Introduction

The Book of Psalms comes to life in this new translation by poet Pamela Greenberg. Restoring the musicality and immediacy of the original Hebrew, the raw emotions of the psalms—from jubilant gratitude and wonder to mortal terror and quiet despair—are newly tangible in every line. Greenberg’s translation restores the unflinching realism of the psalms, as the psalmist or psalmists tremble in fear of real enemies, both outside their doors and within their hearts. God becomes at once the greatest source of hope and a source of unspeakable anger, as flawed men and women navigate the difficult questions of faith and doubt. The world of the psalms is full of pitfalls, frustrations, and danger—but also full of song, bliss, and the hope for peace. It is a world that despite some of the outward differences truly resonates with today’s readers.

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Excerpt

Psalm 1 
Blessed are those who walked
not influenced by the guilty,
who in the path without purpose did not linger;
in the dwellings of scorners did not long dwell.
They are consumed with the teaching of God
and meditate on divine wisdom both day and night.
They will be like a tree transplanted along a breach in
the river
that yields fruit at its appointed season
and whose leaves never cease to produce;
all their labor streams forth to fruition.
Not so with those who act wrongly.
They are like chaff carried by changes in wind.
The wrongful will not stand in the light of justice,
nor the purposeless in gathered testimony of the true
of heart.
Because God attends to the road of the righ teous
and the road of the wrongful is covered with weeds.

Psalm 2 
Why do crowds rush around restless?
And why do nations contemplate empty goals?
Kings of the earth stand brazenly,
while princes conspire in secret,
against God and against the anointed.
They say:
“Let us break the ropes of their oppression!
Let us throw off the thick weave of heavenly rule!”
The one enthroned in the sky will make light of them,
shrugging at their fearless pride.
Then with words of righ teous anger,
God’s heavenly disapproval will fill them with dread:
I have anointed my king on Zion,
mountain where my holiness dwells.
I am the one who creates eternal law.
God said to me, You are my child.
I give birth to you each day.
Come to me with your perplexities
and I will make people your inheritance;
your possessions will extend to the ends of the earth.
... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the Publisher:

1. In her foreword to The Complete Psalms, Susannah Heschel writes, “The psalms appeal to all people, regardless of religious commitments, because they strive to give voice to the human soul.” In what ways do the psalms transcend religious divisions? What are some of the universal qualities of the psalms?

2. In her introduction, Pamela Greenberg reveals that when she first approached the psalms, “I was new to religious life, having landed there through sheer desperation, and found within the psalms a model for talking to God.” (xv) What “model” of spiritual communication can be found within the psalms? How is this model of communication similar to traditional prayer, and how is it different?

3. Greenberg writes, “One of the most significant difficulties I encountered in translating had to do with the use of gender in the psalms, both in reference to God and in reference to the anonymous representative of humanity.” How effective is Greenberg’s effort to make the psalms “speak equally to either gender?” (xxi) Do the psalms feel relevant to both genders today? Why or why not?

4. Traditionally, the psalms have been chanted, sung, and sometimes accompanied by musical instruments. How does the experience of reading the psalms on the page differ from hearing them aloud? What is the effect of thinking of the psalms as music? Does the musical nature of the psalms come through in writing? Why or why not?

5. Many of the psalms are attributed to David, Asaf, or Solomon, yet according to biblical tradition they are all written by David. What difference does it make to think of them as written by one author or several?

6. Greenberg leaves untranslated two words from Hebrew: “Selah” and “Halleluyah.” What is the effect of reading these words in their original form within the psalms? What emphasis and emotions do these words convey? What English words might have a similar effect?

7. Enemies abound in the psalms, from Egyptians and Babylonians in hot pursuit to lions and snakes that lie in wait. What else might these enemies symbolize? Which dangers are external and which exist within the supplicant’s own mind?

8. Several psalms open with a question, such as Psalms 2, 15, and 74. Consider the role of questioning within these and other psalms. Does each psalm answer the opening question by the end? Do the authors seek answers, or do they accept the unanswerable? Explain.

9. Compare Greenberg’s translation of Psalm 23 to the King James Version in the Bible, which is often quoted and interpreted. How do the subtle differences in translation shift the tone and meaning of Psalm 23? In particular, consider how Greenberg clarifies and updates the King James line, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, / I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.”

10. Psalm 38 provides an example of God’s anger and punishment. How does this representation of God resonate with Christian and Jewish practice today? Does this angry, vengeful God feel compatible with current theology? Why or why not? How else might we interpret this imagery of a violent God?

11. Many psalms are written in the first person “I.” (See Psalms 30, 31, 55, and 130 for some examples.) What is the effect of this singular, personal narration? Does this “I” make the psalms feel intimate, universal, or lonely?

12. Discuss the imagery within Psalm 88. How does the figurative language serve to express despair, sorrow, and abandonment? What is the message of a psalm that lacks a hopeful tone? In what way is that an expression of faith?

13. Compare the shortest psalm, 117, to the longest psalm, 119. What is the effect of brevity and length within these psalms, and which do you find more powerful?

14. Consider the intergenerational messages of the psalms, “that which our ancestors were instructed / to convey to their offspring, / so that future generations would understand, / those still unborn.” (166) What lessons and practices do the psalms convey to future generations? How do the psalms instruct us to impart these lessons to the next generations? What does continuity from one generation to the next represent?

15. Psalm 150, the final verse, ends with the lines, “Let everything that breathes praise God. / Shine forth your praises on God!” (319) What are some of the many ways to praise God according to this psalm? What new methods of praising God are evident in the psalms?

16. Greenberg provides a Selected Glossary at the end of the book, explaining some of the word choices within her translation. Which of these words seems to alter the tone of the psalms the most? For example, does translating “awe of God” as “wonder or reverence” instead of “fear” significantly affect how the psalms sound and feel? Explain.

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