Alphabetic Verses: AV Psalm 111

AV Psalm 111 contains all the letters of the alphabet in their standard order, but it differs from most Alphabetic Psalms in that there are two clauses for consecutive letters in each verse until the final two verses which contain three clauses each. It opens with the phrase הללו יה (Halellu Yah, Praise the Lord) and then follows with the alphabetic sequence. The elements of each verse associated with the corresponding letter are highlighted.

Aleph (1): I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
 

This clause reveals one of the fundamental grammatical functions of Aleph, which expresses the idea of I Will when it is prefixed to a verb. It is discussed in detail in the article on the Aleph verse of AV Psalm 145 and the Spoke 1 article God's Sovereign Will: Aleph in Hebrew Grammar.

Bet (2): In in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
 

This clause exhibits the meaning and grammatical function of Beyt. Its name means House - a place distinguishing between "in" and "out" - so when prefixed to a word it signifies the preposition "in," "with" or "by." This manifests prominently in the chapter structures (Inner Cycles) of both Isaiah and Matthew.

Gimel (3): The works of the LORD are great,
 

The clause opens with the Gimel KeyWord גדול (gadol, great/majestic). God used this root in the Gimel-verses of Psalm 34 and Psalm 145. It reveals the character and function of the Holy Spirit Who delights in glorifying and magnifying God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Dalet (4): sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
 

This verse opens with דרש (darash, to seek) which relates to דרך (derekh, way). These KeyWords play an important role on Spoke 4. Both of these words are common in the alphabetic verses corresponding to Dalet. They are found united in a few verses, most notably Isaiah 55.5-6:

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Hey (5): His work is honourable and glorious:
 

This verse opens with the phrase הוד והדר (hod v'hadar) translated as "honourable and glorious." Both of these Hey KeyWords are also used together (in reverse order) in the Hey verse of Psalm 145. Though neither of these is the word used to express "honour thy father and mother" in the Fifth Commandment, they do express the same idea.

Vav (6): and his righteousness endureth for ever.
 

As with all the alphabetic verses corresponding to Vav, this verse opens with Vav prefix to a word, which is how the conjunction "and" or "but" is written in Hebrew. It ultimately integrates with the Number Six is the Number of Man, Work, and Cosmos (See BW book, pg 199).

Zayin (7): He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered
 

This verse opens with זכר (zakhar, remember/memory). It integrates with the command to remember the Seventh Day in the Fourth Commandment. There is a complex set of meanings associated with the Number 7, Sabbath, and the Number Four. I will discuss them when I get more time. This KeyWord is also used in Psalm 145.

Chet (8): the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
 

This verse opens with the Chet KeyWord חנון (chanuwn, gracious) from the root חן (chen, grace). Exactly the same phrase is used in the Chet verse of Psalm 145.

Tet (9): He hath given meat unto them that fear him:
 

This verse opens with טרף (tereph, meat/prey). I don't have any insight on this word yet.

Yod (10): he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
 

This is an example of the grammatical function of Yod which is prefixed to a word to indicate a third person action like "he will" or "he is." This manifest most clearly in the Tetragrammaton, the personal Name of God יהוה (YHVH). It can be viewed as derived from the root הוה (havah, "there is" or "to be") prefixed with the letter Yod (the Letter of Action, Hand), which transforms it into the third person masucline singlular. In other words, YHVH means "He who is".

Kaph (11): He hath shewed his people the power of his works,
 

This clause opens with Kaph KeyWord כח (Ko'ach, Power). It plays an important role in Micah on the second cycle of Spoke 11.

Lamed (12): that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
 

When Lamed is prefix to a word, it indicates the preposition "to" or "for". It is used in this sense in most of the Alphabetic Verses. Lamed's grammatical function coheres with its literal meaning as an ox-goad or pointer, and with its verbal meaning "to teach." It is the root of Talmud - the great collection of learned Rabinical expositions. This plays an essential role on Spoke 12

Mem (13): The works of his hands are verity and judgment;
 

This clause opens with מעשי (ma'asei, work of) which is the masculine plural construct form of מעשה (ma'aseh, work/deed.) This is an example of how substantive nouns are formed by prefixing a Mem to a triliteral verb. This integrates with the other grammatical function of Mem which indicates the preposition "of" or "from" when prefixed to a word. In this case, we have the root verb עשה (a'asah, act/to Do) prefixed with a Mayim to make the noun ma'aseh, which means an action, work, or deed.

This verse declares that all the works of his hands are verity. The word translated as vertity is the fundamental Hebrew word אמת (emet, truth). This word has a nweight of 441. This integrates with the Work of the Lord through the identity:

Thus we see the explicit teaching of SCripture encoded in the intrinsic alphanumeric structure of the Hebrew Alphabet!

Nun (14): all his commandments are sure.
 

This clause opens with נאמנים (ne'emaneem, faithful/sure). It is from the root "Amen." It plays a very strong role in our understanding of the Book of Hebrews on the third cycle of Spoke 14.

Samek (15): they stand fast for ever and ever,
 

This clause opens with the root סמך (samak, uphold/support), which is the actual name of the 15th Letter. This root is also used in the Samek verses of Psalms 112, 119, and 145. Scripture strongly attests to both the name and meaning of this letter. The meaning of Samek profoundly integrates with the content of Spoke 15 of the Wheel, where we find the book of Ezra - whose name means Helper - and the Book of James which places such great weight upon the support of the poor.

Ayin (16): and are done in truth and uprightness.
 

This clause opens with the root עשה (a'asah, to act/to do). It is discussed above under the letter Mayim. This KeyWord plays very important role on Spoke 16.

Pey (17): He sent redemption unto his people:
 

This verse opens with פדות (paduth, redemption). I don't have any insight on this verse yet.

Tsaddi (18): he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.

This clause opens with the fundamental Tsaddi KeyWord צוה (tsavah, command). This KeyWord also appears in Psalm 119. It integrates with other Tsaddi KeyWords like צדיק (tsaddiq, righteous - see Psalm 145) and tsey (Go Forth!).

Quph (19): holy and reverend is his name.
 

This clause opens with the Quph KeyWord קדוש (qadosh, holy) which is very important in the traditional Rabbinic understanding of Quph, as discussed on page 336 of the Bible Wheel book. Here is how Rabbi Munk explained it:

stands for qorban, Temple offering. In Temple times, if one found a vessel on which was written, he assumed that the contents were consecrated (Maaser Sheni 4:11). Unlike the common misconception that an offering is a "sacrifice" with the goal of forcing man to give up something of value to "appease" God, the word comes from the root qarav, to come close. When the Temple stood, the sacrifices brought the worshipers closer to Hashem and brought God's blessing to the entire world.

See also the discussion of Mark (Spoke 19, Cycle 2) and the relation to the Quph KeyWord qorban.

Resh (20): The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:
 

This verse opens with ראשית (reshith, beginning) which also is the basis of the First Word of the Bible. It appears in Genesis 1.1 prefixed with the letter Bet, which indicates the propostion "in" as discussed above in the Bet verse of this Psalm.

This Resh-verse figures prominently in the discussion of Spoke 20 in the Synopsis of the Twenty-two Spokes in the Bible Wheel book (now online, see The Beginning of Wisdom). The Hebrew phrase used in this verse - Reshith Chokmah - is itself based on the name of the letter which dentotes the Head, the Seat of Wisdom. Thus the meaning of the verse reflects the meaning of the letter, and this then is greatly amplified by the fact that both of the phrases Reshith Chokmah and its English transaltion "Beginning of Wisdom" are found in one and only one Book of the Bible which "just happens" to be Proverbs, the Twentieth Book which corresponds to Resh! This is one of the most stunning Alphabetic KeyLinks to be found in the Bible.

This verse integrates with the traditional understanding of the name of Resh, which means "head", "first", or "chief." It is particularly striking that this verse is found in Psalm 111, since 111 is the value of word Aleph, found at the Beginning of the Alphabet. The significance of this relation is greatly amplified when we calculate the Ordinal Value of the phrase used in this verse:

This verse is part of the profound nexus that gave rise to the ancient tradition that identifies Rashith with Wisdom, so Genesis 1.1 is understood as signifying "With Wisdom God created the heaven and the earth." This understanding is amplified by such verses as Jeremiah 10.12:

He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

The miracle of God then leaps forth when we recall the fundamental identity:

Sum of Genesis 1.1 = 2701 = 37 x 73 = Sum(73) = Sum(Wisdom)

Where Sum(n) signifies the sum of all numbers from 1 to n, i.e. the n^th Triangular Number. Thus, Genesis 1.1 is truly the Sum of Wisdom! There is much to ponder here.

Shin (21): a good understanding have all they that do his commandments:
 

This verse opens with שכל (sekel, insight/understanding). I believe it is the root of the English "skill."

Tav (22): his praise endureth for ever.
 

This last clause uses the fundamental Tav KeyWord (Tahilah, Praise). God used this word in Psalm 145. This verse speaks of the consummation of Creation when all creatures will sing God's praise. Tehillah (Praise!) governs the overall structure of Scripture in the form of the Menorah, which is just another representation of the geometric Capstone of Scripture, the Bible Wheel.

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