“Every day I bless you” - Psalm 145:1-7

    The indomitable strength of Judaism and Christianity resides in their capacity for taking Scripture literally. The movement away from the literalization of scriptural details is a weakening of the ability of those details to be embodied in ways beyond the literal.

    It is the literal Sabbath, the literal tefillin, the literal miqva that keep the Jewish people. Take the literal away, and the ability of the literal to be "carried" or metaphorized through media large and small is weakened.

    It is the literal Eucharist, the literal washing of feet, the literal imposition of ashes that keep the Christian people. Take the signs away, and the signified fades away.

    Take away what new atheists call “genital mutilation” (circumcision) and “ritual cannibalism” (the Eucharist), and you rip out the heart of living faith.

    Psalm 145 includes the phrase “every day I bless you,” and so, in a typical example of literalization, an observant Jew blesses Ha-Shem with this psalm three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening.

    I make use of the Koren Siddur for prayers. The English of the edition is not meant to replace the Hebrew; it makes no sense to pray the Siddur except in Hebrew. I would have preferred, however, that biblical text were reproduced with neumes (the so-called “accents”). If nothing else, the traditional syntactic and prosodic parse is before one’s eyes.

    Much more could be done through formatting to allow visual tracking of form and structure, Psalm 145:1-7 may exemplify. 

תְּהִלָּ֗ה לְדָ֫וִ֥ד

אֲרוֹמִמְךָ֣            אֱלוֹהַ֣י הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ        וַאֲבָרֲכָ֥ה שִׁ֝מְךָ֗     לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃

בְּכָל־י֥וֹם             אֲבָרֲכֶ֑ךָּ              וַאֲהַלְלָ֥ה שִׁ֝מְךָ֗     לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃

גָּ֘ד֤וֹל יְהוָ֣ה           וּמְהֻלָּ֣ל מְאֹ֑ד        וְ֝לִגְדֻלָּתוֹ֗             אֵ֣ין חֵֽקֶר׃

דּ֣וֹר לְ֭דוֹר           יְשַׁבַּ֣ח מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ       וּגְב֖וּרֹתֶ֣יךָ           יַגִּֽידוּ׃

הֲ֭דַר כְּב֣וֹד          הוֹדֶ֑ךָ                 וְדִבְרֵ֖י נִפְלְאוֹתֶ֣יךָ    אָשִֽׂיחָה׃

וֶעֱז֣וּז נוֹרְאֹתֶ֣יךָ     יֹאמֵ֑רוּ                וּגְדוּלֹּתֶיךָ            אֲסַפְּרֶֽנָּה׃

זֵ֣כֶר רַב־טוּבְךָ֣     יַבִּ֑יעוּ                  וְצִדְקָתְךָ֥             יְרַנֵּֽנוּ׃

   MT 145:5 seems muddled. Based on internal considerations and in light of 11QPs^a LXX Syr, it might be best to restore as follows:

   הֲדַ֣ר כְּבוֹדְךָ֣        יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ                וְנִפְלְאוֹתֶ֣יךָ          אָשִֽׂיחָה׃

    In translation:

             A song of praise of David.

1              I exalt you, my God is king;
                       your name will I bless, always and forever!
2              Every day I bless you,
                       your name will I praise, always and forever!
3              Great is יהוה, most worthy of praise,
                       his greatness, inexhaustible. 

4              One generation lauds your deeds to another,
                       they set forth your feats of power.
5              The splendor of your glory they describe,
                       your wonders will I rehearse.
6              The fist of your fearsome deeds they tell,
                       your greatness will I recount.
7              The fame of your great goodness they declaim,
                       your justice they sing.

    For a better idea of the form and structure of Psalm 145:1-7, go here (view at 150%). Here is a screenshot (click to enlarge).

Posts on Psalm 145

The Chief End of Man is to Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever: Psalm 145:1-3
Every Day I Bless You: Psalm 145:1-7
Your Justice They Sing: Psalm 145:4-7

Comments

[Bob MacDonald]

Hi John - at some distant future date I hope to get to this psalm in more detail - but I did do a little table of recurring words here - The frame of repeating words is quite clear. I haven't noticed the doubling of a frame that often yet. Suitable for the end of the book.

[JohnFH]

I hope to finish up the whole psalm soon.

[Bob MacDonald]

I like your colouring of the kaf's - the contrast with the you of this psalm and the nu of psalm 44 is striking. With the 25 words ending in kaf together with the 17 repeated 'all', psalm 145 sounds like 'k' everywhere.

[Pulp Fiction 1]

One question that arises is what is the significance of the repetition of the Jewish? I feel like many things throughout the bible are repeated. Is it to be encoding in one’s mind or is it just part of the bible's structure? I like the quote "every day I bless you", it’s nice to know that people know that there is someone watching over them.

[Praying with Lior 2]

I really enjoyed this summary; it made me think of my religion in a different way. I am Christian and never really thought about the many literal things that I do that make Christianity what it is. For example, all the emotion that is tied to the Eucharist. When I receive it, I think of how Jesus suffered to save us. If I did not literally take the body and blood of Jesus, the thoughts and emotions that came to the surface upon doing this, may not be as evident to me.

These literal actions that are performed are what separate each religion and make them unique. It is interesting to read in this summary the actions that people who practice Judaism do compared to those who practice Christianity. It makes me wonder what meaning these literal actions have to people who practice Judaism.

[Pulp Fiction 4]

I think the first part of this passage is very interesting. It shows how different and unique every religion is, and the different actions each person performs. I really enjoyed reading Psalm 145. It says in there that, "Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable." I couldn't agree more with this, the first part, "Every day I will bless you", we should bless God everyday, because he watches over us every day and night. The Second part of this passage talks about how great the Lord, and how is greatness is unsearchable. The Lord is great, and I think when his greatness is unsearchable, because we don't need to search for it, God has his ways of showing us how great he really is.

[Pulp Fiction 3]

Pulp Fiction 4,

I agree with you in saying "we should bless God everyday." God watches over us all the time so the least we can do to try and say thanks is to bless him day in and day out. It is truly fascinating all that God has done for all us and I believe too many of us take for granted what he has done.

[Nell 4]

Psalms 145 was a very interesting passage to read. I know when I first read the passage; it made me think about my own beliefs in God through being baptized, attending catechism classes and receiving God's sacrament of his body and blood. If I would have never been brought up around religion, it makes me wonder if I would have the same beliefs that I do now. The reason I say this, is because if I wasn't born or grew up around religion would I really understand the passage "Every day I will bless you." I know growing up as a Lutheran, I am always thanking and praying to God for the things and people that are in my life. And also to be blessed with the luxury and people around me, because if it wasn't for God we all today wouldn't be here or have what we have.

[Nell 3]

“Every day I bless you, your name will I praise, always and forever!” I was raised in a Catholic family and did everything that the typical catholic child would do. I went to religion class, church on Sundays, and recognized all the religious holidays like Ash Wednesday and Good Friday; however, I never read this verse of Psalm 145. For me it really puts into perspective the reason we do the things we do as Catholics. It is all to show thanks for what God has sacrificed for us and to confess our undying love for him and faith in his word. I have known these things were considered “right” thing to do as a Catholic and have always done them, but it is a great feeling to see it actually written in the Bible.

[True Grit 3]

Personally I like the quote “Everyday I Bless You”, because it brings a sense of security. Throughout the Bible, I have noticed that blessing people is said in many different ways and is repeated throughout the Bible. I feel that this is a good thing because it can remind people that they are blessed.

[chariots of fire 3]

I really found the post interesting, helpful, and enjoyed reading. I like your comment “It is the literal Sabbath, the literal tefillin, the literal miqva that keep the Jewish people.” The next sentence you commented that if you take the literal meaning away from these spiritual symbols then the meaning will be lessened and watered down. I thought that you stated that perfectly and made an excellent point. If the literal meaning is gone then there will be tons of lesser valuable meanings incorporated with these symbols. I feel that this is true for not only the things that you have mentioned, but tons of other spiritual symbols in other religions as well.

[chariots of fire 3]

I really found the post interesting, helpful, and enjoyed reading. I like your comment “It is the literal Sabbath, the literal tefillin, the literal miqva that keep the Jewish people.” The next sentence you commented that if you take the literal meaning away from these spiritual symbols then the meaning will be lessened and watered down. I thought that you stated that perfectly and made an excellent point. If the literal meaning is gone then there will be tons of lesser valuable meanings incorporated with these symbols. I feel that this is true for not only the things that you have mentioned, but tons of other spiritual symbols in other religions as well.

[True Grit 4]

I really like this Psalm because it is true that God blesses us every day. Even if we do not realize it God blesses us. Even when our life seems bad God is blessing us. He gives us the air we breathe, the food we need to eat, and the people we need to support us. Even the bad things in life our lives can be blessing. It may not feel that way that the bad is a blessing but it is true. There is good in bad and bad in good, but all things even things as evil as the devil serve God.

[The Truman Show 4]

I happen to really love this Psalm. Personally, it makes me realize that I can't just go through the motions of going to church, Sunday school, etc. Every day is a blessing. Nell 4 also has a good point that got me thinking. If I wouldn't have been born in a Christian family who regularly attended church, would I still have the same beliefs? How different would it be? I realized I can’t think about that, though, because I was born in a Christian family who reminds me daily that I need to bless God every day and give thanks to him for everything. Everything we all are and have, is because of Him. I think more people need to read this Psalm and reflect on it.

[breaker morant 2]

Each day is a blessing one must take one at a time. My mom always tells me to thank God for each new day because you never know when it will be your last. (as depressing as that sounds) If my parents hadn't baptized me in the Christian religion, or any religion for that matter, would i have found my way to one? I don't attend church regularly, for many reasons, and for the ones who do, does it ever end up repeating itself? The bible is so long and you can only talk about each verse so long, when do they start over?

[Shawshank 2]

Psalm 145 is a staple for having faith in God. The Bible tells us very often that we should give thanks to God, even during church responses the congregation says “Thanks be to God.” Every day I bless you is more than just a verse form the Bible, it is a lifestyle. Some of the most faithful people I know are the happiest and most at peace because this is what they live by. Psalm 145 helps us to reflect on what God has really blessed us with, such as life, health, help through turmoil, and many other situations. After reading this Psalm it feels almost impossible not to thank God for all our blessings and having to read this is a real wake up call for how special God really is.

[True Grit 4]

I can't say much but to echo what has already been said. Out of all the hallelujah psalms, this one really stands out in my eyes, because like many have said before, it points out all of the good things that God does for us. These are summarized pretty well in verses 14-20, where it says "The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down." it goes on to say "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth". Like Breaker Morant 2 said earlier, thank God for each new day, because you never know when it may be your last. Psalm 145 is a good way to do so.

[True Grit 1]

I think everyday is a blessing from God. God blesses us in so many ways that we don't even notice that the things we have are the things that we pray for and he blessed us with. Being born to be a Christian gave me the strength to thank God for every thing and all his blessing because the things that we have it is God who blessed us in order for us to have the things we wanted. Also God is not only blessing us with things but if you believed in him he will also provide you things that you don't have through out your life. Like for example I just got married before school start and I was doubting to my husband that we have nothing and that were are going to have enough money to pay bills. Also that we need to find jobs to help us with finical. But all my husband said is believe that God will bless us and provide us with jobs and money in order to pay bills and other things. well it is been two months and there are tons of jobs opportunities coming our way. Since that happened I knew that God is really providing it to us and blessing us with everything. God is Awesome. You just got to believe and let him bless you.

[Dead Man Walking 5]

Psalm 145 was an incredibly interesting psalm to read. When I read this passage, it made me reflect back on my religious background coming up through the religious programs for youths. First going through first communion and making my way through all of the sacraments ending with confirmation. Then, I thought about how it would be if I had different religious upbringings how my beliefs would have differed throughout my life. I think that if I didn’t grow up with a religious background I would not have understood this passage.