PSALMS 33

STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Praise to the Creator and Preserver No MT Intro.	The Superiority of the Lord in Creation and History	Hymn to God as Creator and Lord of History	A Song of Praise	Hymn to Providence
33:1-5	33:1-3	33:1-3	33:1-3	33:1-3
	33:4-5	33:4-5	33:4-5	33:4-5
33:6-12	33:6-7	33:6-7	33:6-7	33:6-7
	33:8-9	33:8-9	33:8-9	33:8-9
	33:10-12	33:10-12	33:10-12	33:10-12
33:13-17	33:13-15	33:13-17	33:13-15	33:13-15
	33:16-17		33:16-17	33:16-17
33:18-22	33:18-19	33:18-19	33:18-19	33:18-19
	33:20-22	33:20-22	33:20-22	33:20-22

READING CYCLE THREE (see
“Bible
Interpretation Seminar”)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are
responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You,
the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare
your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is
the key to following the original author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every
paragraph has one and only one subject.

First paragraph
Second paragraph
Third paragraph, etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

The NASB Study Bible (p. 770) suggests this Psalm is part of a liturgy.
1. Levitical choir
  1. leader, Ps. 33:1-3
  2. choir, Ps. 33:4-19
2. gathered worshipers respond, Ps. 33:20-22
It has no MT title (like Psalms 1, 2, 10), but the “new song,” in Ps. 33:3, implies
some major historical event. Because of Ps. 33:16-17, probably it refers to a military victory.
I am moved by the universal scope of YHWH’s purposes that include all humans (i.e., see use
of “all” in Ps. 33:8,13-15). Note the shocking affirmation of Ps. 33:5b! See the
full list of texts that show the inclusion of Gentiles from the very beginning as YHWH’s
ultimate purpose in covenant, Ps. 33:10-12 in my notes.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 33:1-5
¹Sing
for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
²Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of
ten strings.
³Sing
to Him a new song;
Play
skillfully with a shout of joy.
⁴For
the word of the Lord is upright,
And all His work is done in
faithfulness.
⁵He
loves righteousness and justice;
The
earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

33:1-5 The first three verses set the mood of the Psalm in praise to God (i.e., five
parallel IMPERATIVES).

sing for joy in the Lord – BDB 943, KB 1247, Piel IMPERATIVE (this
same VERB ends Psalm 32)
praise – BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
sing praises to Him – BDB 274, KB 273, Piel IMPERATIVE
sing to Him – BDB 1010, KB 1479, Qal IMPERATIVE
play skillfully (BDB 618, KB 668, Piel INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) with a
shout of joy – BDB 405, KB 408, Hiphil IMPERATIVE

Psalm 33:4 and 5 give the reasons for praise.

YHWH’s word (BDB 182) is upright (BDB 449)
all His work is done in faithfulness (BDB 53, see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT)
He loves righteousness (BDB 842, see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS) and justice (BDB 1048, see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: JUDGE, JUDGMENT, and JUSTICE)
the earth is full of YHWH’s lovingkindness (BDB 338, cf. Ps. 119:64; see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (HESED))

The key to peace and security is the faithful follower’s belief and trust in
the unchanging, merciful, gracious character of the covenant-making God (cf. Ps. 102:27; Mal. 3:6;
Heb. 13:8)! The chief character of the Bible is God! It is His story! It is His project and purpose!

33:2 Two stringed instruments are mentioned.

lyre (BDB 490) – this had two to four strings. It was widely used in the ANE. This
is what David played for King Saul to soothe him (cf. 1 Sam.16:16).
harp of ten strings (BDB 614 CONSTRUCT BDB 797). It was part of a group
of instruments used in both secular and worship settings (cf. 1 Sam.10:5).

33:3 “new song” The peoples of the ANE wrote songs to commemorate major events
and persons (cf. Exodus 15; 1 Samuel 22). Here the person is YHWH, the Creator (cf. Ps. 40:3;
96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isa. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 33:6-12
⁶By
the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all
their host.
⁷He
gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
⁸Let all the earth fear
the Lord;
Let
all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
⁹For He spoke, and it was
done;
He commanded, and it
stood fast.
¹⁰The
Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the
peoples.
¹¹The
counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart from
generation to generation.
¹²Blessed
is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for
His own inheritance.

33:6-12 This strophe has two major truths.

YHWH is creator, Ps. 33:6-9 (see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: MONOTHEISM)
YHWH has a purpose for the nations, Ps. 33:10-12 (see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: YHWH’S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN)

33:6 “the word of the Lord“ This surely reflects
Genesis 1-2 (cf. Psalm 104). I hope you will take a moment and look online at my exegetical
commentary on Genesis 1-2 at
www.freebiblecommentary.org.

In Hebrew thought, creation was from nothing (ex nihilo) by the spoken word
(fiat, cf. Ps. 33:9; Genesis 1; Ps. 148:5; 2 Cor. 4:6; Heb. 11:3). The word of God is an idiom
for the mind or will of God. Modern believers fight over many issues connected to Genesis 1-2. A new
book by John Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One, has been a blessing to me as I have struggled
with these issues.

▣ “heavens” This refers to the atmosphere above the earth. The ancients saw it
as a hard dome of stretched skin with windows for the rain. Remember the Bible is not
“anti-scientific” but “pre-scientific.” It describes things with the five human
senses, as they appear (i.e., phenomenal language). Be careful of modern western literalism. The Bible
is an ancient eastern book! The Bible must be God’s word to its day before it can be God’s word to our day.

If the issue of proper principles for Bible interpretation interests you, see my Bible
Interpretation Seminar (video, audio, written text) at
www.freebiblecommentary.org.

▣ “all their host” This refers to completed creation of this planet (cf. Gen. 2:1).
The ancients saw the heavenly lights (sun, moon, stars, planets, comets) as moving across a dome. They
were not gods but just part of YHWH’s beautiful physical creation. I think Genesis 1 functions
theologically to depreciate the Babylonian gods, just as the plagues of Exodus 7-11 function to depreciate
the Egyptian gods.

33:7 The subject of “waters” has several aspects.

Genesis does not specifically mention God creating water.
In ANE mythology (see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: ANE CREATION AND FLOOD MYTHS) salt water and fresh water were gods. YHWH defeats them!
Water becomes the means of YHWH’s judgment and starting again with Noah (cf. Genesis 6-9).
Water was crucial for ANE peoples. They developed fertility worship (see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP IN THE ANE) as a way to ensure the regular cycles of nature
(i.e., rain in its season).

▣
NASB, NKJV, NRSV, REB	”as a heap”
NASB margin	”in a water skin”
NRSV	”as in a bottle”
NJB	”like a dam”
LXX	”like a wineskin”
JPSOA	”like a mound”

The MT has “heap” (BDB 622, נד, cf. Exod. 15:8; Josh. 3:13,16;
Ps. 78:13). It seems to refer to Gen. 1:9. The UBS Text Project (p. 217) gives it a “B”
rating (i.e., some doubt).

The NASB margin, NRSV, LXX take it from a different root, BDB 609 (cf. Josh. 9:4,13;
Jdgs. 4:19; Ps. 56:8; 119:83).

There is an Akkadian and Ugaritic root, כנד, which means
“jar” or “bottle.”

33:8 This verse starts out with two VERBS used in a JUSSIVE sense
(i.e., “let us. . .).

let all the earth fear/revere YHWH (BDB 431, KB 432, Qal IMPERFECT,
cf. Ps. 67:7)
let all the inhabitants of the world (see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: LAND, COUNTRY, EARTH) stand in awe (BDB 158, KB 185, Qal
IMPERFECT) of Him

Notice the parallelism. YHWH, not nature, is to be feared. The enemy of biblical faith
today in western societies is “naturalism,” an agentless, purposeless universe.

33:9 See note at Ps. 33:6.

33:10-12 The theological assertions related to physical creation now focus the purpose of
that creation, which is fellowship with the Creator (cf. Gen. 1:26,27; 3:8).

The “nations” (i.e., Gentiles) are not a second thought but YHWH’s purpose
from the beginning (cf. Gen. 3:15; 12:3; Exod. 19:5; Ps. 22:27; 66:1-4; 86:8-10; Isa. 2:2-4; 12:4-5;
25:6-9; 42:6-12; 45:22-23; 49:5-6; 51:4-5; 56:6-8; 60:1-3; 66:23; Micah 4:1-4; Mal. 1:11; John 3:16;
4:42; Acts 10:34-35; 1 Tim. 2:4; Titus 2:11; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 John 2:2; 4:14).

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’S
ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

33:10 “the counsel” The “counsel (BDB 420, i.e., purpose) of the
Lord stands forever” (cf. Job 23:13; Pro. 19:21). Amen!

33:12 Does God choose some to salvation or all? This is the difficult question of God’s
sovereignty versus human free will.

The love, plan, and purposes of YHWH include, but are larger than, the
descendants of Abraham! He wants all to know Him!

SPECIAL
TOPIC: ELECTION/PREDESTINATION AND THE NEED FOR A THEOLOGICAL BALANCE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 33:13-17
¹³The
Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
¹⁴From His dwelling place
He looks out
On all the
inhabitants of the earth,
¹⁵He
who fashions the hearts of them all,
He
who understands all their works.
¹⁶The
king is not saved by a mighty army;
A
warrior is not delivered by great strength.
¹⁷A horse is a false hope
for victory;
Nor does it
deliver anyone by its great strength.

33:13-17 This strophe focuses on YHWH’s immanence (cf. Ps. 14:2; 102:19). He knows what is
happening on earth in individual lives (cf. Exod. 3:7-9; Matt. 6:25-34; 10:30; Luke 21:18; Acts 27:34;
this same imagery is found in several OT texts, i.e., 1 Sam.14:45; 2 Sam. 14:11; 1 Kgs. 1:52). Faithful
followers’ lives are not controlled by luck, chance, fate, but are directed by faith, by God! Live
boldly for Him!

Notice the number of times “all” (BDB 481) appears in this Psalm, Ps. 33:8a,b,
13b, 14b, 15a,b. YHWH created and takes note of all His human creation! Life is a gift with a purpose.
All humans will give an account to God for their stewardship of that gift!

33:15 YHWH fashions (BDB 427, KB 428, Qal PARTICIPLE, cf. Gen. 2:7,8,19)
all humans and knows their lives (cf. Psalm 139). He is a proper judge because He knows our will,
motives, acts, and consequences.

33:16-17 Human events, history, is not haphazard but purposeful. YHWH even uses evil for
His purposes. Things do not just happen! Now to be fair, this is a fallen world and all that
occurs is not the will of YHWH. He allows our choices to bear fruit (i.e., good or bad). The
earth has been affected by mankind’s sin (cf. Genesis 3; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 8:18-23). The mystery
is how

YHWH’s sovereignty
human choices
physical activity mesh

The eyes of faith search for God in all events (cf. Ps. 33:18-22). The
wicked search for power, riches, evils, disasters and opportunities for
self! Humans should not hope in military power (cf. Psalm 2).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 33:18-22
¹⁸Behold,
the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His
lovingkindness,
¹⁹To
deliver their soul from death
And
to keep them alive in famine.
²⁰Our
soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
²¹For our heart rejoices
in Him,
Because we trust
in His holy name.
²²Let
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.

33:18-22 Notice how the faithful follower is characterized.

those who fear YHWH, Ps. 33:18
those who hope for His lovingkindness, Ps. 33:18
those who wait for YHWH, Ps. 33:20
those who see Him as their help and shield, Ps. 33:20
those who rejoice in Him, Ps. 33:21
those who trust in His holy name, Ps. 33:21
those who hope (lit. “wait”) in Him, Ps. 33:22

YHWH will

keep His eye on them, Ps. 33:13-15
deliver them (BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT)
keep them (BDB 310, KB 309, Piel INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT)
help (BDB 740) and protect (BDB 171) them

Notice how at the conclusion of many of the Psalms, the PLURAL is used to
widen the prayer/praise from one to all faithful followers.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this
section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

List the IMPERATIVES in Ps. 33:1-3 that relate to musical worship. Why
is music such an important aspect of worship?
How does Ps. 33:6-9 reflect Genesis 1?
Explain Ps. 33:11 in your own words.
How does Ps. 33:15 reflect Gen. 1:26-28?
Does YHWH have an “eye”?

Old Testament Studies

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