Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben and Jo Crick)]

On Mon 18 Aug 2003 (09:39:40 +1200), bsr15 AT cantsl.canterbury.ac.nz wrote:
> What does diaspsalma mean?

 Dear Bill,

 Jim included an inadvertent typo. The LXX has DIAYALMA (Y=Psi), and the Latin
 Vulgate has diapsalma.

 Keeping to the Musical connection, one can note that the Organ basic rank of
 pipes is called a Diapason, DIA PASWN in Greek. The "Diapason" delivers an
 even musical tone "through all [the notes]", DIA PASWN. Some other organ 
stops
 are an octave short, or supply just the otherwise absent bottom octave; so
 therefore not strictly "DIA PASWN".

 So my guess is, that Diapsalma means "an Interlude such as is used 
*throughout
 the Psalter*". The Western church's use of Antiphons is possibly a 
development
 from the diapsalma or SeLaH of the Psalter. An Antiphon is a sort of Refrain
 or congregational response repeated after each verse or group of verses 
during
 the singing or reading of the Psalms.

 My $0.02

 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick BA CF, and Mrs Joanna (Goodwin) Crick
 <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
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