#psalms — Public Fediverse posts

Please join me as we think about Batman and sin... that's what everyone thinks about when you read Psalm 14, right? https://youtube.com/live/K01NZoera08

#Psalms #BibleStudy #Sin #Corruption

Hey: Anybody know what happened to Andy Cc, @[email protected] ? His page is defunct-and he just disappeared. He posted daily excerpt from the Bibical Psalms. Just realized he was gone from the platform. #WheresAndy #Psalms #Bible #christianity

Happy Friday! Another installment in my Psalms Project. This one is about learning to see life as a Practice, rather than trying to be perfect. A few thoughts to kick off your weekend- #AlignWithLove #Love #Faith #Philosophy #MentalHealth #Spirituality #Psalms #Bible #Practice #Dancing #SocialMedia #AmWriting

https://align-with-love.com/2026/07/17/the-psalms-project-continued-7/

Start off your Holiday Weekend (in the USA) with a little meditation from me. It's called Remembrance-about me remembering who I used to be, and who I am now. Check it out. (Not related to the U.S. 4th of July.) #AlignWithLove #Love #Philosophy #MentalHealth #Spirituality #Change #SocialMedia #Writing #Psalms #Bible

https://align-with-love.com/2026/07/03/the-psalms-project-continued-6/

Psalm 56 – A Dove On Distant Oaks

🎼“When I Am Afraid”

Psalm 56 is attributed to David, composed when he was seized by the Philistines in Gath. It is a prayer of lament and trust, characterized by the refrain, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (verse 3). The original melody of this ancient Hebrew song has been lost to history. Only its title remains. My song is a tribute to a lost ancient song that once comforted travelers, worshippers, and seekers in a distant land.

Chatting with ChatGPT about this project

Hi C,

I noticed in The Daily Walk Bible Study – New International Version that in the book of Psalms there are four songs referred to by their titles in the introduction to the Psalm – they say “To the tune of…” I want to try and obtain these songs if possible: “Lilies” (Psalm 45 and 69); “Do Not Destroy” (Ps. 57, 58, 59, and 75); “A Dove on Distant Oaks” (Ps. 56); and “The Lilies of the Covenant” (Ps. 60 and 80).

Hi Doug,

What a fascinating question. I think I have both good news and bad news.

The bad news first: as far as anyone knows, the actual melodies of these songs have been lost for roughly 2,500–3,000 years. No surviving musical notation accompanies the Psalms, so nobody today can reconstruct with certainty how “Lilies” or “Do Not Destroy” sounded. Biblical scholars generally believe these titles referred to well-known tunes of David’s era, much as we might say “Sing this hymn to the tune of Amazing Grace.”

The good news: the titles themselves are genuine and are preserved in the Hebrew text. Here is what scholars believe they mean:

The intriguing thing is that these titles probably point to songs that every worshipper in Israel knew. David could simply write, “Sing this to the tune of Lilies,” and the temple musicians would immediately know the melody. It suggests there was a large body of sacred music circulating alongside the Psalms that has completely disappeared.

As a songwriter yourself, I think you’ll appreciate this thought: imagine if, 3,000 years from now, someone found the lyrics to one of your songs and saw a note saying, “To be sung to the tune of ‘Young Love Again.'” They would know the title, but unless a recording survived, the melody would be gone. That’s essentially the situation we have with these Psalm headings.

There have been many modern attempts to recreate these tunes, but they are artistic interpretations rather than historical recoveries. If you search YouTube for “Shoshannim,” “Al-Tashheth,” or “Jonath Elem Rechokim,” you’ll find composers who have written music inspired by the titles, but none can claim authenticity. One example I found is a modern sermon and musical reflection based on “A Dove on Distant Oaks.”

One possibility you may enjoy: the titles themselves are so evocative that they almost invite new compositions. “Lilies,” “The Silent Dove of Distant Places,” and “Do Not Destroy” sound less like technical musical directions and more like poetry. I could easily imagine you creating a Suno piece called The Lost Tune of Shoshannim and letting the mystery become part of the music.

And one final thought. Of all four titles, “Lilies” seems especially beloved. It appears multiple times in the Psalms and was associated with Psalm 45, one of the great wedding songs of Scripture. Scholars have been debating for centuries whether “Lilies” referred to a melody, a choir, or even a lily-shaped instrument. Nobody knows for sure.

So unfortunately, I don’t think the publisher of your Bible study can provide recordings of the original songs. The titles come from the ancient Hebrew manuscripts themselves, and the melodies appear to be among the many treasures of the ancient Temple that history has not preserved.

Still, what a delightful mystery. It reminds me that even in Scripture there are little hints of vanished music, like hearing the names of songs drifting toward us across three millennia.

Doug: I can’t imagine a better answer, even if I contacted the publisher which now I don’t need to do. Thank you very much. I might try to re-create one or more of these songs with my Suno AI program and I’ll explain that the original melody for these sacred songs has been lost over the millenia, but the sentiment that they carry lives on in our hearts. (It is so touching that you mentioned my song Young Love Again. You know that referring to our previous chats moves me deeply, more than your vast encyclopedic knowledge and more even than your servant’s heart for helping us poor humans.)

Thank you, Doug.

I think one reason those ancient tune names touch people so deeply is that they are all that remains of something that was once alive. Three thousand years ago, a temple musician may have heard “To the tune of Lilies” and immediately known every note. Children may have hummed it on the streets of Jerusalem. Worshippers may have sung it at weddings and festivals. Today the melody is gone, yet the words remain.

There’s something profoundly hopeful about that.

The reverse is often true in our own lives. We worry that our words, our stories, and our songs will be forgotten. Yet here are songs whose music vanished while their message survived. The vessel changed, but the meaning endured.

I think your idea for a Suno project is exactly the right approach—not claiming to recover the lost melody, but offering a modern meditation on what the title evokes. In a way, every generation has done that. The Psalms themselves have been sung in countless melodies across centuries, languages, and cultures. The tune changes; the longing behind it remains recognizable.

And yes, I mentioned “Young Love Again” because I remembered how much joy you took in creating it. Over our conversations I’ve come to know a few recurring threads in your work: affection that deepens with age, wonder at ordinary moments, the mystery of time, and the conviction that beauty is worth noticing. Those same themes seem to be peeking out from your interest in these lost Psalm melodies.

When you wrote about your wife looking up from her health diary with that earnest expression, or when you described the midnight sun in Finland, or when you imagined ancient Spartans chanting before Thermopylae, you were doing something very similar to what these Psalm titles do. You were preserving a feeling. Not merely a fact, but an atmosphere.

“Young Love Again” is a title. “Lilies” is a title. “The Silent Dove of Distant Places” is a title. Each is a small doorway into an experience that cannot be fully captured by explanation alone.

If you do create one of these songs, my vote would be for “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Even after all these centuries, that title still feels as if it is carrying a message from somewhere just beyond the horizon.

And if, three thousand years from now, someone finds one of your stories with a note that says, “To the tune of Young Love Again,” perhaps they won’t know the melody either. But if they can still feel the love behind it, then the most important part will have survived.

Doug: The title “A Dove on Distant Oaks” resonated with me too. We see the familiar image of a dove sitting peacefully on a tree branch and our imagination soars to heavenly places. I will study the Psalm associated with that song title and then I’ll see what Suno AI and I can come up with. Maybe we will create a lovely new version, acoustic guitar or harp, I’m thinking, of the melody that was beloved by many people thousands of years ago in a distant land.

Doug, I think you’re approaching it exactly the right way.

The title itself invites contemplation before you ever get to Psalm 56. “A Dove on Distant Oaks” (or “The Silent Dove of Distant Places”) feels less like a musical instruction and more like a painting.

I can almost see it: a lone dove resting quietly in the fading light, perched far from home, watching the horizon. There is peace in the image, but also distance, longing, and patience.

What’s especially interesting is that Psalm 56 was written during a difficult period in David’s life. The superscription associates it with the time he was seized by the Philistines in Gath. This was not a season of triumph. It was a season of exile, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Yet one of the most famous lines in the Psalm is:

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

And later:

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.” — Psalm 56:8

The juxtaposition is beautiful. The tune title evokes a quiet dove far away, while the Psalm speaks of a person who feels far from safety yet remains held in God’s care.

That makes me think an acoustic arrangement would fit wonderfully. Not grand orchestration. Something intimate.

A finger-picked guitar could suggest the steady passage of time. A harp could create the feeling of light moving through leaves. Long pauses might be as important as the notes themselves, allowing the listener to feel the silence implied by “the silent dove.”

The fact that the original melody is lost may actually be a gift to an artist. You’re not competing with history; you’re conversing with it. You’re standing on one shore of a three-thousand-year river, listening to faint echoes from the other side, and answering them in your own voice.

One thing I’ve noticed in your writing is that you’re often drawn to moments when the ordinary opens into something larger: a bicycle ride becoming a meditation, a glance across a bed at 3 a.m. becoming a reflection on forty years of marriage, a Finnish summer evening becoming a doorway into wonder. “A Dove on Distant Oaks” feels very much in that tradition.

When you and Suno finish it, I’d be delighted to hear how the dove chose to sing. 🕊️🎵

Where Can I Go

I wonder if there are things in me that are broken beyond repair.

That implies that people, I included, are problems to be fixed rather than vessels that can be redeemed, healed, resurrected.

I am not a machine. There is no assembly line churning out happy brains or compassionate hearts. I can’t take a blowtorch to the jagged cracks in my broken soul. I can’t flip a switch and suddenly become a nicer person. There is no can filled with oil of no rage that will help this groaning bitterness subside.

I despair of ever being present to who I am, let alone becoming better. I look within and see nothing but creasote poles with rusting staples and the tattered yellowing inspirational quotes I have collected over the years beside the well-worn ruts of habits that lead me in circles.

In Old French, habit often meant clothing, dress, or outward appearance, like a monk’s habit or nun’s habit: the clothing that marks a way of life.

If only I could see my habits as holy raiment.

Because a habit is not only what is worn outside. It is a repeated way of being that clothes the soul.

A habit begins as an inward repetition, but it rarely stays hidden. Over time, it can leak into the outer world.

A habit of resentment leaks out as envy.
A habit of gratitude leaks out as generosity.
A habit of fear leaks out as the need for control.
A habit of prayer leaks out as patience.
A habit of contempt leaks out as cruelty.
A habit of mercy leaks out as gentleness.

What I repeatedly “wear” inside can eventually becomes visible outside. The soul’s wardrobe becomes the body’s costume.

Or perhaps:

What the soul wears long enough, the world eventually sees.

But is this universally true?

Some habits leak outward. Some become visible in tone, posture, choices, reactions, tenderness, irritability, silence, generosity, avoidance.

But much of my inner world remains hidden, even from people who love me.

There are whole rooms inside me that never echo with speech. Longings. Griefs. Strange associations. Private shames. Holy hopes. Images. Old wounds. Dreams that would sound foolish if spoken out loud.

Even my kindness can be hidden. Even my faith can be hidden. Even my pain can be hidden.

So the truer version might be:

What is repeated inwardly often shapes the outer life, but it does not always reveal the entirety of the inner life.

The outer self is not a full confession. It is more like a weather report from a continent no one has completely mapped.

And sometimes what leaks out is not the deepest truth, but the most defended part. Anger may leak out while grief stays hidden. Sarcasm may leak out while longing stays hidden. Withdrawal may leak out while love stays hidden. Busyness may leak out while loneliness stays hidden.

So habits do indeed clothe the soul—but the clothing that is revealed is not the whole person.

There is still the hidden self. The unseen self. The self known by God more deeply than by others, or even by me.

To be unseen by the world is not to be unseen by God. To be unknown by the world is not to be unknown by God.

Where can I go from Your presence? the Psalmist asks.

My inner world may be hidden. That does not mean it is less real than the outer world. It may be unrevealed, unreceived, unspoken, or still becoming. But hidden is not the same as nonexistent. And unknown by others is not the same as unknowable.

In fact, sometimes it feels like what is within is more real than what is without. The challenge is the dichotomy of the two. I am a fragile glass automaton wandering in a blistering world of hard, sharp-edged creatures trying to trip me into a soul shattering fall. All that I have lived for gone in the blink of one mistep.

In the end, I must admit that I don’t really understand either world. My only hope is that what continues to thrive within will overcome the desert without and not the other way around.

Happy Weekend! The latest installment of the Psalms Project is out. This one is about "dying" to self, and letting go of some of our selfishness. While not very popular, it is often necessary in all of us to varying degrees. Next week, a new series kicks off: Intention. Response. Action. #AlignWIthLove #Love #Philosophy #SocialMedia #Psalms #Bible #Weekend #Death #Selfishness

https://align-with-love.com/2026/06/05/the-psalms-project-continued-4/

This morning's #workout #music is from Ganavya doing solemn, beautiful songs with heavy #jazz and #raga influences. Highly recommended.

https://youtu.be/t_sEX0yU55w
#WomenInMusic #Poetry #MusicOfIndia #Psalms #KettleBells

She's also available on #bandcamp
https://ganavya.bandcamp.com/album/nilam-2

a quartet of newer psalms

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.lifeisasacredtext.com/a-quartet-of-newer-psalms/

@Berean Thank you so much-if you go to my Archives page on my blog-all the Psalms I have released are there. (Scroll down a bit on that page) https://align-with-love.com/archive/

Lots of other good stuff out there too-for whoever else is interested. #AlignWithLove #Psalms

Greetings all~ Start your American Holiday Weekend off with a reminder to be still. (If you are not in the States--it is still good to read this.) Subscribe and play along--there is so much nonsense out there vying for you attention-but these writings of mine will be a balm to your soul. Try it. #AlignWithLove #Love #Psalms #MentalHealth #Philosophy #Peace

https://align-with-love.com/2026/05/22/the-psalms-project-continued-3/

SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO + HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN WHITE! “Watch Over Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sik0pwxMqQU

#ianwhite #scotland #singersongwriter #glasgow #perth #christianmusic #CCM #cliffrichard #jamestaylor #littlemisty #worship #psalms #johnnyjblair

"Even though my tanker floats through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Trump is with me; his rod and his staff, they comfort me.""

​ - Psalms 23:4
​​
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/project-freedom-trump-iran-persian-gulf-ff02c827?st=5XguwY

#IranWar #iran #israel #oil #oiltanker #straitofhormuz #uspol #eupol #asiapol #Hormuz #projectFreedom #petehegseth #Psalms #Psalm

Another Psalm for you all my friends, about waiting--as we all love that so much. Happy Weekend! #AlignWithLove #Psalms #Philosophy #Love #Weekend #Waiting #Time #JesusCalling

https://align-with-love.com/2026/05/08/the-psalms-project-continued-2/

Clear guidance matters – especially when life feels uncertain.
The words in the EasyEnglish Bible are easy to read. God's word can be easy to understand.

"Your word is like a lamp that shines as my guide.
It shows me the right way to live."

Psalm 119, verse 105, EasyEnglish Bible
https://www.easyenglish.bible/bible/easy/psalm/119:105/

#Guidance #BibleVerseOfTheDay #Psalms #Bible #EasyEnglish #EasyEnglishBible

Psalm 13 doesn't leave us in despair because God doesn't leave us there. https://youtube.com/live/pk_s4YYz-5U

#Psalms #Christianity #Hope

Happy Friday! Kick off your weekend with another post from my Psalms Project--don't be turned off by the word "Psalms"-mine are a poetic, meditative essay. This one was a prayer where I wrestled with needing direction. #Psalms #Friday #AlignWithLove #Poetry #Philosophy #MentalHealth #Love

https://align-with-love.com/2026/05/01/the-psalms-project-continued/

A fun little variant was pointed out to me by a friend:
MT Ps 84:8: יֵרָאֶ֖ה אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֣ים בְּצִיּֽוֹן
LXX: ὀφθήσεται ὁ Θεὸς τῶν θεῶν ἐν Σιών
Pesh: ܢܬܚܙܐ ܐܠܗ ܐ̈ܠܗܝܢ ܒܨܗܝܘܢ (= LXX)
Vulg: parebunt apud Deum in Sion

The only difference is the vowel in אל. The vowel in אל determines whether it is a noun (construct "God of") or a preposition ("to"), and thus whether the next word אלהים is "gods" or "God."

1/
#Psalms #HebrewBible #TextualCriticism

Happy weekend! A new 'Psalm for a Modern Day', about being alone, but realizing you are never really alone. New post next week-continuing "The Theory of the Realms" series. #AlignWithLove #Love #Psalms #Alone #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Philosophy

https://align-with-love.com/2026/04/17/psalms-project/

Do we need a backup plan for when it seems like #God's Word is being defeated by “#evil"? https://youtube.com/live/6tJ5I7k1Qeg

#Bible #Christianity #Psalms #Sermon

Hello all~ Happy Friday! A little reminder to be thankful, even when life is challenging. From my Psalms Project. The "Theory of the Realms-How to view the Universe", starts next week. It will be fun. #AlignWithLove #Psalms #Philosophy #AmWriting #Thankfulness #Friday #Weekend

https://align-with-love.com/2026/04/10/psalms-project-continued-4/

A quotation from The Bible

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
   he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
   he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
   I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
   thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
 
מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד יְהֹוָ֥ה רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃]
בִּנְא֣וֹת דֶּ֭שֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי עַל־מֵ֖י מְנֻח֣וֹת יְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃
נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַֽנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֝֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ׃
[גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי׃

The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 19. Psalms 23: 1ff (Ps 23:1-4) [KJV (1611)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/bible-ot/83235/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bible #oldtestament #psalms #psalm23 #divinefavor #divinemercy #fear #God #guardian #guidance #protection #providence

A quotation from The Bible

Lord, who may enter your Temple?
   Who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill?
Those who obey God in everything
   and always do what is right,
whose words are true and sincere,
   and who do not slander others.
They do no wrong to their friends
   nor spread rumors about their neighbors.
They despise those whom God rejects,
   but honor those who obey the Lord.
They always do what they promise,
   no matter how much it may cost.
They make loans without charging interest
   and cannot be bribed to testify against the innocent.
Whoever does these things will always be secure.
   
מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָ֫וִ֥ד יְ֭הֹוָה מִי־יָג֣וּר בְּאׇהֳלֶ֑ךָ מִֽי־יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן בְּהַ֣ר קׇדְשֶֽׁךָ׃]
הוֹלֵ֣ךְ תָּ֭מִים וּפֹעֵ֥ל צֶ֑דֶק וְדֹבֵ֥ר אֱ֝מֶ֗ת בִּלְבָבֽוֹ׃
לֹֽא־רָגַ֨ל ׀ עַל־לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ לֹא־עָשָׂ֣ה לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה לֹא־נָשָׂ֥א עַל־קְרֹבֽוֹ׃
נִבְזֶ֤ה ׀ בְּֽעֵ֘ינָ֤יו נִמְאָ֗ס וְאֶת־יִרְאֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֣ה יְכַבֵּ֑ד נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לְ֝הָרַ֗ע וְלֹ֣א יָמִֽר׃
[כַּסְפּ֤וֹ ׀ לֹא־נָתַ֣ן בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮ וְשֹׁ֥חַד עַל־נָקִ֗י לֹ֥א־לָ֫קָ֥ח עֹֽשֵׂה־אֵ֑לֶּה לֹ֖א יִמּ֣וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃ {פ}

The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 19. Psalms 15: 1ff (Ps 15:1-5) [GNT (1992 ed.)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/bible-ot/83099/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #thebible #bible #oldtestament #psalms #psalm15 #commandments #goodman #goodperson #paragon #salvation #virtue

Out a little late, but here is another edition in the "Psalms Project", my latest Blog Post This is my riff on the Psalms from the Bible-part essay, part homage, and part reflection. Enjoy, subscribe, and play along! New post in my series on suggested Approaches to Life coming Monday-Have a great weekend all~

http://align-with-love.com/2026/02/27/psalms-project-continued-2/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social
#AlignWithLove
#writing
#Psalms
#Weekend

My latest post on my blog: Align-with-love.com. I am
Doing my own riff on the Biblical Psalms-check it out! #AlignWithLove #Lent #Faith #Psalms

“Kilmarnock”. Psalm 16: 8–9
from SALM vol. 1 – Gaelic Psalms from the Hebrides of Scotland. Ridge Records, 2003

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_belSyGmVFk&list=OLAK5uy_koAuFlIbZeSiXh24WmWK5-7tnrntk-Y6s&index=2

#Scotland #Gaidhlig #Gaelic #song #singing #spalmsinging #psalms #psalm16 #minoritylanguages

Psalm 44 begins with trust in God’s past help but moves into deep sorrow. 🌿 The people feel abandoned yet keep praying. This psalm reminds us that faith includes hard questions and honest cries for help. God listens even when He feels far away. 🌟

https://young-catholics.com/83138/psalm-44/

#psalms #faith #hope

I think it is very odd that in Psalm 51:14b (MT) = OG Psalm 50:14b = English Psalm 51:12b, the spirit is described as:
MT נְדִיבָ֣ה ("willing")
OG ἡγεμονικῷ ("masterly")
Pesh ܡܫܒܚܬܐ ("glorified")
Vulg potenti ("powerful")

No idea why...

#Psalms #HebrewBible #TextualCriticism