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Psalm 50
Psalm 50
"The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken"
	A Latin phrase from Psalm 50 in the coat of arms of Spain
Other name	Psalm 49; "Deus deorum";
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 50, a Psalm of Asaph, is the 50th psalm from the Book of Psalms in the Bible, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof." In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 49. The opening words in Latin are Deus deorum, Dominus, locutus est / et vocavit terram a solis ortu usque ad occasum.^[1] The psalm is a prophetic imagining of God's judgment on the Israelites.

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music completely and in single verses. The phrase A solis ortu usque ad occasum, taken from verse 1,^[2] is part of a Spanish coat of arms.

Composition

The psalm has been variously dated to either the 8th century BC, the time of the prophets Hosea and Micah, or to a time after the Babylonian captivity. The latter date is supported by the reference to "gathering" in verse 5, but is problematic because verse 2 describes Zion (another name for Jerusalem) as "the perfection of beauty", even though Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 BC.^[3]

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text^[4]^[5] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse	Hebrew	English translation (JPS 1917)
1	מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֵ֤ל ׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֡ים יְֽהֹוָ֗ה דִּבֶּ֥ר וַיִּקְרָא־אָ֑רֶץ מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁ֝֗מֶשׁ עַד־מְבֹאֽוֹ׃‎	A Psalm of Asaph. God, God, the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
2	מִצִּיּ֥וֹן מִכְלַל־יֹ֗פִי אֱלֹהִ֥ים הוֹפִֽיעַ׃‎	Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth.
3	יָ֤בֹ֥א אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ וְֽאַל־יֶ֫חֱרַ֥שׁ אֵשׁ־לְפָנָ֥יו תֹּאכֵ֑ל וּ֝סְבִיבָ֗יו נִשְׂעֲרָ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃‎	Our God cometh, and doth not keep silence; a fire devoureth before Him, And round about Him it stormeth mightily.
4	יִקְרָ֣א אֶל־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם מֵעָ֑ל וְאֶל־הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ לָדִ֥ין עַמּֽוֹ׃‎	He calleth to the heavens above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people:
5	אִסְפוּ־לִ֥י חֲסִידָ֑י כֹּרְתֵ֖י בְרִיתִ֣י עֲלֵי־זָֽבַח׃‎	'Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.'
6	וַיַּגִּ֣ידוּ שָׁמַ֣יִם צִדְק֑וֹ כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֓ים ׀ שֹׁפֵ֖ט ה֣וּא סֶֽלָה׃‎	And the heavens declare His righteousness; for God, He is judge. Selah
7	שִׁמְעָ֤ה עַמִּ֨י ׀ וַאֲדַבֵּ֗רָה יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל וְאָעִ֣ידָה בָּ֑ךְ אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֱלֹהֶ֣יךָ אָנֹֽכִי׃‎	'Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: God, thy God, am I.
8	לֹ֣א עַל־זְ֭בָחֶיךָ אוֹכִיחֶ֑ךָ וְעוֹלֹתֶ֖יךָ לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִֽיד׃‎	I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; and thy burnt-offerings are continually before Me.
9	לֹא־אֶקַּ֣ח מִבֵּיתְךָ֣ פָ֑ר מִ֝מִּכְלְאֹתֶ֗יךָ עַתּוּדִֽים׃‎	I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds.
10	כִּי־לִ֥י כׇל־חַיְתוֹ־יָ֑עַר בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת בְּהַרְרֵי־אָֽלֶף׃‎	For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11	יָ֭דַעְתִּי כׇּל־ע֣וֹף הָרִ֑ים וְזִ֥יז שָׂ֝דַ֗י עִמָּדִֽי׃‎	I know all the fowls of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
12	אִם־אֶ֭רְעַב לֹא־אֹ֣מַר לָ֑ךְ כִּי־לִ֥י תֵ֝בֵ֗ל וּמְלֹאָֽהּ׃‎	If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof.
13	הַ֭אוֹכַל בְּשַׂ֣ר אַבִּירִ֑ים וְדַ֖ם עַתּוּדִ֣ים אֶשְׁתֶּֽה׃‎	Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14	זְבַ֣ח לֵאלֹהִ֣ים תּוֹדָ֑ה וְשַׁלֵּ֖ם לְעֶלְי֣וֹן נְדָרֶֽיךָ׃‎	Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High;
15	וּ֭קְרָאֵנִי בְּי֣וֹם צָרָ֑ה אֲ֝חַלֶּצְךָ֗ וּֽתְכַבְּדֵֽנִי׃‎	And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt honour Me.'
16	וְלָ֤רָשָׁ֨ע ׀ אָ֘מַ֤ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים מַה־לְּ֭ךָ לְסַפֵּ֣ר חֻקָּ֑י וַתִּשָּׂ֖א בְרִיתִ֣י עֲלֵי־פִֽיךָ׃‎	But unto the wicked God saith: 'What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, And that thou hast taken My covenant in thy mouth?
17	וְ֭אַתָּה שָׂנֵ֣אתָ מוּסָ֑ר וַתַּשְׁלֵ֖ךְ דְּבָרַ֣י אַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃‎	Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest My words behind thee.
18	אִם־רָאִ֣יתָ גַ֭נָּב וַתִּ֣רֶץ עִמּ֑וֹ וְעִ֖ם מְנָאֲפִ֣ים חֶלְקֶֽךָ׃‎	When thou sawest a thief, thou hadst company with him, and with adulterers was thy portion.
19	פִּ֭יךָ שָׁלַ֣חְתָּ בְרָעָ֑ה וּ֝לְשׁוֹנְךָ֗ תַּצְמִ֥יד מִרְמָֽה׃‎	Thou hast let loose thy mouth for evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. .
20	תֵּ֭שֵׁב בְּאָחִ֣יךָ תְדַבֵּ֑ר בְּבֶֽן־אִ֝מְּךָ֗ תִּתֶּן־דֹּֽפִי׃‎	Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; Thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
21	אֵ֤לֶּה עָשִׂ֨יתָ ׀ וְֽהֶחֱרַ֗שְׁתִּי דִּמִּ֗יתָ הֱיֽוֹת־אֶהְיֶ֥ה כָמ֑וֹךָ אוֹכִיחֲךָ֖ וְאֶעֶרְכָ֣ה לְעֵינֶֽיךָ׃‎	These things hast thou done, and should I have kept silence? Thou hadst thought that I was altogether such a one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set the cause before thine eyes.
22	בִּינוּ־נָ֣א זֹ֭את שֹׁכְחֵ֣י אֱל֑וֹהַּ פֶּן־אֶ֝טְרֹ֗ף וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל׃‎	Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
23	זֹבֵ֥חַ תּוֹדָ֗ה יְֽכַ֫בְּדָ֥נְנִי וְשָׂ֥ם דֶּ֑רֶךְ אַ֝רְאֶ֗נּוּ בְּיֵ֣שַׁע אֱלֹהִֽים׃‎	Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving honoureth Me; and to him that ordereth his way aright Will I show the salvation of God.'

King James Version

The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.
I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.
I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.
Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

The psalm can be divided into an introduction (verses 1-6), two separate orations in which God testifies against the Jews (verses 7-15 and 16-21), and a conclusion (verses 22-23).^[6] The imagery of the introduction evokes the revelation of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, where God's appearance was accompanied by thunder and lightning.^[7] God summons the heavens and the earth to act as witnesses, and the rest of the psalm takes the form of a legal proceeding, with God acting as both plaintiff and judge.^[8] The same metaphor of a divine tribunal occurs in chapter 1 of the Book of Isaiah and chapter 6 of the Book of Micah.^[7]

In God's first oration, he tells the people that he is not satisfied with material sacrifices alone, since he does not require food or drink.^[7] Rather, he desires his people to worship him with thanksgiving and sincere prayer.^[10] Verse 13, "Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?" may be an allusion to the goddess Anat, since in one fragmentary text Anat eats the flesh and drinks the blood of her brother Baal, who sometimes appears as a bull.^[11]

God's second oration is warning against hypocrisy.^[7] Though the hypocrites often recite God's commandments, they inwardly hate them and make no effort to live by them, and God will surely bring them to judgment.^[10]

The psalm closes with a final warning against iniquity and a promise that God will bless the righteous and make them "drink deeply of the salvation of God".^[12] This last is an appearance of the common biblical theme of the "Messianic banquet," which also occurs in Psalm 23, Psalm 16, and Luke 14, among other places.^[13]

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 50 is recited on the fourth day of Sukkot.^[14]

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the tenth day of the month.^[15]

Musical settings

In a Scottish Psalter of 1650, Psalm 50 was paraphrased rhymed in English as "The mighty God, the Lord, Hath spoken, and did call".^[16] The 1863 hymn "For the Beauty of the Earth" by Folliott Sandford Pierpoint issues verse 14.^[17]

Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 50 in a rhymed version in the Becker Psalter, as "Gott unser Herr, mächtig durchs Wort", SWV 147. The last verse is used in German in the opening chorus of Bach's cantata Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich, BWV 17, composed in 1726.

F. Melius Christiansen created a famous choral arrangement of Psalm 50 in 1922. This setting was dedicated to the St. Olaf Choir for the 10th anniversary of the choir's formation.^[18]

Notes

^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 49 (50) Archived 7 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine medievalist.net
^ Psalm 49:1: Vulgate
^ Kirkpatrick 277
^ "Psalms – Chapter 50". Mechon Mamre.
^ "Psalms 50 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
^ Rhodes 84
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Kirkpatrick 276
^ Dahood 306; Rhodes 84
^ Psalm 50:10: Expanded Bible (2011)
^ ^a ^b Rhodes 85
^ Dahood 308
^ Dahood 305
^ Dahood 311
^ The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329
^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff
^ Psalm 50(1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter with Notes by John Brown of Haddington) The Westminster Standard
^ For the Beauty of the Earth hymnary.org
^ Bergmann, Leola Marjorie Nelson (1942). F. Melius Christiansen: Study of His Life and Work as a Norwegian-American Contribution to American Culture (Thesis). ProQuest 2056863049.

Bibliography

Dahood, Mitchell (1966). Psalms I: 1-50. Anchor Bible Series. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company.
Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Cambridge University Press.
Rhodes, Arnold B. (1960). The Book of Psalms. The Layman's Bible Commentary. Richmond, Virginia: John Knox Press. ISBN 9780804230094.