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1 Bless Yahweh, O my soul; *
Yahweh elohay, how excellent is your greatness!
you are clothed with majesty and splendor.
2 You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak *
and spread out the heavens like a curtain.
3 You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above; *
you make the clouds your chariot;
you ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers *
and flames of fire your servants.
5 You have set the earth upon its foundations, *
so that it never shall move at any time.
6 You covered it with the Deep as with a mantle; *
the waters stood higher than the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they fled; *
at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.
8 They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath, *
to the places you had appointed for them.
9 You set the limits that they should not pass; *
they shall not again cover the earth.
25 [24] Yahweh, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
37b [35b] (Bless my soul with Yahweh) Hallelujah!
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This is the accompanying Psalm for the Track 1 path for a church that will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 24], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow a reading from Job 38, where Yahweh responds to Job, saying “Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.” This set will precede a reading from Hebrews, where Paul wrote, “So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark, where Jesus said to his disciples, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you.”
In the above English translation presented by the Episcopal Church, you will notice how I have replaced with bold type the proper name “Yahweh.” Three times in these selected verses the error has been made in translating the name Yahweh with “the Lord,” reducing the significance of His name to a generality. I have restored that truth. Also, in verse one is found the word “elohay,” which translates as “us gods,” not “my God.” That translation is wrong and misleading one away from asking, “What does elohay mean?” Further, the NRSV [supposedly the source of the Episcopal Church’s translation] shows Psalm 104 with a total of thirty-five verses. The Episcopal Church has then misnumbered what the NRSV shows as verse twenty-four and verse thirty-five, as “25” and “37b.” I have restores the proper verse numbers, in brackets. Finally, Verse thirty-five ends by repeating what verse one begins with: “Bless my soul with Yahweh,” but they want to ignore that repetition and simply use the last two words written by David: “hal·lū-yah.” I have added the omitted repetition, placed in parentheses.
You might notice that the literal English translation that I have placed in verse thirty-five (in parentheses) is not the same as the same words translated by the NRSV, in verse one. To read, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; the Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness,” sounds like David (the author) or you (the reader) are really the special one in this verse. That special state is because you can whistle Yahweh over, like a dog, and tell Him, “Bless my soul. That’s a good boy. It is so wonderful for me to have a good pet God at my command.” This is (minimally) confusing, because American Christians love every crack in the armor to falsely pretend to honor a God they cannot see and have no true relationship with.
Verse one literally translates into English saying this: “kneels my soul , to Yahweh Yahweh gods of me you become great very ; majesty and splendor you clothe me .” In this, the Hebrew word that begins the verse is “barak,” which means “to kneel, bless.” To translate it as “to kneel,” one sees that this is a “soul” taking a position of subservience, such as a knight would kneel before his king. This means “bless” is a request from obedience and servitude, so one bows down in submission first, in order to be “blessed.” It is not human flesh that is kneeling or being blessed. It is “my soul” or the “soul of me.” The first two words are then a prayer by David, which must be uttered by all who love Yahweh.
As Paul wrote, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes."
The name “Yahweh” is stated in back-to-back words. The first connects to the One to whom a soul seeks blessing. “Yahweh” is the name a human being (soul in flesh) kneels at the altar of marriage with, where all souls in human flesh are the brides of Yahweh, bowing down in a solemn act of union. The “blessing” that comes from that marriage is the name Yahweh. When married, a soul does not run around showing everyone his or her ring (a halo), saying, “I am now Mrs. Lord.” The soul proclaims “Yahweh.” Anything less says a soul has never been to the altar and “knelt one’s soul” down before “Yahweh.”
The second use of “Yahweh” leads to the Hebrew word “elohay,” which is a possessive use of “elohim,” which is plural in number and means “gods” [certainly not God, in the singular, upper case]. The possessive says “Yahweh” has many “gods” who serve Him in marriage, where the “elohim” are His creations: angels, spirits, and souls; but they are those “elohim” who serve only “Yahweh,” not the fallen “elohim” (angels), who love to play games with souls in human flesh. Thus, the meaning of “Yahweh elohay” is one’s soul has married into a great family of divine creatures, all of who have taken on the name “Yahweh” as His wives, so “Yahweh’s gods” are those to whom one’s “soul” has joined (“of me I am one”).
This marriage of a “soul” to the Spirit of “Yahweh” is how one then knows (from personal experience) that “Yahweh is great.” The Hebrew word rooted in what David wrote here is “gadal,” which means “to grow up, become great.” Because Yahweh cannot be bigger than He already is [Yahweh is EVERYTHING], then it is only one’s “soul” that can experience such “growth” of “greatness.” One’s soul does not become itself “great,” but it has become merged with a “greatness” that makes one’s soul feel minute and insignificant. This is why one stays kneeled before “Yahweh,” serving His Will in any way He commands.
The final segment of words in the first verse then speaks of how a “soul” feels the “greatness” of “Yahweh” wholly encompassing it. It brings on “honor” and “majesty” that did not exist when simply a soul giving life to a body of death. It is this sense of “splendor” that the metaphor becomes a soul’s “clothing.” This is the truth of being in the name of “Yahweh,” as His presence brings on the robes of righteousness and that clothing keeps one from wanting to ‘run outside and play in the dirt,’ like a foolish child. It brings on the sense of royalty that is the responsibility to live according to the marriage vows, which are generally termed “the Covenant.”
Verse two then expands on this holy clothing. David sang, “which cover with light like a garment ; which stretches out spiritually like a curtain .” The use of “light” means one’s righteous ways can be seen, but the source of the “light” is unseen. Thus, the translation of “shamayim” should not be read like the “light” of the “heavens,” where the earth’s sun shines and other stars twinkle; but the word means “spirituality” that penetrates through walls and is ever-present. The “curtain” becomes the unseen presence of Yahweh’s Spirit, which has become one with one’s soul.
Verse three then sings literally, “his encounters are like in the waters , his roof chamber makes the nebulosity of clouds his chariot ; who comes upon the wings of the spirit .” Because the last word of this verse is “ruach,” meaning “spirit,” everything is relative to that marriage to a soul. It comes on like an outpouring of water. This is why baptism is associated with a cleansing by water, but it is purely Spirit. The head is the “roof chamber” of one’s body of flesh, where one’s brain connects the body of flesh to the soul’s commands. The Spirit of Yahweh is like a cloud that cannot be seen, but is completely known to be. This makes one’s body of flesh become the “chariot” in which Yahweh moves on the earth. When “wings” is applied to this, it should be seen as a supporting statement about an “elohim” being an angel; but “wings” are metaphor for the merger of soul with Spirit, as one of Yahweh’s angels in the flesh. Christians know this as the presence of Jesus’ soul within one’s being, which gives one his “wings” of ministry.
Verse four then repeats “rauch,” saying, “which his messengers spirits ; his servants blazes of fire .” In this, the Hebrew word for “messengers” is the same that says “angels,” as a “malak” is an “angel” of Yahweh who becomes His “messenger” on the earth. The word that translates as “servants” is the same that means “ministers,” where “sharath” is a statement of “ministry,” as Yahweh’s “messengers.”
Verse five then sings literally, “added earth above the foundations ; not it should be shaken , futurity and perpetuity .” While it is easy to see these Hebrew words and think of the greatness of Yahweh during the Creation, as “You have set the earth upon its foundations, so that it never shall move at any time,” that is meaningless drool. The “addition” to the “earth” is the marriage of the Spirit to the flesh of a human being. This raises that “flesh above the foundations” that were its prior self-entity. This divine union is then not possible to be “shaken” loose, where a soul in marriage is able to divorce Yahweh. Marriage of this divinity is forever, beyond the soul’s animation of dead matter (“futurity) and through all eternity (“perpetuity”).
David then sang literally in verse six, “with the sea a garment you covered it ; above the mountains stood the waters .” This appears to be David recounting the Great Flood, when all the “earth” was under the “waters” of the oceans and “seas.” This is speaking metaphorically of the baptism of the earth by water, which was the only time such a cleansing by water would take place. The metaphor of water is the emotional state of being, from which love is one totally misunderstood by human brains. The metaphor David used from the Noah theme was telling how Yahweh elohim are those who are totally engulfed by His Spiritual presence, so much that if one was a “hill” or one was a “mountain” among men, one is unable to break the surface of Yahweh’s “raiment.” One bows down before that immense greatness.
In verse seven the Hebrew then literally translates into English as, “from your rebuke they escaped ; from the sound of your thunder , they hurried away .” This verse needs to be seen as having applications to the accompanying Gospel (Mark 10:35-45), as James and John, sons of Zebedee, were known as the “sons of thunder” (“Boanerges”). This would be because they were big and burly (formerly fishermen) and could intimidate others with a fierce look. Here, David is saying Yahweh is much greater than the most powerful of earth (kings and rulers). Those are who Yahweh causes to tremble and run. When seen as demonic elohim trying to steal a soul, this sings of those souls who “escaped” damnation, because they turned away from evil elohim. Thus, the “sound of Yahweh’s thunder” is as booming as Jesus telling Satan, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” There is no evil spirit that will challenge Yahweh for a soul.
In verse eight, David returned to the “mountains that the “waters” had “stood above.” [Verse six.] Following the “rebuking” of the evil elohim, we see that souls have “ascended above the mountains and descended into the valleys ; into the place you established for them .” Here, the lesson taught by Jesus in Mark’s Gospel reading – “whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all” – the highs and lows of life says the “place established” by Yahweh for “them” is their souls. It is the soul that becomes heaven, due to the presence of Yahweh. So, regardless of what the world throws before one, a soul has been promised eternal life beyond the physical realm.
David then literally sings in verse nine (in English), “a boundary you have set not that they might pass over ; not that they may return , to cover the earth .” In this verse, David sang divinely of the duality that is first a “boundary” that determines who “might go beyond.” It then refers to those who earn the right to Salvation and those who do not. In this, the root of the Hebrew word “abar” is written [transliterated as “ya·‘ă·ḇō·rūn”], with this word meaning “Passover.” This become the “boundary” that is “death,” where physical “death” is the separation of a soul from its body of flesh. To “Passover” to eternal life, a soul must have been married to Yahweh prior to death and a servant of His in ministry prior to death. Those who have met this “Passover” requirement gain eternal life; but those who do not meet the demands, they will be recycled: reincarnation – same soul, different body of flesh.
This then leads to the two segments following the semi-colon, where those souls that “not may return” to be One with Yahweh will then be those who “to cover the earth.” Again, the word “earth” expands beyond dust and dirt, meaning the physical cells that grow and form into bodies of flesh, maintained by Yahweh and a soul of living breath. Of course, the Exodus story of the “Passover” says a soul must wear the blood of the sacrificial lamb around its doorframe, in order to avoid the angel of death [Yahweh elohim]. Christians know this as the blood of Jesus; and, that means to “Passover” one must have married a soul to Yahweh [be an Israelite] and then be reborn in the name of His Son Jesus, so one’s own physical blood becomes the blood of Jesus. Still, the use of blood becomes metaphor for the Spirit, which is the inundation of waters that encompasses one’s soul.
Here the Episcopal Church leaps forward to what the NRSV shows is clearly verse twenty-four [not twenty-five]. In that verse David literally sang (in English translation), “how many your deeds Yahweh them all in wisdom you have made ; is full of the earth , your acquisitions .” In this, it is imperative to realize that nothing happening on the physical plane is done by Yahweh. Yahweh created elohim to make all that is not the pure Spirit of Yahweh. Thus, all “deeds” or “works” done in the world are those coming from the “wisdom of Yahweh,” which comes through those souls in the flesh who do His Will [His elohim]. That is the meaning of the word “acquisitions,” which means those souls “possessed” by Yahweh’s Spirit.
This is then where the Episcopal Church jumps to the last two words of the Hebrew text, converting them to the misunderstood word “Hallelujah!” The two words are combined as “hal·lū-yah,” where “hallu” means “praise” and “yah” is an abbreviated form of “Yahweh.” Thus, the word means “give Yahweh praise!. That praise is owed to Him by souls who have found Redemption and Salvation.
This is why I also add the repetition of the beginning words from verse one, which sings, “kneel my soul to Yahweh.” This is the submission of one’s soul to the only way to find eternal life returned to one’s soul, no longer having to be recycled through reincarnation. Thus, a soul “gives Yahweh praise” because He has accepted one’s soul in marriage, both kneeling together at His most Holy Altar. [Realize a soul has no sexual identification. It is a wife because it is within a body of matter, which reflects the feminine or receptive state of existence.]
As the accompany Psalm to the Track 1 reading from Job 38, where Yahweh responds to His servant Job, Yahweh spoke to Job as a happy Father, knowing Job had passed the test allowed by Yahweh, which made it possible for Satan and his elohim to challenge the marriage commitment between Job’s soul and Yahweh. Job 38 is then Yahweh speaking to His wife in the same way that David knew Yahweh speaking to his soul. This is why knowing the proper name Yahweh is so important. It states the name of one’s Husband in marriage, the One whose name one takes in that transaction, so Yahweh becomes much more than some “lord.”
As a reading for the twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to see the truth of “Yahweh elohay.” One needs to see the plurality of many “gods” [Saints] who are in the name of “Yahweh,” with one’s own soul expected to become one as well. Yahweh must be seen as so “great” that His Spirit could encompass every soul on earth; if they would all open their hearts to His love and “kneel down before Him” in submission and marriage. The lesson is to see the truth of “ministry,” which can only come when one has been Anointed by Yahweh’s Spirit and sent out into the world as His servant-messenger-angel. The lesson to realize is no good can come from pretending to be a servant of Yahweh, when one refuses to say His proper name, because one worships Jesus as a god, replacing Yahweh as one’s elohim. Jesus is the servant sent by Yahweh into His wives, so one can minister to the world as a true extension of Yahweh, as a soul that has indeed passed over.