Biblog

Study on Psalm 1, weekly review... Wednesday, 3-Dec-2003 - Friday, 5-Dec-2003
We started looking at the word "is" in the phrase: "Blessed is the man", so now we have completed studies on the words "psalm", "blessed", and "is" which brings us to the word/phrase "the man".

There is one sense that Jesus-Christ is the ultimate example of the 'blessed-man", because he perfectly meditated upon the Word of God, and perfectly obeyed the Law of God, because he was/is (and called himself) "the Way, the Truth, and the Life".

As mentioned in the funeral message yesterday for funeral of Daniel L. Jones, from John 14

Jesus Is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions;[1] if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.[2] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know."
5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."


A.J. mentioned to me that when Jesus said He was "the way", he said he was the "law/word". Saying "I am the way" == "I am the law/word".
Jesus-Christ/law-word == blessed/man who meditates on the law/word,.

In another sense, when Jesus took our sins upon himself, he became the ultimate "cursed man". So we see in one person, the God/Man, Jesus Christ, the ultimate blessed man and the ultimate cursed man, the ultimate-happy-man, and the ultimate-man-of-sorrows.

Blessed [is] the man...
It appears that the word "IS" does not appear in the original version, but "IS" is added for clarity in our english translations. (See JPS version. )

See "blessed the man" in Hebrew, with english explanations of each word.

As we looked at yesterday. This is a metonymical linguistic device.
Blessed-man = one who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...

Psalm 1 - Greek LXX version

1:1 μακαριος ανηρ ος ουκ επορευθη εν βουλη ασεβων και εν οδω αμαρτωλων ουκ εστη και επι καθεδραν λοιμων ουκ εκαθισεν

1:2 αλλ' η εν τω νομω κυριου το θελημα αυτου και εν τω νομω αυτου μελετησει ημερας και νυκτος

1:3 και εσται ως το ξυλον το πεφυτευμενον παρα τας διεξοδους των υδατων ο τον καρπον αυτου δωσει εν καιρω αυτου και το φυλλον αυτου ουκ απορρυησεται και παντα οσα αν ποιη κατευοδωθησεται

1:4 ουχ ουτως οι ασεβεις ουχ ουτως αλλ' η ως ο χνους ον εκριπτει ο ανεμος απο προσωπου της γης

1:5 δια τουτο ουκ αναστησονται ασεβεις εν κρισει ουδε αμαρτωλοι εν βουλη δικαιων

1:6 οτι γινωσκει κυριος οδον δικαιων και οδος ασεβων απολειται

See Psalm 1

Words for today (helping us to understand - Blessed is the man...)

Happy = Man
Blessed = Man (condition)
or
Blessed/Happy/Man = "one who is meditating on the word of God"

Continuing the study of Psalm 1, we are on word 2.
Blessed IS the man...
Apparently the Greek word-prefix iso-... or is-... has some relationship as noted yesterday.

But I must digress (go back to the beginning), because we did not study (meditate on) the word "Psalm", "Psalms" or "psalmos" yet.

Words we have studied, must continue to study:
a) Psalm [eg. Psalm 1]
b) Blessed [eg. Blessed is the man... ]
c) is [eg. Blessed is the man...]

I found this interesting discussion of the word "psalm" this morning.... [from Mark A. Copeland, executableoutlines.com]

---

I. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD "PSALM"

A. THE GREEK WORD IS "PSALMOS"...
1. From the Hebrew word zmr, meaning "to pluck"; i.e., taking
hold of the strings of an instrument with the fingers
2. Implies that the psalms were originally composed to be
accompanyied by a stringed instrument
3. "Psalms are songs for the lyre, and therefore lyric poems
in the strictest sense." - (Delitzsch, PSALMS, Vol. I, p. 7)
4. David and others originally wrote the Psalms to be sung to the
accompaniment of the "harp"

B. IN NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP, WE ARE TOLD TO SING THE PSALMS TO THE
ACCOMPANIMENT OF THE "HEART"...
1. "...singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"
- Ep 5:19
2. The phrase, "making melody" comes from the Greek word
psallontes (literally, plucking the strings of)
3. Thus, we are to "pluck the strings of our heart" as we sing
psalms, not the strings of a harp

---

I would like to modify that last statement to say, we are to pluck the strings of our heart -- as we play our stringed instrument and sing to God.. Although I agree that God is more interested in the tuning of our hearts to sing his praise, than the tuning of our harp, violin or guitar....

On another note... (no pun intended)... many people have produced outlines for study of the books of the Bible. Sometimes these are helpful for summarizing the teachings of scripture portions and anchoring them in our minds and hearts.

This little outline is from the Biblical Studies Foundation

3P's outline of Psalm 1:1-3
- the way of the righteous man
a) what it prohibits
b) what it promotes
c) what it promises

or 3P's from the perspective of the righteous man
a) his peril
b) his priorities
c) his prosperity

Metonymy:
Noah Webster 1828 definition: [ (from two greek words meaning over, beyond and name) In rhetoric, a trope in which one word is put for another; a change of names which have some relation to each other; as when we say, "a man keeps a good table", instead of "good provisions". We read Virgil, that is his poems. They have Moses and the prophets, that is their books or writings. A man has clear head, that is understanding, intellect; a warm heart, that is, affections.]

Metonymy ("met-AH-na-mee") is the rhetorical or metaphorical substitution of a one thing for another based on their association or proximity. Examples: a monarch is not the same thing as a crown, but we often refer to the monarch as "the crown" because the two are associated. -- from Jack Lynch's Guide to Literary Terms

Metonymic:
hyperdictionary definition -- "[adj] using the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated; "to say `he spent the evening reading Shakespeare' is metonymic because it substitutes the author himself for the author's works"

Metonym:
A word that is used metonymically; a word that denotes one thing but refers to a related thing

This is so exciting that inspired a new blog today devoted to metonymy.

We sang Psalm 1 on the way to the hospital last night to visit Gramma Jones.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
My older study of Psalm 1 needs revising and updating also.

I studied the words "bless", and "blessing" in quite some depth in my last study, but this morning I am pondering the simple word "IS".
Blessed "IS" the man...

Wow I have been studying the Psalms for two years and I am finally on the second word -- Psalm 1:1 (word two) -- Blessed is ....

"IS" may come from the greek, not sure, but there some interesting definitions, etymologies, synonymns and corollaries to explore...

IS -- The third person singular of the substantive verb be, in the indicative mood, present tense; as, he is; he is a man. See Be.
The Greek word "isos" means equal.
"Is" is related to akin.

Etymology:
1. That branch of philological science which treats of the history of words, tracing out their origin, primitive significance, and changes of form and meaning.
2. That part of grammar which relates to the changes in the form of the words in a language; inflection.

Corollary
1. That which is given beyond what is actually due, as a garland of flowers in addition to wages; surplus; ...
2. Something which follows from the demonstration of a proposition; an additional inference or deduction from a demonstrated proposition; a consequence.

Akin:
1. Of the same kin; related by blood; -- used of persons; as, the two families are near akin.
2. Allied by nature; partaking of the same properties; of the same kind. ``A joy akin to rapture.'' --Cowper.
-- The literary character of the work is akin to its moral character. --Jeffrey.

Grandpa Jones is no more in the land of the living. We can say of him "he was...", but only God can say what "he is".

Re-starting my study of the psalms again..... and my blog of various biblical studies.... after the recent death of my father-in-law, Daniel L. Jones. He was 76 years old, died in the same house he was born in. Had 9 children, 22 grand-children, and 2 great-grandchildren. His death reminds me again that life is short....