Afterthought
Puritan Board Senior
For anyone:
1) Do the psalms in Hebrew not have divisions? For example, there not being a "Psalm 3", "Psalm 4" before each portion of a psalm?
For EPers:
2) If there are no divisions in the Hebrew, are where the Psalms divided for singing arbitrary? Granted, it is probably too difficult for a congregation to sing a long psalm in its entirety, so the divisions are necessary, but my question is: Does it matter where the divisions are made (e.g., would it be just as fine starting in the middle of a Psalm as it would be at the begnning or as it would be in picking up where you last left off in a Psalm?; would it be just fine only singing one or two verses in a setting from anywhere in the psalm?) and if not, how is it decided?
3) If the divisions do not matter, what about non-consecutive verses? Do they matter? E.g., singing verse 1-2, then skipping verse 3, singing verse 4-6, etc.; or perhaps singing 1 verse from one Psalm, then two verses from an entirely different Psalm. If the verses must be sung consecutively, and the divisions do not matter, why must they be sung consecutively?
4) If the divisions do not matter, where does one cross from singing a Psalm to singing something someone arranged from a Psalm (Does that distinction even matter, and why?)?
1) Do the psalms in Hebrew not have divisions? For example, there not being a "Psalm 3", "Psalm 4" before each portion of a psalm?
For EPers:
2) If there are no divisions in the Hebrew, are where the Psalms divided for singing arbitrary? Granted, it is probably too difficult for a congregation to sing a long psalm in its entirety, so the divisions are necessary, but my question is: Does it matter where the divisions are made (e.g., would it be just as fine starting in the middle of a Psalm as it would be at the begnning or as it would be in picking up where you last left off in a Psalm?; would it be just fine only singing one or two verses in a setting from anywhere in the psalm?) and if not, how is it decided?
3) If the divisions do not matter, what about non-consecutive verses? Do they matter? E.g., singing verse 1-2, then skipping verse 3, singing verse 4-6, etc.; or perhaps singing 1 verse from one Psalm, then two verses from an entirely different Psalm. If the verses must be sung consecutively, and the divisions do not matter, why must they be sung consecutively?
4) If the divisions do not matter, where does one cross from singing a Psalm to singing something someone arranged from a Psalm (Does that distinction even matter, and why?)?