Hubris: My Own Translation of Scripture

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man 
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand on the way with sinners,[1]
nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 Rather, he delights in the law[2] of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates[3] day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
yielding its fruit in due season,
never losing its leaves;[4]
in all that he does, he prospers.
4 Not so for the wicked, not so![5]
They are like chaff[6] driven away by the wind.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.[7]

---

[1] This is a tricky line to translate. A literal rendering might read “nor stands in the way of sinners”. However, in English, to “stand in the way of” means to present one’s self as a barrier to an activity. Therefore, to “stand in the way of sinners” would mean to block sinful activity, the very opposite of what is intended by the Psalmist, who is warning against joining the wicked in their ways.

[2] Law, could mean the Divine commandments of Exodus 20, the Pentateuch or even the whole of the Scriptures as known by the Psalmist. Therefore, law could also be translated as commandments or, according to modern English usage, as word of God or perhaps counsel of God. This line is intended to contrast the perfect counsel or law of God to the flawed counsel of the wicked, v1.

[3] Meditates translates a fascinating Hebrew word which can also mean to murmur. It paints a vivid picture of a man so intently focused on God’s word that he murmurs it to himself as he goes about his business, perhaps like a nun murmuring her rosary as she performs her daily duties.  

[4] Leaves wither when the tree goes dormant through draught or harsh seasonal cycles. The righteous never go dormant. They are always productive since their roots are nourished by ever flowing (never dry or frozen) streams of the good counsel (law) of God.

[5] Cf. LXX

[6] Chaff (the useless husks of seeds, separated by winnowing) is preferable here to “dust”. Chaff is a more literal translation which carries with it the idea of a thing having once been part of a living organism (wheat or the like) but now become dead and useless, blown away so that what is useful (the grain) can be gathered together. Dust, on the other hand is a dead thing from a dead thing. Note also the imagery of chaff as representing the wicked throughout Scripture and especially in the Gospels. Cf Prov 20:26, Matt 3:12, Luke 3:17

[7] “the lord knows” and “the way of the wicked perishes” are opposites. Righteousness leads to true intimacy with God, the consequence of which is life. Unrighteousness breaks intimacy with God, the inevitable outcome of which is perishing. See “know / knowledge” as used  throughout the Old Testament beginning in Genesis 1  where Adam’s knowledge of Eve was an intimate act generating life. Cf. Mt 7:23