By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign […]
Category Archives: Psalms
Remember His Fatherly love
There are two kinds of relationships in the world: transactional, and covenant. Here’s some examples of transactional relationships: I give you a burger because you gave me some moneyI’ll do work for you because you give me a salary or a feeI subscribe to my favourite Youtuber because they offer regular content that I like […]
Textual issues in the “chorus” of Psalm 42-43
While preparing for a sermon on Psalm 42 recently, I stumbled across an odd text-critical issue. Most commentators point out the presence of a repeated refrain/chorus in verses 5 and 11, which also appears in Psalm 43:5. In several English translations, these are rendered identically, e.g. ESV: “5 Why are you cast down, O my […]
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
What does the Friends theme song sound like in a minor key? That’s what Youtuber Chase Holfelder tried to find out when he covered The Rembrandts’s 90’s classic, “I’ll Be There For You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14&v=UmdkGH3Plgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14&v=UmdkGH3Plgo It’s telling how a few musical tweaks can shift a song’s mood entirely. After all, your job’s a joke; you’re […]
Kiss the son? Thoughts on preaching Psalm 2:12
When preparing to preach Psalm 2 recently, I stumbled across a dilemma while translating the Hebrew text. As the psalmist winds down from verses 10-12, there’s a couple of exhortations to the raging kings of the earth. “Be wise; be warned” (v10). “Serve the Lord with fear; rejoice with trembling” (v11). Then in verse 12, […]