Stars & Galaxies

According to American poet David Rosenberg, Jewish tradition has long avoided direct translations, instead employing such creative approaches as "midrash," an imaginative interpretation that digs into the meaning beneath the words. Rosenberg's A Poet's Bible is a 10-year undertaking in which Rosenberg soaked in the Hebrew language and what he calls the "creative jewels" of biblical poetry, seeking a deeper connection with such Old Testament books as Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ruth, Esther, and Daniel.

Consider Rosenberg's translation of the opening verses of Psalm 19:

The universe unfolds

the vision within:

creation

stars and galaxies

the words and lines

inspired with a hand

day comes to us

with color and shape

and night listens

and what is heard

breaks through deep silence

of infinite space

the rays come to us

like words

come to everyone

human on earth

we are the subjects

of light

a community

as it hears

the right words

creating time

the space of the sky

the face of the nearest star

that beats like a heart

in the tent where it sleeps

near the earth every night

Rosenberg's A Poet's Bible won the PEN/Book-of-the-Month-Club Translation Prize in 1991, the first-ever major literary award for a biblical translation into English. Rosenberg's poetic English rendering of the original Hebrew is both inspiring and magical, drawing us ever-closer to both the original Hebrew writers and God Himself. 

As you ponder our Genesis study and move prayerfully through your week, watch for the rays that "come to us like words" and the stars that "beat like a heart." How is God speaking to you through the majesty of His creation?

Blessings on your week,

Jennie