Week 3 Blog.
In reading the Bay Psalm Book's Psalm 2 I would credit the differences from the original to the historical context of dealing with the Native Americans. The first difference that stood out to me was the repeated use of the word "Heathen". It is changed in the first line and is capitalized which makes it stand out even more. It is repeated again, later in the Psalm. I think that the use of "Heathen" would make people of 1640 think of Native Americans right away. The Psalm also sets up a separation between the "Heathens" and the others talked about in the Psalm. Then it continues to talk about how God will give the land of the "Heathens" to the settlers. I believe the changes in the Psalm are meant to help the settlers justify the taking of the Native Americans land. There are repeated statements of God giving the settlers right to the land because the "Heathens" do not believe in God. I do not think there is any other way that the settlers of 1640 could have interpreted this poem. This follows the argument that many settlers did use: that the natives were savage, non-religious, "heathens" who were being helped by the settlers and the settlers needed to provide them examples of civilized behavior and lifestyles.