Psalms 1:1-3Temple hymnbook (wisdom/poetry)
Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in Yahweh's law. On his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
Interpretation
Wisdom shapes a blessed that is traced in planning and improvising. Psalms 1:1-3: notice "nor" and "law". Keep blessed in what we refuse to say—let compassion set the pace.
Context
Psalms speaks here as poetry/wisdom writing, highlighting blessed. Within ch. 1, a small unit frames the emphasis. It edges toward wisdom & worship. Watch the terms “nor” and “law”.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Masoretic tradition preserves the Hebrew text, standardized c. 6th-10th centuries CE. The Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered 1947-1956) provide manuscripts 1000+ years older than medieval texts, generally confirming the Masoretic Text's reliability with only minor variations. The Septuagint (Greek translation, 3rd-2nd century BCE) offers an independent textual witness. Variations between manuscripts are typically minor: spelling differences, word order, or clarifications that do not affect the core meaning. Modern translations compare all available manuscripts to reconstruct the probably reflects the initial text text.
Sources & witness notes
MT