin Forward Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Doctrins Covrd and Alludd to Chaptrs of th Bibl Alludd To Psalms Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Othr Chaptrs of th Bibl Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Dfinition of Trms Introduction Txt Addndum Exgtical Studis in th Psalms Doctrins Covrd and Alludd To Pr-Introduction Links Chaptrs of th Bibl Alludd To or Psalms Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Dfinition of Trms Doctrins Covrd God and th Poor; Is God Rally a Libral? Dual Authorship of Scriptur Logistical Grac Doctrins Alludd To How Isaac's Unusual Birth Forshadowd th Birth of Our Lord Typology: Abraham's Offring of Isaac/God's Offring of Jsus Chaptrs of th Bibl Alludd To 2Samul 11 2Samul 12 2Samul 13 2Samul 14 2Samul 15 Psalms Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr Psalm 38 Othr Chaptrs of th Bibl Appropriatly Exgtd with this Chaptr

3 3 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) st nd Many who rad and study this chaptr ar 1 or 2 gnration studnts of R. B. Thim, Jr., so that much of this vocabulary is scond natur. On of Bob s contributions to thology is a frsh vocabulary along with a numbr of concpts which ar thologically nw or rworkd, yt still orthodox. Thrfor, if you ar unfamiliar with his work, th dfinitions blow will hlp you to fully undrstand all that is bing said. In addition to this, I will us a numbr of othr mor traditional tchnical thological trms which will b usd and thrfor dfind as wll. Dfinition of Trms Clint Nation Cycls of Disciplin (Stag of National Disciplin) Dual Authorship of th Word of God Edification complx Fifth Cycl of Disciplin (th 5 th Stag of National Disciplin) Intrlocking Systms of Arroganc Prist nation Rbound (Rstoration to fllowship with God) Clint-Nation, is a national ntity in which a crtain numbr of spiritually matur Christians (th salt of th arth) hav formd a pivot sufficint to sustain th nation and through which God spcifically protcts this nation so that blivrs can fulfill th divin mandats of vanglism, communication and custodianship of Bibl doctrin, providing a havn for Jws, and snding missionaris abroad. Th Unitd Stats is a clint-nation to God. A clint nation must hav frdom: Frdom to sk God, frdom to us on s own volition and slf-dtrmination to succd or fail, frdom from anarchy and tyranny, frdom for vanglism, frdom for blivrs to har Bibl taching without govrnmnt intrfrnc and, thrfor, to grow spiritually, and frdom to snd missionaris to othr nations. A national ntity which is a clint nation to God is undr both God s protction and His disciplin (much lik th individual blivr). As a nation movs furthr and furthr from God, God may impos disciplinary masurs on that nation, which includ conomic disastr, illnss, civil unrst, military dfat, and vn invasion which may includ a slavry or disprsion of th popl. Ths cycls ar found in Lv. 26. Although ths warnings ar dsignd for Isral, all clint nations to God may fac similar downward historical trnds. This is th concpt that th Scripturs wr writtn by mn concrning actual historical vnts; and by God th Holy Spirit, Who, at tims, has a purpos in rcording that particular vnt, oftn using it as a prophcy or as a typ to b fulfilld by our Lord. Thrfor, thr is a litral undrstanding of Psalm 41:9 (Evn this man I blivd to b looking out for my wlfar and prosprity a man whom I trustd; a man who took mals with m his hl has bn liftd up against m.), as wll as an application of this vrs by Jsus to His btrayal by Judas. This is an illustration of building a structur in th soul; this structur indicats spiritual maturity. Th fifth cycl of disciplin involvs complt loss of prsonal and national sovrignty, th dstruction of th family and th nation. Offrings to God ar unaccptabl. Nations which hav undrgon this dstruction hav xprincd slavry, cannibalism, and th assimilation of its surviving citizns into othr culturs. Also known as th arroganc complx. Th intrlocking systms of arroganc rfrs to many clustrs of sins which hav a tndncy to intrlock with on anothr. Entring into this complx is mor than carnality and it is diffrnt from rvrsionism. This doctrin is covrd in much gratr dtail in 2Sam. 11 (HTML) (PDF). A nation which rprsnts God to th world. In th Nw Tstamnt, this is naming your sins to God, so that you ar both rstord to tmporal fllowship with God and ar thn filld with th Spirit of God. In th Old Tstamnt, naming your sins to God would rsult in a rstoration of fllowship and, in som cass, th mpowrmnt of th Holy Spirit onc again (th Holy Spirit was not givn to all Old Tstamnt blivrs).

4 Psalm 41 4 Suprgrac status Ultra-suprgrac A synonym for spiritual maturity. Th ida is, God pours out grac and mor grac upon th blivr. Th blivr who has rachd th first stag of spiritual maturity (suprgrac) and has movd forward from thr. Som of ths dfinitions ar takn from An Introduction to Psalm 41 I ntroduction: Psalm 41 is writtn by David and it apparntly taks plac whn David is dathly ill so much so that som factions of his govrnmnt sm to b hoping for his dmis. Many plac this psalm as bing writtn whn Absalom rblld against David; but th dtails of this psalm probably look back to a fw yars arlir. Psalm 41 is vry similar in subjct mattr to Psalm 38, whr David is dathly ill. Thr ar no clar indicators whthr ths two psalms ar writtn about th sam incidnt, or whthr David was dathly ill on at last two occasions. On both occasions, thr ar thos who hop for David s dath (s Psalm 38: :5 9), but that could also simply b a part of bing king in any nation. Aftr all, thr ar hug numbrs of popl who would hop for th dath of th prsidnt of ithr party in our nation today, if on of thm is struck ill. So it should not b impossibl to imagin many fling that way about David, whn h is takn ill. Is this a paralll to both popl and angls who, whn God dos not appar to b closly involvd, that thy hop for His dath or absnc? Or should w simply s this as a blivr undr trmndous prssur of physical illnss and appaling to God? At th nd of this psalm, David will appal to God, in part, on His charactr, and on th doctrin in His soul (God must vindicat His Word, no mattr whr it is found). Whatvr th cas, David appars to b acutly awar of th dsir of som for his dath. Popl in this lif do suffr grat, dbilitating illnsss, and th Bibl spaks to thm through ths psalms. In both Psalm 38 and 41, thr appars to b an lmnt of disciplin involvd (David spaks of his sin in Psalm 38:1 2 41:4). So, God may hav usd illnss to disciplin David; and David s illnss (or, illnsss) is not covrd in th narrativs of Samul and Chronicls. Logically, it dos mak mor sns to spak of on s illnss in a psalm as opposd to dtailing it in a narrativ. Thr is a lot lss intraction and a lot mor rflction at such a tim. On vrs of this psalm is quotd by our Lord in th night that H was btrayd, and h applis it to Judas btrayal. W nd to know who th popl ar who populat this chaptr. This appars to b paralll to th vnts which tak plac arly on in 2Samul 15 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD), although this cannot b unquivocally assrtd. Howvr, if this is th cas, thn it xplains a lot, and puts togthr a grat many pics for us in th Absalom/Davidic narrativ.

5 5 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) R. B. Thim, Jr. placs th psalm hr, as do Hnry Ironsid, Kil and Dlitzsch and svral othrs. All of thm (as wll as othrs) idntify th charactrs blow as spcifically in this psalm. Th Principals of Psalm 41 Charactrs David Absalom Ahithophl Jsus Commntary David is th author of this psalm, th on who is sick, and th on with th nmis who wish him to di on his sickbd. H is btrayd by a frind. Absalom is on of thos who cam to David whn h is on his sickbd and spok mpty and maninglss things. David bing sick may hav bn th imptus which causd Absalom to think sriously about bcoming king. Absalom may hav usd David s illnss as an xcus to hang out by th courthous and complain of th lack of justic in th land 4 (2Sam. 15:2 6). Absalom may hav bn among thos who wishd for David s dmis. Ahithophl is th frind of David who has btrayd him in this psalm. Our Lord quots from this psalm and applis it to Himslf, as Judas would btray Him that vry night. From that vrs on, w may rasonably apply this to Jsus. Th only prson actually namd in this psalm is David; and Jsus applis this psalm to Himslf. Th actual st applications, including David bing ill (h spaks in th 1 prson in this psalm) is a rasonabl dduction. This could hav involvd similar circumstancs with similar popl at anothr tim. Throughout this psalm, I will assum it is th cas that Absalom cam to David whn h was ill, and us what h could gathr to plot against David in a rvolution that took plac 4 yars latr. Bar in mind that this is basd upon svral assumptions which many commntators hav mad in th past. That David is ill is not rcordd in th historical narrativ until th nd of his lif whn h dos vntually di aftr picking Solomon as a succssor. That illnss dos not appar to b rprsntd by this psalm. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins As discussd, all w know about this psalm is, David is ill and som of thos around him would lik for this illnss to tak its natural cours and kill him. Th frind and th on spaking mptinss to him ar not spcifically idntifid in this psalm. Why David Dos Not Hav Mor Spcifics in Psalm Thr ar things to b convyd in this psalm which go byond David and on particular incidnt. 2. What w nd to look for in this psalm is, how dos it apply to m? How dos it apply to my tim? Why did God th Holy Spirit mak this a part of th Word of God? 3. Ths psalms appar to b sung publically, so David can lgitimatly talk about himslf, but h cannot gossip about othrs. 4. David will spak of th mptinss that Absalom spok to him; howvr, that spaks to Absalom s charactr and innr motivs; so David will not includ Absalom s nam in this psalm. 1 R. B. Thim, Jr. s 1972 David sris, lsson #631_ Dr. Hnry Alln Ironsid, Studis on Book On of Psalms; from -Sword, originally takn from Psalm 41:1. 3 Kil and Dlitzsch, Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword; Psalm 41 chaptr commnts. 4 Suggstd indpndntly by Kil and Dlitzsch, Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword; Psalm 41 chaptr commnts; and by myslf.

6 Psalm 41 6 Although ths psalms wr writtn within a spcific framwork of tim and xprinc, as th words of God, thy nd to xtnd byond thos limitations. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins It is important to undrstand what has gon bfor. This prqul will dpnd upon th charactrs namd abov as matching thos spokn of in this psalm. Th Prqul of Psalm 41 A grat dal of th Davidic narrativ is rlatd to his illicit rlationship with Bathshba, as ar many of th psalms. W can pinpoint this psalm, but basd upon som assumptions. If you will rcall, King David took tim whil his army was at war to chas skirt in Jrusalm. H saw from his hous roof a nakd Bathshba bathing and dsird hr, dspit th fact that sh turnd out to b marrid to on of his soldirs (Uriah th Hittit). Whn sh bcam prgnant and David was unabl to manipulat this soldir, David had th man killd. 2Samul 11 (HTML) (PDF). Nathan spok to David and David condmnd himslf by mans of a parabl. Part of his disciplin was to includ unrst in his hom, which bgan with on son, Amnon, raping his half-sistr, Tamar. Sinc David did not punish Amnon, Absalom, Tamar s full-brothr, killd Amnon, and thn lft th country for a fw yars. 2Samul 12 (HTML) (PDF) 2Samul 13 (HTML) (PDF). Joab, David s gnral, finally got David to bring Absalom back to Jrusalm, aftr svral yars; and David agrd to that, but h did not agr to s Absalom. Absalom thn burnd Joab s fild, and Joab wnt to David, and David finally agrd to s Absalom, whr thy rconcild. Howvr, it is clar that, during that tim, Absalom had bcom a sophisticatd criminal. 2Samul 14 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). This nxt part is rasonabl conjctur. David bcoms svrly ill, and Absalom, among othrs, com to him. It occurs to Absalom that, whn David dis, that h ought to b king. In fact, Absalom thn bgins to dsir for his fathr to di, which is what much of this psalm is about. David dos rcovr, and, at th sam tim, Absalom puts a plan into motion to ovrthrow David s kingdom. H is not going to wait any longr. Onc Absalom puts this plan into motion, David is abl to look back at his illnss and how h was attndd to, and h rcognizd that thos who cam to s him actually wantd him dad. 2Samul 15 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Furthrmor, a grat tactician, Ahithophl, who David considrd a clos frind, also wnt to Absalom s sid. What is conjctur is, th tim of David s illnss and that Absalom and Ahithophl ar th two othr mn rfrrd to in this psalm. Howvr, thy fit into David s psalm quit wll hr. Bcaus thy ar not namd, this psalm has a widr application to powr politics and a dsir for powr by thos who do not dsrv it. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Hr is what this psalm is all about:

7 7 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) A Synopsis of Psalm 41 As David has lookd out for th hlplss, God lookd out for him whil h was ill (vv. 1 3). David struggls with his own past sins, but, at th sam tim, thr ar nmis around him, during this priod of illnss, whn thy dsir for him to di from this illnss (vv. 4 5). Som of thos who com to David in this illnss prtnd to b concrnd, but thy ar apparntly mor intrstd in his succumbing to illnss; including somon who was a clos confidnt, who dsrtd David during all of this (vv. 6 9). Bcaus Jsus quotd that final vrs, this psalm gos off on two tracks: on whr it follows David and on whr it follows our Lord. David knows that God will protct him in his illnss and bring him back to halth (vv ); and Jsus, in His humanity, knows that H will b protctd until th nd (vv ). Both Jsus and David xpct to b in God s prsnc forvr (v. 12). Th final vrs is a doxology and it appars to b applicabl to th ntir first book of Psalms (v. 13). Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Intrstingly nough, thr ar at last 3 psalms that dal with David s illnsss: Psalm ; and bing hald from disas is mntiond in Psalm 103:3 147:3. I say intrsting bcaus w do not find this sort of thing 5 in th narrativs about David in Samul and Chronicls. In any cas, sicknss is an important aspct of lif, as it illustrats th indwlling and control of th sin natur. Whn a prson is sick, thy simply do not hav th dsir to do much of anything xcpt to lay about and b sick. Thy cannot participat in any othr aspct of lif. Wll, th prson controlld by th sin natur cannot participat in any aspct of th spiritual lif. Thrfor, sicknss maks an xcllnt mtaphor, which our Lord mad us of again and again. Hr is an altrnativ outlin and summary. Barns Outlins and Summarizs Psalm Th psalmist dwlls on th blssd charactr of on who dos show compassion or kindnss to th poor and th suffring; th blssdnss of th man who is mrciful, Psalm 41:1 3. This is vidntly a rflction forcd upon him by th opposit conduct of thos whom h supposd h might hav rgardd as his frinds, and to whom h had a right to look for sympathy and kindnss. In his own mind, thrfor, h contrasts thir actual conduct with th charactr of th truly kind and mrciful man, and is ld, in fw words, to dscrib th happinss which would follow if propr kindnss wr shown to th poor and th afflictd. H says that th ffct of such conduct would b: 1)...that th Lord would dlivr such an on in th tim of troubl, Psalm 41:1; 2)...that th Lord would prsrv him aliv, Psalm 41:2; 3)...that h would b blssd upon th arth, Psalm 41:2; 4)...that th Lord would not dlivr him to th will of his nmis, Psalm 41:2; 5)...that h would strngthn him on th bd of languishing, and would mak his bd in his sicknss, Psalm 41:3. 2. An appal to God for mrcy, and for rstoration to halth, with an humbl confssion that it was for his own sin that h was suffring; and with a purpos not to attmpt to justify himslf, or to say that h had not dsrvd this at th hand of God, Psalm 41:4. H maks no complaint of God, much as h had occasion to complain of his frinds. 3. A statmnt in rgard to th mannr in which h had bn tratd in his sicknss, Psalm 41:5 9. 1) His nmis took occasion to spak vil of him, and to uttr th wish, in a mannr which would b most painful to a suffrr, that h might di, and that his nam might prish, Psalm 41:5. 2) If thy cam to s him in his sicknss, instad of spaking words of kindnss and comfort, thy spok only vain and unmaning words; thy sought occasion to gratify thir own malignity by 5 Th xcption is whn David is ill at th nd of his lif and h dis from this illnss.

8 Psalm 41 8 Barns Outlins and Summarizs Psalm 41 finding somthing in his mannr, or in his languag, which thy could rpat to his disadvantag, Psalm 41:6. 3) All that hatd him took occasion now to conspir against him, to lay togthr all that thy individually knw or could say that would b injurious to him, and to urg thir individual causs of complaint against him in a gnral statmnt in rgard to his charactr, Psalm 41:7. 4) Thy spcially sought to injur him by rporting that a disas clav to him which was th rsult of sin, prhaps of an irrgular lif, and that thr was no prospct that h would b again rstord to halth; that th hand of God was upon him, and that h must sink to th grav, Psalm 41:8. 5) All this was aggravatd by th fact that his own familiar frind, som on who had njoyd his confidnc, and had partakn of th hospitality of his tabl, had abusd his frindship, and was found among his dtractors and calumniators, Psalm 41:9. 4. An arnst invocation of th mrcy of God, and an xprssion of th confidnt assuranc of his favor, closs th psalm, Psalm 41: From Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, Psalm 41 (chaptr nots). Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins David would hav rasonably writtn this psalm ithr during his rtrat from Jrusalm or soon thraftr. I would not b surprisd if h composd som of thos lins whn climbing up th Mount of Olivs on th othr sid of th Kidron Vally from Jrusalm (whr Jsus quots v. 9 to th discipls). David, in many ways, looks back at his illnss of prhaps 4 yars ago, and rcognizs th dcitfulnss and plotting of his son Absalom, somthing h had not allowd himslf to s during ths past 4 yars. H puts all of ths things togthr and undrstands xactly what has bn happning during this tim, but not during th tim of his illnss. On th othr hand, som of ths vrss appar to b rathr immdiat, as if spokn during th tim of David s illnss. Did h bgin to writ this psalm thn, and complt it on th Mount of Olivs, 4 yars latr? Songwritrs oftn hav bindrs of idas; thy gt a thought, and thy writ it down. Thy think of a mlody, and thy jot that down. Prhaps yars latr, somthing ls will com to this, and thy incorporat ths things togthr. This is prhaps what David did in this psalm. Howvr, w will trat this psalm mostly as if it is taking plac in ral tim; that is, w will intrprt this psalm as if it is taking plac for David right at th momnt of studying ach vrs. David has many psalms about his nmis, which is clarly a part of bing a king (Psalm , to nam a fw). This psalm ought to giv you paus bfor ntring into politics. Th duplicity in th politics of powr has fw parallls in lif. It is lik having a 1000 mn on an island with on woman, who dsirs but on man. Duplicity and ruthlssnss among th mn would rign to win hr hand. To quot Matthw Hnry: David hr found thm so, upon a sick-bd; h found his nmis vry 6 barbarous, but his God vry gracious. Application: A man dos not hav to b capabl of administrating authority in ordr to dsir powr. Thr ar probably 100 million idiots in th Unitd Stats who think that thy could b prsidnt, but undrstand that thy would nvr b lctd. From 2009 to 2013, w had a prsidnt of ths Unitd Stats who did not hav a clu as to how to govrn, xcpt to push and pass lgislation, to giv mor and mor powr to th fdral govrnmnt, and to spnd mor mony than any prsidnt in human history. Howvr, his arroganc to think that h could run this country was only xcdd by th ignoranc of thos who votd for a man without any practical xprinc. 6 Matthw Hnry, Commntary on th Whol Bibl; from -Sword, Psalm 41, chaptr commnts.

9 9 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) Kil and Dlitzsch giv this psalm th Titl: Complaint of a Suffrr of Bing Surroundd by Hostil 7 and Trachrous Prsons On a prsonal not, thr was oftn tims whn I do a chaptr from a book and walk away thinking, I naild that chaptr; I undrstood xactly what th author was trying to gt across. I did not hav that fling with this chaptr. I bliv that I hav xplaind this chaptr in th psalms rasonably wll, but I am not sur if I compltly naild it. Somtims thr is a ky to a chaptr, that, whn that ky is undrstood, it opns up th chaptr itslf. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins Psalm 41 Inscription Slavishly litral: To th prminnt on; a psalm to David. For th choir dirctor; a psalm by David. Psalm 41 inscription Modratly litral: To th prminnt on; a psalm to David. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Ancint txts: Not: I compar th Hbrw txt to English translations of th Latin, Syriac and 8 Grk txts, using th Douay-Rhims translation ; Gorg Lamsa s translation, and Sir Lanclot Charls L Brnton s translation as rvisd and ditd by Paul W. Esposito, rspctivly. I oftn updat ths txts with non-substantiv changs (.g., you for thou, tc.). I oftn us th txt of th Complt Apostls Bibl instad of Brnton s translation, bcaus it updats th English txt. 7 8 Th Sptuagint was th arlist known translation of a book (circa 200 B.C.). Sinc this translation was mad bfor th txtual criticism had bn dvlopd into a scinc and bcaus diffrnt books appar to b translatd by diffrnt mn, th Grk translation can somtims b vry unvn. Whn thr ar srious disparitis btwn my translation and Brnton s (or th txt of th Complt Apostls Bibl), I look at th Grk txt of th Sptuagint (th LXX) to s if a substantiv diffrnc actually xists (and I rflct ths changs in th English rndring of th Grk txt). I us th Grk LXX with Strong s numbrs and morphology availabl for -sword. Th only problm with this rsourc (which is a problm for similar rsourcs) is, thr is no way to furthr xplor Grk vrbs which ar not found in th Nw Tstamnt. Although I usually quot th Complt Apostls Bibl hr, I hav bgun to mak changs in th translation whn thir translation conflicts with th Grk and not what thos changs ar. Th Masortic txt is th Hbrw txt with all of th vowls (vowl points) insrtd (th original Hbrw txt lackd vowls). W tak th Masortic txt to b th txt closst to th original. Howvr, diffrncs btwn th Masortic txt and th Grk, Latin and Syriac ar worth noting and, onc in a grat whil, rprsnt a mor accurat txt possssd by thos othr ancint translators. Kil and Dlitzsch, Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword; Psalm 41 chaptr commnts. I hav bgun to doubt my -sword Douay-Rhims vrsion, so I now us

10 Psalm Ancint txts: In gnral, th Latin txt is an outstanding translation from th Hbrw txt into Latin and vry trustworthy (I say this as a non-catholic). Unfortunatly, I do not rad Latin apart from som vry obvious words so I am dpndnt upon th English translation of th Latin (principally, th Douay-Rhims translation). Undrlind words indicat diffrncs in th txt. Bracktd portions of th Dad Sa Scrolls ar words, lttrs and phrass lost in th scroll du to various typs of damag. Undrlind words or phrass ar thos in th Dad Sa Scrolls but not in th Masortic txt. Aramaic txt not rprsntd in som way in th Hbrw original is signald by italics. Th absnc of italics should not b construd to man that th targum translats litrally. Aramaic vrbs ar translatd litrally; that is, prfcts ar gnrally translatd as past tns, imprfcts as futur or jussiv, participls as gnral prsnt. Targum (trans. By Cook) Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Syriac txt 9 Sptuagint (Grk) Significant diffrncs: For prais; a psalm of David. Unto th nd, a psalm for David himslf. To th prminnt on; a psalm to David. A Psalm of David, whn h appointd ovrsrs to tak car of th poor. For th nd, A Psalm of David. Th Syriac has only a partial match to th Hbrw. Th Targum has prais, and th Grk and Latin hav nd; nithr of which sms to match up with th Hbrw. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Contmporary English V. Easy English Th Mssag Nw Lif Bibl (A psalm by David for th music ladr.) (This is) for th (music) ladr. (It is) a psalm for David. A David psalm. Prayr Of A Sick Man About Fals Frinds Sick, ridiculd, btrayd: such is th on who says this prayr. Prhaps w know him and h is bsid us waiting for our support. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Christian Community Bibl God s Word NIRV Prayr of an abandond sick prson. For th choir dirctor; a psalm by David. For th dirctor of music. A psalm of David. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Frar-Fnton Bibl Judaica Prss Complt T. To th conductor, a psalm from David. To th chif music-makr. A Psalm. Of David. To his bandmastr, A Psalm by David. For th conductor, a song of David. 9 This is according to Clark (Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Sword, Psalm 41, chaptr commnt.); it is not found in my onlin sourc for th Syriac txt.

11 11 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) NET Bibl NIV UK For th music dirctor; a psalm of David. Whn it coms to making an actual matrial chang to th txt, th NET Bibl is prtty good about indicating this. Sinc most of ths corrctions will b clar in th mor litral translations blow and within th Hbrw xgsis itslf, I will not continu to list vry NET Bibl footnot. Th psalmist is confidnt (Psalm 41:11 12) that th Lord has hard his rqust to b hald (Psalm 41:4 10), and h anticipats th joy h will xprinc whn th Lord intrvns (Psalm 41:1 3). On must assum that th psalmist is rsponding to a divin oracl of assuranc (s P. C. Craigi, Psalms 1 50 [WBC], ). Th final vrs (Psalm 41:13) is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also srvs as a fitting conclusion to th first "book" (or major ditorial division) of th Psaltr. Similar statmnts appar at or nar th nd of ach of th scond, third, and fourth "books" of th Psaltr (s Psalm 72:19; Psalm 89:52, and Psalm 106:48 rspctivly). For th dirctor of music. A psalm of David. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Concordant Litral Vrsion Emphasizd Bibl English Standard V. UK xgss companion Bibl LTHB NASB Nw King Jams Vrsion Nw RSV Syndin Young's Litral Translation Th gist of this vrs: A Davidic Psalm. To th Chif Musician. A Mlody of David. O Lord, B Gracious to M To th choirmastr. A Psalm of David. To His Eminnc; A Psalm by David. To th Chif Musician. A Psalm of David. Th Psalmist in Sicknss Complains of Enmis and Fals Frinds. For th choir dirctor. A Psalm of David. Th Blssing and Suffring of th Godly To th Chif Musician. A Psalm of David. To th ladr. A Psalm of David. {David's Prayr for Rcovry in Tim of Conspiracy} {Titl} To th 'chif musician'/'dirctor or music' {natsach} a Psalm {mizmowr} of David. To th Ovrsr. --A Psalm of David. Th inscription givs us th author and to whom this psalm was givn. Psalm 41 inscription a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to dirctional/rlational prposition No Strong s # BDB #510 nâtsach (ðèöçç) [pronouncd naw- TZAHKH] to ovrs, to suprvis to b; prminnt, to b nduring; th Prminnt On Pil participl with th dfinit articl Strong s #5329 BDB #663 Th Pil participl of nâtsach is givn a wid varity of rndrings: ovrsr (Young), th music ladr (CEV), choir dirctor (NASB, NLT), choirmastr (Owns), ladr (NRSV, NEB, NAB) and chif musician (Rothrham). Translation: To th Prminnt On;... As w hav sn with th numrous translations abov, no on is clar as to who this prson is. This psalm could b ddicatd to God, which is ssntially how I hav translatd it; howvr, it could b dsignd to b conductd by th chif musician, which is how Rothrham undrstands it.

12 Psalm Most translators assum that this is givn ovr to th choir dirctor or th conductor or th on in charg of thos who sang. W find this word as a Pil infinitiv in 1Chron. 15:21 23:4 2Chron. 34:12 Ezra 3:8 9. 1Chron. 23:4 indicats that this dos not hav to b a suprvisory position, as it rads: Of ths [38,000 Lvits], 24,000 wr to ovrs th work of th hous of Yahwh; and 6000 wr officrs and judgs. Quit obviously, you cannot hav 24,000 chifs and no Indians, ths wr all of th Lvits assignd to work on th Tmpl (Ezra 3:8 9 finds this word usd in this sam way). Howvr, th suprvisory natur of this word sms to b clar in 1Chron. 15:21 2Chron. 34:12. Unfortunatly, th xact maning of th lâmd prposition is also hard to dtrmin. W find svral psalms which ar ascribd to David writtn to David; but th ida is, th psalm blongs to David. Th lâmd prposition is usd mor oftn whn somthing is givn to somon ls or somthing is for somon ls, th chif manings of th lâmd prposition. Dspit th us of th lâmd prposition with David throughout th book of Psalms, I hav takn this to m that this psalm is writtn for whomvr this Prminnt prson is. Barns commnts on this portion of th inscription: This phras in th titl, To th chif Musician, occurs at th bginning of 53 psalms, and at th clos of th hymn in Habak. 3:19. It is uniformly rndrd to th chif Musician, and mans that th psalm was intndd for him, or was to b givn to him, probably to rgulat th mannr of prforming it. In no on instanc dos th titl imply that h was th author. Th word rndrd Chif Musician is drivd from [ a Hbrw word] proprly maning to shin, but not usd in th Qal. In th Pil form it mans to b conspicuous; to b ovr anything; to b chif; to b suprintndnt (2Chron. 2:2, 18 34:12) and thn it mans to lad in music. Th maning of th form usd hr, and in th othr placs whr it occurs as a titl to a psalm, is Chif Musician, or prcntor; and th ida is, that th psalm is to b prformd undr his dirction; 10 or that th music is to b dirctd and adaptd by him. Evn though w hav th sam prposition usd hr as w find usd with David, whn h is th author, th many tims that this phras is found in combination with th author s nam suggsts mor that thr is a musical organization and that this song was dlivrd ovr to th Choirmastr (or conductor) of that organization to b sung and prformd at various functions. Th NIV Study Bibl has its opinion on this mattr: [For th dirctor of music is] probably a liturgical notation, indicating ithr that th psalm was to b addd to h collction of works to b usd by th dirctor of music in Isral s worship srvics, or that whn th psalm was usd in th tmpl worship, it was to b spok [or, sung?] by th ladr of th Lvitical choir or by th choir itslf (s 1Chron. 23:4 5, 30 [Of th ovrsrs ovr th works of th hous of th Lord thr wr twnty-four thousand, and thr wr six thousand scribs and judgs; and four thousand gatkprs, and four thousand to prais th Lord with instrumnts which h mad to prais th Lord...to stand in th morning to prais and giv thanks to th Lord, and so in th vning] 25 [assignmnts ar givn to th sons of Korah, among othrs]). In this liturgical activity th Lvits functiond as rprsntativs of th worshiping congrgation. Following thir lad th popl probably rspondd with Amn and Prais th LORD (Halllujah); s 1Chron. 16:36 Nh. 5:13; compar 1Cor. 14:16 Rv. 5:14 7: :4. 10 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, Psalm 4 introduction. 11 Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995 by Th Zondrvan Corporation; p. 782 (footnot). Txt slightly ditd and som of th passags wr includd as wll.

13 13 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) Psalm 41 inscription b Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs miz môwr (îäæàîåéø) [pronouncd mizê- MOHR] mlody, song, pom, psalm masculin singular noun Strong s #4210 BDB #274 lâmd (ìà) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towards, in rgards to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgards to; blonging to; by dirctional/rlational prposition with th 3 rd prson masculin singular suffix No Strong s # BDB #510 Dâvid (ãìèåäã); also Dâvîyd (ãìèåäéã) [pronouncd daw- VEED] blovd and is translitratd David masculin propr noun Strong s #1732 BDB #187 Translation:...a psalm of David,... Thr ar thr diffrnt Hbrw words translatd psalm; this is on of thm which is found a littl lss than a third of th tim. I m not yt rady to diffrntiat btwn ths thr words, nor am I confidnt that thr is an important lsson hiddn in diffrntiating thm. What I would hav xpctd to find is, by David, whr th bêyth prposition is usd. Howvr, this is nvr th cas. It is always th lâmd prposition + David. Prhaps th ida hr is, this psalm is both writtn by David and it is for David, as a gift from God. On thory is, words by David and music by th choir dirctor. Chaptr Outlin Charts, Maps and Short Doctrins God Sustains th Hlplss Slavishly litral: Blssings of attnding unto a hlplss on; in a day of vil dlivrs him Y howah. Psalm 41:1 Modratly litral: Blssings [or, happinsss] [to th on] attnding to [or, instructing] th poor [I.., th on who is dficint or lacking; th on who is grac orintd]; Yhowah will dlivr him in th day of vil. Blssings [and happinsss] ar to th on who attnds to [or instructs] th poor [th on who is dficint]; for Jhovah will dlivr him in th day of disastr. Hr is how othrs hav handld this vrs: Ancint txts: Not: I compar th Hbrw txt to English translations of th Latin, Syriac and 12 Grk txts, using th Douay-Rhims translation ; Gorg Lamsa s translation, and Sir Lanclot Charls L Brnton s translation as rvisd and ditd by Paul W. Esposito, rspctivly. I oftn updat ths txts with non-substantiv changs 12 I hav bgun to doubt my -sword Douay-Rhims vrsion, so I now us

14 Psalm Ancint txts: (.g., you for thou, tc.). I oftn us th txt of th Complt Apostls Bibl instad of Brnton s translation, bcaus it updats th English txt. Th Sptuagint was th arlist known translation of a book (circa 200 B.C.). Sinc this translation was mad bfor th txtual criticism had bn dvlopd into a scinc and bcaus diffrnt books appar to b translatd by diffrnt mn, th Grk translation can somtims b vry unvn. Whn thr ar srious disparitis btwn my translation and Brnton s (or th txt of th Complt Apostls Bibl), I look at th Grk txt of th Sptuagint (th LXX) to s if a substantiv diffrnc actually xists (and I rflct ths changs in th English rndring of th Grk txt). I us th Grk LXX with Strong s numbrs and morphology availabl for -sword. Th only problm with this rsourc (which is a problm for similar rsourcs) is, thr is no way to furthr xplor Grk vrbs which ar not found in th Nw Tstamnt. Th Masortic txt is th Hbrw txt with all of th vowls (vowl points) insrtd (th original Hbrw txt lackd vowls). W tak th Masortic txt to b th txt closst to th original. Howvr, diffrncs btwn th Masortic txt and th Grk, Latin and Syriac ar worth noting and, onc in a grat whil, rprsnt a mor accurat txt possssd by thos othr ancint translators. In gnral, th Latin txt is an outstanding translation from th Hbrw txt into Latin and vry trustworthy (I say this as a non-catholic). Unfortunatly, I do not rad Latin apart from som vry obvious words so I am dpndnt upon th English translation of th Latin (principally, th Douay-Rhims translation). Undrlind words indicat diffrncs in th txt. Bracktd portions of th Dad Sa Scrolls ar words, lttrs and phrass lost in th scroll du to various typs of damag. Undrlind words or phrass ar thos in th Dad Sa Scrolls but not in th Masortic txt. Aramaic txt not rprsntd in som way in th Hbrw original is signald by italics. Th absnc of italics should not b construd to man that th targum translats litrally. Aramaic vrbs ar translatd litrally; that is, prfcts ar gnrally translatd as past tns, imprfcts as futur or jussiv, participls as gnral prsnt. Targum (trans. By Cook) Latin Vulgat Masortic Txt (Hbrw) Pshitta (Syriac) Sptuagint (Grk) Brnton s Sptuagint Happy th man who is wis to show mrcy to th humbl and poor on th day of vil; th Lord will dlivr him. Blssd is h that undrstands concrning th ndy and th poor: th Lord will dlivr him in th vil day. Blssings of attnding unto a hlplss on; in a day of vil dlivrs him Y howah. BLESSED is h who looks aftr th poor; th LORD will dlivr him in tim of troubl. Blssd is th man who thinks on th poor and ndy; th Lord shall dlivr him in an vil day. Blssd is th man who thinks, on th poor and ndy: th Lord shall dlivr him in an vil day.

15 15 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) Significant diffrncs: Although thr appar to b diffrncs in th first phras, thy ar all lgitimat translations from th Hbrw. Th targum sms to diffr as to whr to plac th day of vil. Howvr, that phras dos occur in th middl of th othr two phrass, so that is a mattr of intrprtation rathr than an actual diffrnc in txt. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: Common English Bibl Contmporary English V. Easy English Easy-to-Rad Vrsion Good Nws Bibl (TEV) Th Mssag Nw Brkly Vrsion Nw Cntury Vrsion Nw Lif Bibl Nw Living Translation Thos who pay clos attntion to th poor ar truly happy! Th LORD rscus thm during troubling tims. You, LORD God, blss vryon who cars for th poor, and you rscu thos popl in tims of troubl. Anyon that is kind to th poor will b vry happy. Th LORD will hlp him whn lif is difficult. A prson who hlps poor popl succd will gt many blssings. [Or, "b truly fortunat (happy)."] Whn troubl coms, th Lord will sav that prson.. Happy ar thos who ar concrnd for th poor; th LORD will hlp thm whn thy ar in troubl. Dignify thos who ar down on thir luck; you'll fl good--that's what GOD dos. Blssings ar his, who considrs th wak; in th day of misfortun th LORD will dlivr him. Happy ar thos who think about th poor. Whn troubl coms, th Lord will sav thm. Happy is th man who cars for th poor. Th Lord will sav him in tims of troubl. Oh, th joys of thos who ar kind to th poor! Th Lord rscus thm whn thy ar in troubl. Partially litral and partially paraphrasd translations: Amrican English Bibl Blst is h who pays attntion, to thos who ar poor and in nd, for in th bad day God will sav him. Bck s Amrican Translation Happy is h who trats th poor with undrstanding. Whn troubl coms, may th LORD rscu him. Christian Community Bibl Blssd th on who has rgard for th poor; th Lord dlivrs him in tim of troubl.. God s Word Blssd is th on who has concrn for hlplss popl. Th LORD will rscu him in tims of troubl. Nw Amrican Bibl Happy thos concrnd for th lowly and poor; whn misfortun striks, th LORD dlivrs thm. Nw Amrican Bibl (R.E.) 13 Blssd th on concrnd for th poor; [cf. Ps 32:1-2; 34:9; 40:5; 65:5. Th psalmist's statmnt about God's lov of th poor is basd on th xprinc of bing rscud (Ps 41:1-3)] on a day of misfortun, th LORD dlivrs him. NIRV Blssd is th on who cars about wak popl. Whn h is in troubl, th Lord savs him. Nw Jrusalm Bibl Blssd is anyon who cars for th poor and th wak; in tim of troubl Yahwh rscus him. Nw Simplifid Bibl Blssd (happy) is th on who has concrn for hlplss popl. Jhovah will rscu (sav) him in tims of troubl. Rvisd English Bibl Happy is anyon who has a concrn for th hlplss! I just found out (Octobr 24, 2012) that th Nw Amrican Bibl I hav usd from th intrnt is actually its Rvisd Edition, 13 which is quit diffrnt at tims from its original vrsion (which I hav in book form). I do not know whn this changovr took plac or whthr this has always bn thir rvisd dition.

16 Psalm Today s NIV Th LORD will sav him in a tim of troubl. Blssd ar thos who hav rgard for th wak; th Lord dlivrs thm in tims of troubl. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): Ancint Roots Translinar Bibl in Basic English Complt Jwish Bibl Frar-Fnton Bibl HCSB JPS (Tanakh 1985) Judaica Prss Complt T. Nw Advnt Bibl NET Bibl NIV, 2011 Happy th comprhndr of th poor. Yahwh will scap him in th days of vil. Happy is th man who givs thought to th poor; th Lord will b his saviour in th tim of troubl. How blssd ar thos who car for th poor! Whn calamity coms, ADONAI will sav thm. Blss th man who consols th dprssd! Th LORD will rliv him in grif. Happy is on who cars for th poor; th LORD will sav him in a day of advrsity. Happy is h who is thoughtful of th wrtchd; in bad tims may th LORD kp him from harm. Praisworthy is h who looks aftr th poor; on a day of calamity th Lord will rscu him. Blssd is h that undrstands concrning th ndy and th poor: th Lord will dlivr him in th vil day. How blssd [Th Hbrw noun is an abstract plural. Th word oftn rfrs mtonymically to th happinss that God givn scurity and prosprity produc (s Psalm 1:1; Psalm 1:3; Psalm 2:12; Psalm 34:9; Psalm 65:4; Psalm 84:12; Psalm 89:15; Psalm 106:3; Psalm 112:1; Psalm 127:5; Psalm 128:1; Psalm 144:15)] is th on who trats th poor proprly [Th psalmist is charactrizing himslf as such an individual and supplying a rason why God has rspondd favorably to his prayr. Th Lord's attitud toward th mrciful mirrors thir tratmnt of th poor]! Whn troubl coms ["in th day of troubl" (s Psalm 27:5)], th LORD dlivrs him [That is, th on who has bn kind to th poor. Th prfixd vrbal form could b takn as jussiv of prayr ("may th LORD dlivr," s Psalm 41:2), but th prcding paralll lin is a dclaration of fact, not a prayr pr s. Th imprfct can b takn hr as futur ("will dlivr," cf. NEB, NASB) or as gnralizing ("dlivrs," cf. NIV, NRSV). Th paralll lin, which has a gnralizing ton, favors th lattr. At th sam tim, though th psalmist uss a gnralizing styl hr, h clarly has himslf primarily in viw]. Whn it coms to making an actual matrial chang to th txt, th NET Bibl is prtty good about indicating this. Sinc most of ths corrctions will b clar in th mor litral translations blow and within th Hbrw xgsis itslf, I will not continu to list vry NET Bibl footnot. Blssd ar thos who hav rgard for th wak; th Lord dlivrs thm in tims of troubl. Litral, almost word-for-word, rndrings: Th Amplifid Bibl Barns Blssd (happy, fortunat, to b nvid) is h who considrs th wak and th poor; th Lord will dlivr him in th tim of vil and troubl. Oh th blssings of him that considrs [this mans proprly to look at, to bhold; thn, to b prudnt or circumspct; thn, to attnd to; and thn in gnral to act prudntly, wisly, intlligntly, in any cas. Hr it mans to attnd to; to show an intrst in; to car for. Th ida is that of not nglcting; not passing by; not bing indiffrnt to; not bing hard-hartd and uncharitabl toward.] th poor [or, th wak, th sick]. Th Lord will dlivr him in tim of troubl [Margin, as in Hbrw: in th day of vil. ].

17 17 Th Book of 2Samul (2Sam. 15) Concordant Litral Vrsion A Consrvativ Vrsion Darby Updatd Translation Emphasizd Bibl English Standard Vrsion xgss companion Bibl Th Gnva Bibl LTHB Modrn KJV NASB Nw RSV Syndin A Voic in th Wildrnss World English Bibl Young's Updatd LT Th gist of this vrs: Happy is h who is acting intlligntly toward th poor and ndy; In a day of pril, Yahwh shall provid his scap. Blssd is h who considrs a poor man. LORD will dlivr him in th day of vil. Blssd is h that undrstands th poor: Jhovah will dlivr him in th day of vil. How happy is h that is attntiv to th poor, In th day of calamity, will Yahwh dlivr him. Blssd is th on who considrs th poor [or, wak]! In th day of troubl th LORD dlivrs him;... Blith - h who comprhnds th poor: Yah Vh rscus him in th day of vil;. Blssd [is] h that a considrs th poor: th LORD will dlivr him in tim of troubl. Not condmning him as accusd whom God visits, knowing that thr ar various rasons why God lays his hand on us, ya and aftrwards h rstors us. Blssd is h who acts wisly toward th poor; Jhovah will dlivr him in th day of vil. Blssd is h who acts wisly toward th poor; Jhovah will dlivr him in tim of troubl. How blssd is h who considrs th hlplss [Or poor]; Th Lord will dlivr him in a day of troubl [Or vil]. Happy ar thos who considr th poor [or, wak]; th Lord dlivrs thm in th day of troubl. Blssd is h who has rgardd th hlplss. Jhovah/God dlivrs him in th day of disastr. {Not: RBT says that psalms 39,41 and 55 ar conspiracy psalms writtn by David approximatly at th tim of 2Samul 15:12 - th Absalom rvolution. This vrs givs us David's mntal attitud whn h discovrd th Absalom rvolution. H is th hlplss on - in a stat of humility.}. Blssd is h who givs attntion to th poor; Jhovah will dlivr him in th tim of vil. Blssd is h who considrs th poor: Yahwh will dlivr him in th day of vil. O th happinss of him Who is acting wisly unto th poor, In a day of vil Jhovah dlivrs him. God promiss to dlivr in a disastr thos who look out for th dficint. Psalm 41:1a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs ash rêy (àçùàøåé) [pronouncd ahsh -RAY] blssdnss, blssings, happinsss masculin plural construct Strong s #835 BDB #80 ash rêy is only found in th masculin plural construct. It is gnrally rndrd happinss [to], blssd [is, ar]. It mans that ithr th subjct is happy or thy ar in a dsirabl position and is rasonably rndrd blssings [and happinss to]. sâkal (ùèëçì) [pronouncd saw-kahl] looking at, attnding to, turning th mind to; bing or bcoming undrstanding, bing prudnt; bing succssful, acting prosprously; instructing, taching, making prudnt Hiphil participl Strong s #7919 BDB #968

18 Psalm Psalm 41:1a Hbrw/Pronunciation Common English Manings Nots/Morphology Numbrs l (àæì) [pronouncd hl] unto; into, among, in; toward, to; against; concrning, rgarding; bsids, togthr with; as to, in rspct to; bcaus of; according to dirctional prposition (rspct or dfrnc may b implid); xpandd manings givn Strong's #413 BDB #39 dal (ãìçì) [pronouncd dahl] frail, hlplss, powrlss, wak, listlss, languid, sluggish; [on who is] low, poor, ndy masculin singular noun/adjctiv; pausal form Strong s #1800 (and #1803) BDB #195 From Barns: Th word usd in th Hbrw - ãçì dal - mans proprly somthing hanging or swinging, as of pndulous boughs or branchs; and thn, that which is wak, fbl, powrlss. Translation: Blssings [or, happinsss] [to th on] attnding to [or, instructing] th poor [I.., th on who is dficint or lacking; th on who is grac orintd];... Th poor is th prson who is dficint in som way. Thy lack halth, financial rsourcs, food, or doctrin. Many tims, th word poor can rfr to a prson who is grac orintd. Rgarding th vrb, Barns writs: Hr it mans to attnd to; to show an intrst in; to car for. Th ida is that of not nglcting; not passing by; not bing indiffrnt to; not bing hard-hartd and uncharitabl toward...th word usd in th Hbrw - ãçì dal - mans proprly somthing hanging or swinging, as of pndulous boughs or branchs; and thn, that which is wak, fbl, powrlss. Thus it coms to dnot thos who ar fbl and hlplss ithr by povrty or by disas, and is usd with a gnral rfrnc to thos who ar in slow or humbl condition, and who nd th aid of othrs. Th statmnt hr is of a gnral natur - that h is blssd who shows propr sympathy for all of that class: for thos who nd th sympathy of othrs from any caus - povrty, sicknss, a low condition, or troubl. Th particular thing hr rfrrd to was a cas of sicknss; whr on was born down by disas, prhaps brought on by mntal sorrow, and whn h particularly ndd th 14 sympathy of his frinds. Whn it coms to intrprting this short phras, w should bar in mind that David is applying this to himslf. H is th on who attnds to th poor; h is th on who is blssd. It is bcaus of this, God blsss David and protcts him throughout this chaptr. How dos David attnd to th poor? David was king, thrfor, h wildd grat powr in making laws, in ovrsing th nforcmnt of laws, and in th courtroom. W know that h did not play favorits; h did not tak bribs or dcid in favor of th rich ovr th poor (although David was wak whn it cam to his own sons). All that a poor prson in court should xpct is just a fair trial. Thr ar also portions of th Mosaic Law which favord th poor. For instanc, th cornrs of a fild wr not to b harvstd, but lft for th poor to com in and harvst thmslvs (Lv. 19:9 23:22 Dut. 24:19). Also, vry third yar, a tith was takn up for th poor, widows, orphans and immigrants (Dutronomy 14:28-29). Although w do not hav any spcific instancs of this rcordd during th rign of David, basd upon this psalm, w may assum that law was nforcd during David s rign. What is don for that poor prson (again, thr ar many typs of povrty in viw hr) is, somon attnds to him, or is mindful of him, or on who instructs or tachs him. Th poor prson is th prson with som kind of 14 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Sword, Psalm 41:1.