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Below are three translations of Psalm 65:1a. What’s the difference?
Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion (ESV).
There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, God (NASB).
What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion (NLT).
The literal translation in Hebrew would be, “To You praise is silent.” Not believing this statement has a clear meaning, most translations say “praise” and leave out “silent,” but the NASB includes “silence” and praise.
There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, God.
I think the best translation would be. . .
Realizing the greatness of God, let’s approach Him in silence, and then break out into praise (OGV — Old Guy Version).
Have you been to a concert and just before it begins, the lights dim, and the crowd noise silences in anticipation? And then. . . and then. . . raucous clapping and cheering when the band comes on stage.
Silence in considering God and then out of control praise — that’s Psalm 65! And in this silence, what should we consider about God?
- Are we being faithful? (v. 1)
- Thankful for previously answered prayers? (v. 2)
- God forgiving our sins? (v. 3)
- Finding joy in God’s presence? (v. 4)
After the silence, just as before a concert begins, anticipation builds in Psalm 65: What is God going to do next? What blessings can we expect? How will God work all things to His good?
The answers can be found in verses 5 through 13. But let’s consider a background note first. King David, who wrote Psalm 65, grew up as a shepherd and under his reign, Israel was agrarian — so the blessings after the silence in this Psalm focus on crops and flocks.
And rain!
Consider these blessings, the answers, and how the farmers of Israel, realizing God’s abundance, would shout for joy. . .
- From where the sun rises to where it sets; you inspire shouts of joy (v. 8b, NLT).
- You take care of the earth and water it (v. 9a).
- You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops (v. 10b).
- The grasslands become a lush pasture … and the meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep (vv. 12a-13a).
From Psalm 65, we learn to stand in awe and silence, and then rejoice in God’s greatness.
We may not use the crop or flock motif, but perhaps business opportunities, abundant sales, educational opportunities, and investment gains. From this psalm we realize God’s presence as the origin of everything worthwhile in our lives.
As the psalm concludes. . .
They [we] all shout and sing for joy (v. 13).
Amen. Peace out!