Psalm 50:6-15 – The Judge’s Correction For Worshipers

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 1 Oct. 2023

Introduction:

vs.7 God Has Authority To Judge You, So Pay Attention To Him

v.8 God did not condemn His people when they offered sacrifices the way He told them to.

vs. 9-11 Sacrifices Can’t Ultimately Be Effective Because the Fruits and Animals Offered Were God’s to Begin With!

vs. 12-13 And Sacrifices Can’t Ultimately Be Effective Because a Spiritual God Has No Need of Physical Sacrifices

vs.14-15 Thanksgiving, Promisekeeping, and Trust are what honor God, and God Will Save His People Who Are Characterized By These Things.

In Review

Psalm 50:6-15 Side-by side comparison of versionsA

Vulgate (Ps. 49)B

LXXC
(Ps. 49)

Brenton (Vaticanus)D

KJVE

NAW

Masoretic TxtF

PeshittaG

7 audi populus meus et loquar [tibi] Israhel et testificabor tibi Deus Deus tuus ego sum

7 Ἄκουσον, λαός μου, καὶ λαλήσω [σοιH], Ισραηλ, καὶ διαμαρτύρομαί σοι· ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σού εἰμι ἐγώ.

7 Hear, my people, and I will speak [to thee], O Israel: and I will testify to thee: I am God, thy God.

7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

7 “Please listen, my people Israel, and let me speak {to you}, and let me testify with you. I am God, your God.

זשִׁמְעָה עַמִּי וַאֲדַבֵּרָהI יִשְׂרָאֵלJ וְאָעִידָהK בָּךְ אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֶיךָ אָנֹכִיL.

7 שׁמע עמי ואמר [לך] ואיסריל אסהדך [אנא] אנא אלהא אלהך

8 non in sacrificiis tuis arguam te holo­causta autem tua in conspectu meo sunt semper

8 οὐκ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις σου ἐλέγξω σε, τὰ δὲ ὁλοκαυτώματά σου ἐνώπιόν μού ἐστιν διὰ παντός·

8 I will not reprove thee on account of thy sacri­fices; for thy whole-burnt-offer­ings are before me continually.

8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.

8 It’s not over your sacrifices that I am reproving you – for your whole-burnt-offerings are before me continuously.

ח לֹא עַל זְבָחֶיךָ אוֹכִיחֶךָ וְעוֹלֹתֶיךָ לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִידM.

8 לא על דבחיך אכסך ועלותך לוקבלי [אנין] בכלזבן

9 non accipiam de domo tua vitulos [neque] de gregibus tuis hircos

9 οὐ δέξομαι ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου μόσχους [οὐδὲ] ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων σου χιμάρουςN.

9 I will take no bullock[s] out of thine house, [nor] he-goats out of thy flocks.

9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.

9 I will not take from your house a bullock {or} goats from your pens,

ט לֹא אֶקַּח מִבֵּיתְךָ פָר מִמִּכְלְאֹתֶיךָ Oעַתּוּדִים.

9 לא אסב מן ביתך תורא [אף לא] מן גזרך גדיא

10 quoniam meae sunt omnes ferae silvarum iumenta in montibus [et] boves

10 ὅτι ἐμά ἐστιν πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ, κτήνη ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν [καὶP] βόες·

10 For all the wild beast[s] of the thicket are mine, the cattle on the mountains, and oxen.

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

10 because every wild animal belong to me, the cattle on the hills {and} the oxen.

י כִּי לִי כָל חַיְתוֹ יָעַר בְּהֵמוֹת בְּהַרְרֵי אָלֶף.

10 מטל דדילי הי כלה חיותא דדברא [ו]בעירא דבטורא [ו]תורא

11 cognovi omnia volatilia caeli et pulchritudo agri mecum est

11 ἔγνωκα πάντα τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ὡραιότηςQ ἀγροῦ μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐστιν.

11 I know all the birds of the sky; and the beauty of the field is mine.

11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beast[s] of the field are mine.

11 I know every bird of the {heavens}; the animal in the field is already in my company.

יא יָדַעְתִּי כָּל עוֹף הָרִיםR וְזִיזS שָׂדַי עִמָּדִי.

11 ידע אנא כולה פרחתא דשׁמיא וחיותאT דדברא דילי הי

12 si esuriero non dicam tibi meus est enim orbis terrae et plenitudo eius

12 ἐὰν πεινάσω, οὐ μή σοι εἴπω· ἐμὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς.

12 If I should be hungry, I will not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness of it.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell it to you, because the world and what fills it belong to me!

יב אִם אֶרְעַב לֹא אֹמַר לָךְ כִּי לִי תֵבֵל וּמְלֹאָהּ.

12 אן כפן אנא לא אמר לך מטל דדילי הי תביל במלאה

13 numquid manducabo carnes taur­orum aut sanguinem hircorum potabo

13 μὴ φάγομαι κρέα ταύρων ἢ αἷμα τράγων πίομαι;

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

יג הַאוֹכַל בְּשַׂר U אַבִּירִים וְדַם עַתּוּדִיםV אֶשְׁתֶּה.

13 לא אכל אנא בסרא דארונא ודמא דגדיא [לא] שׁתא אנא

14 immola Deo sacrificium laudis et redde Altissimo vota tua

14 θῦσον τῷ θεῷ [θυσίαν] αἰνέσεωςW καὶ ἀπόδος τῷ ὑψίστῳ τὰς εὐχάς σου·

14 Offer to God the [sacrifice of] praise; and pay thy vows to the Most High.

14 Offer unto God thanksgiv­ing; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

14 Sacrifice to God a thanks-offering, and make good on your vows to the Most High.

יד זְבַח לֵאלֹהִים תּוֹדָה וְשַׁלֵּםX לְעֶלְיוֹן נְדָרֶיךָ.

14 דבח לאלהא תודיתא ושׁלם למרימא נדריך

15 et invoca me in die tribulationis et eruam te et honorifi­cabis me [diapsalma]

15 καὶ ἐπικάλεσαί με ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεως, [καὶ] ἐξελοῦμαί σε, καὶ δοξάσεις με. [διάψαλμα.]

15 And call upon me in the day of affliction; [and] I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. [Pause.]

15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

15 Also, call out to me during a time of crisis. I will rescue you, then you glorify me!

טו וּקְרָאֵנִי בְּיוֹם צָרָה אֲחַלֶּצְךָ וּתְכַבְּדֵנִי.

15 וקריני ביומא דאולצנא אעשׁנךY ותשׁבחני


1J. Calvin, Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, John Gill, and to some extent Charles Spurgeon

2In order to force this interpretation, Gill and Henry added words to v.8 (“I do not reprove you for not offering sacrifices”) and changed the meaning of the verb in v.9 to “I will not accept...”

3Augustine, Dr. Hammond (cited by M. Henry), also Gill to some extent.

4A.R. Fausset, F. Delitzsch, A. Cohen, and G. Wilson appeared to support this view in their commentaries, and to some extent Spurgeon too.

5“The address which follows is directed to the professed people of God. It is clearly, in the first place, meant for Israel; but is equally applicable to the visible church of God in every age. It declares the futility of external worship when spiritual faith is absent and the mere outward ceremonial is rested in.” ~Ch. Spurgeon

6“...Israel’s understanding of sacrifice… appears to be defective. In this first section, the problem seems to be that those who sacrifice believe their sacrifices are essential to God… They were never intended as meals presented to him but are a mechanism for human benefit – agreed-upon acts by which humans acknowledge and repent of sin, give thanks for divine deliverance, and celebrate communion with a God who is present with them.” ~ Gerald Wilson, NIV Application Commentary

7Yet, as Augustine pointed out, in Matt. 25:35 &40, Jesus says, “For I was hungry, and y'all gave me [something] to eat… as much as you did it for one of the least of these brothers of mine, it was to me that you did it.”

81 Cor. 6:20 “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” (NKJV) Malachi 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house…” (NKJV) Hebrews 10:24-25 Let us also take cognizance of one another towards the provocation of love and of good works, not leaving out the gathering together of ourselves.…” (NAW) James 1:27 “This is pure and undefiled religion according to our God and Father: to watch over orphans and widows in their distress, [and] to keep oneself unsullied from the world.” (NAW) Col. 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (NKJV)

91 Thess. 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Eph. 5:20 “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (NKJV)

10Num. 30:2 "If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth." (NKJV)
Eccl. 5:4 “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed" (NKJV) cf. Deut. 23:21, Jonah 2:9, Psalm 22:25, 56:12, 61:8, 65:1, 76:11.

11“‘Hear, and I will speak to thee.’ For if thou hearest not, even though I shall speak, it will not be to thee. When then shall I speak to thee? If thou hearest.” ~Augustine

AMy original chart includes the NASB, NIV, and ESV, but their copyright restrictions force me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing Psalm 50 are 4Q85 Psalmsc (which contains parts of verses 13-23) and 11Q9 Psalmse (containing parts of vs. 3-7), both of which date to the early-to-mid first century. Where the DSS is legible and reads the same as the MT, the Hebrew text is colored purple. Where the DSS and ancient versions support each other against the MT in such a way that I suspect they are the original reading, I have highlighted them with yellow.

BJerome's Latin Vulgate w/ Deuterocanon using Gallican Psalter, 405 AD. As published electronically by E-Sword.

CThis Greek New Testament (GNT) is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era as a break from the traditional Greek Bible by compiling just a few of the oldest-known manuscripts, but even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.

DEnglish translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851, “based upon the text of the Vaticanus” but not identical to the Vaticanus. As published electronically by E-Sword.

E1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published electronically by E-Sword.

FFrom the Wiki Hebrew Bible https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8_%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D.
DSS text comes from https://downloads.thewaytoyahuweh.com

GThe Leiden Peshitta, Copyright © 2012 by The Peshitta Foundation c/o Leiden University Institute for Religious Studies, as published electronically in BibleWorks.

HAlthough Fields notes a variant from Symmachus later in this verse, he notes no variant here, which leaves the reader to wonder if Aquila and Symmachus supported the LXX over the MT here by inserting “to you.”

Icf. v.1 “Yahweh, the God of gods spoke…” All the verbs in this verse have cohortative or paragogic he endings. They give the sense of God urging and begging His people to respond well to Him. (cf. Delitzsch: “The forms strengthened by ah, in v.7, describe God's earnest desire to have Israel for willing hearers as being quite as strong as His desire to speak and to bear witness.”) The end of the verse gives compelling reason why: He is their God, after all!

J“People” and “Israel” are in parallel to each other as vocatives.

KThe beth preposition normally means “in/by/with,” so it is an interpretive stretch to translate it “against.” It doesn’t seem that God is testifying against His people; He doesn’t level accusations against them like He does against “the wicked.” Calvin reached a similar conclusion, although he didn’t see as friendly a relationship between God and His people here as I did: “Some read, ‘I will testify against thee.’ But the reference, as we may gather from the common usage of Scripture, seems rather to be to a discussion of mutual claims.” So did Cohen: “I will admonish thee… reformative rather than punitive.” Gill: “or ‘to thee’” (citing Vatablus and Ainsworth in support).

Lcf. Exodus 22:2, the authoritative basis upon which God issued law to His people is the same authoritative basis upon which He has the right to judge them.

MAlthough Henry and Gill edit this verse to say “I do not reprove you for failing to offer sacrifices…” Delitzsch explains: “It is not the sacrifices offered in a becoming spirit that are contrasted with those offered without the heart (as, e.g., Sir. 32 [35]:1-9), but the outward sacrifice appears on the whole to be rejected in comparison with the spiritual sacrifice. This entire turning away from the outward form of the legal ceremonial is, in the Old Testament, already a predictive turning towards that worship of God in spirit and in truth which the new covenant makes alone of avail, after the forms of the Law have served as swaddling clothes to the New Testament life which was coming into being in the old covenant.”

NAccording to Fields, Aquila, Symmachus, and “E” all read κερεινους (“horns”? “ceramics”?). Perhaps they were trying to steer away from the LXX “flocks” toward the MT meaning of “pens.”

OThis word for “pen/fold/fence” only occurs two other places in the Hebrew O.T., Ps. 78:70 and Hab. 3:17. LXX & Latin translate it “flocks,” but Peshitta supports the MT. Targum uses a root defined by Holladay as “flock together.”

PAquila followed the MT here with εν ‘ορεσι χιλιων (“on a thousand mountains”).

QLXX = “ripened thing,” Aquila = παντοδαπα (“all kinds”), Symmachus = πληθος (“fullness”), “E” = οναγρος (“wild donkey”) All translations from Liddell-Scott’s Lexicon.

RPeshita, Targum, Septuagint, and Vulgate all read “heavens” instead of “mountains.” The spelling of the two words is significantly different in Hebrew, so this isn’t merely a mis-read or mis-heard word by the copyists, but a variant tradition.

SThis word is only found 2 other places in the Hebrew O.T., Ps. 80:14 (where it is translated “movingNAS/insectsNIV/wildKJV”) and Isa. 66:11 (where it is translated “abundance/bountifulNAS”) Here, the Vulgate renders “beautiful,” the LXX = “ripe,” and the Peshitta = “animal.” BDB defines the root meaning as “conspicuous.” The idea of animal life is supported by the previous verse with behemot and chaiyto, and the idea of “fullness/abundance” is supported by meloach in the next verse.

TBauscher = “fullness,” Lamsa = “wild beasts,” but this verb appears to be the root for “living.”

UThis is a mature bull. Isa. 34:7 The previous occurrence in the Psalms is in 22:12 (“Bulls of Bashan”).

Vcf. v.9

WAquila translated ευχαριστιαν (“thanksgiving”) - which is closer to the MT.

XThis Piel form is only found 5 other places in the Hebrew O.T. (2 Ki. 4:7; Ps. 76:12; Eccl. 5:3; Jer. 50:29; Nah. 2:1), always with the meaning of fulfilling the terms of a vow, thus bringing it to completion and retirement.

YBauscher and Lamsa both translate this verb “strengthen.”

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