Hebrew Word Study – Singing – Zamerath – Zayin Mem Resh Taw
Psalms 118:13-14: “Thou pushed me hard and I nearly fell, But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song and He has become my salvation.”
Songs in the daytime, songs in the night
Songs of devotion, songs of delight.
In my heart singing, A melody ringing
Jesus sings me a song
And Jesus gives me a song.
-Unknown-
The syntax in Psalm 118:14 is open to debate. The word song is pointed up in the Masoretic text as a noun, however, the more I examine this I believe that the ancient Jewish sages had it right in the first place. They indicated that the writer intended the word zamerath song is meant to be a participle. Hence you could render this as: “The Lord is my strength and He is singing to me because He is my salvation.”
Everything in nature has a certain rhythm. I remember hearing an interview of Andre Crouch and he told how some woman came up to him and said she did not like his music because of the beat or rhythm he used. He said: “Oh, you mean a rhythm like this?” He began to play a certain rhythm on the piano and the woman said: “Yes, that’s it, that rhythm and beat, that’s of the devil.” Andre Crouch answered and said; “That’s strange, because that is the rhythm of your heart beat.”
Would you like Chaim Bentorah as your personal Hebrew teacher?
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In the context of Psalms 118, David is being tempted by the enemy to kill Nabal and Saul and he almost did, but the Lord helped him. The Lord delivered him giving him strength and maybe by singing to him a song. The word used for song here is zamar in Hebrew and is a word which is also used to describe pruning or cutting. My study partner help shed some new light on this for me which is why I bring in the previous verse of this Psalm. The sages teach that God sang a song to David to cut away his yetzer hara (evil inclinations). The word good (Heb. tov) means to be in harmony with God. As God sang to David and David sang to God, in harmony, the enemy could no longer overcome David with temptation.
What? Do you really think that God is just sitting up there in heaven with his arms crossed, legs folded listening to us sing our praises to Him while we worship? I mean are we singing our praises to Him during our worship services just to entertain Him? Is God just sitting up there in heaven like some judge on American Idol? My musical voice is so bad when I sing I can make Sparky (my neighbor’s pit bull) howl. That is how I get my revenge on him. But you know what, I know there is one Person who can sing in harmony with me and that is God. When I sing to God it is not American Idol, it is Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald in Rose Marie singing The Indian Love Call to each other. I know, such a movie would be pretty hokie to us today, but back in the 30’s the audiences really ate it up. I watched a segment of this on You Tube and I could see the appeal to the romantics of the 30’s. As the two sang to each other it was if their harmonization created a bond and oneness between them.
In Zephaniah 3:17 there is no mistaking the syntax. He will rejoice over us with “singing.” He will sing over us. The word for song here is “ranan” which is a song of praise. There are many different songs, songs of praise, songs of devotional, songs of correction and songs of pruning. Do you ever find yourself suddenly just singing some song of praise or worship? Perhaps that is God’s Indian Love Call, Jeannette McDonald singing out to Nelson Eddy to return to her. God is singing out to you to return to Him or as in David’s case to not yield to temptation. Like Nelson Eddy singing back to Jeannette McDonald, we too sing back to God and when we resonate with God, the enemy doesn’t stand a chance with his temptations.
When you worship God, do you hear Him singing to you? Do you hear Him singing in His best Andy Williams voice: “If I could hold you in my arms of love tonight, I would never let you go…?” Do you ever consider singing back to Him or with Him rather than just singing to Him?
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
Thanks for sharing. I just learned something new and will definitely share with others!
As always hav been enriched by Ur sacrificial study,May The Lord release a new flow of abundance on our behalf n family n ministry
Thanks Chaim, a few years back i heard the song “I Will Run” but i cant remember the woman that sang it. The words said I will run to you as in to Jesus and i remember listening to it over n over and then as i was listening and singing it I heard Jesus singing it to me! I cant explain how wonderful i felt in that moment. Yes He sings to me and its so beautiful. 😀
Thank you so much for your beautiful lessons. You teach us so much!
Shiru, Shiru L’Adonai Kol Ha’Aretz. I’m told that this means: Sing to ,Sing to the Lord all the land (Israel)
Sadly some Bibles can be misleading one says that after Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover they sang an Hymn. I read about a woman that wondered what the Hymn was. I wondered if she even realized that the Hymns that Christians know and love didn’t exist when Jesus walked the earth.
What they sang was the Hallel (praise) Psalms 113-118 as you know,but many Christians don’t know. There is also Psalms 136 called “The Hallel Ha’Gadol” The Great Praise Psalm.
In the twelfth month (Adar), the first of the month, the word of YHWH came to me, saying: Son of man, sing a funeral song (funeral poem to sing) over Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say: to him: ‘ You have compared yourself to a lion cub (Pride) among the nations, but you are like a monster in the seas’
I have 2 special miqqkodesh (sanctuary). One is studying His Word. The other is singing (zammar) to and with Him; and yes I pluck the strings as we do this.
Glory!! Amen. This is so comforting and consoling. Thank you.
Beautiful teaching, reminded me of the poetic Song of Songs or Song of Solomon.
The Psalms seems written as a 𝗱𝘂𝗲𝘁— when I first started
reading, it really confused me as a child. Not much better
now — but at least HIS singing really starting to seep thru
my thick skull. Many times at night, I have experience this
outpouring of HIS lovingkindness, & exchanges of my evil
with HIS hesed.
This post pairs w/ your explanation of Job 27:3 frustration
in our limited understanding, our thwarted plans appears
legitimate & good, but GOD in HIS wisdom has disallowed
& we kick against the goads.. [Acts 26:14 ; Revelation 9:10]
Cause me to hear: David needed to hear good word from
GOD & asked that he would be caused to hear it; perhaps
David wondered if GOD was speaking, somehow he failed
to hear, so he prayed [Psalm 143:8]
“Cause me to hear.” This is a good prayer for all to pray.
“HE WHO made the ear will cause us to hear, HE WHO is
love itself will have kindness to bring HIS lovingkindness
before our minds.” (Spurgeon)
Psalm 141 has the title A Psalm of David. It shows David as
a man of tender conscience—who asked GOD to deal with
his own sin and weakness—before addressing the wicked
men, who fought against him.
It shows David was even more concerned about evil inside
himself than he was about evil from others.
Psalm 141:6 [MSG] O let their leaders be pushed off a high
rock cliff, make them face the music. ⁷ Like rock pulverized
by a maul, let their bones be scattered at the gates of Hell.
⁸ But GOD, dear LORD, I only have eyes for YOU. ⁹Since I’ve
run for dear life to YOU, take good care of me ¹⁰Protect me
from their evil scheming, and all their demonic subterfuge.
Let the wicked fall flat on their faces
—while I walk off without a scratch.
Matthew Henry Commentary | Revelation 9:1-12
Upon sounding the fifth trumpet, a Star fell from Heaven to the Earth. Having ceased to be a Minister of CHRIST, he who is represented by this Star becomes the Minister of the devil, and lets loose the powers of Hell against the Churches of CHRIST. On the opening of the bottomless pit, there arose a great smoke. The devil carries on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by putting out light & knowledge, and promoting ignorance & error. Out of this smoke there came a swarm of locusts, emblems of the devil’s agents, who promote superstition, idolatry, error, and cruelty. The trees and the grass, the true believers, whether young or more advanced, should be untouched. But a secret poison & infection in the soul, should rob many others of purity, and afterwards of peace. The locusts had no power to hurt those who had the seal of GOD.