Bay psalm book psalm 2

It was prepared by puritan leaders of the massachusetts bay colony. Two centuries later, american printer isaiah thomas would remark that the bay psalm book abounds with typographical errors. Muse vain things people do 2 kings of the earth do set. Psalm 23 bay psalm book scriptures good books free. Muse vain things people do 2 kings of the earth do set themselves, princes consult also. The bay psalm book, as this work is commonly known, is the first book printed in british north america. Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book reformed theology at. Psalm 2 kjv why do the heathen rage, and the people.

One of the greatest artifacts of american history, the whole booke of psalmes, commonly known as the bay psalm book, will be auctioned at 7pm on the 26th day of this month at sothebys in new york. A committee of thirty learned elders, including john cotton, richard mather, and john eliot, set about the task of creating a new translation of the 150 hebrew psalms into english and casting the text into verse for singing. Printed in cambridge, massachusetts, on a press set up by stephen day, it included a dissertation on the lawfulness and. The bay psalm book, as it has come to be known, consists of a substantial introduction summarizing the creators philosophy and intentions, followed by translations of the psalms rendered into meter, enabling them to be sung to wellknown tunes of the day. Bay psalm book the earliest book known to have been printed in english in the british north american colonies. A literal translation of the psalms into verse suitable for singing. The bay psalm book common metre tunes 1 why rage the heathen furiously. Second, it uses two rather obscure hebrew terms in the superscriptions of almost half of these psalms.

The first edition of the bay psalm book to include music was the ninth edition, of 1698, which included tunes from john playfords a breefe introduction to the skill of musick london, 1654. A committee of thirty learned elders, including john cotton, richard mather, and john eliot, set about the task of creating a new translation of the 150 hebrew psalms into. It was probably preceded by a small singlesheet production known as the oath of a freeman, of which no copy is extant. Old hundred from the bay psalm book 1640 margaret dodd. The original calf binding, with traces of two clasps, is present. Bay psalm book, 1640, perhaps the oldest book now in existence that was published in british north america. The bay psalm book was initiated as an attempt to be a faithful translation liberated from poetic dilution, however it did not focus on improving the singing of the congregation.

The bay psalm book sale view auction details, bid, buy and. Today, only eleven copies are still in existence and fetch as much as fourteen million dollars at auction, making it also the most expensive book in the world. The main thing you need to know right now about the bay psalm book is that a copy of it is up for public sale for the first time since 1947. A work written specifically for boys voices by featuring an extended alto range, bay psalm 23 offers cascading melodic lines and comforting harmonies that will delight audiences and performers alike. A london printer, stephen daye, came with the press and established a printing office in cambridge. Billionaire david rubenstein buys colonial bay psalm book. No new nation was ever created as deliberately or as fast as the nation established between 1630 and 1640 by a wave of settlers who selfconsciously established a new england with a distinctive and highly developed intellectual purpose, carried out by a public school system, a national. Bay psalm book offers valuable insight into how colonial divines shaped.

Compiled by john eliot, richard mather, and thomas weld, and printed by stephen day at cambridge, massachusetts in 1640, it was intended to give a more literal translation of the hebrew psalms than that of the king james version. Psalm 2, bay psalm book music for the church of god. Maskil, which may be related to contemplation, is translated contemplative poem. The bay psalm book, in its later editions with the addition of tunes, gave rise to the issue of participation in church singing, which in turn allowed harvardtrained reformers to step in and. The bay psalm book began as a liturgical project meant to galvanize the pastoral ministry of a new colony. Principally written by john eliot, thomas welde, and richard mather, these psalms transitioned from a literal translation to a more aesthetically pleasing metered version. Originally published in 1640 as the whole booke of psalmes faithfully translated into english metre. The crowningshieldstevensbrinleyvanderbiltwhitney copy. Heath anthology of american literaturethe bay psalm book. Chapter 2 examines a selection of these, ranging from the plain style of george wither, whose bid to supplant sternhold and hopkins ran afoul of the stationers monopoly, and the even more prosaic bay psalm book 1640, whose principal concern was wordforword faithfulness to the hebrew text, to the more literary work of george sandys, who wrote for private devotion rather than. The evocative language of purity of course encoded beliefs about specific.

Bay psalm book last updated march 14, 2020 title page of the copy of the bay psalm book held by the beinecke rare book and manuscript library. The congregationalist puritans who emigrated to massachusetts bay in search of religious freedom quickly set about to translate and produce a version of the book of psalms that was a. The reverend jesse glover imported the first printing press to the massachusetts bay colony in 1638, some 18 years after the first english settlers landed at plymouth rock. Richard mather and a group of his fellow new england clergy transcribed biblical psalms into metered verse. But he upon jehovahs law doth set his whole delight. The 6by5inch hymnal books estimated value was raised by 10 million dollars since the end of last year when we first ran a feature on the sale. As the first printed book in america, the bay psalm book was an early harbinger of american independence. The 23 rd psalm of the bay psalm book is filled with broken syntax, as even the most rudimentary rules of english grammar are cast aside to accommodate the true and proper sense of davids words in the hebrew verses introduction, bay psalm book. Rarest american book at auction fine books and collections. It was the first book printed in british north america. The preface to the bay psalm book is a remarkable statement of. Bay psalm 23, the first work in the bay psalms set, is a delicate reflection on one of the most beloved psalms of all time coupled with a repeating mantra of the word alleluia. The library of congress copy of the bay psalm book and david m.

The reign of the lords anointed like many psalms, the theme of psalm 2 is emphasized in the final verse. Book 2 psalms 4272 bible commentary theology of work. Adopted by nearly every congregation in the massachusetts bay colony, a revised and enlarged edition. The translations are not particularly polished, and not one has remained in use, although some of the tunes to which they were sung have survived for instance, old 100th. The bay psalm book with images psalms, books, jehovah. Printing the bay psalm book in 1640 required importing the tools and. New york, 12 april 20 on 26 november 20, sothebys new york will auction one of the finest surviving copies of the bay psalm book the first book printed in what is now the united states of america.

Join david redden director, special projects, and selby kiffer senior specialist, special. Study guide for psalm 2 by david guzik blue letter bible. The bay psalm book is a very important piece of history. The first book written and printed in the new world, the bay psalm book holds a unique place in our cultural and religious history. The crowningshieldstevensbrinleyvanderbiltwhitney copy of the bay psalm book. Bay psalm book wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Misalliance of theory and practice or parable of the bay psalm book. The pierpont morgan library, new york in the case of six psalms51, 85, 100, 117, 3, 8the massachusetts bay translators provided versions in both long and common meters, introducing the alternative. The bay psalm book was the collaborative project of over twelve leading puritan divines and the first publishing venture of the massachusetts colony. The bay psalm book and early moments in american printing will open thursday, june 4, and will close on saturday, jan. The exhibition will be free and open to the public from 8. Book two this second book of psalms psalms 4272 has a few unique features.

The bay psalm book is a metrical psalter, first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. Bay psalm book article about bay psalm book by the free. The first stanza, which corresponds to verses 1 and 2a of the psalm, reads. Preface to the 1640 bay psalm book the singing of psalms, though it breath forth nothing but holy harmony, and melody.

The bay psalm book, printed in cambridge, massachusetts, by stephen daye in 1640, was the first book printed by the newly established cambridge press. Titlepage of a 1633 edition of thomas ravenscrofts psalter, the tunes of which are referenced by the translators of the bay psalm book. The 1700 copies of the first edition provided puritans with a plain and familiar translation designed to represent more faithfully the hebrew psalms than did the version used by the. Yea though in valley of deaths shade i walk none ill ill fear.

First, it is the only book of the five that contains psalms ascribed to the sons of korah, a group of levite temple singers. Stark old colonial american version of psalm 100, from the massachusetts bay colony bay psalm book of 1640. Authority psalm 8 business ethics psalms 15, 24, 34 trusting god in the face of institutional pressure psalm 20 gods presence in our struggles at work psalm 23 gods guidance in our work psalm 25 book 2 psalms 4272 gods presence in the midst of disaster psalm 46 anxiety when unscrupulous people succeed psalms 49, 50. The bay psalm book was the first book to be printed in north america, twenty years after the arrival of the pilgrims in massachusetts. The bay psalm book is a metrical psalter first printed in 1640 in cambridge, massachusetts. Psalm 2 niv bible why do the nations conspireand the. The singing of psalmes, though it breath forth nothing but holy harmony, and melody.