Saturday, May 21, 2011

Psalm 138

The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.


In Hebrew the first line is:

יְהוָה, יִגְמֹר בַּעֲדִי


A computer-generated translation produces: "Lord, be over for me."

A more literary, yet literal translation might be: One Who Exists, complete my existence or One Who Is fulfill my being.

When I read "purpose" I am inclined to hear intention, goal, Aristotelian teleos. The Hebrew is much ontological than teleological.

I am reminded of Jorge Luis Borges. He wrote, "Any life, no matter how long and complex it may be, is made up of a single moment - the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is."

Psalm 138

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