Psalm-30
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Tanakh versions:
Throughout this site I may use
any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917),
2. Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF).
Colour coded details of
the - TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History &
Law, 2. Nevi’im =
The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot,
or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and
history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ having been corrected as it once was, pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following two
truth’s from our beloved Scriptures!
1. “Ye shall NOT
ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (the
LORD your Eloleichem) which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2.
2. “This is My Name FOREVER, and this is My Memorial to ALL Generations”. Shemot - Exodus 3:15. (JPS).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, Phd.
Introduction:
Tehillim - Psalm 30 is titled “A Psalm, a Song at the Dedication of the House; of David”, linking it to temple dedication and to Davidic authorship or tradition. The poem traces a spiritual arc: ‘crisis’ and ‘plea’, ‘Divine rescue’, ‘public thanksgiving’, and ‘a final benediction’. Its tone is intimate yet public, an individual’s deliverance becomes the ‘congregation’s song’.
Let us read this remarkable
Psalm (JPS-1917 version):
1. “A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House;
of David.
2. I will extol thee, O יְהוָה - LORD, for
Thou hast raised me up, and hast not suffered mine enemies to rejoice over me.
3. O יְהוָה
אֱלֹהָי - LORD my Elohai, I cried
unto Thee, and Thou didst heal me;
4. O יְהוָה - LORD, Thou broughtest up my soul from the nether-world; Thou didst
keep me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
5. Sing praise unto יְהוָה - the LORD, O ye His
godly ones, and give thanks to His Holy Name.
6. For His anger is but for a moment, His favour is
for a life-time; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the
morning.
7. Now I had said in my security: ‘I shall never be
moved’.
8. Thou hadst established,
O יְהוָה - LORD, in Thy favour my
mountain as a stronghold. Thou didst hide Thy face; I was affrighted.
9. Unto Thee, O יְהוָה - LORD, did I call, and
unto יְהוָה - the LORD I made supplication:
10. 'What profit is there in my blood, when I go
down to the pit? Shall the dust praise
Thee? shall it declare Thy truth?
11. Hear, O יְהוָה- LORD, and
be gracious unto me; יְהוָה - LORD, be Thou my helper.'
12. Thou didst turn for me my mourning into dancing;
Thou didst loose my sackcloth, and gird me with gladness;
13. So that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and
not be silent; O יְהוָה
אֱלֹהָי - LORD my Elohai, I will
give thanks unto Thee for ever”.
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Let us commence a verse by verse study:
Verses 1-4 Personal rescue and
thanksgiving:
The Psalmist begins with gratitude for restoration, language of being “raised up” and rescued from the “nether-world” and “pit.” These images combine physical healing and deliverance from death or utter despair; the recovery is both bodily and existential.
Verses 5-6 Public praise and theological
insight:
The call to the “godly ones” to give thanks moves the poem from private deliverance to communal worship. The famous contrast “His anger is but for a moment; His favour is for a life-time’ and it frames suffering as temporary and Divine mercy as enduring, while the night to morning image promises renewal.
Verses 7-10 Honest
reflection and a plea:
The Psalmist confesses prior complacency (“I shall never be moved”) and recounts the shock of Divine hiddenness. The rhetorical question about the dust praising Elohim underscores the urgency of prayer in crisis.
Verses 11-13 Reversal and vow:
Elohim’s response is transformative: mourning becomes ‘dancing’, sackcloth is replaced by ‘gladness’, and the speaker vows ‘perpetual thanksgiving’, and personal restoration becomes perpetual praise!
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Below is a focused Hebrew word study of key terms in Psalm 30, with lexical meanings, roots, and how each word shapes the Psalm’s theology and imagery.
Here
are some important lexical items (selected):
שַׂק - sackcloth - sāq (noun). A coarse, sack-like garment used in mourning and humiliation; the term appears widely for ritual lament and symbolizes public grief or penitence.
מִזְמוֹר - ‘mizmôr’ (Psalm/song) being a title word indicating a liturgical song; the Masoretic / Interlinear texts show the Psalm’s formal placement and vocalization in the Hebrew tradition.
רִנָּה - ‘rinnah’ (joy, shout, a noun denoting exuberant, vocal rejoicing; in Psalm 30 it contrasts temporality of weeping with the morning’s loud praise.
שְׁאוֹל - ‘Sheol’ (nether-world), the common term for the realm of the dead; Psalm 30 uses this to heighten the danger from which אֱלֹהִים - Elohim rescues the Psalmist, a rescue of soul and life. שַׁחַת - ‘shachath’ (pit, destruction), a word for a pit or grave, often figurative for ruin; Psalm 30’s “pit” language evokes imminent death or entrapment that אֱלֹהִים averts.
Short
lexical explanations and theological nuance:
שַׂק – ‘sāq’ sackcloth is a material term that becomes theological: wearing sackcloth signals mourning and dependence on, אֱלֹהִים- Elohim’s mercy; the Psalm’s reversal (sackcloth gladness) marks divine transformation from shame to honour.
מִזְמוֹר / רִנָּה - the genre labels and the word רִנָּה ‘rinnah’ frame the Psalm as liturgical testimony: a personal deliverance becomes corporate praise, and the specific vocabulary (song, shout) points to public worship in the sanctuary tradition.
שְׁאוֹל / שַׁחַת - together these words map the existential stakes: ‘Sheol’ names the realm of death, ‘shachath’ the ‘pit’ or ‘ruin’; the psalmist’s language of being “brought up from Sheol” and “not going down to the pit” dramatizes rescue from finality into renewed life, underscoring אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s power over death and destruction.
How
these words shape reading and devotion:
The material image ‘sackcloth’ makes grief tangible and the reversal to ‘rinnah’ makes joy audible; the vocabulary moves the reader from body to voice.
The pair Sheol/pit intensifies the Psalm’s thanksgiving: deliverance is not merely social relief but existential salvation!
The liturgical labels ‘mizmôr’, ‘rinnah’ invite communal recitation: personal testimony becomes the congregation’s song’.
My concluding thoughts:
Psalm 30 teaches that
honest lament and urgent prayer can lead to profound reversal: Elohim’s mercy
restores dignity and turns private deliverance into lasting communal praise. May its ‘rhythm cry’, ‘rescue’, ‘thanksgiving’, guide personal
devotion and public worship.
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To Deepen the Conversation:
Which part of the
Tanakh study, or possibly a particular line or statement within it
has touched you the most? And how do you feel about spending more
time studying our beloved Tanakh? I pray that you are doing well as a faithful
Hebrew, and אֱלֹהִים -
Elohim willing you are upholding as many of our blessed Mitzvoth’s?
Dear reader, please remember this, pray for peace and solitude in your life, and then work on keeping as calm as possible and learn to improve your life, for אֱלֹהִים - בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהִים - Bless Elohim, He is always there and ready to help and guide you!
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PLEASE NOTE: If you need any assistance, just ask, I will assist, and I can also send an email to you, with special items to help you with whatever you may need! Just email me and I will send it to your email. There will no follow up’s whatsoever, or any requests from me, unless you wish further information, (use the email that is located further down this page).
This site was
originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and
wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or
three times a day (if possible) and always seek אֱלֹהִים -
Elohim’s guidance! For interest, as you may have discovered, this site has
become more a teaching site, bringing our faith closer to its origins!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following, via a number of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. MEC).
And Remember ...
Enjoy
your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה (the LORD your Eloheichem); walk in My statutes,
and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall
be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה – the LORD your Eloheichem”.
Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
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“Hebraic Studies” motto is as
follows;
For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,
He is the one who gave us our Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace
of צְבָאוֹת-
יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and
please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as
well as the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and
continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings)
before food and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם -
Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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