To the reader
The Psalter of the Holy Prophet and King David is one of the sacred books of the Old Testament, in the Greek and Slavic tradition, consisting of one hundred and fifty-one psalms. The Greek word itself ("psalter") means musical instrument with 10-12 strings, and the word “psalm” (literally: “rattling”) is a song that was performed accompanied by playing the psalter.
The basis of the book of Psalms is the psalms created by King David in the 11th-10th centuries BC. Echoes of many events of his life are heard in them. The rest of the psalms were written later, in different time, the successors of King David, "chiefs of the choirs", who had a poetic and prophetic gift. The prophet and king David, the great inspired poet, is called in the books of the Holy Scriptures a “faithful husband” (), who “from the bottom of his heart” sang of his Creator (). His psalms, as it were, set the tone for everything that follows, and therefore the entire Psalter is usually called David's.
The psalter was the basis of the Old Testament worship: it was read and sung in the tabernacle, and then in the Jerusalem temple. In the 5th century BC, the priest Ezra, when compiling the Old Testament canon, combined the psalms into one book, preserving their liturgical division. By succession from Old Testament From the very first centuries, the Psalter became the most important liturgical book of the Christian Church.
IN Orthodox Church The Psalter is heard at every morning and evening service; in a week it is read in full, and twice in a week - during Great Lent. The Psalter is the source of most of the morning and evening prayers, the verses of the psalms formed the basis of all the rites of public and private worship. Since the first centuries of Christianity, there has been a practice private reading Psalms.
From ancient times, the Psalter attracted a very special, exclusive attention of the teachers of the Church. This book was seen as a concise repetition of everything that is contained in the Bible - historical narrative, edification, prophecy. One of the main advantages of the psalms was considered the complete absence of distance between the reader and the text: each worshiper pronounces the words of the psalms as his own, the psalms reflect the movements of the soul of each person, they can find spiritual advice for all occasions: “Everything that is useful in all books of Holy Scripture, - says the saint, - contains the book of psalms. She prophesies about the future, recalls events, gives laws for life, suggests rules for activity. In a word, the Psalter is a common spiritual treasury of good instructions, and everyone will find in it in abundance what is useful to him. She also heals old spiritual wounds, and gives a quick healing to the recently wounded; it strengthens the weak, guards the healthy, and destroys the passions that dominate souls in human life. The psalm brings peace to the soul, produces peace, tames stormy and rebellious thoughts. He softens the angry soul and chaste the sensual. The psalm concludes friendship, unites the scattered, reconciles the warring. What doesn't the Psalter teach you? From here you will know the greatness of courage, the severity of justice, the honesty of chastity, the perfection of prudence, the image of repentance, the measure of patience, and every good thing you name. Here there is a perfect theology, there is a prophecy about the coming of Christ in the flesh, there is a threat of the Judgment of God. Here the hope of the Resurrection and the fear of torment are inspired. Glory is promised here, secrets are revealed. Everything is in the book of psalms, as in a great and universal treasury" ( St. Basil the Great. Discourse on the first psalm).
“The book of Psalms is worthy of special attention and study in comparison with other books of Scripture,” writes St. Athanasius of Alexandria. – Everyone can find in it, as if in paradise, everything that is necessary and useful for him. This book clearly and in detail depicts all human life, all states of the spirit, all the movements of the mind, and there is nothing in a person that it would not contain in itself. Do you want to repent, confess, are you oppressed by sorrow and temptation, are you being persecuted or are building covens against you; whether despondency has taken possession of you, or restlessness, or something like that, you endure; whether you strive to progress in virtue and see that the enemy hinders you; Do you want to praise, give thanks and glorify the Lord? - In the Divine Psalms you will find instruction regarding all this ”( St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Epistle to Marcellinus on the interpretation of the Psalms).
“... In the Psalter you will find countless blessings,” says St. John Chrysostom. Have you fallen into temptation? You will find the best comfort in her. Fell into sin? You will find countless cures. Fell into poverty or unhappiness? “You will see many marinas there. If you are a righteous person, you will get the most reliable reinforcement from there, if you are a sinner, the most real consolation. If your good deeds puff you up, there you will learn humility. If your sins plunge you into despair, there you will find great encouragement for yourself. If you have a royal crown on your head or are distinguished by high wisdom, the psalms will teach you to be modest. If you are rich and famous, the Psalmist will convince you that there is nothing great on earth. If you are struck by sorrow, you will hear consolation. Do you see that some here are unworthily enjoying happiness - you will learn not to envy them. Do you see that the righteous suffer disasters along with the sinners - you will receive an explanation for this. Every word there contains an infinite sea of thoughts" ( St. John Chrysostom. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Conversation 28).
But the value of David's songs is not only in the ability to reach the depths of every heart. They carry in themselves something even more, they see the mystery of the Divine plan for man, the mystery of Christ's suffering. Entire psalms were regarded by the holy fathers of the Church as messianic, as prophecies about the coming Messiah. The Psalms reveal to us the full composition of the teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Church.
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According to the testimony of the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, the Psalter, as a book necessary for worship, was translated into the Slavonic language in the 9th century by Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles from the Greek church text of the Seventy Interpreters - a translation of the Bible, carried out from the Hebrew copy at the end of the 3rd century BC. Thanks to the holy brothers, the Holy Scriptures also became available to the Slavic peoples, and newly converted Christians began to celebrate divine services in their native language.
The Psalter, whose prayers are included in every liturgical service, immediately became the favorite reading of the Russian people, the main educational book in ancient Rus'. A person who studied the Psalter was considered "bookish" - literate, able to read other books and understand the Divine Service, which was the spiritual basis of the whole structure of life.
Having learned to read from the Psalter, the Russian man no longer parted with it. Every family had this holy book, which was passed down from father to children. The Psalter accompanied a person throughout his life: they read it not only at home, but took it with them on travels, for prayer and edification; psalms were read over the seriously ill patients; to this day, the custom of reading the Psalter for the dead has been preserved, dating back to the earliest times of Christianity. The statutes of many monasteries still prescribe the reading of the "indestructible Psalter."
In conjunction with the Book of Hours - a collection of hymns in relation to a certain time of worship - and selected troparia and kontakia, the Psalter took the form of the Followed, appointed for worship in the temple. The Psalter with the addition of patristic interpretations is called Explanatory. It is intended for private reading and provides a guide to the correct understanding and understanding of historically obscure and prophetic places in the sacred text.
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The Church Slavonic language is a precious heritage that we have traditionally received from our ancestors along with the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Orthodox Church. Created by Saints Cyril and Methodius precisely in order to become the verbal flesh of divine thinking and prayer, this powerful, figurative, majestic language is sacred for us, never used in everyday life, to express everyday needs. On it the mysterious communion of each Orthodox Christian with God blessing.
Unfortunately, the current generation turned out to be cut off from the age-old traditions of Russian culture. The Russian literary language, one of the essential factors of Russian self-consciousness, survived a cruel reform, and the life-giving Church Slavonic that had nourished it for many centuries was taken out of the scope of school education and was taught only in a small number of spiritual schools. educational institutions. As a result, the hierarchy of linguistic values has changed, the integrity of the worldview, which distinguished Orthodox consciousness, in the minds of many people, the blood connection between the Russian literary language and Church Slavonic is broken, and we hardly heed the language of the sacred books.
Our ancestors understood learning to read as the first step towards knowledge of God. For centuries, many generations of the Russian people mastered native language according to Church Slavonic. The soul of a child, who comprehended the basics of native speech from the church primer or the Psalter, from an early age got used to inspired verbs, tuned in to the perception of Divine teaching. In one of the ancient editions of the Book of Hours, in instruction to the wise reader, it is said: “To what subtle childhood is taught, decrepit old age leaves it inconveniently: for by increasing the frequency of work, the custom is perceived and for many times the character is affirmed, nature has strength. The same diligently observe their own children, but not profanity, shameful speech and vain eloquence from infancy learn, even the essence is soul-destroying ... but as if in the spring of their life, the fields of their hearts with teaching weigh and the seeds of the word of God, sown from teaching, joyfully accept if you would gather soul-giving classes in the harvest year, and those fruits in abundance and here live the winter of old age honestly, and into the heavenly granary through endless eternity, those for the sake of being saturated ... Prayer is a verb to God, while reading God's conversation to you : when you read, God talks to you, and when you pray, you talk with God, and there is your sacrifice pleasing to Him, but you have a strong help in labor and in battle with the demon, for to him she is an unbearable rod and a very sharp sword, but from hearts are sent to pure grief, it penetrates the heavens and from there it does not return in vain, but brings down the gifts of grace, making the mind wiser and saving souls.
Created at the instigation of the Holy Spirit, the Church Slavonic language, from the beginning having a doctrinal purpose, called upon to express theological truths, prayerful movements of the soul and the subtlest shades of thought, teaches us to understand spiritual meaning things and events; With all its structure and spirit, the language of our Church elevates a person, helping him ascend from the ordinary into the sphere of a higher, religious feeling.
The history of the comprehension by the Russian church-religious consciousness of the depth of the meaning of the Old and New Testaments invariably combined two tendencies: the desire to fully and accurately reproduce the original of the sacred books and the desire to make them understandable to the Russian people.
Translation work on the text of the Bible has always been an integral part of the evolving church life. Already at the end of the 15th century, Russian society had at its disposal not only a Slavic translation of Greek manuscripts that reproduced the text of the Seventy Interpreters, but also a translation of some books from the Latin Vulgate with non-canonical books included in it (the so-called Gennadius edition), and printed in 1581 in Ostrog Slavic Bible synthesized in itself the Latin tradition of the Gennadius Bible with corrections made according to the Greek text. In the 18th century, the Slavic Bible was returned to its original course of the Greek tradition: the decree of Peter I on November 14, 1712 ordered that the Slavic Bible be brought into agreement with the translation of the Seventy Interpreters, and this task was practically completed in the Elizabethan era.
Later, when, due to the natural development of the Russian language, the Church Slavonic Bible ceased to be generally intelligible, one of the ways of necessary explanation of the Church Slavonic text was to print it in parallel with the Russian translation. The Gospel, the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, and some prayer books have already been published in this form. It is quite obvious that the Psalter also needs this kind of edition.
A complete translation of the Bible into Russian was undertaken back in early XIX century. This work was started by the Russian Bible Society with the books of the New Testament (1818) and the Psalter (1822) and completed in 1876, when the full Russian text of the Bible was published in a synodal edition. With all the enormous and undeniable significance of this translation, which we use to this day, it could not adequately facilitate for the reader the understanding of biblical texts included in the circle of church service: firstly, the compilers of the publication focused mainly on the Hebrew text, in in some places it does not coincide with Greek, from which the translators of the Bible into Slavonic proceeded; secondly, the syllable of the translation does not recreate the solemnly confidential sound of the Slavic recension.
The inadequacy of the Russian translation to the liturgical text is most acutely felt in the Psalter. Attempts to translate the Greek Psalter into Russian were made after the publication of the synodal edition by Reverend Porfiry (Uspensky) and Professor P. Jungerov. In its style, more emotional than the synodal text, but not sublime enough, replete with colloquial expressions, the translation of the Right Reverend Porfiry (1893), made from a Greek source, could not serve as an analogue of the Church Slavonic Psalter. P. Jungerov, who published a new Russian translation of the Psalter in 1915, set himself the goal of bringing the translation of the Greek Psalter closer to the Slavic tradition. Jungerov's translation is interesting and valuable, first of all, as a work of a textual critic: the scientist revealed the Greek church manuscript tradition, on which the Church Slavonic Psalter is based, and at the same time noted some small discrepancies between them. The translation is semantically accurate and well commented, but in style it resembles an interlinear for scientific use: its language is heavy, sluggish, bloodless and does not correspond to the sublimely lyrical intonation of the original.
Meanwhile, for thoughtful private reading, especially for a person taking the first steps in the study of the Church Slavonic language, a Russian literary translation is needed, which in its structure and stylistic means of expression is close to the Slavic Psalter, which provides the first guide and help for reading a God-inspired book precisely in the Church Slavonic language.
The edition offered to the reader's attention presents the "traditional" Slavic Psalter. The Church Slavonic text of the Psalter, including prayers for kathismas and prayers after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter, is printed in full accordance with the Synodal editions, preserving the structure and all the traditional features of the publication of liturgical texts in the Church Slavonic press. The psalms are printed with a parallel translation, which is made directly from the Church Slavonic language. The translation was made by E. N. Birukova († 1987) and I. N. Birukov in 1975–1985. The inspirer of this work at its initial stage was Professor B. A. Vasiliev († 1976), who provided the translators with invaluable help with his textual consultations.
The translators sought not only to help our contemporaries to penetrate the spirit and meaning of the Psalter, but also to create an equirhythmic translation that would be freely readable with all the intonations inherent in the Slavonic text, its images and epithets. Incomprehensible without interpretation, images and turns of phrase translators carefully deciphered in the spirit ancient monument highlighting such insertions in italics. During the work, the following were taken into account: the translation of P. Jungerov with his valuable footnotes; Synodal translation; translation of Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky); "Explanation of the 118th Psalm" by St. Theophan, the Hermit Vyshensky; Explanatory Psalter of Euphemia Zigaben; patristic interpretations of Saints Athanasius the Great, Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa, Theodoret of Cyrrhus and other teachers of the Church, revealing in their creations both the direct, historical meaning of the text, and its symbolic and prophetic meaning.
Approaching the sacred text with great reverence, but fearing prosaism and literalism, translators in rare cases were forced to deviate from the syntactic structure of the Church Slavonic Psalter and, while maintaining the accuracy of the meaning, resorted to small paraphrases and rearrangement of words according to the logic of the modern Russian language.
The translation was checked with the Greek text of the Seventy Interpreters by T. A. Miller, and she also compiled notes oriented to the patristic tradition, designed to show the historical context and symbolic meaning of individual verses of the Psalter, as well as to explain images that are obscure to the modern reader.
In 1994, this translation of the Psalter was blessed for publication by His Eminence John, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, who headed the Liturgical Commission at the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Book of Psalms has been translated into many languages of the world. In Russian, you can find the Church Slavonic translation, the Synodal translation, the translation of Pavel Jungerov and others. How they differ tells the poet and publicist Yulia Rudenko. For example, we took Psalm 99.
Story
Compared to the first king of Israel, Saul, a mature husband and father, a strong and strong warrior, King David during the “anointing” was a frail young man who talentedly played the kinnor, a stringed instrument. However, David did not have to take courage and ingenuity - it is enough to recall the legend of his victory over the giant of the enemy Philistines Goliath. Nevertheless, David paved the way to eternity precisely with his laudatory songs, appeals to God, and not with battles. It was already in Rus' that they were called psalms, since one of the stringed musical instruments of the Israelis was the psalterion, and in Greek “psalm” means a song.
Young David plays the kinnor in front of King Saul. N. Zagorsky, 1873
Many generations after the Russian prince Vladimir the Red Sun, who forcibly introduced Christianity in Kievan Rus, learned to read and write from the psalter. Being an obligatory part of the Old and New Testaments, the psalter of 150 (+1) songs has firmly entered the minds of Christians, and in particular - Orthodox person. But does everyone understand the meaning of the psalms? This question tormented the most progressive scientific minds of Russian philologists of recent centuries. It is for us, contemporaries who are not familiar with the Old Slavonic language, and even more so with ancient Greek or Hebrew, that it is especially difficult if we intend to comprehend the essence of what was sung by David and his followers. And although the oldest clergymen explain in such cases: "... everything will be revealed in due time" (Sir 39:22), let's push ourselves a little towards knowledge in order to shed light on some of the existing translations of the liturgical Psalter.
“The dawn has not yet lit up,
And I already stood with the harp;
Soul to prayer torn,
And my spirit burned with faith,
such lines were born while thinking about Tsar David by the Russian Decembrist poet Fyodor Glinka in the 18th century. Long before the moment when our classics of literature decided to subject the texts of the psalms to rhyming processing for real songwriting, the Bible was brought to the Slavs from seventy-two Greek elders-scribes. Septuagint was the title of their translation of the divine book from Hebrew into Greek. That is, in fact Old Slavonic language from the Greek text was translated with some errors. A little time passed - and in Rus' a translation appeared from a genuine Jewish collection, which was called synodal, and according to which services are often conducted in Orthodox churches and now.
But the music is cacophonous, and the lyrics are without rhyme. The fact is that the ancient Jews, of course, did not have the achievements of modern culture for the last three thousand years. They sang whatever came to mind at that moment. Art, as such, had no other value than the conversation of the soul and feelings of man with God. Is it possible to imagine such a conversation of David, for example: “God, we went on a campaign against the Philistines, but they won, we were defeated ... No, no, it’s not like that, it sounds ordinary ... God, wait, I’m just a little I'll correct it and sing more beautifully... We met the Philistines on the battlefield, I was the first to throw my spear at them...”? Funny, isn't it? The peoples lived and fought sincerely, without preparation, without rehearsals, without "playing for the public." Continuous improvisation, impromptu and the philosophy of constant search for the meaning of one's existence on earth. If the rules of song construction did exist, they were very schematic and primitive. Modern literary scholars who have analyzed psalm-praises usually distinguish between three forms of parallelism in their writing. But I don’t think that David and other ancient Jews, praising God with their songs, specifically worked on the phrases: “So, here I used synonyms, which means that in the next couplet I will turn to God through antonyms opposing each other ...”. No, it is already in the current civilization that it is customary to structure psalms for easier understanding. On synonymous, antithetic and synthetic parallelism, as well as on 20 kathismas (parts).
The emergence of the psalms. Hebrew original
Once in the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Herder, a famous German writer of the Enlightenment, said: “It takes ten years to study Hebrew to read Psalm 104 in the original.” It is unlikely that the second king of Israel, David, imagined that his musical appeals to God would be regularly read throughout all future centuries by a huge part of the world's population. The king had a difficult fate constant wars, the fight against diseases and misfortunes in unsanitary conditions, in which, frankly, it was not easy to survive. Nevertheless, David raised the country from its knees, achieved its well-being, and he himself lived up to 70 years, and died by accident, stumbling on the stairs. How can you not think about divine protection? His faith in God was so strong that he did not start any business without God's blessing. And he talentedly performed his prayers according to the standards of his time and with inspiration performed to the music. His scribes wrote down several psalms for him. Current scientists argue about their exact number, approximately this figure is 78 out of 150. Subsequently, some believers and talented Israelites began to imitate David. For example, the authors of the Book of Praises that have survived to this day are also Solomon (the youngest son of David, heir and third king of Israel), Moses (a prophet who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years), Eman, Ethan, Asaph (David's close associates) and others.
Reading today the psalter of the New Testament, adapted for the Orthodox person of the last centuries by various translators, one can direct one's pure thoughts to God, as the ancient Jews did. But it is difficult to imagine their language, their expression and emotionality. Experts note that the original words of the Psalter consisted of two or three syllables. This was characteristic in order to denote a special rhythm - after all, God was invisible and somewhere high in the sky, so you need to “get through” to him. The songs, in which both prayers, and praise to the Lord, and confession, and the hope for the coming of the savior Messiah, and repentance for sins, were filled with a passionate cry. By the 10th century A.D. e. this text was copied many times by scribes on parchment, sometimes undergoing some changes. Divine hymns eventually began to be sung by a huge chorus of Levites and worshipers. “Greek-Slavic poetry of the psalms,” says the cultural historian Georgy Fedotov, “is of a different quality than in the Hebrew original. The sharpness is softened, the pain is muffled, the cry is silenced. A veil of splendor is thrown over the rebellious confession of the soul.
Greek translation
The Septuagint, a translation of the 72 elders, canonized by the Orthodox Church as saints, is also called LXX for short. The task was set by the Alexandrian king Ptolemy Philadelphus. Scholars evaluate this Greek text, written in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. e., from the point of view of the originality of an independent book, and on the correspondence of its accuracy to the original. And although the Septuagint appeared somewhat earlier than the final canon of the Masoretic Tanakh (Bible), the numbering in them completely coincides. However, the suggestion that the Greek translation was intended as an interlinear translation of the Masoretic text of the Psalter for Jewish and Jewish émigré communities was abandoned over time. Too often, Greek translators took liberties in interpretations at their own discretion, introducing something of their own, personal. Yes, the vocabulary Greek widely replete with abstract concepts in contrast to the sometimes politically incorrect specifics of Jewish. In some places in the Book of Praises, such freedom was justified and beneficial, but sometimes completely superfluous, considered heresy.
In an amazing and incredible way, the Septuagint Psalter earned great popularity among people familiar with the letter, because it was constantly copied, which cannot be said about the Hebrew parchment scrolls, which were rather kept secret from the uninitiated.
Slavic translations
In a strange way, there are still disputes about the nationality of two famous brothers - Constantine-Cyril and Methodius. The Bulgarians believe that they were Bulgarians, the Greeks that they were Greeks. Be that as it may, the brothers who were born and lived in Byzantium also spoke Slavic as their own. Once, at the request of the Moravian prince Rostislav, the brothers translated several liturgical books, including the Septuagint Psalter, into Slavonic (using the Glagolitic alphabet they had created). They suffered for this, because the Vatican believed that it was allowed to sing songs of praise to God only in three languages: Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
The manuscripts of Cyril and Methodius spread to the east of Kievan Rus, which to some extent also contributed to the adoption of Christianity here. However, unfortunately, these books have not been preserved. But they influenced the Old Church Slavonic translations that appeared in the following centuries. Arrangements are known Metropolitans Alexy and Cyprian who lived in the 14th century. The so-called Gennadievsky translation of the 15th century of the Novgorod Archbishop Gennady. And in the next 16th century, a great event took place: in the Russian Voivodeship of the Commonwealth, Ivan Fedorov opened a printing house. And the first book published by him was the church collection "Apostle", which included the chapters of the Psalter.
Of course, printing was a step forward in the development of human consciousness. But not everything that began to be printed was blessed by the clergy. For example, in 1660 Hieromonk Simeon of Polotsk dared to approach the translation of the Psalter creatively and transpose the sacred text using rhyme. He printed the edition in his own printing house, which, unfortunately, was banned for him. Under great secrecy, one of the copies of this book went to the young Mikhail Lomonosov and served as one of the motives for the passionate craving young man to education. By the way, having achieved success in the field of science, he himself tried to shift the Psalter into rhyme in his own way. Here is how the 1st psalm of Lomonosov sounds:
Blessed is he who does not go to the evil in council,
Does not want to follow the trail of sinners,
And with those who lead to destruction,
To sit in consonant thoughts.
At about the same time, his colleagues in the pen - Vasily Trediakovsky, Vasily Derzhavin, Alexander Sumarokov and others - were doing this.
Since the 17th century, believers in Rus' have mainly used the Elizabethan Bible: at the behest of Peter I, the clergy began to check the Slavic translations with Hebrew and the Septuagint, and completed their version of the text under Elizabeth. Since that time and until now, it is this Psalter that has been used for worship in Orthodox churches.
Let's see how one of the psalms, 99, is read on Church Slavonic:
Shout out to the Gods, all the earth, work for the Lord in gladness, come in before Him in joy. Take away, for that Lord is our God: He created us, and not we, but we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates in confession, into His courts in singing: confess to Him, praise His name. For the Lord is good, His mercy endures forever, and even to generation and generation His truth.
In my opinion, and now everything is clear here. And it sounds extremely melodious.
First Russian synodal translation
But the Russian language did not stand still, but developed and transformed. There was little left of the Slavic in it. New generations ceased to understand the meaning of biblical expositions. And the emperor Alexander I ordered the governing church body - the Holy Synod: “To provide the Russians with a way to read the word of God in their natural Russian language, as the most intelligible Slavic dialect for them, in which the books of St. The Scriptures are published by us.” The Holiness entrusted the process to the Commission of Theological Schools, headed by the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy Archimandrite Philaret Drozdov, in the future - the Moscow Metropolitan. This version of the Psalter became available to the common people, and they began to call it Synodal.
Metropolitan Philaret Drozdov
But the clergy took this seal "with hostility." For in their opinion the psalms were simplified to the point of impossibility. Is it possible to talk to the Lord as to a neighbor? So because of the unexpected opposition of the clergy to the “word of Filaret,” the synodal text of the Bible was recommended only for home reading.
For comparison, the same Psalm 99 in the synodal translation:
Shout to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with joy, go before His face with an exclamation! Know that the Lord is God, that He created us and we are His, His people and the sheep of His flock. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with praise. Praise Him, bless His name, for the Lord is good: His mercy is forever and His truth from generation to generation.
In this translation of David's microtext, as in no other, the freedom of royal self-expression is most clearly visible, and at the same time, the text is full of responsibility not only for itself, but also for the peoples to which it appeals to move only along the path of God. This original expression of the call is somewhat extinguished in the translation of the psalter from the Septuagint by Pavel Jungerov.
Translation by Pavel Jungerov
In general, the Jungerov family itself is a hereditary Orthodox clergy in fourteen generations. It is no wonder that Pavel, who was born in the middle of the 19th century, in the family of the locally revered saint of the Samara province Alexander Chagrinsky, grew up in an atmosphere of worship. The humility and depth with which the young man related to spiritual education did not go unnoticed. And after graduating from the Kazan Theological Academy, he defended his dissertation, receiving a doctoral master's degree. But not only solitude in the knowledge of the works of the past attracted Pavel Jungerov. He also led an active missionary activity, repeatedly going on pilgrimages to the East and West. While preaching the word of God, he also studied the peculiarities of speech, cultural and religious traditions of the peoples.
Theologian and translator P.A. Jungerov
The translations of the Old Testament by Pavel Alexandrovich are examples of the highest reliability of the original. Studying the text of the Psalter, Jungerov preferred the Septuagint to the Masoretic (later) language. With great attention to detail, the scholar-philologist conducted a thorough verification of the texts of the Psalms in ancient Greek and Church Slavonic, noting some discrepancies.
Here is how the praise of Psalm 99 sounds in Jungerov's translation:
Shout out to God, all the earth! Work for the Lord with joy; enter before Him with joy. Know that the Lord - He is our God, He created us, and not we, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with confession, into His courts with songs, confess to Him, praise His name. For the Lord is good, His mercy endures forever, and His truth is unto generation and generation.
As you can see, the text changes are not very pronounced, but they are. Jungerov's translation from the Septuagint is a little more reserved. The synodal translation is a guide-requirement of popular praise, and Junger’s is humbly deepened, it contains the word “confession”, that is, even praise to the Lord from his point of view (and the ancient Greek interpreters) means not an empty rumbling barrel, but a vessel filled with thoughts about one’s inner the world.
Translation by Vasily Kapnist
A little earlier than Pavel Jungerov lived a wonderful Russian poet and playwright Vasily Vasilyevich Kapnist. He was friends with the famous Derzhavin, created the comedy "Sneak" - the prototype of "The Government Inspector" and "Woe from Wit". Like many poets of that time, he tried his hand at poetic translations of the Psalms. Not all of his psalms have survived to this day. For example, the first one:
Blessed is the counsel of the wicked
No way, the path did not become sinners
And on the seat of the arrogant
The destroyers did not sit.
But will submit with all will
the law of their God,
Learn day and night
In his righteous covenants.
As a tree will be planted,
What grows at the source of the waters,
The fruit is timely aggravation,
And his leaf will not fall off.
In everything that he does, he will succeed.
Not so sinful, not so:
But like dust that the wind will blow
From the face of the earth in the empty steppes.
The wicked will not stand in judgment,
Neither sinful to the righteous in counsel:
Lord knows the way is true,
And death awaits the evil on the way.
The translation of Mikhail Lomonosov, given above, sounds approximately the same. The poets of the 18th century were quite successful in the genre of ode. High ideology, rhetorical exclamations, complex metaphors - these features are also found in Kapnist's psalms.
Translation by Archpriest Vasily Probatov
The Orthodox theologian and preacher Vasily Probatov began his literary activity thanks to ... the conflict. The difference in views on issues of faith with Bishop Theodosius Ganetsky led to Probatov's excommunication from the Kolomna churches, where he served for several years. The priest moved to the Ryazan region, and because of the free time from the mid-20s of the XX century, he began translating the biblical book of praises, calling it "Psalms in verse."
Priest Vasily Probatov
Psalm 99 looks like a pioneer in Probatov’s spirit, which is a bit strange, since he could not accept the October Revolution and more than once fell victim to interrogations by the Chekists:
Go with a friendly song,
With triumph in the house of the Lord,
And serve the Creator
Here in holy joy;
Believe firmly, unfailingly,
That He is the God and King of all,
We are His sacred lot,
Sheep pasture him;
So get in awe
God's tribe, to God's temple
And thanks to the Creator
Lift up rejoicing there;
Praise with heartfelt joy
the name of your God,
For His mercy is eternal,
His truth is eternal.
It is somewhat reminiscent of the Soviet enthusiasm of the children's song by Mikhail Matusovsky and Vladimir Shainsky "Together it is fun to walk across the open spaces ..." - isn't it? The spirit of change of the new time probably infected someone consciously, and someone unconsciously, but infected. In a good way. Father Vasily revealed to his parishioners and future generations a different Psalter. He uses synonyms and allegories, poetic devices widely enough to present David's sincerity as pure as in the original: he calls God both "Creator", and "Creator", and "King".
It is clear that the communists could not give way to such an interpretation of the divine book. Actually, with their atheism and practicality, they did not recognize God at all. So Vasily Probatov and his works were undeservedly forgotten, and began to be published only at the end of the 20th century.
Psalms of David by Sergei Averintsev
Sergei Sergeevich Averintsev is also a resident of the twentieth century. He was born in Stalin's pre-war time in Moscow in the family of a professor, research biologist. Therefore, I was familiar with the scientific approach to life from a very young age. True, he was attracted by the knowledge of not only the plant and animal world, as a father, but the universe as a whole, the culture of mankind, the integration of communication.
After graduating from the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University, Averintsev worked with the word for many years. And in the "perestroika" Gorbachev years, he was elected to the People's Deputies of the USSR. It is to Sergei Sergeyevich that we should be grateful for the development of the law on freedom of conscience. However, the subsequent break in the country had a depressing effect on Averintsev, he moved to Austria, where, along with his teaching activities at the oldest university in Vienna, he became a regular at St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Historian, biblical scholar S.S. Averintsev
With deep historical and linguistic knowledge, Sergei Averintsev was looking for answers to the questions of the origin of mankind, its existence and mission on Earth. The German Slavist Wolfgang Kazak called Averintsev's spiritual poetry "the inviolability of secrets incomprehensible to the mind." But are the rhythmically arranged texts of a professor of philology poetry? After all, there is no rhyme in them, just as there was no rhyme in the songs of David. A well-known colleague of Sergei Sergeevich Gasan Huseynov, speaking about Averintsev's predilection for the English Christian thinker Gilbert Chesterton, openly speaks of the understanding that "both guessed that they were writing bad poetry." But in the case of the translation of the Psalter, this fact is most welcome. After all, David followed only the dictates of his heart, and not work on verbal filigree.
Unfortunately, some psalms are missing from Sergei Averintsev's translations, and the 99th is just not there. Perhaps he paid attention to the most significant microtexts for the church, or simply did not have time to complete what he started. For example, psalm 96/97 (all songs in his translation are doubled):
The Lord is King, let the earth rejoice,
let the multitude of islands rejoice!
Cloud and darkness are around Him,
righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne;
fire goes before His face,
burns around His enemies,
from lightning His brilliance on the whole circle of lands,
the earth sees and shakes,
before the Lord the mountains melt like wax,
before the Lord of all the earth,
the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all nations see his glory.
Let those who honor idols be ashamed,
those whose boasting is darkness and dust;
May all gods bow before Him!
Zion hears and rejoices,
the daughters of Judah rejoice in the host,
Lord, about Your judgments!
For You, O Lord, are Most High over all the earth,
exalted above all gods.
You who love the Lord, abhor evil!
He keeps the souls of His faithful,
rescues them from the hand of sinners;
shines on the righteous - light,
and joy to those whose hearts are upright.
Rejoice, righteous ones, in Him,
and praise the memory of His holiness!
I don’t know about you, but for some reason my imagination immediately transferred to the German organ preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Handel, which fill modern Austrian churches with their polyphony. Didn't Averintsev plunge into this music, breaking away from his multinational native penates, which collapsed overnight? The musical intonations of polyphonic heterogeneous lines are the basis of Sergei Sergeevich's translations, published in the year of his death - 2004.
Translation by German Plisetsky
It is believed that the poet and translator German Plisetsky was undeservedly crossed out by the Soviet authorities from the recognized talents of the country. His works were not published, and he himself lived in Khimki near Moscow, living from penny to penny, but not attaching any importance to this. Geshka and Plisa, as his friends called him, kept pace with the times, looking for truth and justice, composing rhymes in the spirit of Vysotsky, Voznesensky, Yevtushenko. He became widely known after his death.
Poet German Plesetsky
His first collection of writings and translations was published only in 2001, nine years after his death. And his poem about Pasternak and the translations of Omar Khayyam deserved the main popularity. It is said that German Borisovich is one of the transcriptions of the Psalter into verse. But, to be honest, apart from the first psalm, I did not find confirmation of the existence of his translation of the entire biblical collection. Perhaps I am mistaken.
Blessed is he who does not go to the council,
depraved, deceitful and stinking.
Blessed, in the assembly is not in a hurry,
saying to the wicked, "No!"
He listens to God. Law
He wants to understand God.
May it be like a trunk, branchy,
let not every leaf wither!
Growing at the source of waters,
may it bear ripe fruit!
And the wicked are dust
scattered on all winds.
The prayers of the perverse will not save,
and God's Judgment will not pass.
Blessed be the right path!
And the path of the depraved - be damned!
The abundance of exclamation points testifies to the influence of the slogans of the communist USSR. But why not?
Translation by Naum Grebnev
Naum Isaevich Rambach (namely, that was his real name) was born in China shortly before the Great Patriotic War, then moved with his family to the USSR. He did not really like to talk about his belonging to the Jewish nationality - the time was too turbulent, and because of this he was criticized by colleagues - they say, he is hiding under a pseudonym. Naum's mother spoke several languages, was known as a talented translator, and was friends with Anna Akhmatova. And he himself went through almost the entire war, boldly fighting "for the Motherland, for Stalin", shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers of the multinational Soviet Union.
Naum Grebnev (Rambach)
Glory came to Naum Grebnev with his talented translation of Rasul Gamzatov's poem "Cranes". The song, set to music by composer Jan Frenkel, was performed by Mark Bernes himself. Given his bloodline affiliation with the nation of David and other forefathers of the Christian religion, the poet-translator of the 20th century tried to combine these two components: origins and modernity. Being deeply lyrical and emotional, the author presented the psalter to the judgment of the current Russian-speaking readers, transcribing the synodal translation into verse. Here is what his 99th psalm looks like:
Praise, O people, the Lord's chamber,
Go with joy to him, with praise.
Stand before his face with a hymn,
He created us, called us sons,
Hurry to His gates with praise,
Go to His courts with pure love,
For the Lord is our only God.
Praise the Lord, Lord's people,
Bless in prayer of the heart,
For what will be in the world will pass,
Only the truth of the Lord is eternal
From generation to generation.
Translation by Naum Basovsky
Not much is known about Naum Isaakovich Basovsky. Born in Kyiv, he was fond of the exact sciences, and accordingly he chose education in the field of mathematics and physics. taught. He moved to Moscow, and then to the Israeli Rishon Lezion, where he lives to this day. But it is true what they say - talented people are talented in everything. Nahum Basovsky is the author of not only a large number scientific inventions and publications in the media, he is also the winner of many poetry competitions. His erudition and outlook found a perfect embodiment in literature.
N. Basovsky
Let's see how figuratively and richly he presents the 99th psalm:
God reigns and the nations tremble,
and the face of the earth trembles.
He is as high as the heavens
great over the nations of the world.
Judgment and truth from God over them,
in justice, their triumph.
Holy is the Lord's formidable name,
and His footstool is holy.
And Moses with Aaron, and Shmuel -
those whose voice sounded inviting, -
to the Almighty threads pulled their prayers,
and the Lord answered.
God's voice they heard
from a great pillar of clouds,
received the holy tablets,
preserved forever and ever.
We are forgiven according to the Law,
according to the law and punishment is given.
Worship, people, Zion,
praise God at all times!
From these lines one breathes not only David's song under the kinnora, but also the "Tale of Igor's Campaign". And this style is certainly not accidental. Born in Ukraine, Naum Isaakovich, of course, even in his school years was immersed in the history of the emergence of Christianity in Kievan Rus. Incarnating the Israeli word of God for the Russians, he thus literally combined two ancient cultures into one. The convexity of the syllable and the beautiful sing-song melody, the abundance of images and old Russian words - no doubt will please not only any reader, but also a specialist linguist.
Psalms in the life of a modern Orthodox person
Sometimes I think, what was in David's songs that was not in the words of his other peers? Why it was his psalms that laid the foundation for the Christian faith huge amount generations and nationalities? For thirty centuries, in different languages, people have been reading the Book of Praises every day, thanks to which they heal their souls from evil demons. And most of the paraphrases of the Psalter have turned into common aphorisms, the origin of which we sometimes don’t even think about. Like, for example, “let everyone be rewarded according to his deeds”, or “those who sow with tears will reap with joy”, or “I am a wanderer on earth”, “the abyss calls to the abyss”, “at the head of the corner”, and many others. etc. And except for the real, genuine greatness of spirit and David's great faith in God, I do not find an answer. An empty word does not live for centuries, a spiritualized word “burns” in the souls of others and after the death of its utterer.
Unfortunately, today, often in an attempt to read the psalm to solve difficult everyday situations, one can hardly discern the greatness of David. Do not be led by such frivolity, read the Psalter thoughtfully and without selfish attachment to your everyday well-being.
Psalms of David
The beginning of the prophecy about Christ. Two paths: Blessings of the righteous. The death of the wicked.Prophecy of the Kingdom of the Messiah: Rejection of the Messiah. Wrath of Yahweh. Celebration of the Messiah. Yahweh's advice to the kings and judges of the earth.
Written by David when he fled from Absalom his son. David in Distress: His Lamentation. His hope is in God. His confidence. His prayer.
Evening prayer of David: Prayer for help. In rebuke to the enemies. To admonish the enemies. Hope in God.
David Morning Prayer: God hears prayer. God hates iniquity. God blesses the righteous.
Penitential. Penitent Prayer: Prayer for mercy. Confidence in hearing.
A lamentable song that David sang to the Lord in the case of Hus, from the tribe of Benjamin. Prayer in sorrow: David turns to God. He defends his right. He is crying out for truth. The fate of the wicked. Words of the Lord according to His righteousness.
The greatness and dignity of man: the glory of God. Man is the crown of creation.
Praise God for deliverance: Thank God for the victory. Faith in the truth of God. Prayer for help. Confidence in the triumph of truth. Prayer when the judgments of God linger. The iniquity of the wicked. Hope for God's help.
Trust in the Lord: The Temptation to Be Dejected in Trial. Strengthening in faith.
Meditation for a time of distress: A prayer for help among the treacherous and the proud. The assurance of deliverance from above.
Prayer. David cries out to the Lord and proclaims salvation.
Reveals the wickedness and lawlessness of people in all their undertakings.
David asks about who can dwell in the habitation of the Lord and gives an answer to this question.
Prophecy of the Messiah: Proof of Faith. Prophecy about Golgotha. Resurrection assurance.
David's prayer for deliverance from enemies. He defends his integrity. Prayer for protection from the wicked. Description of enemies. Trust in the Lord.
Describes the rebellion of enemies, the calling of God to help, the descent and ascension of the Only Begotten, the rejection of the Israelites and the calling of the Gentiles.
Praising the Lord. Creation of God and Word of God. Revelation of God in creation. Revelation of God in the Word of God.
Prayer for the king. Prayer for victory. Confidence in God's help.
Praise for the deliverance of the king. Thanksgiving for past victories. Confidence in the future.
Prophecy about the suffering and glory of the Messiah: God forsaken. Reproach in people. Surrounded by beasts Pierced hands and feet. Dividing the robes and casting lots for clothes. His prayer for deliverance. His glory and kingdom. Turning all ends of the earth to the Lord.
The Lord is my shepherd: He gives rest and guides His sheep. His goodness and mercy forever.
Hymn of praise to the King of glory: The Lord is the Creator. The people of God. Entrance of the King of Glory. This psalm preaches about the ascension of the Lord, about teaching the doctrine to the pagans, and about how they will become worthy of the heavenly villages.
Prayer for Guidance and Protection: Seeking the Ways of God. The Lord clearly shows His way. Prayer for deliverance.
Prayer for Protection: Prayer for God's help. Vindication of David. His final plea for help.
Fearless Trust in God: The Hope of David. David's prayer for help.
Prayer against the wicked: A cry for help. Confidence in hearing. David sings a real psalm on behalf of those who believe in Christ, calling on God for help with his petition. And also in the psalm is a curse on the recklessness of the Jews, and a prayer for excommunication from their evil part.
The Majesty of God in a Thunderstorm: A Call to Give Glory to God. The power of God in the storm. Prayer for blessing.
Song of Deliverance: Praise for Deliverance. An exhortation to praise God.
Prayer of the grieving Righteous: Hope in God and prayer for deliverance. A cry for deliverance. Praise be to God the Redeemer. David sings this psalm, as if still in repentance for sin and wishing to be freed from it; however, and as if already heard, sends thanks and describes what happened to him at the time of repentance.
Penitential Psalm: The Joy of Forgiveness. Confessed and forgiven sin. An exhortation to the sinner to repent.
Praise to Almighty God: An exhortation to praise God. Reasons to Praise God. The Lord is the Creator. The Lord is the Provider.
Psalm of praise and hope: Praise for the goodness of God. An exhortation to trust in the Lord. Sin warning. Deliverance of the righteous and condemnation of the wicked. This Psalm was written by David when he feigned madness before Abimelech and was cast out from him and went away.
Prayer for help: From persecutors. From the bearers. From the enemies. It is spoken on behalf of one who has placed his hope in God and is being fought by invisible forces.
The goodness and mercy of God: The wickedness of the lawless. Praise be to the mercy of God. This psalm contains an accusation of pride and a denunciation of the wickedness of the Jewish people.
Wisdom of the Elder: Prosperity of the Righteous and Punishment of the Wicked. Comparison between the wicked and the righteous. Undoubted deliverance and safety of the righteous. This psalm contains a teaching to the new people, inspiring them to refrain from evil deeds and exercise in good deeds, and convincing them to both with the hope prepared for the good and the punishment awaiting the evil ones.
Penitential psalm of mercy: The dire need of the sinner. Thirst for deliverance. Trust in God.
Prayer in troubled times: Silence in sorrow. Desire for enlightenment. Prayer for deliverance. David, confessing his sin, prays to the Lord for deliverance from iniquity.
Obedience and patience of the Messiah: Recognition of the goodness of God. obedience to the Messiah. His prayer for generosity and mercy.
Psalm about the merciful: Bliss of the merciful. Evil of enemies. A celebration of innocence.
Psalms of the Sons of Korea
Sadness and consolation of the pious: The thirst of the soul for God. The comfort and hope of the godly.Prayer for protection.
Prayer for Victory with God: Memories of Mercies in the Past. Current lamentation. A call to God for deliverance. The singers describe the ancient blessings of God and ask God to have mercy on them, because they recognize Him as their hope and confess in His name.
The Marriage of the King: The King and His Dominion. Bride of the King and marriages. Conclusion.
God is our refuge and strength: God is our refuge. God is our strength. God is our victory.
God is the king of all the earth: The conquest of all peoples. God is King over all the earth.
The song of the descendants of Korey, expressing reverence for the Lord. Song of Zion: Zion is the city of our God. Zion affirmation. Zion praises God.
A sermon on the folly of relying on wealth. A call to listen. The fragility of wealth. The end of those who hope for wealth. Final admonition. This psalm preaches about the Divine judgment of all people, and about the day in which God will bring every creature to judgment.
Psalm of Asaph
written by the psalmist Asaph, a contemporary of David. Contents of the psalm: Judgment of God. True and false piety: God is the righteous Judge. God judges intent, not outward piety. Exposing hypocrisy. Conclusion.Psalms of David
repentant: David's prayer for forgiveness and confession of sin. Prayer and vow of David. A broken and humble heart. Prayer for Zion.David's reproachful speech addressed to Doik the Edomite, who informed Saul that David, who had fled, was in the house of Ahimelech.
Teaching of David, expressing deep sorrow for the corruption of the world. Folly and wickedness of people. The depravity of people. Divine punishment. Prayer for salvation and deliverance.
David, fleeing from Saul, took refuge in the wilderness of Ziph. After this, the Ziphites came to Saul, announced to what place David had fled, and asked them to come and capture him. David turns to God with a prayer for salvation and deliverance from all troubles. The prayer of the sufferer. Complaining and praying for help. Confidence in God's mercy and deliverance.
Prayer in fear and trembling. Troubles of David. Betrayal from a friend. David's trust in God. David turns to the Lord with indignation at the wicked and a plea for their punishment.
David's writing when the Philistines captured it at Gath. Prayer for deliverance. Pray for help. Evil of enemies. Fearless trust in God. Thanks for deliverance.
The writing of David when he fled from Saul to the cave. David, fleeing from the pursuit of Saul, entered the cave with four hundred men, and after cutting off the resurrection of Saul's robe, he sings this psalm. Prayer and lamentation. Praise and Thanksgiving
The teaching of David, in which he condemns and curses the wicked and gives hope to the righteous.
The writing of David, when Saul sent to guard his house, to put him to death. Saul, envious of David, who was his benefactor, sought to kill David, now throwing a spear at him, now surrounding him with guards in the house. Deliverance of David from Saul. David's prayer for deliverance. David's trust in God. Prayer for the defeat of the enemy. Song of David's Praise.
The Scripture of David for study, when he was at war with Syria of Mesopotamia and Syria of Zoban, and when Joab, returning, struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Salt Valley. Prayerfully turning to God, David complains that the Lord has rejected the people of Israel and asks the Lord for help.
David gives thanks to God for himself and for the people saved by faith, and makes a vow - and in the eternal abodes he will ceaselessly send up praise.
David prophesies about the future deliverance of the entire human race, about the overthrow of mental enemies, and also offers people advice to turn away from vice, reminding them of the judgment of God.
A psalm for David when he was in the wilderness of Judea. Longing for fellowship with God. The soul yearns for God. The thirst of the soul is quenched by God.
Prayer, with a request for the preservation of life and protection from enemies.
The power and goodness of God. Praise be to God in Zion. The manifestation of the power of God. Manifestation of the goodness of God.
Psalms by various authors
A song of thanksgiving for the deliverance of the chosen people, for personal help.Prayer for all nations.
Psalms of David
The Lord is the God of all the earth. God at the Exodus. God in the desert God in the conquest of Canaan. God in Zion. God of salvation. God in the sanctuary Procession in the Temple. The conversion of nations to God. Praise be to the God of all the earth.The Messianic Psalm is a prayer for deliverance. Prayer and Trials of the Psalmist. A deep prayer for deliverance. Retribution for the enemies. Final praise and assurance.
A call for deliverance from persecutors.
Trust in the Lord and praise Him.
Psalm of Solomon
messianic, written by King Solomon during his accession to the throne after the prayer of Gaon. The King is the Messiah in His glory. Prayer for truth. Kingdom to generations of generations. Dominion to the ends of the earth. Mercy. His name will be blessed forever. Blessing.Psalms of Asaph
written by the psalmist Asaph, a contemporary of David. Temporary Prosperity of the Wicked. The temptation to envy the wicked. The secret of the prosperity of the wicked. The lamentation of the righteous. Secret resolution. Confidence in God's deliverance.Compiled after the attack and destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, when the whole earth was devastated, the temple was burned, and the Chaldeans reigned everywhere. Lamentation for a devastated land. Prayer for help against the enemy. Confidence in the omnipotence of God. Final prayer.
Prophecy of Divine Judgment. Righteous Judgment of God. Invoking the name of God. Confidence in the court of truth. God is the Judge. Praise be to the God of Jacob.
Describes divine judgment. God's victory.
Prayer of Asaph, crying out to God, on the day of sorrow. Consolation at the remembrance of the great deeds of God. Prayer for help. The Great Works of God in Antiquity.
Messianic; written by Asaph. The faithfulness of God and the disobedience of the people. A call for listening and attention. The sins of Israel. The disobedience of the sons of Ephraim. Murmur in the desert. Israel's obstinacy. Forgetting the graces of God in the past. Idolatry of Israel in Canaan. Election of Judas and David.
Lamentation for the destruction of Jerusalem. Description of the disaster. Call for God's help. The prophet sings this psalm over those who were exterminated by bitter death at the time of Antioch, and in his prayer he asks God to answer the massacre of the people and turn disasters on those who caused them to the Israelites.
Israel's prayer for deliverance from disasters. Call for help. Israel's confusion. Israel is a desolate vineyard. Repeated call for help.
Calls the people to faith in the Lord, teaching them not to depart from Him, and pointing to the rejection of the people of Israel for their wickedness. The goodness of God and the obstinacy of Israel. Praise and song to God. God's grace to Israel. God's warning to the unfaithful people.
The judgment of God is for unjust judges. Here, more clearly than in the previous psalm, God's reasons for rejecting the Israelites are stated.
Prayer to God for the shame of enemies. Prayer for judgment on the enemies of Israel. A curse on the enemy hordes.
Psalms of the sons of Korah
Longing for the Temple. Aspiration to the courts of the Lord. Blessedness in the house of the Lord. Blessed is the one who goes to Zion. Prayer and hope.Written after returning from Babylonian captivity. Prayer for mercy to Israel. Mercy of the Lord in the past. Prayer for restoration. Love and faithfulness of the Lord.
Prayer of David
Prayer for deliverance in the day of sorrow. Prayer for help. Worship the Lord. Request and thanksgiving. Confidence in the mercy of God.Psalms of the sons of Korah
Glory to the holy city of God.Teachings of Eman Ezrahit. Prayer for deliverance from death. Psalmist's prayer. The tribulations of the psalmist. Psalm misunderstandings.
Teachings of Etham Ezrahit. The Covenant of God with David and the Sorrows of Israel. Covenant with David. Praise be to the faithful and almighty God. Promises to David and his seed. Prayer for the renewal of the Covenant. Lord's punishment. Prayer for renewal.
Prayer of Moses
is a prayer of Moses, written by him at the end of forty years of wandering in the wilderness and in view of the promised land, into which now only a new generation of people born in the wilderness could enter, and from those who left Egypt, only those who did not have 20 years at the exit. The content of the psalm is imbued with a sense of gratitude to God for giving the Jews a blessed and fertile land, sorrow for a person whose behavior provokes God's wrath, and a prayer to Him for the condescension and intercession of a person.Psalms by various authors
used as a prayer in a dangerous situation. The security of those who trust in the Lord. The promise of safety. Testimony of the Psalmist. Testimony of the Lord.Represents thanksgiving prayer righteous. Praise be to the goodness of the Lord. Thanksgiving. The death of the wicked. Joy of the righteous.
The greatness of the Lord.
Invocation to the God of vengeance. A cry for vengeance on the wicked. The Lord will not reject his people. The psalmist cries out to the Lord.
Praise be to God the Creator and Savior. Song of Praise. An important caveat.
Worship the Lord. A call to praise. All the earth praise the Lord. The Lord is a righteous judge.
The power and dominion of the Lord. Kingdom of the Lord. The exaltation of the Lord. Deliverance of the righteous.
Song to God, the righteous Judge of the whole universe. Song of Salvation. All people praise the Lord. All nature praises the Lord.
Praise be to the all-holy God. A call to repentance. Reasons to Praise the Lord.
laudatory. All people praise God.
Written by King David. The king's prayer for purity. David's desire for personal integrity. David's desire for the integrity of others. In this psalm, David describes a person who has reached perfection and lives according to God.
Penitential. The prayer of the afflicted when he loses heart and pours out his sorrow before the Lord. A cry for mercy and for Zion. The suffering of the psalmist. The eternal God is the refuge of Zion. Confidence in deliverance.
A psalm of praise and thanksgiving by David, which is a hymn to God as the patron of believers. Praise be to the mercy of God. The psalmist's exhortation to himself. Mercy of God. Eternal love of God. All creation bless the Lord.
Glorification of God, Creator and Provider of the universe. The beginning of creation. Foundations of the earth. Sources in the valleys. The fertility of the earth. Moon and sun. Sea creatures. God is the Provider of life. Praise be to the Almighty God.
Glorifying and praising the Lord. Praise be to God who keeps the Covenant: A call to thanksgiving. Covenant with Abraham. God sends Joseph to Egypt. Israel in Egypt. Moses and the plagues of Egypt. Exodus and wanderings in the wilderness. Entry into the Promised Land.
It is a continuation of the historical review begun in the previous psalm. Praise be to God's mercy towards a sinful people: Prayer for mercy. The sin of Israel at the Red Sea. The sins of Israel in the wilderness. Sin of Dathan and Aviron. The golden calf at Horeb. Contempt for the land of Canaan. Vaalfegor. The sin of Israel at the waters of Meribah. Idolatry of Israel in Canaan. Israel's punishment. Mercy of God. Closing prayer and doxology.
It is a song of thanksgiving to the Lord for bringing the Jews out of the dispersion among all nations. Thanksgiving to God the Redeemer: A call to praise. Getting rid of the desert. Getting rid of darkness. Getting rid of the disease. Getting rid of the sea. The Lord blesses the earth. The unshakable grace of the Lord.
Psalms of David
Consists of repetitions of the content of Psalms 56 and 59, belonging to David. Song of hope in God. Thank the Lord. Trust in the promises of God. Call for help.
Prayer of the curse of enemies. Call for help. Against deceitful and treacherous enemies. Continuation of the cry for help The entire psalm represents David's depiction of the gravity of his position as an unjustly and cruelly persecuted righteous man, and a prayer to God both for Doik's retribution, for his betrayal and deliberate cruelty of attitudes towards innocent sufferers, and for his own salvation.
Prophetic, depicting the future all-world domination of the Son of God. Dominion of the Messiah: The Messiah is the King. Messiah - Priest. Messiah is the winner.
Psalms by various authors
Glory to the Lord. A call to praise. Praise reason. Spirit of praise.Blessedness and reward of the faithful.
Praise be to the God of the humble.
About the superiority of the Lord over the idols of the pagans. In memory of the deliverance of Israel by God. Majesty and glory of the true God. Glory to God alone. The nothingness of idols. Let Israel trust in the Lord. The Lord bless Israel.
Thank God for deliverance.
The decision to pay vows to the Lord for His benefits.
The whole universe praise the Lord. This praise psalm is the shortest of all psalms, consisting of only two verses.
Thank the Lord. Mercy of the Lord. The Lord answers prayer. Deliverance of the Lord. Hand of the Lord. The wisdom of the Lord. Doxology.
Consists of 176 verses; it is the largest psalm and the largest chapter in the Bible. Law of the Lord: Blessed are those who keep His Law. Holiness is the fruit of keeping the Law of the Lord. Eyes to see the miracles of the Lord. Prayer for the understanding of the ways of the Lord. Faithfulness based on the promises of God. Salvation according to the word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord is a source of hope and comfort. My destiny is to keep your words. Learning the words of the Lord through suffering. The law of the Lord is the basis for the fellowship of the faithful. Longing for peace and consolation. The Immutability of the Law of the Lord. Love for the law of God. The word of the Lord is my cover and my shield. The psalmist kept the law of the Lord. Prayer to keep the Law of the Lord. The Lord and His Law are righteous. Call for salvation. Keeping the law of the Lord in distress. Prayer for deliverance from persecution. Final prayer. In this psalm, the prophet describes the life of the saints, their deeds, sorrows, labors, also the uprisings of demons, thousands of suggested thoughts, nets and other means of trapping, and at the same time how the saints win victory: the Law, the words of God, patience, help above, and finally, what will follow the labors, rewards, crowns, rewards.
Prayer for deliverance: From lying lips. From those who hate the world.
The Lord is my keeper.
Dedicated to Jerusalem, which became under King David the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel and the new religious center of the people. On the Peace of Jerusalem: The House of the Lord. Prayer for peace and prosperity.
Song of hope in God: Eyes are fixed on the Lord. Prayer for mercy. The content of the psalm is an image of the intense prayerful expectation that the Jews were full of before the time of the end of captivity and before returning to their homeland.
Ascension song. David. Thank God for victory over enemies. penitential. An Appeal to God's Mercy: A Prayer for Help. Patience and hope. An exhortation to trust in the Lord.
Song of the Ascension of David. Hope in the Lord. This psalm teaches not to be haughty in the hope of your own perfection, but to be humble in your wisdom.
Contains a prayer for David. David and the Ark of the Covenant: David's Vow. Fulfillment of the Davidic vow. The promise of the Lord to David and Zion.
Song of the Ascension of David. The blessing of brotherly fellowship.
Exhortation to night wakefulness. This psalm completes the group of psalms with the inscription "song of ascent". In Orthodoxy, psalms 119 - 133 make up 18 kathismas.
Praise the Lord: An exhortation to praise. The greatness of the Lord. Deliverance of the Lord. Judgment of the Lord. Idolatry of the pagan peoples. Final Exhortation to Praise.
Glory to the Lord for His eternal mercy: Exhortation to praise. Praise be to God the Creator. Praise be to God the Redeemer of Israel. Praise be to God for His unceasing love. Final Thanksgiving.
Song by the Rivers of Babylon: The Lament of the Captives. Memory of Zion. Call for revenge.
Psalms of David
The Lord Is a Faithful God: David's Recognition of God's Faithfulness. All the kings of the earth will glorify the Lord. David's hope in the faithfulness of God. This psalm contains a prophecy about the calling of all nations, for which David thanks; because he was not one of the kings vouchsafed the Divine Manifestation, but many pagan kings will be vouchsafed the same grace that will be after the coming only of the Lord.Prayer of the believing soul: Omniscient God. Omnipresent God. God the Creator. Final prayer. In this psalm, David describes how God provides not only for the whole universe, but also for each part of it, so that our movements and thoughts are not left without His Providence.
Prayer for help against enemies. About deliverance from the wicked. Call for hearing. Prayer for a curse. Trust in the Lord.
Prayer of the Faithful in Times of Trouble: An Invocation to the Lord. Prayer for an Immaculate Heart. The end of the wicked. The eyes of the faithful are towards the Lord.
Prayer for help in trial: An appeal to the Lord. Difficulty and danger. Prayer for deliverance.
Penitential. Prayer of the Faithful in Distress: Despondency and Repentance. Prayer for deliverance.
Written after the victory of David over Goliath. Warrior's Psalm: Praise be to God Almighty. Prayer for help and deliverance. Prayer for the well-being of the people of God.
Laudatory, glorifying God. Goodness of the Lord: The Majesty of the Lord. Mercy of the Lord. The power of the Lord.
Psalms by various authors
Exhortation to trust in God: Vanity of hope for people. Wisdom of hope in God.
Praise be to the Lord for the restoration of Jerusalem: the Lord Almighty. Lord Provider.
An exhortation to Israel to praise the Lord.
Let the whole universe praise the Lord: Let the heavens praise the Lord. Let the earth praise the Lord.
The Love of the Lord for Israel: An Exhortation to Sing a New Song. Judgment on the peoples.
Praise to God. All living things praise the Lord.
Non-canonical, found only in the Orthodox Bible; tells about the youth of the shepherd David, his anointing to the kingdom by the prophet Samuel and the single combat between David and Goliath.
The Psalter (Psalter) is a book of the Old Testament, which consists of 150 or 151 songs-psalms. In some languages the book has a title "Psalms". The Psalter is located among the teaching books of the Old Testament after the book of Job. The Psalter became a liturgical book under David. Later, the liturgical use of the Psalter passed to the Christians.
The importance of the book of the Psalter is evidenced by the fact that it came to us in most manuscripts among all the books of the Old Testament.
Read Psalter / Psalter
The Psalter contains 150 psalms:
Numbering of the Psalms
The numbering of the psalms is different in Hebrew and Greek. The Orthodox Church uses Greek numbering. The Catholic Church uses both numbering options. In our description, we will use the Greek version (150 psalms).
Inscriptions in the psalms.
Many psalms have inscriptions - additional information about the authors, performers of the psalms, indicates the events to which the psalms are dedicated. The translation of the inscriptions turned out to be particularly difficult, so there are many options for their translation. Translators can only guess about the meaning of some words.
Psalm inscriptions often indicate the order in which they should be performed. The musical instrument and the motive to which the psalm should be performed are determined.
Authorship
In the inscriptions of psalms, proper names are often found, but it is not always clear whose names these are - the author, performer, or the person to whom the psalm is dedicated. It is customary to consider the author of the Psalter, although absolutely all researchers are sure that the psalter is the fruit of the labor of more than 10 authors. Moreover, the book was created for a long time - perhaps even more than a dozen generations. The time of the creation of the psalms is from the time of Moses to the return from the Babylonian captivity.
- David,
- Asaph - the main psalmist under David,
- The sons of Korach are the temple gatekeepers,
- Adam,
- Yeman,
- Idifun
- Moses etc.
The Psalter was created gradually as a product of collective creativity and in the course of creation was subjected to a mass of editions.
The Psalms of the Psalms are conventionally divided into 4 groups:
- Personal complaints.
The scheme of a psalm of this type: appeal to God -> description of the situation -> hope in God -> request -> praise to God.
- People's lamentations.
They have a structure similar to personal complaints, but they are a collective appeal to God.
- Psalms of Praise to the Lord.
The scheme of a psalm of this type: a promise to give praise to the Lord -> a description of the blessings sent down -> deliverance -> giving praise -> instructing people to trust in God
- Hymns.
Singing the majesty of God and His mercy.
In addition to the psalms that belong to these four groups, mention should also be made of psalms of wisdom, songs of ascension and royal psalms.
Ascension songs- Psalms sung by pilgrims while climbing Mount Zion.
Royal psalms- psalms describing important events from the royal life, for example, ascension to the throne.
Interpretation of the Psalms.
Many editions of the Psalms contain interpretations of the psalms. Of the ancient interpretations, interpretations are especially popular:
- John Chrysostom,
- Ambrose,
- Augustine,
- Theodoret of Kirsky,
- Euphemia Zigaben.
From the new interpretations:
- Tolyuka,
- Ewald;
- Bishop Theophan,
- Archpriest Vishnyakov.
In no other book of the Old Testament is personal faith in God shown in such a variety of ways as in the book of Psalms. The Book of Psalter is a collection of religious poetry. Many of the psalms in the Psalter are addressed to God and are a reflection of personal religious feeling. The psalms reflect the joy of being able to commune with God. Through the psalm, a person can express reverence for God. The psalms also reflect folk wisdom.
Literary features of the Psalms.
The first two psalms set the tone for the entire book. They are excellent examples of Hebrew biblical poetry. The poetic power of the Psalter is based on the syntactic parallelism of texts, when a thought is expressed through synonymy, or opposite points of view are expressed in parallel.
Veliko and genre diversity psalms. According to the genre of psalms, Psalms can be divided into:
- Praise God
- Prayers (psalms 6, 50),
- Complaints (psalms 43, 101),
- Curses (psalms 57, 108),
- Historical psalms (105),
- Marriage song (44),
- Philosophical psalms (8),
- Hymns (103), etc.
Despite the division of the book into psalms and their genre diversity, the Psalter is an integral work, the main idea of which is the ability of a person to turn to God and reveal to him the depth of his soul.
Many of the psalms were translated into verse. Almost every canon has its own poetic Psalter. Only Lutherans do not use the Psalter in verse in their services.
In Russian poetry, poetic translations and paraphrases of individual psalms were addressed to:
- Lomonosov,
- Sumarokov,
- Derzhavin,
- Glinka and others.
Features of the language of the Psalms.
- associativity,
- Imagery,
- Symbolism,
- allegorical,
- Emotionality.
Psalter in Judaism.
Psalms play an important role in Judaism. They are used as personal prayers and for services in the synagogue. Some psalms are read here daily (for example, 144 - 150 psalms). Psalms 112-117 are read on holidays. There are certain psalms corresponding to the day of the week.
Psalter in Orthodoxy
In the Orthodox Church, many psalms are read daily in the service and are assigned to individual services. During Vespers, Psalms 103, 140, 141, 129, 116 and 33 are read. At the beginning of Matins, Psalms 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, 142 are read. Psalm 50 is read before reading the canon. Psalm 118 is included in the funeral service. It is read the day before parent Saturdays. Various psalms used in the Liturgy, prayers and in ceremonies.
The monks read the Psalter during the week. During Great Lent, the Psalter is read in monasteries that adhere to the Rule twice. The Psalter is used for private prayer.
Catholic psalter.
IN Catholic tradition psalms are part of the daily worship in their "pure" form, in contrast to the Orthodox Church, where stichera and troparia are used to a greater extent. Basically, a four-week cycle of reading the Psalter is practiced. The Psalter is also used in home personal prayer. For example, seven psalms of repentance are read in Lent.
The Psalter in the Islamic Tradition.
The Koran states that Allah is to David, the book of Zabur, which is identified with the Psalter. However, in the Islamic tradition it is believed that the psalter has survived to this day in a distorted form. The Psalter is considered a prophetic book in Islam.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Psalter is for many the most important book of the Old Testament. The Psalter is a book of prayers. You can read the Psalter in any case - in sorrow and in joy.
Finally, the servant of the Lord David, who sang to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of his enemies and from the hand of Saul, and said, 17. Finally, Psalm of David, 18. Finally, Psalm of David, 19. Psalm of David, 20. In the end, about the intercession of the morning, a psalm of David, 21. Psalm of David, 22. Psalm of David, on the first day of the week, 23. Kathisma fourth. Psalm of David, 24. Psalm of David, 25. Psalm of David, before the anointing, 26. Psalm of David, 27. Psalm of David, on the transfer of the tabernacle, 28. Psalm, song for the renewal of the house of David, 29. To the end, a psalm of David, in a frenzy, 30 Psalm of David, for instruction, 31. Kathisma fifth. Psalm of David, not inscribed among the Jews, 32. The psalm of David, sung by him when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech; and he let him go, and he went away, 33. Psalm of David, 34. To the end, servants of the Lord David, 35. Psalm of David, 36. Kathisma sixth. Psalm of David, in remembrance of the Sabbath, 37. Finally, Idifumu. Song of David, 38. Finally, Psalm of David, 39. Finally, Psalm of David, 40. In the end, as a lesson to the sons of Korah, the psalm of David is not inscribed among the Jews, 41. Psalm of David, not inscribed among the Jews, 42. In the end, the sons of Korah, in teaching, psalm, 43. To the end, about those who have to change, the sons of Korah, for a lesson, a song about the Beloved, 44. In the end, the sons of Korah, about secrets, psalm, 45. Kathisma seventh. To the end, sons of Korah, psalm 46. Psalm, song of the sons of Korah, on the second day of the week, 47. Finally, sons of Korah, psalm 48. Psalm of Asaph, 49. In the end, the psalm of David, sung by him after the prophet Nathan came to him; 2 After David went in to Bathsheba the wife of Uriah, 50. In the end, in the teaching, David; To the end, on maleth, to the teaching of David, 52. To the end, the song of David, to teaching; To the end, song, to teaching, Asapha, 54. Kathisma eighth. In the end, about the people removed from the shrines, David, to write on a pillar, when he was held by foreigners in Gath, 55. In the end, lest you destroy David, for writing on the pillar, when he fled from Saul into the cave, 56. In the end, lest you destroy David, for writing on a pillar, 57. In the end, lest you destroy David, for writing on a pillar, when Saul sent soldiers to lie in wait at his house in order to kill him, 58. In the end, about those who have to change, for writing on a pillar, David, as a lesson; In the end, song, David, 60. To the end, through Idifuma, Psalm of David, 61. Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judea, 62. Finally, Psalm of David, 63. Kathisma ninth. In the end, a psalm, the song of David, the song of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the people of the exiles, when they were preparing for the exodus from captivity, 64. In the end, song, psalm of resurrection, 65. In the end, psalm, song of David, 66. In the end, psalm, song of David, 67. In the end, about those who change, a psalm of David, 68. To the end, David, in remembrance that the Lord saved him, 69. Kathisma tenth. The psalm of David, the sons of Jonadab and the first captives, is not inscribed among the Jews, 70. About Solomon, Psalm of David, 71. The songs of David, the son of Jesse, have ended. Psalm of Asaph, 72. In teaching, Asapha, 73. To the end, lest you destroy, psalm, song of Asaph, 74 In the end, the psalm of Asaph, the song of the Assyrian, 75. To the end, through Idifuma, Psalm Asaph, 76. Kathisma eleventh. For guidance, Asapha, 77. Psalm of Asaph, 78. In the end, about those who have to change, the revelation of Asaph, 79. In the end, about winepresses, Asaph's psalm, 80. Psalm of Asaph, 81. Song, psalm of Asaph, 82. In the end, about the winepresses, the sons of Korah, psalm, 83. To the end, sons of Korah, psalm 84. Kathisma twelfth. Prayer of David, 85. Sons of Korah, psalm, song, 86. Song, psalm, of the sons of Korah, about the end, on maleph, for an answer, for teaching, Haman the Israelite, 87. In teaching, Etham the Israelite, Psalm 88. Prayer of Moses, the man of God, 89. Song of Praise, not inscribed among the Jews, 90. Kathisma thirteenth. Psalm, song, on the Sabbath day, 91. On the day before the Sabbath, when the earth was peopled, David's song of praise, 92. Psalm of David, fourth day of the week, 93. Hymn of David, not inscribed among the Jews, 94. David's song of praise, when the house was built after the captivity, is not inscribed among the Jews, 95. David's psalm, when his land was settled, is not inscribed among the Jews, 96. Psalm of David, 97. Psalm of David, 98. Psalm of David, laudatory, 99. Psalm of David, 100. Kathisma fourteenth. The prayer of the wretched, when he loses heart and pours out his prayer before the Lord, 101. Psalm of David, 102. Psalm of David, about the being of the world, 103. Alleluia, 104. Kathisma fifteenth. Alleluia 105. Alleluia 106. Song, Psalm of David, 107. Finally, Psalm of David, 108. Kathisma sixteenth. Psalm of David, 109. Alleluia 110. Alleluia, Aggeevo and Zakhariino, 111. Alleluia 112 Alleluia 113 Alleluia 114 Alleluia 115 Alleluia 116 Alleluia 117 Kathisma seventeenth. Kathisma eighteenth. Song of Ascension, 119. Song of Ascension, 120. Song of Ascension, 121. Song of Ascension, 122. Song of Ascension, 123. Song of Ascension, 124. Song of Ascension, 125. Song of Ascension, 126. Song of Ascension, 127. Song of Ascension, 128. Song of Ascension, 129. Song of Ascension, 130. Song of Ascension, 131. Song of Ascension, 132. Song of Ascension, 133. Kathisma nineteenth. Alleluia, 135. David, through Jeremiah, 136. Psalm of David, Haggai and Zechariah, 137. To the end, David, a psalm of Zechariah, in scattering, 138. Finally, Psalm of David, 139. Psalm of David, 140. In teaching David when he prayed in the cave, 141. Psalm of David, when he was pursued by Absalom his son, 142. Kathisma Twentieth. Psalm of David, about Goliath, 143. Praise of David, 144. Alleluia, Haggai and Zechariah, 145. Alleluia, 146. Alleluia, Haggai and Zechariah, 147. Alleluia, Haggai and Zechariah, 148. Alleluia 149. Alleluia 150. This psalm is written specially, by David, outside the number of 150 psalms, about single combat with Goliath. Comments List of literature used in the preparation of comments List of accepted abbreviations of the books of the Old and New TestamentsTo the reader
The Psalter of the Holy Prophet and King David is one of the sacred books of the Old Testament, in the Greek and Slavic tradition, consisting of one hundred and fifty-one psalms. The Greek word itself (“psalter”) means a musical instrument with 10-12 strings, and the word “psalm” (lit.: “rattling”) is a song that was performed accompanied by playing the psalter.
The basis of the book of Psalms is the psalms created by King David in the 11th-10th centuries BC. Echoes of many events of his life are heard in them. The rest of the psalms were written later, at different times, by the successors of King David, the "chiefs of the choirs", who had a poetic and prophetic gift. The prophet and king David, the great inspired poet, is called in the books of the Holy Scriptures a “faithful husband” (), who “from the bottom of his heart” sang of his Creator (). His psalms, as it were, set the tone for everything that follows, and therefore the entire Psalter is usually called David's.
The psalter was the basis of the Old Testament worship: it was read and sung in the tabernacle, and then in the Jerusalem temple. In the 5th century BC, the priest Ezra, when compiling the Old Testament canon, combined the psalms into one book, preserving their liturgical division. By continuity with the Old Testament, the Psalter from the very first centuries became the most important liturgical book of the Christian Church.
In the Orthodox Church, the Psalter is heard at every morning and evening service; in a week it is read in full, and twice in a week - during Great Lent. The psalter is the primary source of most of the morning and evening prayers, the verses of the psalms formed the basis of all the practices of public and private worship. Since the first centuries of Christianity, there has been the practice of reading the Psalter in private.
From ancient times, the Psalter attracted a very special, exclusive attention of the teachers of the Church. This book was seen as a concise repetition of everything that is contained in the Bible - historical narrative, edification, prophecy. One of the main advantages of the psalms was considered the complete absence of distance between the reader and the text: each worshiper pronounces the words of the psalms as his own, the psalms reflect the movements of the soul of each person, they can find spiritual advice for all occasions: “Everything that is useful in all books of Holy Scripture, - says the saint, - contains the book of psalms. She prophesies about the future, recalls events, gives laws for life, suggests rules for activity. In a word, the Psalter is a common spiritual treasury of good instructions, and everyone will find in it in abundance what is useful to him. She also heals old spiritual wounds, and gives a quick healing to the recently wounded; it strengthens the weak, guards the healthy, and destroys the passions that dominate souls in human life. The psalm brings peace to the soul, produces peace, tames stormy and rebellious thoughts. He softens the angry soul and chaste the sensual. The psalm concludes friendship, unites the scattered, reconciles the warring. What doesn't the Psalter teach you? From here you will know the greatness of courage, the severity of justice, the honesty of chastity, the perfection of prudence, the image of repentance, the measure of patience, and every good thing you name. Here there is a perfect theology, there is a prophecy about the coming of Christ in the flesh, there is a threat of the Judgment of God. Here the hope of the Resurrection and the fear of torment are inspired. Glory is promised here, secrets are revealed. Everything is in the book of psalms, as in a great and universal treasury" ( St. Basil the Great. Discourse on the first psalm).
“The book of Psalms is worthy of special attention and study in comparison with other books of Scripture,” writes St. Athanasius of Alexandria. – Everyone can find in it, as if in paradise, everything that is necessary and useful for him. This book clearly and in detail depicts all human life, all states of the spirit, all the movements of the mind, and there is nothing in a person that it would not contain in itself. Do you want to repent, confess, are you oppressed by sorrow and temptation, are you being persecuted or are building covens against you; whether despondency has taken possession of you, or restlessness, or something like that, you endure; whether you strive to progress in virtue and see that the enemy hinders you; Do you want to praise, give thanks and glorify the Lord? - In the Divine Psalms you will find instruction regarding all this ”( St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Epistle to Marcellinus on the interpretation of the Psalms).
“... In the Psalter you will find countless blessings,” says St. John Chrysostom. Have you fallen into temptation? You will find the best comfort in her. Fell into sin? You will find countless cures. Fell into poverty or unhappiness? “You will see many marinas there. If you are a righteous person, you will get the most reliable reinforcement from there, if you are a sinner, the most real consolation. If your good deeds puff you up, there you will learn humility. If your sins plunge you into despair, there you will find great encouragement for yourself. If you have a royal crown on your head or are distinguished by high wisdom, the psalms will teach you to be modest. If you are rich and famous, the Psalmist will convince you that there is nothing great on earth. If you are struck by sorrow, you will hear consolation. Do you see that some here are unworthily enjoying happiness - you will learn not to envy them. Do you see that the righteous suffer disasters along with the sinners - you will receive an explanation for this. Every word there contains an infinite sea of thoughts" ( St. John Chrysostom. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Conversation 28).
But the value of David's songs is not only in the ability to reach the depths of every heart. They carry in themselves something even more, they see the mystery of the Divine plan for man, the mystery of Christ's suffering. Entire psalms were regarded by the holy fathers of the Church as messianic, as prophecies about the coming Messiah. The Psalms reveal to us the full composition of the teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Church.
* * *
According to the testimony of the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, the Psalter, as a book necessary for worship, was translated into the Slavonic language in the 9th century by Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles from the Greek church text of the Seventy Interpreters - a translation of the Bible, carried out from the Hebrew copy at the end of the 3rd century BC. Thanks to the holy brothers, the Holy Scriptures also became available to the Slavic peoples, and newly converted Christians began to celebrate divine services in their native language.
The Psalter, the prayers of which are included in every liturgical service, immediately became the favorite reading of the Russian people, the main educational book in ancient Rus'. A person who studied the Psalter was considered "bookish" - literate, able to read other books and understand the Divine Service, which was the spiritual basis of the whole structure of life.
Having learned to read from the Psalter, the Russian man no longer parted with it. Every family had this holy book, which was passed down from father to children. The Psalter accompanied a person throughout his life: they read it not only at home, but took it with them on travels, for prayer and edification; psalms were read over the seriously ill patients; to this day, the custom of reading the Psalter for the dead has been preserved, dating back to the earliest times of Christianity. The statutes of many monasteries still prescribe the reading of the "indestructible Psalter."
In conjunction with the Book of Hours - a collection of hymns in relation to a certain time of worship - and selected troparia and kontakia, the Psalter took the form of the Followed, appointed for worship in the temple. The Psalter with the addition of patristic interpretations is called Explanatory. It is intended for private reading and provides a guide to the correct understanding and understanding of historically obscure and prophetic places in the sacred text.
* * *
The Church Slavonic language is a precious heritage that we have traditionally received from our ancestors along with the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Orthodox Church. Created by Saints Cyril and Methodius precisely in order to become the verbal flesh of divine thinking and prayer, this powerful, figurative, majestic language is sacred for us, never used in everyday life, to express everyday needs. On it, the mysterious communion of every Orthodox Christian with God takes place.
Unfortunately, the current generation turned out to be cut off from the age-old traditions of Russian culture. The Russian literary language, one of the essential factors of Russian self-consciousness, survived a cruel reform, and the life-giving Church Slavonic that had nourished it for many centuries was taken out of the scope of school education and was taught only in a small number of theological educational institutions. As a result, the hierarchy of linguistic values has changed, the integrity of the worldview that distinguished the Orthodox consciousness has been broken, the blood connection between the Russian literary language and Church Slavonic has been severed in the minds of many people, and we hardly heed the language of sacred books.
Our ancestors understood learning to read as the first step towards knowledge of God. For centuries, many generations of the Russian people mastered their native language according to the Church Slavonic literacy. The soul of a child, who comprehended the basics of native speech from the church primer or the Psalter, from an early age got used to inspired verbs, tuned in to the perception of Divine teaching. In one of the ancient editions of the Book of Hours, in instruction to the wise reader, it is said: “To what subtle childhood is taught, decrepit old age leaves it inconveniently: for by increasing the frequency of work, the custom is perceived and for many times the character is affirmed, nature has strength. The same diligently observe their own children, but not profanity, shameful speech and vain eloquence from infancy learn, even the essence is soul-destroying ... but as if in the spring of their life, the fields of their hearts with teaching weigh and the seeds of the word of God, sown from teaching, joyfully accept if you would gather soul-giving classes in the harvest year, and those fruits in abundance and here live the winter of old age honestly, and into the heavenly granary through endless eternity, those for the sake of being saturated ... Prayer is a verb to God, while reading God's conversation to you : when you read, God talks to you, and when you pray, you talk with God, and there is your sacrifice pleasing to Him, but you have a strong help in labor and in battle with the demon, for to him she is an unbearable rod and a very sharp sword, but from hearts are sent to pure grief, it penetrates the heavens and from there it does not return in vain, but brings down the gifts of grace, making the mind wiser and saving souls.
Created at the instigation of the Holy Spirit, the Church Slavonic language, from the beginning having a doctrinal purpose, called upon to express theological truths, prayerful movements of the soul and the subtlest shades of thought, teaches us to understand the spiritual meaning of things and events; With all its structure and spirit, the language of our Church elevates a person, helping him ascend from the ordinary into the sphere of a higher, religious feeling.
The history of the comprehension by the Russian church-religious consciousness of the depth of the meaning of the Old and New Testaments invariably combined two tendencies: the desire to fully and accurately reproduce the original of the sacred books and the desire to make them understandable to the Russian people.
Translation work on the text of the Bible has always been an integral part of the evolving church life. Already at the end of the 15th century, Russian society had at its disposal not only a Slavic translation of Greek manuscripts that reproduced the text of the Seventy Interpreters, but also a translation of some books from the Latin Vulgate with non-canonical books included in it (the so-called Gennadius edition), and printed in 1581 in Ostrog Slavic Bible synthesized in itself the Latin tradition of the Gennadius Bible with corrections made according to the Greek text. In the 18th century, the Slavic Bible was returned to its original course of the Greek tradition: the decree of Peter I on November 14, 1712 ordered that the Slavic Bible be brought into agreement with the translation of the Seventy Interpreters, and this task was practically completed in the Elizabethan era.
Later, when, due to the natural development of the Russian language, the Church Slavonic Bible ceased to be generally intelligible, one of the ways of necessary explanation of the Church Slavonic text was to print it in parallel with the Russian translation. The Gospel, the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, and some prayer books have already been published in this form. It is quite obvious that the Psalter also needs this kind of edition.
A complete translation of the Bible into Russian was undertaken as early as the beginning of the 19th century. This work was started by the Russian Bible Society with the books of the New Testament (1818) and the Psalter (1822) and completed in 1876, when the full Russian text of the Bible was published in a synodal edition. With all the enormous and undeniable significance of this translation, which we use to this day, it could not adequately facilitate for the reader the understanding of biblical texts included in the circle of church service: firstly, the compilers of the publication focused mainly on the Hebrew text, in in some places it does not coincide with Greek, from which the translators of the Bible into Slavonic proceeded; secondly, the syllable of the translation does not recreate the solemnly confidential sound of the Slavic recension.
The inadequacy of the Russian translation to the liturgical text is most acutely felt in the Psalter. Attempts to translate the Greek Psalter into Russian were made after the publication of the synodal edition by Reverend Porfiry (Uspensky) and Professor P. Jungerov. In its style, more emotional than the synodal text, but not sublime enough, replete with colloquial expressions, the translation of the Right Reverend Porfiry (1893), made from a Greek source, could not serve as an analogue of the Church Slavonic Psalter. P. Jungerov, who published a new Russian translation of the Psalter in 1915, set himself the goal of bringing the translation of the Greek Psalter closer to the Slavic tradition. Jungerov's translation is interesting and valuable, first of all, as a work of a textual critic: the scientist revealed the Greek church manuscript tradition, on which the Church Slavonic Psalter is based, and at the same time noted some small discrepancies between them. The translation is semantically accurate and well commented, but in style it resembles an interlinear for scientific use: its language is heavy, sluggish, bloodless and does not correspond to the sublimely lyrical intonation of the original.
Meanwhile, for thoughtful private reading, especially for a person taking the first steps in the study of the Church Slavonic language, a Russian literary translation is needed, which in its structure and stylistic means of expression is close to the Slavic Psalter, which provides the first guide and help for reading a God-inspired book precisely in the Church Slavonic language.
The edition offered to the reader's attention presents the "traditional" Slavic Psalter. The Church Slavonic text of the Psalter, including prayers for kathismas and prayers after reading several kathismas or the entire Psalter, is printed in full accordance with the Synodal editions, preserving the structure and all the traditional features of the publication of liturgical texts in the Church Slavonic press. The psalms are printed with a parallel translation, which is made directly from the Church Slavonic language. The translation was made by E. N. Birukova († 1987) and I. N. Birukov in 1975–1985. The inspirer of this work at its initial stage was Professor B. A. Vasiliev († 1976), who provided the translators with invaluable help with his textual consultations.
The translators sought not only to help our contemporaries to penetrate the spirit and meaning of the Psalter, but also to create an equirhythmic translation that would be freely readable with all the intonations inherent in the Slavonic text, its images and epithets. Translators carefully deciphered images and phrases that were incomprehensible without interpretation in the spirit of an ancient monument, highlighting such inserts in italics. During the work, the following were taken into account: the translation of P. Jungerov with his valuable footnotes; Synodal translation; translation of Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky); "Explanation of the 118th Psalm" by St. Theophan, the Hermit Vyshensky; Explanatory Psalter of Euphemia Zigaben; patristic interpretations of Saints Athanasius the Great, Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa, Theodoret of Cyrrhus and other teachers of the Church, revealing in their creations both the direct, historical meaning of the text, and its symbolic and prophetic meaning.
Approaching the sacred text with great reverence, but fearing prosaism and literalism, translators in rare cases were forced to deviate from the syntactic structure of the Church Slavonic Psalter and, while maintaining the accuracy of the meaning, resorted to small paraphrases and rearrangement of words according to the logic of the modern Russian language.
The translation was checked with the Greek text of the Seventy Interpreters by T. A. Miller, and she also compiled notes oriented to the patristic tradition, designed to show the historical context and symbolic meaning of individual verses of the Psalter, as well as to explain images that are obscure to the modern reader.
In 1994, this translation of the Psalter was blessed for publication by His Eminence John, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, who headed the Liturgical Commission at the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.