Psalms 118 Cultural Aspect

Continuing with the same verse, let's examine the cultural aspects.

There are many examples in the Bible where being barren was considered a stigma. Who can forget Sara giving Abraham her maid servant so she could have children through another. (Sort of like surrogate moms today.) Or Jacob's wife Rachel doing the same when she couldn't have a baby.

From the Almanac of Bible Facts:
'Children were considered a gift from God (Ps 127), and a big family was a sign of God's special blessing. A childless family was perceived as having displeased God in some way, and 'barren' women were looked on with disfavor, even ridicule.

Among Children, boys were valued most. In a male-dominated culture,boys were needed to carry on the family name and continue the work of the land. Girls were necessary workers, but considered less important.'(P142)

As you can see, understanding the verse also comes from knowing something of the culture.

The part mentioned in a previous post about standing in the way of God's plan, came from a preacher during a sermon given. Unfortunatly, no references can be given as the information on who, when and where the original information came from has been lost.

Putting all that can be learned together gives a fuller meaning to the verse. A barren woman finally had the promise of having a household of her own and having children would be delighted at her change in status, particularly if she produced a male heir.

Why Not Question - Word Study Basics

Let's start with the basic tools needed for a word study. First, your Bible, a concordance and a Bible dictionary.

Here's our study verse:

Psalms 113:9

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to a joyful mother of children.

First up, the concordance. Let's start with the word barren. Now, there are several listings for the word so you have to find the one in the verse you're studying. In this case, it's the Hebrew word Agar. There's only one listing so you don't have the option of checking other verses where it's used.

Next, check the Bible dictionary meaning : Agar - barren, sterile, Further research shows agar means a prim. root. to harvest - gather.

Let's add some other words here.

Em mother, grandmother, stepmother / blood relatives further removed than one’s mother.

Bayith house or building; home, household; land. Fixed established structure made from some kind of material.signify room or wings of a house. Sanctuary or place to worship God. Refers to the place where something or someone dwells

orrests. Those who live in a house ie household.

Sameach blithe or gleeful / , glad, merry

Yashab A prim, root: prop to sit down; dwell, remain to settle to marry. Inhabit. Make to keep house. Lurking marry, bring again to. Place remain, return, seat

Ben son, descendant ; builder of the family name; grandson subject, nation,

When put altogether, you end up with a literal translation like this.

God causes the rooted sterile woman to dwell in a household and be a rejoicing dame or ancestress to a son.

Notice the difference it makes when understanding what the words actually mean and how it further explains the true intent of this verse.

Why Not Question - Word Studies

Contrary to popular belief, not every English word in the Bible translated from the Greek or Hebrew actually means the same thing. This is why Word Studies are an important. They take the student back to the root and allow them to discover the true meaning of the verse(s) they're reading.

Why is this important? Take the following verse from Psalms.

Psalms 113:9 (KJV)

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to a joyful mother of children.

Sounds rather straight forward doesn't it? However, when you work the words in the verse you discovery it's actually saying this -

Literal translation:

God causes the rooted sterile woman to dwell in a household and be a rejoicing dame or ancestress to a son.

Notice how much richer the verse is. 

The student also has to understand that in the Biblical culture a sterile woman was a negative stigma. It meant God hadn't blessed her. It also meant her lack of having a child stood in the way of God's planned redeemer. There is also the importance of the first born son since he normally inherited everything from his father. 

In the next blog we will go through, step by step, how the literal translation was reached. 

 

Why Not Question - Suggested Resouces

I use several reference books to study the Bible. Why? Because the English words used are not always accurate and differ greatly from the original Greek or Hebrew. Plus, our understanding of the Bible will deepen if we understand the customs of the day and have a background of history. The latter, I'll admit, I don't have as much of as I'd like. I'll throw in that as an English major, I'm quite adept at tearing passages apart to discover the deeper and truer meaning. I had many high school teachers and college professors who taught me how.

Below, is a list of books I own to help me discover the buried truths of the Bible. I haven't used all of them, but I do have them for reference. I don't suggest running out buying every one that I have. As a student, it is up to you to decide which books MIGHT prove to be useful or find others which may be more helpful to you.

The Books I have:

Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible
Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary
The New Strong's Complete Dictionary of Bible Words
Number in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger
A Dictionary of Bible Types by Walter L. Wilson
Nelson's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Bible Ed. By John Drake
Figures of Speech used in the Bible by E.W. Bullinger
Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed by V.P. Wierwille
The Witness of the Stars by E.W. Bullinger
(Special note here: There is a gentlemen who has a presentation on the same information in the last books. I've seen it on TBN. He also talks about the Star seen by the Magi and followed to see the Christ Child.)
Almanac of Bible Facts: People, Places and Events in the Bible
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A new translation, trans & commented on  by Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. & Edward Cook
Manners and Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman
The Orientalisms of the Bible by Bishop K.C. Pillai
Light through an eastern window by Bishop K.C. Pillai
Strange Scriptures that perplex the Western Mind by Barbara M. Bowen
Mysteries & Intrigues of the Bible: Extraordinary Events and Fascinating People ed. by Jonathan A. Michaels

There information in these books is varied and by no means comprehensive. They were only my starting point.