Psalm 75 is the 75th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

: "Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks". The Book of Psalms forms part of the ''

Ketuvim The Ketuvim (; hbo, , Modern: ''Kəṯūvīm'', Tiberian: ''Kăṯūḇīm'' "writings") is the third and final section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), after Torah (instruction) and Nevi'im (prophets). In English translations of the Hebrew Bi ...

'' section of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

version of the bible, and in its Latin translation, the

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

, this psalm is Psalm 74. In Latin, it is known as "Confitebimur tibi Deus". It is one of the

psalms of Asaph The Psalms of Asaph are the twelve psalms numbered as 50 and 73–83 in the Masoretic Text, and as 49 and 72–82 in the Septuagint. They are located in the Book of Psalms in the Hebrew Bible (which is also called the Old Testament). Scholars have d ...

. This psalm forms a regular part of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. The thought of giving thanks has often been set to music, including in works by

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

and

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

Background and themes

Attributed to Asaph, Psalm 75 continues the theme of Psalms 57, 58, and 59, which also begin with the words ''al tashcheth'', "Do not destroy". The New King James Version refers to ''al tashcheth'' or "Do not destroy" as a musical setting. Like the previous psalms, Psalm 75 speaks of the Jews in exile, and praises God for preserving them. The psalm references the word "horn" several times. According to

Charles Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He wa ...

, the horn is a symbol of honor or strength, but when possessed by the arrogant, the horn is said to be "cut down" or humbled. While God rejects the horns of the haughty, he exalts the horns of the righteous. The

Midrash Tehillim Midrash Tehillim (Hebrew: מדרש תהלים), also known as Midrash Shocher Tov or the Midrash to Psalms, is an aggadic midrash to the Psalms. It has been known since the 11th century, when it was quoted by Nathan of Rome, by R. Isaac ben Juda ...

cites ten scriptural verses that mention horns to identify ten horns that God gave to the

Israelites The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stele o ...

: the horns of

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...

(the

shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying ...

or ram's horn), Moses, Samuel, Aaron, the

Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence ' assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ...

Heman the Ezrahite Heman the Ezrahite ( he, ''Hēmān hā’Ezrāḥī'') is the author of Psalm 88 in the Hebrew Bible, according to the Psalm's colophon. B. Bava Batra connects the name Heman to the semitic root אמנ meaning "trusted," while CYDA speculates ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, the

Jewish Messiah The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology, who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jewish people. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or ...

, and

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

in the future. When the Israelites sinned, these ten horns were removed from them and transferred to the wicked, as it is written, "Behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and it had ten horns" (). The Midrash teaches that as long as the horns of the wicked prevail, the horns of Israel will be cut off; but in future, when God elevates the horns of the righteous, the horns of the wicked will be cut off.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 75:

King James Version

# Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare. # When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly. # The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah. # I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: # Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. # For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. # But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. # For in the hand of the there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them. # But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. # All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

Verse 2

:''When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.'' Amended to "the proper time" or "the appointed time" in the New International Version and New King James Version. The "appointed time" is "the proper moment foreordained in the Divine counsels and known to God".

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 75 is recited during the Motza'ei Shabbat prayers in the Sephardic tradition. In the ''Siddur Avodas Yisrael'', Psalm 75 is said as the Song of the Day for Shabbat Torah reading

Ki Tissa Ki Tisa, Ki Tissa, Ki Thissa, or Ki Sisa ( — Hebrew for "when you take," the sixth and seventh words, and first distinctive words in the parashah) is the 21st weekly Torah portion () in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in t ...

and

Eikev Eikev, Ekev, Ekeb, Aikev, or Eqeb ( — Hebrew for "if ou follow" the second word, and the first distinctive word in the parashah) is the 46th weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the third in th ...

. This psalm is also recited on the third through sixth days of

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or spring. ...

in some traditions. Psalm 75 is recited as a "prayer for forgiveness".

Book of Common Prayer

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'', this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the 15th day of the month.

Musical settings

Baroque composer

set Psalm 75 in German, "Aus unsers Herzen Grunde", for choir as part of his composition of the

Becker Psalter The ''Becker Psalter'' is a German metrical psalter authored by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker and first published by Jakob Apel in Leipzig in 1602 under the title ''Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis''. Several composers set the psalms cont ...

, SWV 172.

used the beginning of Psalm 75 for the opening movement of ''Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir'', BWV 29, a cantata for the inauguration of a town council in Leipzig. He used the music again for the movement '' Gratias agimus tibi'' of the Mass in B minor, expressing the same thought of thanks.

Hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hy ...

s based on Psalm 75 or specific verses include the popular "

Now Thank We All Our God "Now thank we all our God" is a popular Christian hymn. Catherine Winkworth translated it from the German "", written by the Lutheran pastor Martin Rinkart. Its hymn tune, Zahn No. 5142, was published by Johann Crüger in the 1647 edition o ...

Catherine Winkworth Catherine Winkworth (13 September 1827 – 1 July 1878) was an English hymnwriter and educator. She translated the German chorale tradition of church hymns for English speakers, for which she is recognized in the calendar of the Evangelical Luth ...

's translation of Rinkart's "Nun danket alle Gott".Hymns for Psalm 75
hymnary.org The German hymn and its English version inspired several settings, including some by Bach.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * * Text of Psalm 75 according to th
1928 Psalter

text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
For the leader. Do not destroy! A psalm of Asaph; a song. / We thank you, God, we give thanks
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 75 – The Righteous Judge Exalts and Brings Low
enduringword.com
Psalm 75 / Refrain: God alone is judge.

Psalm 75
at biblegateway.com {{Psalms 075