Psalm 1

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St Patrick’s Episcopal Church,
Fort Davis, Texas.

• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV, Common Worship Psalter, ASB Psalter, and BCP Psalter) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • "Moral Law," Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit.

  • Chapter XXXV, Chapter LII of The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Clement of Rome (ca. 96). 

  • Chapter X, Chapter XI of the Epistle of Barnabas. (ca. 130) 

  • Chapter XL, The First Apology of Justin Martyr. (c 150) 

  • Chapter XXII, Chapter LXXXVI, Dialogue With Trypho, Justin Martyr. (c 160) 

  • III.VI.1, IV.XVII.1, V.VIII.4, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180) 

  • Chapter III, De Spectaculis, Tertullian (c. 197) 

  • 1.10, III.11 (LXX), III.12, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200) 

  • II.15, III.16, IV.18, IV.24, VII.18, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)

  • Chapter IV, Considering Repentance,  Tertullian (c. 203) 

  • II.19, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 208) 

  • IV.28, IV.42, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 210) 

  • Chapter XIV, On Idolatry, Tertullian (c. 211) 

  • Chapter VI, Chapter XVIII, On Modesty, Tertullian (c. 217) 

  • X.15, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)

  • "Homily on Psalm 1," by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367).
  • Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.

  • From Augustine's Exposition on the Psalms.

  • From the Geneva Notes.

  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
  • From Wesley's Notes.
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  • From The Treasury of David by Charles H. Spurgeon. (1885)
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Psalm 1, James Howell, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "How fascinating: the book of Psalms, the prayer book of the Bible, the hymnal of ancient Israel, opens with a poem about ethics, lifestyle, and decisions."
  • Psalm 1, Proper 25B, Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • Psalm 1, Pentecost 16B, Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "Psalm 1 is a wisdom poem. More accurately it is a wisdom poem that has been shaped to focus on the wisdom of giving attention to the torah, the instruction or teaching of God."
  • Psalm 1, Isaac Everett, commentary and exegesis by Alan Cooper, The Emergent Psalter, 2009.
  • Psalm 1, Easter 7B, Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • Psalm 1, Easter 7B, The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "The torah or ‘teaching’ functions in this psalm in the same way the temple does elsewhere, as the ‘place’ of divine presence and the source of human security and life."
  • Join the Feast, Psalm 1, J.P. Kang, Union PSCE, 2009.
    • "Are life’s possibilities really as starkly opposed as the psalmist concludes? If the profile of the “righteous” strikes one as idealistic and/or hypocritical, it might be instructive to consider the exhortations to perpetual joy, prayer, and thanksgiving in 1 Thess 5:16–18. Many of us may even find it easier to identify, for various reasons, with the “wicked”! How, then, can we preach Psalm 1 without simply moralizing?"
  • "The Prayers of the Psalter," Henry Wansbrough, Introduction to the Psalms. (Scroll down for information about this Psalm.)
  • "Psalm 1: Two Ways of Life," by Greg Herrick at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "The goal of meditation is to know God better and to apply his word to our lives. This reaches well beyond just knowing facts about the Bible. It calls us to trust the God of the Bible."
  • "Two Ways of Life: Psalm 1," by J. Hampton Keathley III at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "As I observe much of the church today, at first glance it looks like wheat, but on closer observation, it is often more like the chaff that the wind drives about with every wind of the various doctrines of man and the modernity of our secular society. My dear friends, make the powerful Word the foundation of your life and ministry and get involved in ministries where the Word is truly the heart and soul of that church."
  • Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion, Psalm 1, Wesley White. "A place of conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
    • "Journeys and destinations are not all that easily connected. It may not be all that helpful to turn this dynamic into static consequences of heaven or hell."
  • "What Makes Us Happy?" Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Lectionary Resource for Catholics.
  • "The Delights of Discipline," Expository Essay, Psalm 1, Dr. William R. Long.
    • "This is the discipline that the Psalmist urges and other Scriptures confirm. It is one that leads to the blessed life. Are we up for it?"
  • Psalm 1 in A Psalm for All Seasons - Studies in the Book of Psalms by Robert L. Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "If the man who is blessed of God is the one who chooses to abide in the Word of God, let us begin abiding in the Psalms. The blessed man was not the man who read commentaries about the Scriptures or who listened to sermons, but the man who was personally studying the Word of God for himself."
  • Psalm 1, Proper 6C, Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
• Articles & Background:
  • "Dying Well," Abigail Rian Evans, (other resources at) "Health," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2007.
    • "Dying well begins with our perspective on life and living well."
  • "Anti-Jewish Interpretations of Psalm 1 in Luther and in Modern German Protestantism," Uwe F.W. Bauer in The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, Volume 2, Article 2 (1998).
    • "If one were to look for a common basis of the anti-Jewish statements of these exegetes, a decisive factor, in my opinion, is Christology, more specifically, the Reformation’s justification-Christology with its exclusivistic, anti-Jewish configuration."
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  • Anderson, G.W., "A Note on Psalm 1:1," Vetus Testamentum, 1974.
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  • André, Gunnel, "'Walk', 'Stand', and 'Sit' in Psalm 1:1-2," Vetus Testamentum, 1982. (Use navigation arrow at ATLAS site to advance to the next page from this link for the beginning of the article.)
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  • Bullough, Sebastian, "The Question of Metre in Psalm 1," Vetus Testamentum, 1967.
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  • Chalmers, Aaron, "'There Is No Deliverer (from my Hand)'--A Formal Analysis," Vetus Testamentum, 2005.
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  • Cole, Robert, "An Integrated Reading of Psalms 1 and 2," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2002.
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  • Collins, C. John, "Psalm 1: Structure and Rhetoric," Presbyterion, 2005.
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  • Cox, Claude, "When Torah Embraced Wisdom and Song; Job 28:28, Ecclesiastes 12:13, and Psalm 1:2," Restoration Quarterly, 2007.
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  • Creach, Jerome F.D., "Like a Tree Planted by the Temple Stream: the Portrait of the Righteous in Psalm 1:3," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1999.
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  • Reif, Stefan C., "Ibn Ezra on Psalm 1:1-2," Vetus Testamentum, 1984.
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  • Snaith, N.H., "Psalm 1:1 and Isaiah 40:31," Vetus Testamentum, 1979.
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  • Thomas, Marlin E., "Psalms 1 and 112 as a Paradigm for the Comparison of Wisdom Motifs in the Psalms," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 1986.
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  • Throckmorton, Burton Hamilton, "Language and the Bible," Religious Education, 1985.
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• Reviews:
• Sermons:
  • "Foolish Wisdom," the Rev. Dr. Rick Dietrich, Day 1, 2003.
• With Children:
  • "The Law of the Lord Makes Us Happy," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
• Drama:
• Liturgy:
  • Responsive Liturgical Paraphrase at The Billabong by Rev Jeff Shrowder, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • Easter B7
    • Proper B20/Ordinary B25
    • Epiphany C6
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Psalm 1, Isaac Everett, commentary and exegesis by Alan Cooper, The Emergent Psalter, 2009.
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Psalm 1. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn Selections, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • "Blessed Are They" (Psalm 1), lyrics, midi, sheet music, mp3. Stephen J. Pearson, The Psalmistry. See Terms of Use.
  • Psalm 1 set to Mendelssohn (77 77 77 77 77), by Dale A. Schoening, Metrical Psalms.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Psalms