Psalms 15:1–4

In its context

Its words in the original

• מִזְמוֹרmizmor· psalm

  Psalm: a song sung with instruments. It is the title of many of the poems in the book of Psalms.

• דָוִדdavid· David

  David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."

• יְהֹוָהyehova· YHWH

  The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

• יָגוּרyagur· sojourn

  Live in a place as a foreigner, without being from there or having land of one's own. In other senses, be afraid; gather against someone.

• אָהֳלֶahole· tent

  Tent: the dwelling of shepherds who move from place to place; also a home.

• יִשְׁכֹּןyishkon· dwell

  Dwell, settle and live; in the causative form, set, make to dwell.

• הַרhar· mountain, hill country

  Mountain, hill; hill country.

• קָדְשֶׁkadshe· holiness, holy place

  Holiness: what is set apart for God. Also a holy place or a holy thing; "the holy of holies" is the most holy place.

• הוֹלֵךְholech· go, walk

  Go, walk, come. Figuratively, the way one lives ("walk with God").

• תָּמִיםtamim· blameless

  Complete, whole, without defect. Said of a person, blameless: of one piece, without falseness. It does not mean that he has never sinned.

• פֹעֵלfoel· do, make

  Do, make, carry out.

• צֶדֶקtsedek· righteousness, what is right

  Righteousness: what is right, what is as it should be; just (weights, judgment).

• דֹבֵרdover· speak

  Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.

• אֱמֶתemet· faithfulness, truth

  Truth, firmness. Said of a person or of God, faithfulness: he can be trusted because he keeps his word. It often goes with "loyal love".

• לְבָבlevav· heart

  Heart: the inner part of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.

• רָגַלragal· spy

  Spy: go through a place to find out its weak points; also slander.

• לְשֹׁנleshon· tongue

  Tongue: the organ of the mouth and also language; also something shaped like a tongue (of flame, of land, of gold).

• עָשָׂהasa· do, make

  Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.

• רֵעֵree· neighbor, friend

  The other person one deals with: companion, neighbor, friend; in the laws, "neighbor". "One to another" is "a man to his neighbor".

• רָעָהraa· evil, bad, harm

  Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.

• חֶרְפָּהcherpa· disgrace, reproach

  Disgrace, reproach, scorn from others. Being childless was then felt as a humiliation.

• נָשָׂאnasa· lift, carry, bear

  Lift up, carry, bear. "Bear sin" is to suffer its consequences; said of God, "taking away" sin is forgiving it. "Lift up the eyes" is to look.

• קְרֹבkerov· near

  Near, close; also a close relative.

• נִבְזֶהnivze· despise

  Despise, think little of.

• עֵינָיenay· eye

  Eye. "In someone's eyes" means "in his opinion"; "find favor in the eyes of" is to please him. Also a spring of water.

• נִמְאָסnimas· reject, despise

  Despise, reject, refuse something.

• יִרְאֵיyire· fearing, God-fearing

  Fearing; above all, one who reveres God and therefore obeys him.

• יְכַבֵּדyechabed· be heavy, honor

  Be heavy. In a good sense, have weight: be rich, important or honored; hence "honor" and "glorify". In a bad sense, be a burden, or become dull and unresponsive (as Pharaoh's heart).

• נִשְׁבַּעnishba· swear

  Swear: bind oneself solemnly, calling on God as witness; in the causative form, make someone swear. In Hebrew the verb looks like the word "seven".

• הָרַעhara· do evil, harm

  Do evil, cause harm; be bad, be displeasing ("it was evil in his eyes").

• יָמִרyamir· exchange

  Exchange one thing for another, substitute; also change.