So often so many, in my view, interpret wrongly the phrase “the
torah of YHWH” (תוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה) in
Psalm 1. It is often taken simply to mean “the instruction of YHWH.” No one, to
my knowledge, really doubts that the word “torah” (תּוֹרָה) does in fact often simply mean
"instruction." That much is clear.
However, in Psalm 1, which sets the agenda for the whole Psalter,
should we understand “the torah of YHWH” simply to mean “the instruction of
YHWH”? I doubt it. I’ll not reproduce the argumentation of Mark D. Futato in
his excellent handbook Interpreting the Psalms, but I will provide
his conclusion, with which I joyfully concur in my inner being. He says:
So the תוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה in Psalm 1 naturally refers to the Five Books of Moses. When we combine the sense of תּוֹרָה as ‘instruction’ with תוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה as the Five Books of Moses, we conclude that the book of Psalms invites believers to meditate on the Five Books of Moses[1] as a source of instruction for experiencing the joy/blessings (v. 1) and prosperity/success (v. 3) held out in Psalm 1.
— Mark D. Futato, Interpreting the Psalms: An
Exegetical Handbook (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007), 61–62.
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