Psalm 95:6-7
Narrative Lectionary 118

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6 O come,A let us worshipB and bow down;C

Notes on verse 6a

A “come” = bo. This is to enter, come in, advance, fulfill, bring offerings, enter to worship, attack. It can also have a sexual connotation.
B “worship” = shachah. This is to bow down, make a humble entreaty, to do homage to royalty or to God.
C “bow down” = kara. This is to bow, crouch, kneel down, subdue. It is to bend the knee in many senses. It can also mean to smite, a woman crouching in childbirth, or bowing to worship God.

    let us kneelD beforeE the Lord,F our Maker!G

Notes on verse 6b

D “kneel” = barak. This is to kneel, to bless. It is blessing God as part of worship and adoration or blessing humans to help them. It can be used as a euphemism to say curse God.
E “before” = paneh. From panah (to turn, face, appear). This is face in a literal or figurative sense. It could be face, presence, anger, respect. It can also be used of God to indicate divine favor or presence.
F “Lord” = YHVH. From havah (to be, become) or hayah (to come to pass, become, be). This is the name of the God of Israel, the self-existent and eternal one, the tetragrammaton. This pronunciation has been lost to time so “Lord” is generally used in its place.
G “Maker” = asah. This is to make, do, act, appoint, become in many senses.

7 For he is our God,H
    and we are the peopleI of his pastureJ
    and the sheepK of his hand.L

Notes on verse 7a

H “God” = Theos. From Proto-Indo-European origins, meaning do, put, place. This is God or a god in general.
I “people” = am. From amam (to darken, hide, associate; creating shadows by huddling together). This is people or nation. It can be used specifically for a tribe, collectively of troops or armies, or figuratively to refer to a flock of animals.
J “pasture” = marit. 10x in OT. From ra’ah (to graze, tend a flock, keep company with; to pasture in a literal or figurative sense). This is shepherding, pasturage, a flock.
K “sheep” = tson. This is a flock of sheep and goats.
L “hand” = yad. This is hand, ability, power. Hand in a literal sense, but also what one can do or the means by which one does it.

O that todayM you would listenN to his voice!O

Notes on verse 7b

M “today” = yom. Root may mean being hot. This is the day in a literal or figurative sense. It can also mean birth, age, daylight, continually or other references to time.
N “listen” = shama. This is to hear, call, consent, or consider. It implies listening intelligently, giving attention, and, because of these two factors, obedience and action are often implied.
O “voice” = qol. This is a sound, used often for human voices. Also used when God speaks or angels, animals or instruments. It can be a cry or a noise, thunder or earthquakes and so on.


Image credit: “Sheep in Heather at Dusk” by Karen Bryan, 2015. {with a request to link to www.helpmetosave.com}