Psalm 100:3 - In Depth

“Teacher, teach us the Bible from your old book – we learn more from your old Bible.” So I was told, years ago, by a group of Vietnamese students. They had another foreign teacher, but he used the New International Version (NIV) and the Vietnamese detected it was shallow and dull.

They relished my KJB (the ‘old’ one), even though it was initially more difficult to read. Fast forward to today: I’m again preparing a sermon for the Vietnamese from a previously selected text: Psalm 100:3.

Now, I ask you, kind reader, to open your Bible and read all of Psalm 100, especially noticing verse 3. Then, I hope to encourage you to actually study (not merely read) the Psalm by applying the principles of Early Modern English grammar. Many of these principles have been discussed on this blog site, so it shouldn’t be too intimidating (!) Perhaps as I share my study and the resulting vivid revelation of this one verse (100:3), you will also appreciate the fruit of

studying a text by incorporating the grammar.

Know Ye

Know ye - this Psalm ‘fronts’ the main verb. ‘Know’ (v. 3), ‘Make’ (v. 1); ‘Serve’ (v. 2); and ‘Enter’ (v. 4) are the actions, and the actions are the first words of each sentence. Fronting the verbs, which is common in Early Modern English but not as common in today’s English, provides impact, punch. Leading a sentence or clause this way makes it clear and powerful.

Not only is ‘know’ front and center, the actual phrase is know ye. Ah, the ‘ye,’ that is supposedly archaic. In fact, ye is a valid personal pronoun. And not just a pronoun, it represents a group of people – plural, more than one. And, not only is it a plural pronoun, it is also a subjective case pronoun. That is, it (ye) tells us this group of people are responsible for the verb. They own it; they are the actors.

Know ye emphasizes the importance of knowing these facts, and it assigns the gaining of this knowledge, that is to say, the work of knowing, to the reader. So we see, in the very beginning, what’s important and who has the assignment. Contrariwise, if the phrase were stated something like know you, then that group of people would not be responsible, they would not own the verb – for, you is an object pronoun. And again, if there were no pronoun stated (neither a ye nor a you), and the phrase went something like ‘Know that the LORD....’ (As it is in the ESV and the NIV), then we wouldn’t be sure of the assignment, we wouldn’t know with any certainty who the actor is. It would be

ambiguous.

Hath Made Us

Hath made us - Wow! This is fantastic clarity! Hath made are verbs of the present perfect tense. (Stay with me now, don’t roll your eyes and dismiss this!) Hath (have-eth) is a helping verb. It is contracted to hath but retains the ‘third person, eth’ characteristic. (If it were hast - have-est, it would be in the second person – but I bunny-trail! )

Psalm 100:3 - In Depth

Made (from the infinitive to make) is a past tense verb; but when coupled with a present tense helping verb, it forms the present perfect tense. So what! I can hear you say!

Continue. If the verb were only in the simple past tense (made without an auxiliary verb), then the action would both start and finish in the past. It’s done; it’s in the mirror; it’s old news. An example is found in Hebrews 1:1: “God, who at sundry times and divers manners spake in time past...”

Spake - past simple tense. God once communicated this way, but that’s past, it’s over and done; now, God speaks unto us by his Son.

Back to Psalm 100:3: hath made is the present perfect tense; that is, there was a past action, but it continues to be relevant at the time of the writing. It started back then, but its effects continue to be felt today! This is doctrine! Deists and Theistic Evolutionists would surely prefer the simple past form (He made us... but now he’s not concerned, nor are the affects continuing to this present day.)

But he hath made us - God, who truly created all, is surely ‘tuned in’ to

his creatures and is presently concerned for their welfare. To complete our example text from Hebrews 1: hath...spoken unto us by his Son. This (hath

spoken) is the present perfect case: an action of the past that is still relevant today! This is doctrine! (As an aside, this is the greatest Dispensational Truth.)

Not We Ourselves

Not we ourselves - we ourselves (totally butchered in modern versions!) is an Intensive Pronoun case. We followed immediately by ourselves. We ourselves. When you wish to highlight or emphasize (or intensify) another pronoun, you couple it with ourselves, or myself, or

himself, and so on. Paul frequently used this style : “... when I have preached to others,

I myself should be a castaway” - 1 Cor. 9:27. He could have written ‘I should be a castaway’ but the adding of myself reveals his intense passion. It’s more vivid!

Back to Psalm 100:3 - not we ourselves strongly, passionately, states that we are NOT self-made.

Sheep of His Pasture

We are.... the sheep of his pasture - This is a metaphor, a figure of speech. A metaphor provides a vivid and detailed image of one thing by comparing it to another thing. (Typically the verb ‘to be’ is used: is, are, was, am, and so on.) Jesus used metaphors to paint a clearer picture of spiritual things: “I am the bread of life” - John 6:35; “I am the good shepherd” - John 10:14. Actually the Bible is replete with metaphors and similes (as, like). It also has one notable allegory (Galatians 4).

Can you appreciate the imagery God is painting for you? Consider this: with a metaphor, the revelation (we being his people) is much clearer and personally significant. Now, as sheep, I can picture that! It’s so rich.

Author’s note: it has been erroneously reported that I am an expert in English grammar – I am not. I am a student of the word, and I realize that I am (we are) only scratching the surface of this awesome revelation. And, for your profit, may I suggest that you also approach the word with the same attitude: read it, rather study it, with a deeper understanding of the language.

Psalm 100:3 - In Depth

And couple this knowledge with faith - God does indeed communicate through writing, that is, the Bible. Then, as this method has profited me, you will also get a deeper and more vibrant understanding of his revelation. It’s awesome!