The second psalm from the Bay Psalms is extremely contrasting to the translation by Robert Alter. The Bay Psalm version seems much more hostile and negative, almost a threat to the enemies of the readers. As I read it, it seemed to express that the men who pretend themselves to be rulers of the earth seem to constistently oppose the idea of God. Of course, God laughs at them for having such ridiculous views. The rest of the reading is dedicated to what God said to those kings, how he threatened them to follow his command, or something.
The Alter version is much less violent sounding, even if the meaning is similar. It is still about the kings of the earth that stand together against God, and what he says to them in his anger, to convince them otherwise. Even though it has the same meaning, the wording and tone of this version seems much nicer to read, and doesn't provoke as much fear of God as the other.
As for how colonists might interpret this psalm, there are many ways. The most obvious, they could see the king figure as the ruler of England, whom they were escaping by coming to America. Also, they may have percieved the heathens or non-believers as the Native Americans, and felt it was their responsibility to carry out God's will against these heathens. Either way, it probably wasn't good.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment