In Plain English Please.. Psalms 2

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GoldenLight

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Yesterday I started … ‘Read the Catholic bible in a year’

readthecatholicbibleinayear.wordpress.com/week-1/

I’ve discovered that it is one thing reading it and another thing understanding what I just read… As I don’t have an opportunity of a spiritual director I am hoping some forum members can help me…

Thanks
 
I truly would like to help you interpret that, however, I feel untrained in Scripture and therefore unqualified to accurately help you anymore than the average Joe Six Pack. But I will instead offer you some tips!
  1. Join a Bible Study, talking about scripture with others is a great experience.
  2. Look at another translation (please note, this could be dangerous as some translations are worse, but looking at a translation in a language that is a little more “Plain English”, can help you reconcile certain words)
  3. Ask a priest, deacon, or someone you know with experience.
  4. Pray about it, then pray about it some more.
  5. Take your time in dissecting it. While reading the Bible in a year is awesome, sometimes, you’ll catch yourself just reading to get it done, and not taking in God’s words.
I hope some of this was helpful, and I apologize for not being able to help more.
 
When I have trouble understanding a Psalm, I try to go back to the early church fathers and their comments on them.

Expositions on the Psalms

Hope that helps. There is a lot of good insight in there, things that I on my own likely would never notice. I am thankful that the Holy Spirit guided them to do so much writing for us to see later on to help with it.
 
You have already received some great suggestions. The only other thing that I would recommend is purchasing a good Study Bible. The Haydock Commentaries are excellent and so are the Navarre. Ignatius has a great Bible Commentary as well but the Old Testament has yet to be released in its entirety.

I hope that help!

Peace,
 
I think its important to understand the Hebrew worldview, stretching through its authorship from Moses through David to the cultic worship of the Sons of Asaph etc.

Timeperiods are important too, eg. is it written in the Land or exile…

while these concerns are through Scripture, Ps 2 is a good example of the Messianic Kingship and Zion seen as the centre of the world and providence, a theme developed by early Christians (Acts 4:25).

Plus, it never hurts to read a commentary, the New Jerome Biblical Commentary is very useful as a starting place.

May God bless your reading of His word! 👍
 
Understanding the Bible is is not an easy thing. What you read and think it means often, most times even: scratches the surface, isn’t what it actually means, has a deeper meaning, needs to be understood in the context of the time, will never know what it truly means.

You will die without fully understanding many many things in the bible.

Not knowing what I’m talking about and knowing I will never know this psalm to its fullest… :o

the first 6 verses are saying the highest authorities kings, princes, government leaders, leaders of any kind who think they are kings of the earth and are untouchable are unaware that their power and authority is given to them by the same person they mock and deride and God laughs at them because these same insolent people fall in terror when confronted by their master, God. In all their highness they don’t know that God has established his SON as the highest King, these highest authorities on Earth don’t even know that Jesus is their King.

The psalmist is saying how God begot Jesus via Mary and established Jesus as ruler of the earth and that What ever Jesus asks of the father, the father will do for him.

It is a warning to the insolent rulers of the earth who put themselves over Jesus and God to tread reverently lest their life be taken away to hell.

**It is also a comfort to us who hope in in the true kings power and grace and mercy. **
 
Thank you all for your quick responses, My new years resolution (last night) was to read (and try to understand) the bible…

My late parents were both very devout Catholics attending Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation… When I was little they started a Rosary circle and would walk the 20 minutes to Church and back twice a week to lead it…As a child of 10 my best friend and I would also go and sometimes lead the Rosary(in those days we had no car) After they retired they attended daily Mass…

Sadly at 50 I find I don’t have their devotion but feel a big void in my life… I attended Mass on Christmas day for the first time in a long while… I admit I am lazy I made lots of excuses why not to go to Mass… I have a long way to go to take the step back into the fold…

This afternoon I felt that void again and spent some time at the computer ‘searching’ not sure what for, found myself on U Tube looking up all the Hymns I new as a child and singing them, I cried a lot…

I would be grateful for your prayers to help me find my way back home…

I’ll also post this on the asking for prayers forum…

Thanks
 
GoldenLight said:
Thank you all for your quick responses, My new years resolution (last night) was to read (and try to understand) the bible…

My late parents were both very devout Catholics attending Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation… When I was little they started a Rosary circle and would walk the 20 minutes to Church and back twice a week to lead it…As a child of 10 my best friend and I would also go and sometimes lead the Rosary(in those days we had no car) After they retired they attended daily Mass…

Sadly at 50 I find I don’t have their devotion but feel a big void in my life… I attended Mass on Christmas day for the first time in a long while… I admit I am lazy I made lots of excuses why not to go to Mass… I have a long way to go to take the step back into the fold…

This afternoon I felt that void again and spent some time at the computer ‘searching’ not sure what for, found myself on U Tube looking up all the Hymns I new as a child and singing them, I cried a lot…

I would be grateful for your prayers to help me find my way back home…

I’ll also post this on the asking for prayers forum…

Thanks
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This summer I was in a similar position. I had been feeling an urge to the Catholic church, but everything I had been taught over the years was that it was the wrong place to be. So when I realized that I needed to really understand it better, I went to daily mass all summer. It was an amazing experience. It opened my eyes in more ways than one. I also found myself being drawn into the Liturgy of the Hours, and really studying my bible.

I will be praying for you, and am glad you are being drawn back in.
 
Enjoy your life because you only get one life to live and you don’t want to waste it or you’ll look back in sorrow and all the time you’ve wasted your life. 🙂

Talking to other Catholics is a great way to get back into your faith and enjoy it. 🙂
 
jwinch2 said:
You have already received some great suggestions. The only other thing that I would recommend is purchasing a good Study Bible. The Haydock Commentaries are excellent and so are the Navarre. ** Ignatius has a great Bible Commentary as well but the Old Testament has yet to be released in its entirety.**
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Genesis is available. Unfortunately, the OT will be released one at a time.

Dear GoldenLight,

Starting January 24, my parish is offering Psalms, School of Prayer, from Ascension Press. I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ve done several Bible studies. I find getting a good study guide really helps. This is my favorite study guide, inexpensive, usually, available at Catholic bookstores. I’ll be getting these for my studies.

Psalms 1 - 72

Psalms 73 - 150

God bless you, and the very best to you.

Asia
 
asia53 said:
Genesis is available. Unfortunately, the OT will be released one at a time.
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Yep. I believe that is how the NT was handled to begin with as well before it was compiled into one volume.
 
asia53 said:
Really! Wow, I didn’t know that.
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The Director of RE at our parish has each of the individual releases of the New Testament. She ordered them one at a time as they came out, and then after showing them to me, showed me her Ignatius Study bible. One of the best investments I’ve made in a long time.

Now if I can just find the money to afford a Haydock.
 
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