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Psalm 151 is a short
psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
found in most copies of the
Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond t ...
(LXX), but not in the
Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...
of the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' supernumerary Supernumerary means "exceeding the usual number". Supernumerary may also refer to: * Supernumerary actor, a performer in a film, television show, or stage production who has no role or purpose other than to appear in the background, more commonl ...
, as no number is affixed to it. The psalm is ascribed to David. It is also included in some manuscripts of the
Peshitta The Peshitta ( syc, ܦܫܺܝܛܬܳܐ ''or'' ') is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition, including the Maronite Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, ...
. The psalm concerns the story of David and Goliath. The
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
,
Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...
,
Armenian Apostolic , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...
, and Syrian Orthodox churches accept Psalm 151 as
canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical examp ...
.
Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Protestants Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
, and most
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
consider it
apocrypha Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
l. However, it is found in some
Catholic Bible The term ''Catholic Bible'' often refers to a Christian Bible that includes the whole 73-book canon recognized by the Catholic Church, including some of the deuterocanonical books (and parts of books): those of the Old Testament which are in th ...
s, such as certain editions of the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...
, as well as in some
ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
translations, such as the
Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This translation itself is a revision of the Amer ...
. Psalm 151 is cited once in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman
Breviary A breviary (Latin: ''breviarium'') is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such ...
, as a responsory of the series from the books of Kings, the second in the Roman Breviary, together with (Greek 1–2 Kings = trad. 1–2 Samuel; Greek 3–4 Kings = trad. 1–2 Kings) in a text slightly different from that in the Vulgate.
Athanasius of Alexandria Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...
mentions this psalm as being "especially the Psalm of David," and as being suited to occasions in which, "weak as you are, you people are chosen for some position of authority among the brethren."


Text

The title of the psalm states that it was written by
David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
after his battle with
Goliath Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant defeated by the young David in single combat. The story signified King Sau ...
. The psalm assumes familiarity with other Biblical passages, from which it draws phraseology. First Version. 1 ''I was small among my brothers,'' :'' and the youngest in my father’s house;'' :''I tended my father’s sheep.'' 2 ''My hands made a harp;'' :'' my fingers fashioned a lyre.'' 3 ''And who will tell my Lord?'' :'' The Lord Himself; it is He who hears.'' 4 ''It was he who sent His messenger'' :'' and took me from my father’s sheep,'' :'' and anointed me with his anointing oil.'' 5 ''My brothers were handsome and tall,'' :'' But the Lord was not pleased with them.'' 6 ''I went out to meet the Philistine,'' :'' and he cursed me by his idols.'' 7 ''But I drew his own sword;'' :'' I beheaded him, and took away disgrace from the people of Israel.''. Second Version. Psalm 151 - (Source: Dead Sea Scrolls) A praise of Yahweh by David, son of Jesse. David’s first mighty deed after the prophet of God had anointed him. When he fought Goliath in a single combat. 1. I was the smallest of my brothers, the youngest of the sons of my father and the youngest in my father’s house. He made me shepherd of his flock and ruler over his kids. While I tended my father’s sheep, I discovered a lion and a wolf. Thus, I killed and rent them. 2. My hands made a flute, my fingers a lyre and so I offered glory to Yahweh. Thus, I said in my soul: 3. The mountains do not witness to him, nor do the hills proclaim, the trees praise my words and the flock my deeds. 4. For who can announce and who can speak of and who can recount his deeds? 5. Who will tell my Lord? And who will hear me? The Lord himself, it is he who hears. The Lord of all saw, the God of all. He heard me and he listened to everything. 6. He sent his messenger prophet Samuel to take me from my father’s flock and anointed me with his anointing oil. He removed me from the sheep of my father, to anoint me, to make me great. 7. My brothers went out to meet him, they were handsome of figure, handsome of appearance. 8. Although they were tall of stature with beautiful and beauteous hair. Yahweh God did not choose them for the Lord was not pleased with them. 9. But he sent and fetched me from behind the flock, anointed me with holy oil. He made me a leader of his people and a ruler over the sons of his covenant. 10. Then I went out to meet the Philistine. I saw the Philistine uttering insults from the ranks of the enemy and he cursed me by his idols. 11. In the strength of Yahweh, I cast three stones at him. I smote him in the forehead and felled him to the earth. 12. But I drew out his own sword from him and with it I cut off his head. Thereby removed reproach from the sons of Israel and thereby removed reproach from the house of Israel. Amen. The Psalm 151 is preserved in Hebrew, Greek (LXX), and
Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
.


Dead Sea Scrolls discovery

For many years scholars believed that Psalm 151 was originally composed in
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, based on the view that "there is no evidence that Psalm 151 ever existed in Hebrew." However, Psalm 151 appears along with several canonical non-canonical psalms in the scroll known as " The Great Psalms Scroll" or "11Q5," a scroll, dating from the
1st century The 1st century was the century spanning AD 1 (Roman numerals, I) through AD 100 (Roman numerals, C) according to the Julian calendar. It is often written as the or to distinguish it from the 1st century BC (or BCE) which preceded it. The 1st c ...
, that was discovered in 1956. The ''
editio princeps In classical scholarship, the ''editio princeps'' (plural: ''editiones principes'') of a work is the first printed edition of the work, that previously had existed only in manuscripts, which could be circulated only after being copied by hand. For ...
'' of this manuscript was first published in 1963 by
James A. Sanders James A. Sanders (28 November 1927 in Memphis, Tennessee – 1 October 2020) was an American scholar of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and one of the Dead Sea Scrolls editors. He was the first to translate and edit the Psalm Scroll, which contai ...
. This scroll contains two short
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
psalms which scholars now agree served as the basis for Psalm 151. A Hebrew psalm known as “Psalm 151a” provides the source material for in verses 1–5 of the Greek Psalm 151, while the remaining verses are derived from another Hebrew psalm, known as “Psalm 151b,” which is only partially preserved. The composer of the Greek Psalm apparently brought the two Hebrew psalms together in a manner that significantly changes their meaning and structure, but the influence of the Hebrew originals is still readily apparent. Where parts of the Greek version sometimes seem to make little sense or are ambiguous, the Hebrew text sheds light on the intended message or meaning. In comparison to the Hebrew text, Sanders regards the Greek text of this psalm to be in places “desiccated,” “meaningless,” “truncated,” “absurd,” “jumbled,” and “disappointingly different,” all as a result of its having been “made from a truncated amalgamation of the two Hebrew psalms.” On details of translation, structure, and meaning of this psalm, see also the works of Skehan, Brownlee, Carmignac, John Strugnell, Rabinowitz, Dupont-Sommer, and Flint.


Liturgical usage


Armenian liturgy

In the
Armenian Church Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
, Psalm 151 is recited as part of the
Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated ...
sequence of biblical poetic material, which includes
canticle A canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy. Catholic Church ...
s from the Old and New Testaments, Psalms 51, 148–150, and 113 (numbering according to the
Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond t ...
). The Armenian version of Psalm 151 is close to the Septuagint, with some variation. Where verse 2 in Greek reads αἱ χεῖρές μου ἐποίησαν ὄργανον οἱ δάκτυλοί μου ἤροσαν ψαλτήριον "My hands made an instrument, my fingers fashioned the lyre," the Armenian has, Ձերք իմ արարին զսաղմոսարանս եւ մատունք իմ կազմեցին զգործի աւրհնութեան "My hands made the lyres (Armenian զսաղմոսարանս can then means also 'Psalm-books' 'psalters') and my fingers fashioned the instrument of blessing."


Coptic liturgy

In the Coptic Church, Psalm 151 is recited at the start of the Bright Saturday Vigil, also known as the Apocalypse Vigil. The words of the psalm are interpreted as a Messianic prophecy concerning Christ's defeat of Satan.


English versions

Besides being available in Orthodox or ecumenical editions of modern translations since 1977 (
Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This translation itself is a revision of the Amer ...
,
New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches.English Standard Version The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Bible. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was "created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors." The ESV relies on recently published critica ...
,
Orthodox Study Bible ''The Orthodox Study Bible'' (OSB) is an Eastern Orthodox study Bible published by Thomas Nelson in 2008. It features an English translation of the St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint edition for the Old Testament, and utilizes the New King James V ...
,
Contemporary English Version The Contemporary English Version or CEV (also known as Bible for Today's Family) is a translation of the Bible into English, published by the American Bible Society. An anglicized version was produced by the British and Foreign Bible Society, ...
, Common English Bible), there are a number of English translations now in the public domain.
William Whiston William Whiston (9 December 166722 August 1752) was an English theologian, historian, natural philosopher, and mathematician, a leading figure in the popularisation of the ideas of Isaac Newton. He is now probably best known for helping to inst ...
included it in his ''Authentic Records''. It can be found in translations by
Charles Thomson Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson ...
to
Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 2nd Baronet (16 February 1807 – 13 June 1862)Leigh Rayment, ''The Baronetage of England, Ireland, Nova Scotia, Great Britain and the United Kingdom'', (accessed 12 Aug 2014). translated the Septuagint version ...
, and in
Adam Clarke Adam Clarke (176226 August 1832) was a British Methodist theologian who served three times as President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference (1806–07, 1814–15 and 1822–23). A biblical scholar, he published an influential Bible commentar ...
's commentary. It is included in
Sabine Baring-Gould Sabine Baring-Gould ( ; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 ...
's ''Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets'',
William Digby Seymour William Digby Seymour (1822–1895) was a British lawyer and poet, and MP for Sunderland and Somerset. Biography Seymour, third son of Charles Seymour, vicar of Kilronan, County Roscommon, by Beata, daughter of Fergus Langley of Lich Finn, County ...
's Hebrew Psalter, and William Ralph Churton's ''Uncanonical and Apocryphal Scriptures''. William Wright published a translation of the Syriac version in the ''Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology'', June 1887, and A. A. Brockway published a translation from the Coptic in the January 27, 1898
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
.


Cultural influence

At the beginning of his first address to his Council of State, Emperor
Haile Selassie of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
recited this psalm in full. The TV show ''
Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...
'', Season 5, Episode 9 (originally aired 15 November 1998) is titled "Psalm 151" with a song sung by Wynonna Judd called "Testify to Love". In the episode, she composes the song for her dying son. In 1993,
Péter Eötvös Péter Eötvös ( hu, Eötvös Péter, ; born 2 January 1944) is a Hungarian composer, conductor and teacher. Eötvös was born in Székelyudvarhely, Transylvania, then part of Hungary, now Romania. He studied composition in Budapest and C ...
composed "Psalm 151 – In Memoriam
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...
" for solo or four
percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
s. Christian rock band Jacob's Trouble wrapped up their 1989 ''Door into Summer'' LP with track 11, "Psalm 151." Rock artist
Ezra Furman Ezra Furman (born September 5, 1986) is an American musician and songwriter. Furman was the lead singer and guitarist of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, formed in 2006, which ended with '' Mysterious Power'' (2011). Her subsequent work has inclu ...
included a self-penned song entitled "Psalm 151" on her 2018 LP ''Transangelic Exodus''; she later admitted she was unaware of Psalm 151's existence. The song "My Favorite Mutiny" from the album '' Pick a Bigger Weapon'' by
The Coup The Coup is an American hip hop band from Oakland, California. Their music is an amalgamation of influences, including funk, punk, hip hop, and soul. Frontman Boots Riley's revolutionarily-charged lyrics rank The Coup as a renowned political ...
(ft.
Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
and
Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded a ...
) contains the lyric "Tryin' to find Psalm number 151." Hip-hop artist
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...
mentions Psalm 151 in the 2022 song "God Did" by
DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station 99 Jamz, a ...
.


See also

*
Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
* Deuterocanonical books in Orthodox Christianity


References


Citations


Works cited

*


External links


Psalm 151
NRSV
Psalm 151
NET Bible
Psalm 151
Text in English at Athanasius.com

English text fro
St Takla Coptic Church
Arabic text, also from St Takla

at biblicalaudio
{{Authority control Anagignoskomena Dead Sea Scrolls Psalms Texts in the Septuagint Works attributed to David Jewish apocrypha