Rules for Public and Private Worship

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Robert Murray M'Cheyne

The metrical version of the Psalms [Scottish 1650] should be read or sung through at least once in the year. It is truly an admirable translation from the Hebrew, and is frequently more correct than the prose version.

Also, even if you find a particular psalter defective that's not an argument against EP, its an argument against the psalter
 
Again, I think you guys are missing the point.

Even if I grant that it is commanded we sing only Psalms, where does it say we can re-word them or arrange them so they sound pretty to our modern ears ?

And I disagree with RMM, he is wrong. I have found bad translations within almost every Psalm in every Psalter.

And I sing many of them from here:
http://www.cgmusic.com/workshop/

Of course, my view on worship does not restrict me from singing these versions.
 
We are commanded to sing the psalms of scripture (and you grant in the common tongue) then our translations must be singable. I don't know Hebrew so I'll trust RMM :)
 
I think you are missing Peter's point. Which translation of the psalm do you have above? He is saying that the Scottish psalter in its day was a better tranlation of the greek than most bibles of the day.

If God commands us to sing them we put them in a singable form. The jews had poetic forms of their own that do not translate to other languages. This is why to follow God's command they are put in a singable form.
 
Here is a former thread where I have links for explanations for the various Hebrew poetic styles which include Paralellism, Synonymous Parallelism, Antithetical Parallelism, Synthetical Parallelism, Climactic Parallelism, General Word Pairs, Traditional Word Pairs, Merism, Chiasm, Inclusio, Repeated Refrain, and Acrostic Psalms. All of which work in Hebrew but not other tongues thus the need to have our own poetic style which in our language is meter and rhyme.

Metrical Psalms thread
 
Traci, I am not arguing against metrical versions per se, I use them myself.

I am asking, according to EP advocates, where in scripture do we have the authority to add or take away from scripture, for the use of singing ?

My example of Psalm 42 above is normative for almost every Psalter out there. Words were added, and whole sentances were taken away.

Not cool.
 
By good and necessary inference. We are commanded to sing them. It is then necessary that they be tranlated as carefully as any other translation of the bible into a singable form for us to sing maintaining as carefully as any tranlator can and stay true to the original text.

[Edited on 10-18-2005 by Augusta]
 
I would think this command would rule out many a good and necessary consequence for many, if not most of the atrocious and false translations of the Psalters, for the sake of rhyming, that I have read.


Rev 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
Rev 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

[Edited on 10-18-2005 by Saiph]
 
Originally posted by Peter
I disagree with Matt here. My understanding is that all offering of praise to God is the subject of the RPW and I dont see any reason for limiting the scope of its application from scripture. As for the question of translations, besides necessary inference from the multitude of injunctions to know and understand the scriptures, I think its clear from Christ's and the Apostles' use of the greek OT translation of the scriptures that their use is approved.

Peter,

would this then imply that we could never sing any songs other than the psalms?
 
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