The Psalm begins with a dramatic introduction, an open invitation to all peoples and inhabitants of the world, calling all to “hear” (v 2). This suggests the inclusive character of wisdom which incorporates all low and high, rich and poor (v 3). Wisdom applies for all, despite one’s social status. The words of a wisdom teacher are those of wisdom and understanding (v 4). And he will incline his ear to a proverb and solve the riddle (v 5). The greatest riddle of Ps 49 which the wisdom teacher is going to address is the riddle of life, the relationship of life to death.
Vv 6-7, the wisdom teacher is asking a rhetorical question, “why should I fear in the evil days?” The evil days are the bad times, including the situation of the encounter with death. It is obvious that the poor and weak often face these evil days, these people being vulnerable before the wealthy and the powerful. Verse 17, says, not to be afraid, these words of verse 17 brings hope for the poor and weak against the rich and powerful (vv 6-7). “Do not be afraid” (v 17) provides the reassurance that makes it possible to say, “Why should I fear” (v 6).
Vv 8-12, indicate the reality and inevitability of retribution. “No ransom
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The human does not abide in honor; he is like the beasts that perish (13). This refrain comes against the background of death. It suggests that in death there is no difference between man and a beast and that the world is not a permanent place to abide in honor.
Verse 14, speaks of the fate of foolhardy, which indicates that the manner in which one leads his or her life decides its fortune or end (Cf. Ps 73, 17). Verses 15-16, use a simile: death is personified as Shepherd gathering in like sheep those appointed to die (v 15). The abode of dead is conceived as Sheol. The shepherd may refer to God himself, who is the shepherd of his people (Ps 23, 1; 80, 2; 95, 7) and who will ransom their soul from the power of Sheol (v
In The Saga of the Volsungs, a paradoxical notion of the value of life emerges from almost every action that the characters perform. One’s corporeal death is almost of no concern in the sometimes harsh and cruel society of the saga. The importance of honor over almost anything else can explain many of the seemingly contradictory and nonsensical actions of characters in the saga. This obsession with honor constitutes the basis for an honor society—a culture where pain, death, and other earthly concerns fall short in significance to one’s good name and honor. Many of the actions inspired by this fixation with honor seem foolish, but considered within the context of how the culture in the saga views reputations and honor make perfect sense.
St. Albans Psalter Psalm 68 is not long, but it does have lots of detailed material to study the author’s choice of language, and the power of the images that are being conveyed to the readers through an emotional and sentimental way. The simplicity of this psalm’s gives it power, since it expresses an emotional despair in a careful shaped prayer, which comes from a human being in what seems to be a life-threatening situation. In the image and the content, the psalmist’s travels an arc of desperation to salvation, in a vivid personal plea to Christ to save him from what seems to be a swirling vortex of hopelessness that threatens to pull him under forever.
“One Holy Night” by Sandra Cisneros and “Seventeen Syllables” by Hisaye Yamamoto both center on the idea of being in love on a low social class. Ixchel being the protagonist in One Holy Night falls in love with a man who kept coming back to buy fruits and vegetables from her while she was working the pushcart ever Saturday. Later on she discovers the man she once loved was arrested for being a serial killer but even still loved him since that was her first love. In Seventeen Syllables, Rosie the main character is told about the importance of her culture frequently by her parents. Rosie falls in love with a boy who works with her in the field but soon is told not to marry him by her mother. They are both similar because they both fall in love, come from a social class that might prevent them from marrying, family members are protective of their love life, and have boyfriends that might end up leaving them.
Lutheran hymns were not just songs of worship, but were a method to spread their propaganda and hatred about the Roman Church. The more the people sung these hymns, the more they conformed to the views of the Lutheran Church. These hymns were intended to incite feelings of anger and outrage toward the Roman Church, as well as to compare the Roman Church with Satan.
Honor is an overarching theme in the book, often influencing the actions of many of the characters. One of the beliefs of ancient Greek society is to honor those above you, mostly the gods. Those who honor the gods by obeying them are rewarded. In book 1, Athene comes down to Achilles and asks for his obedience. He replies, “If any man obeys the gods, they listen to him also” (1.218). Achilles shows that honoring the gods will in turn help him in the long run, this is one of the reasons honoring the gods is so valued, and expected. Another part of the culture surrounding honor is the respect for the dead. This is shown not just in the elaborate funerals, exemplified in the cases of both Patroklos and Hektor, who both had long mourning periods and elaborate ceremonies and rituals performed, but also in the interaction between the winners and losers in battle. One example from The Iliad is Achilles’ respect for those he had slain in the beginning of the story. When Achilles killed Eetion, he “did not strip his armor, for his heart respected the dead man, /but burned the body in all its elaborate war-gear” (6.417-418). Achilles honored the dead by respecting the man and his symbols of
The fiftieth psalm begins with the heading “A psalm of Asaph”. Whether it was officially written by him or simply dedicated to him , it is noteworthy to understand who Asaph was and the impact he had on the music and worship of Israel. Asaph was part of a music guild in the court of David along with Heman (1 Chronicles 6:39 ) and Ethan (1 Chronicles 15:19). These men were appointed to lead the musical celebration for the return of the Ark of the Covenant when King David danced passionately enough to embarrass his wife Michal (1 Chronicles 15:16ff). He also served under the leadership of King Solomon during an incredibly significant theophany of the glory of God (2 Chronicles 5:12-14). Perhaps this dramatic encounter with God led to the divine inspiration of Psalm 50’s theophany. Not only was Asaph a music leader, but also a writer of music and referred to as a “seer” (2 Chronicles 29:30). Evidently Asaph’s ability to “see” was an asset in the writing of this psalm, for Asaph “saw” quite a startling prophecy of God and his coming judgments on His people.
“If we must die, let not be like hogs hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, while round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, making their mock at our accursed lot. If we must die, O let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we deft Shall be constrained to honor us though dead! O kinsmen! We must meet the common foe! Though far outnumbered let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow! What though before us lies the open grave? Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!”
Psalm 89 of the Book of Psalms, advocates the message of consequentialism, foreground by man’s relationship with God, with direct lin...
The purpose of this paper is to share with you, the reader, where I was with my faith relationship through the Psalms and their role in my prayer life. How, through education in the background, exegesis and relevance of the Psalms coupled with a functional practice of praying them regularly, I have cultivated my faith and strengthened my gratitude for them. Lastly, I wish to offer some advice to others who have not found value in the Psalms (where I once was). These insights are offered in the hope that they (the Psalms) will add more meaning to the prayer life of those seeking to enhance their spiritual life.
Today’s culture is one where people like to do as little work as possible. Even when it comes to reading our own scripture, The Holy Words of God, a lot of people like to look up one verse and reference it to something without knowing what the rest of the passage says. Psalms 109 is no exception, it is one the more widely misused passages as of late. A popular verse from Psalms 109 is verse 8 which reads “Let his days be few; and let another take his office”, this is seen in reference to our current president, but what people fail to realize is what else David is actually praying. This paper is going to go through Psalms 109 and unpack it verse by verse to show the true meaning of what David was praying and to give us a new look at how to pray.
In the epics of both Homer and Virgil, the meaning and politics of honour play a significant role in the decisions and actions of the characters. Honour involves arbitrary set of rules, so just what is is and why did people need to maintain these rules at all? In these poems, honour is linked to a hero’s possessions, identity, and deed. All three are important, but one’s deeds seem to matter the most and without performing great deeds, honour cannot be had the other two ways.
is an almost word for word repeat of what woman wisdom said in verse 25, that they would not listen to her wisdom despise her reproof. The second part of the verse is where it is different, “They shall eat the fruit of their ways and be sated with their own devices” (v. 30b). Christine Yoder says, “Her use of the image of eating and being sated by the fruit of their dispositions and plans conveys an act-consequence worldview. That is, a person experiences the effect of their actions and choices. They reap what they sow.” In this case, woman wisdom is just saying that the audience is going have what they have chosen for their life. Since they did not chose to fear the Lord they are not going to be able to rely on Him when they need him. It can be gathered as well, that maybe them being sated in their ways and eating their own fruit will just be a life of what verse 26 says, a life that is filled with calamity, anguish and stress. Verses 25-26 verses 29-30 are closely related thematically.
Again he states he isn’t afraid of what he doesn’t know and that he’s off to converse with better men in the afterlife. As an illustration he explains, “What would one not give… for the opportunity to examine the man who led the great expedition against Troy, or Odysseus, or Sisyphus and innumerable other men and women one could mention?” He also states that if you are just your life will not be “neglected by the gods” and your life after death will depend on whether you were pious or impious.
Psalm 43 is a cry to God: “Judge me O God and plead my cause against