The Identity of the Person in Ps 1:1

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Psalm Overview

Exegetical Issues for Psalm 1:


Introduction

The Hebrew text of Psalm 1:1 reads as follows:[1]

אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים
וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד
וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃

The first phrase of this verse (אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ) has been translated in a variety of ways:

  • Some translations use a definite masculine singular noun: "Blessed is the man" (ESV, cf. NEB, JPS85, ELB, EÜ, RVR95, DHH, BTX4, TOB, NBS, NVS78P, BDS, S21, PDV2017).
  • Some translations use a definite singular noun/pronoun, but they avoid using a masculine noun/pronoun: "Blessed is the one" (NIV, cf. REB, NET).
  • Some translations use an indefinite noun/pronoun: "How blessed is anyone who..." (NJB, cf. GNB, HFA, NGÜ, NVI).
  • Some translations use a plural noun: "Happy are those" (NRSV, GNT, cf. NLT, NFC).

The translation of this phrase depends, in part, on how one understands the identity of the person (הָאִישׁ) described in Psalm 1:1–3. Is this person a specific individual, perhaps a royal figure? Or, is this person merely a typical righteous person, representative of anyone who rejects wickedness and meditates on Torah? This issue not only affects how one translates הָאִישׁ in v. 1, it also affects how one understands the entire psalm.

Argument maps

Typical righteous person (preferred)

Most scholars agree that the אִישׁ in Psalm 1:1 is a typical righteous person and that the psalm describes anyone and everyone who rejects wickedness and meditates on Torah. 


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[Typical righteous person]:"The happy man is not any particular individual, but a type" (Apple 2012 :A:), i.e. a typical righteous person.
 + <אַשְׁרֵי>: Blessings in Psalms that begin with אַשְׁרֵי usually apply to people generally, even if a masculine singular noun is used. 
  + [אַשְׁרֵי]: E.g., "Blessed is the one (אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר) who takes refuge in him" (Ps 34:9, NIV; cf. Pss 32:1-2; 40:5; 41:2; 84:6, 13; 94:12; 112:1; 127:5).
 + <Participant Tracking>:“Analyzing the content (participant tracking) also shows that the poem is arranged in the pattern a-b-a-b (a: vv.1-3; b: vv.4-5; a: v.6a; b: v.6b)... implicitly identifying the righteous of 6a (and 5b) with the happy man of the poem’s opening statements” (Putnam 2019 :M:).
 + <Genre>: Psalm 1 belongs to the family of wisdom psalms (cf. Gunkel and Begrich 1998 :M:), and Hebrew wisdom psalms usually apply to humans generally (cf. Apple 2012 :A:).
  + <Wisdom>: The distinct traits of the wisdom family of psalms include (1) thematic focus on wisdom (e.g., how to live, contrast between righteous and wicked, reward and retribution, etc.), (2) an intellectual tone, and (3) a pedagogic intention (see Cheung 2022 :A:). Psalm 1 exhibits these traits and is therefore a wisdom psalm. 
  + [Wisdom psalms]: E.g., Pss 25; 34; 37; 49; 73; 111; 112; 128 (Grant 2008, 893 :D:).
  <_ <Wisdom and kings>: "The wisdom character of Ps 1, far from excluding a royal application, actually enhances it; for if courtiers were given instruction in wisdom, how much more were the king’s sons" (Brownlee 1971 :A:).#dispreferred
   + <Psalm 2>: "Even Ps 2, undoubtedly royal, is given a wisdom conclusion in vv.10-11" (Brownlee 1971 :A:).#dispreferred
   + <2 Samuel 23>:"There are even striking similarities in outline between Psalm 1 and the Last Words of David (2 Samuel 23)... The didactic character of the Last Words of David makes them suitable for the education of the king’s sons; and the moralistic character of Ps 1 fits it for educative use" (Brownlee 1971 :A:).#dispreferred
    + [2 Sam 23:3-6]: "When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away..." (2 Sam 23:3-6, ESV).#dispreferred


Argument Mapn0Typical righteous person"The happy man is not any particular individual, but a type" (Apple 2012 🄰), i.e. a typical righteous person.n1אַשְׁרֵיE.g., "Blessed is the one (אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר) who takes refuge in him" (Ps 34:9, NIV; cf. Pss 32:1-2; 40:5; 41:2; 84:6, 13; 94:12; 112:1; 127:5).n4אַשְׁרֵיBlessings in Psalms that begin with אַשְׁרֵי usually apply to people generally, even if a masculine singular noun is used. n1->n4n2Wisdom psalmsE.g., Pss 25; 34; 37; 49; 73; 111; 112; 128 (Grant 2008, 893 🄳).n6GenrePsalm 1 belongs to the family of wisdom psalms (cf. Gunkel and Begrich 1998 🄼 ), and Hebrew wisdom psalms usually apply to humans generally (cf. Apple 2012 🄰).n2->n6n32 Sam 23:3-6"When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away..." (2 Sam 23:3-6, ESV).n102 Samuel 23"There are even striking similarities in outline between Psalm 1 and the Last Words of David (2 Samuel 23)... The didactic character of the Last Words of David makes them suitable for the education of the king’s sons; and the moralistic character of Ps 1 fits it for educative use" (Brownlee 1971 🄰).n3->n10n4->n0n5Participant Tracking“Analyzing the content (participant tracking) also shows that the poem is arranged in the pattern a-b-a-b (a: vv.1-3; b: vv.4-5; a: v.6a; b: v.6b)... implicitly identifying the righteous of 6a (and 5b) with the happy man of the poem’s opening statements” (Putnam 2019 🄼 ).n5->n0n6->n0n7WisdomThe distinct traits of the wisdom family of psalms include (1) thematic focus on wisdom (e.g., how to live, contrast between righteous and wicked, reward and retribution, etc.), (2) an intellectual tone, and (3) a pedagogic intention (see Cheung 2022 🄰). Psalm 1 exhibits these traits and is therefore a wisdom psalm. n7->n6n8Wisdom and kings"The wisdom character of Ps 1, far from excluding a royal application, actually enhances it; for if courtiers were given instruction in wisdom, how much more were the king’s sons" (Brownlee 1971 🄰).n8->n6n9Psalm 2"Even Ps 2, undoubtedly royal, is given a wisdom conclusion in vv.10-11" (Brownlee 1971 🄰).n9->n8n10->n8


King

Some scholars have argued that the אִישׁ in Psalm 1:1 is actually a king. 


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[King]: The "man" of Ps 1 is a king.#dispreferred
 + <Royal profile>: "The righteous individual of Psalm 1 is given a distinctly royal profile" (Brown 2002 :M:).#dispreferred
  + <Tree Imagery>:"In both biblical and ancient Near Eastern tradition... the individual most typically identified with a tree is a person of royalty... 
Through the deployment of a common metaphor, the righteous individual of Psalm 1 is given a distinctly royal profile" (Brown 2002 :M:; cf. Osbourne 2018 :M:).#dispreferred
   + [King Shulgi]: A Sumerian hymn addressed to King Shulgi says, "You are such a one as, like an ildag planted by the side of a watercourse, is strong. You are such a one as, like a right mes tree in colorful fruit, is sweet marvel. You are such a one as, like a date palm of silver Dilmun, is caressed by Ninegal. You are such a one as, like a moist cedar growing amid the cypresses, is sweet shade" (CDLI Literary 000398 \[Shulgi D\] composite) #dispreferred
   + [King Nebuchadnezzar]: In Dan 4, King Nebuchadnezzar is depicted as a massive tree that provides shelter and food to all kinds of creatures (Dan 4:7-9, 17-19).#dispreferred
   + [King David]: In Ps 52, King David (v.1) is depicted as a "flourishing olive tree in God's house" (Ps 52:10).#dispreferred
  + <The King and the Law>: The man's "meditation in the Torah (1.2)... means complete adherence to the deuteronomic command for the king (Deut 17:18-20)" (Cole 2002 :A:). "Thus a king who fulfilled the ideal of Psalm 1 would be a good Deuteronomic king" (Brownlee 1971 :A:; cf. Grant 2002, 66ff :M:).#dispreferred
   + [Deuteronomy 17:18–19]: "And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them" (Deut 17:18–19 ESV).#dispreferred
  <_ <"Democratization">:"There is... a democratization of the royal ideology: what Moses recommends to Joshua (Josh 1, 8) and David to his son Solomon (1 Chron 22, 12-13), that is to say meditation of the law, Ps 1 says it of ‘the man.’ Every man is called to identify himself with the figure of David" (Barbiero 2003 :A:). "The poet has reconfigured royal tradition in order to render an expansive and edifying profile of the reader of Psalms" (Brown 2002 :M:).
 + <Literary/Canonical setting>: The literary/canonical setting of Ps 1, at the beginning of the Psalter, next to Ps 2, suggests that the man of Ps 1 should be identified as a king.#dispreferred
  + <Psalms 1–2>:The parallel nature of Pss 1-2 invite an identification of the king (Ps 2:6-7) with "the man" (Ps 1:1). “The righteous one compared to a tree in Psalm 1 is further defined in Psalm 2 as the divinely chosen king, installed on the holy mountain of Zion” (Cole 2002 :A:; cf. Mitchell 2016 :M:).#dispreferred
   + <Psalms 1–2 as one Psalm>: Pss 1 and 2 are joined together as a single psalm in some early traditions. It's even possible that the Temple Psalter joined these two Psalms together as one (so Barthélemy 2005, xxv-xxix :M:).#dispreferred
   + [Mutters law // Recounts decree]:"The anointed ‘proclaims the decree’ of YHWH (2, 7), as the man ‘murmurs the law’ (1,2)" (Barbiero 2003 :A:). "This is a two-fold comparison, using two different verbs for the recitation and two parallel terms for the thing recited" (Brownlee 1971 :A:).#dispreferred
   + [Planted on // Installed on]:"The semantic resemblance between ‘installed’ of 2.6 (נסכתי) and ‘transplanted’ of 1.3 (שתול), both accompanied by the identical preposition על (Pss 1.3; 2.6), are one indication of equivalence" (Cole 2002 :A:).#dispreferred
   + [Success in all // Victory over all]: "The prosperity and success of the godly man of Ps 1 has its counterpart in the victory of the Lord’s ‘son’ over the nations in Ps 2” (Brownlee 1971 :A:). #dispreferred
  + <Setting in Psalter>: One of the main themes of the Psalter is the Davidic covenant (Wilson 1985 :M:; cf. Ho 2019 :M:). If Pss 1-2 are an introduction to the Psalter, then 'the man' at the head of the Psalter is most naturally identified as the Davidic king.#dispreferred
 + <Early tradition>: In the fourth century AD, Jewish interpreters understood Ps 1 to be about King Josiah.#dispreferred
  + [Jerome's testimony]: Jerome says that "the Jews consider this psalm to be speaking about Josiah." Iudaei hunc psalmum dictum esse aestimant de Iosia (Jerome and Risse 2005, 72).#dispreferred


Argument Mapn0KingThe "man" of Ps 1 is a king.n1King ShulgiA Sumerian hymn addressed to King Shulgi says, "You are such a one as, like an ildag planted by the side of a watercourse, is strong. You are such a one as, like a right mes tree in colorful fruit, is sweet marvel. You are such a one as, like a date palm of silver Dilmun, is caressed by Ninegal. You are such a one as, like a moist cedar growing amid the cypresses, is sweet shade" (CDLI Literary 000398 [Shulgi D] composite) n10Tree Imagery"In both biblical and ancient Near Eastern tradition... the individual most typically identified with a tree is a person of royalty... Through the deployment of a common metaphor, the righteous individual of Psalm 1 is given a distinctly royal profile" (Brown 2002 🄼; cf. Osbourne 2018 🄼).n1->n10n2King NebuchadnezzarIn Dan 4, King Nebuchadnezzar is depicted as a massive tree that provides shelter and food to all kinds of creatures (Dan 4:7-9, 17-19).n2->n10n3King DavidIn Ps 52, King David (v.1) is depicted as a "flourishing olive tree in God's house" (Ps 52:10).n3->n10n4Deuteronomy 17:18–19"And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them" (Deut 17:18–19 ESV).n11The King and the LawThe man's "meditation in the Torah (1.2)... means complete adherence to the deuteronomic command for the king (Deut 17:18-20)" (Cole 2002 🄰). "Thus a king who fulfilled the ideal of Psalm 1 would be a good Deuteronomic king" (Brownlee 1971 🄰; cf. Grant 2002, 66ff 🄼).n4->n11n5Mutters law // Recounts decree"The anointed ‘proclaims the decree’ of YHWH (2, 7), as the man ‘murmurs the law’ (1,2)" (Barbiero 2003 🄰). "This is a two-fold comparison, using two different verbs for the recitation and two parallel terms for the thing recited" (Brownlee 1971 🄰).n14Psalms 1–2The parallel nature of Pss 1-2 invite an identification of the king (Ps 2:6-7) with "the man" (Ps 1:1). “The righteous one compared to a tree in Psalm 1 is further defined in Psalm 2 as the divinely chosen king, installed on the holy mountain of Zion” (Cole 2002 🄰; cf. Mitchell 2016 🄼).n5->n14n6Planted on // Installed on"The semantic resemblance between ‘installed’ of 2.6 (נסכתי) and ‘transplanted’ of 1.3 (שתול), both accompanied by the identical preposition על (Pss 1.3; 2.6), are one indication of equivalence" (Cole 2002 🄰).n6->n14n7Success in all // Victory over all"The prosperity and success of the godly man of Ps 1 has its counterpart in the victory of the Lord’s ‘son’ over the nations in Ps 2” (Brownlee 1971 🄰). n7->n14n8Jerome's testimonyJerome says that "the Jews consider this psalm to be speaking about Josiah." Iudaei hunc psalmum dictum esse aestimant de Iosia (Jerome and Risse 2005, 72).n17Early traditionIn the fourth century AD, Jewish interpreters understood Ps 1 to be about King Josiah.n8->n17n9Royal profile"The righteous individual of Psalm 1 is given a distinctly royal profile" (Brown 2002 🄼).n9->n0n10->n9n11->n9n12"Democratization""There is... a democratization of the royal ideology: what Moses recommends to Joshua (Josh 1, 8) and David to his son Solomon (1 Chron 22, 12-13), that is to say meditation of the law, Ps 1 says it of ‘the man.’ Every man is called to identify himself with the figure of David" (Barbiero 2003 🄰). "The poet has reconfigured royal tradition in order to render an expansive and edifying profile of the reader of Psalms" (Brown 2002 🄼).n12->n9n13Literary/Canonical settingThe literary/canonical setting of Ps 1, at the beginning of the Psalter, next to Ps 2, suggests that the man of Ps 1 should be identified as a king.n13->n0n14->n13n15Psalms 1–2 as one PsalmPss 1 and 2 are joined together as a single psalm in some early traditions. It's even possible that the Temple Psalter joined these two Psalms together as one (so Barthélemy 2005, xxv-xxix 🄼).n15->n14n16Setting in PsalterOne of the main themes of the Psalter is the Davidic covenant (Wilson 1985 🄼; cf. Ho 2019 🄼). If Pss 1-2 are an introduction to the Psalter, then 'the man' at the head of the Psalter is most naturally identified as the Davidic king.n16->n13n17->n0


Conclusion (C)

When we consider Psalm 1 as an isolated poem, it is best to identify the person described in vv. 1-3 as a typical righteous person. Blessings that begin with אַשְׁרֵי usually apply to people generally, even if a masculine singular noun is used (e.g., Pss 32:1-2; 34:9; 40:5; 41:2; 84:6, 13; 94:12; 127:5). Furthermore, there is a clear literary correspondence between "the righteous" (plural) of v. 6a and "the one" of vv. 1-3.

At the same time, it seems clear that the person in Psalm 1 is given a royal profile and that, in the literary context of Pss 1-2 and the Psalter as a whole, this royal profile is amplified. Thus, although in our analysis we have preferred to identify "the one" as a typical righteous individual and have interpreted the psalm accordingly, we do not reject the identification of the man as a king. Rather, we argue for a "both-and" position. When considered as an isolated poem (which is the main level at which Psalms: Layer by Layer analyzes the Psalms), the person in Ps 1 is best regarded as a typical righteous individual with a (subtle) royal profile. But when considered in the context of the Psalter (and especially in the context of Pss 1-2), the royal identity of "the one" is amplified, and it is best to regard him as a king—the same king described in Ps 2.

Research

  • “CDLI Literary 000398 (Shulgi D) Composite Artifact Entry.” (2012) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 7, 2024. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P429779.

Translations

Ancient

  • LXX: Μακάριος ἀνήρ[2]
    • "Happy the man"[3]
  • Symmachus: τέλειος ό νεώτερος[4]
  • Quinta: τέλειος ό νεώτερος[5]
  • Αλλος: αμεμπτος ο ανηρ[6]
  • Peshitta: ܛܘܒܘܗܝ ܠܓܒܪܐ [7]
    • "Blessed is the person"[8]
  • Targum: טוביה דגבר [9]
    • "Blessed is the man"[10]
  • Jerome iuxta Hebraeos: Beatus vir

Modern

Singular

Definite singular masculine noun
  • Blessed is the man (ESV)
  • Happy is the man (NEB, JPS85)
  • Glücklich der Mann (ELB)
  • Selig der Mann (EÜ)
  • Bienaventurado el varón (RVR95)
  • Feliz el hombre (DHH)
  • Oh las bienaventuranzas del varón (BTX4)
  • Heureux l'homme (TOB, NBS, NVS78P, BDS, S21)
  • Voici l’homme heureux (PDV2017)
Definite singular, but no masculine noun
  • Blessed is the one (NIV)
  • Happy is the one (REB)
  • How blessed is the one (NET)
  • Wohl dem, der... (LUT, ZÜR)
Indefinite
  • How blessed is anyone who... (NJB)
  • Wie glücklich ist ein Mensch (GNB)
  • Glücklich ist, wer... (HFA)
  • Glücklich zu preisen ist, wer (NGÜ)
  • Dichoso es quien (NVI)

Plural

  • Oh, the joys of those (NLT)
  • God blesses those people (CEV)
  • Happy are those (NRSV, GNT)
  • Heureux celui (NFC)

Secondary Literature

Apple, Raymond. 2012. “The Happy Man of Psalm 1.” Jewish Bible Quarterly 40 (3): 179–82.
Barbiero, Gianni. 2003. “Le Premier Livret Du Psautier (Ps 1-41).” Revue Des Sciences Religieuses 77 (4): 439–80.
Barthélemy, Dominique. 2005. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament. Tome 4: Psaumes. Fribourg, Switzerland: Academic Press.
Brown, William P. 2002. Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brownlee, William Hugh. 1971. “Psalms 1-2 as a Coronation Liturgy.” Biblica 52 (3): 321–36.
Cheung, Simon Chi-Chung. 2022. “Wisdom Psalms.” In The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Wisdom Literature, edited by Katherine J. Dell, Suzanna R. Millar, and Arthur Jan Keefer, 219–38. Cambridge University Press.
Cole, Robert Alan. 2002. “An Integrated Reading of Psalms 1 and 2.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 98: 75–88.
Gunkel, Hermann. 1998. An Introduction to the Psalms: The Genres of the Religious Lyric of Israel. Translated by James D. Nogalski. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.
Ho, Peter C. W. 2019. The Design of the Psalter: A Macrostructural Analysis. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications.
Jerome, and Siegfried Risse. 2005. Commentarioli in Psalmos: Anmerkungen zum Psalter. Fontes Christiani, Bd. 79. Turnhout: Brepols Publishers.
Mitchel, David C. 2016. Messiah Ben Joseph. Newton Mearns: Campbell Publications.
Osborne, William Russell. 2018. Trees and Kings: A Comparative Analysis of Tree Imagery in Israel’s Prophetic Tradition and the Ancient Near East. Bulletin for Biblical Research Supplements 18. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns.
Patton, Matthew H, Frederic C Putnam, and Miles V Van Pelt. 2019. Basics of Hebrew Discourse: A Guide to Working with Hebrew Prose and Poetry. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.
Sherwood, Stephen K. 1989. “Psalm 112—A Royal Wisdom Psalm?” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 51 (1): 50–64.
Widengren, Geo. 1951. The King and the Tree of Life in Ancient Near Eastern Religion. King and Saviour IV. Uppsala: Lundequistska bokhandeln.
Wilson, Gerald H. 1985. The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter. Chico, CA: Scholars Press.

References

1:1Approved

  1. ↑ Hebrew text from OSHB.
  2. ↑ Rahlfs 1931.
  3. ↑ NETS.
  4. ↑ Field.
  5. ↑ Field.
  6. ↑ Field.
  7. ↑ CAL.
  8. ↑ Taylor 2020:3.
  9. ↑ CAL.
  10. ↑ Stec 2004:29.