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New American Bible

2002 11 11
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The Wisdom Books
- Psalms
  - Chapter 30

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Chapter 30

^¹ ^² A psalm. A song for the dedication of the temple. Of David.

I praise you, LORD, for you raised me up and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.

^³ O LORD, my God, I cried out to you and you healed me.

^⁴ LORD, you brought me up from Sheol; you kept me from going down to the pit.

Sing praise to the LORD, you faithful; give thanks to God's holy name.

For divine anger lasts but a moment; divine favor lasts a lifetime. At dusk weeping comes for the night; but at dawn there is rejoicing.

^⁵ Complacent, I once said, "I shall never be shaken."

LORD, when you showed me favor I stood like the mighty mountains. But when you hid your face I was struck with terror.

To you, LORD, I cried out; with the Lord I pleaded for mercy:

^⁶ "What gain is there from my lifeblood, from my going down to the grave? Does dust give you thanks or declare your faithfulness?

Hear, O LORD, have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper."

You changed my mourning into dancing; you took off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

With my whole being I sing endless praise to you. O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

1 [Psalm 30] An individual thanksgiving in four parts: praise and thanks for deliverance and restoration (⇒ Psalm 30:2-4); an invitation to others to join in (⇒ Psalm 30:5-6); a flashback to the time before deliverance (⇒ Psalm 30:7-11); a return to praise and thanks (⇒ Psalm 30:12). Two sets of images recur: 1) going down, death, silence; 2) coming up, life, praising. God has delivered the psalmist from one state to the other.

2 [1] For the dedication of the temple: a later adaptation of the psalm to celebrate the purification of the temple in 164 B.C. during the Maccabean Revolt.

3 [3] Healed: for God as healer, see also ⇒ Psalm 103:3; ⇒ 107:20; ⇒ Hosea 6:1; ⇒ 7:1; ⇒ 11:3; ⇒ 14:5.

4 [4] Sheol ... pit: the shadowy underworld residence of the spirits of the dead, here a metaphor for near death.

5 [7] Complacent: untroubled existence is often seen as a source of temptation to forget God. Cf ⇒ Deut 8:10-18; ⇒ Hosea 13:6; ⇒ Proverb 30:9.

6 [10] in the stillness of Sheol no one gives you praise; let me live and be among your worshipers. Cf ⇒ Psalm 6:6; ⇒ 88:11-13; ⇒ 115:17; ⇒ Isaiah 38:18.

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