Alter's Version of Psalms Compared to the Bay Psalm Book

I read Psalm 2 and Psalm 29 in the Bay Psalm Book. The language used to write the psalms found in the Bay Psalm Book is vastly different from Alter’s version of the Psalms, and the historical context affects the purpose of the psalms as time progresses.

The two translations are so different from each other. The language used is of course different because of the span of time between the publishing of each book, but even the cadence is different. The Psalms in Alter’s book flow. They are poetic and roll off the tongue. The versions found in the Bay Psalm Book are choppy and use very old English. It is more challenging to find the message in the old versions of the psalms.

So much time has passed since the first time the psalms were published that they are not as relevant to our lives as the first religious people. As time has passed the historical context has become even less important. Our world has become a secular place not as concerned about the background for understanding these psalms as they were intended to be read. The people who worshiped using the Bay Psalm Book were more concerned about the context by which these psalms were inspired. The Psalms in Alter’s book seem to be written more for enjoyment and analysis because the historical references do not mean as much as they did when the Psalms were originally penned.