Psalm 12
I concur with the OPC/URC proposal to use “Donne Secours” (otherwise known as Genevan 12). I am a little perplexed as to why there are two versions of this on the webpage. There are some very slight rhythmic differences in the two arrangements — but the two texts are identical.
I have a few suggested revisions to the text. (I should comment that our local committee at MCPC has adopted dozens of revisions throughout the psalter to improve the poetry and inflection).
Text: Sing Psalms, 2003; alt. MCPC, 2012 (11 10 11 10)
1 Help, LORD, because the godly have all vanished; the faithful from the sons of men depart.
2 Each one tells falsehood even to his neighbor; they speak with flatt’ring lips and double heart.
3 Now may the LORD cut off all lips which flatter, and every tongue which speaks with boastful word.
4 Such people say, “We with our tongues will triumph; we own our lips; who then can be our lord?”
5 “In that the weak have suffered great oppression, and I have heard the needy’s groaning cries,
I will give him the safety which he longs for. To help them,” says the LORD, “I will arise.”
6 All words proceeding from the LORD are flawless, as pure as silver that by fire is tried,
like silver that, when molten in a furnace, from it emerges sev’n times purified.
7 LORD, from this evil age you will preserve us, and keep us safe from harm forever more;
8 here do the wicked strut about quite freely, and praise is giv’n to all that is impure.
Tune: Genevan 12 (Donne Secours) (Louis Bourgeois, Genevan Psalter, 1551)
Commentary
Psalm 12 is titled, “To the Choirmaster: According to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.”
Psalm 12 is a communal lament as the people of God plead with God to deliver them from the powerful. It is important to note that this is a Davidic psalm — because the assumption of the psalm is that the Davidic king is on the throne, and yet the powerful and influential are not godly! Think about that: enshrined in the hymnal of the people of God is a song of lament about how the leaders of Israel are liars and plunderers! How would you like our hymnal to include a song about how there are no faithful businessmen or politicians in the land? Well, you do: it’s called Psalm 12.
Psalm 12 is a good song to sing when scandal and corruption are revealed in church or society. We are reminded that “the faithful have vanished from among the children of men” and that our hope is that the LORD will cut off flattering lips and protect the poor and needy.
But in contrast to the lips and tongues of the flatterers, “the words of the LORD are pure words.” If you are feeling betrayed by politicians or business associates, Psalm 12 reminds you that there is One whose words are reliable forever. And his words are powerful. Because not only does God speak — he also guards and protects us “from this generation.”
Structure:
The Sing Psalms text provides a very good structure. The main challenge in the Psalm is that each verse has a couplet, except for verses 5-6, each of which has a triplet. Since verses 5-6 provide the resolution of the problem, they deserve the most attention. The simple solution, adopted by Sing Psalms, is to have one stanza for every two verses, except for verses 5-6, each of which gets its own stanza.
Translation Notes:
There are a handful of key words and phrases that really need to be maintained in any translation of Psalm 12: “flattering lips” (in verses 2 and 3) need to be translated the same way both times to keep the meaning clear. The Lord’s promise, “I will arise” needs to receive central attention — as it does, coming at the end of the third [and central] stanza.
I especially appreciate little touches, like the way that the last two stanzas end with the purity theme. The fourth stanza ends with silver purified seven times. The fifth stanza ends with praise given to all that is impure.
There are some inflection problems in the OPC/URC proposal. Some solutions: v5 replace “Because” with “In that”; v6 replace “The words” with “All words.”
The major change is in the last stanza:
v7 replace “O LORD, you will preserve us safe forever, and from this evil age keep us secure”
with “LORD, from this evil age you will preserve us, and keep us safe from harm for evermore.”
v8 replace “for here the wicked strut about quite freely, and praise is giv’n to all that is impure.”
with “here do the wicked strut about quite freely, and praise is giv’n to all that is impure.”
Tune Notes:
Genevan 12 (or Donne Secours) is used by the Psalter Hymnal (1959/1987) and the Book of Praise (CanRC), and was adopted by the Free Church in Sing Psalms (2003). It has the minor feel requisite for a lament — but it also has a little “bounce” in it, which comes in handy for the Lord’s response!
Conclusion
You can hear a choir sing Psalm 12 in French to Donne Secours (after the first stanza they do a little extra) at:
I have not yet preached on Psalm 12.
— Peter J. Wallace
