A Hebrew Conundrum

Look to the right and see; for there is no one who regards me; there is no escape for me; no one cares for my soul. Psalm 142:4 NASB Regards – The Hebrew verb, nakar, has some very unusual derivatives. At least they appear unusual to our Western thinking. Let me explain. Nakar means “to…

Spoke and Wheel

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NASB Take refuge – In the Semitic world, metaphors are often linked to tangible entities, especially geographical locations. Sometimes a word that has…

Davidic Redundancy

Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. Psalm 48:3 ESV Citadels/fortress – God has made Himself known as a fortress? What in the world does that mean? According to the psalmist, God is already within the citadels of the city. So why does He need to make Himself known as a…

Tracers

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.  Psalm 57:1 ESV (57:2 in Hebrew text) Shadow – If you’re looking for a place of safety, would you choose to…

Apply Sunscreen

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.  Psalm 16:1 (English text) Take Refuge – Do you really want God to give you shelter?  Guess what?  Unless you are Jonah, you will have to do something in order for that to happen.  David doesn’t cry out and then sit around waiting for God…