Psalm 73:25–26

Context

The superscription of Psalm 73 reads "A Psalm of Asaph." Asaph is known as a Levite who was responsible for temple praise in the time of David. The psalm is the first in Book III of the Psalter (Psalms 73–89).

The psalmist admits that, while envying the proud and wicked who prosper and live at ease, "my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped" (v. 2). Slipping, or losing one's footing, here refers to a faltering faith. He even came to think that keeping his heart clean had been in vain (v. 13). Only when he "went into the sanctuary of God" did he understand the end of the wicked (v. 17). The sanctuary is the holy place where God is worshiped.

Verses 25–26 form the climax of the confession that follows this realization. The preceding verses say that God is continually with the psalmist and guides him (vv. 23–24), and the psalm closes with the words "it is good for me to draw near to God" (v. 28).

Interpretation

• God himself as the blessing: What the psalmist initially envied was wealth and ease. In the conclusion, however, he confesses that his relationship with God itself is the highest good. Many commentators locate the heart of the psalm in this reversal.
• Focus on "portion": "Portion" means a share allotted to someone. It renders the Hebrew ḥeleq, which some modern translations render as "share." Among the tribes of Israel, only the Levites received no allotment of land; to them God said, "I am thy part and thine inheritance" (Numbers 18:20). Because this is a psalm of Asaph, a Levite, some interpreters connect the verse with that statement.
• Trust amid weakness: Verse 26 says that even when flesh and heart "fail"—that is, when strength is exhausted and one grows weak—God is the "strength" (literally "rock") of the heart. For this reason the verse is read as a confession of faith in the face of illness, old age, and death.
• Use in the confessional tradition: Question 1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, produced alongside the Westminster Confession of Faith, addresses "the chief end of man." The latter part of this psalm is cited among its proof texts and serves as a passage that speaks of a life of enjoying God.

Debates and Issues

No notable denominational differences in the interpretation of these verses are known. Nevertheless, the following questions are discussed.

• Does it speak of hope beyond this life? In verse 24, "afterward receive me to glory," the Hebrew verb translated "receive," lāqaḥ, is also used in the accounts of God taking Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah. On this basis some interpreters read verse 24 and the "portion for ever" of verse 26 as expressing hope in fellowship with God that continues beyond death. Others take it to mean that God will restore the psalmist's honor in this world.
• Quotation out of context: Read in isolation, verses 25–26 can sound like the confession of someone who had been at peace all along. For this reason some preachers and commentators stress that the confession must be read with the recognition that it emerged only after doubt and envy. And because the psalm describes a psalmist who changes his mind after having measured blessing by prosperity, it is also cited by critics of prosperity theology.

In the Korean Church

The Korean Revised Version's rendering of verse 25, corresponding to the KJV's "Whom have I in heaven but thee?", is widely familiar to church members. Because verse 26 speaks directly of bodily weakness, the passage is often read as a word of comfort during pastoral visitation and at funeral services and memorial services.

Related Passages

• Psalm 16:5
• Numbers 18:20
• Lamentations 3:19–26
• Psalm 37:7
• Philippians 3:7–10