13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting! Amen and amen. BOOK II For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, for ever and ever [1] Here the Psalmist confirms and repeats the expression of thanksgiving contained in a preceding verse. By calling God expressly the God of Israel, he testifies that he cherished in his heart a deep and thorough impression of the covenant which God had made with the Fathers; because it was the source from which his deliverance proceeded. The term amen is repeated twice, to express the greater vehemence, and that all the godly might be the more effectually stirred up to praise God.
1 - The Hebrew Psalter is divided into five books. This is the end of the first book. The second ends with the 72d psalm, the third with the 89th, the fourth with the 106th, and the fifth with the 150th. It is worthy of remark, that each of these five books solemnly concludes with a distinct ascription of praise to God; only no distinct doxology appears at the end of the fifth book, probably because the last psalm throughout is a psalm of praise. The Jewish writers affirm that this form of benediction was added by the person who collected and distributed The Psalms into their present state. How ancient this division is, cannot now be clearly ascertained. Jerome, in his Epistle to Marcella, and Epiphanius, speak of The Psalms as having been divided by the Hebrews into five books; but when this division was made, they do not inform us. The forms of ascription of praise, added at the end of each of the five books, are in the Septuagint version, from which we may conclude that this distribution had been made before that version was executed. It was probably made by Ezra, after the return of the Jews from Babylon to their own country, and the establishment of the worship of God in the new temple; and it was perhaps made in imitation of a similar distribution of the books of Moses. In making this division of the Hebrew Psalter, regard appears to have been paid to the subject-matter of the psalms.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel - That is, Let the Lord God of Israel be praised, honored, adored. The language is an expression of desire that all honor, all happiness, might be His. It is a recognition of God as the source of the mercies referred to, and an expression of the feeling that he is entitled to universal praise. The word Israel here refers to the people of God as descended from Jacob or Israel.
From everlasting, and to everlasting - Through eternity, or eternal ages, - from all past duration to all future duration. The expression "from everlasting to everlasting," would embrace eternity; and the idea is that God is deserving of eternal praise.
Amen, and amen - The word "amen" means properly surely, certainly, truly, and is a word expressive of solemn affirmation, or of the desire of the mind that this should be so. Its repetition is emphatic, expressing strong assent to what is said as certainly true, or as eminently the wish of the mind. This benediction marks the close of one of the five books into which the Psalm are commonly divided. See the General Introduction, Section 3.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel - By all these circumstances and events glory shall redound to the name of God for ever; for the record of these things shall never perish, but be published from one generation to another; and it has been so.
From everlasting, and to everlasting - מהעולם ועד העולם mehaolam vead haolam; From the hidden time to the hidden time; from that which had no beginning to that which has no end.
To which he subscribes, Amen and Amen. Fiat, fiat - Vulgate. Γενοιτο, γενοιτο - Septuagint. The Chaldee says, "And let the righteous say, Amen, and Amen." "Be blessed, Lord God of Israel, from world, and in world. Be it! So be it!" - Anglo-Saxon. To which the Old Psalter approaches very nearly: Blyssed Lord God of Isrel, fra werld, and in werld: Be it done! be it done. Thus illustrated by the same, Fra werld in werld; that es, fra the bygynnyng of this wereld, in til wereld that lastes ay. Be it done, be it done. This dubblying schews that it es at do of al men. In Latyn, it es, fiat, fiat! in Ebru, Amen Amen es writyn: tharfore that Aquila translated vere, vel fideliter, that es, sothfastly or trew.
Thus ends what the Hebrews call the first book of Psalm; for the reader will recollect that this book is divided by the Jews into five books, the first of which ends with this Psalm.
This doxology, Dr. Kennicott supposes, may have been added by the collector of this book; and he thinks that the division into books is not arbitrary, and that the Psalm were collected at different times by different persons. See the Introduction. There is certainly a considerable variety in the style of the several books; in the examination of which the Hebrew critic will not lose his labor.
Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. (k) Amen, and Amen.
(k) By this repetition he stirs up the faithful to praise God.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,.... Which is said, either by the Messiah, on account of the delight his Father had in him; the favour he had shown him in raising him from the dead, maintaining his innocence, and exalting him at his own right hand; and for all the blessings of grace the whole Israel of God enjoyed through him: or else by the church, who is meant by Israel, the Lord is the God of in a covenant way; who, hearing such things done to her Lord and head, breaks out into an exclamation of praise, and ascribes blessing and glory to God for them, which is due to him;
from everlasting, and to everlasting; that is, throughout all ages, world without end, Ephesians 3:21.
Amen and Amen; which word, as Kimchi observes, signifies confirmation; and the doubling of it is for the greater confirmation of what is expressed. Here ends the first part of the book of Psalm, which is divided into five parts by the Jews (a).
(a) Midrash Tillim, fol. 2. 1. Kimchi Praefat. in Psal.
Blessed--praised, usually applied to God. The word usually applied to men denotes happiness (Psalm 1:1; Psalm 32:1). With this doxology the first book closes.
(Hebrews.: 41:14) The closing doxology of the First Book, vid., Introduction. Concerning בּרוּך vid., Psalm 18:47. The expression "from aeon to aeon" is, according to Berachoth ix. 5, directed against those who deny the truth of the future world. אמן ואמן (a double aleethe's or aleethoo's) seals it in a climactic form.
Amen - Signifies an hearty assent and approbation, and withal an earnest desire of the thing, to which it is annexed. And as the psalms are divided into five books, so each of them is closed with this word; the first here: the second, Psalm 72:19, the third, Psalm 89:52, the fourth, Psalm 106:48, the last in the end of Psalm 150:6, the doubling of the word shews the fervency of his spirit, in this work of praising God.
*More commentary available at chapter level.