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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 192 of 293

Psalms of Solomon: Chapter XVIII

With this psalm end the warlike Songs of Solomon.

Lord, Thy mercy is over the works of Thy hands for ever; Thy goodness is over Israel with a rich gift. Thine eyes look upon them, so that none of them suffers want; Thine ears listen to the hopeful prayer of the poor. Thy judgements are executed upon the whole earth in mercy; And Thy love is toward the seed of Abraham, the children of Israel. Thy chastisement is upon us as upon a first-born, only-begotten son, To turn back the obedient soul from folly that is wrought in ignorance. May God cleanse Israel against the day of mercy and blessing, Against the day of choice when Blessed shall they be that shall be in those days, He bringeth back His anointed. In that they shall see the goodness of the Lord which He shall perform for the generation that is to come, Under the rod of chastening of the Lord’s anointed in the fear of his God, In the spirit of wisdom and righteousness and strength; That he may direct every man in the works of righteousness by the fear of God, That he may establish them all before the Lord, A good generation living in the fear of God in the days of mercy. Selah.

Great is our God and glorious, dwelling in the highest. It is He who hath established in their courses the lights of heaven for determining seasons from year to year, And they have not turned aside from the way which He appointed them. In the fear of God they pursue their path every day, From the day God created them and for evermore. And they have erred not since the day He created them. Since the generations of old they have not withdrawn from their path, Unless God commanded them so to do by the command of His servants.

Asked of Guide

Why does the psalm call God's chastisement like treatment of a first-born son?

The chapter says God’s chastisement is “upon us as upon a first-born, only-begotten son,” framing correction as intimate and intentional. It presents punishment as a parental shaping—meant to “turn back the obedient soul from folly” and to instruct Israel “in the spirit of wisdom and righteousness and strength.”

That comparison promises restoration: chastening prepares for a coming mercy when God “bringeth back His anointed” and establishes “a good generation living in the fear of God.” The Psalms of Solomon treat discipline as a purifying pathway toward divine blessing, similar to the corrective role of covenant theology in Second Temple texts like Sirach.

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