Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou
art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
The traditional number of Psalms is placed at 150, but it is recognized
that over the centuries some Psalms were broken into two or more
separate ones while two or more originally independent songs were
made into a single Psalm. Therefore, it’s easy to imagine
that the original number of Psalms, given by God to David, was perhaps
a total divisible by 19.
Since we know that the Psalms come from God, it’s not surprising
that much contained therein is similar to the Quran. Even the titles
of the Psalms remind us of the basic tenets of the one true religion:
True Happiness (1), Joyful Confidence in God (4), Prayer for Guidance
and Help (25), Security under God’s Protection (91), The Greatness
and Goodness of the True God (115), and several which mention Trust
in God (3, 27, 56, 146, et. al.).
I’d like to offer a few interesting comparisons:
Psalm 7, verse 2: O Lord, my God,
in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me.
Quran 113:1-5: Say, “I
seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak. From the evils among His creations.
From the evils of darkness as it falls. From the evils of the troublemakers.
From the evils of the envious when they envy.” (also Sura
114, 7:200, 11:47, 23:97-8 and many others)
Psalm 33, verses 8-12: Let all the
earth fear the Lord; let all who dwell in the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood forth.
The Lord brings to naught the plans of nations; he foils the designs
of peoples. But the plan of the Lord stands forever; the design
of his heart, through all generations.
Quran 8:30: The disbelievers
plot and scheme to neutralize you, or kill you, or banish you. However,
they plot and scheme, but so does God. And God is the best schemer.
Quran 2:117: The Initiator of
the heavens and the earth: to have anything done, He simply says
to it, “Be,” and it is.
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Psalm 49, entitled
The Vanity of Worldly Riches, verses 7-10: They
trust in their wealth; the abundance of their riches is their boast.
Yet in no way can a man redeem himself, or pay his own ransom to
God; Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would
never have enough to remain alive always and not see destruction.
Quran 5:36: Certainly, those
who disbelieved, if they possessed everything on earth, even twice
as much, and offered it as ransom to spare them the retribution
on the Day of Resurrection, it would not be accepted from them,
they have incurred a painful retribution. (also 3:91, 6:70, 57:15,
70:10-14)
Quran 3:77: As for those who
trade away God’s covenant, and their obligations for a cheap
price, they receive no share in the Hereafter. God will not speak
to them, nor look at them, on the Day of Resurrection, nor will
He purify them. They have incurred a painful retribution.
Quran 57:20: Know that this
worldly life is no more than play and games, and boasting among
you, and hoarding of money and children….This worldly life
is no more than a temporary illusion. (also 2:212, 11:15, 29:64
and many others)
Psalm 115, verses 4-7: Their idols
are silver and gold, the handiwork of men. They have mouths but
speak not; they have eyes but see not; they have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not; they have hands but feel not; they
have feet but walk not; they utter no sound from their throat.
Quran 37:91-96: He then turned
on their idols, saying, “Would you like to eat? Why do you
not speak?” He then destroyed them. They went to him in a
great rage. He said, “How can you worship what you carve?
When God has created you, and everything you make!” (the same
story in 21:52-67, including the people admitting “You know
full well that these cannot speak.”)
Quran 21:105: We have decreed
in the Psalms, as well as in other scriptures, that the earth shall
be inherited by My righteous worshipers. Indeed, it does say this
in the Psalms, such as 37:29 The just shall possess the land and
dwell in it forever.
In Psalm 136 every other line is:
for his mercy endures forever. Verses 4-9:
Who alone does great wonders,
for his mercy endures forever;
Who made the heavens in wisdom,
for his mercy endures forever;
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