Standeth in the way of Sinners: Commentary on Psalm 1:1

standeth      

The Hebrew verb translated “standeth” (עָמָ֑ד) is a Qal perfect from a root meaning “to stand,”¹⁾Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldean Lexicon of the Old Testament Scriptures, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. (Grand Rapids, MI: 1957), p. 637 a term occurring over five hundred times with considerable contextual flexibility. The Peshitta renders the phrase as “abide by the council of sinners,”²⁾The Holy Bible From Ancient Eastern Manuscripts Containing the Old and the New Testament Translated from the Peshitta, the Authorized Bible of the Church of the East, by George M. Lamza, A. J. Holman Company (Philadelphia: 1933, 1957), p. 589 while later Hebrew usage can convey the nuance “to insist upon,”³⁾Marcus Jastrow, A Dictionary of the Targumim, The Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature, Judaica Press, Inc. (New York, NY: 1971, 1996), p. 1086 expressed idiomatically as “to take one’s stand” or to maintain “a standing attitude.”⁴⁾Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, C.A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, (Claredon Press: Oxford, 1980), p. 763 Ray Stedman captures this ethical contrast when he observes, “the wicked stand for the things of the world; the righteous take a stand for God.”⁵⁾Ray C. Stedman, Psalms: Folk songs of Faith, Discovery House Publishers (Grand Rapids, MI: 2006), p. 22

A literal rendering would read, “And in the way of sinners—do not stand.” The wicked choose to stand with, and thus align themselves to, the path of sinners, whereas the blessed man refuses such association. When “stand” is paired with the preposition “before” (לִפְנֵ֖י), it frequently denotes service.

Servants of Yahweh “stand before him” as an expression of dedication, allegiance, and servitude. This terminology is used of priests (e.g. Ezk 44:15), and particularly of genuine believers during the period of Israel’s decline and apostasy (Elijah, I Kgs 17:1; 18:15; Elisha, II Kgs 3:14; and Gehazi, [with reluctance], II Kgs 5:16).

   As Joseph stood before Pharaoh (Gen 41:46), David before Saul (I Sam 16:21), Abishag and Bathsheba before David (I Kgs 1:2, 28), and Nebuzardan before Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 52:12); so the believer stands before Yahweh of a position of obedience, respect, and readiness to serve.⁶⁾Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke) Moody Press (Chicago, IL 1980), Vol. 2, p. 674

In this passage, the Psalmist likely envisions a posture of service or attentive alignment to sinners. In 2 Enoch, Methuselah “began to stand at the altar in front of the face of the LORD… having thoroughly taught all the earth and all his own people” (2 Enoch 70:1),⁷⁾The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Ed. James H. Charlesworth) Doubleday (New York, NY: 1983), Vol. 1, p. 200 indicating priestly service and instruction. Standing also conveys reverence. Edersheim notes that in first–century synagogues, “Those who are to read the Law will stand, while he who is to preach or deliver an address will sit.”⁸⁾Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Macdonald Publishing Co. (Mclean, VA: 1883, 1886), Vol. 1, p. 436 This posture reflects respect for Scripture and readiness to obey.

Standing may further contrast with movement—standing still signifies attentiveness. Wisdom “standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths” (Prov. 8:2), calling the simple to understanding (Prov. 8:1–5). Standing in the way thus places one where travelers may stop to listen and learn. To “stand still” is to wait in attentive listening (Job 32:16). God commanded Israel to return to the ancestral laws and “stand” in them (Jer. 6:15–22), but they refused. Jeremiah 6:16 presents this in a chiastic structure:

a) Thus saith the Lord,

                b) Stand ye in the ways,

c) and see,

d) and ask for the old paths,

                     d’) where is the good way,

               c’)  and walk therein,

         b’)  and ye shall find rest for your souls.

a) But they said, We will not walk therein.

They were expected to stand still to learn the covenant obligations and then to walk in obedience.

Standing can also imply observing or receiving instruction. As noted above, “standing before” connotes serving, and service presupposes learning. In Jeremiah 48, Moab’s inability to “stand” reflects its helplessness before judgment (Jer. 48:9). The inhabitants of Aroer “stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth” (Jer. 48:19), seeking to learn the cause of Moab’s devastation. Psalm 1’s progression—walking, standing, sitting—likely illustrates a pedagogical descent: “walking” suggests initial association, “standing” indicates receiving instruction, while “sitting,” as will be shown, reflects assuming the role of a teacher. Thus the unblessed man gradually becomes the scoffer who instructs others to scoff.

To “stand still” parallels “hearken” (Job 37:14), emphasizing attentive listening. In Nehemiah’s day the people stood to receive instruction (Neh. 8:5, 7; 9:2). Moses sat to judge while the people stood (Exod. 18:13); the manslayer was to “stand before the congregation” for judgment (Josh. 20:9). Absalom stood at the gate seeking to be appointed judge (2 Sam. 15:2), and judgment itself functioned pedagogically (Ezra 7:25). People stood to receive God’s commandments (Lev. 9:5–6) and to learn them in order to teach their children (Deut. 4:10). Crowds stood to hear Jesus teach (Matt. 13:2). The common posture for teachers was sitting, while disciples stood; Hellenistic practice reversed this, with the teacher standing—a model Paul followed among the Gentiles (Acts 13:16; 17:22; 27:21).

The Lord desires His people to learn His way: “Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way” (Ps. 25:8–9). His law is synonymous with wisdom and preserves the believer’s steps (Ps. 37:30–31). While God seeks to instruct sinners in His way, “wickedness overthroweth the sinner” (Prov. 13:6). Remaining separate from such wickedness is essential. As James affirms, “he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:20).

the way

The Hebrew text begins the clause with וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ, “and in the way.” Although the definite article is grammatically absent, it is implied because the noun appears in the singular construct. The term דֶּרֶךְ is exceedingly common, occurring 626 times. Its basic sense includes “way, road, distance, journey, manner,”⁹⁾Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, C.A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, (Claredon Press: Oxford, 1980, p. 202 or, as Gesenius explains, “mode, course, in which one goes, or which one follows.”¹⁰⁾Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament Scriptures, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. (Grand Rapids, MI: 1957), p. 208 Thus, by refusing to stand “in the way of sinners,” the blessed man declines to adopt their manner of living or their posture of scorning. The fool’s way is “right in his own eyes” (Prov. 12:15), only because he neglects to meditate upon the law of the LORD.

When דֶּרֶךְ is prefixed with the preposition בְּ (“in”), it frequently denotes following or imitating another’s course of life (1 Kgs. 16:26; 22:43; 2 Kgs. 22:2; 2 Chr. 17:3; 21:12; 22:3; Isa. 8:11). Herbert Wolf notes its particular relevance to Psalm 1: “even after the giving of the law, Israel quickly deviated from the way of the Lord (Duet 9:16) though they were assured that their ways would not be successful (Duet 28:29).”¹¹⁾Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke) Moody Press (Chicago, IL 1980), Vol. 1, p. 197 Meditation upon the law produces a fruitful and prosperous life, but standing in the path of sinners ultimately leads to destruction (Ps. 1:6). Fathers were therefore expected to instruct their sons in the proper way of life: “My son, be mindful of the Lord our God all thy days, and let not thy will be set to sin, or to transgress his commandments: do uprightly all thy life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteousness.”¹²⁾Tobit 4:5; The Apocrypha (Ed. Manuel Komroff), Barnes & Noble Books (New York, NY: 1992), p. 79

Jeremiah defines “way” as synonymous with “doings”: “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer. 17:10; cf. 4:18; 7:3, 5; 18:11; 23:22; 25:5; 26:3, 13; 32:19; 35:15). Ezekiel likewise uses this synonym (Ezek. 14:22–23; 20:43–44; 24:14; 36:17, 19, 31), as do Hosea (Hos. 4:9; 12:2) and Zechariah (Zech. 1:4, 6). The earliest canonical example prior to Psalm 1 is Judges 2:19. Jeremiah 17:10 also parallels Psalm 1 by bringing together the “heart” (cf. Ps. 1:2), “way,” and “fruit” (cf. Ps. 1:3)—effectively functioning as a prophetic commentary on the blessed man. Prophets were entrusted with directing the people in “the way” they should go (1 Sam. 9:6, 8), yet Israel’s sin nature repeatedly drove them from that path (Exod. 32:8).

The “way” to the tree of life was barred because of human sin (Gen. 3:24). God destroyed the earth with a flood because “the way” of man had become corrupt (Gen. 6:12), with only Noah found to “walk with God” (Gen. 6:9). Following the way of sin has therefore been disastrous throughout history. To “go the way of all the earth” meant to die (1 Kgs. 2:2), the inevitable consequence of sin (Rom. 6:23). David’s final charge to Solomon defines walking in God’s way as keeping His commandments: “keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: that the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel” (1 Kings 2:3-4). Tragically, Solomon later departed from this counsel.

Job speaks of sinners who reject God’s way: “Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?” (Job 21:14–16). Isaiah records the same arrogant sentiment, expressed even more audaciously by those who claim to be holier than others (Isa. 65:5). While sinners question whether it profits a man to walk in God’s way, the Psalmist asserts confidently that it will lead to prosperity (Ps. 1:3; cf. 85:12–13).

way of sinners

The Hebrew term rendered “sinners,” חַטָּאִים, is a masculine plural adjective. In its adjectival plural form it designates “sinful men,”¹³⁾Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, C.A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, (Claredon Press: Oxford, 1980), p. 308 as reflected in its usage in Numbers 32:14. The form characterizes individuals whose conduct is so consistently sinful that it becomes their defining trait. James Murphy observes that “the degesh denotes the intensity of habit.”¹⁴⁾James G. Murphy, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms with a New Translation, James Family Publishing (Minneapolis, MN: 1977 [originally published by Warren Draper, Andover:1876]), p. 56 This is highlighting the entrenched nature of their behavior. Albert Barnes offers further clarification:

Of sinners – חטאים chaṭṭâ’iym This word means literally, those who miss the mark; then, those who err from the path of duty or rectitude. It is often used to denote any kind or degree of sin. It is more specific than the former word rendered “ungodly,” as denoting those who depart from the path of duty; who fail in regard to the great end of life; who violate positive and known obligations.¹⁵⁾Albert Barnes, Albret Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible, Psalm 1:1; https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/psalms-1.html

As a verb, the term conveys the idea of “miss (a goal or way), go wrong, sin[.]”¹⁶⁾Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, C.A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, (Claredon Press: Oxford, 1980), p. 306 These “sinful men” have missed the proper path of life and have chosen instead to pursue the way of wickedness. Their direction is shaped by the counsel of the ungodly, in contrast to the blessed man who delights in the law of the LORD (Ps. 1:2). Scripture speaks of “the right ways of the Lord,” which some attempt to pervert (Acts 13:8, 10).

The LORD instructs His people in the way that leads to profit (Isa. 48:17; Ps. 1:3). Keeping His ways brings blessing (Prov. 8:32; Ps. 1:2–3). By contrast, violent men entice others to follow a path that brings ruin (Prov. 16:29; Ps. 1:1), and the ultimate end of man’s own way is death (Prov. 16:25; Ps. 1:6). Thus the warning of Proverbs 4:14–15 is urgent: “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” Nevertheless, Scripture testifies to humanity’s universal failure: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isa. 53:6).

The Dead Sea Scrolls also address the danger of following the way of sinners:

And every man has done that which seemed right in his eyes and has chosen the stubbornness of his heart. They have not kept apart from the people (MS. B: and their sin) and have willfully rebelled by walking in the way of the wicked of whom God said, Their wine is the venom of serpents, the cruel poison (or head) of asps (Deut. Xxxii, 33). (CD 8.7-9)¹⁷⁾The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English (Trans. Geza Vermes), Penguin Classics (London, England: 1962, 2004, p. 135-136

Commenting on this passage, Michael Fishbane identifies the density of biblical allusions and notes its conceptual affinity to Psalm 1:

There is nothing complicated about this rebuke: it is manifestly unified in both theme and concern. No complicated or ironic clash of images is found. Nevertheless, through its composite of textual allusions, a sharper charge is generated. For one thing, the imagery of doing what is ‘right in one’s eyes’ is standard Deuteronomic language for religious anarchy (cf. Deut 12:8; Judg 21:25), just as stubbornness of heart is a recurrent expression which conveys a censure of personal will and divine disregard (Deut 29:18; Jer 9:13). Then, too, the language of withdrawing (נזרו) is used technically of removal from Israelite holiness (Lev 22:2) or towards pagan activity (Hos 9:10), and the choice of the verb פשע to express rebellion and the image יד רמה to convey (highhanded) intention, respectively convey the rebellion at Sinai (Ex 32:25). Finally, the image of going in the way of the wicked recalls the idiom of Ps 1:1, where such sinners are juxtaposed to those who follow the Torah.¹⁸⁾Michael Fishbane, “Use, Authority  and Interpretation of Mikra at Qumran,” in Mikra: Text, Translation, Reading & Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism & Early Christianity (Ed. Martin Jan Mulder, Harry Sysling), Baker Academic (Grand Rapid, MI: 2004), p. 357