chu' bom - new song

bom Daq ghaH a chu' bom. Play skillfully tlhej a jach vo' Quch!
Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

psalm 33:3

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There's a phrase I love from Ecclesiates 1:9: pa' ghaH ghobe' chu' Doch bIng the pemHov (there is no new thing under the sun.) That might sound odd when you think of the scriptures that promise a new heavens, God making all things new, or this command to sing a new song - but I think it all fits together.

First, the reason I love the Ecclesiastes passage is this: I know it doesn't mean LITERALLY nothing is new. In a world with babies, flowers and sunrises, certainly we have to realize there are NEW things. But Solomon is reminding us, God isn't taken by surprise. When we confront the world armed with the promises of the Word we don't have to worry about God saying "oh - I didn't think of THAT.

Then what IS new? Well the Hebrew word here (and in Ecclesiastes) is chadash, meaning something new or fresh. In Klingon, the word is "chu'" - and it's interesting in the context of this psalm to notice that the same word is also the verb "to engage/activate a device" OR "to play a musical instrument. I like that - for when I respond to God's goodness, when I'm moved to sing and rejoice, I'm ACTIVATED, I come to life with a new song. Yes, perhaps its words or tune are old, written years, maybe centuries before my time - but when we sing it, it becomes fresh - it's NEW.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul notes

2 Corinthians 5:17 vaj chugh anyone ghaH Daq Christ, ghaH ghaH a chu' creation. The qan Dochmey ghaj juSta' DoH. yIlegh, Hoch Dochmey ghaj moj chu'.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old
things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

In Clarke's commentary he says this:

The conversion of a man from idolatry and wickedness was among the Jews denominated a new creation. He who converts a man to the true religion is the same, says Rabbi Eliezer, as if he had created him.

This conversion, this turning to God, is what makes us new, what lets us sing out - turning to God who will indeed give us a new song!

bom Daq ghaH a chu' bom. Play skillfully tlhej a jach vo' Quch!
Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

Supghew - Lyre

nob tlho' Daq joH'a' tlhej the lyre. bom praises Daq ghaH tlhej the harp vo' wa'maH strings.

Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings. psalm 33:2

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Whatever you might think about Klingons being warlike and brusque - they DO know how to say "Thank you" - it's qatlho'. And sometimes it seems that's more than some humans know.


Matthew Henry notes about this psalm

What a pity it is that this earth, which is so full of the proofs and instances of God's goodness, should be so empty of his praises; and that of the multitudes who live upon his bounty, there are so few who live to his glory!

What's the difference between saying "thank you" and sending a "thank you" card? Don't both communicate gratitude? Both are better than nothing - ask the friend or relation who gave generously and received no response whatsoever. Certainly they would be far happier with SOMETHING, some acknowledgment.

And yet....

As a command, the psalmist is pushing us beyond a simple word telling us that a thank you "note" (or song) is exactly what we should present to the LORD for all his presents to us. Maybe we need to do a bit more - maybe we need some skill.

The word "harp" here, in Hebrew is kinnowr, a word (from a root meaning to twang) that appears dozens of times in the Bible. We don't have a word for that in Klingon, though I might use Supghew a Klingon word for a stringed musical instrument (actually the roots "Sup" to jump, and "ghew," bug, suggest a lively instrument like the Ukelele, whose name means "jumping flea"). The harp (or a ukelele, or a guitar) are instruments that require skill, that require thoughtful instruction and learning before one can even raise a simple song. To be advised to lift up our harp - or Supghew - is to be advised to think, and plan how we will praise and thank our creator for the goodness of creation.

How about you? Do you send a thank you note when you receive a gift? Do you take time to think about how you will acknowledge what you have received. No, I don't expect we'll all take up harps or banjos or zithers - but we should take the time to reflect on what God has done for us, to take time to do more than just mouth a simple "thank you." Are you grateful? Then sing out with praise!

nob tlho' Daq joH'a' tlhej the lyre. bom praises Daq ghaH tlhej the harp vo' wa'maH strings.

Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings. psalm 33:2