READING THE BOOK OF PSALMS
PART XLVIII
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Psalms 65, 66, and 67
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Psalms 65, 66, and 67 are similar to each other; they speak of the universal acknowledgment of God. Furthermore, Psalm 67 resembles Psalm 65 and continues the theme of blessing present at the conclusion of Psalm 66. The clustering of these psalms is logical.
Sometimes I compare translations and wonder what is happening in the Hebrew text. Consider Psalm 65:2 (Jewish versification), O reader. Mitchell J. Dahood’s version reads:
Praise to you in the mighty castle,
O God in Zion.
And vows shall be paid to you….
The “mighty castle” is Heaven, according to Dahood’s germane note.
TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures offers:
Praise befits You in Zion, O God;
vows are paid to You….
“Zion” refers to the Temple, not Heaven.
Robert Alter’s version reads:
To You silence is praise, O God, in Zion,
and to You a vow will be paid.
Dahood’s “mighty castle” has become “silence.” Alter’s germane note cites linguistic reasons for this translation choice and argues that the verse teaches that divine greatness exceeds that which human words can express. Ironically, the psalmist does not remain silent, as Psalm 65 attests.
Psalms 65 and 66, which feature the Temple (First or Second?) prominently, speak of the blessings and universality of God. The greatness of God is evident in nature, we read. People across the world stand in awe of God and signs of God’s works. Divine glory is also evident in victory. And God, having tested the Hebrews, has never abandoned them, we read in Psalm 66.
Exegetes disagree whether the origin of Psalm 66 was before or after the Babylonian Exile. Either one seems probable. I suggest a plausible scenario: the psalm is pre-exilic yet the version we have is the edited, final form after the Babylonian Exile. We cannot be sure which explanation is correct.
Psalm 67, picking up where Psalm 66 terminates, predicts that people across the known world will praise God or says that they do–depending on translation. God rules equitably, we read. Also, the blessings of God are evident in the fertile earth.
Words have their place. They can be useful and necessary. Psalms 65, 66, and 67 use many words for noble and pious purposes. However, I return to Robert Alter’s translation of Psalm 65:2:
To You silence is praise, O God, in Zion,
and to You a vow will be paid.
Has anything ever moved you, O reader, to reverent silence? I have known that spiritual state.
My culture fears silence. I seldom enter a store or a restaurant that does not have music playing in it. When I visit some homes, the din of the television distracts me. My lifestyle entails much silence–no radio, television, et cetera–blaring for hours at a time. I do consume audio and visual media, but at a reduced rate. Distracting sounds get in the way of my thinking and listening.
Silence can be more than praise; it can enable listening to God. Contemplative prayer is a legitimate form of prayer. My experience tells me that the silence I need to achieve primarily inside my mind. That is more difficult to gain and maintain than external silence. When we can turn off all the noise–both external and internal–and intentionally be in God’s presence–we have blessed silence.
I am halfway there most of the time.
May we all, by grace, have and embrace utter silence before God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 22, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF JOHN JULIAN, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNOLOGIST
THE FEAST OF ALEXANDER MEN, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1990
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN LAY, AMERICAN QUAKER ABOLTIONIST
THE FEAST OF LADISLAO BATTHÁNY-STRATTMANN, AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PHYSICIAN AND PHILANTHROPIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT VINCENT PALLOTTI, FOUNDER OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE CATHOLIC APOSTOLATE, THE UNION OF CATHOLIC APOSTOLATE, AND THE SISTERS OF THE CATHOLIC APOSTOLATE
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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