Category: 14 – Psalms

Psalm 147 – “Hymn”

snowlikefleeceHebrew-English Text

I. Summary
Psalm 147 is a hymn which praises God for being the creator, controller, and sustainer of the world. It also praises God for helping Israel, watching over Jerusalem, and teaching Israel His commandments and statutes.

II. Photo
The psalmist praises God’s control of nature: “He sends forth His word to the earth; His command runs swiftly. He lays down snow like fleece.” (vv. 15-16)
III. Important Verses
v. 3: He heals their broken hearts, and binds up their wounds.
v. 4: He reckoned the number of the stars; to each He gave its name.
v. 11: the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, those who depend on His faithful care.
vv. 16-17: He lays down snow like fleece, scatters frost like ashes. He tosses down hail like crumbs — who can endure His icy cold?

IV. Outline
1. Superscription, call to praise
2-6. Hymnic praise
7. Summons to give thanks
8-9. Hymnic praise
10-11. Wisdom statement
12. Summons for Jerusalem to praise
13-14. Hymnic rationale
15-20b. Hymnic praise
20c. Postscript

V. Comment

To be added at a later date.

Psalm 146 – “Homiletical Hymn”

polio1Hebrew-English Content
I. Summary
Psalm 146 is a hymn that praises God for helping the underprivileged. The speaker’s message to his community is, “Do not put your faith in man; praise God because He is benevolent and helps those who need Him.”

II. Photo

The psalmist praises God for helping those with physical ailments: ” the LORD makes those who are bent stand straight” (v. 8 )
III.Important Verses
v. 2: I will praise the LORD all my life, sing hymns to my God while I exist.
vv. 3-4: Put not your trust in the great, in mortal man who cannot save. His breath departs; he returns to the dust; on that day his plans come to nothing.
vv. 8-9: The LORD restores sight to the blind; the LORD makes those who are bent stand straight; the LORD loves the righteous; The LORD watches over the stranger; He gives courage to the orphan and widow, but makes the path of the wicked tortuous.

IV. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b-2. Summons to praise (directed towards oneself)
3-4. Wisdom admonition
5. Beatitude
6-9. Hymnic praise (creation, social justice)
10ab. Wish/blessing
10c. Postscript

V. Comment
Psalm 146 is a hymn that was said by an individual to a community that surrounded him. It is in the section of psalms that begin and end with the words halelu-yah “praise the Lord” (Ps. 146-150). It contains the three major elements of the hymn genre: (1) a summons to praise (vv. 1-2), (2) praise of God because of his works/deeds/qualities (vv. 6-9), and (3) a blessing/wish (v. 10).

While most hymns begin with an exhortation for others to praise God, the summons to praise in Psalm 146 is self-directed: “Praise the LORD, O my soul!  will praise the LORD all my life, sing hymns to my God while I exist.” But, this type of self-directed summons to praise can still be found in other psalms like 103 and 104 which begin “Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

After addressing himself, the speaker addresses those around him with a wisdom statement in vv. 3-4: “Put not your trust in the great, in mortal man who cannot save. His breath departs; he returns to the dust; on that day his plans come to nothing.” For a similar homiletical wisdom admonition, see Ps. 75:5-9.

The next section (v. 5) is a beatitude that praises the righteous man’s connection to God: “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” The beatitude paves the way for a hymn which begins by praising God’s creative deeds (a common element of the hymn genre): “maker of heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever.” The speaker then praises God’s benevolence to eight categories of socially/physically underpriveleged persons: ‘ashuqim “those who are wronged,” re’evim “the hungry,” ‘asurim “the prisoners,” ‘iwrim “the blind,” kefufim “the bent,” gerim “the stranger,” yatom “the orphan” and the ‘almanah “widow.” While there are many parallels for each section of the hymn, there is a clear connection to the triad of socially weak persons (“stranger, orphan, and widow”) mentioned in Deut 16:11, 14; 24:19-21. Also, note how the hymn mentions God’s name five times in a cluster of three verses.

Like many hymns, the psalm contains a wish/blessing, “The LORD shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.” This is very similar to v. 13 of the previous psalm: “Your kingship is an eternal kingship; Your dominion is for all generations.” For a similar blessing, see Ps. 104:33-35.

Allen writes that “the psalm is generally attributed to the postexilic [i.e. 2nd Temple] period on the grounds of its form-critical development, its apparent use of earlier material, and the lateness of its language, viz. she “who” (vv 3, 5) ‘eshtenot “thoughts” (v 4) sivro “hope” (v 5) and zaqaf “raise” (v 8).” (p. 366)

Psalm 145 – “Acrostic Hymn”

servefoodHebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise and adoration directed to God. The speaker praises God’s great qualities, vows to praise Him forever, and repeatedly expresses his wish that others will do the same.
II. Photo
The psalmist praises God’s benevolence in vv. 15-16: “The eyes of all look to You expectantly, and You give them their food when it is due. You open your hands, feeding every creature to its heart’s content.”
III. Important Verses
v. 2: Every day will I bless You and praise Your name forever and ever.
v. 9: The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is upon all His works.
v 14: The LORD supports all who stumble, and makes all who are bent stand straight.
v. 19: He fulfills the wishes of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and delivers them.

IV. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b-2. Invocation, vow to praise
3. Hymnic praise
4-7. Anticipated praise, vow to praise
8-9. Hymnic praise
10-12. Anticipated praise
13-20. Hymnic praise (mix of 2nd and 3rd person formulations)
21. Anticipated praise

V. Comment
Psalm 145 is an acrostic hymn, and each of its 21 verses begins with a different letter of the alphabet. The only letter missing is nun, but both the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls have a verse beginning with that letter: “The Lord is faithful (ne’eman) in his words, and holy in all his works.” It is not clear if these versions are preserving an original version of the text or merely filling in the gap. Other acrostics can be found in the book of Lamentations and Ps. 9, 10, 25, 34,3 7, 111, and 119. In terms of form, our psalm is most like Ps. 111.

The superscription, tehilla ledawid “A song of praise, of David,” is interesting for two reasons: (a) it is the last of the “Davidic” superscriptions, and (b) it is the only superscription to use the word tehilla (but see Ps. 33, 65, 109, 147, 149 where the word is used near the beginning of the psalm). This is probably because the psalm’s last verse begins with the word tehilla, and the psalm’s essence is just that, i.e. praise. Indeed, the psalm’s grandiose praise of God is indicated by the universal word kol “all” appearing an astonishing 17 times.

The name of God, which appears 10 times (9 times as the Tetragrammaton and once as ‘elohay), only appears in the first half of each verse, indicating that the 2nd half of each verse explicates the first. The psalm routinely turns from 2nd person address to 3rd person address and vice versa, indicating that the suppliant was speaking to God in the midst of a congregation.

The psalm has many phrases that are used in other psalms. One example is vv. 15-16: “The eyes of all look to You expectantly, and You give them their food when it is due. You give it openhandedly, feeding every creature to its heart’s content.” Its parallel is Ps. 104:27-28: “All of them look to You to give them their food when it is due. Give it to them, they gather it up; open Your hand, they are well satisfied.” Another interesting connection is that our psalm contains the word melekh “king” (vv. 1, 11, 13), a key feature of the “Kingship Psalms” (Ps. 95-99) which all incorporate the word.

The psalm ends with an emphasis of everlasting endurance: “My mouth shall utter the praise of the LORD, and all creatures shall bless His holy name forever and ever.” This is a popular way of ending a psalm, e.g. 121:8 “The LORD will guard your going and coming now and forever,” and 131:3 “O Israel, wait for the LORD now and forever.”

Psalm 144 – “Royal Prayer (Praise/Petition)”

kingdavid

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Psalm 144 seems to be a king’s prayer. The speaker blesses God, asks for His protection, and vows to sing His praise. He ends with a description of a community blessed by God.

II. Photo
The psalmist vows to praise God in v. 9: “O God, I will sing You a new song, sing a hymn to You with a ten-stringed harp.”
III. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b-2. Blessing/praise/thanks
3a. Invocation
3b-4. Wisdom saying: humility
5-8. Hymnic petition
9. Vow to praise
10-11. Petition
12-14. Description of Blessing
15. Beatitude

IV. Comment
Psalm 144 is a curious mixture of form elements: it contains a blessing (vv. 1-2), a wisdom saying (vv. 3-4), a grandiose petition (vv. 5-6), normal petitions (vv. 7-8, 10-11), a vow (v. 9), a beatitude (v. 15), and an enigmatic description of blessing (vv. 12-14). The speaker’s mention of battle (v. 1), people being subjected under him (v. 2), kings (v. 10), and David (v. 10) make it seem as if Psalm 144 was said by – or on behalf of – a king. Another indicator that Psalm 144 is a “royal psalm” is its strong connection to psalm 18 (which is classified as a royal thanksgiving psalm). Since the two psalms are so intertwined, Psalm 144 will now be explained while comparing it to Psalm 18.

Psalm 144 begins with a blessing, “Blessed is the LORD, my rock (tzuri), who trains my hands for battle (melamed yaday laqerav), my fingers for warfare.” The same vocabulary can be found in Ps. 18:3, 35: “O LORD… my rock (tzuri) in whom I seek refuge… who trained my hands for battle (melamed yaday lemilchama)…” V. 2 of our psalm describes God as “my faithful one, my fortress, my haven and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take shelter, who makes peoples subject to me.” Both the long list of affirmations and the mention of “subjugated people” have parallels in Psalm 18: “O LORD, my crag, my fortress, my rescuer, my God, my rock in whom I seek refuge, my shield, my mighty champion, my haven… the God who has vindicated me and made peoples subject to me.” (18:3, 48)

The next section of the psalm (vv. 3-4), which seems to be a piece of sapiential wisdom adapted for prayer, is a declaration of humility: “O LORD, what is man that You should care about him, mortal man, that You should think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” This teaching has parallels in the book of Job, e.g. Job 7:17 “What is man, that You make much of him, That You fix Your attention upon him?” and Job 15:14 “What is man that he can be cleared of guilt, One born of woman, that he be in the right?” Yet, it is interesting that the clearest parallel to our verse is Ps. 8:5 “what is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him?” Our verse, which is a rhetorical way of saying “man is absolutely nothing compared to You,” has the opposite meaning of 8:5 which continues by elevating man: “You have made him master over Your handiwork, laying the world at his feet, sheep and oxen, all of them, and wild beasts, too; he birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, whatever travels the paths of the seas.”

Psalm 144 continues with two sections of petition (vv. 5-8, 9-11), both of which begin with an invocation and end with the phrase “Rescue me, save me… from the hands of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies, and whose oaths are false.” Vv. 5-6 seem to be a universal, if not grandiose petition: “O LORD, bend Your sky and come down (hat shamekha watered); touch the mountains and they will smoke. Make lightning flash and scatter them (utefitzeim); shoot Your arrows and rout them (shelach chitzekha utehumeim).” As one might expect, there are parallels to Ps. 18: 18:10 says “He bent the sky and came down (wayet shamayim wayered), thick cloud beneath His feet,” and 18:15 says “He let fly His shafts (wayishlack chitzav) and scattered them (wayafitzeim); He discharged lightning and routed them (wayehumeim).” Yet, in terms of meaning, the closest parallel is the grandiose petition of Isa. 63:19b-64:1: “If You would but tear open the heavens and come down, So that mountains would quake before You — As when fire kindles brushwood, And fire makes water boil — To make Your name known to Your adversaries So that nations will tremble at Your Presence.”

The petition of v. 7 asks God to “Reach Your hand down from on high; rescue me, save me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners.” All parts have parallels in Ps. 18: v. 17 says “He reached down from on high, He took me; He drew me out of the mighty waters” and v. 45 mentions the beney nekhar “foreign peoples.” 

The next section of the psalm is the vow of v. 9: “O God, I will sing You a new song, sing a hymn to You with a ten-stringed harp!” While the “new song” is usally reserved for communal worship (cf. Isa. 42:10, Ps. 33:3, 96:1, 149:1), here it is used by an individual. Allen believes that this vow indicates that the psalm is thanksgiving.

Like the verses before it, v. 10 has a strong affinity to Psalm 18. V. 10 describes God as “You who give victory to kings, who rescue His servant David from the deadly sword,” and Ps. 18:51 describes God by saying “He accords great victories to His king, keeps faith with His anointed, with David and his offspring forever.” Both verse mention great victory to kings, and David.

The last section of the psalm is unique for the Psalter. It begins with the enigmatic word “’asher” and proceeds to describe a blessing of sons, daughters, stored goods, sheep, and cattle, i.e. the main assets of an ancient Near Eastern family. While there are no direct parallels to this section, there are other lists of blessing in Tanakh (cf. Deut. 28:3-6, Gen. 30:43, Ex. 20:1, Job 42:12-13). The psalm ends with a beatitude, much like that of Ps. 33:12 “Happy the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen to be His own.”

Scholars are not unified in their dating of Psalm 144 (see Allen who views vv. 1-11 as preexilic and vv. 12-15 as a later edition). Yet, no matter its date, it is clear that the psalm is strongly tied to Psalm 18.

V. Important Verses
v. 4: Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. 
v. 9: O God, I will sing You a new song, sing a hymn to You with a ten-stringed harp
v. 15: Happy are the people who have it so; happy the people whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 143 – “Petition for Protection and Guidance”

darknessHebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Psalm 143 begins with the speaker telling God about his distressful state. The speaker then petitions God to save him, guide him, and to destroy his enemies.

II. Photo
The psalmist is in a distressful state: “My foe hounded me; he crushed me to the ground; he made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.” The picture depicts darkness from the perspective of one who is knocked to the ground.

III. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b-2. Invocation, initial plea, implicit confession
3-4. Complaint
5-6. Account of praying
7-11. Petitions/Affirmations of confidence
12ab. Imprecation
12c. Affirmation of confidence

IV. Comment
Like the three psalms before it, Psalm 143 belongs to the Complaint/Petition genre (a.k.a. the “individual lament”): it contains (a) an invocation (v. 1), an initial plea (vv. 1-2), a confession of guilt (v. 2), a complaint (vv. 3-4), petitions (vv. 7-11), affirmations of confidence (vv. 7-11, 12c), and an imprecation (v. 12). Like the psalms before it, it begins with a Davidic superscription and contains an “initial plea” in the middle of the psalm (vv. 7-8).

The psalm, which begins like many others (cf. 49:2, 55:2-3, etc.), contains an implicit confession of guilt in v. 2, “Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for before You no creature is in the right.” This phrase, which is found in wisdom literature, seems to have been adapted as a prayer (cf. Job 9:2, 15:14). Confessions are normal in petitions: see, for example, Ps. 38:19 “I acknowledge my iniquity; I am fearful over my sin,” and Ps. 51:5 “for I recognize my transgressions, and am ever conscious of my sin.”

There is a recounting of a prayer and its setting in vv. 5-6: “Then I thought of the days of old; I rehearsed all Your deeds, recounted the work of Your hands. I stretched out my hands to You, longing for You like thirsty earth. Selah.” (cf. the similar message of Ps. 77:4-6) Gerstenberger writes that telling God “of one’s own efforts to establish contact, including description of bodily posture, time of the day or night, emotional investment, pitch of voice, etc. is not idle talk but necessary ceremony” (p. 423). See, for example, Ps. 5:4 “Hear my voice, O LORD, at daybreak; at daybreak I plead before You, and wait,” and 28:2 “Listen to my plea for mercy when I cry out to You, when I lift my hands toward Your inner sanctuary.”

Like many complaints, Psalm 143 does not describe who the enemies are. All we know is that “My foe hounded me; he crushed me to the ground; he made me dwell in darkness like those long dead” (v. 3). Yet, the petition is not merely a request to be saved from the enemy. Like the “Torah Psalms” such as Ps. 119, Psalm 143 asks God for religious guidance: “Let me learn of Your faithfulness by daybreak, for in You I trust; let me know the road I must take, for on You I have set my hope… Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your gracious spirit lead me on level ground” (vv. 8,10).

The psalm ends with a harsh imprecation followed by another affirmation of confidence: “As You are faithful, put an end to my foes; destroy all my mortal enemies, for I am Your servant.”

V. Important Verses
v. 2: Do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for before You no creature is in the right.
v. 3-4: My foe hounded me; he crushed me to the ground; he made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. My spirit failed within me; my mind was numbed with horror.
v. 8: Let me learn of Your faithfulness by daybreak, for in You I trust; let me know the road I must take, for on You I have set my hope.

Psalm 142 – “Petition”

aloneHebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Psalm 142 is a prayer in which the suppliant tells God about his lonely state, puts his trust in Him, and asks to be saved from his distressful state.

II. Photo

The psalmist laments his lonely state, “Look at my right and see — I have no friend; there is nowhere I can flee, no one cares about me… Free me from prison!” (vv. 5, 8a)
III. Outline
1. Superscription
2-3. Initial plea (descriptive)
4ab. Affirmation of confidence
4c-5. Complaint
6. Invocation, affirmation of confidence
7-8a. Petition and complaint
8b. Vow
8cd. Anticipated praise

IV. Comment
Psalm 142 is a standard Complaint/Petition Psalm (a.k.a. as an “Individual Lament”): it contains (a) an invocation and initial plea (vv. 2-3), (b) a complaint (vv. 4-5), (c) an affirmation of confidence (v. 6), (d) a petition (vv. 7-8a), and anticipated praise (v. 8cd) (See Gerstenberger’s Psalms Part 1, p. 12). The enemy is not described in detail, but it is clear that the speaker is an outcast: “Look at my right and see — I have no friend; there is nowhere I can flee, no one cares about me.” (v. 5) He goes so far to say “Free me from prison!” in v. 8, and while some take this literally, the prison is probably a metaphor for his distressful state.

The speaker’s description of his alienation is a popular theme in the complaint/petition genre. See, for instance, Ps. 41:10 “My ally in whom I trusted, even he who shares my bread, has been utterly false to me,” and Ps. 88:19 “You have put friend and neighbor far from me and my companions out of my sight.” Similar messages appear in the book of Job (cf. 19:13-22), and Lev. 13:45-46 exhorts the community to exile those struck by God: “As for the person with a leprous affection, his clothes shall be rent, his head shall be left bare, and he shall cover over his upper lip; and he shall call out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean as long as the disease is on him. Being unclean, he shall dwell apart; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

In terms of literary structure, the psalm repeats many words, first in vv. 2-5 and then again in vv. 6-8. The repeated words are za’aq, ‘alay, ‘attah, mimmenni, and nefesh. Its initial plea (vv. 2-3) is unique in that it is descriptive instead of a direct address: “I pour out my complaint before Him; I lay my trouble before Him.” The psalm, which is similar in message and style to the previous two, is the third in a row to describe the enemy with a hunting metaphor (cf. 140:6, 141:9-10, 142:6).

V. Important Verses
v. 5: Look at my right and see — I have no friend; there is nowhere I can flee, no one cares about me.
v. 8: Free me from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous shall glory in me for Your gracious dealings with me.

Psalm 140 – “Petition/Imprecation of Enemies”

rainingfireHebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Psalm 140 is an individual’s plea to God to save him from the enemy. It contains a harsh imprecation, an affirmation of confidence in God, and a description of anticipated praise.
II. Photo

The psalmist has harsh words for his enemies: “may coals of fire drop down upon them, and they be cast into pits, never to rise again.”
III. Outline
1. Superscription
2. Invocation and petition
3-4. Complaint
5. Petition
6. Complaint
7-8. Invocation, “initial plea”
9. Petition
10-12. Imprecation
13. Affirmation of confidence
14. Anticipated praise

IV. Comment
Psalm 140 contains the primary elements of the Complaint/Petition genre (a.k.a. as the “individual lament”): (a) invocation (v. 2), (b) petition (vv. 2, 5, 9), (c) complaint (vv. 3-4, 6), imprecation of enemies (vv. 10-12), affirmation of confidence (v. 13), and anticipated praise (v. 14). It is in many ways a paradigm of the genre; every section contains parallels to other complaint psalms.

The enemy is called adam ra’a “evil men,” ‘ish chamasim “lawless men,” and rasha’ “wicked.” These are relatively common appellations in the complaint genre, cf. Ps. 34:17, 18:49, 9:18, etc. The enemy is described as those “whose minds are full of evil schemes, who plot war every day. They sharpen their tongues like serpents; spiders’ poison is on their lips.” (vv. 3-4) They are also described as ‘ish lashon “slanderers” (v. 12). It seems that the psalmist was worried about verbal aggressiveness, possibly the type that involved black magic. For similar verses see Ps. 52:4-6 and 109:2-3.

The enemies are described in v. 6 with a trap metaphor: “Arrogant men laid traps (pach) with ropes for me; they spread out a net (reshet) along the way; they set snares (moqeshim) for me.” This metaphor is standard for the psalter, e.g. Ps. 31:5 “You free me from the net (reshet) laid for me” and Ps. 124:7 “We are like a bird escaped from the fowler’s trap (pach yoqeshim); the trap (hapach) broke and we escaped.”

The imprecation tries to counteract the evil powers by reverting them onto those who created them: “May the heads of those who beset me be covered with the mischief of their lips” (v. 10). This is a popular theme in the psalter, e.g. Ps. 7:16 “He has dug a pit and deepened it, and will fall into the trap he made,” Ps. 57:7 “They prepared a net for my feet to ensnare me; they dug a pit for me, but they fell into it,” and Ps. 109:17 “He loved to curse — may a curse come upon him! He would not bless — may blessing be far from him!”

One interesting point about Psalm 140 is vv. 7-8: “I said to the LORD: You are my God; give ear, O LORD, to my pleas for mercy. O GOD, my Lord, the strength of my deliverance, You protected my head on the day of battle.” These verses, which contain an elongated invocation and an initial plea, have a striking resemblance to the openings of other complaint psalms, e.g. Ps. 88:2-3 “O LORD, God of my deliverance, when I cry out in the night before You, let my prayer reach You; incline Your ear to my cry.” Based on this striking feature, some scholars suggest that Psalm 140 might actually be two smaller psalms that were connected to form one unit. Alternatively, the “new beginning” reflects an enigmatic liturgical use.

V. Important Verses
v. 4: They sharpen their tongues like serpents; spiders’ poison is on their lips. Selah.
v. 6: Arrogant men laid traps with ropes for me; they spread out a net along the way; they set snares for me. Selah.
v. 11: may coals of fire drop down upon them, and they be cast into pits, never to rise again.

Psalm 139 – “Reflective Prayer”

light1 Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Psalm 139 is a prayer addressed to God, and is in many ways a contemplative reflection. The speaker acknowledges God’s greatness, but is bothered by the impossibility of escaping His towering presence. The psalm ends with an imprecation of enemies and a statement of dedication.

II. Photo
The speaker of Psalm 139 is overburdened by the impossibility of escaping God. In vv. 7-12 he complains, “Where can I escape from Your spirit?… If I say, ‘Surely darkness will conceal me, night will provide me with cover,’ darkness is not dark for You; night is as light as day; darkness and light are the same.” The picture attempts to portray a unification of darkness and light.

III. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b. Invocation
1c-6. Plaintive reflection
7-12. Personal distress
13-16. Acknowledgment of Creator
17-18. Adoration
19-20. Petition/imprecation
21-24a. Dedication/innocence
24b. Petition

IV. Comment
After Psalms 3-41 and 51-71, Psalm 139 begins the third major section of “Davidic psalms” (Ps. 138-145). The psalm was recited by an individual, and while the community does not appear they might have been behind the scenes.

In regards to message and form, Psalm 139 is one of the most unique psalms in the entire Psalter. It begins with a reflection on God’s omniscience: “You observe my walking and reclining, and are familiar with all my ways. There is not a word on my tongue but that You, O LORD, know it well” (vv. 3-4). While closeness to God is usually taken as a good thing, this section does not seem to be praising God. In v. 5 the speaker says, “You hedge me (tzartani) before and behind; You lay Your hand upon me.” The root tzwr “to enclose” is used to describe a besieged city (cf. Deut 20:12, 19; 2 Sam 11:1; 20:15; Jer 37:5; 39:1). One gets the feeling that the speaker is smothered by God’s omniscience.

The next section, which speaks of the impossibility of escaping God, makes it clear that the speaker is uncomfortable: “Where can I escape from Your spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” (v. 7). The section begins with the pronoun ‘anah “where?”, a word which often indicates imminent danger (cf. Gen 37:30; Deut 1:28; 2Sam 13:13; Jer 15:2). The speaker then confesses how he has nowhere to go (both the vertical and horizontal axes are occupied by God): “If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I descend to Sheol, You are there too. If I take wing with the dawn to come to rest on the western horizon,  even there Your hand will be guiding me, Your right hand will be holding me fast.” (vv. 8-10) Even the darkness of the night provides no privacy: “If I say, ‘Surely darkness will conceal me, night will provide me with cover,’ darkness is not dark for You; night is as light as day; darkness and light are the same.” (vv. 11-12)

The speaker then praises God for creating him (vv. 13-16), employing a “strange and fascinating representation of creational beliefs unheard of in the Genesis stories.” (Gerstenberger) For example, v. 5 mentions being created in “the recesses of the earth,” something unheard of in Tanakh: “My frame was not concealed from You when I was shaped in a hidden place, knit together in the recesses of the earth.” While the previous section seemed to be critiquing God, this section seems to be more congratulatory.

The psalm takes an unexpected turn in v. 19: it asks God to do away with the previously unmentioned “wicked ones.” The speaker then mentions his unity with God, “O LORD, You know I hate those who hate You, and loathe Your adversaries.” (v. 21) This phrase expresses a level of confidence seen in Ruth’s famous statement to Naomi, “For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the LORD do to me if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16b-17) The psalm ends with a statement of commitment/innocence which is followed by a short petition, “guide me in ways everlasting.”

In regards to the psalm’s form-critical classification, Gerstenberger writes: “Psalm 139 is one of the most intensely studied poems in the Psalter. The discussion about its genre classification has been going on for a long time with no end in sight. Elements and inklings of various categories of psalms can be detected in the different subunits. The exegete who insists that one single aspect must be determinative for the whole psalm may choose among complaint, thanksgiving, hymn, and wisdom discourse.” In regards to the last genre, “wisdom discourse,” many have noted the psalm’s similarities to the book of Job: (a) it uses the name ‘eloha for God, a word concentrated in the book of Job, (b) v. 6’s message of inferiority and vocabulary is similar to Job 40:4, 42:2-3, and (c) v. 13’s description of creating man is similar to Job 10:11.

Was Psalm 139 used in a liturgical setting? Many scholars think so, but even Gerstenberger (a devout form-critic) writes: “Because of its meditative air, its elevated poetic language, depth of thought, and unusual modulations of form elements, Psalm 139 lends itself to other than liturgical analyses. Thus many interpreters study literary structures and discover a treasure of literary devices (wordplays, strophes, inclusions, symmetries, chiasms, etc.). Others dedicate themselves to its philosophical and theological insights (main problem: the ‘omnipresence’ of God), the result being the elaboration of a clear thought structure detached from all liturgical background. The text itself seems open to ever new expositions.”

In regards to the psalm’s date of composition, scholars feel that the unique vocabulary (there are many hapax legomena) and the use of late Biblical Hebrew indicate an exilic or postexilic (i.e. 2nd Temple period) date for the psalm.

V. Important Verses
vv. 7-12: Where can I escape from Your spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I descend to Sheol, You are there too. If I take wing with the dawn to come to rest on the western horizon, even there Your hand will be guiding me, Your right hand will be holding me fast. If I say, “Surely darkness will conceal me, night will provide me with cover,” darkness is not dark for You; night is as light as day; darkness and light are the same.
v. 21: O LORD, You know I hate those who hate You, and loathe Your adversaries.

Psalm 138 – “Thanksgiving of an Individual”

prayer1Hebrew-English Text

I. Summary
Psalm 138 was likely said while offering a thanksgiving sacrifice in the temple. The speaker recounts how God answered his/her prayer, praises God, and expresses confidence that God will continue to grant protection in the future.

II. Photo

Psalm 138 is a direct-address to God which expresses thanks for his salvation.

III. Outline
1a. Superscription
1b-2b. Offeratory formulas
3. Account of prayer and salvation
4-5. Anticipated thanks/offerings of kings
6. Hymnic praise
7-8b. Affirmation of confidence
8c. Petition

IV.Comment
Psalm 138 contains many elements of the Thanksgiving genre (see Gerstenberger’s “Introduction to Cultic Poetry” in vol. 1 of “Psalms”): (a) it has the offertory formula ‘odekha “I will praise you” (vv. 1-2), (b) it gives an account of trouble and salvation (v. 3), and (c) it expresses praise for God (v. 6). Yet, Psalm 138 is different than all other thanksgiving psalms in that it contains no public aspects: there isn’t (a) an invitation to give thanks or to praise, (b) a blessing for the participants, or (c) an exhortation towards the community. What is one to make of this break from convention?

[For an example of “public service” in individual thanksgivings, see Ps. 22:23-27: Then will I proclaim Your fame to my brethren, praise You in the congregation. You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, honor Him! Be in dread of Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He did not scorn, He did not spurn the plea of the lowly; He did not hide His face from him; when he cried out to Him, He listened. Because of You I offer praise in the great congregation; I pay my vows in the presence of His worshipers. Let the lowly eat and be satisfied; let all who seek the LORD praise Him. Always be of good cheer!]

Some scholars point out that while most thanksgiving psalms do not contain petitions, Psalm 138 does: “do not forsake the work of Your hands” (v. 8). Based on this peculiarity they suggest that the psalm was once a complaint/petition, and it was later changed to conform to the thanksgiving genre. But, this is highly speculative because (a) the petition is short and run-of-the-mill, and (b) some other thanksgivings also contain petitions, e.g. Ps. 40:12 and 118:25. Others suggest that Psalm 138 is a royal psalm (based on the mention of kings in v. 4 and parallels to Ps. 18), but many are just not sure.

Although I have not seen it written anywhere, I think that there is an altogether different reason why Psalm 138 lacks any public characteristics: it was said by an unaccompanied individual. The psalm mentions the “lowly” and those “from afar” in v. 6, and it is possible that the reciter came to the temple alone (which would make sense if he came from afar). Thus, it is a normal thanksgiving psalm, just said in an unordinary circumstance.

The psalm’s setting seems to be the temple: “I bow toward Your holy temple and praise Your name” (v. 2). It begins with an emphatic line, “I praise You with all my heart,” but quickly becomes enigmatic: what does neged ‘elohim ‘azammerekha “I will sing a hymn to You before the divine beings” mean? While some choose to translate this phrase as “in front, God, I will sing to you,” this is a difficult reading. Rather, like Ps. 82:1 (“God stands in the divine assembly; among the divine beings He pronounces judgment”) and Ps. 135:5 (“For I know that the LORD is great, that our LORD is greater than all gods”) our verse seems to acknowledge the existence – albeit a diminished one – of other gods. This is what scholars call monolatry, i.e. the worship of one deity while acknowledging the existence of others. Monotheism, they say, only developed later.

The psalm mentions the individual “offertory formula” ‘odekha twice (vv. 1-2), and this was probably said while bringing the sacrifice. The account of salvation (v. 3) is brief: “When I called, You answered me, You inspired me with courage.” It is also unusual because it is a direct-address as opposed to the normal third person description (cf. 118:17-20, 40:2-4, 116:3-4). But, it isn’t altogether peculiar: Ps. 30:3-5 and 116:8 are also direct-address accounts of salvation.

Vv. 4-5 express hope for future praise: “All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, for they have heard the words You spoke. They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, ‘Great is the majesty of the LORD!’” V. 6 is a single line of hymnic praise, and vv. 7-8 are an affirmation of confidence (usual for complaint/petitions but unusual for thanksgivings, but still see Ps. 18:29-30, 118:6-7,14). It ends with a petition, also unusual for thanksgivings, but similar to Ps. 40:12 and 118:25.

V. Important verses
v. 1: Of David. I praise You with all my heart, sing a hymn to You before the divine beings
v. 3: When I called, You answered me, You inspired me with courage.
v. 6: High though the LORD is, He sees the lowly; lofty, He perceives from afar.

Psalm 137 – “Remembering Exile; Revenge”

euphrates

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Psalm 137 has three short sections: it begins with a mournful remembrance of the Babylonian exile, expresses an oath of commitment to Jerusalem, and ends with vindictive words of hate for Edom (a nation to the SE of the Dead Sea) and the Babylonian Empire.
II. Photo

The photo depicts the Euphrates river in accordance with v. 1, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of Zion.” I chose a black and white photograph because vv. 1-4 seems to be a distant memory; the psalm was probably said by the Jews who had already returned from Babylon.

III. Outline

1-4. Mournful recollection
     1-2. Account of trouble
     3. Taunt of enemies
     4. Plaintive answer
5-6. Oath to Jerusalem
7-9. Imprecations
     7. Implicit curse of Edom
     8-9. Implicit curse against Babylon

IV. Comment
Psalm 137 is difficult to classify in form-critical terms. Many view it as a complaint: vv. 1-4 mentions a dire situation, vv. 5-6 is an oath (similar to the vows found in complaints), and the imprecations in vv. 7-9 are similar to petitions. Yet, Psalm 137 is by no means a regular complaint: there is no introduction, the “complaint” in vv. 1-4 is a narrative, the “affirmations” are a vow, and there is no petition. Consequently, others label it a “Zion song,” but this is because of its content and not its structure. [It is interesting to note that the term “Zion song” actually comes from our psalm’s v. 3.] Due to the psalm’s form-critical ambiguity, some scholars label it a “folk song” or a genre unto itself.

The psalm begins with a recollection of exile: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of Zion.” This section describes the deportations to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 and 587 BCE. The people are accompanied by their lyres, an instrument sometimes used for mourning (cf. Job 30:31). The people are asked to sing a “Zion song,” but are unable to: “How can we sing a song of the LORD on alien soil?” This phrase begins with the word ‘eikh, a “lament participle “(cf. Judg. 16:15, 2 Sam 1:19).

While the mournful recollection is written in the first person plural (“we sat… we wept… we remembered…we were asked… etc.”), the oath to Jerusalem is written in the first person singular (“if I forget… let my tongue stick… if I do not remember… etc.) This section takes the form of an oath: “if I don’t do X then let Y occur to me.” The phrase “let my tongue stick to my palate” is found in other mournful passages, e.g. Ezek. 3:26 and Job 29:10.

The imprecations in vv. 7-9 are directed towards Edom and Babylon. v. 7 asks God to “remember” what Edom did on “the day of Jerusalem,” and the word zekhor “remember” can be used both positively and negatively (compare Neh. 6:14, 13:29 with Neh. 5:19, 13:14). The psalmist does not clarify what Edom did “on the day of Jerusalem,” and there are no other allusions in Tanakh to this event.

The imprecation of Babylon is one of the harshest in Tanakh, and takes the form of a positive beatitude (e.g. “fortunate is he who…”): “blessing on him who seizes your babies and dashes them against the rocks!” Imprecations as harsh as this are rare (but see Ps. 109:6-15), and Gerstenberger calls it a ““deplorable example of deep-rooted ethnic hatred.”

When was Psalm 137 composed? While vv. 1-4 might be speaking of a contemporary exilic experience, the use of perfect verbs and the use of the word sham “there” (vv. 1,3) imply a distance in both space and time from the event. Also, it is possible that the mention of Babylon hashedudah “the predator” or “the destroyed one” means that Babylon has already been “destroyed,” i.e. taken over by Cyrus. Thus, it seems that the psalm was written by those who have already returned to Jerusalem. Yet, vv. 1-4 might have been a preexisting folk song.

When and where was Psalm 137 recited? Passages like Zech. 7:3-6, 8:13 mention days of mourning and fasting, and it is possible that our psalm was recited on those days.

V. Important verses
v. 1: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of Zion
v. 4: How can we sing a song of the LORD on alien soil?
v. 5: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither;
v. 9: a blessing on him who seizes your babies and dashes them against the rocks!