Verse of the Day 1.9.18: Psalm 109:22
Text
22 כִּֽי־עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְי֣וֹן אָנֹ֑כִי וְ֝לִבִּ֗י חָלַ֥ל בְּקִרְבִּֽי׃1
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.2
Today, C4C is studying Psalm 109, a psalm that entails imprecation (cursing).
C4C Translation
For poor and needy am I,
and my heart is pierced through inside me
The word translated ‘pierced through’ (חָלַל | ḥālal) means “…wound (fatally), bore through, pierce.”3 It is the same word used to describe the suffering of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 — who was “pierced for our transgressions” (Isa 53:5).4
The word translated “inside” (קֶרֶב | qereb) literally means “inner organs”5— one’s guts.
In my translation, I tried to capture this vivid imagery. The pain and anguish of the psalmist apparently feels like being stabbed — perhaps even impaled — right through the heart.
Memorization
Memorize Psalm 109:22 after watching a brief video tutorial demonstrating the How to Memorize Any Bible Verse in Less Than Five Minutes method below:
Sources
- Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: With Werkgroep Informatica, Vrije Universiteit Morphology; Bible. O.T. Hebrew. Werkgroep Informatica, Vrije Universiteit. (Logos Bible Software, 2006), Ps 109:22.
- The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ps 109:22.
Donald J. Wiseman, “660 חָלַל,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 288.- Ibid.
- also “body, inner being, mind” Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 979.