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Psalms Man, God, & The Natural World Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter:Verse)

Quote #4

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. (NRSV 36:6)

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. (KJV (36:6)

It's not just God's physical powers that are naturalistic—his mind is, too. This is some straight-up simile here.

Quote #5

For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. (NRSV 37:9)

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. (NRSV 37:9)

Who owns the land? God or humans? And are we waiting for God or working for God? Yeah, Psalms raises quite a few questions.

Quote #6

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (NRSV 46:1-3)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. (KJV 46:1-3)

Wait a second—who's making the earth tremble here? We thought that was God's job, but here it sounds like God is the refuge from all that craziness. What gives?