A Detailed Analysis of the Usage of Psalms in the Book of Hebrews

This essay explores the usage of specific Psalms in the Book of Hebrews, focusing on how Psalm 8:4-8 is reflected in Hebrews 2:5-9, and Psalm 40:6-8 in Hebrews 10:5-9. It discusses Saint Paul's letters to the Hebrew Christians, aiming to encourage them amidst persecution by reinterpreting Psalms to convey messages of perseverance and faith. The essay also compares the Hebrew and Greek Septuagint versions of the Psalms, highlighting differences in interpretation and the inclusion of Christian elements in the Greek version. Ultimately, the analysis reveals how Psalms are adapted in Hebrews to motivate Jewish Christians to remain steadfast in their faith during adversity.

Running head: USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
The psalms in the biblical context are the sacred hymns sung to evoke the Lord and his
blessings. The psalms are not just found in the Christian Bible, but also in the Jewish Torah,
serving the same purpose1. In the Bible, the essence of certain psalms can be found in other
books as well. This makes the psalms lay a claim to an important place in the Bible. For the
present context, the usage of certain chosen psalms in certain chosen chapters and verses of the
book of Hebrews shall be demonstrated. Alongside that, another section shall be dedicated to the
comparison of the Hebrew versus Greek Septuagintal version of the chosen psalms, with the aim
of demonstrating the differences. In the following sections the discussion shall be dedicated to
explaining how Psalm Chapter 8, verses 4-8 has been used in the second chapter of the book of
Hebrews, in the verses 5-9; and how Psalm Chapter 40, verses 6-8 has been used in the tenth
chapter of the book of Hebrews, in the verses 5-9, which shall be the thesis statement of this
essay.
The book of the Hebrews in the New Testament Bible consists of the letters of Saint Paul
the Apostle to the Hebrew of Jerusalem with messages aimed at invigorating the morale and
courage of the Jewish Christians who were being persecuted for their faith. When Jews were
converting to Christianity, they were subjected to persecution. While some faithfuls had retained
their faith, some others had embraced Judaism to safeguard their life, liberty and property. The
letter sent by Saint Paul to the Hebrews was aimed at convincing the Jewish Christians to
persevere and be faithful to the Lord and he shall reward them with eternal bliss in the life after
death2. This is the basic ingredient of the Letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews. It has been
1 Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Biblical commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 3. T. & T. Clark, 1870.
2 Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Biblical commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 3. T. & T. Clark, 1870.

2USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
conveyed by rephrasing a particular psalm and using it to convey a particular message in
particular chapter at a particular verse in the Letters to the Hebrews.
In the Chapter 8 of the Psalms, verses 4-8, the central idea conveyed is the way the Lord
has created the Earth for the benefit of the human beings to cherish the fruits of his labour. The
tone used is rather rhetorical and hence has the element of evoking thought in the minds of
human beings as to the amount of bounty the Lord has bestowed on them despite making them as
lower than the angels, by means of making them the masters of his creations. The core idea that
has been implied is that the creation of the Lord is but a manifestation of the love he had for
mankind and the amount of trust that he had on humankind that they shall utilize his creation in
the best possible way to make life in fruitful and harmonious3. This is the account of human
situation and creation that can be interpreted.
This message of the Chapter 8 of the Psalms, verses 4-8 as discussed in the previous
section had been used by Saint Paul to motivate the Jewish Christians to persevere at the face of
persecution in the second chapter of the Letters to the Hebrews, in the verses 5 – 9 -“Jesus, who
was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he
suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”4 He had used the
example of Jesus Christ and how he had embraced death for the sake of the salvation of
humankind. The interpretation in the Hebrews thus serves as a model of perseverance that the
Jewish Christians had to follow was that which was set by Jesus Christ as a token of gratitude to
the Lord for his beautiful creation and the sacrifice which he had made for the Lord.
3 Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament. Eerdmans, 1892.
4 Brueggemann, Walter, and William H. Bellinger. Psalms (New Cambridge Bible Commentary). Cambridge
University Press, 2014.

3USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
In the fortieth chapter of the book of psalms, in the verses 6 – 8, the central idea that has
been propagated is of the fact that all the faithfuls are supposed to be servants of the Lord and
they must act like they owe him the duty of being loyal, faithful and obedient to his
commandment. The usage of the Jewish practice of boring the ears of servants has been used in a
symbolic sense. The imagery of the boring of the ear refers to the word of the Lord in the Bible
which is equivalent to the calling of the Lord himself to humankind to serve him as that is the
ultimate purpose of living a fruitful life. The kind of service that the Lord expects from human
beings is also mentioned in the psalm. It has been specified that the Lord does not expect
materialistic benefits from human beings rather he expects of them to live up to the values which
he had espoused as a template for leading an ideal life. Thus the function of sacrifice has been to
abandon sins and lead a life of purity.
The entire psalm finds a mention in the tenth chapter of the letters to the Hebrews from
the verses five to nine. However, the only difference being that the entire psalm is portrayed in a
way like they are being uttered by Jesus Christ himself. Christ came into the world, he said,
“Here I am, I have come to do your will.”5 The aim of Saint Paul in this regard has been to
convey to the Jewish Christians that the adversities which they were facing were test of the Lord
who wants to determine their level of obedience towards him, and also that he wants to see how
faithful and loyal they remain unto him The portrayal of the psalm like they are the words of
Christ himself has been aimed at motivating and providing moral support to the faithfuls being
persecuted in Jerusalem to live the way Christ lived and die like the way he did following the
commandment of Lord the Father. As a true Christian and as a true faithful, Saint Paul had
wanted of the ones being persecuted at Jerusalem to be firm in their faith and follow Christ, who
5 Goldingay, John. Psalms. Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41. Baker Academic, 2006.

4USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
is hailed for the sacrifice he had made6. This is how, the fortieth chapter of the book of psalms, in
the verses 6 – 8 has been interpreted and applied in the tenth chapter of the letters to the Hebrews
from the verses five to nine.
In this section, the discussion shall be devoted towards the comparison of the Greek and
the Septuagint version of the psalms. The Jewish community was not limited to just the modern
day region of Israel, they inhabited in several parts of the world, at places as far as Egypt.
Hebrew was thus not the language which was intelligible to all the Jews residing in various parts
of the world back then in those days. Hence the attempt was made to cater to the requirement of
the Jewish Christians, and to make the psalms intelligible to people who did not understand
Hebrew. That led to the formation of the Greek language or the Septuagint version of the Psalms
in Hebrew. Though the essence of the Hebrew Psalms have been kept intact in the Greek
Septuagint version but some errors have been committed in the latter which is a result of the fact
that the Greek Septuagint version is but a literal translation of the Hebrew version and not a
symbolic representation7. For example, Mary has been defined as a young woman who had given
birth to Christ in the Hebrew psalms if taken in the symbolic sense. While in the Greek
Septuagint version she is referred to as the Virgin Mother which is a total misnomer and does not
do justice to the idea that is inherent in the Hebrew version of the Psalms. Moreover, the
inclusion of Christ into the Greek version makes the Psalms very distinct from the Hebrew
version as in the Christian faith Christ holds significance but not in Judaism8.
6 Goldingay, John. Psalms. Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41. Baker Academic, 2006.
7 Gillingham, S. E. "The Psalms and Poems of the Hebrew Bible.”." The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Companion,
edited by John Barton (2016): 206-235.
8 Brueggemann, Walter, and William H. Bellinger. Psalms (New Cambridge Bible Commentary). Cambridge
University Press, 2014.

5USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
Thus in the concluding section it can be said that it becomes quite evident that the
messages conveyed in the chosen Psalms have been interpreted in a different way in the letter to
the Hebrews, for the sake of serving a purpose, and that is of motivating the Jewish Christians to
stick to their faith even at the face of adversity.

6USAGE OF PSALMS IN THE HEBREWS
References
Brueggemann, Walter, and William H. Bellinger. Psalms (New Cambridge Bible Commentary).
Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Goldingay, John. Psalms. Vol. 1: Psalms 1-41. Baker Academic, 2006.
Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Biblical commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 3. T.
& T. Clark, 1870.
Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament.
Eerdmans, 1892.
Gillingham, S. E. "The Psalms and Poems of the Hebrew Bible.”." The Hebrew Bible: A Critical
Companion, edited by John Barton (2016): 206-235.