Hebrew Word Study – Directed – Kon – Kap Vav Nun
Psalms 108:1: “O God, my heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise even with my glory.”
Author’s Note: This study is found in Chaim Bentorah’s book: A Hebrew Teacher Looks at Worship and Praise. This book may be purchased from this website or from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Swimming-His-Presence-Teacher-Reflects-ebook/dp/B0B37RSTTG?ref_=ast_author_dp&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bgURbtqJCl62D7FaC6CMVlMD50OX6LtmQm7WO7diDFP9-FcylUXjYswK8d3IOLdEbU0ljvo-NE9GlcO5drIsluINtx96D1JPjiPyvlm1jQbf7LcPxHHEhgYTc9WMVIzb37e7yzcn9VqjB_IEKiGXmbKdbbHmHtxlNvWJyBX5fXpom3MT1tHLbV6aO76aOWGMmzb6Yle3jiqdWHrRXjsPzoVuUygMAxNyghNmE7dCox8.zkzj2RTzlcwEML0Fy1InT1aDaNefjZckqYAdJR1GfdA&dib_tag=AUTHOR.
So in a previous chapter I was talking about trying to worship God while you were carrying a burden. You are so overwhelmed by this burden that you just can’t focus on your worship. You try to worship and praise but it is just such an effort, you feel so weighted down.
This is the way David felt when he started to write this Psalm. You read this Psalm and it appears like one of his lighter moments. He seems so joyful and so happy. Yet, this first verse gives his true emotions away.
He calls out to God saying that his heart is fixed. The word for fixed is kon which has the idea of being established or directed. Today we would say his heart was focused. What David is saying here is that his heart was not focused on God but on his burden. It is for this reason that he will sing and give praise. Can you relate? Do you sometimes feel so burdened down that you cannot keep you mind stayed on God. Yet keeping your mind stayed on Him is the key to perfect peace. Isaiah 26:3: “Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.” It is a wonderful promise. I don’t know about you but when I am going through a stressful time I really have a problem keeping my mind stayed on God. David gives us his secret as to how he keeps his mind stayed on God even when he is going through a rough time.
The word for praise that is used here is zamar which has been discussed in an earlier chapter. This is a very focused praised and very direct praise, no fluff, no disjointed or meaningless words, but a very specific praise. The word is also in a Piel form with a paragogic Hei. This makes this direct praise very intense. David is putting his whole being into this praise. This is not coming naturally. He is not working it up with electric guitars, keyboards, and drums. The drummer may be beating the devil out of those drums but away from David. We, in our Western culture, love our loud music. In fact neurologist have now discovered a portion of our brain that releases a chemical that creates pleasure from music that is played so loud that it almost reaches the point of being painful, then that pleasure chemical is released to ease the impeding pain. Then we say: “Oh, I feel the presence of God.” You don’t feel the presence of God you feel the pleasure valve releasing it chemicals that God created in you.
Would you like Chaim Bentorah as your personal Hebrew teacher?
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C.S. Lewis in his book Screwtape Letters tells how the senior demon mentoring a novice demon instructs this demon to beware of silence. Let them make a lot of noise, keep them away from silence for in silence you can hear the voice of God. This worship of David doing a zamar was not backed up with loud music but was most likely in the quiet of his chambers, alone where he could focus on God without any distractions. This is a praise that David is giving to God through a deliberate effort. It is not coming naturally, it is forced and mostly beginning with insincerity. But as David becomes more and more focused on God, his praise begins to become a zamar praise, a pruning and cutting praise that cuts through all that burden and stress, it prunes away all his cares. Some call it a sacrifice of praise. Although I am not sure that is the Biblical definition of a sacrifice of praise, I do like that description. Although what you are sacrificing is all your cares and burdens for the sake of praising. That is a sacrifice I would gladly make and I am sure you would also.
Then he says: “Even with my glory.” The word for glory is kavod which means heaviness. It can also mean burdensome or grievous. I suppose we could say that David praises God with his heavy burden. That would fit the context quite well.
David is overwhelmed with his heavy burden. His heart is so fixed on this burden that he cannot praise or worship God. He says he will sing a song of praise. Not just any praise. He could praise God for His power, for His majesty, etc. David has done this many times, but right now that is not the praise that he can offer. The praise he offers is with his burden. The word even is aph which is often translated as indeed or furthermore. “I will praise you indeed with my burden.”
David is not ignoring his burden, or pretending it does not exist. He is simply bringing God into the picture. He is entering into an intense praise with his burden right out there, out in front. He and God are going to share this burden. As you read the rest of the Psalm you find David talking about the awesome power of God, his control over everything and in that light, the weight of his burden get’s lighter and lighter.
Sometimes the burdens of this life can weight you down so much, you just want to crawl under yon rock from whence you came and shut everything out. You can try that but the burden will still be there. You may choose to do what David would do when the burdens because so heavy that worship and praise will not come. You can let God bear that burden for you and as you do, it will get lighter and lighter. It might be instantaneous but more often than not it will come gradually such that after a season of turning it over to God and surrendering your body and soul to Him, you will leave your quiet place wondering what all the fuss or a burden was about anyways.
There is an old hymn we used to sing when I was child and I sing it to myself constantly: “Leave you heavy burden at the cross, at the cross of Calvary
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
A Totally agree with this teachin.Amen thk U.May The Father reward U.
Not sure if you feel up to it, but here’s a crazy question to go along with this punishment for disbelief…
It’s evident from the text Zachariah is punished because he “did not believe.” But why did GOD take Zachariah’s voice? Why not blindness? Or a limp? What correlation, if any, does this punishment have with Zachariah’s act of questioning Gabriel’s message?
It’s kind of like when Gideon asked GOD for a fleece to confirm HIS command, but GOD didn’t punish Gideon.
Is it the difference between a commoner vs. Priest?
GOD will condescend to the commoner, whereas part of the Priests’ vocation is to confirm/verify miraculous healing, like when JESUS healed the lepers & they were to go show themselves to the Priests before they could be reinstated back into community. [Luke 17:14; Matthew 8:4]
For the man, the ceremonial state of uncleanness caused by his condition was, apparently, the worst part of his disease. He would have been separated not only from the #worship of GOD in the Temple, but also from the daily lives of the people, including friends & family.
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Vow of Silence: Once the man is healed, JESUS commands him not to tell anyone about it.
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Vow of Silence reminds one of what you were subjected to at the retreat you spent at the Monastery…any link to this? Hearing GOD’s Voice better
You described me to a tee Chaim: Sometimes the burdens of this life can weight you down so much, you just want to crawl under yon rock from whence you came & shut everything out.
This reminds me of the Tribulation cry of godless:
Revelation 6:15-16 [Berean] ¹⁵ Then the Kings of the Earth, the Nobles, the Commanders, the rich, the mighty, & 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 and among the rocks of the Mountains. ¹⁶ And they said to the Mountains & the Rocks, “𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝘀 & 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲, & from the wrath of the LAMB.
The song from my childhood in Church has been: As the deer pants for water, so my soul longeth after THEE. YOU alone are my heart’s desire, & I long to worship THEE. YOU alone are my strength, my shield. To YOU alone may my spirit yield. [Psalm 42:1]
YOU are my friend & YOU are my brother, even though YOU are a KING!
I love YOU more than any other, so much more than anything! YOU alone are my strength, my shield. To YOU alone may my spirit yield. YOU alone are my heart’s desire, & I long to worship THEE.
I want YOU more than gold or silver, only YOU can satisfy!!! YOU alone are the real joy giver & the apple of my eye
YOU alone are my strength, my shield. To YOU alone may my spirit yield. YOU alone are my heart’s desire, & I long to worship THEE.
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=78lj3sl8L9M
I was too young to know what it meant but Church after Church was singing that hymn. Meanwhile I was chasing after ice-cream & cake, but I know better than that now… Thanks to HIM
This is a weird thing to admit to.
Psalm 84:2 My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living GOD.
P.S. I like your understanding of glory as a burden, rather than just “mouth praising GOD,” as Derek Prince tried to tie glory of men in his limited understanding. Something I couldn’t do with my mouth for +3 years. I was of the understanding that I’m going to Hell, if I can’t open my mouth to praise GOD.
It now reminds me of Zechariah’s temporary impairment in speech as a punishment for his lack of faith. [Luke 1:18-20]
Why did God Take Zachariah’s Voice?
In Luke 1, Gabriel tells the aged priest Zachariah that he’s going to have a son. But Zachariah wants proof; v.18 Zechariah asked the Angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
As a result, GOD takes Zachariah’s voice.
19 The Angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of GOD, & I have been sent to speak to you & to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent & not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
I too feel like sometimes the music is too loud and always thought it was to gin up an emotional response. I was recently going through a period of thinking that and after the worship time our pastor got up on stage and before he began he explained why they play the music so loudly. He said they know a lot of people can’t sing and even if you apply, “make a joyful noise” to it that they still won’t sing. The reason they crank the sound up so loud is to encourage everyone to sing and to know that they don’t have to worry about others hearing them. They can sing and focus on the Lord. I know, I know, they should sing no matter what, but we know it doesn’t happen that way so why not try and create an atmosphere where everyone will sing. Even if it’s approaching painfully loud?
Just thought I’d share a different perspective to this. (And no I’m not saying that’s every church’s approach but why not think of it this way and put a positive spin on it?)
Thank you so much for your beautiful lessons.
I think that perhaps everyone feels overwhelmed at times when they have burdens.
Do to Ill health I don’t leave home. I go online for worship service. I tuned to one that did have upbeat music and yes drums, but I must say that the words they sang were incredibly beautiful. I try not to judge how people worship if it brings them to Jesus! The pastor’s sermon was excellent.
Doesn’t the Bible say to make a joyful noise unto the Lord?