An Introduction

Many years ago, back in the days when I was in Seminary, I picked up an Interlinear Hebrew-English Psalter.

It's one of the best purchases I've ever made.

It's a small, slim volume, a 1974 Zondervan reprint of a much older edition published by Samuel Bagster & Sons Ltd. in London. The correct title is: The Interlineary Hebrew and English Psalter in which The Construction of Every Word is Indicated, and the Root of Each Distinguished by the Use of Hollow or Other Types.

I liked the little book immediately, because it is printed in a way that clearly indicated the Hebrew roots and constructions. I knew immediately that I'd made a good purchase.

But, it was many years before I actually put it to any regular use.

I began to pray the Psalms.

I would read a verse or two. I would meditate upon it. I would pray. I would intercede for the many people on my heart. And, at the point where I caught my mind wandering (as it so naturally does) I would come back to the Psalm again. The process would begin again.

And, this is where my Interlinear Hebrew and English Psalter came in so handy. It allowed me to actually meditate on the original words of the Psalm. It forced me to slow down. It forced me to read each word. It forced me to reconstruct the meaning of the sentences. It suggested new possibilities of meaning that I might not have seen in translation.

And, I began to feel that my prayers were a dialogue with God. I spoke to God. I listened for the echo of God speaking in the Psalm.

You see, I feel like I hear the Psalms in an echo chamber. I don't know how else to describe it. It echos with the history of Israel. It echos with the life of David, and so many ancient hopes that were pinned on him. It echos with all the varied emotions of the human heart: joy, laughter, sorrow, despair. it echos down through all the history of the Christian faith, as believers have turned to these ancient songs for guidance and inspiration. Because I see the Psalms through a Christ-lens, they yield levels of meaning to me because I see them in the light of a certain, particular fulfillment.

And, here they lie in front of me. Ancient words, carefully preserved by Masoretic scribes, who added markings so that even their accents and pronunciations might be preserved. It's really quite amazing if you think about it.

My God,

  Thank you for the gift of the Word

     and these particular words

        very human and yet divine

     an ancient and living part of your redemptive plan

     a gift to me today.

Lord,

  I do not understand

  my prejudices and preconceptions run deep

  I am so quick to defend my ideas

    so often arrogant and fearful

      (maybe they are the same thing)

  I am easily distracted;

Inspire me

Teach me your ways

May your Word

  find an entrance into my heart

    today. Amen.

— Craig L. Adams

(This is the introduction to a series of posts on “Praying the Psalms.” You can find links to the rest of this series listed on the Prayer page.)