Masoretic Nonsense :: Psalm 138:2
At first glance, the rendition of Psalm 138:2 in the English Bible appears profound:
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name." – Psalm 138:2
But the rendition of the verse cannot stand close inspection. Indeed, upon closer examination, the verse as it stands in the English Bible is nonsense.
The Concept of Name
According to the A.D. 1913 edition of Webster, the English term "name" means: reputed character; reputation (good or bad); estimation; fame, especially, illustrious character or fame; honorable estimation; distinction.
The Name of the Lord God
The appellation, the "Name of the Lord God" means the identity of the Lord. The name of the Lord God represents the essence or character of the Lord. It is the Name of the Lord which gives power and authority and credibility to the Word of the Lord.
"And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." – Exodus 3:15
It is because of the Name of the Lord that whatsoever the Lord God decrees unfailingly shall come to pass.
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." – Isaiah 55:10-11
Once one has a correct understanding of the concept of name, it should be apparent that it makes no sense to say that the Lord God "magnifies his Word above his Name." The Scripture is a coherent whole, no part of which may be set aside, John 10:34-36. Therefore, when a passage of the Scripture appears to be nonsensical, something is awry.
The Problem: Translation from a Counterfeit
The problem is that in the English Bible, the Writings of the Prophets (commonly but incorrectly termed the "Old Testament") have been translated from the Masoretic Hebrew Text, as a matter of tradition.
Contemporary Protestants generally are oblivious to the fact that the authoritative text for the Writings of the Prophets is the Greek translation of the Ancient Hebrew manuscripts, today known as the Septuagint. Moreover, contemporary Protestants generally are ignorant of the fact that the Masoretic Hebrew Text is a modern-day counterfeit of the Ancient Hebrew manuscripts, crafted by unregenerate Talmudic Jews working in the present Christian Era. As is the case with any forgery, the Masoretic Hebrew Text contains a great many instances of corruption.
The term "English Bible" includes most English translations of the Bible which have been published since the development of the automated printing system of Gutenberg at the beginning of the Fifteenth Century. These include the English Bible of William Tyndale, the King James, the Revised Standard, the American Standard, and so forth.
Bible publishing houses – generally owned by Jews – have followed the precedent set by the inventor of the English Bible, William Tyndale, at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Setting aside the Septuagint, Tyndale translated the Prophets from the newly-published Masoretic Hebrew Text.
Upon the death of Christ Jesus, custodianship of the Canon of Scripture was taken from the physical nation of Israel and given to the Church. The Church was custodian of the complete Canon – the Writings of the Prophets and the Writings of the Apostles – all of which were in the common language of the Ancient World, the Koine dialect of Greek. By means of extensive quotations, Christ Jesus and the Apostles certified the Greek translation as authoritative. Accordingly, the Lord God destroyed the Ancient Hebrew manuscripts when he destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70.
Work on the Masoretic Hebrew Text supposedly began in the Ninth or Tenth Century of the present era of the Reign of the Christ. The Masoretic Hebrew Text is the product of unregenerate Jews who refused to enter the New Covenant. They desired to return to the covenantal relationship of the Old Covenant. But the Old Covenant was a relationship of marriage between the Son of God and the physical nation of Israel. The relationship was dissolved irreversibly upon the death of the Husband, the Incarnate Christ Jesus. Being devoid of covenantal relationship with the Lord, the Jew had no authorization to handle the Scripture.
The Masoretic Hebrew Text has no direct link to the Ancient Hebrew manuscripts which perished in A.D. 70 in the destruction of the Temple. The Jew claims to have reconstructed the Hebrew text from personal notes. Moreover, the Masoretic Hebrew language is a distinct language which has no direct link to the Ancient Hebrew of Moses and the Prophets. Considering the lapse of roughly a thousand years between the destruction of the Temple and the reported beginning of the efforts to recreate the Hebrew manuscripts of Scripture, in all probability the Masoretic Hebrew Text is a translation of the Septuagint, with extensive editing.
The Authoritative Text
In the Septuagint, the passage in question reads as follows:
"I shall do obeisance toward your holy Temple, and shall make acknowledgment to your Name concerning your Mercy and your Truth; for you magnified your holy Name above all." – Psalm 138:2
It is the Name of the Lord which is magnified; the passage does not mention the Word of the Lord. That of which the Psalmist is speaking is the magnification of the Name of the Lord above all that is.
FINIS