RR Psalm 53:1,2 Part 1
(Early) ShabbatPsalm 53:1 For the music director: on Mahalath, a contemplative song of David. 2 The fool says in his heart: “There is no God.” They are corrupt, commit vile injustice. There is no one who does good.
There is a strange word that is part of the introduction to this Psalm. (The Psalm is attributed to David, but some scholarship casts doubt on that assertion. I’ll explain later, but not today.) The word is “Mahalath.” It is actually taken from Chalah, which is not the braided loaf of Shabbat bread, although it is spelled the same, it means “sick.” In English we call them homographs.
So the Psalm is about or concerning a sickness, and what “sickness” could that be? Verse 2, the second part of verse 1 in most Christian Bibles, actually mentions two “sicknesses.” The fool, who says to himself, “There is no God.” And those same fools who are “corrupt (and) commit vile injustice,” probably because they think no one is watching or keeping account.
Hello, we’re taking a survey to see if you’re sick. Do you deny in your heart that there is a God? Check! Also, are you corrupt, committing vile injustice? Check! Yes, you checked both boxes, therefore; you’re officially sick. What, you didn’t check the boxes? You’re still sick… “There is no one who does good.” Do you suppose Paul read Psalm 53?
Romans 3:10 As it is written, “There is no one righteous—no, not one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks after God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless. There is no one who does good—no, not even one!”
We all need to be healed, and faith in Yeshua is the cure. Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our pains. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Amen and Shalom shalom.
Day 41 of the Omer
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri15-May-2026 28th of Iyar, 5786 Yom YerushalaimNu 3:40-51Jer 10Job 31Ro 11 (Mt 27:32-66)
Shalom,
There is a strange word that is part of the introduction to this Psalm. (The Psalm is attributed to David, but some scholarship casts doubt on that assertion. I’ll explain later, but not today.) The word is “Mahalath.” It is actually taken from Chalah, which is not the braided loaf of Shabbat bread, although it is spelled the same, it means “sick.” In English we call them homographs.
So the Psalm is about or concerning a sickness, and what “sickness” could that be? Verse 2, the second part of verse 1 in most Christian Bibles, actually mentions two “sicknesses.” The fool, who says to himself, “There is no God.” And those same fools who are “corrupt (and) commit vile injustice,” probably because they think no one is watching or keeping account.
Hello, we’re taking a survey to see if you’re sick. Do you deny in your heart that there is a God? Check! Also, are you corrupt, committing vile injustice? Check! Yes, you checked both boxes, therefore; you’re officially sick. What, you didn’t check the boxes? You’re still sick… “There is no one who does good.” Do you suppose Paul read Psalm 53?
Romans 3:10 As it is written, “There is no one righteous—no, not one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks after God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless. There is no one who does good—no, not even one!”
We all need to be healed, and faith in Yeshua is the cure. Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our pains. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Amen and Shalom shalom.
Day 41 of the Omer
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Fri15-May-2026 28th of Iyar, 5786 Yom YerushalaimNu 3:40-51Jer 10Job 31Ro 11 (Mt 27:32-66)
Shalom,
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