PSALM 22: 25-31 (ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION)

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.

28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

PSALM 22: 26-32 (MT)

“We Wake to Our Holy Work”

(My rendering follows the Masoretic Text verse numbering)

Psalm 22 has been a long journey through darkness and into hope. There is an outpouring of goodness and vitality expressed now in the closing verses, in the light of the redeeming divine presence celebrated here as YHWH – “Becoming Light” and “Becoming Life.” Realities of poverty, loss, grief, and even death itself, are transformed. In every verse, there is a strong sense of community formation through narrative, and also of ethical agency: we – the human family - are together responsible for each other, for the poorest among us, and for the survival of Planet Earth herself.

26 Beloved, any light that shines through me is yours!
So as we gather now together, my vow to you is this:
I will make whole this terrible goodness, come what may!

27 Poor seeking souls will feast upon this Light Becoming,
their hearts enjoying boundless life;

28 the nothings and the nobodies of this Earth will be
remembered and brought home, in the strength of Life Becoming;
and however depressed their hearts might be, our human families will

29 all find the counsel they need in Becoming’s Face.

30 There is an old saying of our folk:
“Alone in the earth, the sleepers bow their faces low,
kneeling to drink from the fountains of dust.”
But now, my soul can bring them life!

31 Earth-children, now together we wake
to our holy work of Becoming.
And thus our human family spins its sacred story;

32 and so we’ll tell our children yet unborn
how a world more right and true
may still, through our sacred work,
be made.

NOTES TO THE RENDERING OF

PSALM 22: 25-32 (MT)

Vs. 26: “…Beloved, any light that shines… is yours!” – The syntax of this verse makes it clear that the psalmist is addressing YHWH. The Hebrew root hll (in tehillot) expresses both radiance and praise, but also “goodness” that evinces praise. In the poetry of Exodus 15:11, nora’ tehillot describes the divine as “awesome” in such qualities. In our psalm, too, there is a connection between “shining goodness” and “terror/awe.” As we saw above in verse 24, we can thus render “terrible goodness,” always remembering the mysterium tremendum et fascinans. The Hebrew me’itcha can mean literally “from with you” – hence “is yours!”

“I will make whole…” – The root meaning of shalem is wholeness (cf. Isa. 60:20 and Job 9:4) - of which “peace” is just one form. The old phrase “to pay a vow” (leshalem neder) is really to make a promise whole, by keeping it.

Vs. 27: “Poor seeking souls…” The word dorshav (literally – “his seekers”) at the end of the verse clearly parallels “poor” (‘anavim) at the beginning, so I join “the poor” and “the seeking” as those who will be remembered. The meanings of ‘anavim are many: “poor, afflicted, downtrodden, meek, humble” – are all good renderings. Later, the Qumran writings coined the idiom “poor in spirit” (‘anvei ru’ah) which appears also in the Beatitudes in a Greek rendering.

Vs. 28: “The nothings and the nobodies…” – I base this phrase on John Crossan’s brilliant reading of the role of the “poor” (‘anavim) in biblical theology. It is only in ‘aphsei ‘aretz that translators give “ends of the earth,” but the Hebrew word ‘aphes really means “nothing.” Another biblical idiom - ‘ani ve’aphsi ‘od (Isa. 47:8,10) - can mean: “I am, and there is none besides,” or – perhaps – “I am, and I am nothing besides.” In our psalm, the “nothings,” like the “poor/afflicted,” enjoy a kind of divine reversal of their dismal fortunes.

“However depressed…” – Although the verb hishtachav is always translated “to bow down,” there is one clear context where the root means “depressed” – Proverbs 12:25 - “Worry in your heart will depress you [‘bow you down’].” Poetic license allows a similar rendering here.

Vs. 29: “…all the counsel they might need…” – The root mlk means originally “counsel” and later “rule.” This verse explicitly states that “counsel” belongs to YHWH – and since “before you” and “in your face” are identical in Hebrew, the reading “Becoming’s Face” resonates with the context.

Vs. 30: “There is an old saying of our folk…” – This renders the last words of vs. 29. The primary meaning of mashal is “proverb” – with “dominion” a lesser sense. The exact idiom mashal bagoyim (“a proverb among the people”) is also in Psalm 44:15. It seems best to read this phrase with vs. 30 rather than at the end of vs. 29.

“Alone in the earth…” – The MT text is problematic, and should be emended to read akh lo (“alone”) instead of acklu (“they ate”); also dishnei-‘eretz (“fat ones of the earth”) emends to yishnei ‘eretz (“sleepers in the earth”). Thematically, the fear of death that haunts humanity finds a response in the psalm’s insistence on transcendent life.

“But now my soul can bring them life…” – Although the MT seems to say the opposite, ancient versions like the Septuagint consistently read “my soul enlivens him.” The psalmist declares that the old depressing proverb is redeemed by present life.

Vs. 31: “Earth-children…” – This verse clearly intends zera’ (“seed”) to mean “offspring” - broadly as the human family - so “earth-children” fits. The verb ya’avdenu is usually translated “serve him” / “worship him” but the Hebrew root means “do the [divine] work.” This divine work of coming generations is declared as the work of YHWH (Ever Becoming).

“And thus our human family spins its sacred story…” - The verb is passive – yesupar – “it will be told.” The MT describes the narrative as “lordly” (ladonai). I understand that the story-tellers are the same “Becoming Community” (‘am YHWH) with whom the psalmist now identifies spiritually. It is a divine story told in human lives.

Vs. 32: “And so we’ll tell… a world more right and true…” – The Hebrew has “they will come and they will tell…” – followed by the object: tzidkato. This one word embodies worlds of ethical meaning, including “rightness,” “justice,” and “salvation.” As the culminating idea in the psalm, it is best rendered into a vision of a future of working, together with the divine, to “make” (ki ‘asah) of our cherished Earth a better place for all.