Hebrew Word Study – Singing – Zamerath – Zayin Mem Resh Taw 

Psalms 118:13-14: “Thou pushed me hard and I nearly fell, But the Lord helped me.  The Lord is my strength and my song and He has become my salvation.”

 

Songs in the daytime, songs in the night

Songs of devotion, songs of delight.

In my heart singing, A melody ringing

Jesus sings me a song

And Jesus gives me a song. 

-Unknown-

The syntax in Psalm 118:14 is open to debate.  The word song is pointed up in the Masoretic text as a noun, however, the more I examine this I believe that the ancient Jewish sages had it right in the first place.  They indicated that the writer intended the word zamerath song is meant to be a participle. Hence you could render this as: “The Lord is my strength and He is singing to me because He is my salvation.” 

Everything in nature has a certain rhythm.  I remember hearing an interview of Andre Crouch and he told how some woman came up to him and said she did not like his music because of the beat or rhythm he used.  He said: “Oh, you mean a rhythm like this?”  He began to play a certain rhythm on the piano and the woman said: “Yes, that’s it, that rhythm and beat, that’s of the devil.”   Andre Crouch answered and said; “That’s strange, because that is the rhythm of your heart beat.”

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In the context of Psalms 118, David is being tempted by the enemy to kill Nabal and Saul and he almost did, but the Lord helped him.  The Lord delivered him giving him strength and maybe by singing to him a song.   The word used for song here is zamar in Hebrew and is a word which is also used to describe pruning or cutting.  My study partner help shed some new light on this for me which is why I bring in the previous verse of this Psalm.    The sages teach that God sang a song to David to cut away his yetzer hara (evil inclinations). The word good (Heb. tov) means to be in harmony with God.  As God sang to David and David sang to God, in harmony, the enemy could no longer overcome David with temptation.  

What? Do you really think that God is just sitting up there in heaven with his arms crossed, legs folded listening to us sing our praises to Him while we worship?   I mean are we singing our praises to Him during our worship services just to entertain Him?  Is God just sitting up there in heaven like some judge on American Idol?  My musical voice is so bad when I sing I can make Sparky (my neighbor’s pit bull) howl.  That is how I get my revenge on him.  But you know what, I know there is one Person who can sing in harmony with me and that is God.  When I sing to God it is not American Idol, it is Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald in Rose Marie singing The Indian Love Call to each other.   I know, such a movie would be pretty hokie to us today, but back in the 30’s the audiences really ate it up.  I watched a segment of this on You Tube and I could see the appeal to the romantics of the 30’s.  As the two sang to each other it was if their harmonization created a bond and oneness between them.

In Zephaniah 3:17 there is no mistaking the syntax.  He will rejoice over us with “singing.”   He will sing over us.  The word for song here is “ranan” which is a song of praise.   There are many different songs, songs of praise, songs of devotional, songs of correction and songs of pruning.  Do you ever find yourself suddenly just singing some song of praise or worship?   Perhaps that is God’s Indian Love Call, Jeannette McDonald singing out to Nelson Eddy to return to her.  God is singing out to you to return to Him or as in David’s case to not yield to temptation.   Like Nelson Eddy singing back to Jeannette McDonald, we too sing back to God and when we resonate with God, the enemy doesn’t stand a chance with his temptations. 

When you worship God, do you hear Him singing to you?  Do you hear Him singing in His best Andy Williams voice: “If I could hold you in my arms of love tonight, I would never let you go…?”  Do you ever consider singing back to Him or with Him rather than just singing to Him?

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