Bible HebrewPsalm 1 Psalm 1:1–6
Two ways of life, a tree and the chaff. Notice the sentences without a verb, and the contrasts.
Psalm 1:1
אַשְׁרֵי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב
ʾAshrē-hāʾīsh ʾăsher lō hālakh baʿăṣath rəshāʿīm ūvədherekh ḥaṭṭāʾīm lō ʿāmādh ūvəmōshav lēṣīm lō yāshāv
“Happy is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of scoffers.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| אַשְׁרֵי | ʾashrē | happy (is) |
| הָאִישׁ | hāʾīsh | the man |
| אֲשֶׁר | ʾăsher | who |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| הָלַךְ | hālakh | walks |
| בַּעֲצַת | baʿăṣath | in the counsel of |
| רְשָׁעִים | rəshāʿīm | the wicked |
| וּבְדֶרֶךְ | ūvədherekh | and in the way of |
| חַטָּאִים | ḥaṭṭāʾīm | sinners |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| עָמָד | ʿāmādh | stands |
| וּבְמוֹשַׁב | ūvəmōshav | and in the seat of |
| לֵצִים | lēṣīm | scoffers |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| יָשָׁב | yāshāv | sits |
- אַשְׁרֵי: אַשְׁרֵי is a plural construct, “the happinesses of”: “O the happiness of the man…”. It is not a verb. Many sayings in the Psalms begin with it.
- הָלַךְ: Three perfects with לֹא: walk, stand, sit. The perfect here states what the man never does, not only something in the past.
- בַּעֲצַת: Three places, each a construct chain: “the counsel of the wicked”, “the way of sinners”, “the seat of scoffers”.
- עָמָד: עָמָד (normally עָמַד) is a pausal form: the vowel lengthens at a pause in the verse. יָשָׁב at the end is the same.
Psalm 1:2
כִּי אִם בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה חֶפְצוֹ וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ יֶהְגֶּה יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה
Kī ʾim bəthōrath yəḥawwe ḥefṣō ūvəthōrāthō yehge yōmām wālāylā
“Rather, his delight is in the instruction of yəḥawwe, and on his instruction he meditates day and night.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| כִּי | kī | rather |
| אִם | ʾim | but |
| בְּתוֹרַת | bəthōrath | in the instruction of |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| חֶפְצוֹ | ḥefṣō | (is) his delight |
| וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ | ūvəthōrāthō | and on his instruction |
| יֶהְגֶּה | yehge | he murmurs |
| יוֹמָם | yōmām | by day |
| וָלָיְלָה | wālāylā | and night |
- כִּי: כִּי אִם after a negative means “but rather”.
- בְּתוֹרַת: תּוֹרָה means “instruction, teaching”, and is also the name of the five books of Moses. “Law” is the traditional translation.
- יֶהְגֶּה: הָגָה means to make a low sound: murmur, mutter, even growl. Joshua 1:8 uses it of reciting the scroll of the instruction (Torah) “day and night”, with the same words, יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה.
- יוֹמָם: יוֹמָם, “by day”, is יוֹם with the adverb ending ־ָם.
Psalm 1:3
וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל־פַּלְגֵי מָיִם אֲשֶׁר פִּרְיוֹ יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ וְעָלֵהוּ לֹא־יִבּוֹל וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ
Wəhāyā kəʿēṣ shāthūl ʿal-palghē māyim ʾăsher piryō yittēn bəʿittō wəʿālēhū lō-yibbōl wəkhōl ʾăsher-yaʿăśe yaṣlīaḥ
“He will be like a tree planted by channels of water, which gives its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Everything he does prospers.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָה | wəhāyā | and he will be |
| כְּעֵץ | kəʿēṣ | like a tree |
| שָׁתוּל | shāthūl | planted |
| עַל | ʿal | by |
| פַּלְגֵי | palghē | channels of |
| מָיִם | māyim | water |
| אֲשֶׁר | ʾăsher | which |
| פִּרְיוֹ | piryō | its fruit |
| יִתֵּן | yittēn | gives |
| בְּעִתּוֹ | bəʿittō | in its season |
| וְעָלֵהוּ | wəʿālēhū | and its leaf |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| יִבּוֹל | yibbōl | withers |
| וְכֹל | wəkhōl | and all |
| אֲשֶׁר | ʾăsher | that |
| יַעֲשֶׂה | yaʿăśe | he does |
| יַצְלִיחַ | yaṣlīaḥ | prospers |
- וְהָיָה: וְהָיָה is a weqatal. After the description of verses 1–2, it looks ahead: “and he will be”.
- שָׁתוּל: שָׁתוּל is a passive participle: “planted”. The verb שׁתל is often used of transplanting.
- פַּלְגֵי: פֶּלֶג is a channel or stream, such as an irrigation canal.
- פִּרְיוֹ: פִּרְיוֹ, “its fruit”, comes before the verb: object first, then verb.
- יַצְלִיחַ: יַצְלִיחַ, Hiphil of צלח, “succeed, prosper”. The subject can be the man (“he makes it prosper”) or “all that he does” (“it prospers”).
Psalm 1:4
לֹא־כֵן הָרְשָׁעִים כִּי אִם־כַּמֹּץ אֲשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ
Lō-khēn hārəshāʿīm kī ʾim-kammōṣ ʾăsher-tiddəfennū rūaḥ
“Not so the wicked! Rather, they are like the chaff that the wind drives away.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| לֹא | lō | not |
| כֵן | khēn | so |
| הָרְשָׁעִים | hārəshāʿīm | the wicked |
| כִּי | kī | but |
| אִם | ʾim | rather |
| כַּמֹּץ | kammōṣ | (are) like the chaff |
| אֲשֶׁר | ʾăsher | that |
| תִּדְּפֶנּוּ | tiddəfennū | drives it away |
| רוּחַ | rūaḥ | the wind |
- לֹא: לֹא־כֵן, “not so”: two words that turn the psalm around.
- כַּמֹּץ: מֹץ is chaff, the light husks blown away when grain is winnowed. It is the opposite of the rooted tree in verse 3.
- תִּדְּפֶנּוּ: The verb is feminine (prefix ת) because רוּחַ, “wind”, is usually feminine. The ending ־ֶנּוּ is “it”, the chaff.
- רוּחַ: The subject comes last: “that drives it away, the wind”.
Psalm 1:5
עַל־כֵּן לֹא־יָקֻמוּ רְשָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּט וְחַטָּאִים בַּעֲדַת צַדִּיקִים
ʿAl-kēn lō-yāqumū rəshāʿīm bammishpāṭ wəḥaṭṭāʾīm baʿădhath ṣaddīqīm
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| עַל | ʿal | on account of |
| כֵּן | kēn | this |
| לֹא | lō | not |
| יָקֻמוּ | yāqumū | will stand |
| רְשָׁעִים | rəshāʿīm | the wicked |
| בַּמִּשְׁפָּט | bammishpāṭ | in the judgment |
| וְחַטָּאִים | wəḥaṭṭāʾīm | and sinners |
| בַּעֲדַת | baʿădhath | in the assembly of |
| צַדִּיקִים | ṣaddīqīm | the righteous |
- עַל: עַל־כֵּן, “on account of this”: “therefore” (compare Jonah 4:2).
- יָקֻמוּ: קוּם, “rise, stand”, here means “stand firm, hold one's ground”. The man of verse 1 did not “stand” (עָמַד) in the way of sinners; now the wicked will not “stand” (קוּם).
- בַּמִּשְׁפָּט: בַּמִּשְׁפָּט, “in the judgment”, with the article. Readers take it as any court where justice is done, or as a final judgment.
- וְחַטָּאִים: The verb לֹא יָקֻמוּ does double duty: the second line leaves it out. “And sinners (will not stand) in the assembly of the righteous”.
Psalm 1:6
כִּי־יוֹדֵעַ יְהוָה דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד
Kī-yōdhēaʿ yəḥawwe derekh ṣaddīqīm wədherekh rəshāʿīm tōvēdh
“For yəḥawwe knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| כִּי | kī | for |
| יוֹדֵעַ | yōdhēaʿ | knows |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| דֶּרֶךְ | derekh | the way of |
| צַדִּיקִים | ṣaddīqīm | the righteous |
| וְדֶרֶךְ | wədherekh | but the way of |
| רְשָׁעִים | rəshāʿīm | the wicked |
| תֹּאבֵד | tōvēdh | will perish |
- יוֹדֵעַ: A participle, יוֹדֵעַ, “knowing”: an ongoing state. יָדַע can mean more than knowing facts: to know closely, to care for.
- דֶּרֶךְ: דֶּרֶךְ, “way”, is the psalm's picture of a life. It came in verse 1 (“the way of sinners”) and now closes the psalm.
- תֹּאבֵד: תֹּאבֵד is feminine because דֶּרֶךְ is feminine: it is the way itself that perishes. The psalm's last word is “perish”.
Bible Hebrew teaches this with practice questions and reviews that come back right before you forget. The alphabet, the lessons, the vocabulary and the guided readings are recorded in the biblical pronunciation. Free, no ads, and it works offline.
Practice this lesson free