Book of Psalms

No Final Hallel: Material Sources for Psalms 146–150, in: Barbiero, Gianni / Pavan, Marco / Schnocks, Johannes (eds.), The Formation of the Hebrew Psalter. The Book of Psalms Between Ancient Versions, Material Transmission and Canonical Exegesis (Forschungen zum Alten Testament 151), Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2021, 369-381.

Among the many psalms that refer to creation, Pss 8 and 104 stand out in being entirely devoted to this theme. Whereas Ps 8 highlights the prominent, even exalted, human role in the created order, Ps 104 contextualizes humanity as but one creature among many in a complex intertwined cosmos. Nevertheless, upon closer study, it becomes evident that both psalms share elements of a common worldview, including a remarkably similar view of what constitutes being human, a conception of the world as a cosmic temple, and a rejection of the motif of creation-by-combat against primordial enemies. An exploration of the diversity-in-unity of Pss 8 and 104 yields insights into how their common theological vision may address the human vocation of the use of power in a world understood as a sacred realm over which God is enthroned, yet into which evil has intruded.

In the order of the Ketuvim in Baba Bathra 14b, the book of Job is preceded by the Psalms and followed by the “Wisdom” books Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The connections between Job and the latter books have been discussed extensively, but its affinities with the Psalms have been largely overlooked. Ambrose, however, notes a similarity between the two books in the response of their main “characters” to suffering. In The Prayers of Job and David, he writes, “Many indeed have complained over human weakness and frailty, but the holy Job and holy David have done so in a fashion superior to the rest.” Calvin similarly interprets Job through the person of David, often using the example of David to criticize the words which escape Job’s mouth “without advisement.” With the rise of higher criticism, and with it the categorization of Job as a “Wisdom” book, this emphasis on the proper faithful response to suffering was eclipsed by the more abstract concerns of theodicy and the retributive principle. However, connections between Job and the Psalms were not ignored altogether. For example, Claus Westermann argued that Job follows the structure of a psalmic lament, and Katharine Dell adumbrated Job’s consistent “misuse of forms,” many of which appear in the Psalms. An intertextual approach to the two books reveals even more connections between them, as allusions to the Psalms litter Job’s dialogue with his friends (e.g. Job 7:17–18 and Ps 8:5; Job 12:21, 24 and Ps 107:40). These intertextual connections suggest that, though reading Job as “Wisdom” has taught us much about its meaning, the personal theological resonance between Job and the Psalms recognized by Ambrose and Calvin should also inform our understanding of the book. The rabbinic tradition, which placed the Psalms before Job, reflects this reading strategy, in which the prayers of Israel become a lens through which to understand Job’s struggle to hold onto faith in the midst of suffering. Thus, Job does not merely follow the Psalms in the traditional order, the book also follows the models for relation with God the Psalms depict, pressing them to their breaking point.

A chiastic reading of Psalm 106 reveals its import for Israel and the present day. In addition, the psalms allusions to the period of the judges help the reader consider the psalm s current relevance. The interrelations between Psalms 106 and 107 suggest that Gods people should liturgically rehearse adverse cultural history as penitential intercession-penitence for analogous or related sin and intercession to excise the residual cultural implications. The current need for racial reconciliation within the evangelical church should be seen as an opportunity for the kind of peniten tial intercession urged by Psalm 106.

The largest book ever written on the Songs of Ascents: fifteen psalms in 120,000 words. Chapters 1 to 7 deal with the Ascents Songs’ unique place in the Book of Psalms, of numerological codes, of their heading, of their life-setting, of the ark of the covenant which they sing about, of their composition and first performance, and of their authors. Chapters 8 to 10 deal with their performance by the Levite singers and musicians on the fifteen eastern steps of the temple on the first night of the Feast of Sukkot. Chapters 11 and 12 approach the reconstruction of the temple psalmody from the Masoretic cantillation, guided by church and synagogue chant. Chapter 13 provides reconstructions of the ancient melody of each Song, followed by commentary. Chapter 14 considers the Songs within the redactional agenda of the Book of Psalms. Chapter 15 takes the musical and liturgical practice of ancient Israel as a pointer towards the central place of song in modern worship. There follow four appendices on: (I) the Tetragrammaton; (II) Solomon’s temple; (III) Hebrew calendar; (IV) the signs revia mugrash and oleh ve-yored. Glossary and bibliography.

Psalm 24, along with Psalm 15 and others, has long been recognized as a "temple entry liturgy," a song to be sung on the occasion of the pilgrimage and entrance to the temple in Jerusalem. If we establish that both Psalms 15 and 24 are based on temple entry liturgies, then it appears that the pilgrims that would have been singing or reciting them are looking for instruction from the God of Israel, YHWH (Ps 15); YHWH attempting to enter in at the temple gates (Ps 24); if we bring in Psalm 118 and others, it makes it more clear that pilgrims are coming to seek the face of YHWH, are coming in the name of YHWH, and are blessed by YHWH after entrance. Although encountering YHWH in the temple and receiving his blessing is the final objective of the pilgrims, Psalm 24 seems to suggest that YHWH is somehow among the travellers as well, attempting to likewise gain passage through the temple gates. Although the reference is more inferred than explicit, the psalm seems to imply an underlying understanding that there were two YHWHs, and there is evidence that such an ancient belief existed, generally expressed as there being one YHWH who was, or came to, earth while the other YHWH was enthroned in heaven. In a Jewish religious text written centuries later, the book known as 3 Enoch, the patriarch Enoch ascends to heaven and God makes him an archangel, with the new name of Metatron. Enoch/Metatron is God's vice-regent and has a crown and throne in heaven. The text informs us that Enoch/Metatron bears " the Name " of God and that he is known as " little YHWH " or " the lesser YHWH. " In this study, I will discuss something of a trajectory of a tradition of two YHWHs – two Gods – a tradition with roots in the rituals of the First Temple. I will touch on some examples from the Hebrew Scriptures that seem to demonstrate a belief in, or awareness of, the idea that there was more than one divine being that could be called YHWH. Similarly, I will also discuss the notion that a human being could be called, or identified with, YHWH, particularly in ancient Israel's ritual system (as expressed in the biblical psalms and historical narratives), but also in the theology and religious literature (such as 3 Enoch) that later sprang forth from earlier practices. I will examine the significance of bearing " the name of YHWH " and how this permits a subordinate figure, such as an angel or human being, to be recognized as YHWH, or to represent him. These concepts will be brought to bear on the question of why it appears that we are seeing two YHWHs in Psalm 24 and other biblical passages.

Psalm 48 consists of two layers, a basic pre-exilic layer (vv. 2-7, 9,
13-14a, 15) and a redactional exilic layer (vv. 8, 10-12, 14b). Analyzed with the heuristic categories of spatial theory by H. Lefebvre (perceived space, conceived space and lived space), it can be shown, how the pre-exilic text’s praise of the impregnability of Jerusalem as city of God has been revised. This revision changes the perceived space, which the text is based on, into a narrated space, thus preserving trust in God and belief in Jerusalem as the City of God even in the face of destruction and exile.

Recent scholarship has devoted much attention to the arrangement of the MT of the book of Psalms (here referred to as the MT Psalter). The differing arrangements found among the Dead Sea Scrolls have raised many questions. Scholars are not in agreement as to the reasons behind the ordering of the psalms at Qumran, but several theories have emerged. In the following investigation, I will not propose a new theory but will trace redactional activity in two specific psalms—Psalms
133 and 134—in two different arrangements.
These two psalms offer a unique opportunity for those seeking to understand the history of books of Psalms, as these psalms stand at the end of the Ascents collection. Regardless of whether the individual Ascents psalms predated the collection, it is clear that the collection served as a source that was shared by both the MT Psalter and 11QPsa. An examination of variations in the Ascents collection allows one to see how psalms fit within larger redactional schemes. Psalms 133 and 134 function in what has come to be known as the “shaping” of the MT Psalter, but they also play a key role in the shaping of 11QPsa.

My thesis is that Psalm 2 was written in the context and manner of the Ancient Near Eastern culture, for use at the enthronement of a Davidic King, to reinforce the message of the supreme power of Yahweh, Israel’s god, and therefore of his designated king, over the nations. After the exile when there was no longer a king on David’s throne and a Royal Psalm no longer had any functional purpose, Psalm 2 took on a messianic significance in the minds and hearts of Israel.

The intention of this paper is to examine how the rich imagery and varied terminology the Hebrew Book of Psalms or the Siracides used for wicked and evil persons is translated into Greek. Equivalents ἁμαρτωλός, ἀσεβῆς and ἄδικος are the most common terms for wicked persons, thus the translation seems rather impoverished; there is no specificity concerning what kind of wrong is intended, but the three Greek words cover several or most of these specific terms: murder, adultery, robbery, unjust acts etc. But this is not the whole story. When one takes into consideration other terms both in the Hebrew and in the Greek texts, some interesting features emerge. First, the Hebrew words that seem at first to have a rather specific meaning in certain contexts, may have developed more general ones in others which may have influenced the Septuagint translations. In the same way, these Greek adjectives are not necessarily to be taken solely as indicating wickedness or evil in their most general sense, but they have more specific characteristics, as well.

King David is one of the most colorful heroes of Jewish myth. Warrior and poet, sinner and penitent, conqueror and musician, adulterer and Messiah. The many facets of his character are rooted in biblical scripture, and continue to develop in the literature of the Midrash and the Kabbalah. Each generation has added new layers to David’s portrait, sketching him in a new light. Indeed, David’s personality reflects the characters and hopes of his interpreters throughout generations. Embodying the hero “with a thousand faces” and representing the messianic idea, David is not only a private character but a collective entity, wearing many different forms. The paper aims to examine the identification of David with Jerusalem and with the figure of the Shekhinah, from Psalms to the book of the Zohar.

Psalms of lament characteristically include affirmations of trust and sometimes a vow to praise God in the future. This paper questions the motivation behind such vows by looking carefully at whether future praise is conditional on God's positive response, and what other rhetorical devices are linked to the promise (or vow) he makes.

People are kind and loving to each other in the Book of Ruth. So God blesses everyone.
The Book of Ruth is pivotal in our human evolution, as discussed in the forthcoming Red Line of Hope.
This is an appendix for that book; it is a (nearly) line-by-line commentary on the Book of Ruth

In partial fulfillment of the course requirements for "Psalms in Depth," this essay is a post-critical and devotional exegesis of Psalm 51, with an emphasis on the themes of repentance and new creation. In particular, this essay is designed to show that Psalm 51 foreshadows the creation of New Humanity in Jesus's own flesh through the New Covenant.

Voor de beantwoording van de vraag hoe Jezus met de psalmen omgaat, kunnen we twee wegen bewandelen. Eerst zullen we iets zeggen hoe de Joodse gemeenschap in de eerste eeuw met de psalmen omging. Jezus maakte hier immers deel van uit. Bij deze ingang moeten we wel het voorbehoud maken dat Jezus niet een doorsnee eerste eeuwse Jood was. Het is niet uitgesloten dat hij als Messias bepaalde gewoonten afwees of veranderde. Ten tweede willen we vanuit de plaatsen waar Jezus de psalmen aanhaalt, ingaan op zijn specifieke omgang ermee. De onderliggende gedachte bij dit thema is niet een zuiver historische interesse, maar de vraag: hoe mogen wij en kunnen wij als volgelingen van Christus met de psalmen omgaan.

Exegesegeschichtlich ist die Erklärung von Ps 140 (141) 2 ein methodisches Musterbeispiel patristischer Schriftauslegung: Nach der Vergewisserung über den auszulegenden Text einschließlich textkritischer Varianten bietet Chrysostomus eine historische Sacherklärung des alttestamentlichen Phänomens, auch wenn er dieses nicht nur im Lichte allgemeiner Kultterminologie, sondern auch der neutestamentlichen Rezeption vor allem im Hebräerbrief, aber auch zum Beispiel in 1 Petr 2,5 erschließt und somit zumindest für biblisch informierte Ohren bereits in der historisch-sachlichen Interpretation auch metaphorische Resonanzen anklingen läßt. Im dritten Schritt folgt die paränetische Aktualisierung für das Auditorium in Form jener anthropologischen Allegorese, die schon im biblischen Vergleich des Gebets mit Weihrauch und des Erhebens der Hände mit dem Abendopfer angelegt ist und im vierten Schritt in den direkten Imperativ mündet; 1 Petr 2,5 mit seiner kultmetaphorischen Ekklesiologie und die paulinische Rede von den Christen als Tempel und Leib Christi sind wichtige Intertexte dieser abschließenden Anwendung.
Liturgiehistorisch bezeugt schon die Einleitung zur ganzen Homilie die auch sonst breit belegte Verwendung von Ps 140 (141) als Abend- und Ps 62 (63) als Morgenpsalm der Tagzeitenliturgie in Antiochien; bemerkenswert ist der Hinweis darauf, daß die ganze Gemeinde psalliert und sich nicht etwa nur durch einen Kehrvers an der Psalmodie beteiligt.
Theologisch bedeutsam ist die Erklärung, durch den Gesang dieser Psalmen würden die Sünden des Tages getilgt; es handelt sich um eine Auffassung, die umso klarer der Überzeugung des Chrysostomus entspringt, als sie nicht wirklich aus dem biblischen Text zu gewinnen ist. Der Tagzeitenliturgie Bußcharakter zuzuschreiben, lag im Zug der Zeit und war wohl auch ein Grund für die seit dieser Epoche – wenn auch nicht im Antiochien des Chrysostomus – bezeugte Verbreitung von Ps 50 (51) als Morgenpsalm; auch die Dimension der Versöhnung wird gelegentlich angesprochen. Der Psalmodie selbst wird freilich nirgends so deutlich die sakramentliche Wirkung der Sündenvergebung zugeschrieben wie in der vorliegenden Homilie zum täglichen Abendpsalm 140 (141), welcher nach Johannes Chrysostomus von den Vätern angeordnet wurde, damit er „als ein Heilmittel gesagt werde, das rettet und von Sünden reinigt“ (PG 55, 427) – ein Höhepunkt der altkirchlichen Auffassung von der Wirksamkeit des Wortes Gottes.

This article draws upon a reader-response and canonical-hermeneutical perspective in order to analyze the manner in which 2 Sam 22 and Ps 18 are embedded in their respective literary contexts. Psalm 18’s superscription functions both to guide the interpretation of the following psalm as well as evoke its “Doppelgänger” in 2 Sam 22 (and “behind” it the Song of Moses in Deut 32,1-43). It not only contains a prayer articulated in a situation of distress, as a song of thanksgiving it also retrospectively witnesses to divine acts of salvation that have an abiding validity. This analysis demonstrates that the intertextual reading of biblical texts as a significant moment of the “canon” is not a secondary imposition upon these texts from the outside.

Allen Ross’s third volume of his Psalms commentary brings to completion this major contribution to the study of the Psalms. Considering all three volumes, Ross has written nearly 3000 pages on the Psalms. But as Ross himself says in his preface, no commentary on the Psalms is every quite complete. Since this commentary is written to assist pastors and teachers study the Psalms for sermons and Bible studies, there is much left to the side. Rarely does he comment on form critical issues nor does he devote space to historical interpretations of the Psalms like Waltke’s recent work on the Psalms. Ross does not attempt to write an overall theology of the Psalms nor is there much awareness of canonical interpretation of the Psalms. He is true to his goal to write a solid exegetical commentary on the Hebrew text to meet the needs of pastors and teachers.

Dans cette conférence, j'ai proposé un parcours transversal dans l’exégèse des premiers siècles (chez Irénée de Lyon, Origène, Eusèbe de Césarée et Hilaire de Poitiers) à propos des "impies", les "pécheurs" et les "pestiférés" nommés dans le Ps 1,1 : « Heureux l´homme qui n´est pas allé dans une assemblée d´impies, ne s´est ni tenu sur un chemin de pécheurs ni assis sur un siège malsain ! »

Placé au centre du livre central du Psautier, le Ps 81 en constitue la clé de lecture. Dieu y prend la parole pour répondre aux nombreuses questions qui lui sont posées, surtout dans le Troisième livre, question du « Pourquoi » et du « Jusqu’à quand » concernant le malheur dans lequel se trouve le psalmiste avec tout son peuple. Au « pourquoi », Dieu répond que c’est à cause de l’infidélité des fils d’Israël ; au « jusqu’à quand » il répond « à l’instant » : si le peuple l’écoutait, « à l’instant » il le sauverait. Dieu ne peut pas sauver l’homme sans sa collaboration. « Dieu propose et l’homme dispose ».

Mots-clés : Ps 81, composition du Psautier, analyse rhétorique biblique

Located at the very center of the Psalter’s central book, Ps 81 gives key insights into the Psalter’s interpretation. In Ps 81, God speaks up to answer the many questions put to him, especially in the Third Book, all the “Whys” and “Until whens” about the woes where the psalmist and his people find themselves. To “why?”, God replies that it is because of the infidelity of the sons of Israel; to “until when?” he answers “just now”: if the people listened to him, he would save them “just now”. God cannot save man without his cooperation. “God proposes and man disposes”.

Keywords : Ps 81, the composition of the Psalter, biblical rhetorical analysis

“This is a remarkable addition to the bookshelves of lovers of the book of Psalms—for prayer, for study, for pure literary enjoyment. The layout of these select loveliest psalms is perfect for readers of all levels and backgrounds, from those with just a basic knowledge of Hebrew to scholars delving into the complex syntax, cantillation system, and poetic devices of Biblical Hebrew. The ingenious page display based on the traditional accents is the cleverest and most useful design I have seen for capturing the text’s grammatical and semantic structure, simplifying a very complex system so that anybody can follow. Pure pleasure!”
—Shmuel Bolozky, Professor Emeritus of Hebrew, University of Massachusetts Amherst

“This work is an excellent introduction to the Hebrew text of the Psalms. It is particularly innovative in its focus on the Masoretic accents of the Psalms. These are usually ignored by students of Biblical Hebrew, but are of great importance for understanding how the Psalms were understood in the Masoretic tradition. The text of the Psalms is transcribed directly from the Aleppo Codex, the most important Masoretic manuscript, with details of the manuscript that do not appear in the standard printed editions. This Reader will bring students closer to the primary manuscript sources of the Psalms.”
—Geoffrey Khan, Regius Professor of Hebrew, University of Cambridge

“I’ve long been a fan of Jonathan Kline’s line of books on the biblical languages, recommending them to students and using them myself—all with great profit. My favorite thus far has been his A Proverb a Day in Biblical Hebrew, but this latest volume, A Hebrew Reader for the Psalms: 40 Beloved Texts, co-edited with Pete Myers, will no doubt jump to the head of the class. Here one finds a treasure trove of information about forty selected psalms that does exactly what Myers and Kline hope—facilitate an up-close, even intimate experience with the Hebrew text of these remarkable poems. But make no mistake about it: this is not a primer useful only for novices. An amazing amount of thought and research has gone into this volume (the appendix on accents alone is worth the price of the book), ensuring that it will be of great use even to seasoned readers and researchers of the Psalms. I am already praying that Myers and Kline will do the rest of the Psalter . . . soon!”
—Brent A. Strawn, Professor of Old Testament and Professor of Law, Duke University

“In the meticulous care Myers and Kline have put into presenting the Hebrew of these forty ‘beloved’ psalms in an accurate and accessible manner, they have performed an evident labor of love that promises to stoke the reader’s passion for the beauties of these texts and the Hebrew language. The volume’s carefully designed format invites readers across the range of facility in this language into a deeper encounter with and greater love for the Psalms.”
—Will Kynes, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Samford University

Available here:
https://www.christianbook.com/hebrew-reader-the-psalms-beloved-texts/pete-myers/9781683072720/pd/153047