Psalm 89
Encyclopedia
Psalm 89 is in the Book of Psalms
, part of the Hebrew Bible
.
The superscription of this Psalm claims that it was written by Ethan, the Ezrahite. Ethan the Ezrahite, along with Heman the Ezrahite (the author of the preceding Psalm, Psalm 88), was a wise man from the time of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:31 states, concerning King Solomon, "For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations" (ESV).
Psalm 89 begins with words of praise for Yahweh
's goodness and covenant
faithfulness. It recounts the promises made to King David, and the covenant which God had established with him, for the first 37 verses; from verse 38 to 51, the Psalmist laments what seemed like God's lack of remembrance of his covenant promises. But finally, in the 52nd and closing verse of the Psalm, the Psalmist's tone changes once again, when he proclaims, "Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen" (ESV). With these words, the third book of the Psalter is closed.
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
, part of the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
.
The superscription of this Psalm claims that it was written by Ethan, the Ezrahite. Ethan the Ezrahite, along with Heman the Ezrahite (the author of the preceding Psalm, Psalm 88), was a wise man from the time of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:31 states, concerning King Solomon, "For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations" (ESV).
Psalm 89 begins with words of praise for Yahweh
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
's goodness and covenant
Covenant (biblical)
A biblical covenant is an agreement found in the Bible between God and His people in which God makes specific promises and demands. It is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith. It it is used in the Tanakh 286 times . All Abrahamic religions consider the Biblical covenant...
faithfulness. It recounts the promises made to King David, and the covenant which God had established with him, for the first 37 verses; from verse 38 to 51, the Psalmist laments what seemed like God's lack of remembrance of his covenant promises. But finally, in the 52nd and closing verse of the Psalm, the Psalmist's tone changes once again, when he proclaims, "Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen" (ESV). With these words, the third book of the Psalter is closed.
Judaism
- Is recited during SelichotSelichotSelichot or slichot are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on Fast Days...
in some traditions. - Verse 53 is the first verse of Baruch Hashem L'OlamBaruch Hashem L'Olam (Shacharit)Baruch Adonai L'Olam is a paragraph recited during Shacharit in Pesukei Dezimra following Hallel. The paragraph consists verses beginning with the word Baruch , Hebrew for Blessed, which states that God is a source of blessing...
in Pesukei Dezimra and Baruch Hashem L'Olam after the Shema in weekday MaarivMaarivMaariv is a Hebrew language daily newspaper published in Israel. It is second in sales after Yedioth Ahronoth and third in readership after Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel HaYom. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Maariv saw its market share fall slightly...
. - Verses 16-18 are recited following the ShofarShofarA shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
blowing on Rosh HashanahRosh HashanahRosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
.