PSALMS BY THE DAY
A New Devotional Translation
By Alec Motyer
Christian Focus. 422 pages. £16.99
ISBN 978 1 781 917 169
Psalms By The Day is a 73-day reading plan of the Book of Psalms. So sometimes there is a cluster of Psalms for the day or a Psalm per day and then for Psalm 119 we have a week to go through it.
The format for each day is a Psalm translated by Alec Motyer. I found this very helpful because it was done giving a more literal translation of the Hebrew. So while it sometimes makes for awkward English it does give a richer meaning to the Psalm. You wouldn’t particularly want everyone playing around with the text. However, Alec is a Hebrew scholar and has a love and respect for God’s Word, so we can have confidence in what he has done.
Alongside each Psalm are occasional notes. These are linked by numbers in the Psalm. They do give some fascinating insights to the Hebrew. I found the notes the most annoying part of the book, not because of their content, but because they are often on a different page to the Psalm you are reading.
At the end of each day’s reading there is a page headed ‘Pause for Thought’. This shows the relationship between the Psalms you have just read. So it does what it says and gives a thought for the day from the Psalm.
I have found using Psalms By The Day over the last six weeks an enriching and heartwarming experience. It has made me think and given me some golden insights into the Psalms. With Psalm 23, the most popular Psalm of all, Alec gives an excellent outline: ‘The Shepherd. The Companion. The Host.’ Brilliant! There were other wonderful moments when the Psalms came alive.
It is not an easy read, but well worth the effort and spiritually renewing.
