Q&A Home > P > Holy Book of Psalms

• Regarding the psalms numbering, I understand that the NKJV has a different Psalms numbering compared to the Septuagint. Firstly, I noticed that the on-line Septuagint (http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/) has different numbering compared to our Agpeya. I thought that the Agpeya books were numbered according to the Septuagint. When comparing the Agpeya to the New King James Version, this is what I noticed:
  • Psalm 114 plus 115 in the Agpeya is equivalent to the entire Psalm 116 in NKJV.
  • Also Psalm 146 plus 147 in the Agpeya are collectively found as Psalm 147 in NKJV.
  The deviation starts at Psalm 11 when comparing the Agpeya and NKJV; it could be earlier than Psalm 11 because the Agpeya in the First Hour has Psalm 8 then jumps to Psalm 11. Psalm 8 matches in both versions, but beyond this there are no Psalms in the Agpeya between 8 and 11. What is then the correct way to number the the psalms?
• Could Your Grace elaborate on the 'the power of the psalms'.
• I came across a question and an answer on the website, http://www.suscopts.org/q&a/index.php?catid=310, that proves King David not the author of all the psalms. If this is so, why do we generalize saying "from the psalms of our father David the prophet and the king..."?
• I want to ask about the promises in Psalm 91 regarding the pandemic, or any "pestilence" we face. Verse 1. "He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." This seems to be the requirement for receiving all of the protections in the rest of this psalm. Am I right on that? Also, what does it mean to dwell in the secret place of the most high? Does it mean that I am following God and putting him first and participating in the life of the Church? And, of course, what if I slip? Is this a promise?
• I want to ask about the promises in Psalm 91 regarding the pandemic, or any "pestilence" we face. Verse 1. "He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." This seems to be the requirement for receiving all of the protections in the rest of this psalm. Am I right on that? Also, what does it mean to dwell in the secret place of the most high? Does it mean that I am following God and putting him first and participating in the life of the Church? And, of course, what if I slip? Is this a promise?
• In the Holy Book of Psalm 139:15,16, the meaning between the English and Arabic translation is slightly different. Is there a way to go back to the Hebrew translation?
• In the Holy Book of Psalm 53 and 14 are exactly the same. Why is that psalm listed twice in the Holy Bible?
• Is King David the only author of the Holy Book of Psalms, or are there other authors? If there are, which psalms did they write?
• Where did the verse from Good Friday Psalm ‘they rejected me’ come from. "I am the beloved, rejected as a despised dead man; for they nailed my flesh." I checked the English translations of both the Septuagint and the masoretic and this is not in either. It is supposed to be Holy Book of Psalm 37/38 verses 20-22. Some people say it is a liturgical text and not a biblical one, is this true?
• Why are the Psalms in the Agpeya numbered differently than those in the Holy Bible? For example, Psalm 50 in the Agpeya is Psalm 51 in the Holy Bible.
• "For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and him whom thou has wounded, they afflict still more" (Psalm 69:26). Who is the Psalmist referring to in this verse?
• "Is not (my tears) in your book?" (Psalm 56:8). Is the psalmist referring to the Holy Bible? Where are these tears listed in the Holy Bible?
• "Keep me, O Lord, for I have hoped in You... He has manifested His wonders to His saints who are in His earth, and He has wrought all His desires in them.... He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved; You shall not leave my soul in Hades, neither shall You suffer Your holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 16). Who is the Psalmist referring to the Lord Jesus Christ or His saints?
• "What I did not steal must I now restore?" (Psalm 69:4) What does the psalmist mean by this verse?