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Dhammapada · narration sample

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The Bible · 627 of 1189

Psalms 149

1.Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

2.Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3.Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

4.For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

5.Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

6.Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;

7.To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

8.To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

9.To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Asked of Guide

Why does this psalm pair joyful worship with images of a twoedged sword and vengeance?

The psalm puts praise and warfare together because worship is portrayed as communal enactment of God’s justice: verses 1–5 call Israel and Zion to sing, dance, and rejoice, while verse 6 gives them “a twoedged sword in their hand” to carry out divine judgment. The language treats the community’s praise as participation in God’s rule, where beauty and meekness (v.4) coexist with the duty to enact the written judgment (v.9).

Read alongside Isaiah and the Psalms of enthronement, this psalm fits a royal motif where the king’s festival includes both celebration and the vindication of the covenant; the rejoicing community is also the agent of God’s righteous order. That link appears in Psalm 2 and Isaiah 52, which likewise combine kingship, festival praise, and the enforcement of divine rule.

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