Saturday, January 12, 2008

Consecutive Psalms

Happy birthday, John. Consecutive psalms being my current interest, here are some things I see in Psalms 90-91.

Psalm 90 is a play on turning (vs 3). You turn (תָּשֵׁב) a human to dust - and you say turn, (שׁוּבוּ) children of humus! Then verse 8-9 - our secret in the light of your face (פָּנֶיךָ) For all our days turn away (פָּנוּ) from your fury, we complete our years as a groan. But here is the real turning - known by Moses and the psalmist and completed such that God no longer needs to sigh or repent: (verse 13) Turn (שׁוּבָה) O LORD, how long and sigh (וְהִנָּחֵם) over your servants. So it will be that the beauty of the Lord our God is upon us - astonishingly, a birthday gift not to be repented of.

Comparing Psalms 90-91, there are some suggestive accidents of sound: (Yeah - it's a bit of a stretch, but each similar 'word' has three matching continguous letters of fire.)

our iniquities (עֲו‍ֹנֹתֵינוּ) - your home (מְעוֹנֶךָ)
from your fury (בְעֶבְרָתֶךָ) - with his feathers (בְּאֶבְרָתוֹ)
trouble (וָאָוֶן) - they will lift you up (יִשָּׂאוּנְךָ)
on us (עָלֵינוּ) - the Most High (עֶלְיוֹן)
establish (כּוֹנְנָה) - will remain (יִתְלוֹנָן)

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