The Psalter Book Five: PS 107-150 (Rhetorica Biblica Et Semitica, 38) 9789042950177, 9789042950184, 904295017X

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pontificia universitas gregoriana rhetorica biblica et semitica

Roland Meynet

THE PSALTER

Book Five (Ps 107–150)

PEETERS

THE PSALTER

Book Five (Ps 107–150)

Roland Meynet

THE PSALTER Book Five (Ps 107–150) Rhetorica Biblica et Semitica XXXVIII Translated by Bernard Witek

PEETERS leuven – paris – bristol, ct 2022

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF BIBLICAL AND SEMITIC RHETORIC

Many scholarly societies exit whose purpose is the study of rhetoric. The best known is the “International Society for the History of Rhetoric”. The RBS is the only one: • devoted exclusively to study Semitic literature, mainly the Bible, but also the other texts, such as Islamic texts; • which consequently sets out to list and describe the specific laws of a rhetoric that presided over the elaboration of the texts whose importance is in no way inferior to those of the Greek and Latin of which the modern Western civilization is heir. We should not forget either that the same Western civilization is also the heir of the Judeo-Christian tradition which has its origins in the Bible, that is in the Semitic world. More broadly, the texts that we are studying are the founding texts of the three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Such a scientific study, the first condition for a better mutual knowledge, can only contribute to the rapprochement between those who claim to belong to these various traditions.

The RBS promotes and supports training, research and publications:

• especially in the biblical field, both New and the Old Testament; • but also in the field of other Semitic texts, in particular those of Islam; • and also of authors who have been nourished by the biblical texts, such as St. Benedict

and Pascal.



For this purpose, the RBS organises international conference in even years, the proceedings of which are published in the this series; • every year, training seminars on its methodology, in different languages. • an

The RBS welcomes and brings together first of all researchers and university professors who, in various academic institutions, work in the field of biblical and Semitic rhetoric. It encourages in all ways students, especially doctoral students, in the learning of its own technique. It is also open to all those who are interested in its activities and wish to support them. International Society for the Study of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric Pontificia Università Gregoriana – Piazza della Pilotta, 4 – 00187 Rome (Italy) For more information on the RBS, visit, www.retoricabiblicaesemitica.org. ISBN 978-90-429-5017-7 eISBN 978-90-429-5018-4 D/2022/0602/96 A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. © 2022, Peeters, Bondgenotenlaan 153, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval devices or systems, without prior written permission from the publisher, except the quotation of brief passages for review purposes.

Rhetorica Biblica et Semitica Many imagine that classical rhetoric, inherited from the Greeks through the Romans, is universal. It is indeed the one that seems to govern modern culture, which the West has spread throughout the world. The time has now come to abandon such ethnocentrism: classical rhetoric is not the only one in the world. The Hebrew Bible, whose texts were written mainly in Hebrew but also in Aramaic, obeys a rhetoric quite different from the Greek-Roman rhetoric. It should therefore be recognised that another rhetoric exists, the “Hebrew rhetoric”. As for the other biblical texts, from the Old and the New Testaments, which were either translated or written directly in Greek, they largely obey the same laws. We are therefore entitled to speak not only of Hebrew rhetoric, but more broadly of “biblical rhetoric”. Moreover, the same laws were then recognised as operative in Akkadian, Ugaritic and other texts, preceding the Hebrew Bible, then in the Arabic texts of the Islamic Tradition and the Koran, subsequent to the biblical literature. It should therefore be admitted that this rhetoric is not only biblical, and we can say that all these texts, which belong to the same cultural area, belong to the same rhetoric, which we will call “Semitic rhetoric”. Contrary to the impression that the Western reader inevitably gets, the texts of the Semitic tradition are very well composed, provided that they are analysed according to the laws of rhetoric that govern them. We know that the form of the text, its layout, is the main door which opens the access to the meaning. Not that composition directly and automatically provides the meaning. However, when formal analysis allows us to make a reasonable division of the text, to define its context more objectively, to highlight the organisation of the work at the different levels of its composition, the conditions are thus met which allow us to undertake the work of interpretation on a less subjective and fragmentary basis.

INTRODUCTION The interest in the composition of the psalms is relatively new, both in the composition of individual psalms and, more importantly, in the book as a whole. Indeed, in 1825—almost two centuries ago—, Thomas Boys published his study, A Key to the Book of the Psalms, in which he showed how many psalms are “arranged” in either an “alternate” or “inverted” fashion.1 This scholar, following John Jebb,2 built on Robert’s discovery of parallelism of members— which he extended far beyond the simple verse—and on Johann Albrecht Bengel’s discovery of concentric structures.3 More and more modern authors are interested, though with varying degrees of success, in the composition of the psalms.4 The number of articles devoted to this kind of analysis continues to grow, and in recent commentaries greater attention is now paid to the composition of each psalm.5 The trend, however, has progressively extended to the relationships between adjacent psalms. For instance, Jean-Luc Vesco always begins with the identification of the links between the psalm he is about to comment on and the one that precedes it. The concatenation of psalms has been noted for a long time;6 nevertheless, it represents only a limited aspect of the composition of the Psalter.

1

See large excerpts from this book translated in French in R. MEYNET, Traité de rhétorique sémitique 2007.2013: 60–83. 2 J. JEBB, Sacred Literature. See the French translation of large excerpts in Traité 2007.2013: 49–59, and further in R. MEYNET, “John Jebb, le premier fondateur de l’analyse rhétorique biblique”. 3 R. LOWTH, De sacra poesi Hebraeorum; J.A. BENGEL, Gnomon Novi Testamenti. See Traité 2007.2013: 32–48 = Treatise, 30–32. 4 E.g., in 1942, N.W. LUND, Chiasmus in the New Testament; in 1980, D.N. FREEDMAN, Pottery, Poetry, and Prophecy: Studies in Early Hebrew Poetry; in 1981, P. AUFFRET, Hymnes d’Égypte et d’Israël (followed by several other books and a large number of articles); in 1982, J.N. ALETTI – J. TRUBLET, Approche poétique et théologique des Psaumes; in 1984, M. GIRARD, Les Psaumes 1–50; and in 1994, ID., Les Psaumes redécouverts (concerning M. Girard and P. Auffret, see my articles, “Analyse rhétorique du Psaume 51. Hommage critique à Marc Girard”; “Analyse rhétorique du psaume 90. Hommage critique à Pierre Auffret”); in 1998–2004, J. FOKKELMAN, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible. 5 For instance, concerning Ps 113, its composition was analysed by five authors between 1978 and 1998: D.N. Freedman (1978), P. Auffret (1992), M. Girard (1994), G.T.M. Prinsloo (1996) and J. Fokkelman (1998). See my critical presentation in “La rhétorique biblique et sémitique. État de la question”, 302–308; see also my analysis of this Psalm published in 2008 in Appelés à la liberté, 141–148. 6 See J.-M., AUWERS, La composition littéraire du Psautier, 89–93; see also D. SCAIOLA, “Una cosa ha detto Dio, due ne ho udite”, 137–144.

8

The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150)

It is beyond the scope of this study to draw up a status quaestionis of research on the composition of the psalter; others have done this well enough.7 It will be sufficient to point out the increasing number of such studies and to mention a few particularly significant titles8. In addition to the collection of the Songs of Ascent (Ps 120–134), whose limitations and cohesion have been recognized for a long time, other composite sets have been identified. For example, what Susan Gillingham calls “Psalms of Entrance Liturgy”, ten psalms, Ps 15–24:9 Ps 15 Entrance liturgy: Who shall dwell on God’s holy hill? Ps 16 Confident trust in God Ps 17 Lament on deliverance from enemies Ps 18 Royal thanksgiving concerning victory in battle Ps 19 Hymn to God as Creator and giver of Torah Ps 20–21 Royal prayers concerning victory in battle Ps 22 Lament on deliverance from enemies Ps 23 Confident trust in God Ps 24 Entrance liturgy: Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

The collection of the Songs of Ascent belongs to a larger whole, that of “Book Five” (Ps 107–150). Not everyone is of the same opinion on the organisation of this book. Some recognise partial groupings but do not venture to propose a real composition. For instance, Ravasi at the beginning of his commentary on Ps 107 writes as follows: With this grandiose hymn of thanksgiving built on four delightful personal ex-votos but made into communal tôdah, thus opens the last of the five books into which the Jewish tradition had divided the psalter. The design of the final editors of the collection of psalms introduced here a considerable variety of models: Alongside precious untitled and “erratic” psalms such as Ps 137 or Ps 119, one encounters a different sequence of “Davidic” psalms (Ps 108–110 and Ps 138–145), there is the “Hallelujah” collection of Ps 111–117 and Ps 146–150 to which Ps 135 should be added, while fifteen psalms (Ps 120–134) form the famous book of “The Songs of Ascents”. Within this variety one can find unifications and homogeneous areas such as Ps 113–118 of the “Great Hallel” of the Jewish liturgy or the twin psalms such as Ps 111–112, etc. Therefore, a complex and varied collection, opened by a psalm 7

In 1996, R.N. WHYBRAY, Reading the Psalms as a Book, Chap. I: “Recent Views on the Composition and Arrangement of the Psalter”, 15–35 (he dedicates an important space, p. 19–23, to G.H. Wilson who, as early as 1985, was a pioneer in this field with his book The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter; in 2000, J.-M. AUWERS, La composition littéraire du psautier; in 2010, by the same author, “Le psautier comme livre biblique” (on the First Book, 76–78). 8 In 1993, J.C. MCCANN, The Shape and the Shaping of the Psalter; in 2005, P.W. FLINT – P.D. MILLER Jr, The Book of Psalms; in 2010, E. ZENGER, ed., The Composition of the Book of Psalms. A comprehensive bibliography can be found in S.E. GILLINGHAM, “The Zion Tradition and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter”, 334–341. 9 S.E. GILLINGHAM, “The Zion Tradition and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter”, 329–330; ID., “The Levitical Singers and the Editing of the Hebrew Palter”, 100–101. The author adopts the composition of P. AUFFRET, La sagesse a bâti sa maison, 407–438.

Introduction

9

which, with its tone of joy after danger, seems almost to be both the opening and background theme song.10

In 1976, Joseph P. Brennan proposed a division of the Fifth Book into three main parts, parallel to each other: Ps 107–119; 120–136; 137–150.11 The most detailed study is that published by Erich Zenger in 1998.12 He begins with a list of five characteristics of the Fifth Book: 1) the density of Hallelujah; 2) the continuous use of “praise” and “thanksgiving”; 3) the absence of the doxological formula that closes each of the first four books; 4) in contrast to the preceding books, and especially the Fourth Book, the vision of Davidic messiahship is presented in a positive fashion; 5) the Fifth Book differs especially from the preceding one in its compositional technique and in its openended conclusion (p. 77–82). Afterwards, Zenger presents a critique of the proposals of three of his predecessors. G.H. Wilson, who puts aside Ps 146–150 as the final Hallel of the Psalter, organizes Ps 107–145 into three sections that begin with praise:13 Section I: 107–117 (Davidic framework) hôdû: 107 David: 108–110 hallelujah: 111–117 Section II: 118–135 (Torah) hôdû: 118 Torah: 119 ascents: 120–134 hallelujah: 135 Section III: 136–145 (Davidic framework) hôdû: 136–137 David: 138–145.14

K. Koch on the other hand, includes the five final psalms, but removes Ps 119 and Ps 137, which are considered as secondary. His structure is quite regular: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 10

107–110: Psalms of David (107: introductory) 111–118: Hallelujah Psalms 120–134: Psalms of Ascents 135–136: Hallelujah psalms 138–145: Psalms of David 146–150: Hallelujah Psalms.15

Ravasi, III, 197. J.P. BRENNAN, “Some Hidden Harmonies in the Fifth Book of Psalms”. 12 E. ZENGER, “The Composition and Theology of the Fifth Book of Psalms”. 13 G.H. WILSON, The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter; ID., “Shaping of the Psalter”; on the Fifth Book, 78–79. 14 Vesco (1024) adopts almost the same division into three parts, with the difference that it includes Ps 146–150 at the end of the third part under the title “Hallelujah”, as at the end of the first two parts. 15 K. KOCH, “Der Psalter und seine Redaktionsgeschichte”. 11

10

The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150)

Zenger comes after R.G. Kratz (p. 85–87, whom he quotes at length). Kratz follows Wilson in his division into three parts (107–117 / 118–135 / 136–150).16 Finally, Zenger summarises his own analysis in the following table:17 R A 107; 108–110; 111 & 112 David (eschatological/messianic)

113–118 Exodus (Passover)

A 119 Torah (Pentecost)

120–126; 137 Zion (Tabernacles)

RA 138–144; 145 David (eschatological/messianic)

The study presented here was conducted in a systematic manner in line with the methodology of biblical and Semitic rhetorical analysis,18 at all levels of textual organization, starting with that of “segment”, bimember, trimember or even unimember, and ending with that of “book”. It was carried out, as usual and as it should be, “with bare hands”, that is without consulting predecessors. This gives us complete freedom and prevents us from being led on paths that have already been mapped out and which may not be the most secure. The convergences that are then observed can be a guarantee of the soundness of the analyses. The division of the Psalter into five books has been accepted as a reasonable hypothesis: In fact, it is based on the text, because of the doxologies that serve as final terms for the first four books (Ps 41:14; 72:18–20; 89:53; 106:48).19 It is clear that the boundaries of a unit that brings together several psalms will only be assured when the boundaries of the preceding and subsequent units have also been defined, and so on until the whole surface of the Psalter has been covered. The present work on the last book will therefore have to be conducted on each of the other four books. The reader may have wondered the reason for starting from the end of the Psalter and not from the beginning. The reason is simple: I had already analysed and published a significant part of this text: – Ps 145,20 – each of the six psalms of the Egyptian Hallel (Ps 113–118) and the Great Hallel (Ps 136),21 – the twin psalms (Ps 111–112),22 – the long psalm on the Law (Ps 119),23 16

R.G. KRATZ, “Die Torah Davids: Psalm 1 und die doxologische Fünfteilung des Psalters”. E. ZENGER, “The Composition and Theology of the Fifth Book of Psalms”, 98 (R stands for “Royal psalm”, A for “Acrostic psalm”). See also, Y. ZAKOVITCH, “The Interpretative Significance of the Sequence of Psalms 111–112, 113–118, 119”. 18 The methodology is set out in my Traité de rhétorique biblique = Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric. 19 See J.-M. AUWERS, La composition littéraire du Psautier, 77–86; P. SANDERS, “Five Books of Psalms”. 20 “Le psaume 145”. 21 In Appelés à la liberté, 139–222. 22 “Harmonie biblique. Les psaumes 111 et 112”. 23 Les huit psaumes acrostiches alphabétiques, 141–273. 17

Introduction

11

– the collection of the fifteen Songs of Ascents (Ps 120–134),24 – and even Ps 110 and Ps 148.25 In the present book I have been able to correct several typographical errors— unfortunately still too numerous—in previous publications. The translations are excessively literal, but in the final rewriting of each psalm, the roughness of the partial translations has often been to some extent smoothed out. The commentary retains some editorial traces, the removal of which did not seem necessary. For instance, Ps 119 does not have the heading “Text”: because, on the one hand, there are not many textual problems in this psalm, and because, on the other hand, the analysis of the longest of the psalms should not be overly burdensome. In the case of three psalms (Ps 116; 118; 136) the analysis was carried out at the level of part in a comprehensive fashion under the four headings of “Text”, “Composition”, “Context” and “Interpretation”. It would have been possible to shorten these analyses to bring them into line with those of the other psalms; however, it seemed appropriate to demonstrate that a more thorough study was indeed advantageous. It only remains for me to warmly thank my very first readers, Cardinal Albert Vanhoye and Deacon Pierre Faure, who checked part of this commentary, and I wish future readers as much joy as I have had in writing these pages.

24

Les psaumes des montées. Rewritten and briefly described in Traité 2007.2013 : 230, 270–271 ; 2021 :150, 201–202 = Treatise, 174–175. 25

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS al. Amos AnBib Aug BEThL Bib BiLe BiTod BJ BZ BZAW CBQ CBQ.MS chap. CRB CSB ed. e.g. ErIs EstB EThL EtBib.NS FOTL Fs Gr. HAR HBS HebStud HeyJ HUCA ICC JBL JBQ JNWSL JSOT JSOT.S LeDiv LiBi lit. Luc 2005 Luc 2011 NRTh NS

alii, others P. Bovati – R. Meynet, Le Livre du prophète Amos, RhBib 2, Paris 1994 Analecta biblica Augustinianum Biblioteca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaneniensium Biblica Bibel und Leben Bible Today Bible de Jérusalem Biblische Zeitschrift Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Catholic Biblical Quarterly Catholic Biblical Quarterly. Monograph Series chapter Cahiers de la revue biblique Collana Studi biblici editor, edited for example Eretz Israel Estudios Biblicos Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses Études bibliques nouvelle série The Forms of the Old Testament Literature Festschrift Gregorianum Hebrew Annual Review Herders Biblische Studien Hebrew Studies Heythrop Journal Hebrew Union College Annual International Critical Commentary Journal of Biblical Literature The Jewish Bible Quarterly Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. Supplement Series Lectio Divina Lire la Bible literally R. Meynet, L’Évangile de Luc, RhSem 1, Paris 2005 R. Meynet, L’Évangile de Luc, RhSem 8, Pendé 2011 Nouvelle Revue Théologique New Series

14 OBO OTE OTL p. par. RB RBS ReBib ReBibSem RevSR RBSem REJ RevSR RhBib RhSem RivBib RSR RTR SBi SBL.DS SBL.MS SC StBib StRBS Traité TOB trans. Treatise v. vol. VT VT.S WMANT ZAW ZTK

The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150) Orbis biblicus et Orientalis Old Testament Essays Old Testament Library page, pages parallel Revue biblique International Society for the Study of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric Retorica biblica (EDB) Retorica Biblica e Semitica (G&B Press) Revue des Sciences Religieuses Rhetorica Biblica et Semitica (Peeters) Revue des Études juives Revue des Sciences Religieuses Rhétorique biblique (Cerf) Rhétorique sémitique (Lethielleux, Gabalda) Rivista Biblica Recherches de science religieuse The Reformed Theological Review Sources bibliques Society of Biblical Literature. Dissertation series Society of Biblical Literature. Monograph series Sources chrétiennes Studi biblici Studia Rhetorica Biblica et Semitica R. Meynet, Traité de rhétorique biblique, RhSem 4, Paris 2007; RhSem 12, Pendé 20132; Traité de rhétorique sémitique. Troisième édition revue et amplifiée, RBSem 28, Leuven 20213 Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translation, translated Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric, International Studies in the History of Rhetoric 3, Leyden – Boston 2012 verse, verses volume, volumes Vetus Testamentum Vetus Testamentum. Supplement Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche

The commentaries on the psalms are referred to only by the name/s of the author/s in lower case, followed by the volume and page/s number/s; e.g., Weiser, 685; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 99–101. The abbreviations of the biblical books follow The SBL Handbook of Style.

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS 1. TERMS DESIGNATING RHETORICAL UNITS Very often in the exegetical works the terms “section”, “passage”, and in particular “piece”, “part”, etc., are not used consistently. Here is a list of terms designating the textual units at their successive levels. THE “LOWER” (OR NON-AUTONOMOUS) LEVELS Apart from the first two (the term and the member), the lower level units are formed of one, two or three units of the preceding level. TERM

The term generally corresponds to a “lexeme”, or word that is found in the lexicon: noun, adjective, verb, adverb.

MEMBER

The member is a syntagma, or group of “terms” linked together by close syntactic relations. The “member” is the minimal rhetorical unit; it may happen that the member consists of a single term (the term of Greek origin is “stich”).

SEGMENT

The segment comprises one, two or three members; there are “unimember” segments (the term of Greek origin is “monostich”), “bimember” segments (or “distichs”), and “trimember” segments (or “tristichs”).

PIECE

The piece comprises one, two or three segments.

PART

The part comprises one, two or three pieces.

THE “UPPER” (OR AUTONOMOUS) LEVELS They are all formed of either one or several units from the previous level. PASSAGE

The passage—the equivalent of the exegetes’ “pericope”—is formed of one or more parts.

SEQUENCE

The sequence is formed of one or more passages.

SECTION

The section is formed of one or more sequences.

BOOK

Finally, the book is formed of one or more sections.

It is sometimes necessary to use the intermediary levels of “subpart”, “subsequence” and “subsection”; these intermediary units have the same definition as the part, sequence and section.

16

The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150)

SIDE

The side is a textual complex that precedes or follows the centre of a construction; if the centre is bipartite, the side corresponds to each of the two halves of the construction. 2. TERMS DESIGNATING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN SYMMETRICAL UNITS

TOTAL SYMMETRIES PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION

Composition figure in which the units in paired relations are arranged in parallel fashion: A B C D E | A’B’C’D’E’. When two units parallel to each other frame a single element, we talk about parallelism referring to the symmetry between these two units, but we consider the whole (the upper level unit) as a concentric construction: A | x | A’. “Parallel construction” is also called “parallelism” (as opposed to “concentrism”).

MIRROR CONSTRUCTION

Composition figure in which the units in paired relations are arranged in an antiparallel or “mirrored” fashion: A B C D E | E’D’C’B’A’. Like the parallel construction, the mirror construction does not have a centre; like the concentric construction, the related elements mirror each other. When the construction comprises only four units, it is also called “chiasmus”: A B | B’A’.

CONCENTRIC CONSTRUCTION

Composition figure where concentrically: A B C D E element (this element can organisation). “Concentric construction” opposed to “parallelism”).

the symmetrical units are arranged | x | E’D’C’B’A’, around the central be a unit of any level of textual can also be called “concentrism” (as

ELLIPTIC CONSTRUCTION

Composition figure where the two focal points of the ellipse articulate the other textual units: A | x | B | x | A’.

Glossary of Technical Terms

17

PARTIAL SYMMETRIES INITIAL TERMS

Identical or similar terms or syntagmas that mark the beginning of symmetrical textual units; the “anaphora” of classical rhetoric.

FINAL TERMS

Identical or similar terms or syntagmas that mark the end of symmetrical textual units; the “epiphora” of classical rhetoric.

EXTREME TERMS

Identical or similar terms or syntagmas that mark the extremities of a textual unit; the “inclusion” of traditional exegesis.

MEDIAN TERMS

Identical or similar terms or syntagmas that mark the end of a textual unit and the beginning of the unit symmetrical to it; the “hook-word” or “linking-word” of traditional exegesis.

CENTRAL TERMS

Identical or similar terms or syntagmas that mark the centres of two symmetrical textual units.

For more details, see R. MEYNET, Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric, International Studies in the History of Rhetoric 3, Leyden – Boston 2012, 129–145. MAIN REWRITING RULES – Within the member, the terms are usually separated by spaces; – Each member is usually rewritten on a single line; – Segments are separated by a blank line; – Pieces are separated by a broken line; – Part is delimited by two continuous lines; the same applies to the subparts. – Within the passage, the parts are framed (unless they are very short, such as an introduction or a conclusion); the subparts are arranged in adjoining frames; – Within the sequence or subsequence, the passages, rewritten in prose, are arranged in frames separated by a blank line; – Within the sequence, the passages of subsequence are arranged in adjoining frames. On the rewriting rules, see Treatise, chap. 4, 187–299.

FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT TO THE THANKSGIVING OF THE RIGHTEOUS First Section Ps 107–112

20

First Section (Ps 107–112)

The first section is formed of three sequences: The first sequence comprises only one psalm (Ps 107), the second one contains three psalms, all of them “of David” (Ps 109–110), the third sequence brings together the two twin psalms (Ps 111–112). THANKSGIVING

Deliver me

THANKSGIVING

of the redeemed

of the Lord

from the mouth

of deceit

Ps 108–110

the Lord

Ps 111–112

of those who fear

Ps 107

I. THANKSGIVING OF THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD The First Sequence: Ps 107

PSALM 107 TEXT 1 Give

thanks to Yhwh, because (he is) good, because his faithfulness (endures) forever! 2 Let the redeemed of Yhwh say (so), whom he redeemed from the hand of the oppressor, 3 and from the lands he gathered them, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea. 4 They wandered in the desert, in the wilderness, finding no way to an inhabited city; 5 they were hungry and they were thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he delivered them, 7 and he made them move on a right way, that they might go to an inhabited city. 8 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for his wonders to the children of Adam! 9 Because he has satisfied the longing soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with good. 10 Inhabitants of darkness and of shadow, captives of affliction and of iron, 11 because they defied the orders of God, and spurned the plan of the Most High, 12 and he brought down their hearts with labour, they succumbed, and there was no one to help. 13 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he saved them, 14 he brought them out of darkness and of shadow, and he broke apart their bonds. 15 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and 16 Because he broke the gates of bronze, and smashed the bars of iron. for his wonders to the children of Adam! 17 Fools, for their sinful ways and for their faults, were tormented, 18 their soul loathed all food, and they drew near the gates of death. 19 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he saved them. 20 He sent his word and healed them, and rescued (them) from their pits. 21 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and let them recount his and for his wonders to the children of Adam! works in songs of joy! 23 Those going down to the sea in ships, doing business on great waters; 24 they have seen 25 And he said and raised a storm wind, the works of Yhwh, and his wonders in the deep. and he lifted up the waves; 26 they went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths, their soul melted in evil; 27 they whirled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their wisdom was swallowed up. 28 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he brought them out. 29 He reduced the storm to a calm, and the waves were hushed. 30 And they rejoiced that they were quiet, and he led them to the harbour they desired. 31 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for his wonders to the children of Adam. 32 And let them exalt him in the assembly of the people, in the council of the elders let them praise him! 33 He turns rivers into a desert, and springs of water into a thirsty ground, 34 and a land of fruit into a salty waste, for the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns the desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into a spring of water; 36 and he makes the hungry dwell there, and they establish an inhabited city, 37 and 38 And he blesses them, and they multiply greatly, they sow fields and plant vines, and make fruit to be harvested. 39 And they are diminished and brought low and he does not let their cattle diminish. under pressure of evil and sorrow. 40 He pours contempt upon princes, and he makes them wander in a chaos (with) no way, 41 and he lifts up the poor from affliction, and sets the families like a flock; 42 the upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth. 43 Who (is) wise, let him keep these things, let them understand the faithfulness of Yhwh!

The text contains very few problems. V. 3: “FROM THE NORTH AND FROM THE SEA”

Many correct “from the sea” (miyyām) with “from the south” (miyyāmîn), to get the four cardinal points. The Septuagint follows the Hebrew text. “The sea” could mean the Mediterranean Sea, that is to say the west; but since the west is already mentioned, it is more likely that it is the southern sea, “the Sea of Reeds” (Exod 15).1

1

Hakham, II, 298.

22

First Section (Ps 107–112)

COMPOSITION For many the psalm has two main parts “which belong to two different categories”, a liturgy for a thanksgiving service (1–32) and a hymn (33–43) considered as “secondary expansion”.2 Even the introduction is considered by some as heterogeneous: With a short introduction and conclusion, the psalm would be perfect, square. We could contemplate it as a quadrangular portico. [...] From an artist who plans and builds with such harmony, one does not expect and cannot explain why he distorts his work with a jarring addition, a collage.3

Most divide the psalm into four parts: an introduction (1–3), the first main part (4–32) comprising four stanzas (4–9, 10–16, 17–22, 23–32), the second main part (33–41 or 42) which is a hymn subdivided into two4 or three stanzas,5 and finally a conclusion (42–43,6 or only 437). For others the hymn extends to the last verse.8 The psalm is organised into five parts. At the centre is the only part (10–22) which relates what happened to those who sinned against the Lord, “the inhabitants of darkness and shadow” (10–16) followed by the “fools” (17–22). This part is framed by two complementary parts: Those who “wandered in the desert” (4–9) and those who were “going down to the sea” (23–32). The last part (39–43) in its first subpart (33–38) refers to the second part (4–9) and in its second subpart (39–43) to the penultimate part (23–32). As for the first part (1–3), it announces the central part (10–22). THE FIRST PART (1–3) + 1 Give thanks + because forever :: 2 Let them say (so), :: whom 3

:: and from the lands .. from the east .. from the north

2

to YHWH, his faithfulness!

because (he is) good,

the redeemed he redeemed

of YHWH, from the hand

of the oppressor,

he gathered them, and from the west, and from the sea.

Kraus, II, 325. Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 471–472. 4 Girard, III, 128, 133–134 (33–34, 35–41). 5 Ravasi, III, 205 (33–35, the song of the exodus; 36–39, the song of the land; 40–42, the song of the exile). 6 Weiser, 685; Hakham, II, 298; Girard III, 129; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 99–101. 7 Ravasi, III, 205; Lorenzin (424–425) who divides the psalm into eight parts. 8 Thus Dahood (III, 80) for whom the psalm is organised into only three parts: prologue (1–3), four stanzas (4–32), and a concluding hymn (33–43). 3

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23

The first segment (1) begins with an imperative, motivated by the goodness of “Yhwh”, which is made explicit in the second member. The two subsequent segments form a single phrase (2–3) which begins with a jussive in the plural like the initial imperative. The Lord’s “faithfulness” (1b) was manifested in two actions, the redemption (2), which brings to mind the coming out of Egypt (Exod 15:13: “In your faithfulness you led out the people you had redeemed”), and the gathering of those who had been exiled in the four directions (Ps 107:3). THE SECOND PART (4–9) – 4 They wandered – THE WAY 5

: THEY WERE HUNGRY, : THEIR SOUL

in the desert,

in the wilderness,

TO A CITY

INHABITED

also THEY WERE THIRSTY, within them

fainted.

finding no;

··················································································································

:: 6 And they cried out :: from their distress

to YHWH he delivered them,

in the oppression

+ 7 and HE MADE THEM MOVE + that they might go

ON A WAY, TO A CITY

a right one, INHABITED.

of theirs,

··················································································································

= 8 Let them give thanks = and for his wonders

to YHWH to the children

for his faithfulness, of Adam,

: 9 because he has satisfied : and THE SOUL

THE SOUL

LONGING, he has filled

HUNGRY

with good.

The first piece (4–5) describes a situation of wandering in the desert, far from any city, in hunger and thirst. The second piece (6–7) reports Yhwh’s intervention (6b–7) following the supplication of the oppressed (6a). The last piece (8–9) invites those who have been saved from hunger and thirst to give thanks. The second piece is linked to the first piece by “the way”, “he made them move on a way” and “to a city inhabited” (4b & 7ab); the third piece is linked to the first one as it mentions the hunger and thirst of “the soul” (5 & 9). The construction is quite regular: The second segment of the second piece (7) refers to the first segment of the first piece (4), while the second segment of the third piece (9) refers to the second segment of the first piece (5).

24

First Section (Ps 107–112)

THE THIRD PART (10–22) – 10 Inhabitants – captives

OF DARKNESS

AND OF SHADOW,

of affliction

and OF IRON,

: 11 because they defied : and the plan

the orders of THE MOST HIGH

of GOD they spurned,

= 12 and he brought down = they succumbed,

with labour and there was no one

their hearts, to help.

··························································································································· * 13 AND THEY CRIED OUT TO YHWH IN THEIR OPPRESSION,

* FROM THEIR DISTRESS 14

:: he brought them out :: and their bonds

HE SAVED THEM, OF DARKNESS

AND OF SHADOW,

he broke apart.

···························································································································

= 15 LET THEM GIVE THANKS = AND FOR HIS WONDERS

TO YHWH TO THE CHILDREN

FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS, OF ADAM,

:: 16 because he broke :: and the bars

the gates OF IRON

of bronze, he smashed.

: 17 Fools, : and for their faults,

for the ways were tormented,

of their sin,

= 18 all food, = and they drew near

loathed the gates

their soul, of death.

··························································································································· * 19 AND THEY CRIED OUT TO YHWH IN THEIR OPPRESSION,

* FROM THEIR DISTRESS 20

:: He sent :: and rescued (them)

HE SAVED THEM.

his word from their pits.

and healed them,

···························································································································

= 21 LET THEM GIVE THANKS = AND FOR HIS WONDERS

TO YHWH TO THE CHILDREN

FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS, OF ADAM!

= 22 Let them offer = and let them recount

sacrifices his works

in songs of joy!

OF THANKSGIVING,

The two subparts are parallel (10–16 & 17–22). The three stages of the first subpart are repeated: 1) distressful situation (10–12 & 17–18); 2) deliverance in response to supplication (13–14 & 19–20); 3) invitation to thanksgiving (15–16 & 21–22). In the first subpart the Lord delivers from prison, in the second one he “heals” from a deadly disease; the term “their pits” (20b) corresponds to “darkness and shadow” (14). They are all delivered from death: “they succumbed” (12b), “they drew near the gates of death” (18b). The specificity of this part is that, in both

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cases, the misfortune is caused by sin (11–17). The last segment of the first subpart (16) refers to the second segment of the preceding piece (14), with the verbs “to break” and “to smash” (16) as synonyms of “to break apart” (14b), all their complements belong to the semantic field of prison. On the other hand, the last segment of the second subpart (22) builds on the preceding segment (21); as a result, the passage ends with thanksgiving. THE FOURTH PART (23–32) + 23 Those going down + doing 24

+ they + and HIS WONDERS

to the sea business

in ships, on the water

great ones;

have seen in the deep.

the works

of YHWH,

···························································································································· :: 25 And he said and raised a wind OF STORM,

:: and he lifted up 26

THE WAVES;

.. they went up .. their soul

to the heavens, in evil

they went down melted;

.. 27 they whirled .. and all

and staggered their wisdom

like a drunkard, was swallowed up.

* 28 And they cried out * from their distress

to YHWH in their oppression, he brought them out.

:: 29 He reduced :: and were hushed

THE STORM

.. 30 And they rejoiced .. and he led them

that they were quiet, to the harbour they desired.

to the depths,

to a calm

THE WAVES/

= 31 Let them give thanks to YHWH = and for HIS WONDERS to the children

for his faithfulness, of Adam.

= 32 And let them exalt him in the assembly = in the council of the elders

of the people, let them praise him!

As in the two preceding parts, this one unfolds in three stages: trial (23–27), supplication and deliverance (28–30), and thanksgiving (31–32). Since the first stage comprises two pieces (23–24 & 25–27), the part unfolds in three subparts. The “wonders” of the Lord (24b & 31b) are manifested in the “storm” and in the rising of the “waves” which he causes (25) and which he calms in response to supplication (29). The name “Yhwh” occurs in each subpart (24a, 28a, 31a).

26

First Section (Ps 107–112)

THE FIFTH PART (33–43) – 33 HE TURNS – and springs

rivers of water

into a desert, into a thirsty ground,

: 34 and a land : on account of THE EVIL

OF FRUIT

a salty waste, in it.

of the inhabitants

·······························································································································

+ 35 HE TURNS + and a land

the desert dry one

into a pool into a spring

+ 36 and he makes dwell :: and they establish

there a city

the hungry, inhabited,

:: 37 and they sow :: and they make

fields FRUIT

and plant to be harvested.

of water, of water;

vines,

·······························································································································

= 38 And he blesses them, = and their cattle, – 39 And they are diminished – under pressure

and they multiply greatly, he does not let (them) diminish. and brought low OF EVIL

and sorrow.

··············································································································

+ 40 He pours + and he makes them wander

contempt in a chaos

upon princes (with) no way,

:: 41 and he lifts up :: and HE SETS

the poor like a flock

from affliction, the families;

:: 42 they see, + and all iniquity

the upright, shuts

and they rejoice, its mouth.

··············································································································

:: 43 Who (is) wise, :: let them understand

let him keep the faithfulness

these things, of Yhwh.

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The first subpart (33–38) unfolds in three stages. The first piece (33–34) describes the punishment (33–34a) caused by the sin (34b); the second piece reports the total reversal of the situation (35–37). The first segments begin with the same verb, “he turns”, and they set the “desert” against the “springs of water” (33 & 35); the second segment of the second subpart (36) corresponds to 34b, where terms of the same root (“to dwell”) is found, while the last segment (37) refers to 34a, with the repetition of “fruit”. The last piece (38) differs from the preceding ones by the theme of fertility, both of humans (38a) and of livestock (38b), thanks to the divine blessing. The second subpart (39-43) is also organised into three stages. The first piece (39) gives a brief account of the misfortune (39a) due to the oppression and suffered “evil” (39b). The second piece (40–42) describes God’s intervention, against the “iniquity” of the “princes” (40 & 42b) and in favour of “the poor” (41), which makes “the upright” (42a) happy. The last piece (43) contrasts with the preceding ones, for it is an invitation to wisdom; the verb “keeps” (43a) is in singular like “the poor” (41a), while “they understand” (43b) is in plural like “the upright” (42a). The two subparts are parallel. The first pieces (33–34 & 39) describe the misfortune, in the first instance “on account of the evil” committed (34b), in the second instance “by the oppression of evil” suffered (39b). Subsequently, there is a reversal of the situation, which is particularly visible in the first subpart (35– 37), but which is also verified in the second subpart between the oppressors and the oppressed (40–42). Lastly, the final pieces have in common the divine blessing and his “faithfulness” (38a & 43b). The two occurrences of the verb “to diminish” (38b & 39a) serve as median terms. The same verb translated as “he turns” and “he sets” occurs in both subparts (33a, 35a, 41b); the theme of fertility with which the first subpart ends (38) is found at the centre of the second subpart (41b). The name of the main personage of the whole part is revealed, so to speak, only at the very end: “Yhwh” (43b).

28

First Section (Ps 107–112)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

GIVE THANKS to THE LORD, because he is good, because HIS FAITHFULNESS endures forever! Let the redeemed of THE LORD say so, whom he redeemed from the OPPRESSOR’s hand, 3 and from the lands he gathered them, from the east and from the west, from the north and the sea. 2

4 5

They wandered in the DESERT, in the wilderness, THEY WERE HUNGRY, and THEY WERE THIRSTY,

finding no way to an INHABITED CITY; their soul fainted within them.

* 6 And they cried out to THE LORD in their OPPRESSION, 7 and he made them move on a right way,

from their distress he delivered them, that they might go to an INHABITED CITY.

= 8 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to THE LORD for HIS FAITHFULNESS and for his wonders to the children of Adam, • 9 because he has satisfied the LONGING soul, and the HUNGRY soul he has filled with good! 10 11 12

Inhabitants of darkness and of shadow, because they defied the orders of God, and he brought down their hearts with labour,

captives of affliction and of iron, and spurned the plan of the Most High, they succumbed, and there was no one to help.

* 13 And they cried out to THE LORD in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he saved them, 14 he brought them out of darkness and of shadow, and he broke apart their bonds. = 15 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to THE LORD for HIS FAITHFULNESS and for his wonders to the children of Adam, • 16 because he broke the gates of bronze, and smashed the bars of iron! 17 18

Fools, for their sinful ways their soul loathed all food,

and for their faults, were tormented, and they drew near the gates of death.

* 19 And they cried out to THE LORD in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he saved them. 20 He sent his word and healed them, and rescued them from their pits. = 21 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to THE LORD for HIS FAITHFULNESS and for his wonders to the children of Adam! :: 22 Let them offer sacrifices OF THANKSGIVING, and let them recount his works in songs of joy! 23 24

Those going down to the sea in ships, they HAVE SEEN the works of THE LORD,

25

And he said and raised a storm wind, they went up to the heavens, down to the depths, 27 they whirled and staggered like a drunkard, 26

* 28 And they cried out to THE LORD in their OPPRESSION, 29 He reduced the storm to a calm, 30 AND THEY REJOICED that they were quiet,

doing business on great waters; and his wonders in the deep. and he lifted up the waves; their soul melted in EVIL; and all their WISDOM was swallowed up. from their distress he brought them out. and the waves were hushed. and he led them to the harbour they desired.

= 31 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to THE LORD for HIS FAITHFULNESS and for his wonders to the children of Adam! :: 32 And let them exalt him in the assembly of the people, in the council of the elders let them praise him! 33 34

He turns rivers into a DESERT and a land of fruit into a salty waste,

and springs of water into a THIRSTY GROUND, for the evil of its INHABITANTS.

35

He turns the DESERT into a pool of water, and HE MAKES THE HUNGRY DWELL there, 37 and they sow fields and plant vines,

and a dry land into a spring of water; and they establish an INHABITED CITY, and make fruit to be harvested.

38

and he does not let their cattle diminish.

36

39

And he blesses them, and they multiply greatly,

And they are diminished and brought low

under pressure of EVIL and sorrow.

40

He pours contempt upon princes, and he lifts up the poor from affliction, 42 the upright SEE and REJOICE,

he makes them wander in a chaos with no way, and sets the families like a flock; and all iniquity shuts its mouth.

43

let them understand THE FAITHFULNESS of THE LORD.

41

Who is WISE, let him keep these things,

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Relationships between the three central parts (4–9, 10–22, 23–32) The same pattern is found in all three parts: misfortune (4–5, 10–12, 17–18, 23–27), supplication and deliverance (6–7, 13–14, 19–20, 28–30), thanksgiving (8–9, 15–16, 21–22, 31–32). The second part (4–9) and the first subpart of the central part (10–16) correspond to each other through their last segments: beginning with “because”, they provide the reason for thanksgiving (9 & 16). In a correlative fashion, the second subpart of the central part (17–22) and the fourth part (23–32) correspond to each other through their last segments: they are both an invitation to praise in a liturgical action (22 & 32). The second and penultimate parts (4–9 & 23–32) are complementary, one describing the peril of death in “the desert”, the other on “the sea”. Relationships between the extreme parts (1–3 & 33–43) The lexical repetitions are not so numerous. The name of the “Lord” appears at the beginning and at the end together with “faithfulness” (1 & 43); “land/s” occurs in 3 and 34, 35, “oppressor” and “pressure” (2 & 39) are linked by paronomasia (ṣār and ‘ōṣer). Finally, the verbs with which the first two verses begin (1–2) are volitive as are the two verbs in the last segment (43). In the extreme parts are distributed some of the elements that were scattered in the same order along the three central parts: thanksgiving in the first part and in the last one, misfortune, because of the “evil” committed, and then deliverance. While at the end “the upright are glad” (42), supplication and thanksgiving are absent. Unless these elements are left to the “wise” person of the last verse who is invited to understand all “these things”. Relationships between the extreme parts and the other three parts Sin that marks the beginnings of the subparts of the central part (11 & 17) is also found at the beginning of the last part (34). The first subpart of the final part (33–38) is closely related to the second part (4–9): They speak of the “desert” (4, 33, 35), of “dwelling” in “an inhabited city” (4, 7, 34, 36), of hunger and thirst (5, 9, 33, 36). In a correlative fashion, the second subpart of the final part (39–43) corresponds to the penultimate part (23–32) where “evil” (26 & 39), “seeing” (24 & 42), “rejoicing” (30 & 42), and “wisdom” and “wise” (27 & 43) are taken up. The first part (1–3) seems to foreshadow the central part (10–22). Indeed, the redemption (2) can be related to the deliverance from captivity (10) from which he “brought them out”, breaking “their bonds” (14 & 16), by delivering them from “their pits” (20). The return from exile (3) is the liberation from captivity.

30

First Section (Ps 107–112)

Relationships between the five parts The name “Yhwh” appears in all parts, twice in the first one (1 & 2), twice in the second one (6 & 8), four times in the central part (13, 15, 19, 21), three times in the fourth one (24, 28, 31) and only once at the end of the last part (43), in total twelve times. His “faithfulness” occurs in each part, in the singular in the first four parts (1, 8, 15, 21, 31), in the plural of majesty at the end of the last part (43). CONTEXT THE “REDEEMED” OF THE EXODUS AND OF THE NEW EXODUS The situations evoked in the three central parts are general and, taken in themselves, can apply to all kinds of trials, as metaphors for misfortune, supplication, deliverance and thanksgiving. The first part, by mentioning the “redeemed” and their gathering from the four cardinal points, sets the tone and orients the interpretation of the three central parts. Redemption refers both to the going out of Egypt: “In your faithfulness you led out the people you had redeemed” (Exod 15:13; see Isa 51:10) and to the second exodus, that of the return from exile: 1

And now, thus says Yhwh, he who created you, O Jacob, who formed you, O Israel: Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you, [...] 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I shall bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west, 6 I will say to the North: Give up! and to the South: Do not withhold! Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth. (Isa 43:1–6)

THE DESERT With the trials of thirst and hunger, “the desert” brings to mind first of all that of the exodus; “the inhabited city” can be interpreted, in the line traced by the Song of the Sea, as the one where the temple will be built: “You shall bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance, the place which you, O Yhwh, have made your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, prepared by your own hands” (Exod 15:17). The new exodus from exile is expressed in similar terms: 1

Let the desert and the dry lands be glad, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom; [...] for water will gush in the desert and streams in the wastelands.

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7

The parched ground will become a marsh and the thirsty land springs of water; [...] 8 A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; [...] the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of Yhwh shall return, they will come to Zion shouting for joy, their heads crowned with joy unending; rejoicing and gladness will escort them and sorrow and sighing will take flight. (Isa 35:1–10)

THE WAY IN THE SEA AND THE WAY IN THE DESERT The second and penultimate parts parallel “the desert” and “the sea”. Similarly does Isa 43:16–21, 16

Thus says Yhwh, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters. [...] 18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the desert and rivers in the wilderness. [...] 21 The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.

EXILE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF SIN Moses warns the people that their unfaithfulness will be punished by exile: Be careful not to forget the covenant which Yhwh your God has made with you [...]. When you become corrupt[...] you will quickly vanish from the country which you are crossing the Jordan to possess. [...] Yhwh will scatter you among the peoples, and only a small number of you will remain among the nations where Yhwh will have driven you. (Deut 4:23–27; see also Isa 42:24)

GOD BRINGS DOWN AND RAISES UP Verse 40 of our psalm takes up two members from Job 12:13–25, where Job describes the omnipotence of God’s wisdom: 21

He pours contempt on princes, and looses the belt of the strong. He uncovers the deeps out of darkness, and brings deep shadows to light. 23 He makes nations great, then destroys them; he enlarges nations, then suppresses them. 24 He removes the spirit of the country chiefs, makes them wander in a roadless desert, 25 They grope in the dark without light; he makes them stagger like a drunkard. 22

THE MAGNIFICAT Verse 9 of our psalm is echoed in Mary’s song: “He fills the hungry with good things, and the rich, he sends away empty-handed” (Luke 1:53).

32

First Section (Ps 107–112)

INTERPRETATION UNFAITHFULNESS WHICH BRINGS MISFORTUNE It is true that unfaithfulness and sin are not mentioned as the cause of each of the situations of misfortune evoked throughout the psalm. However, if the centre performs its usual function as a key to understanding the psalm, it is understood that rebellion against “the orders of God” and “the plan of the Most High” (Ps 107:11) is at the root of all the evils. FAITHFULNESS OF THE LORD Human fault is clearly present, but it is above all the Lord’s “faithfulness” that the psalmist insists on in all possible ways, right from the first verse (107:1), then, systematically, in each of the situations evoked (107:8, 15, 21, 31), and lastly, in the finale, dazzling in the splendour of the plural of majesty (107:43). Divine faithfulness covers all faults. “Where sin increase, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20). SUPPLICATION BUT ABOVE ALL THANKSGIVING Just as sin is overwhelmed by the Lord’s faithfulness, so supplication soon gives way to thanksgiving and praise. When he cries out, the supplicant is entirely in his “distress”, as if he were a prisoner of it; on the contrary, when he gives thanks, he comes out of himself to think only of the one who has delivered him, of his “faithfulness”. This thanksgiving, which is still linked to the reason that brought it about (Ps 107:8–9, 15–16), is then transformed into “sacrifices”, into an account of the works of God and into songs of joy (107:21–22), into a testimony of praise “in the assembly of the people” and “in the council of the elders” (107:31–32). “WHO IS WISE” The invitations to thanksgiving punctuate the successive episodes of the psalm in a systematic fashion. They are addressed to various “redeemed” of the Lord, generally at the beginning (107:1), then to those wandering in the desert (107:8), to the “inhabitants of shadow” (107:10), to those tormented “for their faults” (107:17), to those “going down to the sea” (107:23). The last part also ends with an invitation (107:43), but in an unexpected fashion it is no longer an invitation to thanksgiving, but a call to wisdom, made generally, curiously in the singular and plural. This last verse is not addressed to the personages mentioned in the course of the psalm; it is the reader, the one who has recited and prayed the psalm, who is invited to meditate on “these things” that have been recounted to him or her; all the prayerful of all times are called to “understand” the faithfulness of the Lord.

II. DELIVER ME FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT The Second Sequence: Ps 108–110 1. PSALM 108 TEXT 1 A song, a psalm of David. 2 My heart is ready, O God, I will sing and I will play, O my glory; 3 awake, 4 I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Yhwh, harp and cithara, that I may awake the dawn. and I will play to you in the countries; 5 because your faithfulness (is) great above the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. 6 Rise up above the heavens, O God, and above all the earth, your glory! 7 So that your beloved ones may be liberated, save (with) your right hand and answer me. 8 God has spoken in his sanctuary: “I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and the Valley of Sukkot I will survey. 9 Mine (is) Gilead, mine Manasseh, Ephraim, the protection of my head, Judah, my sceptre, 10 Moab, a basin for me to wash in, on Edom, I throw my sandal; over Philistia, I shout victory.” 11 Who will bring me to a city of fortification, who will lead me to Edom? 12 Is it not (you), O God, you who have rejected us, and you do not go out, O God, with our armies? 13 Grant us help in oppression, and nothingness (is) the salvation of the adam; 14 with God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our oppressors.

The psalm does not pose any particular textual problem. COMPOSITION Since the psalm repeats, with very few variations: – it begins with the ending of Ps 57 (Ps 108:2–6 = Ps 57:8–12), – followed by the ending of Ps 60 (Ps 108:7–14 = Ps 60:7–14), A number of authors simply refer to their commentary on the two former psalms. For instance, Kraus writes: “It is difficult to grasp the meaning of the combination in Ps 108 of two completely different pieces. [...] it is also difficult, and even impossible, to shed light on the orientation of the new composition”.1 Dahood practically limits himself to pointing out the differences between the text of Ps 108 and those of the former ones.2 Weiser also is not concerned with the composition of the psalm. Some people recognise only two parts in the psalm: 2–6 and 7–14.3 Others organize it into three parts: praise of God (2–6), request for salvation followed by words of promise (7–10), expression of confidence in the salvation (11–14).4 Ravasi and Hossfeld – Zenger divide it into four parts, but the boundaries of the last two do not match.5 As for Lorenzin, he follows the two previous

1

Kraus, II, 333. Dahood, III, 93. 3 Vesco, 1038. 4 Hakham, II, 309. 5 Ravasi, III, 223; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 116. 2

34

First Section (Ps 107–112)

commentaries for the first two parts (2–5 & 6–7), but subdivides the rest into three parts (8–11, 12, 13).6 After the title (1), the psalm is organised into three parts: The central part (8– 10) is a divine oracle, framed by two requests for salvation (2–7 & 11–14); the first request is introduced by a long praise (2–5), the second one by two redoubled questions (11–12).7 THE FIRST PART (2–7) + 2 Is ready + I will sing

my heart, AND I WILL PLAY,

O GOD, O MY GLORY;

: 3 awake, : that I may awake

harp the dawn.

and cithara,

················································································································· + 4 I will give you thanks among the peoples, O YHWH,

+ AND I WILL PLAY to you

in the countries;

: 5 because (is) great : and to the clouds

above the heavens your truth.

your faithfulness,

·······································································································..········· = 6 Rise up above the heavens, O GOD, = and above all the earth, YOUR GLORY;

:: 7 so that :: save

may be liberated (with) your right hand

your beloved ones, and answer me.

In the first piece (2–3) the musical instruments (3) accompany the voice which comes from the “heart” (2). In the second piece (4–5), the first segment of the first piece is taken up (2), but with mentioning the witnesses of praise (4); it is followed by the reason for praising (5). The psalmist, following the praise of the first two pieces, can address in the final piece, a double request to the Lord: first to make his glory shine on “the earth” as “in the heavens” (6), and secondly to “save” his people (7). The singular form of the final verb might be surprising, for the supplication does not concern only the psalmist, but “the beloved ones” of God: The request is put into the mouth of “David” (1) who begs on behalf of his people. The first members of each piece end with the name of God in a vocative (2a, 4a, 6a); the second members of the extreme pieces end with “glory”. The first two pieces are linked in particular by the repetition of “I will play” (2b & 4b), while the last two pieces are linked by the expression “above the heavens” (5a & 6a). 6 7

Lorenzin, 426 (he seems to have forgotten verse 14). Mannati, IV, 24, for whom all elements of supplication have disappeared.

Psalm 108

35

THE SECOND PART (8–10) + 8 God :: “I will exult, :: and the Valley

has spoken I will divide of SUKKOT

in his sanctuary: SHECHEM, I will survey.

= 9 Mine (is) GILEAD, = EPHRAIM, = JUDAH,

mine MANASSEH, the protection my sceptre.

of my head,

– 10 MOAB, – on EDOM, – over PHILISTIA,

a basin I throw I shout victory.”

for me to wash in, my sandal,

The first member introduces the words of God. In the first segment the two places are on the same latitude, on either side of the Jordan, “Shechem” to the west, “the valley of Sukkot” to the east. In the second segment (9), the territory of “Gilead” is south of Lake Tiberias east of the Jordan, that of “Manasseh” north of the lake on either side of the Jordan; “Ephraim” represents the northern kingdom, “Judah” the southern kingdom. In both segments, the whole of Israel’s territory is thus represented. The last segment (10) names three of Israel’s neighbours and enemies, the first two to the east of the Jordan, “Moab” on the other side of the Dead Sea, “Edom” to the south of Moab; “Philistia”, on the contrary, is on the Mediterranean coast, but on the same latitude as Moab. THE THIRD PART (11–14) – 11 Who will bring me – who will lead me

to a city to Edom?

of fortification,

:: 12 Is it not (you), :: and you do not go out,

O GOD, O GOD,

you who have rejected us, with our armies?

··············································································································

- 13 Grant us - and nothingness (is)

help the salvation

in oppression, of the adam;

+ 14 with GOD + and as for him,

we will do he will trample down

powerful deeds, our oppressors.

The first piece (11–12) brings together two double questions. The double “who” of the first segment (11ab) corresponds to the double “God” of the second segment (12ab): Since God has “rejected” Israel, he is not the one who will do what the psalmist requests, defeat Edom (11b) by taking its fortified capital (11a). In the second piece (13–14) the psalmist asks God for “help” that no “adam” can provide (13), for victory can only be achieved with his help (14a) and indeed it is he alone who will defeat the “oppressors” (14b).

36

First Section (Ps 107–112)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A song,

a psalm

of David.

+ 2 My heart = I will sing

is ready, and I will play,

O GOD, O my glory;

: 3 awake, : that I may awake

harp the dawn.

and cithara,

················································································································· among the peoples, O YHWH,

+ 4 I will give you thanks + and I will play to you 5

: because is great : and to the clouds

in the countries; above the heavens your truth.

your faithfulness,

················································································································· above the heavens, O GOD,

+ 6 Rise up = and above all

the earth,

your glory!

: 7 So that : SAVE

may be liberated with your right hand

your beloved ones, and answer me.

+ 8 GOD : “I will exult, : and the Valley

has spoken I will divide of Sukkot

in his sanctuary: Shechem, I will survey.

- 9 Mine is Gilead, - Ephraim - Judah,

mine Manasseh, the protection my sceptre.

of my head,

.. 10 Moab, .. on EDOM, .. over Philistia,

a basin I throw I shout victory.”

for me to wash in, my sandal,

– 11 Who will bring me – who will lead me

to a city to EDOM?

of fortification,

:: 12 Is it not you, :: and you do not go out,

O GOD, O GOD,

you who have rejected us, with our armies?

·················································································································

- 13 Grant us - and nothingness is

help THE SALVATION

in oppression, of the adam;

+ 14 with GOD + and as for him,

we will do he will trample down

powerful deeds, our oppressors.

The names “God” and “Yhwh” occur seven times, three times in each of the extreme parts (2a, 4a, 6a, 12a, 12b, 14a) and once at the beginning of the central part (8a). The verb “to save” at the end of the first part (7b) is taken up by “the salvation” in the final piece of the last part (13b). The two occurrences of “Edom” link the last two parts (10b & 11b).

Psalm 108

37

CONTEXT PSALM 57 The beginning of Ps 108 corresponds to the end of Ps 57, with some differences marked by the small caps in italics: Ps 108:2–6 2

My heart is ready, O God,

Ps 57:8–12 8

My heart is ready, O God,

MY HEART IS READY;

I will sing and I will play, O my glory, 3 awake, harp and cithara, that I may awake the dawn. 4 I will give you thanks among the peoples, YHWH, AND I will play to you in the countries; 5 because your faithfulness is great ABOVE the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. 6 Rise up above the heavens, O God, AND above all the earth, your glory.

I will sing and I will play. 9 AWAKE, my glory; awake, harp and cithara, that I may awake the dawn. 10 I will give you thanks among the peoples, ADONAI, I will play to you in the countries; 11 because your faithfulness is great TO the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. 12 Rise up above the heavens, O God, above all the earth, your glory.

PSALM 60 The rest of Ps 108 corresponds to the end of Ps 60, with slight differences marked by the small caps in italics: Ps 108:7–14 So that your beloved ones may be liberated, save with your right hand and answer ME. 8 God has spoken in his sanctuary: “I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and the Valley of Sukkot I will survey. 9 Mine is Gilead, mine Manasseh, Ephraim, the protection of my head, Judah, my sceptre, 10 Moab, a basin for me to wash in, on Edom, I throw my sandal, OVER PHILISTIA, I SHOUT VICTORY.” 11 Who will bring me to a city of FORTIFICATION, who will lead me to Edom? 12 Is it not, O God, you who have rejected us, and you do not go out, O God, with our armies? 13 Grant us help in oppression, and nothingness is the salvation of the adam; 14 with God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our oppressors. 7

Ps 60:7–14 So that your beloved ones may be liberated, save with your right hand and answer US. 8 God has spoken in his sanctuary: “I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and the Valley of Sukkot I will survey. 9 Mine is Gilead, AND mine Manasseh, Ephraim, the protection of my head, Judah, my sceptre, 10 Moab, a basin for me to wash in, on Edom, I throw my sandal, OVER ME, O PHILISTIA, SHOUT VICTORY!” 11 Who will bring me to a city of FORTRESS, who will lead me to Edom? 12 Is it not YOU, O God, you who have rejected us, and you do not go out, O God, with our armies? 13 Grant us help in oppression, and nothingness is the salvation of the adam; 14 with God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our oppressors. 7

This division does not match with the composition of the psalm, since verse 7 is the final segment of the first part (108:2–7).

38

First Section (Ps 107–112)

The composition of Ps 60 is very similar to that of Ps 108 (the common elements of both psalms are in shading): 1

For the music director, on “A Lily, the Precept”, in a low voice, of David, for teaching; 2 when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and Joab returned and defeated Edom in the Valley of Salt, twelve thousand men. – 3 O GOD, – you have been angry,

YOU HAVE REJECTED US,

come back

you have broken us, to us;

– 4 you have made quake + heal

the earth, its fractures,

you have split it open, because it is shaking.

·····················································································································

– 5 You made see – you made us drink

your people a wine

hardship, of vertigo.

– 6 Give – to flee

your fearful from

a signal the bow;

+ 7 so that + SAVE

may be liberated with your right hand

your beloved ones, and answer us/me.

+ 8 GOD : “I will exult, : and the Valley

has spoken I will divide of Sukkot

in his sanctuary: Shechem, I will survey.

- 9 Mine is Gilead, - Ephraim, - Judah,

and mine Manasseh, the protection my sceptre.

of my head,

.. 10 Moab, .. on EDOM, .. over me,

a basin I throw O Philistia,

for me to wash in, my sandal, shout victory!”

– 11 Who will bring me – who will lead me

to a city to EDOM?

of fortress,

:: 12 Is it not you, :: and you do not go out,

O GOD, O GOD,

YOU WHO HAVE REJECTED US,

with our armies?

·····················································································································

- 13 Grant us - and nothingness is

help THE SALVATION

in oppression, of the adam;

+ 14 with GOD + and as for him,

we will do he will trample down

powerful deeds, our oppressors.

It is not the case with Ps 57, whose composition is much different from that of Ps 60 and 108:

Psalm 108

39

Ps 57 1

For the music director, “Do Not Destroy”, of David, in a low voice; when he fled from Saul into the cave. 2

Have mercy on me, because in you

O GOD, takes refuge

and in the shadow until passes

of your wings danger.

I take refuge

3

I call to GOD

to GOD has done all things

Most High, for me;

4

from heavens and let him save me, him who tramples on me, GOD, his FAITHFULNESS and his LOYALTY.

let him send let him mock let (him) send,

have mercy on me, MY SOUL;

·······················································································································

– 5 My soul – I must sleep

is in the midst with the flaming,

of lions, the sons

– their teeth, – and their tongue,

a spear a sword

and arrows, sharpen.

of Adam;

+ 6 RISE UP ABOVE THE HEAVENS, O GOD, + ABOVE ALL THE EARTH, YOUR GLORY! – 7 A net – was bowed down

MY SOUL;

– they dug + they have fallen

before me into it.

a trap,

8

Is ready is ready

my heart, my heart:

O GOD,

I will sing

and I will play.

they set

for my steps,

·······················································································································

9

Awake, awake, that I may awake

my glory; harp the dawn.

10

I will give you thanks among the peoples, I will play in the countries. :: 11 Yes, is great to the heavens and to the clouds, your LOYALTY.

and cithara, O ADONAI, your FAITHFULNESS,

+ 12 RISE UP ABOVE THE HEAVENS, O GOD, + ABOVE ALL THE EARTH, YOUR GLORY!

The first part is a supplication, the second part a thanksgiving for deliverance.

40

First Section (Ps 107–112)

EDOM Esau, Jacob’s twin brother and eponymous ancestor of Edom, is the enemy by antonomasia of the children of Jacob-Israel.8 Edom had refrained from coming to the aid of Jerusalem during the siege and capture of the city by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 (Obad 11–15). It had taken advantage of the situation to enlarge its territory at the expense of Israel (Ps 137:7). The oracles against Edom are numerous (Isa 34; Jer 49:7–20; Ezek 35; Amos 9:11–12). After the return from exile, the dream of reconstituting the kingdom of David in all its borders goes through the revenge on Edom (see p. 529). INTERPRETATION PRAISE COMES FIRST The composition of the psalm contrasts significantly with that of its “cousins”, Ps 57 and Ps 60. The first one begins, logically, with supplication (57:2–6) before breaking into thanksgiving, once deliverance has been obtained (57:7–12). As for Ps 60, it is a long supplication, which indeed ends with a beautiful declaration of trust (60:14), but praise is totally absent. The logic of Ps 108 is different: it is not chronological, but spiritual. Surely, the first part culminates in the request for deliverance and salvation (108:7); however, coupled with the preceding verse, and integrated with the five verses that precede and prepare it, the supplication acquires a tone of praise. The praise, far from being a simple captatio benevolentiae, which would like to obtain by the means of flattery whatever it desires, is the manifestation of faith so convinced of springing up, as it were spontaneous, even before the request. One of the signs of love is precisely the distance that praise imposes in relation to need, that is, in relation to oneself. This distance can be called recognition...9

THE DIVINE ORACLE’S ANSWER God “answers” from his sanctuary in Jerusalem to the one who requests the liberation of his “beloved ones” (108:7). The Lord himself will “survey” all the territories of David’s kingdom, to take possession of them as in the days of old, when it extended to the east and to the west of the Jordan, from north to south, when Judah and Ephraim constituted a single kingdom. The traditional enemies of the Israelites, beyond the Jordan and the Dead Sea, on the coast of the western sea, will be subdued again: The Moabites and the Philistines, especially Edom, 8 “As it is known, Edom became for the Jews the type of anti-Israel, and even in the rabbinic literature Edom refers to the Roman Empire” (R.J. TOURNAY, “Psaumes 57, 60 et 108”, 14, note 24). 9 P. BEAUCHAMP, Psaumes nuit et jour, 96.

Psalm 108

41

the false brother, who had made a pact with a distant enemy from Babylon and had plundered the children of Jacob. “WITH GOD WE WILL DO POWERFUL DEEDS” (108:14) The promises of the oracle are beautiful, but the present situation is quite different. And the psalmist is not at fault in pointing this out to his God, in an insistent fashion (108:11–12). Prayer does not consist in burying one’s head in the sand. Misfortune must be faced; “things must be said”, and to whom it may concern. It is necessary to lodge a complaint if one wants to obtain righteousness against the oppressor. Then, after these questions, which sound like so many reproaches (a manifestation of astonishing freedom!), the absolute confidence in the one who alone can “save” can be expressed; even more, in the one who alone can give humans the ability to “do powerful deeds” (108:14), despite their radical impotence. “The salvation of the adam” which is “nothingness” does not only mean that Israel cannot count on human beings, but also that their own ability is “nothingness”. But “what is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27).

2. PSALM 109 TEXT 1 For

the music director, of David, a psalm. O God of my praise, do not be silent, 2 because the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me; they speak to me with a lying tongue, 3 and with words of hatred they surround me, and they attack me without reason. 4 In return for my friendship evil in return for good, they accuse me, and as for me, (I am in) prayer; 5 and they set against me and hatred in return for my friendship. 6 “Position a wicked against him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand; 7 when he is judged let him be found wicked, and let his prayer be (counted) as sin. 8 Let his days be few, let another take his position; 9 let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow; 10 and let his children wander continually, and let them beg and seek far of their ruins. 11 Let the creditor seize all 12 let there be no one for him who keeps that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; faithfulness, and let there be no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the posterior generation; 14 let the wrong of his fathers be remembered by Yhwh, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before Yhwh forever, and let 16 For the reason that he does not remember to do him destroy their memory from the earth.” faithfulness, he pursues the afflicted and the poor, and the broken of heart to put (him) to death. 17 And he loves cursing, and it comes to him, and he does not desire blessing, and it is far from him; 18 and he cloths himself with cursing as his coat: and it comes into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment that wraps (him), and for a girdle that it girds him continually. 20 This (is) the salary of my accusers from Yhwh, and of those who speak evil against my soul. 21 And as for you, O Yhwh Adonai, deal with me for the sake of your name, because your faithfulness (is) good, deliver me. 22 Because I am afflicted and poor, and my heart is wounded within me; 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, I am shaken off like a locust; 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, and my flesh is lean for lack of oil. 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them, (when) they see me, they shake their head. 26 Help me, O Yhwh my God, save me according to your faithfulness; 27 and let them know that this (is) your hand, that you, O Yhwh, have done it. 28 As for them, they curse, and as for you, you bless, they attack and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; 29 let my accusers be clothed with infamy, and wrapped as in a mantle of their shame. 30 I will give thanks to Yhwh greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I will praise him; 31 because he stands at the right hand of the poor to save his soul from his judges.

2A: “THE MOUTH OF THE WICKED” It is not necessary to change the vocalisation to obtain an abstract noun, “wickedness”, which would be the counterpart of “deceit”. 4B: “AND AS FOR ME, (I AM IN) PRAYER” Ps 69:14 specifies: “And as for me, my prayer is to you”. One could paraphrase: “and as for me, (I am only) a prayer to you”. 10B: “LET THEM BEG AND SEEK FAR OF THEIR RUINS” The Septuagint understands this to mean “and let them be driven out of their ruins”. “Beg” and “seek” are synonymous; “far of their ruins”, that is, “from their house”.

44

First Section (Ps 107–112)

COMPOSITION “The most difficult task is the allocation of roles, that is, deciding who speaks in which verses. There is no doubt that the one who is praying speaks in verses 1–5 and 21–31. The problem is found in the series of imprecations in verses 6– 20”.1 Many solutions have been proposed, from the one that sees in 6–20 the words of the accuser quoted by the psalmist,2 to the opposite position that puts this speech in the mouth of the psalmist himself.3 Others recognize two successive speakers: the psalmist begins with the report of the accusations of his enemies (6–15) followed by their defeat (16–20).4 The psalm comprises four parts. The extreme parts are supplications addressed to God (1b–5 & 21–31). In the second part the psalmist reports the words of his accusers (6–15) and in the third part he responds by counterattacking (16–20). THE FIRST PART (1B–5) + 1b O God 2

– because the mouth -- and the mouth . AGAINST ME -- they speak – 3 and with word . and they attack me

OF MY PRAISE,

do not be silent,

of the wicked

of deceit

are opened; to me OF HATRED

of lie, with a tongue they surround me,

without reason.

········································································································

:: 4 In return for + and as for me ,

my friendship (I am in) PRAYER;

:: 5 and they set :: evil :: and HATRED

AGAINST ME

in return for in return for

they accuse me,

good, my friendship.

In the first piece (1b–3), the request (1b) is justified in two trimembers where “hatred” (3a) refers to “the wicked” (2a) and “lie” (2d) to “deceit” (2b). God is called upon to answer the malicious and false accusations of the accusers. In the second piece (4–5) the psalmist goes further by stating that these accusations against him were made while he was showing “friendship” (4a & 5c) to his 1

Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 491. Kraus, II, 338; Ravasi, III, 241: Hakham, II, 396; Lorenzin, 427; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 131; for Weiser (690) this part ends in verse 19. 3 E.g., Emmanuel, 288; Dahood (II, 99) is of the opinion that 6–19 are the imprecations that the psalmist pronounces against the judge who agrees to listen to the accusations of his enemies. 4 For a discussion of the various views, see, among others, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 491– 492; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 128–129. 2

Psalm 109

45

enemies. “Hatred” is repeated in both pieces (3a & 5c), similarly “against me” (2c & 5a); “prayer” (4b) corresponds to “my praise” (1b). THE SECOND PART (6–15) + 6 “Position + and an accuser,

against him let him stand

a wicked, at his right hand;

+ 7 when he is judged + and his prayer,

let it be (counted)

let him be found

wicked, as SIN.

– 8 Let them be, – his position

his days let him take (it),

few, another one;

:: 9 let them be, :: and his wife

his children a widow;

ORPHANS,

:: 10 and to wander :: and let them beg

let them wander, his children, and let them seek far of their ruins.

·········································································································

+ 11 Let him size, + let them plunder,

the creditor, strangers,

all that belongs to him, his earnings;

+ 12 let there be no one for him + and let there be no one

who keeps who has mercy

faithfulness, on HIS ORPHANS.

··········································································································

– 13 Let it be, – in the generation,

his posterity, destroyed, the posterior one, let it be blotted out

14

their name;

:: let it be remembered, the wrong of his mother :: and THE SIN

of his fathers by YHWH, let not it be blotted out;

:: 15 Let them be :: and let him destroy

YHWH their memory.”

before from the earth

forever,

In the first piece of the first subpart (6–7) the enemy demands that the righteous person be put on trial (6) and condemned as “wicked” (7a) as his accuser (6a), and even that his prayer be counted as “sin” (7b). The second piece (8–10) lists the effects of his condemnation: an early death, which presumably means capital punishment (8a), so that he is replaced in his office (8b), his children become orphans and his wife a widow (9), and his children are dispossessed and reduced to begging after their house has been reduced to rubble (10). It may also be pointed out that the initial terms of 6a and 8b are of the same root. The second subpart (11–15) goes further. In the first piece (11–12), the accuser first wishes that the property of his deceased opponent be plundered (11) and that no mercy be shown to him nor to his orphans (12). He goes even further in the second piece (13–15), wishing first that in one generation the descendants

46

First Section (Ps 107–112)

of the accused would disappear (13), and then that God would not remember them (15b) but only the sin of their ancestors (14–15a). Between the subparts, “sin” is attributed not only to the psalmist (7b) but also to his mother (14b); the enemy not only wishes the children of the accused to become “orphans” (9a), but also that no one should have mercy on them (12b). It should also be pointed out that “another one” (8b) and “the next one” (13b) actually translate the same word (’aḥēr).5 THE THIRD PART (16–20) + 16 For the reason + to do

that faithfulness,

he does not remember

+ and he pursues + and the broken

the afflicted of heart

and the poor, to put (him) to death.

························································································································ cursing, and IT COMES TO HIM,

:: 17 And he loves :: and he does not desire

blessing,

and it is far

:: 18 and he cloths himself :: and IT COMES :: and like oil

with cursing like water into his bones;

as his coat: into his inward parts,

– 19 let it be to him – and for a girdle

as a garment continually

that wraps (him), that it girds him.

from him;

························································································································

= 20 This (is) = from = and of those who speak

the salary Yhwh, evil

of my accusers against my soul.

The first piece (16) denounces the wrongdoing, in the first segment more generally (16ab), in the second more specifically (16cd).6 The second piece (17– 19) combines wrongdoing and punishment in each of the members of 17 and 18 as proven facts; in 19, on the contrary, there is a double wish.7 “Cursing”, compared to “his coat” (18a), “a garment” (19a), and “a girdle” (19b), is found in the same position in the first two segments (17a & 18a), “it comes” occurs in 17a and 18b. The last piece (20) concludes the part by mentioning the author of the punishment, “Yhwh”.

5 In 13b ’aḥēr is translated as “posterior” because it derives from the same root as “posterity” (’aḥărît) in 13a. 6 “The wrongdoing is introduced by causal conjunctions; they provide the reason for the punishment that immediately follows: very frequent are kî [...] and ya‘an (sometimes followed by kî or ’ăšer)” (P. BOVATI, Ristabilire la giustizia, 72). 7 Following the Septuagint, many interpret “it comes to him” and “it is far” as jussives.

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47

THE FOURTH PART (21–31) + 21 And as for you, + DO + because (is) good

O YHWH to me

ADONAI, for the sake YOUR FAITHFULNESS, deliver me.

of your name,

······················································································································ and POOR I am,

– 22 Because afflicted – and my heart

is wounded

within me;

– 23 like the shadow – I am shaken off

fading like a locust;

I am passing away,

– 24 my knees – and my flesh

are weakened is lean

for fasting, for lack of oil.

·····················································································································

= 25 And as for me, = (when) they see me,

I have become they shake

+ 26 Help me, + save me

O YHWH MY GOD, as YOUR FAITHFULNESS;

+ 27 and let them know + that you,

that you hand O YHWH,

an insult their head.

to them,

this (is), HAVE DONE IT.

·····················································································································

– 28 they curse, – they attack

(yes) they, and are ashamed,

– 29 let them be clothed, my accusers, – and wrapped as in a mantle

and as for you, and your servant

you bless, rejoices;

with infamy, of their shame.

····················································································································· to YHWH greatly with my mouth,

= 30 I will give thanks = and in the midst 31

= because he stands = to save

of many

I will praise him;

at the right hand from his judges

of THE POOR his soul.

The first subpart (21–25) begins with a call for help addressed to “Yhwh Adonai”, motivated by his “faithfulness” (introduced with the word “because”, 21). The subsequent piece adds a second motivation (also introduced with “because”), the lamentable situation of the suppliant: His general and internal state (22), the end that awaits him, that of the shadow that stretches out before disappearing, that of the grasshopper that one shakes to get rid of it (23), and finally the state of weakness to which he has been reduced because of the fasting following the supplication (24). The last piece (25) speaks of the impact of his situation on his relationships with others. The first piece begins with “And as for you” (21a), the last one with “And as for me” (25a); these two pieces confront the psalmist’s relationship with God at the beginning and with people at the end.

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First Section (Ps 107–112)

+ 21 And as for you, + DO + because (is) good

O YHWH to me

ADONAI, for the sake YOUR FAITHFULNESS, deliver me.

of your name,

····························································································································

. 22 Because afflicted and POOR . and my heart is wounded

I am, within me;

. 23 like the shadow . I am shaken off

fading like a locust;

I am passing away,

. 24 my knees . and my flesh

are weakened is lean

for fasting, for lack of oil.

···························································································································· 25

= And as for me, = (when) they see me,

I have become they shake

+ 26 Help me, + save me

O YHWH MY GOD, as YOUR FAITHFULNESS;

= 27 and let them know = that you,

that you hand O YHWH,

an insult their head.

to them,

this (is), HAVE DONE IT.

····························································································································

. 28 they curse, . they attack

(yes) they, and are ashamed,

. 29 let them be clothed, my accusers, . and wrapped as in a mantle

and as for you, and your servant

you bless, rejoices;

with infamy, of their shame.

···························································································································· 30

= I will give thanks = and in the midst

to YHWH of many

greatly I will praise him;

+ 31 because he stands + to save

at the right hand from his judges

of THE POOR his soul.

with my mouth,

In the first piece of the second subpart (26–27) the psalmist asks for two related things: salvation for himself (26) and instruction for those who will see him (27). In the second piece (28–29) he asks for a reversal of the situation for his “accusers”: “shame” for those who “curse” and blessing and joy for himself (28). The second segment (29) takes up and builds on the “shame” of the first segment (28b). The last piece is a promise of praise (30) motivated by the salvation worked by God in favour of the psalmist (31). The extreme pieces are related to each other in a mirrored fashion: The salvation worked by God (26 & 31), the knowledge that people will have (27) as a result of the psalmist’s praise “in the midst of many” (30).

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49

The two subparts begin with a request for deliverance and salvation (“deliver me” and “save me”, 21c & 26b), addressed to “Yhwh Adonai” (21a) and “Yhwh my God” (26a), because of his “faithfulness” (21c & 26b). It should also be pointed out the repetition of the verb “to do” (21b & 27b). The second pieces contrast the psalmist’s present afflicted situation (22–24) with the joy of blessing that awaits him because of the defeat of his accusers (28–29). Finally, the last pieces are also related: in the first instance, the “insult” of the psalmist because of what is visible (25), and in the last instance, the thanksgiving and praise of the psalmist that “many” will hear (30–31). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM Relationships between the first two part (1b–5 & 6–15) 1b O GOD

of my praise, do not be silent, because the mouth of THE WICKED are opened against me; they speak to me with a lying tongue, and they attack me without reason. 4 In return for my friendship THEY ACCUSE ME, 5 and they set against me and hatred in return for my friendship. 2

“Position a WICKED against him when he is judged let him be found WICKED 8 Let his days be few, 9 let his children be orphans, 10 and let his children wander continually, 6 7

and the mouth of deceit 3

and with words of hatred they surround me,

and as for me, I am in PRAYER; evil in return for good,

and let AN ACCUSER stand at his right hand; and let his PRAYER be counted as sin. let another take his position; and his wife a widow; and let them beg and seek far of their ruins.

Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; let there be no one for him to keep faithfulness and let there be no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and their name be blotted out in the next generation; 14 the wrong of his fathers be remembered by YHWH and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before YHWH forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” 11 12

The words of the accusers quoted in part 2 are those referred to in the first part (especially in verses 2–3). The names “God” and “Yhwh” form an inclusion (1b, 14, 15). “The wicked” is found in the first pieces (2 & 6–7), acting as the initial terms. In the final piece of the first part (4–5) and in the initial piece of the second part (6–7), the words “to accuse” (4) and “accuser” (6), “against” (5 & 6) and “prayer” (4 & 7) are found together, thus acting as median terms.

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First Section (Ps 107–112)

Relationships between the last two parts (16–20 & 21–31) For the reason that he does not remember and he pursues THE AFFLICTED AND THE POOR, 17 And he loves CURSING, and it comes to him, 18 and HE CLOTHS HIMSELF CURSING AS HIS COAT: and like OIL into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment THAT WRAPS HIM, 20 This is the salary of MY ACCUSERS and of those who speak evil against MY SOUL. 16

to do FAITHFULNESS, and the broken of HEART to put him to death. and he does not desire BLESSING, and it is far from him; and it comes into his inward parts like water, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. from YHWH,

And as for you, O YHWH ADONAI, do to me for the sake of your name, because your FAITHFULNESS is good, deliver me. 22 Because I am AFFLICTED AND POOR, and my HEART is wounded within me; 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, I am shaken off like a locust; 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, and my flesh is lean for lack of OIL. 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them, when they see me, they shake their head. 21

Help me, O YHWH MY GOD, and let them know that this is your hand, 28 As for them, THEY CURSE, and as for you, YOU BLESS, 29 LET MY ACCUSERS BE CLOTHED with infamy, 30 I will give thanks to YHWH greatly with my mouth 31 because he stands at the right hand of THE POOR 26 27

save me as your FAITHFULNESS; that you, O YHWH, have done it. they attack and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; and WRAPPED AS IN A MANTLE of their shame. and in the midst of many I will praise him; to save HIS SOUL from his judges.

The denunciation of wrongdoing in the third part (16–20) is followed by the supplication in the fourth part (21–31). The two occurrences of “faithfulness” and the verb “to do” in 16 and 21 play the role of initial terms.8 “The afflicted and the poor” followed by “heart” are also found at the beginning of both parts (16b & 22). The two occurrences of “my soul” (20 & 31) serve as final terms. Cursing and blessing are mentioned in both parts (17–18 & 28) accompanied by the same metaphor of clothing (18–19 & 29). There is also a repetition of “my accusers” (20 & 29) and of “oil” (18 & 24).

8

The two occurrences of the same term in 21 and 26 have the same role between the two subparts of the last part.

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51

Relationships between both central parts (6–15 & 16–20) “Position a wicked against him, when he is judged let him be found wicked, 8 LET his days BE few, 9 LET his children BE orphans, 10 and let his children wander continually, 6 7

11

Let the creditor size all that belongs to him,

12

LET THERE BE NO ONE for him who keeps FAITHFULNESS,

and let AN ACCUSER stand at his right hand; and LET his prayer BE counted as sin. let another take his position; and his wife a widow; and let them beg and seek far of their ruins.

let strangers plunder his earnings; and LET THERE BE NO ONE who has mercy on his orphans. 13 LET his posterity BE destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the next generation; 14 the wrong of his fathers be remembered by YHWH, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 LET THEM BE before YHWH forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” For the reason that he does not remember and he pursues the afflicted and the poor, 17 And he loves cursing, and it comes to him, 18 and he cloths himself with cursing as his coat: and like oil into his bones; 19 LET IT BE TO HIM as a garment that wraps him, 20 This is the salary of MY ACCUSERS and of those who speak evil against my soul. 16

to do FAITHFULNESS, and the broken of heart to put him to death. and he does not desire blessing, and it is far from him; and it comes into his inward parts like water, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. from YHWH,

The two occurrences of “accuser/s” act as extreme terms (6 & 20), “their memory” and “he does not remember” as median terms (15 & 16), the occurrences of “Yhwh” as final terms (14–15 & 20); “faithfulness” occurs in 12 and 16. In the second part the psalmist reports the curses of his opponent: Apart from the initial imperative, the other nineteen verbs are jussives. The subsequent part, where the psalmist responds, comprises only two jussives (19). In 17–18, the syntagmas “it comes to him”, “it is far”, “it comes” are quite often translated by jussives, following the Septuagint.9 We can notice that the two parts do not correspond to each other in a mirror image manner: The psalmist does not turn against his adversary any of the many curses that the latter has pronounced against him. We can therefore ask ourselves whether the wish in verse 19 is to be interpreted as a curse.

9

Thus Weiser, Kraus, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti; translations by Dhorme and Osty. However, the BJ puts all these verbs in the present tense; Lorenzin and Hossfeld – Zenger put them in the past tense. For the TOB, 16–19 form one phrase with a protasis from 16 to 18, verse 19 being the apodosis: “Whereas..., whereas..., whereas..., let it (cursing) be the garment with which he covers himself, the belt which he will always wear.”

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First Section (Ps 107–112)

All four parts 1

For the music director, of David, a psalm.

O GOD of MY PRAISE, do not be silent, 2 because the MOUTH of the wicked and the MOUTH of deceit are opened against me; they speak to me with a lying tongue, 3 and with words of hatred they surround me, and they attack me without reason. 4 In return for my friendship THEY ACCUSE ME, and as for me, I am in prayer; 5 and they set against me evil in return for good, and hatred in return for my friendship. “Position a wicked against him, when HE IS JUDGED let him be found wicked, 8 Let his days be few, 9 let his children be orphans, 10 and let his children wander continually 6 7

and let AN ACCUSER STAND AT HIS RIGHT HAND; and let his prayer be counted as sin. let another take his position; and his wife a widow; and let them beg and seek far of their ruins.

Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; let there be no one for him to keep FAITHFULNESS and no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and their name be blotted out in the next generation; 14 the wrong of his fathers be remembered by YHWH, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before YHWH forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” 11 12

For the reason that he does not remember he pursues the afflicted and the poor, 17 And he loves cursing, and it comes to him, 18 and he cloths himself with cursing as his coat: and like oil into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment that wraps him, 20 This is the salary of MY ACCUSERS and of those who speak evil against my soul. 16

to do FAITHFULNESS, and the broken of heart to put him to death. and he does not desire blessing, and it is far from him; and it comes into his inward parts like water, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. from YHWH,

And as for you, O YHWH ADONAI, because your FAITHFULNESS is good, deliver me. 22 Because I am afflicted and poor, 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them,

and my heart is wounded within me; I am shaken off like a locust; and my flesh is lean for lack of oil. when they see me, they shake their head.

Help me, O YHWH MY GOD, and let them know that this is your hand, 28 As for them, they curse, and as for you, you bless, 29 let MY ACCUSERS be clothed with infamy, 30 I will give thanks to YHWH greatly with my MOUTH, 31 because HE STANDS AT THE RIGHT HAND of the poor

save me according to your FAITHFULNESS; that you, O YHWH, have done it. they attack & are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; and wrapped as in a mantle of their shame. and in the midst of many I WILL PRAISE HIM; to save his soul from HIS JUDGES.

21

26 27

deal with me for the sake of your name,

In extreme parts (1b–5 & 21–31), the supplications addressed to “God” (1b), to “Yhwh Adonai” (21), are in initial terms (in the central parts Yhwh’s name appears in the endings and does not have the function of apostrophe, 14–15 & 20). “My praise” and “I will praise him” (1b & 30) together with “mouth” (2 & 30)

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53

form an inclusion (they are not found elsewhere in the psalm). “Accuser” and “accusers” occur in each part (4, 6, 20, 29), “faithfulness” in the last three (12, 16, 21, 26). The beginning of the second part is in opposition to the end of the last part: At the beginning it is an accuser who “stands at the right hand” of the psalmist to accuse him and subject him to the “judgment” which should condemn him (6-7); at the end it is the Lord who “stands at the right hand” of the psalmist “to save his soul from his judges” (31). The central parts are linked through median terms, “their memory” and “he does not remember” (15 & 16). CONTEXT MACHINATIONS AGAINST JEREMIAH (JER 18:18–23) The prophet begins with the words of those who want to denigrate him, and concludes: “Pay attention to me, O Yhwh, hear what my adversaries are saying” (18:19). They return evil for good: “Should evil be returned for good? [...] Remember how I pleaded before you and spoke good of them” (18:20). The same kind of curse is pronounced against them: “hand their sons over to famine, abandon them to the edge of the sword. Let their wives become childless and widowed” (18:21). PSALM 22 Ps 109 has a number of common features with Ps 22. In the first verse of Ps 109 the psalmist begs his “God” not to be silent, and in Ps 22:3 he says: My God, I call by day and you do not answer, and by night and no rest for me.

Ps 109:25, And as for me, I have become an insult to them, when they see me, they shake their head.

recalls Ps 22:7–8, 7 8

And I am a worm and not a man, all those who see me mock me,

insulted by man and despised by people, they sneer with their lips, they shake the head.

The penultimate verse (109:30), I will give thanks to Yhwh greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I will praise him.

is similar to Ps 22:23, I will recount your name to my brothers, and in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

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First Section (Ps 107–112)

THE SUCCESSION OF JUDAS In the narrative of the replacement of Judas, one of the Twelve, the Acts of the Apostles quotes Ps 109:8, “And let another take his office” (Acts 1:20). INTERPRETATION “GOD OF MY PRAISE” (PS 109:1B) It is quite astonishing that the psalmist, in his humanly desperate situation, threatened with death, addresses God with the title: “O God of my praise” (109:1b). “God of my salvation” (Ps 88:2) would have seemed more natural, more appropriate to the context. In the incipit, the name of God sets the tone for reading and singing the psalm. It is the title. Certainly, the psalmist promises at the end of his prayer to praise his saviour (109:30–31), as happens in other psalms of supplication (e.g., Ps 22:23, 26). However, he is not waiting to be saved to do so. He uses praise as a basis for appealing to God’s mercy. EVIL FOR GOOD The psalmist complains at length that his opponents return him “good for evil”, that his “friendship” with them earns him their “hatred”, which finally leads them to accuse him (109:4–5). “The wicked” can interpret all the actions of the righteous only in the wrong way. Even the “prayer” that the psalmist opposes to the malice of their accusations, “the mouth of the wicked”, “the mouth of deceit” (109:2), demand that God should count it as “sin” (109:7). It is not surprising, then, that “the wicked” should employ another “wicked” person like himself/herself to stand at the right hand of the psalmist to accuse him before the judge. The “lying tongue” (109:2) cannot do otherwise than to look for another liar to support his/her accusation (109:6). Evil also follows the same logic: It must go to the end, to the death of the one who will be declared “wicked” (109:7), that is to say guilty, not only he himself, but also his fathers and his mother (109:14). This death is intended to be radical, until it stops the descendants of the righteous from the next generation (109:13), until “their memory is destroyed from the earth” (109:15). GOOD FOR EVIL One might have expected, quite rightly, that the psalmist would ask the judge to apply to his enemy the punishment that his adversary wanted to inflict on him. But he does not obey the logic of the law of retaliation. They want him dead, but he is not demanding it for his accuser. He is not asking that his days be shortened, that his children become orphans and his wife a widow, that his descendants be extinguished as soon as possible and that his memory be erased

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55

by the Lord. Nothing of the sort is mentioned in his prayer. The punishment he demands against the wicked, or rather the wish he expresses for them (109:19), is not in the order of vengeance, but of truth. That is what naturally turned out to be the case (109:17–18), because it is in the order of things. The garment on which he insists so much (109:18–19, 28–29) is what reveals the “profession” of the one who puts it on. Thus, one’s outfit, one’s costume, far from being a disguise behind which one could hide one’s true nature, hide one’s “deceit” and one’s “lie”, will reveal to the eyes of all what one’s identity is as a “cursemaker”. And it is possible to think that the “shame” that is wished for them (109:28–29) could be an opportunity for reflection and repentance. On condition that they “know” that they recognise that “the hand” which “has done” the salvation of the righteous is that of the Lord (109:27).10

10

If this interpretation is justifiable, one may regret that Ps 109, like Ps 57 and 82, has been removed from the Divine Office.

3. PSALM 110 TEXT 1 Of

David, a psalm. An oracle of Yhwh to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 2 The rod of your strength, Yhwh extends it from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies. 3 Your people (are) generosity on the day of your power, in the splendours of holiness, from the bosom of the dawn; for you (they are) the dew of your youth. 4 Yhwh has sworn it and does not repent: “You (are) a priest forever after the pattern of Melchizedek; 5 the Lord (is) at your right hand!” He shatters kings on the day of his anger; 6 he judges the nations, heaping up corpses. He shatters heads over a broad land; 7 he drinks from a stream on the way; therefore he lifts up his head.

“No other psalm has generated as many hypotheses and discussions as Ps 110.”1 The secondary literature is huge and growing.2 1: “MY LORD” The title given by the psalmist to the king, ’ădōnî, is translated here as “my Lord” to distinguish it from ’ădōnāy in verse 5, which is translated as “the Lord” (God). 3: “YOUR PEOPLE (ARE) GENEROSITY... ” This verse is extremely difficult to understand and has therefore given rise to many proposed corrections.3 The most reliable way is to follow very closely the Hebrew canonical text. Following the Masoretic punctuation, the first nominal phrase (3ab) ends with three complements of time: “on the day of your power”, that is to say, of your enthronement, “in the splendours of holiness”, and “from the bosom of the dawn”, which can be understood in the same fashion as the first complement. The second nominal phrase (3c) could have the same subject as the first one and would mean that the people are for their sovereign “the dew of his youth”. 5A: “THE LORD (IS) AT YOUR RIGHT HAND” The Masoretic text places this member with the subsequent one. The rest of the text is clearly organized in two parallel trimembers (5b–6b & 6c–7); moreover, the symmetry between the two oracles, and in particular the correspondence between their extreme members, justifies the division adopted here (see p. 61).

1

Kraus, II, 345. The bibliography by Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 139–140 has 39 titles covering only the years 1973–2008. 3 See, e.g., Ravasi, III, 268–270. 2

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5B: “HE SHATTERS...” The problem is to determine the subject of the verbs in 5b–7. For some it is “the Lord” mentioned in 5a;4 others on the contrary think it is the king.5 Some are of the opinion that in 5b it is God, and subsequently the king.6 According to others, the subject of 5b–6 would be God, that of 7 the king.7 Still for others, the subject of the verbs is the king until 7a, after which it is the Lord who lifts up the king’s head.8 Finally, it should be pointed out that the BJ interprets “the Lord” in 5a as a vocative9 and makes the king the subject of all the subsequent verbs. The difficulty lies in the fact that, in all these cases, 5a is considered belonging to what follows and not to the preceding oracle, as the rhetorical analysis demonstrates it. 6C: “HEADS” The singular (rō’š) is interpreted as collective. COMPOSITION The majority sees that the psalm is organised into two parts (1–3 & 4–7), each beginning with a divine word.10 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti are of the same opinion, but they also add that: verses 5–7 do not comment on the priesthood, but on the military activity of the monarch. Therefore, the division of the psalm into two parts on the basis of content is quite irregular. The theme of the priesthood remains isolated and without comment, at the centre of the psalm.11

In the same line, some divide the text into three parts (1–3, 4, 5–7).12 As for others, the two parts do not have the same limits, the first part includes the oath sworn to the king (1–4 & 5–7).13 The psalm is organised into two parallel parts. 4

Thus Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 143. E.g., Ravasi, III, 271, 289. 6 Thus M. Von Nordheim (see Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 143). 7 Thus Kraus, II, 352. 8 M. GILBERT – S. PISANO, “Psalm 110 (109) 5–7”. 9 This reading by A. Caquot (“Remarques sur le Psaume CX”, 43) has been adopted by R.J. Tournay (“Le Psaume CX”, 30–31) before being integrated into the BJ of 1974; it was taken up by Vesco (1052, note 3) and also by Lorenzin (420, 430). 10 E.g., Dahood, III, 113; Ravasi, III, 274; Hakham, II, 324; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 147; Vesco, 1053. 11 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 509; see also P.J. NEL, “Psalm 110 and the Melchizedek Tradition”. 12 Weiser, 694–697. 13 Mannati, IV, 36; Lorenzin, 429–430. 5

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THE FIRST PART (1B–3) * 1b An oracle + “Sit + until I make + a footstool

of YHWH

to my Lord:

at my right hand, your ENEMIES for your feet.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

- 2 The rod - (he) extends it, .. rule

of your strength, YHWH, in the midst

from Zion; of your ENEMIES.

- 3 Your people - in the splendours .. for you

(are) generosity of holiness, (they are) the dew

on the day from the bosom of your youth.

of your power, of the dawn;

In the first piece (1bcde) the psalmist reports God’s words (1cde) addressed to the king, called “my Lord” in 1b. In the second piece (2–3), where the first person singular pronoun no longer appears (as in 1bc) but only the second person singular pronoun, it is the psalmist who addresses the king: In fact, he speaks of “Yhwh” in the third person (2b). The first piece comprises a narrative member (1b) which introduces the trimember of divine words (1cde). The last two members (1de) end in Hebrew with the second person masculine singular pronoun suffix, while the preceding member (1c) ends with the first person singular pronoun, as does the introductory unimember segment (1b). In the second piece the first two members have “Yhwh” as their subject (2ab); the third member in the imperative (2c) refers to those over whom the Lord’s strength extends. The second trimember, on the other hand, has “your people” as its subject (3). The first trimember concerns the “strength” given to the king by the Lord (2a) “from Zion” (2b), the capital, the centre of the kingdom, down to “the midst of the enemies” (2c), that is, in the interior of foreign countries, in their capitals. The second trimember, on the other hand, concerns “the people” who are “generosity” (3a) and “dew” (3c) to their king from the day of his enthronement at the right hand of God. Syntactically, each of these two segments consists of two phrases (2ab & 2c, 3ab & 3c) and therefore they are of AAB type; it may also be noted that their extreme members end with the second person masculine singular pronoun suffix (“your strength” and “your enemies” in 2a & 2c; “your power” and “your youth” in 3a & 3c). Across the pieces, the name “Yhwh” is repeated in 1b and 2b, each time in the second position; “enemies” are found in 1d and 2c, each time at the end of the members.

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THE SECOND PART (4–7) * 4 (He) has sworn it, + “You (are) + after the pattern + 5 THE LORD

YHWH,

and does not repent:

a priest forever of Melchizedek; (is) at your right hand!”

······································································································

– He shatters

on the day . 6 he judges . heaping up

of his anger the nations, corpses.

kings;

– He shatters

heads . 7 from a stream . therefore

over a land, on the way he lifts up

a broad one; he drinks, his head.

The psalmist begins with the words of “Yhwh” addressed to the king (4–5a), and then describes what the king will do in relation to “the nations” (6a). In the first piece (4–5a) a narrative unimember (4a) introduces a trimember of speech (4b-5a). This trimember is of AAB type: The first two members (4bc) have as their subject the one whom “Yhwh” is addressing, the last member (5a) has “the Lord” himself. The two trimembers of the second piece (5b–6b & 6c–7) begin with the same verb “he shatters” (5b & 6c). At the end of the first members, “a broad land” (6c) recalls “kings” (5b), because many countries are indicated in this way; moreover, the term “heads” in 6c seems to refer to “kings” in 5b, insofar as kings are leaders (“heads”) of their peoples. The second and third members (6ab & 7ab) seem to oppose each other, since the first one refers to the death of the enemies (6ab), while the conclusion presents the king who is regaining strength (7ab). Take note of the repetition of the term “head” in 6c and 7b, the first occurrence refers to the enemies, the second one to the king. Across the pieces, there are no lexical repetitions, except between “kings” (5b) and “Melchizedek” (lit. “King of righteousness”, 4c).

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THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

Of David,

a psalm.

* AN ORACLE

of YHWH

+ “Sit :: until I make :: a footstool

to MY LORD:

at my RIGHT HAND, YOUR ENEMIES

for your feet.”

··················································································································

- 2 The rod - (he) extends it, .. rule

YHWH, in the midst

- 3 Your people - in the splendours .. for you

(are) generosity ON THE DAY of holiness, from the bosom (they are) THE DEW

* 4 (He) HAS SWORN IT, :: “You (are) :: after the pattern + 5 THE LORD (is)

YHWH,

of your strength, from Zion; of YOUR ENEMIES. of your power, of the dawn: of your youth.

and does not repent:

a priest forever of Melchizedek; at your RIGHT HAND!”

·················································································································· – He shatters ON THE DAY of his anger KINGS;

. 6 he judges . heaping up

– He shatters

THE NATIONS,

corpses.

HEADS over a land, . 7 FROM A STREAM on the way . therefore he lifts up

a broad one; he drinks, his head.

The two parts are completely parallel. Each part comprises 28 terms,14 distributed in the following fashion: THE FIRST PART (1b–3) 1st piece (1bcde) unimember (1b) trimember (1cde) 2nd piece (2–3) 1st trimember (2) 2nd trimember (3)

28 9 3 6 19 8 11

THE SECOND PART (4–7) 1st piece (4–5a) unimember (4a) trimember (4bc–5a) 2nd piece (5b–7) 1st trimember (5b–6b) 2nd trimember (6c–7)

28 10 3 7 18 8 10

In the first pieces the psalmist reports an “oracle” “sworn” by the same “Yhwh”. In the first instance Yhwh invites the king to sit at his “right hand” (1c), which is the place of honour; in the second instance he assures him that he 14

D.N. Freedman counts 74 syllables in each part (see Dahood, III, 113); Ravasi, III, 257.

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himself will stand at his “right hand” (5a), which means the side where the one who covers and protects the combatant in battle stands. “Yhwh” is repeated in the same position (1b.4a); “the Lord” (’ădōnāy, 5a) which refers to God recalls “my Lord” (’ădōnî, 1b) which refers to the king. 1

Of David,

a psalm.

* AN ORACLE

of YHWH

+ “Sit :: until I make :: a footstool

to MY LORD:

at my RIGHT HAND, YOUR ENEMIES

for your feet.”

··················································································································

- 2 The rod - (he) extends it, .. rule

YHWH, in the midst

- 3 Your people - in the splendours .. for you

(are) generosity ON THE DAY of holiness, from the bosom (they are) THE DEW

* 4 (He) HAS SWORN IT, :: “You (are) :: after the pattern + 5 THE LORD (is)

YHWH,

of your strength, from Zion; of YOUR ENEMIES. of your power, of the dawn: of your youth.

and does not repent:

a priest forever of Melchizedek; at your RIGHT HAND!”

·················································································································· – He shatters ON THE DAY of his anger KINGS;

. 6 he judges . heaping up

– He shatters

THE NATIONS,

corpses.

HEADS over a country, . 7 FROM A STREAM on the way . therefore he lifts up

a broad one; he drinks, his head.

In the second piece of the first part (2–3) the psalmist addresses the king in the second person singular. In the parallel piece (5b–7), however, he speaks of him in the third person singular. We can understand that he is addressing his people, mentioned at the end of the first part (3a). The second pieces take up “on the day” (3a & 5b); “the nations” (6a, with “kings” and “heads” in 5b & 6c) correspond to “your enemies” (2c, already present in 1d). It can also be observed in final terms that “a stream” (7a) recalls “the dew” (3c). It is possible to observe a complementary relationship between “your youth” at the end of the first part (3c) and “forever” at the beginning of the second part (4b).

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CONTEXT “AN ORACLE OF THE LORD” (PS 110:1B) This is the only time this formula is used in the psalter. It is, however, frequent in the prophets, usually at the end of an oracle, as for example at the end of the six oracles of Amos 4:4–11; in the oracle against Israel (Amos 2:6– 16), it is found not only at the end but also in the middle (2:11). It appears at the beginning of the sequence in Amos 6:8–14, but again in the conclusion (see also Zech 12:1). ON THE RIGHT HAND To make someone sit at one’s right hand (Ps 110:1c) is a sign of honour which consists in recognising him or her as having the same dignity as one’s own, or at least in making him or her participate in one’s dignity, treating him or her as an equal. For example, Solomon makes his mother sit at his right hand! So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah; the king got up to meet her and bowed before her; he then sat down on his throne; a seat was brought for the king's mother, and she sat down on his right hand. (1 Kgs 2:19)

To stand at the right hand of someone (Ps 110:5a) is to protect him or her, for in battle the fighter covers himself or herself on the left with his or her shield, thus being uncovered on the right. The same pattern is found in Ps 16: I place Yhwh before me always; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (16:8) You will make me know the path of life, fullness of joy in your face, delights at your right hand until the end. (16:11)

“A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET” (110:1E) In the Old Testament, the footstool refers to God’s resting place, the temple: “King David then rose to his feet and said: ‘My brothers and my people, listen to me. I have set my heart on building a settled home for the ark of the covenant of Yhwh, for the footstool for our God’” (1 Chr 28:2; see also Ps 132:7); but more broadly, “Zion” (Ps 99:5; Lam 2:1), and finally the whole earth: “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool” (Isa 66:1). Only in Psalm 110 the footstool is attributed by the Lord to the king of Israel. The king’s enemies presented as a footstool for his feet recall the traditional gesture of submission of the defeated: “Joshua assembled all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the warriors who had fought with him, ‘Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings!’ They came forward and put their

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feet on their necks” (Josh 10:24; see also 1 Kgs 5:17; Ps 18:39; 47:4). The enemies of Tutankhamun are depicted on the footstool of his throne. DEW AND STREAM Like rain, dew was believed to come down from heaven, a pure gift of God: “like dew from Yhwh, like showers on the grass” (Mic 5:6; see also Deut 32:2; 1 Kgs 17:1, etc.). This water that comes from above is paralleled by the water that flows from below through springs and streams: “For him [Joseph] the bounty of dew from heaven and of the deep that couches below” (Deut 33:13; see also Prov 3:20). Like rain, dew brings life (Hos 14:6–8) and even raises the dead: “Your dead will come back to life, your corpses will rise again. Wake up and sing, you dwellers in the dust, for your dew will be a radiant dew, but the earth will give birth to the shades” (Isa 26:19). PS 2 As Ps 110, Ps 2 comprises two oracles pronounced by “Yhwh” in favour of his king: “It is I who have installed my king, on Zion, my holy mountain” (2:6); “You are my son, Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give the nations as your inheritance, and as your dominion the ends of the earth. You will break them with a sceptre of iron, like a vessel of potter you will smash them” (2:7–9). There are the terms “Zion”, and especially “the nations”, which the king will have to “break” and “smash” as the king of Ps 110 “shatters” them. Ps 2 does not mention the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek; on the other hand, Ps 110 avoids the explicit royal terms: “king”, “sceptre”, “throne”, and does not speak of anointing. “A PRIEST FOREVER AFTER THE PATTERN OF MELCHIZEDEK” (PS 110:4) That is the only time the name of this personage is mentioned in the Psalter. In the whole Bible, he is only mentioned in the account of Gen 14:18–24, in which Abraham is portrayed as paying tithes to this king, the priest of Salem. The priesthood of Melchizedek is thus much earlier than that of the Israelites, inaugurated by Aaron, Moses’ brother. PS 110 IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Ps 110 is extensively referred to in the New Testament. It is by far the first verse of the psalm that is quoted. Thus, during the controversy between Jesus and his opponents in the temple, a few days before the Passion, in the question that he himself poses about the filiation of Christ: 42

“What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” they said to him, “of David”, 43 He said to them, “Then how is it that David, moved by the Spirit, calls him

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Lord, where he says: 44 The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet?” (Matt 22:44; see Mark 12:36; Luke 20:43).

The same verse is also quoted in Acts 2:34, in Peter’s speech on the day of Pentecost and in Heb 1:13. Christ’s presence at the right hand of God is mentioned in Jesus’ statement to the High Priest during his trial before the Sanhedrin: Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt 26:64; Mark 14:6; Luke 22:66).

It is also mentioned in Mark 16:19; Rom 8:34; Col 3:1; 1 Pet 3:22; Heb 10:13. Dominion over enemies placed under Christ’s feet is found in 1 Cor 15:25, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet”. Christ’s presence at the right hand of God and enemies placed under his feet are found together in Eph 1:18–22, 17

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Verse 4 of Ps 110 is quoted only in the Letter to the Hebrews (7:17, 21). In chapter 5 the two oracles are quoted together: 5

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb 5:5–6).

INTERPRETATION The two parts of the psalm are parallel, which does not mean that they are synonymous. They are rather complementary, as required, so to speak by the rule.

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ON THE RIGHT HAND In biblical literature, as in many other cultures, the right hand is always the positive and favourable side; at the last judgement, the blessed are placed at the right hand of the judge, the unjust at his left (Matt 25:31–46). By making the new king sit at his right hand (Ps 110:1c), the Lord offers him the place of honour and thus associates him with his sovereignty, of which he becomes the representative and lieutenant on earth in the midst of his people. The Lord then declares that he himself will stand at his right hand (110:5a), assuring him of his protection in the trials, especially in the battles he will have to fight. On the royal throne the Lord is on the left of the king, on the battlefield he stands on his right. He is thus at the same time on his right and on his left, as the only rampart that protects him on all sides: “And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Exod 14:22, 29). Or in another form: “His left hand is under my head and his right hand embraces me” (Song 2:6; 8:3). THE ENEMIES The reason why the Lord protects his king on all sides is that he is attacked on all sides by his “enemies”. David had to face many foreign enemies during his reign, but even before his accession to the throne, he had to face many enemies from within, starting with his predecessor Saul. The same happened with his son Solomon, for Adonijah wanted to take his place with the support of Joab, the army commander, and the priest Abiathar (1 Kgs 1–2). Therefore, “the enemies” mentioned in the first part (Ps 110:1d, 2c), that of the king’s enthronement, those whom the Lord promises to place under his feet, could be those who belong to his people, while in the second part they are unquestionably “the kings” of foreign “nations” (110:5bc). It is “from Zion” (110:2b), the capital of the country, that the Lord stretches out the king’s rod of command, and it is “over a broad land” that the king will crush heads (110:6c). KING AND PRIEST In Israel, at least at the time of the monarchy, the roles of the principal actors were well determined, in what can be called the separation of powers: the role of the king was different, the role of the priest was different, the role of the prophet was different. But the priesthood which the psalm evokes does not descend from Aaron. It is the priesthood of a king much earlier than Moses himself, since Melchizedek was the king-priest of Salem to whom Abraham, the ancestor of the Israelites, paid a tithe. This means that the priesthood of the king enthroned by Yhwh is prior and external to Israel, that it is universal. After the exile and the end of the monarchy, the supreme power was in the hands of the High Priest, but he was not king. The king of the psalm, whose origin is in the distant past, is

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seen as the king of a future that is probably even more distant, in other words, an eschatological king. THE LORD JESUS It is not surprising, then, that the followers of Jesus recognised in him the one whom the psalm described and announced. This king did not exercise violence but suffered it, he did not put under his feet the enemies of this world, but, thanks to his resurrection from the dead, “every principality, dominion and power” and “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor 15:24–26). This King of the end times is the one who redeems Adam’s sin at the beginning of time: “For since death came through one man, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead” (1 Cor 15:21).

4. DELIVER ME FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT COMPOSITION OF THE SEQUENCE (PS 108–110) Ps 108 1 A song, a psalm of David. 2 My heart is ready, O God, I will sing and I will play, O my glory; 3 awake, harp and cithara, that I may awake THE DAWN. 4 I WILL GIVE YOU THANKS among the peoples, O Yhwh, and I will play to you in the countries; 5 because YOUR FAITHFULNESS is great above the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. 6 RISE UP above the heavens, O God, and above all the earth, your glory! 7 So that your beloved ones may be liberated, save with YOUR RIGHT HAND and ANSWER ME. 8 God HAS SPOKEN in his sanctuary: “I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and the Valley of Sukkot I will survey. 9 Mine is Gilead, mine Manasseh, Ephraim, the protection of MY HEAD, Judah, my sceptre. 10 Moab, a basin for me to wash in, on Edom, I throw my sandal; over Philistia, I shout victory.” 11 Who will bring me to a city of fortification, who will lead me to Edom? 12 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us, and you do not go out, O God, with our armies? 13 Grant us help in OPPRESSION, and nothingness is the salvation of the man; 14 with God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our OPPRESSORS. Ps 109 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O God of my praise, DO NOT BE SILENT, 2 because the mouth of THE WICKED and the mouth of deceit are opened against me; they SPEAK to me with a lying tongue, 3 and with WORDS of HATRED they surround me, and THEY ATTACK ME without reason. 4 In return for my friendship THEY ACCUSE ME, and as for me, I am in prayer; 5 and they set against me evil in return for good, and hatred in return for my friendship. 6 “Position A WICKED against him, and let AN ACCUSER stand AT HIS RIGHT HAND; 7 when HE IS JUDGED let him be found wicked, and let his prayer be counted as sin. 8 Let his days be few, let another take his position; 9 let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow; 10 and let his children wander continually, and let them beg and seek far of their ruins. 11 Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; 12 let there be no one for him who keeps FAITHFULNESS, and let there be no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the posterior generation; 14 let the wrong of his fathers be remembered by Yhwh, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before Yhwh forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” 16 For the reason that he does not remember to do FAITHFULNESS, he pursues the afflicted and the poor, and the broken of heart to put him to death. 17 And he loves CURSING, and it comes to him, and he does not desire blessing, and it is far from him; 18 and he cloths himself with CURSING as his coat: and it comes into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment that wraps him, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. 20 This is the salary of my ACCUSERS from Yhwh, and of those who SPEAK evil against my soul. 21 And as for you, O Yhwh ADONAI, deal with me for the sake of your name, because YOUR FAITHFULNESS is good, deliver me. 22 Because I am afflicted and poor, and my heart is wounded within me; 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, I am shaken off like a locust; 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, and my flesh is lean for lack of oil. 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them, when they see me, they shake their head. 26 Help me, O Yhwh my God, save me according to YOUR FAITHFULNESS; 27 and let them know that this is your hand, that you, O Yhwh, have done it. 28 As for them, THEY CURSE, and as for you, you bless, THEY ATTACK and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; 29 let MY ACCUSERS be clothed with infamy, and wrapped as in a mantle of their shame. 30 I WILL GIVE THANKS to Yhwh greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I will praise him; 31 because he stands AT THE RIGHT HAND of the poor to save his soul from HIS JUDGES. Ps 110 1 Of David, a psalm. AN ORACLE of Yhwh to my Lord: “Sit AT MY RIGHT HAND, until I make YOUR ENEMIES a footstool for your feet.” 2 The rod of your strength, Yhwh extends it from Zion; rule in the midst of YOUR ENEMIES. 3 Your people are generosity on the day of your power, in the splendours of holiness, from the bosom of THE DAWN; for you they are the dew of your youth. 4 Yhwh HAS SWORN it and does not repent: “You are a priest forever after the pattern of Melchizedek; 5 ADONAI is AT YOUR RIGHT HAND!” He shatters KINGS on the day of his anger; 6 he judges THE NATIONS, heaping up corpses. He shatters HEADS over a broad land; 7 he drinks from a stream on the way; therefore HE LIFTS UP HIS HEAD.

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME PSALMS – Ps 108 focuses on God’s words (108:8–10); Ps 110 contains two divine statements, an oracle (110:1) and an oath (110:4–5a); – The term “sceptre” (108:9) corresponds to the synonymous word, “rod” (110:2); – “The dawn” of 108:3 is repeated in 110:3; – “Rise up” (108:6) and “he lifts up” (110:7) are from the same root. RELATION BETWEEN THE THREE PSALMS – The three psalms are entitled as “psalms” “of David”; – The central psalm begins with “do not be silent” (109:1) and God answers in the extreme psalms (109:8–10; 110:1, 4–5a); already in the first psalm the first part that ends with “answer me” (108:7b) is immediately followed by “God has spoken” (108:8); – The king’s adversaries are present everywhere, though they are not designated with the same terms: in the first psalm they are “Moab”, “Edom” and “Philistia” (108:10), “our oppressors” (108:14); in the central psalm they are “the wicked” (109:2, 6), those who “attack” and “accuse” him (109:3, 4, 6, 20, 28, 29), who bring him to “judgment” (109:7), who are his “judges” (109:31), who “curse” him (109:17, 18, 28). In the last psalm they are the king’s “enemies” (110:1, 2) who are also “kings” and the leaders of the “nations”, who are their “heads” (110:5–6); – Yhwh “saves” (108:7, 13; 109:26, 31) with his “right hand” (108:7); the same term is used in 110:1, where the Lord makes the king sit at his “right hand” and in 110:5a, where he stands at his “right hand” to protect him, whereas in the central psalm it is an “accuser” who stands at his “right hand” to condemn him (109:6); – The king “gives thanks” to the Lord (108:4; 109:30) for his “faithfulness” (108:5; 109:21, 26); – All three psalms end with a positive remark: “With God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our oppressors” (108:14); David gives thanks because the Lord has saved his soul (109:30–31); he lifts his head after quenching his thirst at the stream (110:7). – It may also be pointed out that “Adonai” appears at the beginning of the last parts of the last psalms (109:21; 110:5). CONTEXT DAVID’S ENEMIES Ps 109, read with the two psalms that frame it, inevitably brings to mind all the persecutions David endured throughout his life, even if the allusions to the stories in the books of Samuel are not evident.

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First of all, it is Saul who relentlessly pursued his servant David to kill him, returning the evil for the good he had done to him: See, my father, see the corner of your cloak in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner of your cloak, and did not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are hunting me to take my life. (1 Sam 24:12; see also 24:18)

The same is true about Nabal: “He repays me evil for good” (1 Sam 25:21). In the end, “the Lord has returned the evildoing of Nabal upon his own head” (1 Sam 25:39). This recalls verse 17 of Ps 109: “He loves cursing, and it comes to him, he does not desire blessing, and it is far from him”. It also refers to the last part of the psalm: “As for them, they curse, and as for you, you bless, they attack and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices” (109:28). When David flees Jerusalem in the face of Absalom’s revolt and is cursed by Shimei, he refuses to indulge in violence, leaving the judgement to God: “Let him curse on, if the Lord has told him to. Perhaps the Lord will consider my affliction and repay me with good instead of his curse today” (2 Sam 16:11–12). THE SATAN WHO ACCUSES JOB The accuser who stands at David’s right hand to condemn him has the same name as the “Satan” who accuses Job before the tribunal of God (Job 1:6; 2:1). Like the Satan in the book of Job, the accuser in Ps 109 goes so far as to appeal to “Yhwh” to condemn his servant (109:14–15): that is where his accusation culminates. INTERPRETATION “DO NOT BE SILENT” (PS 109:1) David is persecuted, falsely accused by “the mouth of deceit” and “lies”. And the Lord remains silent. He allows the wicked to accuse him at length in court (109:6–15), without intervening. The king laments and prays, but God does not answer. It is as if he were waiting for his plea for help to turn into a declaration of confidence and a promise of thanksgiving for the salvation of which he is now convinced that it will come (109:21–31). “GOD HAS SPOKEN” (108:8) The plea “do not be silent” at the beginning of the central psalm is addressed to the one whom the psalmist calls “God of my praise” (109:1). Praise is the fulcrum for David to lift up the world, to make the Lord respond to his request. Similarly, at the beginning of the first psalm, the request for salvation (108:7) is preceded by a long praise (108:2–6). No sooner has the psalmist finished his prayer by asking: “Answer me”, than the Lord gives voice: “God has spoken in

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his sanctuary” (108:8). After the long supplication of Psalm 109, at the end of the sequence he speaks again in a solemn fashion, with an “oracle” and an irrevocable oath (110:1, 4–5a). THE RIGHT HAND The psalmist’s enemies bribe a “wicked” and send him to the court to stand “at the right hand” of the king, in the place of the accuser, to have him condemned (109:6–7), and to have him condemned by the Lord himself (109:14–15). The psalm ends in thanksgiving and praise, in unfailing faith in the God who “stands at the right hand of the poor” and saves him from his accusers (109:30–31). In the preceding psalm, David puts all his trust in the “right hand” of the Lord: “save by your right hand and answer me” (108:7). The subsequent psalm also ends with the image of the Lord standing at the right hand of the king to protect him from his enemies during a battle (110:5). But the Lord is not content to stand at the right hand of the hunted king to ward off the blows intended for him; he makes him sit at his right hand, associating him with his now fully assured kingship.

III. THANKSGIVING OF THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD The Third Sequence: Ps 111–112 1. PSALM 111 Psalm 111, along with its twin, is the only alphabetical acrostic in which each of its 22 members—or stiches—begins with one letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm is divided into three parts; each of the extreme parts has six members, while the central part has ten. TEXT 1 Praise

’ b g d h w z ḥ ṭ y k l m n s ‘ p ṣ q r ś t

Yah!

I give thanks to Yhwh with all heart, in the circle of the upright and the assembly. 2 Great (are) the deeds of Yhwh, searched for by all who delight in them. 3 His work is majesty and splendour, and his righteousness remains forever. 4 He has done a memorial of his wonders, Yhwh (is) tender and merciful. 5 He has given food to those who fear him, he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown to his people the power of his deeds, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The deeds of his hands (are) truth and judgment, all his precepts (are) faithful, 8 they are established forever and ever, they are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people, he has commanded his covenant forever, holy and fearsome (is) his Name. 10 The principle of wisdom is the fear of Yhwh, a good understanding to all who do them; his praise remains forever.

10B: “ALL WHO DO THEM” The syntagma—lit. “doing them”—poses a grammatical problem. According to Amos Hakham, for example, these would be the commandments of “wisdom” and “fear of the Lord”, but it is also possible that the suffix -hem refers to “all his precepts” in verse 7.1 The Septuagint has autēs which cannot refer to “the 1

Hakham, II, 352.

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fear of the Lord” (phobos is masculine), and therefore it refers to sophia, “wisdom”. 9B: “HE HAS COMMANDED HIS COVENANT FOREVER” The phrase can be understood in two ways: the Lord commanded that his covenant be forever, or he commanded his people to keep his covenant forever.2 COMPOSITION There is a wide range of opinions. Some refuse to look for any kind of outline.3 For many, it is the “form” of the text that dictates its division into two parts: a short invitation to thanksgiving (1) is followed by the long list of its motivations (2–10).4 For others the psalm is organised in three,5 four,6 five,7 or even six parts.8 The psalm is organised into three parts (1b–3, 4–8, 9–10). THE FIRST PART (1B–3) = 1b I GIVE THANKS = in the circle :: 2 Great (are) = SEARCHED FOR

to YHWH of the upright

with ALL heart, and the assembly.

THE DEEDS

of YHWH, WHO DELIGHT IN THEM.

by ALL

and splendour (are) :: 3 Majesty :: and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS remains

HIS WORK, FOREVER.

The first segment (1bc) features the psalmist’s “I” (1b), accompanied by “the upright” people and “the assembly” (1c): These characters are included in 2b in the syntagma “all who delight in them”. The third segment (3) together with 2a gives the reasons for thanksgiving (1b) and “searching for” (2b): The “works”, “the work”, “the righteousness” of Yhwh. As is often the case,9 the two elements 2

Hakham, II, 352. Thus Weiser, 698 (“The alphabetic patter does not allow for a coherent flow of ideas”); Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 517–518. 4 Kraus, II, 356; Girard, III, 170–173 (concentric construction of the second part around 7–8, based on the recurring vocabulary); similarly, Vesco, 1062. 5 Ravasi, III, 308 (1–3; 4–9; 10). 6 Gerstenberger, II, 270 (1a, 1bc, 2–9, 10); Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 163 (1–3; 4–6; 7–9; 10). 7 Lorenzin, 431. 8 Hakham, II, 328. 9 See R. MEYNET, “Le leggi della retorica biblica. A proposito della ‘legge dell’intreccio al centro’”. 3

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at the centre refer in a crossed manner to the surrounding units: 2b to 1bc and 2a to 3. Note that the three members that concern God’s actions (2a, 3a, 3b) are nominal phrases, without any conjugated verb. The name “Yhwh” appears twice: in 1b, that is, in the first member where it concerns the actions of people, and in 2b, that is, in the first member where it concerns the actions of God. “All” is repeated in 1b and 2b, in the members that concern men; a similar idea of totality is expressed by “forever” at the end of the third member that relates the works of God.10 THE SECOND PART (4–8) + 4 A MEMORIAL – tender – 5 Food + HE REMEMBERS

HE HAS DONE

and merciful (is) HE HAS GIVEN FOREVER

of his wonders, YHWH; to those who fear him, his covenant.

·······················································································································

• 6 The power • IN GIVING

OF HIS DEEDS

them

he has shown the inheritance

to his people, of the nations.

······················································································································· 7

+ THE DEEDS – faithful – 8 they are established + THEY ARE DONE

of his hands, all

truth his precepts,

forever

AND EVER,

in truth

and judgment,

and uprightness.

Two pieces formed of two bimembers (4–5 & 7–8) frame a piece the size of a bimember (7). This bimember differs from all others because its second member is subordinate to the first member. The first piece is delimited by the two words of the same root that mark the beginnings of its extreme members, “a memorial”, “he remembers” (4a & 5b); at the end of these members, “his covenant” corresponds to “his wonders”. The same phenomenon occurs in the symmetrical piece with “the deeds” and “they are done” (7a & 8b); the parallelism of these members continues with two coordinated terms, the first of which, “truth”, is identical. Between the pieces, the syntagma “forever and ever” in 8a—which together with “all” in 7b acts as median terms—takes up “forever” from 5b. The central piece (6) puts “the people” of Yhwh in relation to “the nations”. The term “his deeds” refers to the three terms of the same root (4a, 7a, 8b); the

10

One may notice the mirrored construction of the last verse: Majesty and splendour – his deeds / and his righteousness – remains forever.

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syntagma “to his people” (6a) corresponds to “to those who fear him” in 5a and the verb “to give” (6b) already appeared in 5a. THE THIRD PART (9–10) :: 9 Redemption, HE SENT (it) :: HE HAS COMMANDED FOREVER :: holy and fearsome

to the people the covenant THE NAME

= 10 The principle of wisdom (is) = an understanding a good one = HIS PRAISE remains

THE FEAR to ALL FOREVER.

of his, of his; of his. of YHWH, WHO DO THEM;

The first trimember (9) is of AAB type: The first two members report God’s actions,11 the third member states two qualities of “his Name”; the final terms contain the same possessive adjective translated here as “of his”.12 The second trimember (10) is also of AAB type: The two actions of “fearing” the Lord and “doing” his commandments (10ab) correspond to the two actions of God of the first trimember (9ab); the “praise” of 10c seems to correspond to 9c, where “the name” of Yhwh is praised.13 “Forever” (9b), “all” (10b) and “forever” (10c) belong to the same semantic field. “His name” (9c) is that of “Yhwh” (10a), which could therefore be considered as median terms; furthermore, “fearsome” at the end of the first trimember (9c) and “fear” at the beginning of the second trimember (10a), which are of the same root, have the same function. The first segment (9) describes what Yhwh did, “the redemption” and “the covenant”; the second segment (10) describes the resulting “wisdom” for people to do: “fear the Lord”, “do” his commandments and “praise” him always.

11 The construction of these two members is mirrored: the object complements are at the extremities, the complements “to his people” and “forever” apply to both members. 12 In Hebrew this suffix pronoun rhymes: le‘ammô, berîtô, šemô. 13 “Praise” is often used with the “name” of God, with “fearsome” and “holy”: “Sing psalms to the glory of his name, set the glory of his praise. Say to God, ‘How fearsome are your works!’” (Ps 66:2–3); see also Ps 18:50; 22:4, 24; 30:5; 96:4; 106:47; 113:1; 135:3.

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77

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM Relationships between the extreme parts (1b–3 & 9–10) = 1b I GIVE THANKS = in the circle :: 2 Great (are) = SEARCHED FOR

to YHWH of the upright

with ALL heart, and the assembly.

THE DEEDS

of YHWH, WHO DELIGHT IN THEM.

by ALL

and splendour, :: 3 Majesty :: and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS remains

HIS WORK, FOREVER.

[...] :: 9 Redemption, :: HE HAS COMMANDED :: holy

HE SENT (it) FOREVER

and fearsome (is)

to his people, his covenant; HIS NAME.

= 10 The principle = an understanding, = HIS PRAISE

of wisdom (is) of good one, remains

THE FEAR to ALL FOREVER.

of YHWH, WHO DO THEM;

The same alternation between the works of God and those of man is found in both parts, arranged differently: in succession in the latter, intermingled in the former. However, the relationship is generally mirrored, as the first part begins with “thanksgiving” and the last part ends with “praise”; in a complementary fashion, the first part concludes with the work of God (3), while the last part describes it at the beginning (9). The symmetry is all the more harmonious because it is not mathematical, since it is swaying, like the Gothic Virgins. The strongest symmetry is that of the final terms (3b & 10c), which seem to sum up the whole of both parts: the eternal righteousness of God is matched by the eternal praise of men.

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Relationships between the three parts 1

PRAISE YAH! ’ b

= I GIVE THANKS to YHWH with ALL heart, = in the circle of THE UPRIGHT and the assembly.

g d

:: 2 Great are the DEEDS of YHWH, = searched for by ALL who delight in them. :: 3 His WORK is majesty and splendour, :: and HIS righteousness REMAINS forever.

h w z ḥ

+ 4 He has DONE a memorial of his wonders, – YHWH is tender and merciful.

ṭ y

– 5 He has given food to those WHO FEAR him, + he remembers HIS COVENANT forever.

k l

····················································································· 6 He has shown to his people the power of his DEEDS,

in giving them the inheritance of the nations. ·····················································································

m n s ‘ p ṣ q r ś t

+ 7 The DEEDS of his hands are truth and judgment, – ALL his precepts are faithful, – 8 they are established forever and ever, + they are DONE in truth and UPRIGHTNESS. :: 9 He sent redemption to his people, :: he has commanded HIS COVENANT forever, :: holy and fearsome is his Name.

= 10 The principle of wisdom is THE FEAR of YHWH, = a good understanding to ALL who DO them; = HIS PRAISE REMAINS forever.

The root ‘śh, systematically translated as “to do”/“deeds” occurs six times (2a, 4a, 6a, 7a, 8b, 10b); together with its synonym “work” (p‘l) it makes a total of seven, the figure of completeness. The word that belongs to the semantic field of totality is primarily “all” (1b, 2b, 7b, 10b), but also “forever” (3b, 5b, 8a, 9b, 10c) and “ever” (8a).

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CONTEXT PS 136, THE GREAT HALLEL The whole central part relates the events of the exodus (136:10–22), the preceding part those of the creation (136:4–9) and the subsequent part those of the return from exile (136:23–25). INTERPRETATION THE WORKS OF THE LORD It is clear that in verses 7–8 of Ps 111 God’s “deeds” are “his precepts”, that is, his Law; the vocabulary of these two verses returns several times in Ps 119, which is entirely devoted to the Law of the Lord.14 The symmetrical piece (111:4–5) refers to the “wonders” of the exodus: among all the feasts, the Passover was instituted as a “memorial” of the liberation from Egypt (Exod 12:14: “This day shall be for you a memorial day... it is a perpetual institution”). The “food” given recalls both manna and quail (Exod 16). The central piece (Ps 111:6) summarizes, so to speak, all the wonders of the exodus (111:6a), culminating in the gift of the land (111:6b). Therefore, the whole central part celebrates the major work of the exodus.15 As for the extreme parts, it is not easy to determine which divine works they evoke. However, if one takes the construction of the psalm seriously and if the analysis just made is correct, if one also admits that the whole of the long central part is devoted to the works of the exodus, from the liberation from the land of Egypt to the gift of the land, then the other two parts could speak of the other works of the Lord, some before the exodus, others after. In the first part, whose introductory character is undeniable, it is not excluded that they comprise not only the historical works of salvation but also those of creation (Ps 8:4; 102:26; 103:22; 104 which also begins with “majesty and splendour”).16 As for the final part, the first member may suggest the return from exile in Babylon.17 The pattern would thus be similar to that of Ps 136, the Great Hallel: there too the whole central part relates the events of the exodus (136:10– 22), the preceding part those of creation (136:4–9) and the following one those of the return from exile (136:23–25).

14

“Judgement” occurs 23 times, in all but one stanza, “precepts” 21 times in 19 out of 22 stanzas; “truth” occurs frequently (119:43, 142, 151, 160), “faithfulness” (119:30, 75, 86, 90, 138), “upright” (119:7, 128, 137), “forever” (119:44, 89, 93, 98, 111, 112, 142, 144). 15 In Ps 136, too, the whole central part celebrates the wonders of the exodus; see p. 513. 16 See Ravasi, III, 305. 17 Thus Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 520: “in a postexilic context, it may refer to the return to the homeland”.

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THE WORKS OF MAN The subject of “deeds” is the Lord for the first six occurrences, but the subject changes for the seventh one (111:10b): as if to all the works accomplished by God in his favour, man responded by “doing” his commands. “Praise” (111:10c) is not enough as well as “thanksgiving” (1b); obedience gives evidence of their sincerity and truth.

2. PSALM 112 TEXT 1

Praise Yah!

’ b g d h w z ḥ ṭ y k l m n s ‘ p ṣ q r ś t

Happy (is) the man who fears Yhwh, he greatly delights in his commandments. 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches in his house, and his righteousness remains forever; 4 light shines in the darkness for the upright. Tender, and merciful, and righteous, 5 good (is) the man who has mercy and shares; he conducts his affairs with judgment. 6 Yes, he will never be shaken, the righteous will be in an everlasting remembrance. 7 He does not fear an evil reputation, his heart is firm, trusting in Yhwh; 8 his heart is assured, he does not fear, till he may see (the end of) his oppressors. 9 He distributes, he gives to the poor, his righteousness remains forever; his horn rises in glory. 10 The wicked sees and is irritated, he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; the hope of the wicked is lost.

4–5: THE PROBLEM OF DIVISION The Masoretic text brings together 4a and 4b, whose syntactical structure is problematic. If “light” is the subject of “shines”, it is not clear what would be the function of the three coordinated adjectives of the second member, “tender, and merciful, and righteous”. Those who consider that these adjectives qualify the Lord, make him the subject of “he shines”.1 Others delete the last “and” of 4b, making “righteous” the subject of the member: “tender and merciful (is) the righteous”.2 Finally, others hold that 4b is an apposition to “he shines” which designates the righteous.3 The solution adopted here, required by the overall composition of the psalm, is to consider 3–5 not as three bimembers, but as two trimembers: 4b is the first member of the second trimember, is a predicate together with “good” of “(is) the man”. 1

Thus Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 527–528. For Dahood (III, 127), the three epithets of 4b are affixed to the “light” which he translates as “the Sun” referring to God. 2 E.g., Kraus, II, 362; Vesco, II, 1069 (That was already the case in some Hebrew manuscripts). 3 E.g., Lorenzin, 421, 433; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 168.

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5B: “HE CONDUCTS HIS AFFAIRS WITH JUDGMENT” Furthermore, the meaning of 5b is discussed. Some are of the opinion that debārāw means “his words” and that bemišpāṭ means “during the judgment” in the sense of “trial”: The righteous would thus hold his words before the court.4 The vast majority, however, interpret the first term as “his affairs” and the last term as “with judgment”, which means, with righteousness, according to the law.5 COMPOSITION Many do not even look for an outline of this psalm.6 Some regard it as having two parts;7 others as having four.8 The psalm comprises three parts: two long parts, each containing ten members (1b–5 & 7–10), frame a much shorter part that is the size of a single bimember segment (6). THE FIRST PART (1–5) + 1b Happy (is) + in his commandments

THE MAN

who fears greatly.

Yhwh,

he delights

= 2 Mighty = the generation

on earth of the upright

will be will be blessed.

his offspring,

··························································································································· 3

Wealth and riches and his righteousness remains 4 rises in the darkness

in his house, forever; light

for the upright.

···························································································································

– Tender, – 5 good (is) :: he conducts

and merciful, THE MAN

his affairs

and righteous, who has mercy with judgment.

and shares;

The first piece (1b–2) is formed of two segments with the same rhythm (4 + 3 accents); the first one (1bc) describes the attitude of “man” towards “Yhwh” and 4

Vesco (II, 1072) translates it as: “he will hold his words in judgment”. Among many authors, Hakham, II, 335; Lorenzin, 421, 433. “Judgment” is retained here, because the same term is used in Ps 111:7. 6 Thus, Mannati, Dahood, Weiser, Kraus. 7 Ravasi (III, 323–324) sees two parallel parts (1–6 & 7–9); also Lorenzin, but he does not place the caesura in exactly the same place (1–6a & 6b–10). 8 Hakham, II, 334 (1, 2–3, 4–7, 8–10). 5

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“his commandments”, the second one (2) announces God’s attitude towards man (the final divine passive clearly indicates this). The central piece (3–4a) is the size of a trimember of AA’B type: the first two members are coordinated and are in the singular, while the third member expands to the plural (like 2b at the end of the first piece). The last piece (4b–5) is the size of a segment; this trimember is of AA’B type: 5b is a verbal phrase which is distinguished from the nominal phrase which precedes it. “Judgement” at the end of the last member (5b) belongs to the same semantic field as “righteous” at the end of the first member (4b). The two occurrences of “upright” act as final terms for the first two pieces (2b & 4a); the two occurrences of “man” (1b & 5a) perform the function of extreme terms; “righteousness” at the centre of the central piece (3b) is echoed by “righteous” at the beginning of the third piece (4b). From the point of view of the personages, the first piece describes the relationship between “Yhwh” and “man”; the last piece describes the relationship between “man” and other people with whom he is “tender and merciful and righteous” (4b), with whom he “shares” his possessions, with whom he does “righteousness” (4b) and “judgment” (5b). As for the central piece (3–4a), it seems to play the role of a pivot, linking the other two pieces. The central member (3b) does not explicitly set out the righteous person’s relationship with others, but it does assert the permanence of his “righteousness”; this generic term seems to refer both to the “righteousness” (2b) towards the Lord in the first piece and to the “righteous” behaviour (4b) towards others in the third piece. With “wealth and riches”, the first member (3a) is to be related to the last piece and especially to one who “shares” (5a): The fact of sharing one’s goods with others does not prevent the righteous from being filled with goods; the “light” which “rises in the darkness” of the third member could recall the first piece as another fashion to express the divine blessing.9

9

See, e.g., Isa 60:2.

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First Section (Ps 107–112)

THE THIRD PART (7–10) + 7 A reputation, is firm

an EVIL one, his heart,

he does not fear, trusting in Yhwh;

- 8 is assured + till he may

his heart, SEE

HIS OPPRESSORS.

he does not fear,

························································································ 9

He distributes, his righteousness his horn

he gives remains rises

to the poor, till ever, in glory.

························································································

= 10 The WICKED = his teeth, :: the hope

SEES he gnashes of the WICKED

and is irritated, and he melts away; is lost.

The first piece (7–8) is formed of two bimember segments of a concentric composition: in the extreme members (7a & 8b) the term “oppressors” refers to “evil”, because we understand that the oppressors of the righteous are those who give him “an evil reputation”; the second and penultimate members are particularly related to each other with “is firm his heart” (7b) and “is assured his heart” (8a); at the centre, the last term of the first segment, “Yhwh” (7b). Note that the two occurrences of “he does not fear” (7a & 8a) act as initial terms; those of “heart” act as median terms. The last piece (10) consists of a single trimember segment of AAB type: The first two members (10ab) describe “the wicked” in the singular, while the last member (10c) makes a generalization by switching to the plural. The central piece (9) comprises a single trimember segment. The last two members have the same syntactic structure, unidentified subject with suffix followed by the verb and a complement. From the point of view of content, while the central member is general, the first one makes explicit the meaning of “righteousness” (he gives to the poor) and the last one announces his reward. There are many connections between the three pieces. The two occurrences of “wicked” in extreme terms of the last piece (10a & 10c) refer to the extreme terms belonging to the same semantic field in the first piece, “evil” (7a) and “oppressors” (8b); the two occurrences of the verb “to see” (8b & 10a) act as median terms at a distance. The only formal link between the central piece and the rest of the part is the repetition of the same preposition, ‘ad, translated as “till” in 8b and 9b. From the point of view of the personages, “the wicked” of the last piece (10a & 10c) are the same as the “oppressors” of the righteous (8b), namely those who try to discredit him, by giving him “an evil reputation” (7a). In the first piece “Yhwh” is the one who protects the righteous who puts his trust in him and will allow him to “see (the end of) his oppressors” (8b); on the

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contrary, in the last piece the absence of Yhwh should be noted; the central piece (9) puts at the beginning the righteous person in relation with “the poor” (9a) and one could perhaps see in the last member (9c) a divine reward. “The wicked sees and is irritated”: It is possible to understand that he “sees” the favourable fate of the righteous and is irritated by it, that it makes him “gnash his teeth”; “the hope of the wicked” would then consist in wanting to try to destroy the righteous with “an evil reputation”. THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

Praise Yah! ’ + Happy is the man WHO FEARS YHWH, b + he greatly delights in his commandments. g d

– 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, – the generation of the upright will be blessed. ·············································································

h w z

3

Wealth and riches in his house, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINS FOREVER; 4 light shines in the darkness for the upright. ·············································································

ḥ = Tender, and merciful, and RIGHTEOUS, ṭ = 5 good is the man who has mercy and shares; y :: he conducts his affairs with judgment. k 6 Yes, FOREVER he will not be shaken, l in a remembrance FOREVER will be the RIGHTEOUS. m n

– 7 an evil reputation, HE DOES NOT FEAR, + his heart is firm, trusting in YHWH;

s ‘

+ 8 his heart is assured, HE DOES NOT FEAR, – till he may see his oppressors. ·············································································

p ṣ q

9

He distributes, he gives to the poor, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINS his horn rises in glory.

FOREVER;

·············································································

r = 10 The wicked sees and is irritated, ś = he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; t :: the hope of the wicked is lost.

The composition of the whole is very harmonious. The extreme parts are very well balanced. Each has ten members organised in exactly the same fashion: the first piece is formed of two bimember segments, followed by two trimember

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segments. They are focused on only two members (3b & 9b) which, apart from the copula in 3b, are identical; therefore, they play the role of central terms. Moreover, the two occurrences of “forever” at the centre of these parts are related to other two occurrences of “forever” at the centre of the psalm (6a & 6b). Similarly, the two occurrences of “righteousness” in the centre of the extreme parts (3b & 9b) correspond to “the righteous” at the end of the central part (6b). In this way the centres of the extreme parts correspond to the centre of the whole psalm. It should also be noted that “who fears” (1b) and “he does not fear” (7a) play the role of initial terms. 1

Praise Yah! ’ + Happy is the man WHO FEARS YHWH, b + he greatly delights in his commandments. g d

– 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, – the generation of the upright will be blessed. ·············································································

h w z

3

Wealth and riches in his house, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINS FOREVER; 4 light shines in the darkness for the upright. ·············································································

ḥ = Tender, and merciful, and RIGHTEOUS, ṭ = 5 good is the man who has mercy and shares; y :: he conducts his affairs with judgment. k 6 Yes, FOREVER he will not be shaken, l in a remembrance FOREVER will be the RIGHTEOUS. m n

– 7 an evil reputation, HE DOES NOT FEAR, + his heart is firm, trusting in YHWH;

s ‘

+ 8 his heart is assured, HE DOES NOT FEAR, – till he may see his oppressors. ·············································································

p ṣ q

9

He distributes, he gives to the poor, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINS his horn rises in glory.

FOREVER;

·············································································

r = 10 The wicked sees and is irritated, ś = he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; t :: the hope of the wicked is lost.

The centres of the extreme parts are complementary: What the man has received from the Lord as the price of his righteousness, “wealth and riches” (3a), “he distributes, he gives to the poor” (9a), and in that consists “his

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righteousness” and “his glory”. Thus, righteousness does not consist only in observing the commandments; it is manifested above all in giving freely to the poor what one has received freely from the Lord; in short, in doing the works of God, in behaving according to one’s original vocation as the image of God. Furthermore, it should be noted that the “light” of the righteous that shines in the darkness (4a) has something to do with the “glory” of 9c. The participle translated as “remains” at the centre of the extreme parts (3b & 9b) could be better rendered as “stands”, which is the equivalent of its opposite “shaking” at the centre of the whole (6a). It is not only the righteous person who “stands” and “remains”, but also his descendants (2), which is repeated in other words at the centre of the psalm: Indeed the “memorial” of the righteous person is maintained, remains alive, carried by the generation of his descendants. That is not the case with “the wicked” who “melts away” (10b) and whose “hope is lost” (10c). CONTEXT The closest context of Ps 112 is obviously Ps 111, as we shall see in the analysis of the composition of the sequence formed of them. PSALM 1 Ps 112 begins with the same two words as Ps 1: “Happy the man”, and it ends with the same two words: “the way of the wicked is lost” (Ps 1:6b). 2 COR 9:9 Paul’s recommendations addressed to the Corinthians concerning the collection for the poor of Jerusalem are based on several quotations from Scripture, including Ps 112:9, 7

Each one should give as much as he has decided on his own initiative, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever” (2 Cor 9:7–9).

INTERPRETATION THE FEAR OF THE LORD The fear of God, with which the psalm begins, is immediately defined, so to speak, by the love of his commandments (Ps 112:1b). We are thus a hundred

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miles away from dread. The symmetrical “trusting in the Lord” (112:7b) says the same thing in other words. If the righteous man fears the Lord, he cannot fear anyone else, neither those who wrongfully slander him (112:7) nor those who want to oppress him (112:8). His “heart” is in God, so he is “firm” and “assured”, whatever may happen to him. RIGHTEOUSNESS “The man who fears the Lord” is called “righteous” at the heart of the psalm (112:6), which is echoed by “his righteousness” at the centres of the extreme parts (112:3, 9b), thus showing the major line of force on which the architecture of the text is stretched. If fear characterises this man in his relationship with God and “the wicked”, righteousness governs his relationship with his fellow people, with “the righteous” (112:4a) and in particular with “the poor” (112:9a). He is righteous because he is “tender and merciful” (112:4b). He is righteous because he “shares”, which is the best fashion for conducting “his affairs with judgment” (112:5). Thus his “wealth” and “riches” (112:3a) enable the deprived to live as himself. Treating the poor as his own child, “His offspring will be mighty on earth” (112:2a). “FOREVER” “The generation of the upright will be blessed” (112:2b) and so, in the succession of those who will be born of his loins, “the righteous will be remembered for ever” (112:6b). There will also be the subsequent generations of those who will benefit from his generosity, who will recall his goodness and his righteousness, maintaining his memory for ever. Last but not least, it is the Lord himself before whom “his righteousness remains forever” (112:3b, 9b). While “the hope of the wicked is lost” (112:10c), the righteous will “never be shaken” (112:6a).

3. THANKSGIVING OF THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD1 COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SEQUENCE (PS 111–112) Ps 111 1

Praise YAH!

’ I give thanks to YHWH with all heart, b in the circle of THE UPRIGHT and the assembly. g 2 Great are the deeds of YHWH, d searched for by all who delight in them.

Ps 112 1

Praise YAH!

’ Happy is the man who fears YHWH, b he greatly delights in his commandments. g 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, d the generation of THE UPRIGHT will be blessed. ····························································

h 3 His work is majesty and splendour, w and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINS forever.

h 3 Wealth and riches in his house, w and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINS forever; z 4 light shines in the darkness for THE UPRIGHT. ····························································

z He has done A MEMORIAL of his wonders, ḥ YHWH is TENDER AND MERCIFUL; ṭ 5 HE HAS GIVEN food to those who fear him, y HE REMEMBERS his covenant forever. 4

ḥ TENDER, AND MERCIFUL, and RIGHTEOUS, ṭ 5 good is the man CLEMENT and sharing; y he conducts his affairs with judgment.

····························································

k 6 He has shown to his people the power of his deeds, l in GIVING them the inheritance of the nations.

k 6 Yes, forever he will not be shaken, l IN A REMEMBRANCE forever will be THE RIGHTEOUS.

····························································

m 7 The deeds of his hands are truth and judgment, n all his precepts are faithful, s 8 THEY ARE ESTABLISHED forever and ever, ‘ they are done in truth and UPRIGHTNESS.

m 7 An evil reputation, he does not fear, n his heart is firm, trusting in YHWH; s 8 his heart IS ASSURED, he does not fear, ‘ till he may see his oppressors. ····························································

p 9 He sent redemption to his people, ṣ he has commanded his covenant forever; q holy and fearsome is his Name.

p 9 He distributes, HE GIVES to the poor, ṣ HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REMAINS forever, q his horn rises in glory. ····························································

r 10 The principle of wisdom is the fear of YHWH, š a good understanding to all who do them; t his praise REMAINS forever.

r 10 The wicked sees and is irritated, š he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; t the hope of the wicked is lost.

Ps 111 contains 74 terms and Ps 112 contains 73 terms.2 The 33-term roots of the first psalm are used in the second psalm; the 31-term roots of the second psalm were already used in the first psalm.3 43.5% of the vocabulary is common to both psalms. 1

See my first study of the two psalms, “Harmonie biblique. Les psaumes 111 et 112”. Alleluia (“Praise God”) is counted as two terms; so are words connected by a maqqep; the monosyllabic kî (“yes”) and lō’ (negation) are not counted as terms. 3 The difference is explained by the fact that the same term is sometimes used several times, e.g., “Yhwh” 4 times in Ps 111 and only twice in Ps 112. 2

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It is even more important to compare not just the terms, but especially the compositions. The two psalms begin in a similar fashion: praising God in the first psalm (“I give thanks to the Lord”, 111:1b), praising man in the second one (“Blessed is the man”, 112:1b); the two expressions have no common word, but it would be difficult not to recognise them as a kind of “initial terms”; The first psalm ends with “the fear of the Lord” (111:10a) and the next one begins in the same way: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord” (112:1b); these “median terms” strongly link both psalms. The most remarkable fact is without a doubt the agreement between the final terms of the first psalm (111:3b, 10c) and the central terms of the second one (112:3b, 9b). What is said about God is also said about man. The first part of Ps 111 leads to an affirmation concerning the Lord: “his righteousness remains forever” (111:3b); this same affirmation is repeated twice in Psalm 112, in relevant positions at the centres of the extreme parts (112:3b, 9b): and this time this same affirmation concerns man. Moreover, just as the stiches which begin with waw apply equally to God and man (111:3b & 112:3b), so those which begin with the letter ḥet say of man what has been said of God himself (111:4b & 112:4b): Like the Lord, the righteous man is “tender and merciful”. Such a statement is surprising, since throughout the Bible this is an epithet of nature reserved for God. Some therefore reject this interpretation: Who is the subject [in 4b]? God or the righteous? The attributes “tender and merciful” are proper to God; we hardly hear this in Ps 111:4b. A Jew who hears the combination of these two words undoubtedly applies them to God, unless there are strong reasons for thinking otherwise: In our opinion there are none. The light that shines in the darkness is this clement and merciful God.4

However, the Jewish commentator Amos Hakham holds the opposite view, stating: “Tender and merciful” in the rest of the Scriptures refers only to God, but here the poet applies it to those who fear the Lord, those who are upright, to mean that the one who fears the Lord walks in the ways of the Lord.5

The resistance opposed to the harmony between man and God is equal to this harmony, which is so beautiful that it cannot be believed. The tenderness and mercy that the righteous person and God have in common consist in nourishing, that is, in giving life: That is what God does who “gives food to those who fear him” (Ps 111:5a), that is what the righteous person does who “distributes and gives to the poor” (Ps 112:9a). 4

Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 528. This was already the opinion of G. Ravasi (III, 318, note 2). As these two exegetes point out, part of the Greek manuscript tradition interpreted in the same way. Indeed, at the end of verse 4 the Alexandrian Codex specifies the subject of the nominal phrase: “Tender and merciful and righteous the Lord God.” 5 See Hakham, II, 335; the quotation is taken from note 6, paragraph a.

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CONTEXT GEN 1 The diptych of Psalms 111–112 refers to the first creation story, when the Lord says in Gen 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. That is the original design of God: he wants man to be like himself. He therefore had to set him free. In the next verse, when he takes action, the story says that “God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). The Fathers wondered why, when image and likeness were mentioned in the design, the likeness disappeared at the moment of realisation. They interpreted that the image is given by God and the likeness is left to the responsibility and freedom of man. That is the reason why in Ps 112 the righteous person is not alone. In the last part he is confronted with “the wicked”, “oppressed” by them. The presence of “the wicked” suggests that man has to choose between two ways, God’s way and its opposite. “WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD?” (PS 113:5A) Whereas Ps 112 is an exception because it is the only place in the entire Hebrew Bible where the dual divine attribute of “tender and merciful” is attributed to man, one does not have to go far to find something similar. Indeed, the subsequent psalm (Ps 113) focuses on the question, “Who is like the Lord our God?” The answer that comes to mind when one reads the whole poem is that there is no one who is “like the Lord our God”. However, on a more careful reading, it is the poor who is like him, since the Lord bends down from heaven to lift him up from the dunghill where he was languishing, to “exalt” him as he is “exalted”, to “make him sit” as he “sits” above the heavens. INTERPRETATION THE RIGHTEOUS IS IN THE IMAGE OF GOD The fact that this is the only time in the entire Hebrew Bible that the righteous person is given the same attributes as God, “tender and merciful”, is so surprising that it is hard to believe. It is too good to be true. Yet that is what Ps 112 says in every fashion. Concerning God, Ps 111 affirms that “his righteousness remains forever” (111:3b); the following psalm repeats this in the same position (112:3b), but insists on repeating it in a symmetrical position (112:9b), placing this double affirmation at the very heart of the extreme parts of the psalm.

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FILIATION At the centre of the first psalm, the Lord “gives” the nations to his people as an “inheritance” (111:6), thus treating them as his son. The man who fears the Lord does the same: “he gives to the poor” (112:9) as the Lord “gives food” (111:5), because he fears him. He treats the poor as his own child. And it was not by chance that, from the beginning of the psalm, God’s blessing is placed on “his offspring”, on “his generation” (112:2). “FOREVER” The two psalms insist in every way on permanence. Perpetuity, first of all of God’s “righteousness” (111:3), but also of the righteousness of the righteous person (112:3, 9). The precepts of God’s law are “established forever and ever” (111:8), just as his covenant is commanded “forever” (111:9). Therefore, in the mouth of the person who fears the Lord, God’s “praise” endures “forever” (111:10). The righteousness of the person who fears the Lord cannot be lost: Not only will it be transmitted to and through his descendants (112:2), but it will first of all subsist forever in himself. This is what Ps 112 affirms at its centre: “the righteous will be in an everlasting remembrance” (112:6b).

IV. FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT TO THE THANKSGIVING OF THE RIGHTEOUS The Whole of the First Section: Ps 107–112

COMPOSITION THANKSGIVING

Deliver me

THANKSGIVING

of the redeemed

of the Lord

Ps 107

from the mouth of deceit

Ps 108–110

of those who fear the Lord

Ps 111–112

An alternative solution would be to consider that Ps 108 forms with the preceding psalm the first sequence and that Ps 110 also forms a sequence with Ps 109. The first psalms (107 & 109) are long laments that deal with the hardship of oppression and persecution, while in the second psalms (108 & 110), which are much shorter, the Lord answers the psalmist. In this way, the psalms of David 108 and 110, which have much in common, would have served as final terms for the first two sequences: Ps 107: 254 terms / Ps 108: 80 terms (that is 3,175 times more) Ps 109: 204 terms / Ps 110: 56 terms (that is 3,643 times more). However, the chosen solution better reflects the composition of the section. The three central psalms are the only ones that are “of David” and Ps 108 and Ps 110, instead of playing the role of final terms, play the role of extreme terms for the central sequence that comprises Ps 108–110. Moreover, the two final twin psalms (Ps 111–112) correspond to Ps 107 and are closely related to it.

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SEQUENCES (PS 107 & PS 111–112) The two occurrences of “give thanks to Yhwh” in 107:1 and 111:1 play the role of initial terms for the two sequences. There are close Relationships between Ps 111 and Ps 108: – “I give thanks [...] in the assembly” (111:1) and “Let them give thanks to Yhwh [...] and let them exalt him in the assembly of the people” (107:31–32); – The “wonders” of the Lord (111:4) are already mentioned five times in the Ps 107 (vv. 8, 15, 21, 24, 31); – “He has given food to those who fear him” (111:5) reminds us of Ps 107:4–9 which ends with “the hungry soul he has filled with good”; – “He sent redemption to his people” (111:9) corresponds to the beginning of Ps 107: “Let the redeemed of Yhwh say so, whom he redeemed from the hand of the oppressor” (107:2); – The term “faithful” in 111:7 recalls the six occurrences of “his faithfulness” in 117:1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43; – “The principle of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” at the end of Ps 111 (v. 10a) reminds us of the last verse of Ps 107: “Who is wise, let him keep these things, let them understand the faithfulness of Yhwh” (v. 43); – The “praise” with which Ps 111 (v. 10b) ends is already found at the end of the fourth part of Ps 107: “in the council of the elders let them praise him” (v. 32). There are also many connections between Ps 112 and Ps 108: – Ps 112 speaks of the man who fears the Lord: “his heart is assured, he does not fear, till he may see (the end of) his oppressors” (v. 8); “oppressor” and “oppression” occur five times in Ps 107 (vv. 2, 6, 13, 19, 28);1 – The Lord “blesses” the poor (107:38); “the generation of the upright will be blessed” (112:2b); – “The upright” occur in 107:42 and 112:2b, 4a; – “They sow” (107:37) is of the same root as “his offspring” (112:2a); – “The upright see” (107:42) corresponds to “till he may see (the end of) his oppressors” (112:8); – “He lifts up the poor” (107:41) refers to “he gives to the poor” (112:9).

1

See p. 28.

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Ps 107 1 GIVE THANKS TO YHWH, because he is good, because his faithfulness endures forever! 2 Let the REDEEMED of Yhwh say so, whom he REDEEMED from the hand of THE OPPRESSOR, 3 and from the lands he gathered them, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea. 4 They wandered in the desert, in the wilderness, finding no way to an inhabited city; 5 they were hungry and they were thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he delivered them, 7 and he made them move on a right way, that they might go to an inhabited city. 8 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for HIS WONDERS to the children of Adam! 9 because he has satisfied the longing soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with good. 10 Inhabitants of darkness and of shadow, captives of affliction and of iron, 11 because they defied the orders of God, and spurned the plan of the Most High, 12 and he brought down their hearts with labour, they succumbed, and there was no one to help. 13 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he saved them, 14 he brought them out of darkness and of shadow, and he broke apart their bonds. 15 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for HIS WONDERS to the children of Adam! 16 Because he broke the gates of bronze, and smashed the bars of iron. 17 Fools, for their sinful ways and for their faults, were tormented, 18 their soul loathed all food, and they drew near the gates of death. 19 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he saved them. 20 He sent his word and healed them, and rescued them from their pits. 21 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for HIS WONDERS to the children of Adam! 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and let them recount his works in songs of joy! 23 Those going down to the sea in ships, doing business on great waters, 24 they have seen the works of Yhwh, and HIS WONDERS in the deep. 25 And he said and raised a storm wind, and he lifted up the waves; 26 they went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths, their soul melted in evil; 27 they whirled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their WISDOM was swallowed up. 28 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he brought them out. 29 He reduced the storm to a calm, and the waves were hushed. 30 And they rejoiced that they were quiet, and he led them to the harbour they desired. 31 LET THEM GIVE THANKS TO YHWH for his faithfulness, and for HIS WONDERS to the children of Adam! 32 AND LET THEM EXALT HIM IN THE ASSEMBLY OF THE PEOPLE, in the council of the elders LET THEM PRAISE HIM! 33 He turns rivers into a desert, and springs of water into a thirsty ground, 34 and a land of fruit into a salty waste, for the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns the desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into a spring of water; 36 and he makes the hungry dwell there, and they establish an inhabited city, 37 and they sow fields and plant vines, and make fruit to be harvested. 38 And he blesses them, and they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle diminish. 39 And they are diminished and brought low under pressure of evil and sorrow. 40 He pours contempt upon princes, and he makes them wander in a chaos with no way, 41 and he lifts up the POOR from affliction, and sets the families like a flock; 42 THE UPRIGHT SEE and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth. 43 Who is WISE, let him keep these things, let them understand the faithfulness of Yhwh. […] Ps 111 1 Praise Yah! I GIVE THANKS TO YHWH with all heart, IN THE CIRCLE OF THE UPRIGHT AND IN THE ASSEMBLY. 2 Great are the deeds of Yhwh, searched for by all who delight in them. 3 His work is majesty and splendour, and his righteousness remains forever. 4 He has done a memorial of HIS WONDERS, Yhwh is tender and merciful. 5 He has given food to those who fear him, he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown to his people the power of his deeds, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The deeds of his hands are truth and judgment, all his precepts are faithful, 8 they are established forever and ever, they are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He sent REDEMPTION to his people, he has commanded his covenant forever, holy and fearsome is his Name. 10 The principle of WISDOM is the fear of Yhwh, a good understanding to all who do them, HIS PRAISE remains forever. Ps 112 1 Praise Yah! Happy is the man who fears Yhwh, he greatly delights in his commandments. 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, the generation of THE UPRIGHT will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches in his house, and his righteousness remains forever; 4 light shines in the darkness for THE UPRIGHT. Tender, and merciful, and righteous, 5 good is the man who has mercy and shares; he conducts his affairs with judgment. 6 Yes, he will never be shaken, the righteous will be in an everlasting remembrance. 7 He does not fear an evil reputation, his heart is firm, trusting in Yhwh; 8 his heart is assured, he does not fear, till he may see (the end of) HIS OPPRESSORS. 9 He distributes, he gives to the POOR, his righteousness remains forever; his horn rises in glory. 10 The wicked SEES and is irritated, he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; the hope of the wicked is lost.

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE THREE SEQUENCES – Enemies are present everywhere. “Oppression”/“oppressors” occur in 107:2, 6, 13, 19, 28; 108:13, 14; 112:8; in the central sequence enemies are named at the beginning (108:10, “Moab”, “Edom”, “Philistia”), mentioned more generally at the end (110:1–2, 5–6); at the centre the “accusers” (109:4, 6, 20, 29) are “cursing” (109:17); – The words “faithfulness”/“faithful” are found in all three sequences (107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43; 108:5; 109:12, 16, 21, 26; 111:7); Note in particular the connection between the central psalm (109) and the final psalm (112): – While in Ps 109 the accuser goes to the point of wishing: “Let his posterity be destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the next generation” (109:13); Ps 112 presents as the first blessing received from the Lord: “His offspring will be mighty on earth, the generation of the upright will be blessed” (112:2); – In Ps 109 the wicked requests: “Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings” (109:11); in contrast, Ps 112 says of the person who fears the Lord: “Wealth and riches in his house” (112:3a); – The accuser of the righteous goes so far as to invoke the Lord to “destroy the memory from the earth” of his father and mother (109:15); at the centre of Ps 112, on the contrary, “the righteous will be in an everlasting remembrance” (112:6b); – God’s blessing comes upon the righteous: “they curse, but as for you, you bless” (109:28), “the generation of the upright will be blessed” (112:2); Ps 107 1 Give thanks to Yhwh, because he is good, because his faithfulness endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of Yhwh say so, whom he redeemed from the hand of THE OPPRESSOR, 3 and from the lands he gathered them, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea. 4 They wandered in the desert, in the wilderness, finding no way to an inhabited city; 5 they were hungry and they were thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he delivered them, 7 and he made them move on a right way, that they might go to an inhabited city. 8 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for his wonders to the children of Adam! 9 Because he has satisfied the longing soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with good. 10 Inhabitants of darkness and of shadow, captives of affliction and of iron, 11 because they defied the orders of God, and spurned the plan of the Most High, 12 and he brought down their hearts with labour, they succumbed, and there was no one to help. 13 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he saved them, 14 he brought them out of darkness and of shadow, and he broke apart their bonds. 15 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for his wonders to the children of Adam! 16 Because he broke the gates of bronze, and smashed the bars of iron. 17 Fools, for their sinful ways and for their faults, were tormented, 18 their soul loathed all food, and they drew near the gates of death. 19 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he saved them. 20 He sent his word and healed them, and rescued them from their pits. 21 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for his wonders to the children of Adam! 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and let them recount his works in songs of joy! 23 Those going down to the sea in ships, doing business on great waters, 24 they have seen the works of Yhwh, and his wonders in the deep. 25 And he said and raised a storm wind, and he lifted up the waves; 26 they went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths, their soul melted in evil; 27 they whirled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their wisdom was swallowed up. 28 And they cried out to Yhwh in their OPPRESSION, from their distress he brought them out. 29 He reduced the storm to a calm, and the waves were hushed. 30 And they rejoiced that they were quiet, and he led them to the harbour they desired. 31 Let them give thanks to Yhwh for his faithfulness, and for his wonders to the children of Adam! 32 And let them exalt him in the assembly of the people, in the council of the elders let them praise him! 33 He turns rivers into a desert, and springs of water into a thirsty ground, 34 and a land of fruit into a salty waste, for the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns the desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into a spring of water; 36 and he makes the hungry dwell there, and they establish an inhabited city, 37 and they sow fields and plant vines, and make fruit to be harvested. 38 And he blesses them, and they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle diminish. 39 And they are diminished and brought low under pressure of evil and sorrow. 40 He pours contempt upon princes, and he makes them wander in a chaos with no way, 41 and he lifts up the poor from affliction, and sets the families like a flock; 42 the upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth. 43 Who is wise, let him keep these things, let them understand the faithfulness of Yhwh.

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Ps 108 1 A song, a psalm of David. 2 My heart is ready, O God, I will sing and I will play, O my glory; 3 awake, harp and cithara, that I may awake the dawn. 4 I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Yhwh, and I will play to you in the countries; 5 because your faithfulness is great above the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. 6 Rise up above the heavens, O God, and above all the earth, your glory! 7 So that your beloved ones may be liberated, save with your right hand and answer me. 8 God has spoken in his sanctuary: “I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and the Valley of Sukkot I will survey. 9 Mine is Gilead, mine Manasseh, Ephraim, the protection of my head, Judah, my sceptre. 10 MOAB, a basin for me to wash in, on EDOM, I throw my sandal, over PHILISTIA, I shout victory.” 11 Who will bring me to a city of fortification, who will lead me to Edom? 12 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us, and you do not go out, O God, with our armies? 13 Grant us help in OPPRESSION, and nothingness is the salvation of man; 14 with God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our OPPRESSORS. Ps 109 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O God of my praise, do not be silent, 2 because the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me; they speak to me with a lying tongue, 3 and with words of hatred they surround me, and they attack me without reason. 4 In return for my friendship they ACCUSE ME, and as for me, I am in prayer; 5 and they set against me evil in return for good, and hatred in return for my friendship. 6 “Position a wicked against him, and let an ACCUSER stand at his right hand; 7 when he is judged let him be found wicked, and let his prayer be counted as sin. 8 Let his days be few, let another take his position; 9 let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow; 10 and let his children wander continually, and let them beg and seek far of their ruins. 11 Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; 12 let there be no one for him who keeps faithfulness, and let there be no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the next generation; 14 let the wrong of his fathers be remembered by Yhwh, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before Yhwh forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” 16 For the reason that he does not remember to do faithfulness, he pursues the afflicted and the poor, and the broken of heart to put him to death. 17 And he loves CURSING, and it comes to him, and he does not desire blessing, and it is far from him; 18 and he cloths himself with cursing as his coat: and it comes into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment that wraps him, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. 20 This is the salary of my ACCUSERS from Yhwh, and of those who speak evil against my soul. 21 And as for you, O Yhwh Adonai, deal with me for the sake of your name, because your faithfulness is good, deliver me. 22 Because I am afflicted and poor, and my heart is wounded within me; 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, I am shaken off like a locust; 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, and my flesh is lean for lack of oil. 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them, when they see me, they shake their head. 26 Help me, O Yhwh my God, save me according to your faithfulness; 27 and let them know that this is your hand, that you, O Yhwh, have done it. 28 As for them, they curse, AND AS FOR YOU, YOU BLESS, they attack and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; 29 let my ACCUSERS be clothed with infamy, and wrapped as in a mantle of their shame. 30 I will give thanks to Yhwh greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I will praise him; 31 because he stands at the right hand of the poor to save his soul from his judges. Ps 110 1 Of David, a psalm. An oracle of Yhwh to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 2 The rod of your strength, Yhwh extends it from Zion; rule in the midst of YOUR ENEMIES. 3 Your people are generosity on the day of your power, in the splendours of holiness, from the bosom of the dawn; for you they are the dew of your youth. 4 Yhwh has sworn it and does not repent: “You are a priest forever after the pattern of Melchizedek; 5 the Lord is at your right hand!” He shatters KINGS on the day of his anger; 6 he judges THE NATIONS, heaping up corpses. He shatters HEADS over a broad land; 7 he drinks from a stream on the way; therefore he lifts up his head. Ps 111 1 Praise Yah! I give thanks to Yhwh with all heart, in the circle of the upright and the assembly. 2 Great are the deeds of Yhwh, searched for by all who delight in them. 3 His work is majesty and splendour, and his righteousness remains forever. 4 He has done a memorial of his wonders, Yhwh is tender and merciful. 5 He has given food to those who fear him, he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown to his people the power of his deeds, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The deeds of his hands are truth and judgment, all his precepts are faithful, 8 they are established forever and ever, they are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people, he has commanded his covenant forever, holy and fearsome is his Name. 10 The principle of wisdom is the fear of Yhwh, a good understanding to all who do them, his praise remains forever. Ps 112 1 Praise Yah! Happy is the man who fears Yhwh, he greatly delights in his commandments. 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, THE GENERATION OF THE UPRIGHT WILL BE BLESSED. 3 Wealth and riches in his house, and his righteousness remains forever; 4 light shines in the darkness for the upright. Tender, and merciful, and righteous, 5 good is the man who has mercy and shares; he conducts his affairs with judgment. 6 Yes, he will never be shaken, the righteous will be in an everlasting remembrance. 7 He does not fear an evil reputation, his heart is firm, trusting in Yhwh; 8 his heart is assured, he does not fear, till he may see the end of his OPPRESSORS. 9 He distributes, he gives to the poor, his righteousness remains forever; his horn rises in glory. 10 The wicked sees and is irritated, he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; the hope of the wicked is lost.

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INTERPRETATION “GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, BECAUSE [...] HIS FAITHFULNESS ENDURES FOREVER” The section begins with a verb that sets the tone for the whole: the psalmist begins with a call to all who will take up his prayer to “give thanks” (107:1). As if in response to this initial invitation, at the beginning of the last sequence an individual exclaims: “I give thanks to the Lord with all heart” (111:1), and each of those who pray his psalm engages with him in a personal act of thanksgiving. This means that, after so many others, he has experienced in the first person that the Lord is faithful to his covenant (111:5–9), that he is not silent forever (109:1), but hears the cry of prayer and responds to the one who calls upon him (108:7). THE PLAY ON WORDS The psalmist is confronted with “words of hatred” (109:3), which come from “the mouth of a wicked”, from “the mouth of deceit” (109:2) in order to accuse and condemn him; they want to kill him and eradicate even his descendants, to the point of wiping his memory from the earth (109:1–15). The psalmist begs the Lord to answer him (108:7), and the Lord, as he always does for those who cry out to him, “sends his word and heals them” (107:20). He solemnly pledges to protect his king against all his enemies, both external and internal (Ps 108 & Ps 110). Then thanksgiving and praise can burst forth from the mouth of the king who celebrates his God with the sound of instruments (108:1–4). “THE PRINCIPLE OF WISDOM IS THE FEAR OF YHWH” (111:10) At the end of the section, Ps 111 recalls the “deeds of the Lord”, those of the exodus but also those of the new exodus represented by the return from exile, and even of the creation.2 It is on this rock, then, that the believers must rely in the time of trials of all kinds that they will inevitably face. Whether they find themselves hungry and thirsty in the desert, “captives of affliction and of iron” (1107:10), threatened with death because of their sin, prey to the fury of raging waves, as Ps 107 depicts, whether they are dragged to court by false witnesses who seek their lives, prey to all kinds of enemies, as Ps 109 says, the wise man must know that he has nothing to fear apart from his Lord and Saviour. The one who does so will be happy, for indeed “the hope of the wicked is lost” (112:10). With this assurance, Ps 112 concludes the section.

2

See p. 79.

FROM THE EXODUS IN EGYPT TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM Second Section Ps 113–118

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

The section consists of six psalms, organised into three sequences, each consisting of two psalms. The construction of the whole is concentric:

Praise

the Lord,

you servants

TO YOUR NAME

Praise

the Lord,

GIVE

all

of the Lord

Ps 113–114

GLORY!

Ps 115–116

you nations

Ps 117–118

I. PRAISE THE LORD, YOU SERVANTS OF THE LORD The First Sequence: Ps 113–114

1. PSALM 113 TEXT 1 Praise

Yah! Praise, you servants of Yhwh, praise the name of Yhwh. 2 Let the name of Yhwh be blessed from now and forever; 3 from the rising of the sun to its setting the name of Yhwh be praised. 4 Yhwh (is) exalted above all the nations, above the heavens his glory. 5 Who is like Yhwh our God? 6 he lowers himself to see He lifts himself up to sit, in the from the dunghill he heavens and on the earth. 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, exalts the poor, 8 to make him sit with princes, with the princes of his people; 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the house, a happy mother of children. Praise Yah!

5B–9A “HE LIFTS HIMSELF UP MAKES SIT”

[...] HE LOWERS HIMSELF [...] HE RAISES UP [...] HE

These are present participles adorned with the paragogical yod (hammagbîh-î, etc.). The first two (5b–6) are usually considered as belonging to the question that begins in 5a: “Who is like the Lord our God, who lifts himself up...?” They are treated here as hymnal participles that mark the whole of verses 5b–9 where God’s actions in favour of the poor are listed.1 COMPOSITION For some the psalm is organised into two parts, in the form of a hymn: invitation to praise (1–3), reasons for praise (4–9).2 The second part is in turn divided into two parts: “the Lord in the heavens” (4-6), “his action on the earth” (7–9).3 Most people think of it as having three parts, or stanzas, but with the same logic.4 The psalm has five parts. The extreme parts are limited to a single Alleluia, literally translated as “Praise Yah!” There are then two relatively extensive parts (1b–4 & 5b–9b) which frame a short question (5a). 1

See, e.g., Amos 5:8–9 (Amos, 166). Thus Lorenzin, 441. 3 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 535. 4 Thus Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 181: I. Exhortation to praise (1–3); II. Reasons for praise: The nature of God (4–6); III. Reasons for praise: The works of God (7-9). Similarly, Dahood, III, 131; Weiser, 705; Ravasi, III, 340; Hakham, II, 338. See the critical review of the analyses by G.T.M. Prinsloo, D.N. Freedman, J.P. Fokkelman, M. Girard and P. Auffret in my paper: “La rhétorique biblique et sémitique. État de la question”, 302–308. 2

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THE SECOND PART (1B–4) + 1b PRAISE, + PRAISE

you servants the name

of YHWH, of YHWH.

····················································································································· 2 Let (it) be, the name of YHWH BLESSED

–

: from now

and forever;

3

: from the Rising of the sun to its setting, the name of YHWH.

– PRAISED +4 +

····················································································································· EXALTED above all the nations YHWH, above the heavens HIS GLORY.

The extreme pieces (1bc & 4) consist of single bimember segments of parallel composition. The central piece (2–3) comprises two bimember segments arranged in a specular manner. The name of God, “Yhwh”, is repeated five times: in final terms in the first piece (1bc), at the end of the extreme members in the second piece (2a & 3b), at the end of the first member of the third piece (4a); at the end of 4b the name of God is replaced by “his glory”.5 The three occurrences of “praise” (1b, 1c, 3b) are echoed by its synonyms, “blessed” (2a) and “exalted” (4a). The two occurrences of “the name of Yhwh” (1c & 2a) link the first two pieces. THE PENULTIMATE PART (5B–9B) + 5b He lifts himself up to SIT, + 6 he lowers himself to see + in the heavens and on the earth. ···························································································

–7 –

He raises up from the dust from the dunghill he exalts : 8 to MAKE SIT : with the princes

–9

HE MAKES SIT

: a mother

the deprived, the poor,

with princes, of his people; the barren woman of children,

of the house, a happy one.

The first piece (5b-6) is the size of a trimember segment, the second piece has three bimembers.6 As far as the initial trimember is concerned, one might think that we are dealing with reporting verses whose logic would be: “He lifts himself 5 The expressions “the glory of Yhwh” or “the glory of the God of Israel” are a respectful way of saying that the Lord himself has appeared (see Exod 40:34, 35; Lev 9:23; Ezek 3:23; 10:4). 6 The unity of this part is also ensured by the fact that, apart from “he exalts” (7b), all the other verbs are participles ending with the suffix -î of an archaic form.

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up to sit in the heavens and he lowers himself to see on the earth”; we will see, when studying the whole psalm, that this position cannot be sustained. The first segment of the second piece (7) is a bimember with six terms of (ab) c / (b’a’) c type. The second segment (8) is a bimember with four terms where the two occurrences of “princes” are found in median terms; this segment is syntactically linked to the first one and indicates the purpose of the previous action.7 As for the third segment, it is parallel to the first two: While the first member tells what the Lord does for “the barren woman”, as the first segment is concerned with “the deprived” and “the poor”, the second member shows the result of the divine action: “the barren woman”8 becomes “mother of children”.9 The most evident link between the two pieces is the triple occurrence of verbs of the same root: “to sit” (5b) and “to make sit” (8a & 9a).10 The double movement of elevation (“he raises up” in 7a, “he exalts” in 7b) and intronization (“to make sit with princes”, 8a) of the second piece, linked by the infinitive marker “to” (8a), is found in the first piece in another context: The same “to” (5b & 6a) connects two opposite movements, The elevation of the one who is going to sit as absolute king (5b) and the abasement to the earth (6ab) of the one who is enthroned above the heavens.

7

In the syntagma “his people”, the third person pronoun normally refers to the closest noun, namely “the poor” (and “the deprived”); it would still be possible to understand it as referring to the people of the Lord. 8 It is possible to understand “the one who is barren of a house”, that is to say of a family; but also: “he sets up, he settles the barren women in her house”. 9 “Sons” is plural in Hebrew; the difference between singular and plural is not noticeable in French. 10 This factive (hiphil), “to make sit”, can also be translated as “to sit”, but this time in the transitive sense.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

PRAISE YAH! + PRAISE, you servants of YHWH, + PRAISE the name of YHWH. ·············································································

– 2 Let the name of YHWH be blessed . from now and forever;

. 3 from the Rising of the sun to its Setting – be PRAISED the name of YHWH. ·············································································

+ 4 EXALTED above all THE NATIONS is + above THE HEAVENS his glory. 5

Who is like

YHWH,

YHWH

our God?

+ HE LIFTS HIMSELF UP to sit, + 6 he lowers himself to see + in THE HEAVENS and on THE EARTH. ·············································································

– 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, – from the dunghill HE EXALTS the poor, : 8 to make him sit with princes, : with the princes of his people;

– 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the house, : a happy mother of children. PRAISE YAH!

The extreme parts comprise a single segment (1a & 9c). There are then two more extensive parts (1b–4 & 5b–9b): The first one is a long invitation to praise; the other one, which describes God’s action on behalf of the humiliated, expresses the reasons why the Lord should be praised. Between these two long parts, and thus at the heart of the psalm, there is a very short part (5a), which contains only one unimember segment. The name “Yhwh”, which appears five times in the preceding part, and its abbreviated name “Yah” of the extreme parts, is repeated here. At the centre, it is the only time that Yhwh is described as “our God”. The central part is clearly different from the four parts that surround it: It is the only interrogative phrase in the whole psalm, and it is also the only one that contains a first person pronominal adjective. The last piece of the second part (4) and the beginning of the fourth part (5b– 6) correspond to each other: “the heavens” and “the earth” of 6b respond in

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a specular way to “the heavens” of 4b and “the nations” of 4a. Furthermore, “exalted” at the beginning of 4 and “he lifts himself up” at the beginning of 5b–6 are synonymous and act as initial terms. All these correspondences serve as median terms at a distance, extending beyond the central part (5a).11 One might wonder whether “the earth” in 6b refers to the land of Israel or to the whole earth; the parallel with 4a makes it clear that it refers to the whole of “all the nations”, especially since there is nothing in the rest of the fourth part (7–9b) to restrict the Lord’s help to the Israelites alone. The list of all the words that indicate the praise of Yhwh in the second part, “praise” (1b & 1c), “blessed” (2a), “praised” (3b), “exalted” (4a), finds its equivalent in the fourth part with the series of verbs in which God is no longer the object but the subject, in particular “he exalts” (7b), which repeats the verb of 4a, but also “he raises up” (7a). CONTEXT THE SONG OF THE SEA (EXOD 15) Ps 113 makes no explicit reference to the Crossing of the Sea. However, it does focus on a question that is very similar to the one found at the centre of the “Song of the Sea”: Who is like you among the gods, O Yhwh? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, terrible in praise, worker of wonders? (Exod 15:11)12

11 It is now clear that it is impossible to interpret 5b–6 as reporting verses; indeed, verse 4 clearly states that the Lord is exalted “above the heavens”. 12 See R. MEYNET, “Le cantique de Moïse et le cantique de l’Agneau (Ap 15 et Ex 15)”; ID., Appelés à la liberté, 51–85.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

THE SONG OF HANNAH (1 SAM 2:1–10) The second piece of the penultimate part of the psalm (Ps 113:7–9b) recalls the central part of the Song of Hannah. Verse 9 of the psalm corresponds to the first member of 1 Sam 2:5c, and the preceding verses (Ps 113:7–8) refer to the last piece of the central part of the Song of Hannah (1 Sam 2:8),13 – 4 The bows + the FALTERING

of the MIGHTY are girded

are broken, with strength.

– 5 The SATIATED + the HUNGRY

for bread are fattened

hire themselves, with food.

+ The BAREN WOMAN – the one ABOUNDING

bears of children

sevenfold, withers away.

····························································································· 6

The Lord he brings down

brings death to Sheol

and brings life, and brings up.

7

makes poor

and makes rich, and he lifts up.

The Lord he brings low

····························································································· from the dust THE DEPRIVED, he lifts up THE POOR,

+ 8 He raises up + and from the dunghill :: to make them sit :: and a throne

with of glory

NOBLES,

to make them INHERIT. (1 Sam 2:4–8)

INTERPRETATION THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD The “servants” mentioned at the beginning of the second part (Ps 113:1b) are in a way subsequently detailed or specified: they are the servants forever (113:2b) and everywhere (113:3a), of all time and space. The last piece (113:4) begins with the same idea: “all the nations” are those of the East and the West (and surely those of all time); then, in the final part, abruptly changing the scheme, they are “the heavens” (113:4b), and not only the earth, which are also the “servants of Yhwh”. We can understand then that “his glory” closes the part: The invitation of the first piece, the wishes of the next one, are followed at the end by the recognition of a reality that surpasses all praise and whose recognition is imposed as a dazzling evidence.

13 For the analysis of the whole Song of Hannah, see Luc 2011, 78–79. For the relationships between the psalm and the Song of Hannah, see D.N. FREEDMAN, “Ps 113 and the Song of Hannah”; A. HURVITZ, “Originals and Imitations in Biblical Poetry: A Comparative Examination of 1 Sam 2:1–10 and Ps 113:5–9”.

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SERVANTS ARE EXALTED God is at the same time far above all and close to the least (Isa 57:15). The kingdom of God affirmed at the beginning of the penultimate part (Ps 113:5b–6) extends to the poor who partake in it (113:7–8), as an inheritance given to the children by God (113:9). Therefore, human vocation is to become a king, in the image of the Father. In this way we can understand the coordination between “the heavens” and “the earth” with which the first piece ends (113:6b): The human being who is of the earth, especially the humiliated one, in “the dust” (113:7a) and “the dunghill” (113:7b), is exalted like God himself, and in a certain way comes to participate in what could be called the heavenly nature. Heaven and earth are not only embraced by God in the same view; the movement of exaltation brings the human being from the earth to the heavens. TO WHOM IS THE PSALM ADDRESSED? The speaker in the psalm belongs unquestionably to the people of Israel. It does not matter whether the speaker is an individual or a group: At the heart of the poem, the speaker speaks in the name of the whole chosen people, since, in addition to the specific name of the Lord, which he had already pronounced six times, he mentions it a seventh time with the addition of “our God” (113:5a). The problem, however, is to identify the recipients of the psalm. Those to whom are addressed the imperatives at the beginning (113:1) and at the end (113:9c) in the second imperative are called the “servants of Yhwh” (113:1b), but does this expression designate only the Israelites, or all the nations? Since “Yhwh” is the proper name of the God of Israel, one might think, on hearing the first verse, that it refers only to the Israelites, priests or Levites, or even to the whole people. However, verses 3 and 4 make it clear that the circle soon extends from East to West (113:3a) to “all the nations” (113:4a). Since the first piece of the penultimate part (113:5b–6) is the introduction to the part, it is to be understood that “the deprived” and “the poor” (113:7) as well as “the barren woman” (113:9) do not refer only to members of the chosen people, but to all the unfortunate people of “the earth” (113:6b), “all the nations” (113:4a). Thus, those who are called to “praise” and exalt the Lord in the first line of the psalm are all those whom he has saved, men whom he has raised up from humiliation, women whom he has delivered from barrenness. The Lord who is above “the heavens (113:4b) is at the same time the one who “lowers himself” to “the earth” (113:6) in order to “exalt” the afflicted (113:7b) as he himself is “exalted” (113:4a), who “makes them sit” (113:8a) as he himself “sits” (113:5b), who makes them princes (113:8) as his own “glory” is “above the heavens” (113:4b). THE QUESTION AT THE CENTRE The central question (113:5a) seems to have a double function. It emerges as a kind of admiring reaction to the fiery invitation to praise that precedes it

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(113:1b–4); it also triggers the list of reasons for praise that follow it (113:5b– 9b). In fact, the penultimate part provides the answer to the question. Which other god has done, or would do, what Yhwh does for humans? Who is the god whose absolute transcendence, as described at the end of the second part (113:4), consists in “lowering” himself to “the dust” and “dunghill” where “the deprived” and “the poor” lie? Not only does the Lord lower himself to the lowest level; when he does so, it is only in order to “exalt” the humiliated (113:7) as he himself is “exalted” above all (113:4). So much that the answer to the seemingly obvious question—“There is absolutely no one on earth or in heaven who is like the Lord our God!”14 (see Ps 40:6; 86:8)—can be completed or even completely reversed: it is the poor and the barren woman who are “like the Lord our God”. That is truly incredible. And yet, man has been invited to do so from the beginning: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). A POSSIBLE INCLUSION The ancient Greek translations rendered the vocative translated here as “servants” (Ps 113:1b) with paides, which means either “servants” or “children”. That is the reason why the Vulgate translates it as: Laudate pueri Dominum, which reminds us of Ps 8:2, “You have given your majesty in the heavens through the mouth of children and nursing babies”. And in this perspective, the psalm was commented on by most of the Fathers of the Church.15 Based on this reading, it is possible to see a connection between the second word in the body of the psalm and the penultimate word, “children” (113:9b), which could be considered as a kind of inclusion. A link can then be established with the central question of the psalm: those who are “like the Lord our God” are his children, those whom he has given, like a husband, to a barren woman. This image is not unusual, if we recall the prophetic texts in which Israel is presented as a childless wife to whom the Lord restores the ability to bear children: 1

Shout for joy, barren one who has borne no children! Break into cries and shouts of joy, you who were never in labour! For the children of the forsaken one are more in number than the children of the wedded wife, says Yhwh. […] 4 Do not fear, you will not be put to shame again, do not worry, you will not be disgraced again; for you will forget the shame of your youth 14

Most interpret the question as a “rhetorical question”. “In 5a the rhetorical question (‘who is like the Lord our God’) implies that there is no one like the Lord” (G.T.M. PRINSLOO, “Yahweh and the Poor in Psalm 113: Literary Motif and/or Theological Reality?”, 476); “As in the parallel passage, Exod 15:11, the required response is: “No one’” (D.N. FREEDMAN, “Ps 113 and the Song of Hannah”; reprinted in Pottery, Poetry, and Prophecy, 243–261; quotation, p. 247); see also, e.g., Kraus, II, 368. 15 See Ravasi, III, 336–337.

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and no longer remember the dishonour of your widowhood. 5 For your Creator is your husband, Yhwh Sabaoth is his name, the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer, he is called God of the whole earth. 6 Yes, Yhwh has called you back like a forsaken, grief-stricken wife, like the repudiated wife of his youth, says your God. 7 I did forsake you for a brief moment, but in great compassion I shall take you back. 8 In a flood of anger, for a moment I hid my face from you. But in everlasting love I have taken pity on you, says Yhwh, your redeemer. (Isa 54)

“WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD?” For the Christian reader, the central question of the psalm induces an answer which, despite being in line with its ancient understanding, acquires a new meaning. The affinity between the psalm and the Magnificat has been noted,16 to the point of calling Ps 113 “the Magnificat of the Old Testament”.17 More than the hymn in the letter to the Philippians (Phil 2:6–11),18 it seems that texts like 2 Cor 8:9 are closer to the movement of the psalm: “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor”. Here, as in the hymn of the Philippians, it is not about the lowering followed by the exaltation of the same person; he who lowers himself from heaven does so to exalt the humiliated.

16

See M.J. MINELLA, “A Christian Looks at Psalm 113”. E.g., Ravasi, III, 336. 18 See, e.g., Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 538–539. 17

2. PSALM 114 TEXT 1 When

2 Judah Israel came out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarian people, 3 The sea saw and fled, the Jordan ran became his sanctuary, Israel his domain. backwards, 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the small of the sheep. 5 What (happened) to you, O sea, that you flee, O Jordan, to run backwards, 6 O mountains, to leap like rams, O hills, like the small of the sheep? 7 Before the Master, tremble, O earth, before the God of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

1B: BARBARIAN PEOPLE Remaining faithful to the Latin translation (populo barbaro), the sound of which impressed young ears during Sunday vespers, the word “barbarian” is retained, even though the adjective has no connotation of “barbarism”; “incomprehensible” or “stammering”1 better renders the meaning (see Deut 28:49–50; Isa 33:19; Jer 5:15). COMPOSITION N.W. Lund distinguished eight units in the psalm, arranged concentrically in three groups: AB (1 & 2) / CD/C’D’ (3–4 & 5-6) / B’A’ (7 & 8).2 Most authors recognize four parts or stanzas (1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8).3 Many believe that these four units are organised in a specular manner (AB/B’A’).4 There are those who think that the last two units form a single unit: the question (5–6) and its answer (7–8).5 This psalm consists of two parts the size of a piece (1–2 & 7–8) which frame a longer part, formed of two parallel pieces (3–6).

1

Deissler, II, 184. N.W. LUND, Chiasmus in the New Testament, 110. 3 Weiser, 709–713; Hakham, II, 343; Lorenzin, 443; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 191. 4 Ravasi, III, 354; Vesco, 1080. 5 Kraus, II, 373–375. 2

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THE FIRST PART (1–2) + 1 When came out + the house 2

- became -

ISRAEL of Jacob

from Egypt, from a people,

Judah ISRAEL

the sanctuary of HIS, the domain of HIS.

a barbarian one,

The two bimember segments constitute a single phrase. In the first segment (1), “in the going out” of the first member (1a) is not repeated in the second one; instead, the term “Israel” (1a) is qualified by the two terms “the house of Jacob” (1b), and “Egypt” (1a) is qualified by the two terms “a barbarous people” (1b). The two members of the second segment are parallel (2). The second spares the verb “became” (2a). “Judah” (2a) and “Israel” (2b) are complementary: The first one indicates the southern kingdom, the second one the northern kingdom. Judah is said to be the Lord’s “sanctuary” (2a) while Israel is described as his “domains” (2b), that is, his property. Between the segments, the name of Israel occurs in the extreme members; at the end of the four members, the two suffixed pronouns translated as “of his” (2a & 2b) oppose “Egypt” and “a barbarian people” (1a & 1b). THE SECOND PART (3–6) =3

The SEA = the Jordan

saw ran

and fled, backwards,

: 4 the MOUNTAINS : the hills

LEAPED

like the small

like rams, of the sheep.

······························································································· What (happened) to you, O SEA, that you flee,

=5 = :6 :

O Jordan,

to run

backwards,

O MOUNTAINS, O hills,

to LEAP like the small

like rams, of the sheep?

The two pieces are parallel (3–4 & 5-6). The first piece is formed of two bimember segments with six terms, where at the beginning of the members the river “Jordan” (3b) is paralleled by “the sea” (3a); the verb “saw” (3a) is not included in the second member, but the two terms “ran backwards” (3b), which correspond to “fled” (3a), compensate for this absence. At the beginning of the members of the second segment, “the mountains” and “the hills” (4ab) are high places; the verb “leaped” (4a) is not repeated in the second member, but its absence is compensated for by the two terms “like the small of the sheep” (4b), which correspond to “rams”; it should be noted that, logically, the mountains are compared to rams, while the hills, which are smaller, are compared to the small

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ones of the sheep. The two segments correspond to each other in that the difference between the high mountains and the low hills in the second segment is found between the sea and the river in the first segment. The second piece repeats word by word the terms of the first piece (except for the verb “saw” in 3a, which is replaced by the initial interrogative of the second piece); the parallelism of each piece is thus doubled. Whereas the first piece was a fourfold assertion, the second is a series of four questions. The subjects of each member of the first piece become vocatives in the second piece. THE THIRD PART (7–8) – 7 Before – before + 8 who turns +

the Master, the God

tremble, of Jacob,

O earth,

the rock the flint

into a pool into a spring

of water, of water.

Each of the two bimembers has seven terms. Only the first members contain verbs (7a & 8a). In the first segment, “before” acts as the initial terms (7ab); the two terms “the God of Jacob” (7b) correspond to the single term “the Master” in the first member (7a), compensating for the fact that the verb and vocative “tremble, O earth” have no equivalent in the second member.6 The members of the second segment are parallel, but the initial verb (8a) has no equivalent in the second member; the two occurrences of “water” (8ab) act as final terms. The two segments form a single phrase; the second segment is a relative clause that qualifies “the Master”, “the God of Jacob” of the first segment (7ab). The “earth” at the end of the first member of the first segment (7a) might seem to be opposed to the two occurrences of “water” at the end of the last two members of the second segment (8ab); however, ’ereṣ does not mean “the ground” but “the country”, or even “the whole earth”, that is, “the world”.

6

Concerning the correction proposed by Kraus for the first member (“before the Master of all the earth”), see the very suggestive article by B. RENAUD, “Les deux lectures du Ps 114”. It is preferable to respect the Masoretic text, which is also followed by all the ancient versions.

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THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM + 1 When came out + the house – 2 BECAME – = 3 The = the :4

from Egypt, from a people,

Judah Israel

the sanctuary the domain

SEA

saw ran

JORDAN

a barbarian one, , . and fled, backwards,

the : the

MOUNTAINS leaped like rams, HILLS like the small of the sheep. ································································································· What happened to you, O SEA, that you flee,

=5 :

Israel of JACOB

=

O JORDAN,

to run

backwards,

:

O MOUNTAINS, O HILLS,

to leap like the small

like rams, of the sheep?

tremble, of JACOB,

O EARTH,

into a POOL into a SPRING

OF WATER,

6

+ 7 Before + before – 8 who TURNS –

, the rock the flint

OF WATER.

The psalm has a concentric composition. Pieces 3–4 and 5–6 are so closely parallel to each other that it would be difficult not to consider them as forming one part. Apart from segments 3 and 5, where each member has a verb (and even two in 3a), all the other segments have in common that they do not have a verb in their second member. The extreme parts (1–2 & 7–8) are parallel to each other. At the end of the first members, the “earth” (7a) corresponds to “Egypt” (1a); the second segments begin with two verbs, “became” and “turns” (2a & 8a), both of which indicate transformation, which could lead one to think that “Judah” and “Israel” (2ab) are paralleled by “the rock” and “the flint” (8ab). The name “Jacob” occurs in the second members (1b & 7b). Finally, it should be pointed out that the name of God appears only in the last part (7a & 7b), whereas it is only mentioned in the form of a pronoun in the first part, at the end of the members of the second segment (2a & 2b). The verb “tremble” of the last part (7a) recalls “to flee” and “to run backwards” in the central part (3 & 5), all actions done under the influence of fear. The ancient versions understood the verb as referring to the convulsive jolts of the parturient woman.7 Such a connotation would then be related to the first 7

See, e.g., Beaucamp, II, 205 (he translates it as “flinch”).

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word of the psalm: indeed, “to come out” is the verb used for birth (e.g., for the “coming out” of the twins Esau and Jacob in Gen 25:25–26). The same complementarity between “earth” and “water” in the last part (7a & 8ab) is already present in the central part between “the sea” / “the Jordan”, “the mountains” / “the hills”, the “rams” / “the small of the sheep”. The same complementarity that marks the two segments of the last piece, between the fear that strikes the one (7) and the joy that reaches the other (8), is found in each of the four pieces of the psalm. We have already seen that it is fear that causes the sea and the Jordan to move backwards, while it is joy that causes mountains and hills to leap. Similarly, in the first part, the relationship between Egypt (1) and Israel (2) can be understood in this way, since the former is deprived of its slaves and the latter becomes God’s possession. While the first half of the psalm (first part and the first piece of the second part, 1–4) is narrative or descriptive, the second half (second piece of the central part and the last part 5–8) is discursive. It should be pointed out that, once again, the only question in the text is found at its centre, even if it only occupies the second half (5–6). CONTEXT JACOB – ISRAEL “Israel” is the other name of “Jacob” son of Isaac; this name was given to him by God (Gen 35:10). Both names became the names of the Hebrew people, the people of God. Besides the relationship of identity—the two names designate the same person, the same people—we should not neglect a relationship, if not of opposition, at least of complementarity: First of all, a chronological succession, because “Israel” is the second name of “Jacob”, received well after the first name;8 there is also a theological correlation, because, whereas “Jacob” is the name, so to speak, natural and human, of the son of Isaac, “Israel” is the name that God gave him according to his mission and the new existence, the new birth, that this mission manifests. JUDAH AND ISRAEL Even though it was also called the “House of Jacob”, Israel was one people at the time of the departure from Egypt. After the crossing of the Jordan, the twelve tribes bearing the names of the sons of Jacob-Israel divided the land of Canaan. Upon Solomon’s succession, the kingdom unified by David was divided into the kingdom of Israel in the north and the kingdom of Judah in the south. The two 8

This is also the usual order of the two names in the texts; for instance, in the Psalter, Ps 14:7; 22:24; 53:7; 78:5, 21, 71; 105:10; 135:4; 147:19. Here, as in Ps 81:5 and Ps 105:23, the order is reversed; the reason may be the inclusion of the two occurrences of “Israel”.

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occurrences of the name “Israel” (Ps 114:1a, 2b) may therefore not refer to the same reality. Unless one understands that, since Judah is said to be “the sanctuary” of the Lord, since this is the place of the Temple of Jerusalem, the only place of worship for the twelve tribes—to all lords, all honour!—the “domain of the Lord” extends to all Israel, including Judah. THE SEA AND THE RIVER The sea is the one that receded before the Israelites when they came out of Egypt (Exod 14); at the other end of the exodus route, the Jordan also receded so that the people could cross with dry feet and enter the land of Canaan (Josh 3; see Josh 24:2–13 for Joshua’s summary of the exodus, where the crossing of the Jordan is paralleled by that of the sea). MOUNTAINS AND HILLS It does not seem that “mountains” and “hills” refer to two different realities or events; the coordination of these two terms is required by the parallelism with “the sea” and “the Jordan”. It is not unusual for mountains and hills to be paralleled, as for example: 2

In days to come the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the head of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills (Isa 2:2; see also 2:14).

The majority of commentators believe that verses 4 and 6 of our psalm allude to the theophany at Sinai, when “the whole mountain trembled greatly” (Exod 19:18). However, the comparison with the rams and especially with the leaping lambs does not induce in the reader a feeling of fear, but rather of joy. It is true that in Ps 29, which is often invoked, it is the Lord who “makes Lebanon leap like a calf and Sirion like a young of wild oxen” (29:6), this Lord who “breaks into pieces the cedars” (29:5) and whose voice “shakes the desert” (29:8). The verb used (rqd) does not only connote violence (as in Joel 2:5 and Nah 3:2, where there are the chariots that leap for the charge), but also joy: Eccl 3:4 where “dancing” is opposed to “wailing”, 1 Chr 15:29 where David dances in front of the ark of the covenant, Job 21:11 where the children run and jump like goats. It should be pointed out, moreover, that in the theophany at Sinai it is a single mountain that trembles, but here the plural is used, a plural redoubled by the doubling of the terms, the “mountains” and the “hills”. The personification of the mountains is not an isolated fact: in Isa 55:12 they “shout for joy”, as in Ps 98:8 where the rivers “clap the hands”. The reference to Sinai is obviously not excluded, but this would suggest an interpretation of the earthquake in terms of joyful gladness for the gift of the Tora. The composition of the psalm suggests otherwise: In fact, while the first

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segment of the first part (Ps 114:1) speaks of the crossing of the sea, and the second segment (114:2) refers to Mount Zion on which the sanctuary is built, the same alternation can be seen in the two pieces of the central part: verses 3 and 5 of our psalm describe the fear that the sea and the Jordan experienced at the sight of the work of the Lord, while verses 4 and 6 report that the mountains and the hills of Judah and of all Israel leapt for joy because of the presence of the Lord in his Temple.9 This was already understood by the book of Wisdom, in its version of the exodus story: They were like horses at pasture, they leaped like lambs, praising you, O Lord, who delivered them. (Wis 19:9)

WATER FROM THE ROCK If we think of the events of the exodus, the water gushing out of the rock refers to what happened in the desert when, faced with the recriminations of the thirsty multitude, God gave his people something to drink through the hand of Moses who struck the rock with his staff (Exod 17:1–7; Num 20:2–13; Deut 8:15, which uses the expression “the rock of flint”, the two parallel terms in Ps 114:8). The theme and its vocabulary will be taken up again at the time of the exile; the prophets in fact announce a new exodus (Isa 35:6–7; 41:18–20; especially 43:16–21, which parallels the two exoduses) where the Lord will once again bring forth water from the rock. INTERPRETATION FROM EGYPT TO ZION It only takes two verses to leap from Egypt to Mount Zion, to the Temple in Jerusalem (Ps 114:1–2). The text does not say “After Israel came out from Egypt”,10 but “When Israel came out from Egypt”. As if the point of departure and the point of arrival were telescoped, as if they were one and the same. As if, in reality, there was no need to accomplish the whole long path of the exodus and to wait for the next generation to arrive at the destination. As if, from the moment of their liberation from the slavery of Egypt, Israel passed to another belonging, that of God. A different kind of belonging, since it is no longer a question of serving another people, of being enslaved to it, but of devoting themselves to the service of the Lord, of becoming his people, his own domain,

9

Thus Deissler, II, 185–186; Gerstenberger, II, 283. As translated by M. Dahood (III, 134) who comments: “it was after the departure from Egypt that Palestine became the domain of Yhwh”. 10

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in a land where the Israelites, a people in their own right from now on, will be able to live free and independent. A SLIGHTLY ENIGMATIC QUESTION It is surprising that the elements such as the sea and the river, the mountains and the hills, are addressed as if they were animate beings (114:5–6). It is true that before being questioned, they were already presented as characters, fleeing or dancing (114:3-4). The astonishment increases when one realises that such a situation occurs rarely. Certainly the psalmist addresses the creatures, but he does so to invite them to praise the Lord (Ps 98; 148; Isa 49:12–13; Greek Dan 3:58–81), not to pose questions to them. This happens nowhere else in the Psalter except in Ps 68:17: “Why are you envious, you haughty mountains, at the mountain that God desired for his dwelling?” The fact will seem all the more curious if, with several commentators, one perceives in the question posed to the sea and the Jordan a nuance of irony. AS THE LORD HIMSELF As usual, this question is problematic! And that is quite normal, after all, since it is situated in a privileged position. Obviously, it is the psalmist who asks this question, who recalls the story from the beginning of the psalm. But who in the Bible addresses the creatures, to command them and to question them, if not their Lord? “He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth!’” (Job 37:6), he “spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah upon the dry land” (Jon 2:11), he ordered the sea: “Come so far, and no farther, here your proud waves must break!” (Job 38:11; see also Ps 104:7–9 and especially Gen 1!). Questioning the sea and the Jordan, the mountains and the hills, the psalmist does so with sovereignty. Not only as if he were present when some fled and others rejoiced, but also as if he had made the waters run away and the heights leap for joy. That is because he is clothed with the very power of God, as it is said at the end of Ps 29: “Give glory and power to the Lord, O sons of God... The Lord gives power to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace!” (Ps 29:1, 11). This is the reason why he can, in the end, challenge the earth and threaten it, as if he himself were its master. “Becoming a “holy thing” (Jer 2:3), the “domain” of their God, Judah and Israel make the world tremble (Hos 13:1), just as the Lord himself does it”.11 A GIFT THAT GENERATES FEAR The two final segments are opposed to each other (Ps 114:7–8). It might seem strange that the favour of the gift of water would make the earth “tremble”. That is probably the reason why some understand the verb in the first segment in a positive sense and thus translate it as “dance”. It is perhaps preferable to keep 11

Beaucamp, II, 206.

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the best attested meaning, “tremble”, which implies fear. Whether one understands “the earth” as the land into which Israel is exiled, or whether one extends it to the whole world, which will remain petrified, there is no doubt that the gift of water concerns the house of Jacob. What happened during the exodus from Egypt is about to be repeated according to the promise of the prophets. A God who changes The Lord is the God of Jacob who is able to turn the rock of flint into gushing springs. He is the one who brought his people out of the house of slavery, as he says at the beginning of the Decalogue (Exod 20:2; Deut 5:6), he is the one who made Judah his sanctuary and Israel his domain (Ps 114:2). It was he who changed the name of Jacob to Israel (Gen 32:29). It was he who turned the laws governing the elements upside down, who made the sea flee and the Jordan River run backwards, who made the immovable mountains dance. How can we be surprised, then, that a similar change occurs in the form of the psalm itself? The one who had started with recounting and describing the events, in an objective and almost detached manner, suddenly becomes the protagonist of the story, calling out to the elements as if he were witnessing their transformations and ending up addressing the whole “earth” as if he were its Master, predicting what is bound to happen. In short, the psalmist himself does what he says, he plays the scene he describes, he enters the dance. He comes to identify himself with the actor of the deeds he reports. But without doubt he would never have reached this point if it were not for the Lord himself who accomplished such a transformation in him, who led him to such faith.

3. PRAISE THE LORD, YOU SERVANTS OF THE LORD COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SEQUENCE (PS 113–114) Ps 113 1 Praise

Yah! Praise, you servants of Yhwh, praise the name of Yhwh. 2 Let the name of Yhwh be blessed from now and forever; 3 from the rising of the sun to its setting the name of Yhwh be praised. 4 Yhwh is exalted above all the nations, above the heavens his glory. 5 Who

is like Yhwh our GOD?

He lifts himself up to sit, 6 he lowers himself to see in the heavens and on the EARTH. 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, from the dunghill he exalts the poor, 8 to make him sit with princes, with the princes of his people; 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the house, a happy mother of CHILDREN. Praise Yah! Ps 114 1 When

Israel came out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarian people, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his domain. 3 The

sea saw and fled, the Jordan ran backwards, 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the CHILDREN of the sheep. 5 What happened to you, O sea, that you flee, O Jordan, to run backwards, 6 O mountains, to leap like rams, O hills, like the CHILDREN of the sheep? 7 Before

the Master, tremble, O EARTH, before the GOD of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

The two psalms have in common the name “God” (113:5a & 114:7), “earth” in the final parts (113:6 & 114:7), “children” (113:9 & 114:4, 6) as well as “house” whose two occurrences play the role of median terms (113:9 & 114:1). “Egypt”, “a barbarian people”, that is, a foreign nation (114:1), is one of “all the nations” (113:4). Both psalms end with a reversal: starting with “the deprived” raised from “the dust” to “the barren woman”, “a happy mother of children” in the first psalm (113:7–9); “the rock” changed “into a pool of water”, “the flint into a spring of water” in the second psalm (114:7–8), in both cases thanks to the intervention of God. CONTEXT EXOD 14–15 The central question of Ps 113 recalls the question on which the Song of the Sea is focused:

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Second Section (Ps 113–118) Who is like you among the gods, O Yhwh? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, terrible in praise worker of wonders? (Exod 15:11; see p. 105)

Ps 114 celebrates this founding event of the people of Israel; not only the departure from Egypt at the threshold of the exodus, but also the crossing of the Jordan which marks the end of the exodus and the entry into the promised land. Thus, to this kind of merism that speaks of God’s action correspond the two other merisms at the beginning of Ps 113: “from now and forever”, “from the rising of the sun to its setting”, which characterise the human praise (113:2–3), as well as the one with which the first part ends and whose subject is once again the Lord: “above all the nations, above the heavens” (113:4).1 INTERPRETATION The connection between the two psalms is far from being obvious at first sight. However, once the link between the respective centres of Ps 113 and the Song of the Sea is understood, everything becomes clear. The coming out of Egypt, the whole journey of the exodus that leads to “the sanctuary” of Judah (Ps 113:2; Exod 15:17), is the most emblematic case of God’s salvific action. Bringing the Israelites out of bondage in the land of Egypt, the Lord “exalts the poor” (Ps 113:7), and in this way he manifests “his glory” “above all nations” (113:4) and “the earth” will tremble “before the Master [...] before the God of Jacob” (114:7). Therefore, the one who is exalted by the Lord exalts his saviour in return. The slaves in the land of Egypt became “servants of the Lord” (113:1).

1

It has already been noted that the merism of “the sea” and “the Jordan” is accompanied by that of “the mountains” and “the hills”, and that of “the rams” and “the small of the sheep” (see p. 115).

II. TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY! The Second Sequence: Ps 115–116 1. PSALM 115 TEXT 1 Not

to us, O Yhwh, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your faithfulness, for your loyalty. 2 Why should the nations say: “Where (is) their God?” 3 Our God (is) in the heavens, all that he desires, he makes. 4 Their idols (are) silver and gold, made by the hands of man. 5 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 6 they have ears and do not hear; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have feet and do not walk; they do not murmur in their throat. 8 Like them will be those who make them, all those who trust in them. 9 O Israel, trust in Yhwh: He (is) their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in Yhwh: He (is) their help and their shield. 11 O fearful of Yhwh, trust in Yhwh: He (is) their help and their shield. 12 Yhwh remembers us, he will bless; he will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, 13 he will bless the fearful of 14 May Yhwh increase you, you and your children. Yhwh, the small with the great. 15 blessed be you by Yhwh 16 The heavens are the who made the heavens and the earth. 17 heavens of Yhwh, but the earth he has given to the children of Adam. It is not the dead who praise Yah, nor all those who go down into silence, 18 but as for us, we bless Yah, from now and forever. Praise Yah!

1: “FAITHFULNESS AND LOYALTY” It is very difficult to translate the canonical couple ḥesed we’ĕmet. La Bible de Jérusalem translates it as “love and truth”, Dhorme as “grace and truth”, Osty as “faithfulness and loyalty”, the TOB as “faithfulness and truth” (Ps 25:10; 40:11, 12; 85:11; 89:15). This expression belongs to the vocabulary of the covenant. In Gen 47:29, Jacob at the moment of his death makes his son Joseph promise to respect his last wish: “If I have found favour in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and show me faithfulness and loyalty. Do not bury me in Egypt.” This formula was also used by the spies sent to Jericho to pledge their loyalty to the prostitute Rahab who had taken them in: “When Yhwh gives us the country, we will treat you with faithfulness and loyalty” (Josh 2:14). The commitment is obviously reciprocal: “All the paths of Yhwh are faithfulness and loyalty to those who keep his covenant and his precepts” (Ps 25:10). In the Psalms, the expression applies mostly to God (Ps 40:11–12; 86:15; 98:3; 138:2); in Proverbs, on the other hand, it refers to a human attitude, which the teacher tries to inculcate in his disciple (Prov 3:3; 14:22; 16:6; 20:28).

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COMPOSITION The composition of the psalm has already been described by Lund, in six parts corresponding to each other in a specular way: A (1), B (2–3), C (4–8), C’ (9– 13, B’ (14–16), A’ (17–18)1. Ravasi recognises two parts (1–11 & 12-18) each comprising three concentrically organised subparts2. Lorenzin sees four parts,3 others five4, still others six.5 It should be pointed out that despite this diversity, some units are recognised by the majority, 9–11 by all. The psalm consists of four parts, arranged in a specular fashion (see the whole, p. 129). The extreme parts (1–3 & 14–18) are slightly shorter than the other two (4–8 & 9–13). THE FIRST PART (1–3) . 1 Not to us, . not to us,

O YHWH,

- but to your name give glory, - for your FAITHFULNESS, for your LOYALTY. ·········································································································· 2

. Why . “Where (is) - 3 Our God - all that he DESIRES,

should say THEIR GOD?”

the nations:

(is) in the heavens, he MAKES.

The first part consists of two pieces, each consisting of two bimember segments6. The two segments of the first piece (1), which form a single phrase, begin with an opposition between “not to us” and “to your name”; the last member gives the reason for the request (1d). In the second piece, the question of the first segment posed by the nations (2) is answered by the psalmist in the second segment (3). “Their God” (2b) and “Our God” (3a) play the role of median terms.

1

N.W. LUND, Chiasmus in the New Testament, 104–107. Ravasi, III, 370. 3 Lorenzin, 444 (1–8, 9–11, 12–15, 16–18). 4 Kraus, II, 377–378 (1–2, 3–8, 9–11, 12–15, 16–18); Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 206 (1–3, 4–8, 9– 11, 12–15, 16–18). 5 Weiser, 715–718 (1–2, 3, 4–8, 9–11, 12–15, 16–18); Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 552 (1, 2–8, 9–11, 12–14, 15–16, 17–18). 6 We shall see later that it is the symmetry with the last part that leads to the division of the first part into segments. 2

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“Their God” in the first segment of the second piece (2b) corresponds to “Yhwh” at the beginning of the first piece (1a). The binary rhythm of the last member of the first piece (1d) seems to be echoed by the two verbs of the last member of the second piece (3b).7 THE SECOND PART (4–8) + 4 Their idols – MADE

silver by the hands

and gold, of man.

····························································································· A MOUTH to them and they do not SPEAK, EYES to them and they do not SEE, : :6 EARS to them and they do not HEAR;

·5

a

NOSE to them

:7 HANDS of theirs : FEET of theirs · they do not MURMUR

and they do not SMELL; and they do not TOUCH, and they do not WALK, in the THROAT of theirs.

····························································································· 8

– Like them + all those who

will be trust

those who MAKE them, in them.

The extreme pieces (4 & 8), which are the size of a bimember segment, correspond to each other in a specular way: The pronoun with which the last piece ends (8b) has as its referent the first word of the first piece (4a); the two participles translated as “made” (4b) and “make” (8a) derive from the same root. It is possible to see a correlation between “gold and silver” (4a) and “trust” (8b), if we understand that it is the precious material of idols in which people put their trust. The central piece is much more extensive (5–7), comprising three segments, two trimembers (5–6a & 7) that frame one unimember (6b). The trimember segments are mirrored in a specular way: In fact, before the traditional pair of eyes and ears (5b–6a) and after that of hands and feet (7ab) the extreme members (5a & 7c) are mirrored in a specular manner: “throat” refers to its synonym “mouth”, “do not murmur” to its synonym “do not speak”. As the extremities concern practically the same organ, so at the centre is a single organ, the nose (6b).

7 These four terms are not without connection: indeed, the expression “to do faithfulness and loyalty” is not uncommon (Gen 24:49; 47:29; Josh 2:14; 2 Sam 2:6); Hos 6:6 links “desire” and “faithfulness”: “For faithfulness I desire” (see also Jer 9:23: “For I am Yhwh who does faithfulness, justice and righteousness on earth; for these I desire”).

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THE THIRD PART (9–13) + 9 O ISRAEL, :: their help + 10 O HOUSE :: their help

OF

+ 11 O FEARFUL :: their help

OF YHWH,

AARON,

trust and their shield

in YHWH, is He.

trust and their shield

in YHWH, is He.

trust and their shield

in YHWH, is He.

··············································································································

::

12

YHWH

remembers us, + he will bless + he will bless + 13 he will bless

::

he will bless: the house THE HOUSE

THE FEARFUL

the small

of ISRAEL, AARON, OF YHWH, OF

with the great.

This part comprises two complementary pieces. The first piece (9–11) is formed of three segments with massive parallelism. The same invitation is addressed to three groups, the people of Israel as a whole (9), then the priests in particular (10). As for the “fearful of Yhwh” (11), most modern commentators think that it does not refer to the pagans who worship the God of Israel, for such a meaning of the expression would be late (Acts 10:2, 22; 13:16, 26); it would rather refer to the group of the faithful of Israel.8 The second piece (12–13) repeats the same list of three groups in the central trimember segment (12bc–13a) which deploys the three categories included in the “us” of the initial member (12a). At the extremities are two unimember segments (12a & 13b), both marked by binarity: Two verbs at the beginning, two adjectives at the end. With the traditional merism, “the small with the great” (13b), the last segment takes up the whole under another dimension, that of age or rather of dignity. THE FOURTH PART (14–18) The first piece (14–15) uses “you”, the last piece (17–18) “us”. As for the central piece, which comprises only one bimember (16), it states a general truth. The first piece consists of two bimembers (14 & 15), which are wishes. The first segment invokes fertility, which the second segment defines as divine “blessing”; the last member describes Yhwh as the all-powerful creator (15b). The final piece also comprises two segments that form a single phrase (17 & 18ab), with the addition of the hallelujah (18c). The “us” of the second segment 8

See in particular Gerstenberger, II, 288.

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(18a) is contrasted with “the dead” of the first segment (17a). Given the context, the dead are described as those who are unable to “praise” God. The first members of each segment are parallel: “us” corresponds to “the dead”, “we bless” to “praise” and “Yah” is repeated in the endings. : 14 May (he) increase, = you

YHWH, and your CHILDREN;

you,

: 15 BLESSED BE = who made

you the HEAVENS

by YHWH and the EARTH.

···················································································································

· 16 The HEAVENS · but the EARTH

(are) the HEAVENS he has given

of YHWH, to the CHILDREN of Adam.

··················································································································· 17

It is not – – and it is not + + =

18

the dead all those who go down

who praise into silence,

YAH,

but as for us, from now

WE BLESS and forever.

YAH,

Praise

YAH!

Across the pieces, the three occurrences of “Yah” (17a, 18a, 18c) correspond to the two occurrences of “Yhwh”, again in the first members of each segment (14a & 15a). The “blessing” of “us” in 18a corresponds to that of God in 15a. The bipolar expression of 18b, “from now and forever” is matched by that in 15b, “the heavens and the earth”. As for the central piece (16), it repeats “heavens and earth” from the preceding member, and also “children” (16b) as at the end of the first segment (14b). Despite these connections with the first segment, the central segment remains enigmatic and one wonders how it fits into the logic of the second part.9

9

Considering the last two verses of the psalm as a late addition (Jacquet, III, 281, who takes up Briggs’ point) is just a cop-out. When the logic of the text is unclear, it is better to admit that one has not understood it.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM The extreme parts have a number of points in common. The most remarkable is that the first piece (1) has the same pattern as the final piece (17–18). They are also built on an opposition, at the beginning between “us” (1ab) and the Lord (1c), at the end between “the dead” (17a) and the same “us” (18a). Two double negations play the role of initial terms (1ab & 17ab). The bipolar expressions in 1d and 18b act as final terms. The three occurrences of “Yah” in the last piece (17a, 18a, 18c) correspond in the first piece to “Yhwh” in 1a and to “your name” in 1c.10 –1 –

NOT

TO US,

NOT

TO US,

+ but TO YOUR NAME + FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS,

O YHWH, give

glory,

FOR YOUR LOYALTY.

[...] – 17 NOT – and NOT 18

THE DEAD ALL GOING DOWN

+ but AS FOR US, + FROM NOW = Praise

praise into silence,

YAH,

we bless

YAH,

AND FOREVER.

YAH!

Both the ending of the first part (3) and the beginning of the last part (15) use the verb “to make”, whose subject is the same. Furthermore, the phrase “the heavens are the heavens of Yhwh” (16) recalls “Our God is in the heavens” (3). The central parts have no common vocabulary, except for the verb “to trust” which appears at the end of the second part (8) and three times at the beginning of the next part (9, 10, 11), thus playing the role of median terms. The five positive verbs of which Yhwh is the subject in the second piece of the third part (12–13) contrast with the seven negative verbs of which idols are the subject in the central piece of the second part (5–7). The two occurrences of the verb “to make” in 3 and 4 link the first two parts. It is also possible to see a link between “the small with the great” at the end of the third part (13b) and “you and your children” at the beginning of the last part (14). More substantial is the repetition of “bless” in 15, which refers to the four occurrences of the same verb in 12–13. 10

It was this parallelism between the two pieces that led us to consider 1a and 1b as forming a bimember segment (see Traité 2007.2013: 137–138, 145–147; 2021: 59–60, 67–69 = Treatise, 57, 67–68).

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1

Not to us, O YHWH, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your faithfulness, for your loyalty. 2

Why should the nations say: “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens, all that he desires, he MAKES.

3

4

Their idols are silver and gold,

MADE by the hands of the adam.

5

They have a mouth and DO NOT SPEAK, they have eyes and do not see, 6 they have ears and do not hear; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have feet and do not walk; THEY DO NOT MURMUR in their throat. 8

like them will be those who MAKE them,

all those who trust in them.

9

O Israel, trust in YHWH: He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in YHWH: He is their help and their shield. 11 O fearful of YHWH, trust in YHWH: He is their help and their shield. 10

12

YHWH remembers us, HE WILL BLESS; HE WILL BLESS the house of Israel, HE WILL BLESS the house of Aaron, 13 HE WILL BLESS the fearful of YHWH, the small with the great. 14 15

May YHWH increase you, BLESSED be you by YHWH

you and your children; who MADE the heavens and the earth.

16

The heavens are the heavens of YHWH, but the earth he has given to the children of Adam. 17 18

It is not the dead who PRAISE YAH, nor all those who go down into silence, but as for us, we BLESS YAH, from now and forever. Praise YAH!

While the first part uses the word “us” (1), but the “us” is opposed to the nations (2), the second part is entirely in the third person plural and concerns the idols of the nations mentioned above. As for the last two parts, they are also marked by the shift from the second person (9–11 & 14–15) to the first person plural (12–13 & 17-18); the pagan nations are no longer mentioned, at least not directly, but the threefold occurrence to “help and shield” at the beginning of the second part (9–11) implies divine protection against enemies. The proper name “Yhwh” and its abbreviated form “Yah” occur twelve times in the psalm: once in the first part (1a), not at all in the second part, five times in the third part and six times in the last one.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

CONTEXT “WHERE IS THEIR GOD?” The same question occurs twice in Ps 42:4, 11; but the beginning of Ps 115 has the most affinity with Ps 79. After the description of the attacks of the enemy who has made Israel “an insult to their neighbours” (79:4), the psalmist pleads: 8

Do not remember against us the first faults, quickly, may your tenderness come to meet us, because we are greatly afflicted. 9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the sake of the glory of your name; and deliver us and wipe out our sins, for the sake of your name. 10 Why should the nations say: “Where is their God?” (79:8–10; see also Joel 2:17; Mic 7:10).

THE NOTHINGNESS OF IDOLS This is a common feature of biblical analysis against man-made gods, especially in the Deutero-Isaiah (Isa 44:9–20; see also 40:19–20; 41:6–7, 29; Jer 10:1–16; etc.). PS 135:15–18 + 15 The idols – MADE

of the nations

silver by the hands

and gold, of man.

································································································ A MOUTH to them and they do not SPEAK, · 16

: : 17

EYES EARS

to them to them

and they do not SEE, and they do not HEAR,

·

there is no BREATH in their MOUTH. ································································································

– 18 Like them + all who

will be trust

the MAKERS of them, in them.

A similar but shorter text is found in Ps 135. Although the constructions are different, they are nonetheless regular. Provided, of course, that they have been established through knowledge of the laws of biblical rhetoric.11 11

For this reason, Beaucamp’s opinion must be rejected: “V. 7 [of Ps 115], whose construction contrasts with the rest of the passage, appears secondary, especially the third verse. It does not appear in Ps 135:15–18, which repeats Ps 115:4–8 with some variants, for v. 6b” (Beaucamp, II,

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ISRAEL, THE HOUSE OF AARON, THE FEARFUL OF GOD The triad of the first piece is repeated in Ps 118:2–4 (see p. 168). In Ps 135:19–20 a fourth category is added after that of the priests, that of the Levites; as here, the call to praise the Lord immediately follows the criticism of idolatry (Ps 135:15–18). THE BLESSING OF MOSES At the beginning of Deuteronomy, Moses says to the people: “Yhwh your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are as numerous as the stars of heaven. May Yhwh the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised you!” (Deut 1:10–11). A RECIPROCAL BLESSING The last passage of the Gospel of Luke relates how Jesus, at the moment of departing form his disciples to be taken up to heaven, “blessed” them, as a father blesses his children at the supreme moment. The same thing Jacob did to his twelve sons (Gen 49) and Moses to the twelve tribes of Israel (Deut 33). Jesus’ paternal blessing is matched by that of his children who “were continually in the Temple blessing God” (Luke 24:53).12 Once Jesus has reached “heaven”, the responsibility for what he has inaugurated is “given” to the disciples, and this is the subject of the second book of Luke. EZEK 36 Ezek 36, in another literary genre, seems to correspond not only to the situation of the author of Ps 115, but also to the content of the psalm. INTERPRETATION GOD’S HONOUR When the pagans mock Israel (Ps 115:2), it is in fact the honour of God that is at stake. Since the people to which he belongs are humiliated, crushed by other people, the reason is that this God has been unable to defend and protect them. As if he did not really exist, as if he had no real consistency. The people of Yhwh feel that the ironic question they hear, which is not even addressed to them—as if he did not exist either—is a profanation of the name of their God. The psalmist therefore appeals to the covenant by which the Lord had pledged to maintain “his faithfulness and his loyalty” (115:1b). It is not to his own 208; similarly, Gerstenberger, II, 287). See also what produces the lack of knowledge of biblical rhetoric in Jacquet, III, 275. 12 See Luc (2011) 956–958.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

faithfulness and loyalty that he appeals, but only to that of the God of the covenant. No doubt he would be at a loss to show his merits, as the Targum understands it, “Not for our sake, nor for the sake of our righteousness”, as it were inspired by Ps 79. PROFESSION OF FAITH In response to the mocking and complacent question that the pagan nations ask each other (115:2), Israel answers with a profession of faith in the omnipotence of their God (115:3). If faith consists in trusting when one does not see, even when the evidence seems to prove the opposite of what one asserts, then the faith of oppressed and defeated Israel is great. Appearances lead the pagans astray, but they do not prevent the people of God from continuing to believe that God can save them, because of the covenant, of the faithfulness and loyalty that he promised them and that they cannot forget without denying themselves. A GLARING IMPOTENCE The idols strongly resemble the goldsmith who cast them. The latter has paid a high price: his god is not made of wood or stone, but of the most precious metals. Nothing is missing in the idols, not even a member or an organ. Their creator has thought of everything.13 And yet, despite the gleaming appearances of gold and silver, nothing works. These gods cannot speak and have nothing to say to people; they cannot see their misery or hear their prayers; they cannot smell the offerings made to them, the perfumes and smoke of the sacrifices; no matter how close they are approached, they cannot touch those who embrace them, and, unable to move, their servants have to carry them on their shoulders (Isa 46:7). The shine of metal only enhances their nothingness. IN THEIR IMAGE The fundamental and fatal error of the makers of idols is that they claim to occupy the place of the creator. They are the ones who “make” (Ps 115:4), arrogating to themselves the position of origin, when they should recognise that they derive their existence and their life from another. They pervert the order of creation. It is therefore inevitable that, making gods in their image, they will become like themselves (115:8). Many translate the final verse of the second part as a wish; it seems that the faith of the praying person is more of a statement. The future of the idolater can only be the inertia of inanimate metal.

13

The seven members of the central piece seem to indicate the totality (Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 554).

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A COMMUNICATIVE FAITH The one who addresses Israel, their priests, their faithful (115:9–11), is a member of these people. He challenges them as the homilist does, to stimulate and encourage the assembly. In so doing, he does not stand outside the group; and he soon moves on to the “us” (115:12) of which he is a part. His words are an urgent call to put his assurance, his trust, his faith in the one who can “help” him, that is, save him, who is able to protect him from the blows of the enemy. As a convinced believer, the psalmist wants everyone to share his faith, as if faith could not be true, full and complete, if it were not shared by all the people, by all their groups, from the smallest to the greatest. FAITH AND BLESSING The faith of people (115:9–11) is matched by the blessing of God (115:12– 13). Faith is not a belief in truths, it is a relationship, based on a covenant between two beings. Since the psalmist can say with the greatest confidence that the Lord will bless him and all the people, it is because he has put his confidence in God. What he preaches, he exemplifies, and what he believes will bring about the adherence of all. EVERYONE AT HOME The central verse of the last part (115:16) makes a clear separation: the heavens are God’s domain, the earth is human domain. Of course, the earth belongs to humans because God has “given” it to them. He has not entrusted it to them, lent it to them, expecting them to give it back to him when it pleases him to take it back. God’s gifts do not require prior repentance. Otherwise, they would not be gifts.14 The fact that the psalmist uses the expression “children of Adam”, and not one of the synonyms that are translated as “men”,15 may suggest the divine filiation of the people to whom God gives the earth as an inheritance. Each one in his or her own home, in his or her own autonomy, but not without a very strong relationship. Merger or confusion would not allow each person to be free; distinction is the condition of possibility of a covenant, which is by definition the meeting of two freedoms that choose to be bound together. “ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN” In a covenant between heaven and earth, the blessing of people (115:18) corresponds to that of God (115:15). The gift of life, which God makes bear fruit 14

See the commentary on the parable of the talents by M. BALMARY, in Abel ou la traversée de l’Éden, 64–109; summarised in Luc (2011) 728–733. 15 As at the end of Ps 9 which uses ’enôš twice, which the BJ translates as “man/men”, but which Osty renders as “mortal/s”; as in Ps 22:7 which uses ’îš: “And I am a worm and not a man” (see also Ps 1:1, “Happy the man”; Ps 25:12) or Ps 32:2 which uses ’ādām (“Happy the man”).

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and multiply in successive generations, is answered by the gift of praise and blessing, which rises to heaven, on the part of those who have known how to receive this life and are not as dumb as the dead. The gifts are obviously asymmetrical, for people do not originate from themselves; they receive everything from their Creator, from their father. And yet God makes them his equals, so to speak, when he gives them even a word of gratitude. That is all it takes for the covenant to be made between heaven and earth. WHO IS SPEAKING? There is a man who, from the very first words, speaks in the first person plural, who never uses “I”. He does not speak in his own name, but in the name of the whole people. Even the words he utters, as if in response to the sarcasm of the pagan nations (115:2), are the confession of faith of a group, that of the whole community whose God is Yhwh (115:3). His ironic criticism of the idols seems to be thrown around; as if it were not addressed to a specific listener. However, we can understand that it is in a way the answer of the shepherd to the shepherdess: the pagan nations did not address the children of Israel to mock them directly (115:2); well, the psalmist answers in the same tone. But after his diatribe, he addresses Israel in the second person plural. He thus places himself not outside, as from the outside, but in a position of authority, as if he were the head of the whole people. He who began with turning to the Lord to remind him of his covenant will not once again take up his prayer and speak to God, even if he only has his name on his lips. Unless one understands the vows he pronounces at the beginning of the last part as a form of prayer: “May the Lord increase you”, “Blessed be you by the Lord” (115:14–15). Would this kind of blessing be reserved for the priest? His call to “trust” in the Lord probably makes him sound more like a prophet. It does not matter, in the end, if we understand that it is the reader, every reader, regardless of his or her responsibility in the community of believers, who, by the very fact that he or she takes up the words of the psalm, is called to fulfil the same function. The voice of the author has been silenced for a long time; yet his words are not dead, they are welcomed, taken up like a torch, by those who have believed in them and followed him, and have become secure in the Lord. The task with which the psalmist knew he was entrusted, that of leading all the people in the conviction of their faith, is thus transmitted to each of those who repeat his appeals. WHERE ARE WE? There is no doubt that the situation in which these words were composed was not brilliant. And that is an understatement, since the nations mocked Israel in the most contemptuous way, as they do with a crushed loser. If they ask, “where is their God” (115:2), it is because he is no longer seen. If the psalmist answers that he is in heaven, it is because he is no longer on earth, because his Temple is destroyed, his cult abolished, his people driven from their land and scattered

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among the other nations. The situation of the exile fits well with the themes of the psalmist.16 Everything has been destroyed, the religious institutions with the Temple and the cult, the political institutions with the kingship, the economic institutions with the land, everything is gone. That is the end for Israel, a passing through death, as Amos had prophesied.17 Indeed, that is what it is about, since the psalmist ends his poem in a kind of surge to resist death and its definitive silence. Exegetes are far from being in agreement about the dating of the psalm. Many prefer to place it after the return from exile, a period which we know was difficult and problematic. Whatever the historical origin of the text, of which it is better to admit that little is known, what really counts is that it can be applied to any situation of distress where faith is put to the test and from which it emerges victorious. THE DEAD ARE NOT THE ONES WE THINK Israel is considered dead, as is their God, whose whereabouts the nations say they do not know. Appearances certainly prove them right. But such is not the opinion of the psalmist who, from the very first words, addresses his God, reminding him of his covenant and his faithfulness. He would not speak to him if he shared the feelings of his enemies. And he immediately counterattacks stating that: these are the gods of the nations who are dead. They may have all the organs of the living, but they are unable to perceive or do anything. Even more, they are the ones who make them and put their trust in them who are dead. These dead cannot praise the Lord, since they descend together into silence. The truly living are those who do not seek their own glory, but that of God, who put their trust in him alone, believing that this God, who seems to have abandoned them to death, is still able to bless them, to give them an abundant life, not only for themselves but also for their children. That is the reason why “from now” on, in the midst of the situation of death in which they find themselves, they bless the Lord and will do so “forever” (115:18).

16

“By the time Israel had no land and no Temple, God, according to the traditional understanding, had withdrawn from the competition between deities, for a god who had no land, and therefore could not be honoured, could not be a god. By this time Israel had come to understand fully the difference and the newness of their God: precisely that he was not only ‘their” God, the God of a people and a country, but the God par excellence, the God of the universe, to whom belong all countries, heaven and earth...” (J. RATZINGER – BENOÎT XVI, Jésus de Nazareth, 376). 17 See in particular the central sequence of the book of Amos (5:1–17) which we have entitled as “Lamentation funèbre sur la vierge d’Israël” (see Amos, 159–185).

2. PSALM 116 TEXT 1I

love because Yhwh hears the voice of my supplications, 2 because he inclined his ear to me, and during my days I will call. 3 The cords of death encompassed me, and the anguishes 4 and I called on the name of Yhwh: of Sheol found me; I found anguish and sorrow, “Please, O Yhwh, rescue my soul!” 5 Yhwh is tender and righteous, and our God has mercy; 6 Yhwh preserves the simple: I was deprived and he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, because Yhwh has done good to you. 8 Because you have liberated my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling: 9 I will walk in the face of Yhwh in the lands of the living. 10 I believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” 11 As for me, I said in my trouble: “Every man is a deceiver!” 12 What shall I return to Yhwh for all the good he 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation has done to me? and I will call on the name of Yhwh. 14 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, 15 Precious in the eyes of Yhwh yes, before all his people! 16 Please, O Yhwh, because I am your servant, I am your (is) the death of his faithful. servant, the son of your handmaid, you have loosened my chains. 17 For you I will sacrifice 18 I will fulfil my vows to the sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call on the name of Yhwh. Yhwh, yes, before all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of Yhwh, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem! Praise Yah!

1A & 10A: KÎ “I love” and “I believe” mark the beginning of two symmetrical units; these verbs are followed by kî, a morpheme that cannot always be translated in the same way. Some translate the first one as “because”, others as “when”. As for the second instance, it is rendered as “when”, “although”, or “at the same time”. This psalm is split into two in the Septuagint, which is then followed by the Vulgate (Ps 114–115). The connection between the two psalms in the Greek translation is, however, marked by the remarkable correspondence of their incipits, “I love” (1) and “I believe” (10). Many fail to find a logical sequence between the components of the psalm.1 Opinions concerning the structure of the text vary greatly: Some authors distinguish two parts, others even more, up to seven parts. After a short introduction (1–2) the text consists of three other parts (see the whole, p. 147): Two relatively long parts (3–9 & 12–19) frame a distinctly shorter part (10–11). The analysis will proceed part by part

1

See, e.g., W.S. PRINSLOO, “Psalm 116”, 71, note 3.

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THE FIRST PART (1–2) COMPOSITION + 1 I love . the voice of + 2 because HE INCLINED . and during my days

because Yhwh my supplications,

HEARS

HIS EAR

to me,

I will call.

In the same rhythm (3+2), the two segments are parallel to each other. Indeed, their first members correspond to each other: The first verb, “I love” (1a), is not repeated in 2a, since it governs the two causals clauses that begin with “because” (1a & 2a); in the same manner, “Yhwh” (1a), the subject, is not repeated, but the rhythm is compensated by doubling of “hears” (1a) into two terms, “he inclined his ear” (2a). The connection between the second members is not so evident. However, it is possible to detect a semantic link between the noun “my supplications” (1b) and the verb “I will call” (2b) on which the segments end. CONTEXT The first verse reminds us of the beginning of Ps 18: “I love you, Yhwh, my strength” (Ps 18:2), even if it is not the same verb that is used but a synonym. INTERPRETATION The first verb, “I love” (1a), surprises by its abruptness; it surprises perhaps especially because grammatically it has no object. There is no other psalm that begins like this. That is the reason why many change the construction to correct this irregularity: “I love the Lord, because he hears”. The most obvious result of such a correction is to flatten the text. In Hebrew poetry, it is very difficult to perceive the precise value of verbal “tenses”. It is often a matter of interpretation. It is possible that the two segments are synonymous, but it is not impossible to think that they are rather complementary. With the verb “hears” (1a) in the present tense the first segment would indicate a general and habitual truth; in the second segment the psalmist draws on his past experience (2a) to affirm that he will continue to “call” on the Lord in the future (2b).

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THE SECOND PART (3–9) COMPOSITION + 3 Encompassed me + and the anguishes

the cords of SHEOL

of DEATH, found me;

+ anguish – 4 and on the name

and sorrow of YHWH

I found, I call:

– “Please, – rescue

O YHWH, MY SOUL!”

··········································································································· is YHWH and righteous,

- 5 Tender - and our God 6

- He preserves - I was deprived,

has mercy; the simple, and to me

YHWH: he brought salvation.

··········································································································· 7

– Return, :: because YHWH

O MY SOUL, has done good

to your rest, to you;

:: 8 because you have liberated MY SOUL :: my eyes :: my feet

from DEATH, from tears, from stumbling:

– 9 I will walk –

of YHWH of THE LIVING.

in the face in the lands

In the first piece (3–4) the psalmist recounts his prayer addressed to God in the time of anguish; the second piece (5–6) is a confession of faith in God’s mercy which saved him; after which (7–9) the speaker regains peace and resumes his life’s journey. The first piece (3–4) has three bimember segments. With verbs at the extremities, the first (3ab) is of A (b c) / (b’c’) A type. Whereas “the cords” and “the anguishes” are the subjects in the first segment and the psalmist the object, the psalmist becomes the subject in the second segment (3c–4a); the latter is of parallel construction, objects at the beginning and verbs at the end. The central segment ensures the transition between the extreme segments: Indeed, its first member (3c) is close to the second member of the initial segment (3b), because the same verb is taken up in the ending and the first words are of the same root 2. The second member of the central segment (4a) introduces the words of the final segment (4bc), whose brevity stands out in comparison to the two preceding segments. 2

In the original there is first meṣārê and then ṣārâ which must have been translated by the same French word, but with the difference of the number.

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+ 3 Encompassed me + and the anguishes

the cords of SHEOL

of DEATH, found me;

+ anguish – 4 and on the name

and sorrow of YHWH

I found, I call:

– “Please, – rescue

O YHWH, MY SOUL!”

············································································································ - 5 Tender is YHWH and righteous,

- and our God 6

- He preserves - I was deprived,

has mercy; the simple, and to me

YHWH: he brought salvation.

············································································································ 7

– Return, :: because YHWH

O MY SOUL, has done good

to your rest, to you;

:: 8 because you have liberated MY SOUL :: my eyes :: my feet

from DEATH, from tears, from stumbling:

– 9 I will walk –

of YHWH of THE LIVING.

in the face in the lands

The second piece (5–6) has only two bimembers. The first one (5) is general and accumulates three qualifiers of the Lord, but, while the first two (“tender” and “just”) are adjectives, the third one is a participle (translated as present tense, “has mercy”). The second segment (6) also begins with a participle, but this time the verb has an object, “the simple”; the general truth in the second member applies to the psalmist’s case. In the third piece (7–9) two bimembers (7 & 9) frame a trimember (8) which is distinctive since it is addressed to the Lord. The second member of the first segment (7b) is taken up and expanded by the subsequent segment (8abc); both begin with “because”. The first member of the first segment (7a) finds its correspondent in the third segment (9); the initial verbs are verbs of motion. “My soul” occurs at the beginning of the first two segments (7a & 8a), while the term “the living” at the end of the third segment (9b) is opposed to “death” at the beginning of the second segment (8a). The name “Yhwh” occurs twice in each piece (4a, 4b, 5a, 6a, 7b, 9a). “Death” and “Sheol” at the beginning (3ab) are matched in the last piece by “death” (8a) and “the living” (9b). The two occurrences of “my soul” at the end of the first piece (4c) and the beginning of the third one (7a) play the role of median terms at a distance. The request for deliverance in the first piece (4c, “rescue”) is accomplished in the other two pieces with “he brought salvation” (6b) and “you have liberated” (8a).

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CONTEXT – “The cords of Death” (Ps 116:3a) The beginning of the part reminds us of Ps 18:5–7 (= 2 Sam 22:5–7): 5

the cords of Death encompassed me, and the torrents of Belial terrified me; 6 the cords of Sheol encircled me, the snares of Death confronted me. 7 In my anguish I call to Yhwh, and to my God I cry out; he will hear my voice from his temple and my cry before him will reach his ears.

Ps 116:3a repeats exactly Ps 18:5a. The two texts also have in common “Sheol”, “anguish”, "I called to Yhwh”, as well as “he hears”, “my voice”, “ears” which are taken up in the introduction (Ps 116:1–2). Both texts refer to the psalm of Jonah (Jonah 2:3–10), especially its first verses: I called to Yhwh out of my anguish, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me (Jonah 2:3–4).3

– “Because you have liberated my soul from death …” (Ps 116:8a) Ps 116:8 repeats very closely the last verse of Ps 56. because you have delivered my soul from death yes, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk in the face of God in the light of life (Ps 56:14).

INTERPRETATION The difficulty in which the psalmist found himself was certainly lifethreatening; bound and paralysed by terror, suffocated by anguish, he was left only with the cry. The intensity of his prayer is shown by its extreme brevity; it is above all the name of the Lord that he invokes, that he appeals for help. It is his “soul”,4 which means his life, that is at stake, and it is on this word that his 3

See the rhetorical analysis of the psalm in Jonah: C. LICHTERT, “La prière de Jonas (Jon 2)”. The Hebrew word nefeš means first of all “breath”, vital breath, therefore “life”, which is often translated as “soul”. 4

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prayer culminates (Ps 116:4c). All the rest of his life is concentrated in his “throat” which wants to continue to breathe, to resist death. The moment the psalmist utters the name of God, he is immediately answered. That is the reason why the names “Lord” and “God” burst from his mouth, accompanied by his attributes, “tender”, “righteous” and “have mercy” (116:5). This confession of faith of the psalmist is finally concretised in the recognition of the salvation that he has just experienced (116:6b); as if this were only an example, only a particular case of the goodness of the Lord for all “the simple” who call upon him (116:6a). Once the storm has calmed, the speaker returns to his rest in a kind of appeased monologue (116:7). But this immediately gives way to a new prayer to the one who has liberated him from the bonds of death. It is not yet formally a prayer of thanksgiving; these words still have the form of a narrative, which has been the form of the part since the beginning. However, this narrative can now take the time to detail the various aspects of the benefits of his liberation (116:8). And, quite naturally, the part ends with an opening to the future: returned to the world of the living, the psalmist who was saved can never forget his Saviour in whose presence he will now walk. THE THIRD PART (10–11) COMPOSITION + 10 I believe : “As for me, +

11

as for me, : “Every man

when I DECLARE: I am afflicted I SAID is a deceiver!”

greatly!” in my trouble:

This part is the size of a piece formed of two bimember segments. The first members (10a & 11a), which include the synonyms translated as “I declare” and “I said”, both introduce a statement. The isolated pronoun translated as “as for me” is repeated at the beginning of 10b and 11a. INTERPRETATION The two statements are complementary: the psalmist first acknowledges that he “is afflicted”,5 which means unable to rely on his own strength, and secondly, he adds that he cannot put his trust in other people either (11b), because they are “deceivers” (literally, “liars”). That is the reason why he begins with the 5

The verb is of the same root as the adjective ‘ănî, often translated as “'poor”; this term is close to ‘ānāw (plural ‘ănāwîm), used in the expression “the poor of Yhwh”.

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statement that he “believes”, which means, although the object is not expressed, that he believes, that he puts his trust, in God alone. Since these two verses are the pivotal points around which the body of the psalm is organised, they can obviously be interpreted in their immediate context, as they will also help us to understand the whole text. THE FOURTH PART (12–19) COMPOSITION · 12 What shall I return · for all his goodness + 13 THE CUP + AND ON THE NAME

to YHWH to me? OF SALVATION OF YHWH

I will lift up I WILL CALL;

= 14 MY VOWS = YES, BEFORE

TO YHWH I WILL FULFIL, ALL HIS PEOPLE! ················································································································ - 15 Precious in the eyes of YHWH

- (is) the death of

his faithful.

:: 16 Please, :: because I am

O YHWH, your servant,

- I am - you have loosened

your servant, my chains.

the son of your handmaid,

················································································································ THE SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING OF YHWH I WILL CALL;

+ 17 For you I will sacrifice + AND ON THE NAME = 18 MY VOWS = YES, BEFORE · 19 in the courts · in the midst of you,

TO YHWH ALL

I WILL FULFIL, HIS PEOPLE,

of the house O Jerusalem!

of YHWH,

The most remarkable fact is the repetition of the three members of 13b–14 in 17b–18. In addition, the first members of 13 and 17 correspond to each other. In fact, in both cases it concerns an offering presented by the same first person singular. “The cup of salvation” (13a) is a libation of wine, while “the sacrifice” (17a, literally, “slaughter”) of thanksgiving consists of shedding of the blood of the offered animal. Verses 13–14 and 17–18 are parallel to each other. The first segment (12) is a question answered by the two subsequent segments, with which they thus form the first piece (12–14; one may note the repetition of “all” in 12b and 14b). As for the last segment (19), it amplifies the preceding member,

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“before all his people” (18b), by specifying where “his people” are; this last segment thus forms with the two preceding ones the final piece (17–19). · 12 What shall I return to YHWH · for all the good he has done to me? + 13 THE CUP + AND ON THE NAME

OF SALVATION OF YHWH

I will lift up I WILL CALL;

= 14 MY VOWS = YES, BEFORE

TO YHWH I WILL FULFIL, ALL HIS PEOPLE! ················································································································ - 15 Precious in the eyes of YHWH

- (is) the death of 16

his faithful.

:: Please, :: because I am

O YHWH, your servant,

- I am - you have loosened

your servant, my chains.

the son of your handmaid,

················································································································ THE SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING OF YHWH I WILL CALL;

+ 17 For you I will sacrifice + AND ON THE NAME = 18 MY VOWS = YES, BEFORE · 19 in the courts · in the midst of you,

TO YHWH ALL

I WILL FULFIL, HIS PEOPLE,

of the house O Jerusalem!

of YHWH,

These pieces correspond to each other in a specular way. The initial question (12) is answered not only in 13–14, but also in 17–18. As for the last segment (19), it is an explanation of “all his people” not only from the preceding segment (18b) but also from the end of the first piece (14b). There remains the central piece (15–16), which also consists of three bimember segments. The central segment (16ab) is the only where both members contain two terms; the other two segments (15 & 16cd) contain three plus two terms. The third segment is linked to the preceding one by the repetition of “I am your servant” (16b & 16c), both of which act as median terms. The connection with the first segment is not so evident; however, the term “his faithful” (15b) announces “your servant” (16b & 16c). The “chains” at the end (16d) refer to “death” at the beginning (15b).

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CONTEXT – The sacrifice of praise and the cup of salvation Lev 7:11 sets out the rite of this sacrifice, linked to the sacrifice of communion. There is no mention of a cup. This could indicate a libation poured on the altar of sacrifice. But it is more likely that the cup of wine accompanied the ritual meal during which the victim was consumed. The wine libation is provided for the daily sacrifice of the two lambs in Exod 29:38–42. The psalm belonging to the Passover Hallel, recited during the Passover celebration, recalls the four cups of wine that each person must drink during the ritual meal. The verse of the cup (Ps 116:13) is recited just before the blessing over the wine of the fourth cup, after which the recitation of the Hallel psalms is resumed with that of Ps 115. During Jesus’ Passover seder, the cup will become the sign of the new covenant in his blood (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 10:16; 11:25–29). – “It counts in the eyes of the Lord the death of his faithful” (Ps 116:15) The verb of the same root as the adjective used in the psalm and translated here as “precious” (Ps 116:15), means “to have value”, “to count”. It is used in Isa 43:4: “Because you count in my eyes, you are honoured and I love you”; also in Ps 72:14: “He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence, and precious is their blood in his eyes”. INTERPRETATION The question with which the psalmist begins is obviously an oratorical one, a way of proclaiming once again, but this time “before all his people” (Ps 116:14), that the Lord has blessed him. It would be completely out of place to imagine that the speaker is thinking of settling accounts with God. What could he give in compensation for the life that has been given back to him? The sacrifice he offers is of course not insignificant, but it is out of all proportion to the gift received. It is symbolic of the joy experienced and of the recognition that could not be complete if it were not shared by “all the people”. The banquet that follows the sacrifice, sprinkled with the “cup of salvation” (116:13), will be offered to all those who are present and who, having heard the story of God’s work, will share in the thanksgiving of the one who has been freed from his “chains”. There is no feast without wine, but there is no feast, no cultic rite that is not accompanied by music and song—songs in which the Saviour is acclaimed, the name of the Lord is “called” (116:13, 17). One can imagine the first psalm of the Hallel being sung on such an occasion: “Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord” (Ps 113:1). In fact, the psalmist is already singing when he announces that he will call on the name of the Lord and fulfil his vows. The words of this song of thanksgiving are concentrated, as they should be, at the

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heart of the part (116:15–16) where they are transformed into prayer. However, before speaking of himself to God, the speaker cannot refrain from speaking of God to his listeners, to all the people, in a word of praise that celebrates his goodness to those who face death (116:15). Then comes his cry of personal gratitude (116:16): The name of the Lord comes first, followed by the declaration of allegiance in which he becomes aware that God’s love has preceded him, “from his mother’s womb”, as the prophets like to say; finally, comes the announcement of liberation, the blessing bestowed on him by his Master. The psalmist then resumes what he had already said, but in the spirit of his prayer he continues to address God: “For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (116:17). Then, having returned to a discourse in which he again speaks of God to those he has invited to the feast, he returns to the second person in the ending, however, when he addresses the holy city directly: “in your midst, O Jerusalem” (116:19). This could imply that the psalmist is not present there, and even that he is far from it, in an exile that stirs up the desire to return. THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM COMPOSITION The first introductory part (1–2) corresponds to the final Hallelujah (19b); in fact, the first part directly introduces the subsequent part, which builds on it, while the last part, with its call to praise, summarises and concludes the penultimate part. The second and penultimate parts are almost the same length (seventeen members in one, eighteen in the other). In the second part the psalmist reports how the Lord freed him from the peril of death in which he found himself, while in the penultimate part he announces that he will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord. The word “death”, which appears twice in the extreme pieces of the second part (3 & 8), is repeated in the central piece of the symmetrical part (15); “the chains” from which the psalmist has been freed (16b) recall “the cords of death” (3); “Please, O Yhwh” occurs in 4b and 16a; the two occurrences of “and I will call on the name of the Lord” in 13 and 17 take up 4a (in Hebrew, in all three cases the incomplete form is used); “to do good” occurs in 7 and 12. Finally, we can notice a paronomasia between “in the land of the living” (9, be’arṣôt haḥayyîm) and “in the courts of the house of Yhwh” (19, beḥaṣrôt bêt Yhwh); these two syntagmas would play the role of final terms. The word “Supplications” (taḥănûnāy) in the introductory part (1) is echoed by “tender” (ḥannûn; from the same root) at the centre of the second part (5). “Yah” in the last part refers to the first occurrence of “Yhwh” in the first part (1), to the seven names of God in the second part (4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6, 7, 9) and to the eight occurrences of “Yhwh” in the penultimate part (once in each verse). The central part is the only one where the name of God does not appear.

Psalm 116 1 2

147

I LOVE because Yhwh hears because he inclined his ear to me,

the voice of my SUPPLICATIONS, and during my days I WILL CALL.

3 THE CORDS of DEATH encompassed me, I found anguish and sorrow, “Please, O Yhwh,

and the anguishes of Sheol found me; 4 AND I CALLED ON THE NAME OF YHWH: rescue my soul!”

·················································································································· 5 6

Yhwh is TENDER and righteous, Yhwh preserves the simple:

··················································································································

7

Return, O my soul, to your rest, 8 Because you have liberated my soul from DEATH, 9

and our God has mercy; I was deprived and he saved me.

I will walk in the face of Yhwh 10 11

12

I BELIEVE when I declare: As for me, I said in my trouble:

What shall I return to Yhwh I will lift up the cup of salvation 14 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, 13

because Yhwh has done good to you. my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling: in the lands of the living. “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” “Every man is a deceiver!” for all the good he has done to me? AND I WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF YHWH.

yes, before all his people!

··········································································································· 15

Precious in the eyes of Yhwh Please, O Yhwh, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, 16

17

is THE DEATH of his faithful. because I am your servant, you have loosened MY CHAINS.

···········································································································

For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving AND I WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF YHWH. 18 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of Yhwh, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem! Praise Yah!

The central part begins with “I believe” (10) just as the psalm begins with “I love” (1); these verbs, whose object is not expressed, are also followed by kî and an incomplete verb (“because he hears” in 1, “when I declare” in 10). The two occurrences of the first person singular pronoun translated as “as for me” (10 & 11) are found at the centre of the penultimate part, translated as “I am” (16a & 16b). This part has no common vocabulary with the other parts of the psalm. CONTEXT The connection between the end of the second part and the end of Ps 56 has already been noted (see p. 141); it should be added that the penultimate verse of Ps 56 is closely related to the penultimate part of Ps 116: Upon me, O God, will be my vows to you, I will render thanksgiving to you. (Ps 56:13)

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It is remarkable, however, that despite these connections, Ps 116 differs from Ps 56 and its parallel Ps 57 (and so many others) by the fact that it does not mention human adversaries, and consequently there is no call for God to punish them. The only “enemy” mentioned in Psalm 116 is “death”. There is no confession of sins in this psalm, nor is there any claim of innocence, as in Ps 18, which has much in common with it. INTERPRETATION – “I believe” (Ps 116:10) and “I love” (Ps 116:1) The whole psalm focuses on the psalmist’s confession of faith (116:10–11). It is contained in a single word: “I believe”. A single verb, which does not even need an object, so obvious is it. Indeed, it is in God that the speaker has put all his trust. Not in himself, because he has experienced his extreme misery (116:10); not in anyone else either, because it is clear that one cannot rely on human beings (116:11). Since he could not rely on his own strength nor resort to the help of anyone else, he acknowledges that he has received liberation, salvation and life from God alone. That is the reason why, from the very first word of his song, he declares his love: “I love” (116:1). Another verb that does not need to state its object! With his love, his faith is expressed right from the start: indeed, confessing that God has heard his supplications, he immediately learns the lesson when he commits himself to call on him throughout his days (116:2). – “The last enemy to be destroyed is Death” (1 Cor 15:26) Beyond the difficulties, the contradictions, the anxieties of life, among all those who wish us ill and do us harm, the only real adversary of humankind is death. Indeed, the psalmist mentions no other enemy than death. One might think that he has come close to it and that it has almost brought him down to Sheol (Ps 116:3). But if we look more closely and take the words as they should be taken literally, it seems that the psalmist did not simply find himself in danger of death, but that he really experienced it, that he really went through it: “The cords of death encompassed me, and the anguishes of Sheol found me” (116:3); it was not from a danger, even a grave one, that the Lord liberated him, but from death itself (116:8). The historical situation which most closely resembles that of the psalmist is certainly that of the exile. When Amos prophesies the fate of his people at the heart of his book (Amos 5:1–17), he intones a funeral lamentation: “Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: ‘Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with no one to raise her up’” (Amos 5:1–2).6 Death, however, will not have the last word, but

6

See Amos, 159–185.

Psalm 116

149

the Lord “will raise up the booth of David that is fallen” (Amos 9:11).7 Representing his people as a whole, another personage also passed through death and was restored to life, for the salvation of his people; the one who sings Ps 116 is the brother of the Servant of the Lord (Isa 52:13–53:12). And this is how he presents himself when he concludes his song: “I am your servant, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, you have loosened my chains” (Ps 116:16).

7

Amos, 355–363.

3. TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY! COMPOSITION OF THE SECOND SEQUENCE (PS 115–116) Ps 115 1 Not

to us, O YHWH, not to us, but to YOUR NAME give glory, for YOUR FAITHFULNESS, for your loyalty. 2 Why should the nations say: “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens, all that he desires, he MAKES. 4 Their

idols are silver and gold, MADE by the hands of ADAM. 5 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have EYES and do not see, 6 they have EARS and DO NOT HEAR; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have FEET and DO NOT WALK; they do not murmur in their throat. 8 like them will be those who MAKE them, all those who trust in them. 9O

Israel, trust in YHWH: He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in YHWH: He is their help and their shield. 11 O fearful of YHWH, trust in YHWH: He is their help and their shield. 12 YHWH remembers us, he will bless; he will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, 13 he will bless the fearful of YHWH, the small with the great. 14 May

YHWH increase you, you and your CHILDREN; 15 blessed be you by YHWH who MADE the heavens and the earth. 16 The heavens are the heavens of YHWH, but the earth he has given to the CHILDREN of ADAM. 17 It is not THE DEAD who praise YAH, nor all those who go down into silence, 18 but as for us, we bless YAH, from now and forever. Praise YAH!

Ps 116 1I

love because YHWH HEARS the voice of my supplications, 2 because he inclined HIS EAR to me, and during my days I will call. 3 The

cords of DEATH encompassed me, and the anguishes of Sheol found me; I found anguish and sorrow, 4 and I called on THE NAME of YHWH: “Please, O YHWH, rescue my soul!” 5 YHWH is tender and righteous, and our God has mercy; 6 YHWH preserves the simple: I was deprived and he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, because YHWH has DONE good to you. 8 Because you have liberated my soul from DEATH, my EYES from tears, my FEET from stumbling: 9 I WILL WALK in the face of YHWH in the lands of the living. 10 I

believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” for me, I said in my trouble: “Every ADAM is a deceiver!”

11 As 12 What

shall I return to YHWH for all the good he has DONE to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and I will call on THE NAME of YHWH. 14 I will fulfil my vows to YHWH, yes, before all his people! 15 Precious in the EYES of YHWH is THE DEATH of HIS FAITHFUL. 16 Please, O YHWH, because I am your servant, I am your servant the SON of your handmaid, you have loosened my chains. 17 For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call on THE NAME of YHWH. 18 I will fulfil my vows to YHWH, yes, before all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of YHWH, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem! Praise YAH!

Composition of the Second Sequence (Ps 115–116)

151

The lexical connections are numerous, starting with the name “Yhwh”/“Yah” whose density is notable: 13 times in Ps 115 (in addition 2 occurrences of “God”) and 16 times in Ps 116 (plus 1 occurrence of “God”). – In the same line, “your name” at the beginning of the first psalm (115:1) is matched by the three occurrences of “the name of Yhwh” in the next psalm (116:4, 13, 17); – The same verb translated as “to make” and “to do” with God as its subject occurs twice in the first psalm (115:13, 15) and twice in the second one (116:7, 12); conversely, it has man as subject in 115:4, 8; – The word “adam”, meaning “man”, appears in 115:4, 16 and at the centre of the next psalm (116:11); – The same noun translated as “children” and “son” (115:14, 16; 116:16); in 115:14 it refers to descendants, in 116:16 to ancestors; – “Your faithfulness” (115:1) is matched by “his faithful” (116:15); – The word “the dead” at the end of the first psalm (115:17) is echoed by the three occurrences of “death” in the next psalm (116:3, 8, 15); – The four occurrences of “to trust” in Ps 115:8, 9, 10, 11 are matched by the four occurrences of “to call” in Ps 116:2, 4, 13, 17; – The two occurrences of “Praise Yah” act as final terms (115:18b & 116:19c); – “From now and forever” (115:18) and “during my days” (116:2) serve as median terms. Even more remarkable is the use of terms from the second part of Ps 115 (verses 4–8) in the next psalm: – Idols have two “ears and do not hear” (115:6), while “Yhwh hears” and “inclines his ear” (116:1–2); – Idols have two “eyes and do not see” (115:5) and the psalmist says: “you have liberated [...] my eyes from tears” (116:8). – Idols have two “feet and they do not walk” (115:7) and the palmist says: “you have liberated [...] my feet from stumbling: I will walk” (116:8–9). INTERPRETATION THE LORD HEARS AND SEES Idols made by human hands have two “ears and they do not hear” (115:6). They are unable to hear the voice of any supplication. They have two “eyes and do not see” (115:5). On the contrary, Yhwh is not deaf, he “inclines his ear” to the one who “calls” and he “hears the voice” of his “supplications” (116:1–2). In “his eyes” “the death of his faithful” is “precious” (116:15) and he “liberates” them (116:8). Not only does he hear and see, but he “does good” (116:7, 12) to those who call on his “name”, which a “deceitful” adam cannot accomplish it (116:11).

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THE LORD GIVES LIFE The makers of idols are revealed in the end to be as dead as the works of their hands (115:8). Their deluded senses would not allow them to see that they are totally incapable of giving life to what they make. When “anguish and sorrow” (116:3) arrive, the god in whom they “trust” cannot save them. On the other hand, those who believe that God hears are not mute: They do not cease to “call” his name and the Lord frees them from “death”, gives them the ability to “see” again by wiping away their “tears”, to “walk” by freeing their “feet” (116:8–9). He allows them to walk not only “in the lands of the living” but also “in the face of God”, which means both in the sight of God and in the face of the Lord. FROM SUPPLICATION TO PRAISE All those who “trust” not in the gold and silver of idols but in the Lord, their helper and shield, will be blessed (115:9–12). Then they will praise Yah and bless the Lord (115:17–18). Those who “call” on the name of Yahweh are saved and freed from death (116:3–8), so they can “call on the name of the Lord” by lifting up “the cup of salvation” (116:13), they can offer “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” to him by calling on his name (116:17). And for this reason, both psalms end with an “Alleluia” that invites all present, down to today’s reader, to join in the praise of Yah. “TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY” (115:1) The first verse sets the tone for the whole sequence. It is echoed at the centre of the next psalm in the words of the psalmist who confesses his radical personal poverty and that of every person who cannot be trusted. Everything is grace: not only the blessing granted to those who trust in the Lord (115:9–13), not only salvation and liberation that Yhwh gives to those who call upon him in faith, but also supplication and praise. It is not a prayer that merits salvation; a prayer is above all a gift of grace, as is a sacrifice of thanksgiving, a blessing and a praise. Everything comes from God, from the beginning to the end. It is God’s “faithfulness” and “loyalty” (115:1) that are the only source of faith and love (116:1, 10) of his “faithful” (15). Soli Deo Gloria!

III. PRAISE THE LORD, ALL YOU NATIONS The Third Sequence: Ps 117–118

1. PSALM 117 TEXT 1 Praise

2 because strong (is) his Yhwh, all you nations, glorify him, all you countries; faithfulness toward us, and the loyalty of Yahweh (endures) forever. Praise Yah!

With only two verses, Psalm 117 is the shortest in the psalter. It is so short that some are of the opinion that it is either the conclusion of the preceding psalm or the introduction to the subsequent one.1 COMPOSITION Commentators consider this psalm as a perfect model of the hymn: invitation to praise the Lord (1), motivation for praise introduced by kî (“because”, 2a).2 The body of the psalm is the size of a single piece, followed by the final acclamation “Hallelujah” which, as in the preceding psalm (see p. 147) and so many others, is the conclusion. The psalm is thus considered as consisting of two parts. + 1 PRAISE + glorify him, :: 2 because strong (is) :: and the loyalty = PRAISE

YHWH,

ALL YOU NATIONS, ALL YOU COUNTRIES;

TOWARD US

his faithfulness, (endures) forever.

of YHWH YAH!

The first part consists of two bimember segments; the first one (1) is of parallel construction, the second term of the first member, “Yhwh”, is, however, referred by a pronoun in the second member. In contrast, the second segment (2ab) is of specular construction:

1 2

See, e.g., Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 222. E.g., Kraus, II, 391; Lorenzin, 446–447; Girard, III, 220; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 223.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

– 2 because strong (is)

– (endures) FOREVER.

: toward us : of Yhwh

his faithfulness, and the loyalty

At the extremities are found the predicates,3 at the centre the subjects; the intermediate terms indicate firstly the beneficiaries (“us”), then the benefactor (“Yhwh”). The two segments form a single phrase: two main juxtaposed clauses (1a & 1b) followed by two nominal clauses introduced with “because” (2a & 2b) which thus express the reason for the call to praise. The name “Yhwh” appears in extreme members (1a & 2b). “Toward us” in 2a, which refers to Israel, corresponds to “all you nations” and “all you countries” in 1a and 1b, which presumably refer to other peoples, but would not exclude Israel. + 1 PRAISE + glorify him, :: 2 because strong (is) :: and the loyalty = PRAISE

YHWH,

ALL YOU NATIONS, ALL YOU COUNTRIES;

TOWARD US

his faithfulness, (endures) forever.

of YHWH YAH!

The final Hallelujah (2c), translated literally, repeats the first two words of the first part, except for the name of God in its full form “Yhwh” (1a). CONTEXT “WHERE IS THEIR GOD?” (PS 42:4, 11) When Israel is defeated, their enemies mock them and their God (see p. 130). When, on the other hand, they are liberated and regain their land, their institutions and their Temple, they regain their dignity before other peoples. Ezek 36 emphasises the mockery of the enemy (36:2–6, 15), but God promises to “sanctify his name” before the nations (36:21–23) in order that “they will know that I am Yhwh” (36:23, 36). The conclusion of Zephaniah contrasts praise with disgrace: 18b

I have taken away your misfortune, no longer need you bear the disgrace of it. 19 I am taking action here and now against your oppressors. When that time comes I will rescue the lame, and gather the strays, 3

On the pairing of loyalty and fidelity, see p. 123.

Psalm 117

155

and I will win them praise and renown when I restore their fortunes. 20 At that time I shall be your guide, at the time when I gather you in; I shall give you praise and renown among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes under your own eyes, declares Yhwh. (Zeph 3:18b–20)

THE PEOPLES ARE CALLED TO PRAISE Ps 47 also invites the nations to praise the God of Israel: “All you peoples, clap your hands, acclaim God with the voice of shouts of joy!” (Ps 47:2). However, it celebrates the dominion that Israel now has over their enemies: “He subdues peoples under us and countries under our feet” (Ps 47:4). There is nothing like that in Ps 117, even though we may assume that the Lord’s salvation and protection of his people could not have been achieved without their oppressors being brought low. THE PASSOVER CELEBRATION OF 515 Ezra 6:19–22 records how those who had returned from the Babylonian exile, finally reunited with those who had remained, celebrated the Passover. This restored feast gives an idea of the situation in which the psalm finds its meaning. ROM 15 In the letter to the Romans, Paul quotes Ps 117 and places it in its biblical context, adding not only another quotation from the Psalms, but also one from the Torah and one from the Prophets. Thus, the whole of Scripture witnesses the fact that in Christ the call of Israel to lead the nations to glorify God is fulfilled. 5

Now the God of perseverance and encouragement give you all the same purpose, following the example of Christ Jesus, 6 so that you may together give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one heart. 7 Accept one another, then, for the sake of God's glory, as Christ accepted you. 8 I tell you that Christ's work was to serve the circumcised, fulfilling the truthfulness of God by carrying out the promises made to the fathers, 9 and his work was also for the gentiles, so that they should give glory to God for his faithful love; as scripture says: “For this I shall praise you among the nations and sing praise to your name”; (Ps 18:50) 10 And in another place it says: “Nations, rejoice, with his people”; (Deut 32:43) 11 and in another place again: “Praise the Lord, all nations, extol him, all peoples.” (Ps 117:1) 12 And in Isaiah, it says: “The root of Jesse will appear, he who rises up to rule the nations. and in him the nations will put their hope.” (Isa 11:10)

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

13

May the God of hope give you all joy and peace in your faith, so that in the power of the Holy Spirit you may be rich in hope.

INTERPRETATION Those who experience intense joy cannot refrain from communicating it, from proclaiming it from the rooftops: Everyone must know of their happiness and share their joy. However, beyond this psychological aspect, what is at stake in these few words is simply the election of Israel and its relationship to other peoples. From the beginning and throughout its history, relationships between the chosen people and their neighbours have been problematic and often marked by violence. The most unbearable was slavery in Egypt, but the exile in Babylon was no less painful. Besides the inevitable tensions which mark relationships between peoples, the fact that Israel has always claimed to be chosen by the God of all the earth to receive his revelation has led to jealousy and persecution from other nations. So strong was this persecution that these nations sought to destroy the Lord’s favourite nation. Such was the story of Joseph, following that of the first two brothers (Gen 4), and such was the story of the deportation to Babylon. To speak only of biblical times, and not of our own. This psalm is totally peaceful, so much so that one cannot avoid thinking that it is the invitation which will resound at the end of time, when Israel will be freed from the pride which it could derive from its election, and when the nations will definitely overcome the jealousy which the particular gift given to the one chosen among all aroused, when in short all will understand and accept that the election was for the joy of one as well as of the others.

2. PSALM 118 TEXT 1 Give

thanks to Yhwh, yes, (he is) good; yes, his faithfulness (endures) forever! 2 Let Israel say it: yes, his faithfulness (endures) forever! 3 Let the House of Aaron say: yes, his faithfulness (endures) forever! 4 Let the fearful of Yhwh say: yes, his faithfulness (endures) forever! 5 In my anguish I called to Yah; Yah answered me in a broad place. 6 Yhwh is for me, I fear not; what can the adam do to me? 7 Yhwh is for me, among my helpers; and as for me, I will see my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in adam! 9 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in princes! 10 All the nations encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 11 They surrounded me and encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 12 They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 13 You pushed me, you pushed to make me fall, but Yhwh helped me. 14 Yah is my strength and my song, and he in the tents of the righteous: has become for me salvation. 15 Shout of joy and of salvation “The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds! 16 The right hand of Yhwh exalts! The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live and I will recount the deeds of Yah. 18 He punished me, punished me Yah, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will come there and I will give thanks to Yah. 20 This is the gate of Yhwh; the righteous will come there. 21 “I give you thanks because you have answered me, and you have become for me salvation.” 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. 23 This has been from Yhwh; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day that Yhwh has made; let us exult and rejoice in it: 25 “Please, O Yhwh, save us! Please, O Yhwh, make us victorious!” 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yhwh; we bless you from the house of Yhwh. 27 God (is) Yhwh and he gives us light. Bind the victim with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my God and I give you thanks, my God, I exalt you. [I give you thanks because you have answered me and you 29 Give thanks to Yhwh, yes, (he is) good; have become for me salvation.”] yes, his faithfulness (endures) forever!

10–12: “I WILL CIRCUMCISE THEM” The expression inevitably brings to mind the story of David who pays the dowry of King Saul’s daughter with two hundred foreskins of the Philistines (1 Sam 18:20–27). For this reason, the majority translate, in a roundabout way, “to exterminate” (Peshitta and Targum), “to destroy” (liturgical psalter), “to slay” (Osty, TOB), “to cut down” (BJ). 13: “YOU PUSHED ME” The ancient versions have “I was pushed”, which supposes that the subject is “the enemies” just mentioned. For the Masoretic text the problem is to identify the referent of the subject: some think that it is God, others the enemies now addressed in the singular.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

16: “THE RIGHT HAND OF YHWH EXALTS” The polel of rwm means “to lift up”, “to raise up”, “to exalt” (Ps 107:25); 1 Sam 2:7–8: “The Lord makes poor and makes rich, he brings low and raises up”).1 27CD: “BIND THE VICTIM WITH ROPES” The second word of 27b, ḥag, means “feast”, and even the dances that accompany it, especially the ritual dances that consist of going around the altar several times. For this reason, most translations and commentaries follow the Septuagint and translate: “Tighten your processions with branches”, often seeing in the latter term the ritual bouquets waved at the Feast of Tabernacles. However, the word ḥag is also used to designate the victim of the feast (Exod 23:18; Mal 2:3). As for the following word, its primary meaning is “braided thing”, meaning primarily “rope” as in the story of Samson (Judg 16:11). Since it concerns approaching the altar, the most natural thing is to think of the sacrifice of “thanksgiving” (tôdâ) which will be performed there; indeed, the verb of the same root is used three times (19, 21, 28a, [28b]). The sacrifice of thanksgiving was already mentioned in the same position in Ps 116 (verse 17; see p. 147). Such is the reading of the Targum. For the composition of the psalm, many point out that it is framed by two doxologies (1 & 29).2 The majority consider 1–4 (or 2–4) as the invitatory and then distinguish two parts—two hymns—but the borderline between these two parts varies.3 For Girard, the body of the psalm, framed by a large inclusion (1–4 & 29), is organised into three parallel parts (5–13, 14–20, 21–28).4 Two identical, very brief parts (1 & 29) frame three more extensive parts (see the whole, p. 168): The psalmist invites all Israel to join in his thanksgiving (2– 12); he proclaims how God has saved him from death (13–18); finally, with all, he gives thanks in the Temple (19–28). Each of these three parts has a concentric composition and the whole is also organised concentrically.

1

Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 230. Lorenzin, 447; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 578; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 233. 3 Kraus (II, 394) places the break between 21 and 22; on the other hand Ravasi (III, 421), Lorenzin and Hossfeld – Zenger place it between 18 and 19. 4 Girard, III, 222–223. 2

Psalm 118

159

THE SECOND PART (2–12) COMPOSITION + + +

2

Let him say, Let them say, 4 Let them say, 3

ISRAEL: yes, forever the house of Aaron: yes, forever the fearful of YHWH: yes, forever

his faithfulness! his faithfulness! his faithfulness!

·································································································································

= 5 In my anguish

· 6 YHWH is for me, · 7 YHWH is for me,

I called to YAH;

he answered me

I fear not; among my helpers;

what can do to me and I will see my

in a broad place, YAH. THE ADAM? ENEMIES.

··········································································································

· 8 Better to take refuge in YHWH · 9 Better to take refuge in YHWH + 10 ALL THE NATIONS + 11 They surrounded me + 12 They surrounded me

encircled me; and encircled me; like bees.

than to trust in than to trust in

in the name of YHWH in the name of YHWH

ADAM! PRINCES!

yes, I will circumcise them! yes, I will circumcise them!

·································································································································

= they blazed

like a fire of thorns;

in the name of YHWH

yes, I will circumcise them!

The first part is organised into three subparts. The central subpart (6–9) comprises two pieces, the first piece (6–7) is in the first person singular, the second piece (8–9) is in the third person singular, thus stating a general principle. In the first piece (6–7) the first members of the two segments begin in the same way with “Yhwh is for me”; the parallelism of the two bimember segments of the second piece (8–9) is even more extensive, since only the final terms of each segment are not identical. The final terms of the four segments correspond to each other: “The Adam” is repeated at the end of the first segments of each piece (6 & 8); “princes” of 9 are thus paralleled by “enemies” in 7. The other two subparts (2–5 & 10–12) are parallel to each other. Each consists of two pieces, the first pieces are formed of three segments (2–4 & 10–12a), the second pieces contain one segment (5 & 12b). In the first subpart, the three bimembers of the first piece are almost identical (2–4): Only the subjects of the first members are different (“Israel”, “the house of Aaron”, “the fearful of Yhwh”). Similarly, though to a lesser extent, the three segments of the first piece of the last subpart (10–12a) are parallel to each other: The first members have the same subject, expressed at the beginning of the first segment (10), and the same verb is repeated four times5. The second members of the first two 5

The two forms of the verb, a regular one (sabbûnî) and disassociated form (sebābûnî; see Joüon, § 82a), have been translated by synonyms “to encircle” and “to surround”, following Le Psautier: version œcuménique, texte liturgique.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

bimember segments are identical (10 & 11); but the third segment (12a) is a unimember. The second pieces of the extreme subparts (5 & 12b) comprise only one bimember segment. They both represent, in their own way, the conclusion of the respective subparts. Verse 5 states the reason why all Israel must proclaim that the faithfulness of the Lord is “forever”: It is because Yah has saved the psalmist from anguish. Similarly, at the end of the last subpart (12b), the enemies who surrounded the psalmist “like bees” (12a) are burned “like a fire of thorns” (12b); the second member of the final bimember segment (12b) repeats the second members of 10 and 11, thus expressing the happy outcome of the battle. It is then by giving victory over the nations (12b) that the Lord “expanded” the psalmist (5). One may observe the triple repetition of kî, translated as “yes”, at the beginning (2, 3, 4) and at the end (10, 11, 12b). + + +

2

Let him say, Let them say, 4 Let them say, 3

ISRAEL: yes, forever the house of Aaron: yes, forever the fearful of YHWH: yes, forever

his faithfulness! his faithfulness! his faithfulness!

·································································································································

= 5 In my anguish

· 6 YHWH is for me, · 7 YHWH is for me,

I called to YAH;

he answered me

I fear not; among my helpers;

in a broad place, YAH.

what can do to me and I will see my

THE ADAM? ENEMIES.

·········································································································

· 8 Better to take refuge in YHWH · 9 Better to take refuge in YHWH + 10 ALL THE NATIONS + 11 They surrounded me + 12 They surrounded me

encircled me; and encircled me; like bees.

than to trust in than to trust in

in the name of YHWH in the name of YHWH

ADAM! PRINCES!

yes, I will circumcise them! yes, I will circumcise them!

·································································································································

= they blazed

like a fire of thorns;

in the name of YHWH

yes, I will circumcise them!

The whole of “Israel” at the beginning of the first subpart (2)—including “the house of Aaron” (3) and “the fearful of Yhwh” (4)—is contrasted with “all” the pagan “nations” at the beginning of the last subpart (10). The first subpart includes the name “Yah” twice (5), in the second subpart the name “Yhwh” occurs four times (8 & 9), in the third subpart the name “Yhwh” occurs three times (10, 11, 12b). The central subpart (6–9) begins with a question (6), again verifying the law of the question at the centre.6 It differs from the other two subparts because it resembles a personal meditation rather than a proclamation addressed to others: In fact, whereas the preceding verse (5) is in the past tense, and likewise the entire last subpart (10–12), this one is in the present tense (first members of 6–7) 6

See Traité 2007.2013: 417–435; 2021: 348–365 = Treatise, 280–286.

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and contemplates the future (second members of the same segments); moreover, the second piece (8–9) is made up of nominal phrases which state a general principle. CONTEXT – “Yes, forever his faithfulness” (Ps 118:2–4) This will also be the second member of the twenty-six segments of Ps 136, called “The Great Hallel” (see p. 519). – “Like bees” (Ps 118:12a) The same image is used at the beginning of Deuteronomy: “The Amorites who lived in that hill country then came out against you and chased you as bees do” (Deut 1:44). – “I will circumcise them” (Ps 118:10–12) The Hebrew text has the hiphil (factitive) of the verb mūl, “to circumcise”; this is the only case in the whole Bible. The Septuagint translates it as “I repulsed them”, the Syriac version and the Targum as “I exterminated them”. The latter interpretation recalls that King Saul had promised David to give him his daughter if he brought him a hundred foreskins of the Philistines; he brought him twice as many, taken from the corpses of the enemies of the king of Israel (1 Sam 18).7 INTERPRETATION – A State Affair If all Israel—priests and faithful—are invited to celebrate the faithfulness of the Lord (Ps 118:2–4), it is because it was their fate that was at stake: All the nations had indeed joined forces to attack them from all sides (118:10–12a). The person speaking in the first person singular can hardly be a private individual: One hardly sees “all the nations” pursuing an isolated individual. Unless, of course, it is a person who presides over the destiny of the whole people. The “enemies” whom he will “see”, in other words, whose defeat he will see (118:7), are “princes” (118:9) of the nations that had attacked him. With the experience of having been put out “into a broad place” by the Lord (118:5), this leader of the people can now affirm before all his faith in God, a confidence which will allow him to face the future in all security, “because the faithfulness of the Lord is forever” (118:2–4).

7

See Ravasi, III, 412, 425–426.

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THE THIRD PART (13–18) COMPOSITION + 13 You PUSHED ME,

YOU PUSHED ME

14

=

My strength and MY SONG :: and he has become for me

15

to make me fall,

+ 18 He PUNISH ME,

PUNISHED ME

helped me.

(is) YAH, SALVATION.

Shout of joy and SALVATION in the tents of the righteous:

:: 17 I shall not die, = and I will RECOUNT THE DEEDS

but YHWH

“ The right hand of YHWH The right hand of YHWH The right hand of YHWH

16

valiantly! exalts! DID valiantly!” DID

but I shall live of YAH. YAH,

but to death he gave me not.

This part consists of three pieces. The extreme pieces (13–14 & 17–18) are formed of two bimember segments which correspond to each other in a specular manner. The extreme segments begin with the same syntactic emphatic construction, “you pushed me, you pushed me” (13a), “he punished me, punished me” (18a); the second members oppose the first ones. The second and penultimate segments (14 & 17) mirror each other. In the extreme members “my song” (14a) relates to “I will recount” (17b); on the other hand, these members end with the name “Yah”. “Salvation” in 14b corresponds to “I shall live” in 17a. The central piece (15–16) consists of a bimember segment (15ab) which introduces the trimember segment of acclamation (15c–16b); this trimember is of ABA’ type. The name “Yhwh” or “Yah” occurs twice in the extreme pieces. The two occurrences of “salvation” act as median terms for the first two pieces (14b & 15a); “the deeds” of 17b recall the two occurrences of the verb “did” in the central piece (15c & 16b). “I shall not die” in 17a and “death” in 18 form an inclusion for the last piece; it is possible to see a connection between these two words of the same root and the verb “to fall” in 13, as this verb is often used as a metaphor for death.8 While the extreme pieces are expressed in the singular of the psalmist, the central piece reports the words of the righteous in the plural. At the heart of the central acclamation, the verb “to exalt” (16a) is in consonance with “to help” (13), “salvation” (14b & 15a), “I shall live” (17a) and “to death he gave me not” (18).

8

For example, in Amos 5:2: “She has fallen down, never to rise again, the virgin Israel” (see Amos, 160).

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CONTEXT – The Song of the Sea The connections with the Song of the Sea are apparent. Verse 14 of our psalm repeats literally the beginning of Exod 15:2. Moreover, the central acclamation recalls Exod 15:6, “Your right hand, O Yhwh, glorious in power, your right hand, O Yhwh, shatters the enemy”. – The Book of Emmanuel Ps 118:14 is also taken up in Isa 12:2, in the little psalm that concludes the Book of Emmanuel. This psalm comes after the oracle announcing the return of the deportees, where the return from exile is compared with the exodus: 15

Then Yahweh will dry up the gulf of the Sea of Egypt, he will raise his hand against the River with the heat of his breath. He will divide it into seven streams for them to cross dry-shod. 16 And there will be a highway for the remnant of his people for those still left, from Assyria, as there was for Israel when he came out of Egypt. (Isa 11:15–16)

INTERPRETATION – “You pushed me, you pushed” (Ps 118:13) In the present state of the Masoretic text, the psalmist addresses the second person singular from the beginning, which is not surprising. Both the Septuagint and the Targum have the first person singular passive: “I was pushed”. Many translations and commentaries prefer to use an impersonal formula: “Someone pushed me”; others, the third person plural, in line with the preceding verses: “They surrounded me and encircled me” (118:10–12), “they pushed me” (118:13).9 Only the TOB retains the second person singular, pointing out the problem: “Ambiguity, either God (Ibn Ezra) or the enemy (Rashi)”. The first interpretation could be supported by the composition of the part, since the last segment (118:18), which is parallel to the first segment, has God as its subject. However, it seems difficult to accept that the Lord’s chastisement was intended to make the psalmist fall, in other words, to die. Rashi’s interpretation takes into account the second member of the segment: It is difficult to imagine that the speaker would switch so abruptly from the second to the third person: “Yhwh” cannot be at the same time the one who causes death and the one who helps. Rashi’s interpretation is undoubtedly prompted by the preceding verses: After 9

Ravasi, III, 408.

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speaking of his enemy in the third person plural, the psalmist apostrophizes him in the singular as if “all the nations” were one man. It is thus possible to understand that the first words of this part represent the shattering beginning of his victory song. – “He punished me, punished me” (118:18) It was indeed the enemy who had decided to terminate Israel, to make him fall so that he would never rise again (118:13). And yet, the psalmist’s conviction is that through this human persecution, it was God who was directing the history. Declaring that it was his Lord who punished him harshly, he thereby acknowledges his sin. If he does not confess the breaches of the covenant that brought him such misfortune, it means that this is not the time, since he is rejoicing in the fact that he has been saved from death. – “The right hand of the Lord exalts!” (118:16) The ancient Greek and Syriac versions interpreted the central member of the acclamation of the righteous as follows: “The right hand of the Lord has exalted me”. That is also the choice of Louis Jacquet who writes: “with LXX and Syr rather than ‘exalted” (MT and Jerome) because of the context 17–18.”10 The Masoretic text does not have the object pronoun, which gives the expression a broader meaning: “The right hand of the Lord exalts” all those who, like the psalmist, need help, need to be saved from death. The participle (lit., “The right hand of Yhwh [is] exalting”) sounds like an epithet of nature. Placed at the centre of the part, it summarises it by focusing it on the Lord. It is true that it is the psalmist who speaks, who proclaims that he has been saved, but his song is about Yah: Everything comes from him, even punishment, but above all salvation and life. The central triple acclamation, placed in the mouth of the assembly of the righteous, sees only the Lord and his glory. THE FOURTH PART (19–28) COMPOSITION The part is formed of three subparts. The extreme subparts (19–21 & 27b–28), which comprise only one piece, are in the first person singular, the central part (22–27a), which comprises three pieces, is in the first person plural. The first subpart (19–21) has three bimember segments. The first two segments (19 & 20) repeat the word “gate/s” in their first members and the verb “to enter” in the second members; in addition, “the righteous” in the second member of 20 corresponds to “righteousness” in the first member of 19. The term “to give thanks” occurs in the extreme segments (19 & 21). The last subpart 10

Jacquet, III, 307.

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(27b–28) parallels the first one: likewise, it begins with an imperative (“bind” in 27b; like “open” in 19); with the repetition of “I give you thanks”, 28 corresponds to 21. The Septuagint repeats at the end of the last subpart the final segment of the first subpart (21). + 19 OPEN to me the gates + 20 This is the gate : 21 I GIVE YOU THANKS – 22 The stone = 23 From 24

This is

I WILL COME there and GIVE THANKS to YAH. the righteous WILL COME there. for you have answered me; and for me SALVATION. of righteousness; of YHWH;

that the builders rejected this

YHWH

;

the day that YHWH has made;

let us exult and rejoice in it: – 26 Blessed is HE WHO COMES in YHWH’s name (is) YHWH = 27 God + BIND the victim you (are), : 28 My God, : [I GIVE YOU THANKS

with ropes I GIVE THANKS TO YOU,

it is wonderful 25

the head of the corner. in our eyes.

“Please, O YHWH, SAVE US! Please, O YHWH,

make us victorious!”

we bless you from the house of YHWH. and he gives light to us. to the horns my God,

for you have answered me; and

of the altar. I exalt you. for me SALVATION.]

The central subpart consists of three pieces. The first piece (22–23) consists of two bimembers; the second segment, which repeats the verb “has become”, reveals the origin of the wonder spoken of in the first segment. Similarly, in the third piece, the second segment (27a) emphasizes that the blessing is given “in the name of Yhwh” (26). Thus, the two pieces are parallel to each other. Their first segments correspond to each other, for the one “who comes” (26) is none other than the figure presented as the rejected stone that “has become” the head of the corner (22); the second segments are also related to each other, at the beginning the affirmation of the origin of the blessing (23), followed by that of the “light” for “our eyes” (27a). The central piece is a double acclamation (25), introduced by the proclamation and the two imperatives of 24. The verb “to come” used twice at the beginning (19–20) is repeated in 26: The one who is blessed in the central subpart is the one who speaks of his coming in the first segment (19). The psalmist’s “salvation” (21, at the end of the first subpart) is repeated in verbal form as a prayer at the centre of the central subpart (25a; also at the end of the last subpart, if the Septuagint addition is retained). The various names of God are twelve (19, 20, 23, 24a, 25a, 25b, 26[2x], 27[2x], 28[2x]).

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CONTEXT – Blessing and light As expressed in Numbers 6, the blessing of the priests is presented as the light that comes from God and enlightens people: 24

May the Lord bless you May the Lord makes shine 26 May the Lord lift up 25

and keep you! his face upon you his face upon you

and be gracious to you! and give you peace!

– Repetitions in the New Testament These are the extreme pieces of the central subpart (Ps 118:22–23, 26–27a) that are quoted as applying to Jesus. In the first two Gospels, it is Jesus himself who applies Ps 118:22-23 in the conclusion of the parable of the murderous vineyard tenants (Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10–11). As for Luke 20:17, in the parallel passage, he takes up only verse 22 of the psalm; he does the same in Acts 4:11 in Peter’s speech to the Sanhedrin. The First Letter of Peter (2:4–8) first freely quotes Ps 118:22 in verse 4, then literally in verse 7; it alternates these quotations with two others from Isaiah, first Isa 28:16 in verse 6, then Isa 8:14 in verse 8: 4

He is the living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him, set yourselves close to him, 5 so that you, too, may be living stones making a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer the spiritual sacrifices made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 As scripture says: Now I am laying a stone in Zion, a chosen, precious cornerstone and no one who relies on this will be brought to disgrace. 7 To you believers it brings honour. But for unbelievers, it is rather a stone which the builders rejected that became the head of the corner, 8 a stumbling stone, a rock to trip people up. They stumble over it because they do not believe in the Word. (1 Pet 2:4–8)

The blessing in Ps 118:26 is also repeated for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in Matt 21:9 and parallels (the same in Matt 23:39 and parallels). INTERPRETATION – “He who comes” (Ps 118:26) The personage who arrives at the Temple seems to be someone who is used to command. He is the one who orders the gates to be opened (118:19) and then the victim to be brought to the altar (118:27b). He gives his orders to others in a sovereign way. But he does not proceed alone: “the righteous” pass through “the gates of righteousness” with him (118:19–20). Together, they come to perform an act of righteousness, the sacrifice of thanksgiving which he has

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decided to offer, recognising in this way the righteousness of the one who has saved him, and with him all those around him. – “We bless you” (118:26) Arriving in a procession with others, giving orders, the sovereign comes not only to his Lord, but also to all those in the Temple who are at his service. It is like a choir that forms around the one who comes to celebrate the wonders of God. The “us” that resounds (118:22–27a) seems to come from all the mouths. All recognise that the Lord has turned the situation completely around. The image of the stone that was rejected and then became the head of the corner is very appropriate in this house of God where we know what building means; it also fits marvellously with the building of a people that acclaims the one whom the Lord has placed at its head against all odds. This is the reason why the traditional formula of welcome is first addressed to the individual who comes at the head of his people (118:26a), but it immediately extends to all his companions (118:26b). Everything converges in a unanimous acclamation of jubilation and joy (118:24); curiously, however, this acclamation takes up the terms of the supplication (118:25). Celebrating salvation by claiming it from the Lord is perhaps another way of signifying very solemnly that it could only come from him; it is also undoubtedly a way of asking for its permanence for the future.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM COMPOSITION 1

GIVE THANKS to YHWH, yes, he is good;

yes, his faithfulness endures forever!

2

yes, his faithfulness endures forever! yes, his faithfulness endures forever! yes, his faithfulness endures forever!

Let Israel say: Let the House of Aaron say: 4 Let the fearful of YHWH say: 3

···················································································································· 5

In my anguish I called to YAH; 6 7

YHWH is for me, I fear not; YHWH is for me, among my HELPERS;

YAH ANSWERED ME in a broad place. what can the adam DO to me? and as for me, I will see my enemies.

················································································································ 8 9

It is better to take refuge in YHWH It is better to take refuge in YHWH

10

All the nations encircled me; They surrounded me and encircled me; 12 They surrounded me like bees. 11

than to trust in adam! than to trust in princes! in the name of YHWH, yes, I will circumcise them! in the name of YHWH, yes, I will circumcise them!

····················································································································

they blazed like a fire of thorns; 13

You pushed me, you pushed to make me fall, but YHWH HELPED me. 14 YAH is my strength and my song, and he has become for me 15

Shout of joy and of SALVATION in the tents of the RIGHTEOUS: 17

18

19 20

I shall not die, but I shall live He punished me, punished me YAH,

Open to me the gates of righteousness; This is the gate of YHWH; 21 “I GIVE YOU THANKS for YOU HAVE ANSWERED ME 22

in the name of YHWH, yes, I will circumcise them!

The stone that the builders rejected 23 This has been from YHWH;

SALVATION.

“ The right hand of YHWH DID valiantly! The right hand of YHWH exalts! The right hand of YHWH DID valiantly!”

16

and I will recount THE DEEDS of YAH. but he did not give me over to death. I will come there and GIVE THANKS to YAH. the RIGHTEOUS will come there. and you have become for me SALVATION.” has become the head of the corner. it is wonderful in our eyes.

···········································································································

24 25 26

This is the day that YHWH HAS MADE; let us exult and rejoice in it: “Please, O YHWH, SAVE us! Please, O YHWH, make us victorious!”

···········································································································

Blessed is he who comes in the name of YHWH; we bless you from the house of YHWH. 27 God is YHWH and he gives us light.

Bind the victim with ropes 28 “You are MY GOD and I GIVE YOU THANKS, [I GIVE YOU THANKS for YOU HAVE ANSWERED ME 29

GIVE THANKS to YHWH, yes, he is good;

to the horns of the altar. I exalt you. and you have become for me

MY GOD,

SALVATION.”]

yes, his faithfulness endures forever!

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The extreme parts which are the size of a single bimember segment are identical (1 & 29). The second member of the first segment is repeated exactly in the second members of the three subsequent segments (2, 3, 4). The verb “to give thanks” with which the last segment begins (1) is repeated several times in the penultimate part (19, 21, 28a, [28b]). It may also be added that the word translated as “good” in 1 occurs twice in 8–9 where it is translated as “better”. The connections between the second and penultimate parts are not numerous. He “answered me” at the end of the first subpart of the second part (5) is repeated in a similar position in 21 (and 28b). The same verb translated as “to do/make” occurs in the central subparts, with “adam” as its subject in the first instance (6), “Yhwh” in the second instance (24). “In the name of”, which occurs three times at the end of the second part (10–12), is used once in 26. The two occurrences of the verb “to do” at the centre of the central section (taken up by “the deeds” in 17) are matched by two occurrences of the same verb (at the centre of the second and penultimate sections (6 & 24, here translated as “has made”). The verb “to help”, which specifies what “to do” means, is used at the beginning of the central part (13), but it was already used at the centre of the second part (7). God’s help is none other than salvation. “And he has become for me salvation” of 14 is taken up again in 21 (and 28b); “salvation” which is used twice in the central part (14 & 15) thus returns in 21, but also, in verbal form, in the centre of the penultimate part (25). “The righteous” of 15b is taken up again in 20 (preceded by “righteousness” in 19). The verb “to exalt” at the heart of the central acclamation (16a) is taken up again at the end of the fourth part (28a), but this time the subject is no longer “Yhwh”, but the psalmist. The name “Yah” or “Yhwh”, which occurs seven times in the central part (13, 14, 15c, 16a, 16b, 17, 18), is used ten times in the second part and nine times in the penultimate part (to which should be added “my God” in 27–28a), and finally once in each of the extreme parts. CONTEXT – The Song of the Sea Ps 118:14 repeats literally Exod 15:2a; furthermore the second member of Ps 118:14 is repeated in the second member of verse 21. It can be added that Ps 118:28 echoes Exod 15:2bc, “He is my God, I shall praise him, the God of my father, I shall exalt him.” The central acclamation of psalm 118 recalls the centre of the first part of the Song of the Sea: “Your right hand, O Yhwh, glorious in power, your right hand, O Yhwh, shatters the enemy” (Exod 15:6). It should be added that “faithfulness”, which occurs five times in the psalm, is also found in Exod 15:13, and especially that “all the nations” of Ps 118:10 can be related to the Egyptian “enemy” of Exod 15:6–9 and to all the “peoples” that the Israelites will have to face later: Philistia, Edom, Moab, Canaan (Exod 15:14–15).

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

– Isa 45 The key words of the central part of the psalm, “to do/make”, “salvation”, “righteous”, echoed in the other parts, are found abundantly in Isa 45, as in the following example. : 7 I form : I MAKE :: It is I,

light well-being Yhwh,

+ 8 Rain down, and let the clouds

and I create and I create who MAKE

darkness, disaster, all these things.

you heavens, pour down

from above, RIGHTEOUSNESS,

+ let open the earth and produce SALVATION, and let RIGHTEOUSNESS spring up together. :: It is I,

Yhwh,

who have created

it.

– In the New Testament Ps 118:6 is quoted in Heb 13:6. In Eph 2:20 Christ is called a “cornerstone”, as in Ps 118:22 (see also 1 Cor 3:11). But in the conclusion of the parable of the homicidal vinedressers, Jesus applies it to himself in particular in verses 22–23 of our psalm (Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17 only quotes the first verse of the two). The beginning of verse 26 of Ps 118 is repeated during Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Matt 21:9 and parallels; see also Matt 23:39 and parallels), accompanied by the acclamation “Hosanna” (“save us”) which is also found in Ps 118:25. INTERPRETATION – The works of the Lord At the heart of the psalm resounds the triple acclamation of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord exalts”, his right hand “did” great things (118:15– 16). The “deeds” of God that the psalmist wants to recount (118:17) can be summed up in one word, “salvation” (118:14, 15, 21, [28b]). It was a “help” (118:7, 13) that delivered him certainly from death (118:17–18), which “the adam” (118:6, 8), the “princes” (118:9) of “all the nations” (118:10) intended to inflict on him. With this help, God “answered” his cry (118:5, 21). All this was done because of the “faithfulness” (118:1–4, 29) sworn to his people by the God of the covenant. – “It is righteous and good to give you thanks” The salvation worked by the Lord is answered by the acclamations of the righteous (118:15ab). Righteousness here is a human act: It is only righteous to “give thanks” to God for his work of salvation. However, it is possible to

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understand that “the gates of righteousness” are not only those through which the righteous pass; they are also, and perhaps above all, those where the righteousness of God in saving his people is recognised and proclaimed. Indeed, “the gates of righteousness” (118:19) are called in the next verse “the gate of the Lord” (118:20). The reason why “the righteous will come there” is that in this place of passage and meeting, the righteousness of God and the righteousness of his people are brought together. As Isaiah says, righteousness is poured down from heaven, but it also springs up from the earth (Isa 45:8). This is the meaning of “giving thanks” (Ps 118:1, 19, 21, 28a, [28b], 29): To manifest one’s righteousness by proclaiming the righteousness of God. – Nehemiah and Jesus If, as many believe, the psalm was composed during the exile or even, more likely, after the return, the person who expresses himself in it cannot be a king, since Israel was dispossessed of kingship at that time. Some recognize in it the features of Nehemiah,11 who triumphed over those who tried to prevent him from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 4). However, the historical origin of the psalm and the identity of the psalmist are left to mere conjectures. What is known for certain is that this psalm closes the series of the Passover Hallel, that it was and is recited at the time of filling the fourth cup of the Passover seder. It is therefore the last psalm that Jesus sang with his disciples before going to the garden of Gethsemane where he was to be arrested. Just as the Passover meal, where he gives his body and pours out his blood, already prefigures and realises the sacrifice he will accomplish in his Passion, so the song of Ps 118 can be read as an anticipation of his Passover mystery. And that is indeed how his disciples interpreted it from the beginning. This is the reason why this psalm has become the psalm par excellence of the new and eternal Passover in the Christian liturgy: “This is the day that the Lord has made, a day of joy and gladness.”

11

Deissler, 199.

3. PRAISE THE LORD, ALL YOU NATIONS COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SEQUENCE (PS 117–118) Ps 117 Praise YHWH, ALL YOU NATIONS, glorify him, all you countries; because strong is for us HIS FAITHFULNESS, and the loyalty of YHWH endure FOREVER. Praise YAH! 1 2

Ps 118 Give thanks to YHWH, yes, he is good; yes, HIS FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! 2 Let Israel say: yes, HIS FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! 3 Let the House of Aaron say: yes, HIS FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! 4 Let the fearful of YHWH say: yes, HIS FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! 5 In my anguish I called to YAH; YAH answered me in a broad place. 1

YHWH is for me, I fear not; what can the adam do to me? 7 YHWH is for me, among my helpers; and as for me, I will see my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in YHWH than to trust in adam! 9 It is better to take refuge in YHWH than to trust in princes! 6

ALL THE NATIONS encircled me; in the name of YHWH, yes, I will circumcise them! 11 They surrounded me and encircled me; in the name of YHWH, yes, I will circumcise them! 12 They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of YHWH, yes, I will circumcise them! 10

You pushed me, you pushed to make me fall, but YHWH helped me. 14 YAH is my strength and my song, and he has become for me salvation. 15 Shout of joy and of salvation in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of YHWH has done powerful deeds! 16 The right hand of YHWH exalts! The right hand of YHWH has done powerful deeds!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live and I will recount the deeds of YAH. 18 He punished me, punished me YAH, but he did not give me over to death. 13

Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will come there and I will give thanks to YAH. 20 This is the gate of YHWH; the righteous will come there. 21 “I give you thanks because you have answered me, and you have become for me salvation.” 19

The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. 23 This has been from YHWH; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day that YHWH has made; let us exult and rejoice in it: 25 “Please, O YHWH, save us! Please, O YHWH, make us victorious!” 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of YHWH; we bless you from the house of YHWH. 27 God is YHWH and he gives us light. 22

Bind the victim with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my God and I give you thanks, my God, I exalt you. [I give you thanks because you have answered me and you have become for me salvation.”] 29 Give thanks to YHWH, yes, he is good; yes, HIS FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER!

In addition to the name “Yhwh”/“Yah”, which is repeated 28 times in the second psalm, the common terms between the two psalms are: – “All you/the nations” (117:1 & 118:10); – “His faithfulness” (117:2; 118:2, 3, 4, 29) accompanied by “forever”; – “For us” translates two syntagms whose prepositions are not the same but are nevertheless synonymous (‘ālênû in Ps 117:2; lî in Ps 118:6, 7, 14, 21, 28); – Neither “praise” nor “glorify” (117) are repeated in the next psalm, but terms belonging to the same semantic field abound: especially “to give thanks” (118:1,

Composition of the Third Sequence (Ps 117–118)

173

19, 21, 28[2x], 29), but also “to recount the deeds of Yhwh” (118:17), “to exalt” (118:28) and even “to exult” and “to rejoice” (118:24). INTERPRETATION In its extreme brevity, Ps 117 serves as a key for reading the whole sequence, actually for the long Ps 118. All the pagan “nations” are invited by Israel to praise the Lord because he has delivered him from their hands and thus united them as one people in praise.1 This paradox also runs through the whole of the following psalm. First of all, they are “the fearful of the Lord”, those pagans who are close to Israel and to their God—according to the common interpretation—who are invited to say: “Yes, his faithfulness endures forever” (118:4). “The stone that the builders rejected” (118:22) is none other than Israel rejected by the nations.2 Now “it has become the head of the corner”, the one who ensures the cohesion of the construction. Curiously, whereas it was an individual who spoke from the beginning of the psalm, it is now the “us” who intervenes: “This has been from Yhwh; it is wonderful in our eyes” (118:23)! This “us”, which expressed in the whole central subpart of the last part (118:22– 27a), includes all those who have seen the wonderful work of God, not only Israel but all the peoples with them. The beginning of verse 26, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”, is interpreted in a number of ways. The most common is that the blessing is pronounced “in the name of the Lord”; that is the traditional greeting addressed to those who arrive: “Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” But it can also be understood that the newcomer “comes in the name of the Lord”, comes with the name of the God of Israel in his mouth; this would be the case of the pagan “fearful of God” who join the chosen people.3 In this line, then, the threefold enigma in Ps 118:10–12 could be enlightened: “all the nations encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them”. Circumcision is in fact the rite of entry into the Abrahamic covenant.

1

Revisit the interpretation of Ps 117, p. 156. See, e.g., Hakham, II, 469. 3 See Hakham, II, 470. 2

IV. FROM THE EXODUS IN EGYPT TO TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM The Whole of the Second Section: Ps 113–118

The section consists of six psalms organised into three sequences of two psalms each: Praise

the Lord,

you servants

TO YOUR NAME

Praise

the Lord,

GIVE

all

of the Lord

Ps 113–114

GLORY!

Ps 115–116

you nations

Ps 117–118

According to the Midrash Hallel, the Egyptian Hallel is the microcosm of the entire biblical revelation: The Torah comprises five books, the Psalter five books, the Hallel five psalms (Ps 113 and 114 being counted as one). [The Hallel] is a “total” text for several reasons. It is a five-part composition like the Torah, the total text par excellence. It contains within it the totality of the Psalms, being like the Psalms composed of five parts and bearing a name (Hallel) deeply related to that of the Psalms (tehillim). Being the quintessence of the psalms, it is necessarily the highest form of praise [...] In the Hallel all the generations and all the dimensions of time are gathered.1 The Jewish tradition distinguishes the first group: praise of the name of the Lord and his blessing by his servants (Ps 113–115); the second group: song for the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps 116); the third group: song of those who ascend to the house of the Everlasting (Ps 117–118).2

This traditional organisation is not accepted by all. Thus, for example, Hossfeld – Zenger group the six psalms into two sets of three, each organized in a concentric manner.3

1

J. COSTA, “Qu’est-ce que le Hallel? L’introduction du Midrash hallel”, 23. Vesco, 1074 (who takes up Hakham, II, 338). 3 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 178–179. 2

176

Second Section (Ps 113–118)

COMPOSITION OF THE SECTION A CERTAIN PARALLELISM Relationships between the first psalms of each sequence Ps 113 1 PRAISE YAH!

PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, praise THE NAME of Yhwh. 2 Let THE NAME of Yhwh be blessed from now and forever; 3 from the rising of the sun to its setting THE NAME of Yhwh be praised. 4 Yhwh is exalted above ALL THE NATIONS, Yhwh, above the HEAVENS his GLORY. 5 Who

is like Yhwh our God?

He lifts himself up to sit, 6 he lowers himself to see in the HEAVENS and on the EARTH. 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, from the dunghill he exalts the poor, 8 to make him sit with princes, with the princes of his people; 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the house, a happy mother of CHILDREN. PRAISE YAH! Ps 115 to us, O Yhwh, not to us, but to YOUR NAME give GLORY, for your FAITHFULNESS, for you LOYALTY. should THE NATIONS say: “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the HEAVENS, all that he desires, he makes. 1 Not

2 Why

4 Their

idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of man. 5 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 6 they have ears and do not hear; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have feet and do not walk; they do not murmur in their throat. 8 like them will be those who make them, all those who trust in them. 9O

Israel, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 11 O fearful of Yhwh, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 12 Yhwh remembers us, he will bless; he will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, 13 he will bless the fearful of Yhwh, the small with the great. 14 May

Yhwh increase you, you and your CHILDREN; 15 blessed be you by Yhwh who made the HEAVENS and the EARTH. 16 The HEAVENS are the HEAVENS of Yhwh, but the EARTH he has given to the CHILDREN of Adam. 17 It is not the dead who PRAISE Yah, nor all those who go down into silence, 18 but as for us, we bless Yah, from now and forever. PRAISE YAH! Ps 117 1 PRAISE YHWH, ALL YOU NATIONS, glorify him, all you countries; 2 because strong is his FAITHFULNESS toward us, and the LOYALTY

PRAISE YAH!

of Yhwh endures forever.

The Whole of the Second Section (Ps 113–118)

177

Psalms 113, 115 and 117 have in common: – The acclamation “Praise Yah” which plays the role of extreme terms for Ps 113 (verses 1a & 9b) and which serves as final terms for the two subsequent psalms (115:18c & 117:2b); – The syntagma “all the/you nations” which occurs in 113:4 and 117:1, which is matched by “the nations” in 115:2; – "from now and forever" occurs at the beginning of Ps 113 (verse 2) and at the end of Ps 115 (verse 18) and “forever” in 117:2. Ps 113 and 115 have in common: – The verb “to praise” (in addition to the four Hallelujahs, 113:1b; 115:17; 117:1), – The “name” of the Lord (113:1–3[3x]; 115:1), – “The heavens” and “the earth” (113:4, 6; 115:3, 15–16), – “Glory” (113:4 & 115:1), – “Children” (113:9; 115:14, 16), – “Our God” (113:5a & 115:3). Ps 115 and 117 have in common: – “Faithfulness and loyalty” (115:1 & 117:2).

178

Second Section (Ps 113–118)

Relationships between the second psalms of each sequence • Between Ps 114 and Ps 116 & 118 – The name “Israel” mentioned twice at the beginning of Ps 114 (verses 1–2) also appears at the beginning of Ps 118 (verse 2); – “The house of Jacob” at the beginning of Ps 114 (verse 1) is matched by “the house of Aaron” at the beginning of Ps 118 (verse 3) as well as the two occurrences of “the house of Yhwh” at the end of the other two psalms (116:19 & 118:26), which are announced in some way by “his sanctuary” in Ps 114:2; – The term “people” of 114:1 is repeated in 116:14, 18; – The same terms translated as “earth” in 114:7 is found in 116:9 where it is translated as “lands”; – Finally the term “God” of 114:7 is repeated in 116:5 and three times at the end of Ps 118 (verses 27–28). • Between Ps 116 & 118 There are close links between these two psalms: – The opposition between death and life (in Ps 116: “death” in verses 3, 8, 15, “living” in verse 9; in Ps 118: “I shall not die, but I shall live” in verse 17, “death” in verse 18); – “Voice” (116:1 & 118:15); – “To call” (116:2, 13, 17; 118:5); – “Anguish/es” (116:3[2x]; 118:5); – The expression “Please, O Yhwh” occurs twice in each psalm (116:4, 16; 118:25[2x]); – “Stumbling” (116:8) and “to push” (118:13) are from the same root; – “Thanksgiving” and “to give thanks” (116:17; 118:1, 19, 21, 28[2x], 29). The two psalms end in the temple for the thanksgiving liturgy (116:12–19 & 118:19–29).

The Whole of the Second Section (Ps 113–118)

179

Ps 114 came out from Egypt, THE HOUSE of Jacob from a barbarian PEOPLE, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, ISRAEL his domain. 3 The sea saw and fled, the Jordan ran backwards, 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the small of the sheep. 5 What happened to you, O sea, that you flee, O Jordan, to run backwards, 6 O mountains, to leap like rams, O hills, like the small of the sheep? 7 Before the Master, tremble, O earth, before the GOD of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water. 1 When ISRAEL

Ps 116 1I

love because Yhwh hears the VOICE of my supplications, 2 because he inclined his ear to me, and during my days I WILL CALL. 3 The cords of DEATH encompassed me, and the ANGUISHES of Sheol found me; I found ANGUISH and sorrow, 4 and I called on the name of Yhwh: “Please, O Yhwh, rescue my soul!” 5 Yhwh is tender and righteous, and our GOD has mercy; 6 Yhwh preserves the simple: I was deprived and he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, because Yhwh has done good to you. 8 Because you have liberated my soul from DEATH, my eyes from tears, my feet from STUMBLING: 9 I will walk in the face of Yhwh in the lands of the LIVING. 10 I believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” 11 As for me, I said in my trouble: “Every man is a deceiver!” 12 What shall I return to Yhwh for all the good he has done to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and I WILL CALL on the name of Yhwh. 14 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his son PEOPLE! 15 Precious in the eyes of Yhwh is THE DEATH of his faithful. 16 Please, O Yhwh, because I am your servant, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, you have loosened my chains. 17 For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of THANKSGIVING and I WILL CALL on the name of Yhwh. 18 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his PEOPLE, 19 in the courts of THE HOUSE of Yhwh, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem! Praise Yah! Ps 118 THANKS to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 2 Let ISRAEL say: yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 3 Let THE HOUSE of Aaron say: yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 4 Let the fearful of Yhwh say: yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 5 In my ANGUISH I CALLED to Yah; Yah answered me in a broad place. 6 Yhwh is for me, I fear not; what can the adam do to me? 7 Yhwh is for me, among my helpers; and as for me, I will see my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in adam! 9 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in princes! 10 All the nations encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 11 They surrounded me and encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 12 They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 13 YOU PUSHED ME, YOU PUSHED to make me fall, but Yhwh helped me. 14 Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become for me salvation. 15 VOICE of joy and of salvation in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds! 16 The right hand of Yhwh exalts! The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds!” 17 I SHALL NOT DIE, but I SHALL LIVE and I will recount the deeds of Yah. 18 He punished me, punished me Yah, but he did not give me over to DEATH. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will come there and I WILL GIVE THANKS to Yah. 20 This is the gate of Yhwh; the righteous will come there. 21 “I GIVE YOU THANKS because you have answered me, and you have become for me salvation.” 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. 23 This has been from Yhwh; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day that Yhwh has made; let us exult and rejoice in it: 25 “Please, O Yhwh, save us! Please, O Yhwh, make us victorious!” 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yhwh; we bless you from THE HOUSE of Yhwh. 27 GOD is Yhwh and he gives us light. Bind the victim with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my GOD and I GIVE YOU THANKS, my GOD, I exalt you. [I GIVE YOU THANKS because you have answered me and you have become for me salvation.”] 29 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 1 GIVE

180

Second Section (Ps 113–118)

CONCENTRIC COMPOSITION The observations made earlier may suggest a parallel composition. Furthermore, the volumes of the three sequences are quite different:4 Ps 113 Ps 115 Ps 117

390 901 103

Ps 114: Ps 116: Ps 118:

377 857 1,233

Total 1st sequence Total 2nd sequence Total 3rd sequence

767 1,758 1,336

The first sequence is substantially shorter than the other two and could be considered as the introduction to the other two, giving the scheme ABB’.5 However, a) The extreme sequences are closely related to each other; b) The two central psalms have strong links with the first and last psalms of the section; c) Finally, the central sequence is distinctive from the other two by some specific features. Therefore, the concentric construction prevails over the parallel one. Relationships between the extreme sequences (Ps 113–114 & Ps 117–118) • Initial terms – Both sequences begin with several occurrences of the verb “to praise”, in particular “praise Yah” and “praise Yhwh” (113:1–2, 9; 117:1, 2). In Ps 118 the verb “to praise” is replaced, so to speak, by “to give thanks” (118:1, 28–29). • Final terms The first psalm has two occurrences of the verb “to exalt”, in the first instance the Lord is the object (113:4), in the second one the Lord is the subject and the poor the object (113:7). The last psalm also has two occurrences of the same verb, in the first instance the Lord is the subject (118:16), in the second one he is the object (118:28). In addition, – The name of “Yhwh” appears three times in 113:1–3 and four times in 118:10–12, 26; – “Forever” of 113:2 is repeated several times in 117:2; 118:1, 2, 3, 4, 29; – “All the/you nations” occurs in 113:4 as well as in 117:1 and 118:10; – “His glory” of 113:4 is matched by “glorify him” in 117:1 (terms deriving from various roots); – “House” occurs twice in each sequence (113:9; 114:1; 118:3, 26); 4 Calculations are based on the number of signs in the transliterated Hebrew text, including spaces. 5 This would be in line with the widely attested custom of singing the first two psalms at the beginning of the Passover seder and the other four at the end (see Mishna, Pesaḥîm X, 5–6).

The Whole of the Second Section (Ps 113–118)

181

– Terms “princes” (113:8[2x]) is taken up in the last psalm (118:9); – “Israel” is found at the beginning of the seconds psalms (114:1, 2; 118:2). Ps 113 1 PRAISE YAH! PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, PRAISE THE NAME OF YHWH. 2 Let THE NAME OF YHWH be blessed from now and FOREVER; 3 from the rising of the sun to its setting THE NAME OF YHWH be PRAISED. 4 Yhwh is EXALTED above all the nations, above the heavens his glory. 5 Who is like Yhwh our God? He lifts himself up to sit, 6 he lowers himself to see in the heavens and on the earth. 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, from the dunghill HE EXALTS the poor, 8 to make him sit with PRINCES, with the PRINCES of his people; 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the HOUSE, a happy mother of children. PRAISE YAH! Ps 114 1 When ISRAEL came out from Egypt, the HOUSE of Jacob from a barbarian people, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, ISRAEL his domain. 3 The sea saw and fled, the Jordan ran backwards, 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the small of the sheep. 5 What happened to you, O sea, that you flee, O Jordan, to run backwards, 6 O mountains, to leap like rams, O hills, like the small of the sheep? 7 Before the Master, tremble, O earth, before the God of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water. […] Ps 117 1 PRAISE YHWH, all you nations, glorify him, all you countries; 2 because strong is his faithfulness toward us, and the loyalty of Yahweh endures FOREVER. PRAISE YAH! Ps 118 1 Give thanks to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his faithfulness endures FOREVER! 2 Let ISRAEL say: yes, his faithfulness endures FOREVER! 3 Let the HOUSE of Aaron say: yes, his faithfulness endures FOREVER! 4 Let the fearful of Yhwh say: yes, his faithfulness endures FOREVER! 5 In my anguish I called to Yah; Yah answered me in a broad place. 6 Yhwh is for me, I fear not; what can the adam do to me? 7 Yhwh is for me, among my helpers; and as for me, I will see my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in adam! 9 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in PRINCES! 10 All the nations encircled me; IN THE NAME OF YHWH, yes, I will circumcise them! 11 They surrounded me and encircled me; IN THE NAME OF YHWH yes, I will circumcise them! 12 They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; IN THE NAME OF YHWH yes, I will circumcise them! 13 You

pushed me, you pushed to make me fall, but Yhwh helped me. 14 Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become for me salvation. 15 Voice of joy and of salvation in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds! 16 The right hand of Yhwh EXALTS! The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live and I will recount the deeds of Yah. 18 He punished me, punished me Yah, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open

to me the gates of righteousness; I will come there and I will give thanks to Yah. 20 This is the gate of Yhwh; the righteous will come there. 21 “I give you thanks because you have answered me, and you have become for me salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. 23 This has been from Yhwh; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day that Yhwh has made; let us exult and rejoice in it: 25 “Please, O Yhwh, save us! Please, O Yhwh, make us victorious!” 26 Blessed is he who comes IN THE NAME OF YHWH; we bless you from the HOUSE of Yhwh. 27 God is Yhwh and he gives us light. Bind the victim with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my God and I give you thanks, my God, I EXALT YOU. [I give you thanks because you have answered me and you have become for me salvation.”] 29 Give thanks to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his faithfulness endures FOREVER!

182

Second Section (Ps 113–118)

Relationships between Ps 115 and Ps 118 • Initial terms The occurrences of “faithfulness” are found at the beginning of each psalm (115:1 & 118:1–4). • Final terms The six occurrences of the verb “to bless” at the end of Ps 115 (verses 12–13, 15, 18) are echoed by the two occurrences at the end of Ps 118 (verses 26[2x]). • Median terms at a distance “Forever” which is found at the end of Ps 115 (verse 18b) is repeated four times at the beginning of Ps 118 (verses 1–4). The most striking link is the double triad that begins with “Israel”, “house of Aaron” and the “fearful of Yhwh” (115:9–11, echoed in 115:12–13; 118:2–4). In addition, – The verb “to trust” appears three times in 115:9–11 and twice in 118:8–9; – “Help” that is repeated three times in 115:9–11 is matched by the plural “helpers” in 118:7.

The Whole of the Second Section (Ps 113–118)

183

Ps 115 1 Not

to us, O Yhwh, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your FAITHFULNESS, for your loyalty. 2 Why should THE NATIONS say: “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens, all that he desires, he makes. 4 Their

idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of man. 5 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 6 they have ears and do not hear; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have feet and do not walk; they do not murmur in their throat. 8 like them will be those who make them, all those who trust in them. • 9 O ISRAEL, TRUST in Yhwh: He is their HELP and their shield. • 10 O HOUSE OF AARON, TRUST in Yhwh: He is their HELP and their shield. • 11 O FEARFUL OF YHWH, TRUST in Yhwh: He is their HELP and their shield. 12 Yhwh remembers us, HE WILL BLESS; HE WILL BLESS the house of Israel, HE WILL BLESS the house of Aaron, 13 HE WILL BLESS the fearful of Yhwh, the small with the great. 14 May

Yhwh increase you, you and your children; 15 BLESSED be you by Yhwh who made the heavens and the earth. 16 The heavens are the heavens of Yhwh, but the earth he has given to the children of Adam. 17 It is not the dead who praise Yah, nor all those who go down into silence, 18 but as for us, WE BLESS Yah, from now and FOREVER. Praise Yah! Ps 118 1 Give

thanks to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! • 2 Let ISRAEL say: yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! • 3 Let THE HOUSE OF AARON say: yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! • 4 Let THE FEARFUL OF YHWH say: yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures FOREVER! 5 In my anguish I called to Yah; Yah answered me in a broad place. 6 Yhwh

is for me, I fear not; what can the adam do to me? is for me, among my HELPERS; and as for me, I will see my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to TRUST in adam! 9 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to TRUST in princes! 7 Yhwh

10 All THE NATIONS

encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 11 They surrounded me and encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 12 They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 13 You

pushed me, you pushed to make me fall, but Yhwh helped me. 14 Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become for me salvation. 15 Shout of joy and of salvation in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds! 16 The right hand of Yhwh exalts! The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live and I will recount the deeds of Yah. 18 He punished me, punished me Yah, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open

to me the gates of righteousness; I will come there and I will give thanks to Yah. 20 This is the gate of Yhwh; the righteous will come there. 21 “I give you thanks because you have answered me, and you have become for me salvation.” 22 The

stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. 23 This has been from Yhwh; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day that Yhwh has made; let us exult and rejoice in it: 25 “Please, O Yhwh, save us! Please, O Yhwh, make us victorious!” 26 BLESSED is he who comes in the name of Yhwh; WE BLESS YOU from the house of Yhwh. 27 God is Yhwh and he gives us light. Bind the victim with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my God and I give you thanks, my God, I exalt you. [I give you thanks because you have answered me and you have become for me salvation.”] 29 Give thanks to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his faithfulness endures FOREVER!

184

Second Section (Ps 113–118)

Relationships between Ps 113 and 116 Ps 113 1 PRAISE YAH!

PRAISE, YOU SERVANTS of Yhwh, PRAISE THE NAME OF YHWH. 2 Let THE NAME OF YHWH be blessed from now and forever; 3 from the rising of the sun to its setting THE NAME OF YHWH BE PRAISED. 4 Yhwh is exalted above all the nations, above the heavens his glory. 5 Who

is like Yhwh OUR GOD?

He lifts himself up to sit, 6 he lowers himself to see in the heavens and on THE EARTH. 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, from the dunghill he exalts the poor, 8 to make him sit with princes, with the princes of HIS PEOPLE; 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the HOUSE, a happy mother of children. PRAISE YAH! […] Ps 116 1I

love because Yhwh hears the voice of my supplications, 2 because he inclined his ear to me, and during my days I will call. 3 The cords of death encompassed me, and the anguishes of Sheol found me; I found anguish and sorrow, 4 and I called on THE NAME OF YHWH: “Please, O Yhwh, rescue my soul!” 5 Yhwh is tender and righteous, and OUR GOD has mercy; 6 Yhwh preserves the simple: I was deprived and he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, because Yhwh has done good to you. 8 Because you have liberated my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling: 9 I will walk in the face of Yhwh in THE LANDS of the living. 10 I

believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” for me, I said in my trouble: “Every man is a deceiver!”

11 As

12 What

shall I return to Yhwh for all the good he has done to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and I will call on THE NAME OF YHWH. 14 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all HIS PEOPLE! 15 Precious in the eyes of Yhwh is the death of his faithful. 16 Please, O Yhwh, because I am your SERVANT, I am your SERVANT, the son of your HANDMAID, you have loosened my chains. 17 For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call on THE NAME OF YHWH. 18 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all HIS PEOPLE, 19 in the courts of the HOUSE of Yhwh, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem! PRAISE YAH!

– “Praise Yah” in extreme terms in Ps 113 (accompanied by two other occurrences of “to praise” in 113:1b–3) is repeated at the end of Ps 116; – The word “servants” in 113:1 is repeated twice in the singular, and once in the feminine form in 116:16; – “The name of Yhwh” appears three times in each psalm (113:1–3; 116:4, 13, 17); – “Our God” at the centre of 113 reappears in 116:5; – “The earth” in 113:6 and “the lands” in 116:9 translate the same term; – “His people” of 113:8 is repeated in 116:14, 18; – The word “house” occurs at the end of each psalm (113:9 & 116:19); – Finally, “afflicted” (116:10) is one of the usual synonyms of “deprived” and “poor” (113:7 & 116:6).

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Specificity of the central sequence In the first psalm the psalmist addresses the “servants of the Lord” (113:1), inviting them to “praise the name of the Lord”, in the second psalm he recounts the exodus and finally addresses “the earth”—that is, the nations—(114:7), inviting them to fear the Master. The last two psalms begin with an invitation to praise the Lord addressed first to “all the nations” (117:1) and then to Israel (118:2), but also to “the fearful of the Lord” (118:4). Moreover, the first sequence does not include any prayer to the Lord; as for the last sequence, we need to wait until the end of the last psalm to hear the psalmist addressing God (118:21, 25, 28). There is no such invitation to praise in the central sequence, neither on behalf of Israel nor on behalf of the nations. Instead, it begins at the outset with a request presented to the Lord: “Not to us, Yhwh, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your faithfulness, for your loyalty” (115:1); and in the next psalm the psalmist addresses God no less than four times: – “Please, O Yhwh, rescue my soul!” (116:4). – “Because you have liberated my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling” (116:8). – “Please, O Yhwh, because I am your servant, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, you have loosened my chains” (116:16). – “For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call on the name of Yhwh” (116:17). And we could also understand that the two central words are also complaints addressed to the Lord: – I believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” (116:10) – As for me, I said in my trouble: “Every man is a deceiver!” (116:11). Note also that the word “son/children” is used twice in each psalm, concerning the descents in 115:14, and the ancestors in 116:16. CONTEXT The six psalms are sung during the pilgrimage feasts, especially during the Passover seder, and for this reason the whole is called the “Egyptian Hallel” or “Passover Hallel” (see Matt 26:30 & Mark 14:26). There are many connections between the Egyptian Hallel and the Exodus narrative.6

6

See especially A. WÉNIN, “Une ample louange au Dieu qui libère. L’arrière-plan exodique du ‘Hallel pascal’ (Ps 113–118)”.

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Second Section (Ps 113–118)

INTERPRETATION A PROGRAMMATIC PSALM Contemplating the beginning of the first psalm (113:1–4) from the end of the section, one discovers that it is programmatic of the whole Hallel. “From now and forever” embraces time from the beginning to the end of history, “from the rising of the sun to its setting” covers the whole area of the earth, which in other words means “the Lord is exalted above all the nations”. As for the “servants of the Lord” whom the psalmist invites to praise “the name of the Lord”, they are those who, in the temple, ensure the liturgical service (see Ps 134:1 & 135:1–2): it is in their company that the last two sequences are ending in the sanctuary of Jerusalem. FROM EGYPT TO THE SANCTUARY IN JERUSALEM The beginning of the second psalm suggests this: “When Israel came out from Egypt ... Judah became his sanctuary” (114:1–2). The Song of the Sea, sung at the moment of coming out of the Sea of Reeds, marked out in advance the route of the exodus, from the house of slaves to the sanctuary of Mount Zion. Ps 114 also announces, in a concise manner, what will mark the next two sequences. After the trial, in which the psalmist is confronted with “death” (116:3; 118:17– 18), without being able to count on anyone (116:11; 118:8–9), he goes to the temple, “to the courts of the house of the Lord”, to “Jerusalem” (116:19), passing through “the gates of righteousness” (118:19), to raise “the cup of salvation”, to fulfil his vows and offer “the sacrifice of thanksgiving”, “before all his people” (116:12–19), to offer him a sacrifice, to “give thanks” and to exalt him (118:19–28), inviting all those present to join in his thanksgiving (118:29). “FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN TO ITS SETTING” (113:3) In the second psalm Egypt is mentioned along with Israel: “When Israel came out from Egypt” (114:1). The Israelites had to separate themselves from the people who oppressed them, who feared them to the point of killing their male children, who enslaved them. And in order for Israel to be saved, the Egyptians had to die and be swallowed up in the sea instead of them. The same happened with the nations of the “earth” that trembled “before the God of Jacob” (114:7). Seeing the trials endured by Israel, the nations laugh: “Where is their God?” (115:2). But the chosen people trusted in him and thus obtained his blessing. While the enemy wanted to deliver their children to death, they were able to cry out: “May Yhwh increase you, you and your children” (115:14), echoing the end of the first psalm: “He makes sit the barren woman of the house, a happy mother of children” (113:9). Finally, in the last sequence, the nations are still present, “all the nations”, but seeing the Lord’s faithfulness to his people (117), seeing

The Whole of the Second Section (Ps 113–118)

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that the “stone” which they had rejected becoming “the head of the corner”, they reunited with the chosen people, circumcised (118:10–12), blessed because they are to come “in the name of Yhwh” (118:26). “FROM NOW AND FOREVER” (113:2) In the two psalms of the last sequence, the psalmist invites “all the nations” to join the liturgical procession entering the temple for thanksgiving: “Praise the Lord, all you nations, glorify him, all you countries, because strong is his faithfulness toward us” (117:1), “give thanks to the Lord, yes, he is good, yes, his faithfulness endures forever” (118:1, 29). This invitation is pronounced now, but the response, the realization, is not for “now”; neither for the psalmist’s time, nor for ours. This time is hoped for, for a future that no one can predict. The faith of Israel, however, awaits it for the messianic times, for the end of time. This time is also foretold by Jesus: The trials will not cease “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). And Paul will say: “until the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). “TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY” (115:1) The first verse of the central sequence stands out distinctly against the background of the whole Hallel. The opposition is expressed in the clearest possible way: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory” (115:1). The contrast between what is asked of God here and what the other psalms invite is striking: “Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord” (113:1), “Before the Master, tremble, O earth” (114:7), “Praise the Lord, all you nations, glorify him all you countries” (117:1), “Give thanks to the Lord” (118:1). The incipit of the first psalm of the central sequence is all the more significant since the subsequent psalm does not contain any invitation to praise the Lord. The only one who can truly glorify the Lord is himself. Which is a way of confessing that everything is grace, even the giving of thanks. It is in the Lord alone that one can be assured (115:9–11), the prayer par excellence, the essential praise is to “call on the name of the Lord” (116:4, 13).

MEDITATION ON THE LAW Third Section Ps 119

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The third section consists of only one psalm, the longest chapter in the Bible with its 176 verses. Each of its twenty-two stanzas consists of eight segments that begin with the same letter of the alphabet. If the function of the alphabet is to mark the totality, its second function is to indicate the limits of each “stanza” or “passage” according to the terminology of rhetorical analysis. Besides the structure of the alphabetical acrostic, each verse—with the exception of four verses (3, 37, 90, 122)—contains one (or two) of the eight synonyms of the law: tôrâ (“law”, 25x), ‘ēdût (“order/s”, 23x), mišpaṭ (“judgment/s”, 23x), dābār (“word/s”, 23x), miṣwâ (“commandment/s”, 22x), piqqûd (“precepts”, 21x), ḥōq (“decrees”, 21x) and ’imra (“saying/s”, 19x).1 In the biblical world, seven is the number of totality, but eight is the number of totality par excellence, by excess. Other terms can be added, with a good reason, to the list of eight synonyms just enumerated, first of all “way/s”. In fact, since in verse 3 there is neither “law” nor any of its seven synonyms, the expression “they walk in his ways” is the equivalent of “those who walk in the law of the Lord” of verse 1. Similarly, although lacking any of the eight synonyms, verse 37 has “revive me in your ways” which recalls “revive me according to your word” in verse 25. In verse 90, the word ’ĕmûnâ (“faithfulness”, “sincerity”) can be considered as a synonym of the “law”: “From age to age your sincerity; you have established the earth, it endures”, because verse 86 says that “All your commandments (are) sincerity”. Therefore, some people wanted to extend the list of synonyms, to reach a total of ten, like the “ten words” of the creation story in Gen 1 or those of the “decalogue”, since ten is also a symbolic number of the totality.2 It should also be pointed out that the recurrences of the eight “canonical” synonyms are not regular: even “law”, the most frequent term, does not appear in the second stanza, but returns three times in the seventh stanza and twice in the ninth stanza. As always in biblical poetry, the system goes hand in hand with variation and freedom.3 In any case, in addition to the fact, which seems undeniable, of marking the totality, the eight synonyms have the function of reinforcing the coherence of each of the twenty-two stanzas, their unity and consequently their limits. For a long time, as with the other psalms, commentators did not look for the composition of Psalm 119: for example, in the fourth century, Hilary of Poitiers commented verse by verse,4 and nowadays Ravasi does the same.5 Among contemporary authors, several have limited themselves to analysing the composition of each of its twenty-two stanzas. In 1993, Pierre Auffret wrote: 1 See D.N. FREEDMAN, “The Structure of Psalm 119”, reprinted in Psalm 119: The Exaltation of Torah, 25–56. 2 See J.D. LEVENSON, “Sources of Torah”, 562. 3 The same applies to the segments: most of them are bimembers, but there are also six trimembers, four in the fourth subsequence (verses 43, 48, 75, 78) and one in the last subsequence (verse 176). 4 HILAIRE DE POITIERS, Commentaire sur le psaume 118. 5 Ravasi, III, 454, 458–499.

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191

“We have not discovered any overall structure of our psalm”.6 The following year, Marc Girard analysed the composition of each stanza, highlighted the concatenations that link them, listed the recurrences of the most used terms, and then concluded that nothing “suggests any particular structuring of the stanzas at the level of the entire psalm”.7 Since then, Pierre Auffret continued his work on it and in 2006 devoted an entire volume to the composition of Ps 119.8 In the first part he conducts a “structural analysis” of each of the 22 stanzas, in the second part he studies the “concatenations and structures from I to XXII”, and in the third part the “concatenations and structures leading to XXII and going back from XXI to II”.9 Some have observed the phenomenon of concatenation that links the stanzas together (the so-called “hook words” or, in the terminology of rhetorical analysis, “median terms”).10 Connections between two consecutive stanzas have also been noted.11 Others go further and propose a structure for the whole psalm. Will Soll is of the opinion that it is organised into six parts, the fourth one (“Kaph”—“Samek”) forming the centre.12 The composition of Erich Zenger is also concentric and more regular: A. B. C. D. C’. B’. A’.

Pair of stanzas 1–2: Programmatic opening Stanzas 3–6: Lamentation—request—confidence Stanzas 7–10: Retrospection ( mainly negative) Stanzas 11–12: Dramatic centre (misery and omnipotence of the Torah) Stanzas 13–16: Retrospection ( mainly positive) Stanzas 17–20: Request—lamentation—request Pair of stanzas 21–22: Summary (assurance of salvation and praise).13

These attempts are in contrast to the negative judgement of many for whom this psalm could not be composed, as the constraint of alphabetic pattern would prevent any other organisation. We should admit that the first impression— which can last a long time—is comparable to that given by certain repetitive and interminable oriental music whose haunting monotony ends up tiring the most well-disposed Western listener.14 Certainly, it takes time to enter into the 6

P. AUFFRET, Voyez de vos yeux, 412 (already at 320). M. GIRARD, Les psaumes redécouverts, III, 279. 8 P. AUFFRET, Mais tu élargiras mon cœur: nouvelle étude structurelle du psaume 119. 9 This work is undertaken according to the same procedures as his analysis of the collection of psalms of the ascents. It is therefore unnecessary to repeat the critical analysis that was made in my study on Les psaumes des montées, 13–16. 10 See, e.g., R.N. WHYBRAY, “Psalm 119”, 40, note 17; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 261. 11 See P. AUFFRET, Voyez de vos yeux, e.g., for the first two stanzas (327–329) for the last two stanzas (411); M. NODDER, “What is the relationship between the different stanzas of Psalm 119?”. 12 W. SOLL, Psalm 119: Matrix, Form and Setting, 91, 108–109. 13 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 262; this identification of the centre matches mine. 14 See, for example, the assessment by Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 599–619. Pascal, on the contrary, according to the testimony of his sister Gilberte, “when he spoke to his friends about the 7

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Third Section (Ps 119)

movement of the psalm, and a rigorous and patient study to discover the logic that animates it. Psalm 119 is the size of a sequence that comprises five subsequences. The first two (AB) and the last two subsequences (A’B’) are formed of five passages, the central subsequence on the other hand consists of only two passages (Kaph and Lamed, verses 81–96): A. With those who walk in your ways,

B. I delight in your Law,

teach me your decrees

because you love me

C. YOUR LOVE SAVES ME FROM DEATH

119:1–40

119:41–80

119:81–96

A’. Far from those who stray from your ways, teach me your decrees 119:97–136

B’. Your Law is my delight, because I love you

119:137–176

beauty of this psalm, he was moved in such a way that he seemed to be out of himself” (see Ph. SELLIER, “Pascal et le psaume 118”).

I. WITH THOSE WHO WALK IN YOUR WAYS, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES The First Subsequence (ALEPH – HE; 119:1–40) The first subsequence comprises five passages organised in a concentric fashion: ’ “Happy the one who walks in the Law of the Lord”

b “I rejoice in the way of your orders”

g “DO GOOD TO YOUR SERVANT AND I SHALL LIVE”

119:1–8

119:9–16

119:17–24

d “Make me understand the way of your precepts”

119:25–32

h “Instruct me, O Lord, the way of your decrees”

119:33–40

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Third Section (Ps 119)

1. “HAPPY THE ONE WHO WALKS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD” (ALEPH, 119:1–8) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (1–3) + 1 Happy . WHO WALK

the perfect in the law

of THE WAY, of Yhwh!

+ 2 Happy . with all heart

those observing they search for him!

his orders,

+ 3 Also . in HIS WAYS

they have not committed

iniquity,

THEY WALK.

The first two segments begin with “happy” (1a & 2a). The two occurrences of “way/s” form an inclusion (1a & 3b) and so do the occurrences of the verb “to walk” (1b & 3b). The unity of the part is also marked by the third person plural (subjects of all the verbs), which is related to a third person singular mentioned only once (“Yhwh” in 1b), and taken up by the pronouns (“his” in 2a, 3b; “him” in 2b). THE SECOND PART (4–5) – 4 As for you, :: TO KEEP

you have commanded completely.

your precepts

– 5 If only :: TO KEEP

were established your decrees!

my ways

The two segments are complementary. The first one (4) has a second person as its subject, “you”, which refers to God; the second one (5) speaks in addition to a first person (“my”) of the psalmist. The second members begin with the same term, “to keep” (4b & 5b). The human “ways” (5a) should follow “the precepts” of the Lord (4a). THE THIRD PART (6–8) + 6 Then :: in considering

I will not blush all

your commandments.

+ 7 I will give you thanks :: in learning

in uprightness your judgments

of heart of your righteousness.

= 8 Your decrees .. do not forsake me

I will keep, completely.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

195

No term is repeated between the segments. The first two segments (6 & 7) have a very similar composition: The first members state a promise (in the future tense and in the first person singular), the second members state the means used to achieve it.1 The last segment (8) also starts with a promise but ends with a request. THE WHOLE OF THE ALEPH PASSAGE (119:1–8) + 1 Happy : who walk

the perfect in THE LAW

of THE WAY, of Yhwh!

+ 2 Happy : with all HEART

those observing they search for him!

HIS ORDERS,

– 3 Also : in his WAYS

they have NOT committed iniquity, they walk!

:: 4 As for you, = TO KEEP

YOU HAVE COMMANDED

YOUR PRECEPTS

COMPLETELY.

:: 5 If only = TO KEEP

were established YOUR DECREES.

my WAYS

+ 6 Then : in considering

I will NOT blush all

YOUR COMMADMENTS.

+ I will give you thanks : in learning

in uprightness the JUDGMENTS

of HEART of your righteousness.

= 8 YOUR DECREES : do not forsake me

I WILL KEEP, COMPLETELY.

7

The central part, as often happens, takes up many of the terms found in the other two parts. It has in common with the last part, “you have commanded” and “your commandments” (4a & 6b, which derive from the same root), “to keep” (4b, 5b, 8a), “completely” (4b & 8b), “your decrees” (5b & 8a); “ways” of 5a is already found at the extremities in the first part (1a & 3b). “Heart” appears in the central segments of the extreme parts (2b & 7a); “all” of 2b is repeated in 6b. Finally, it should be pointed out that in the last segment of the first part and in the first segment of the last part, the second terms are verbs with negation (3a & 6a). The whole of the first part is in the third person plural, praising the righteous who observe the Law of God (1–2) and keep themselves from all iniquity (3). The third part is in the first person singular, as if the psalmist wanted to count 1

The translations “in considering” and “in learning” were intended to convey the relationship between behabbîṭî and belomdî (lit. “in my looking” and “in my learning”).

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Third Section (Ps 119)

himself among the righteous of the first part. Just as the righteous “have not committed iniquity” (3a), so he “will not blush” (6a). The two segments in the central part put the Lord who has given his decrees to be observed (4) in relation to the psalmist who asks to be allowed to do so (5). CONTEXT PSALMS THAT BEGIN WITH “HAPPY” Five other psalms begin like Ps 119 with a macarism. Ps 32: “Happy the one whose transgression is taken away” (the macarism is repeated like in Ps 119); Ps 41: “Happy the one who thinks of the weak”; Ps 112: “Happy the man who fears the Lord”; Ps 128: “Happy all who fear the Lord”; not forgetting, of course, about Ps 1 which opens the whole Psalter: “Happy the man...”. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE HAPPY! Like the whole psalter, Ps 119 begins with a proclamation of happiness for those who avoid “iniquity” (119:3) and conduct themselves according to the law of the Lord. Before entering the scene, before speaking of himself, and before addressing God, the psalmist praises those who keep his orders and seek them. As if he needed models to follow, examples to imitate, guides to follow. ON THE SAME WAY Those whose ways are perfect are those who walk in the ways of God, in the ways of his law (119:1, 3). The psalmist’s dearest wish, the first one he makes (119:5), is that his ways be established according to the decrees of his God. The ways of the righteous person and those of the Lord meet. More exactly, they coincide, they are in fact the same paths, as if God and his faithful were walking together. “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic 6:8). A MATTER OF HEART God’s “law”, his “precepts”, his “orders”, his “judgements”, all these words in short are pronounced to be put into action, to set people in motion, invited to follow the path of their Lord. However, human feet could not be set in motion if the “heart” was not there. Indeed, it is “with all their heart” that the righteous seek him (119:2), the heart being the seat of intelligence, of will, as well as the seat of love. Therefore, the psalmist also promises his Lord to give him thanks “in uprightness of heart” (119:7), because he will receive the instruction he was seeking.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

197

WITH GOD’S HELP At the heart of the passage the psalmist turns to God. In view of the Lord’s demand to keep his law “completely” (119:4), he hopes to be able to respond to such an invitation and the wish that he expresses before his God (119:5) sounds like a request for assistance and support. He continues his prayer, hoping to live up to his call by observing “all the orders” of the Lord (119:6). But in the end, perhaps fearing that he will not be able to do so, his supplication becomes somewhat anguished when he asks God not to “forsake him completely” (119:8). 2. “I REJOICE IN THE WAY OF YOUR ORDERS” (BET, 119:9–16) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (9–11) – 9 With what + to keep (it)

his path

shall cleanse according to your word?

a youth

MY HEART

I search for you,

+ 10 With all – do not let me stray

from your commandments.

+ 11 In MY HEART – so that

I shelter I may not sin

your saying, against you.

While the first segment (9) speaks of “a youth” in the third person singular, in the other two segments (10–11) it is the psalmist who speaks of himself. In the first members of the last two segments (10a & 11a) he affirms his faithfulness and in the second members (10b & 11b) he pleads to be preserved from sin and error. This order seems to be reversed in the first segment: Obedience to God’s “word” (9b) is conditioned by purification of conduct (9a), in other words, by renunciation of the error of sin. The idea of the “path” of the first segment (9a) is followed in the second segment by “straying” (10b). THE SECOND PART (12) - 12 Blessed - teach me

(are) you, your decrees!

O Yhwh,

The second part comprises only one bimember segment.

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Third Section (Ps 119)

THE THIRD PART (13–16) :: 13 With my lips .. all the judgments

of your mouth.

:: 14 In the way .. as over

of your orders all goods.

I HAVE EXPOSED I HAVE REJOICED

··································································································· + 15 On your precepts I WILL MEDITATE, – and I WILL CONSIDER your paths.

+ 16 In your decrees – I WILL NOT FORGET

I WILL DELIGHT, your word.

The first piece (13–14) is in the past tense, the second piece (15–16) in the future tense. In each of the two segments of the first piece the verbs are found at the end of the first members (13a & 14a), the second members have the same qualifier, translated as “all” (13b & 14b). In the second piece, on the other hand, the verbs are doubled in median terms, the two segments run completely parallel. The four segments correspond to each other in a mirror fashion: “your word” (16b) belongs to the same semantic field as “lips” and “mouth” (13), while “your paths” (15b) is synonymous with “the way” (14a). THE WHOLE OF THE BET PASSAGE (119:9–16) “His path” and “your word” in the first segment (9) form an inclusion with “your paths” and “your word” in the last piece (15b & 16b). It is therefore possible to consider that, like the last part, the first part consists of two pieces (9 & 10–11), especially since the verbs in 10a, 11a and 13a, 14a are in the complete tenses, whereas in 9a and 15–16 they are in the incomplete tenses. For this reason, the verbs in 10a and 11a are now translated by past tenses. The terms “way” (14a) and “to stray” (10b) belong to the same semantic field as “path/s” (9a & 15b). The terms “your decrees” at the end of the central part (12b) is repeated at the beginning of the last segment (16a). The word “all” of 10a is repeated twice in the last part (13b & 14b). The central part (12) is a prayer, first of blessing and then of request; the first request is already present in the second member of the second segment (10b). Apart from the central segment (12), all the others begin with the preposition be which could not always be translated in the same way.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He) – 9 With what + to keep (it)

shall cleanse a youth according to YOUR WORD?

199 HIS PATH

····························································································································

+ 10 With all – do not let me stray

my heart from YOUR COMMANDMENTS.

I have searched for you,

+ 11 In my heart – so that

I have sheltered I may not sin

YOUR SAYING, against you.

are you,

O Yhwh,

- 12 Blessed - teach me

YOUR DECREES!

:: 13 With my lips .. all THE JUDGMENTS

of your mouth.

:: 14 In the way .. as over

of YOUR ORDERS all goods.

I have exposed I have rejoiced

···························································································································· :: 15 On YOUR PRECEPTS I will meditate,

.. and I will consider 16

:: In YOUR DECREES .. I will not forget

YOUR PATHS. I delight, YOUR WORD.

INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE A YOUNG PSALMIST The initial question might seem to be a general aphorism concerning everyone and no one in particular. The fact that immediately afterwards the psalmist switches to the first person singular makes it possible to understand that the “young” person of whom he spoke is no one else but himself, or that, if he is already mature, he nevertheless considers himself as someone who is inexperienced and still has everything to learn. And that is indeed what he is saying, in the blessing that springs from his mouth at the very heart of the passage. Thus, regardless of age, the readers can identify themselves with the psalmist in asking to be taught by the Lord. SEEKING THE LORD Following the initial question, the psalmist enumerates a long canonical list, the one that recurs in a haunting fashion in each of the twenty-two passages of the psalm, the seven terms that express the totality of God’s “commandments”, “sayings”, “judgements”, “orders”, “precepts”, “paths”, “decrees”. All of these, he claims to have “sheltered” (11a), “rejoiced in” (14a), and even “exposed” them to others with his own lips (13a); he promises at the end to “meditate” on them (15a) and to “delight” in them (16a) again and again. But before engaging

200

Third Section (Ps 119)

in this long enumeration, he says that it is the Lord whom he “searched for” “with all his heart” (10a). In short, his desire carries him through all the commandments and decrees of God to their author. It is a person, “the Lord” (12a), whose name is mentioned at the centre of the passage, whom he seeks. THE GOD WHO SPEAKS The God to whom the psalmist directs all his desire is not presented as the Creator, as the sovereign master of everything. It is the God who speaks (9b & 16b), who speaks to him, who addresses him; it is the God of revelation, of the Torah, the one who teaches people how to behave, what to do to find him, since that is what he “seeks” “with all his heart” (10a). The word “sheltered” (11a), which has “rejoiced” those who have received it (14a), can only bear fruit and multiply, communicate itself: The word coming out of the “mouth” of God is destined to come out through the “lips” of those who have made it their own (13). FOLLOWING THE PATHS OF THE LORD People make the word of God their own, and so conduct themselves according to their vocation as the image of God. Such was the Lord’s plan from the beginning (Gen 1:26). In the same line, the “path” of the young person (Ps 119:9a) is called to be identified with the “paths” of the Lord (119:15b). Human path, however, is threatened with error (119:10b) and “sin” (119:11). The latter term, originally meaning “to miss the goal”, that is, to take the wrong way, belongs to the same semantic field. It seems that it is not even within the human capacity to know God’s ways, and for this reason, at the centre of the passage, the psalmist is asking him to be taught about them. 3. “DO GOOD TO YOU SERVANT AND I SHALL LIVE” (GIMEL, 119:17–24) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (17–18) The initial members of the first two segments (17a & 18a) have the same syntactic structure: imperative of the same modalities + complement (+ copula) + verbs of the same modalities. The second members end with the synonyms “your word” and “your law” (17b & 18b). In the third segment (19), the imperative is found at the beginning of the second member. As with the first two segments, the last one ends with a synonym of “your word” and “your law”. At the extremities, the psalmist presents himself as a “servant” of God (17a) and “a stranger on earth” (19a).

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He) + 17 DO GOOD .. and I shall keep

to your servant, your word.

I shall live,

+ 18 OPEN .. the wonders

my eyes of your law.

and I shall consider

+ 19 A stranger + DO NOT HIDE

I (am) from me

on earth, your commandments.

201

THE SECOND PART (19–21) :: 20 HAS BEEN CRUSHED :: for your judgments

my soul at all times.

+ 21 YOU HAVE REBUKED + who stray

the arrogant, accursed ones, from your commandments.

with love

Both segments begin with complete verbs. They oppose the psalmist’s love for God’s judgments to the arrogance of those who do not follow his commandments. The second segment differs from the first one by God’s intervention against his enemies. THE THIRD PART (22–23) + 22 Open .. because YOUR ORDERS

up on me I have observed.

+ 23 Even though (they) sit, princes, .. you servant meditates .. 24 Even YOUR ORDERS .. the men

disgrace

and contempt,

and they speak against me, on YOUR DECREES.

(are) my delight, of my counsel.

The last two segments begin with gam, translated, for lack of a better word, as “even” (23a & 24a). The extreme segments repeat “your orders” (22b & 24a). In the first members of the first two segments the psalmist is confronted by those who despise him (22a & 23a);2 the second members find him faithful to God’s orders (22b & 23b). These second members are echoed in the last segment (24). The strange expression “men of my counsel” means “my counsellors”; the Septuagint translates: “and my counsellors (are) your decrees”. The TOB translation is adopted in the passage: “they are my counsellors”.

2

“Open up on me” (22a) means: “Take away from me...”. We chose “to open”, because the same verb is used in verse 18.

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Third Section (Ps 119)

THE WHOLE OF THE GIMEL PASSAGE (119:17–24) + 17 Do good .. and I shall keep

to YOUR SERVANT, YOUR WORD.

I shall live,

+ 18 OPEN .. the wonders

my eyes of YOUR LAW.

and I shall consider

.. 19 A stranger + do not hide

I am from me

on earth, YOUR COMMANDMENTS.

.. 20 Has been crushed .. for YOUR JUDGMENTS

my soul at all times.

with love

– 21 You have rebuked the arrogant, accursed ones, – who stray from YOUR COMMANDMENTS. – 22 OPEN .. because YOUR ORDERS

up on me I have observed.

– 23 Even though they sit, princes, .. YOUR SERVANT meditates .. 24 Even YOUR ORDERS .. they are

disgrace

and contempt,

they SPEAK against me, of YOUR DECREES.

(are) my delight, my counsellors.

The extreme parts repeat the imperative “uncover” at the beginning of 18 and 22; the syntagma “your servant” returns in 17 and 23, the terms “word” (17b) and “to speak” (23a) derive from the same root. Moreover, these parts have a similar composition: The first two segments are close to each other (17–18 & 22–23), while the third segment is different (19 & 24). The first segment of the central part (20) recalls the first part, especially its second members; by contrast, the second segment (21) prepares for the last part, because “the arrogant” ones announce those who despise the psalmist (22a & 23a). In this way, the whole of the first side (17–20) deals with the psalmist’s relationship with God, while in the second side (21–24) “the arrogant” enemies of God and his servant intervene. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE EVERYTHING COMES FROM GOD It all begins with a supplication. The psalmist recognises from the outset that it is because his Lord will do him good and give him life that he himself will be able to “keep his word” (17). Only the Lord can “open” his “eyes” for him, as to a new-born child, so that he can see the beauty of his law (18). The prayer continues up to the beginning of the last part, where there is no longer a request for opening his eyes to the law, but another “opening”, which will free him from

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

203

the “contempt” (22) of “the arrogant” rulers, who “stray” from God’s law (21) and “speak against” his “servants” (23). SERVANT OF THE WORD Whose word should we serve? That of God (17) or that of the princes (23)? The psalmist made his choice and remains faithful to his Lord. He is not afraid of what the powerful might plot against him, for he trusts in the one who alone can do him good and keep him alive. All his “love” (20a) and his “delight” (24a) are in the law of his God. 4. “MAKE ME UNDERSTAND THE WAY OF YOUR PRECEPTS” (DALET, 119:25–32) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (25–27) – 25 Has cleaved + GIVE ME LIFE

to the dust according to your word.

my soul,

– 26 MY WAYS + TEACH ME

I have exposed, your decrees.

and you have answered me,

+ 27 of THE WAY – and I will meditate

of your precepts on your wonders.

GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING,

The first two segments are parallel: There is an observation in the first members (25a & 26a), and a request in the second ones (25b & 26b). In the third segment (27), the order is reversed. Furthermore, the last member (27b) regards the future, while the corresponding members in the first two segments (25a & 26a) are in the past tense. “Give me understanding” (27a) is synonymous with “teach me” (26b); it is possible to understand that “give me life according to your word” (25b) has a similar meaning. The last two segments begin with the same word (26a & 27a); in the first instance it concerns the psalmist’s “ways”, in the second instance the “way” that God indicates through his precepts.

204

Third Section (Ps 119)

THE SECOND PART (28–30) – 28 Has wept + RAISE ME UP

my soul according to your word.

because of affliction,

+ 29 THE WAY + and your law

of falsehood

TURN ASIDE

GRACIOUSLY GIVE ME.

– 30 THE WAY – with your judgments

of truth I have aligned myself.

from me,

I have chosen,

In the first segment the psalmist invokes God’s help (28b) in the affliction in which he finds himself (28a). The second segment (29) continues the supplication of 28b, while the third segment (30) states the commitment made by the speaker. These last two segments begin with “the way” (29a & 30a) and set “truth” (30a) against “falsehood” (29a). THE THIRD PART (31–32) – 31 I HAVE CLEAVED + do not make me blush.

to your orders,

O Yhwh,

– 32 In the way + because you enlarge

of your commandments my heart.

I WILL RUN,

The first members (31a & 32a) have the psalmist as their subject, the second ones (31b & 32b) the Lord. While the first member of the first segment (31a) is in the past tense, the first member of the second segment (32a) is in the future. The prayer of the second member of the first segment (31b) seems to be answered in the second member of the subsequent segment (32b). THE WHOLE OF THE DALET PASSAGE (19:25–32) “My soul” and “according to your word” preceded by an imperative (25 & 28) act as the initial terms for the first two parts; the first members of these two parts (25a & 28a) both speak of the trial in which the psalmist has found himself. The second members (25b & 28b), which end in the same way, begin with imperatives with very similar meanings.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He) – 25 HAS CLEAVED + give me life

to the dust

205

MY SOUL,

ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.

:: 26 MY WAYS = teach me

I have exposed, your decrees.

and you have answered me,

:: 27 Of THE WAY = and I will meditate

of your precepts on your wonders.

give me understanding,

MY SOUL

of affliction,

– 28 Has wept + raise me up

ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.

:: 29 THE WAY = and your law

of falsehood graciously give me.

turn aside

:: 30 THE WAY = with your judgments

of truth I have aligned myself.

I have chosen,

to your orders,

O Yhwh,

of your commandments

I will run,

– 31 I HAVE CLEAVED + do not make me blush. :: 32 IN THE WAY - because you enlarge

from me,

MY HEART.

The extreme parts begin with the same verb “to cleave” (25a & 31a). “My soul” (25a) and “my heart” (32b) form an inclusion. The word “way/s” occurs at the beginning of the segments in the last two segments of the first two parts (26, 27 & 29, 30) as well as in the second segment of the last part (32). In each part a sequence of imperatives in the ending gives way to the first person singular (27b, 30a, 30b, 32a). CONTEXT “IN THE DUST OF DEATH” (PS 22:16) Ps 22, the one that Christ on the cross intones in his mother tongue, focuses on the ending of verse 16: “You lay me down in the dust of death.”3 THE WONDERS OF THE EXODUS The term “wonders” is used to designate the splendid actions that the Lord performed during the exodus (Exod 3:20; 15:11; 34:10; Ps 78:11, 12, etc.).

3

See F. GRAZIANO, “Il salmo 22: la preghiera del Servo di Yhwh”, 77.

206

Third Section (Ps 119)

INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE A MORTAL TRIAL It is not from some small trial that the psalmist is asking to be free. He has been laid in “the dust” (Ps 119:25a), in the weeping of affliction (119:28a), and so he asks God to “give him life” (119:25b), to “raise” him up from death (119:28b). What will bring him out of the pit is none other than “the word” of the Lord (119:25b, 28b), a word that is then declined according to the usual words that evoke it in each passage of the psalm, to which is exceptionally added the term “his wonders” (119:27a), which most often refers to the work of salvation of the exodus, when the Lord saved his people from slavery and death. VARIATIONS ON THE WAYS Five times out of eight, the poet has chosen to begin the segments of his Daleth passage with the same word, derek, “way”. It is quite difficult to attribute this fact to laziness which would have led him to such an easy way; the regular distribution of these five occurrences hardly allows this kind of interpretation. It is known that biblical rhetoric does not hesitate to repeat the same terms; it often plays on them. The first occurrence is in the plural and refers to the trial the psalmist underwent, since he immediately adds that the Lord answered him. Then, in the ending of the extreme pieces, it refers to the way that is traced by “the precepts” (119:27a) or “the commandments” (119:32a) of the Lord. Finally, in the central piece, this way is that of “truth” (119:30a) which is opposed to that of “falsehood” (119:29a). IT IS GOD WHO TEACHES THE WAY If the psalmist can affirm that he has chosen the way of truth (119:30), if he can even promise to run in the way of the commandments (119:32a), the reason is that, in response to his prayer, his Lord has instructed him (119:26b), has “made him understand” (119:27a), and has put away from him “the way of falsehood” (119:29a). The person whose soul “has cleaved to the dust” (119:25a) and who has been raised from it, now “cleaves” to the orders of his saviour (119:31a). 5. “INSTRUCT ME, O LORD, THE WAY OF YOUR DECREES” (HE; 119:33–40) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (33–34) The imperatives with which all three segments begin ask for the same thing, the teaching of the law. In the extreme segments (33 & 35), “way” and “trail”

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

207

are synonymous and “lead me” (35a) is of the same root as “way” (33a). The verb “to keep” occurs in the first two segments (33b & 34a). + 33 INSTRUCT ME, = and I will observe them

O Yhwh, to the end.

THE WAY

of your decrees,

+ 34 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I will observe = and I will keep it with all heart.

your law,

+ 35 LEAD ME – because in them

of your commandments,

on the TRAIL I am pleased.

THE SECOND PART (36–37) Both segments begin with imperatives, whose object complement is an organ of perception. The last member (37b) ends with a third imperative, thus forming an inclusion. The final terms of the central members seem to be related, with “gain” (36b) being described as “vanity” (37a). + 36 INCLINE – and not

my heart to gain.

to your orders,

– 37 TURN AWAY + in your ways

my eyes

from seeing

GIVE ME LIFE.

vanity,

THE THIRD PART (38–40)

The first two segments (38 & 39) begin and the third one (40) ends with imperatives, which constitute, as in the preceding piece, a form of inclusion. The same relative pronoun, “which”, is found in the first two segments (38b & 39b). The central segment differs from the other two because it is a trimember and the only one to mention “disgrace” (39a). + 38 RAISE UP :: which (is)

to your servant for your fearful.

+ 39 TURN AWAY :: which – because your judgments

my disgrace, I dread, are good.

40

Behold, = in your righteousness

I desire GIVE ME LIFE.

your saying,

your precepts,

208

Third Section (Ps 119)

THE WHOLE OF THE HE PASSAGE (119:33–40) + 33 INSTRUCT ME, O Yhwh, = and I will observe them to the end.

THE WAY

of your decrees,

+ 34 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I will observe your law, = and I will keep it with all heart. + 35 LEAD ME – because in them

on the trail I am pleased.

of your commandments,

+ 36 INCLINE – and not

my heart to gain.

to your orders,

+ 37 TURN AWAY = IN YOUR WAYS

my eyes GIVE ME LIFE.

from seeing

+ 38 RAISE UP :: which (is)

to your servant for your fearful.

your saying,

+ 39 TURN AWAY :: which – because your judgments

my disgrace, I dread, are good.

= 40 Behold, = IN YOUR righteousness

I desire GIVE ME LIFE.

vanity,

your precepts,

The passage contains as many as nine imperatives, three in each part.4 The first part (33–35) is distinct from the other two. On the one hand, the imperatives with which the three segments begin, all have the first-person suffix pronoun as object complements, which rhymes in Hebrew (hôrēnî, hăbînēnî, hadrîkēnî); on the other hand, it is the only part that is entirely positive, while in the second part there is a request to avoid “gain” (36b) and “vanity” (37a), and the centre of the third part speaks of “disgrace” (39a). The term “way/s” occurs at the beginning of the first part (33a) and at the end of the second part (37b); “heart” is repeated in 34b and 36a. The usual terms for the law are supplemented in the last two parts by “your ways” (37b) and “your righteousness” (40b). The last members of both parts act as final terms. The same imperative “turn away” is found at the beginning of 37 and 39. The extreme parts end with two synonymous verbs, “I am pleased” (35b) and “I desire” (40a).

4

A closing phenomenon is noticeable: In the extreme parts the imperatives are found at the beginning of the segments, except in the last segment where it is found at the end of the segment (40b). Even the central part, which comprises only two segments, contains three imperatives.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

209

INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE A LONG PRAYER The psalmist first implores the Lord in a haunting fashion to teach him the decrees of his law, as if he were totally unable to comprehend them by himself. Without God’s instruction, he could not keep it or observe it fully. Even if he is pleased with the commandments, he needs to be led along their path (35). He then comes to implore divine help against the temptations that beset him: his eyes and heart could be drawn to the “vanity” of “gain”, which he recognises is not what would give him life (36–37). Fearing disgrace, desiring the righteousness of his God, it is in his “saying” and in his “precepts” that he will find the fear of God (38–40); but left to his own strength, he could do nothing and would be given over to death, and that is the reason why, up to the end, he trusts his Lord to protect him and give him life. THE FINAL WORD Five of the usual terms—“decrees”, “commandments”, “orders”, “judgements” and “precepts”—are in the plural and are concentrated in the singular of “the law” (34). But these seven words are taken up and summarised by the word “way” (33a & 37b), which is not included in the list of eight synonyms that punctuate the twenty-two passages of the psalm. “Way” opens the first part (33a) and closes it with its synonym “trail” (35a), and it returns, in the plural, at the conclusion of the second part (37b). However, it is the final term, which is used only once, at the end of the passage (40b), in parallel with “ways” at the end of the central part (37b). In the ways of the Lord, contained in his Law, his “righteousness” is manifested. The Law, its precepts, and commandments, contain the words of God, righteousness is a divine attribute which says something about his identity.

210

Third Section (Ps 119) 6. WITH THOSE WHO WALK IN YOUR WAYS, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES (ALEPH – HE; 119:1–40)

COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SUBSEQUENCE THE FIRST TWO PASSAGES (119:1–16) Aleph Happy the perfect of the WAY, Happy those observing his orders, 3 They also have not committed iniquity, 1

2

4 5

As for YOU, you have commanded your precepts, If only my WAYS were established,

Then I will not blush in considering I will give you thanks in uprightness of heart, 8 I WILL KEEP YOUR DECREES, 6 7

who WALK in the law of YHWH! with all heart they SEARCH FOR him, they WALK in his WAYS! TO BE KEPT completely. TO KEEP YOUR DECREES.

all your commandments. in LEARNING the judgments of your righteousness. do not FORSAKE me completely.

Bet With what shall a youth cleanse his PATH, With all my heart I SEARCH FOR you, 11 In my heart I shelter your saying, 9

10

12 13 14 15 16

Blessed are YOU, O YHWH,

TO KEEP (IT) according to your word? do not LET ME STRAY from your commandments.

so that I may not sin against you. TEACH ME YOUR DECREES!

With my lips I expound I rejoice in the WAY of your orders

all the judgments of your mouth. as over all goods.

I meditate on your precepts, I delight in YOUR DECREES,

and I consider your PATHS. I will not forget your word.

– An almost identical member occurs in the second segments (2b & 10a). – The pronoun “you” appears at the beginning of the central parts (4 & 12). – The macarisms with which the first two segments of the first passage begin (“happy”, 1 & 2) are matched by the blessing that is found at the centre of the second passage (“blessed”, 12). – “Your decrees” occurs twice in each passage, at the end of the central parts (5b & 12b) and at the beginning of the final members (8a & 16a). – The syntagma translated as “to be kept” and “to keep” (lišmōr) occurs twice in the central part of the first passage (4b & 5b) and once in the first segment of the second passage (9b), always at the beginning of the second members. The verb “to keep” also returns in the ending of the first passage, playing with that of 9b the role of median terms. – The verb “to teach”/”to learn” occurs in 7b and in 12b, at the centre of the second passage. – Terms belonging to the semantic field of way are very frequent: “way/s” (1, 3, 5, 14), “path/s” (9 & 15), “to walk” (1 & 3), “to stray” (10) and even “to forsake” (or “to leave”, 8); making a total of ten terms.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

211

– The name “Yhwh” appears twice, at the beginning of the first passage (1) and at the centre of the second passage (12). THE LAST TWO PASSAGES (119:25–40) Dalet My soul has cleaved to the dust, I have exposed my WAYS, and you have answered me, 27 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING of the WAY of your precepts, 25 26

My soul has wept because of affliction, Turn aside from me the WAY of falsehood, 30 I have chosen the WAY of truth,

raise me up according to your word. and graciously give me your law. I have aligned myself with your judgments.

I have cleaved to your orders, O YHWH, in the WAY of your commandments,

do not make me blush. because you enlarge my heart.

28 29

31

according to your word. TEACH ME your decrees. and I will meditate on your wonders.

GIVE ME LIFE

32 I WILL RUN

He INSTRUCT ME, O YHWH, the WAY of your decrees, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I will observe your law, 35 LEAD me on the TRAIL of your commandments, 33 34

36 37

Incline my heart to your orders, Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity,

Raise up your saying to your servant, Turn away my disgrace, which I dread, 40 Behold, I desire your precepts, 38

39

and I will observe them to the end. and I will keep it with all my heart. because I am pleased in them. and not to gain. in your WAYS GIVE ME LIFE. which is for your fearful. because your judgments are good. in your righteousness GIVE ME LIFE.

– “My heart” at the end of the first passage (32) is repeated twice in the second passage (34 & 36). – “Instruct me” and “teach me” followed by “make me understand” appear together at the beginning of the first passage (26–27) and at the beginning of the second one (33–34). – “Give me life” occurs three times, at the beginning of the first passage (25) and at the end of the second one (40) making an inclusion; another time at the end of the central part of the second passage (37). – The terms belonging to the semantic field of “way” reach the total number of ten: “way/s” and “to lead” (eight times: 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 35, 37), “trail” (35) and “to run” (32). – The name “Yhwh” appears twice, at the end of the first passage (31) and the beginning of the second one (33), acting as median terms.

212

Third Section (Ps 119)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ALL FIVE PASSAGES Aleph 1 Happy the perfect of the WAY, 2 Happy those OBSERVING his orders, 3 They also have not committed iniquity, 4 5

As for you, you have commanded your precepts If only my WAYS were established

who WALK in the law of YHWH! WITH ALL HEART they search for him. the WALK in his WAYS! to be KEPT completely. to KEEP your decrees.

Then I will not blush in considering I will give you thanks in uprightness of HEART, 8 I WILL KEEP your decrees,

all your commandments. in LEARNING the judgments of YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. do not FORSAKE me completely.

Bet 9 With what shall a youth cleanse his PATH 10 WITH ALL MY HEART I search for you, 11 In MY HEART I shelter your saying,

to KEEP it according to you word? do not LET ME STRAY from your commandments. so that I may not sin against you.

6 7

12

Blessed are you, O YHWH,

With my lips I expose I rejoice in the WAY of your orders 15 I meditate on your precepts, 16 I delight in your decrees, 13 14

Gimel 17 Do good to YOUR SERVANT, AND I SHALL LIVE, 18 Open my eyes and I shall consider 19 I am a stranger on earth, 20 21

My soul has been crushed with love You rebuke THE ARROGANT, accursed ones,

Open up on me DISGRACE and CONTEMPT, Even though princes sit and THEY SPEAK AGAINST ME, 24 Let your orders be my delight, 22 23

TEACH ME YOUR DECREES! all the judgments of your mouth. as over all goods. and I consider your PATHS. I will not forget your word.

and I SHALL KEEP your word. the wonders of your law. do not hide your commandments from me. for your judgments at all times. who STRAY from your commandments. because I have OBSERVED your orders. YOUR SERVANT meditates on you decrees. (your precepts), my counsellors.

Dalet 25 My soul has cleaved to the DUST, 26 I have exposed my WAYS, and you have answered me, 27 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING of the WAY of your precepts,

and I will meditate on your wonders.

My soul has wept because of AFFLICTION, 29 Turn aside from me the WAY of falsehood, 30 I have chosen the WAY of truth,

raise me up according to your word. and graciously give me your law. I have aligned myself with your judgments.

28

31 32

I have cleaved to your orders, O YHWH, I WILL RUN in the WAY of your commandments,

GIVE ME LIFE according TEACH ME YOUR DECREES.

to your word.

do not make me blush. because you enlarge MY HEART.

He INSTRUCT ME, O YHWH, the WAY of your decrees, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and WILL OBSERVE your law, 35 LEAD me on the TRAIL of your commandments, 33 34

36 37

Incline MY HEART to your orders, Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity,

Raise up your saying to YOUR SERVANT, Turn away my DISGRACE, which I dread, 40 Behold, I desire your precepts, 38 39

and I WILL OBSERVE them to the end. and I WILL KEEP it WITH ALL MY HEART. because I am pleased in them. and not to gain. in your WAYS GIVE ME LIFE. which is for your fearful. because your judgments are good. in YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS GIVE ME LIFE.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

213

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF EXTREME PASSAGES – “Heart” occurs in 2, 7, 10, 11, 32, 34, 36; “with all my heart” occurs in 10 and 34, “with all heart” in 2. This word does not appear in the central passage. – “Teach me your decrees” recurs in 12 and 26; this phrase is preceded by “learning” in 7, accompanied by “give me understanding” (27 & 34) and “instruct me” (33). These words are absent in the central passage. – “Your righteousness” is found at the end of the first passage (7) and at the end of the last one (40), and not elsewhere. – The terms belonging to the semantic field of “way” are numerous: “way/s” and “to lead” (twelve times: 1, 3, 5, 14, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 35, 37), “path/s” (9 & 15), “trail” (35), “to walk” (1 & 3), “to forsake” (or “to leave”, 8), “to stray” (10), “to run” (32). In the central passage, “way” is absent and appears only “to stray” (21, followed by “commandments” as in 10). – “Yhwh” occurs once in each passage (1, 12, 31, 33). RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PASSAGE AND THE OTHER FOUR PASSAGES All that has been noted in the previous paragraphs already marks, from a negative point of view, the specificity of the central passage. – “Your word” at the beginning of the passage (17) is found twice in the preceding passage, at the beginning and at the end (9 & 16), and twice again in the subsequent passage, at the beginning of the first two pieces (25 & 28); the term is not found in the extreme passages. It should be pointed out that the five occurrences of “your word” are found at the end of the segments; those occurring in 9, 17 and 25 act as initial terms, those in 16 and 17 as median terms, and that the occurrences in 9 and 17 are preceded by the verb “to keep”. – This is the first time “your servant” appears (17), which is repeated at the end of the passage (23) and returns at the end of the sequence (38). – This is also the first time that enemies intervene, starting from the centre and in the third piece (21–23); they are found again in the subsequent passage, though in a discreet fashion (25a & 28), as well as in the last passage, where “disgrace” occurs (39, as in 22). – “I shall live” at the beginning of passage (17) refers to the three “make me live” in the subsequent passages (25, 37, 40). – “My delight” at the end of the passage (24) echoes “I delight” at the end of the previous passage (16), both occurrences acting as final terms. – The central passage is the only one where the name “Yhwh” is not mentioned.

214

Third Section (Ps 119)

REQUESTS Aleph 1 Happy the perfect of the way, 2 Happy those observing his orders, 3 They also have not committed iniquity, 4 5

As for you, you have commanded your precepts If only my ways were established

who walk in the law of YHWH! with all heart they search for him. they walk in his ways! to be kept completely. to keep your decrees!

Then I will not blush in considering I will give you thanks in uprightness of heart 8 I will keep your decrees,

all your commandments. in learning the judgments of your righteousness. do not FORSAKE me completely.

Bet 9 With what shall a youth cleanse his path 10 With all my heart I search for you, 11 In my heart I shelter your saying,

to keep it according to you word? do not LET ME STRAY from YOUR COMMANDMENTS. so that I may not sin against you.

6 7

12

Blessed are you, O YHWH,

With my lips I expose I rejoice in the way of your orders 15 I meditate on your precepts, 16 I delight in your decrees, 13 14

Gimel 17 DO GOOD to your servant, AND I SHALL LIVE, 18 OPEN my eyes and I shall consider 19 I am a stranger on earth, 20 21

My soul has been crushed with love You rebuke THE ARROGANT, accursed ones,

OPEN up on me DISGRACE and CONTEMPT, Even though PRINCES sit, and they speak against me, 24 LET YOUR ORDERS BE my delight, 22 23

Dalet 25 My soul has cleaved to the dust, 26 I have exposed my ways, and you have answered me, 27 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING of the way of YOUR PRECEPTS, My soul has wept because of affliction, TURN ASIDE FROM ME the way of FALSEHOOD, 30 I have chosen the way of truth, 28 29

31 32

I have cleaved to YOUR ORDERS, O YHWH, I will run in the way of your commandments,

He 33 INSTRUCT ME, O YHWH, the way of YOUR DECREES, 34 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I will observe YOUR LAW, 35 LEAD me on the trail of your commandments, 36 37

INCLINE my heart to YOUR ORDERS, TURN AWAY my eyes from seeing vanity,

RAISE UP your saying to your servant, TURN AWAY my disgrace, which I dread, 40 Behold, I desire your precepts, 38 39

TEACH ME YOUR DECREES! all the judgments of your mouth. as over all goods. and I consider your paths. I will not forget your word.

and I shall keep your word. the wonders of your law. DO NOT HIDE YOUR COMMANDMENTS

from me.

for your judgments at all times. who stray from your commandments. because I have observed YOUR ORDERS. your servant meditates on you decrees. (your precepts) my counsellors.

GIVE ME LIFE ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD. TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. and I will meditate on your wonders. RAISE ME UP ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD. and GRACIOUSLY GIVE ME YOUR LAW. I have aligned myself with your judgments. DO NOT MAKE ME BLUSH. because you enlarge my heart.

and I will observe them to the end. and I will keep it with all heart. because I am pleased in them. and not to gain. in YOUR WAYS GIVE ME LIFE. which is for your fearful. because your judgments are good. in YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS GIVE ME LIFE.

The First Subsequence (119:1–40, Aleph—He)

215

Besides a wish (5), the first passage comprises only one request, at the very end (8b); the second passage contains two requests, one negative like the first one (10) and then one positive (12); the central passage has five (17, 18, 19, 22, 24); the penultimate passage has seven (25, 26, 27, 28, 29a, 29b, 31); and the last one has nine (33, 34, 35, 36, 37a, 37b, 38, 39, 10). The progression is steady. The central passage marks a significant change. Whereas previously the request addressed to God was preceded by an action of the psalmist, a promise or even a statement of faithfulness, from the beginning of the central passage the two elements are reversed: the psalmist first asks for the Lord’s help so that he can keep his law. From this point on, the imperative is often followed by a future verb in the first person singular (17, 18, 27, 33, 34). Several times the imperative is preceded by a description of the need or affliction in which the psalmist finds himself (19, 25, 26, 28). Another change is introduced in the central passage: the presence of the “arrogant” enemies of God (21) and the psalmist (22–23). They will also be present in the next passage, though indirectly, when the psalmist speaks of his affliction (25a & 28a), and in the last passage, when he asks to be preserved from the evil of “gain” and “vanity” (36–37) and from “disgrace” (39), which can be interpreted as being caused by those who “stray from the commandments” of God (21). INTERPRETATION OF THE FIRST SUBSEQUENCE “LEAD ME ON THE TRAIL OF YOUR COMMANDMENTS” (119:35) The way is that indicated by “the Law” of the Lord (1); it is the way of his “orders” (14), his “precepts” (27), his “commandments” (32 & 35), his “decrees” (33). It is God’s way (3 & 37), they are his “paths” (15), thus becoming a synonym for the law: to walk in God’s ways (3) is to walk in his law (1). Since it is the way on which one is invited to “walk” (1 & 3) and even to “run” (32), God’s way becomes human way (5, 9, 26); it is one’s fashion to direct and lead oneself. God’s way and human way are meant to become the same way, the way in which they walk together: “They walk in his ways” (3). Human fear is that the Lord who accompanies them should go away from them: “Do not forsake me completely” (8), that they should “stray” from the way like “the arrogant, accursed one” (21): “do not let me stray from your commandments” (10). Therefore, he begs him to “turn aside” from him “the way of falsehood” (29) and to put him on his way: “Lead me on the trail of your commandments” (35), “the way of truth” (30). While at the beginning the psalmist seems to think that one could be “perfect” (1), without ever committing iniquity (3), he soon doubts whether he himself is capable of doing so: “If only my ways were established” (5) and his prayer becomes more and more insistent until it finally occupies all his thoughts (33–40).

216

Third Section (Ps 119)

“OPEN MY EYES” (119:18) The blind man is unable to see the way and to find his way. When the psalmist asks the Lord to open his eyes (18), when he begs the Lord not to “hide” his commandments from him (19), when he adds later: “Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity” (37), it means that he is well aware that the light of knowledge is beyond his reach and that it is a gift from heaven. He constantly implores the Lord to open the eyes of his understanding: “Teach me your decrees” (12 & 26), “give me understanding” (27 & 34), “instruct me the way of your decrees” (33). He wants to “consider” all the commandments of the Lord (6), his ways (15), to consider “the wonders of his law” (18), to “observe them” (2, 22, 33, 34), to “keep them” (4, 5, 8, 9, 17, 34), to “meditate on them” (15, 23, 27). “GIVE ME LIFE” (119:25, 37, 40) The psalmist’s deepest desire for life amplifies from the beginning of the central passage (17) to the end (25, 37, 40). He is well aware that he is only a “stranger on earth” (19), that he is going his way. But he is convinced that this way, the way of God’s law, is the way of life. He also knows that life can only be received from another, from the master of life. It is not the human righteousness that can obtain it, but the gracious gift of God’s righteousness: “Do good to your servant and I shall live” (17), “give me life according to your word” (25), “in your righteousness give me life” (40). When the psalmist asks so insistently that the Lord should give him life, it means that he is threatened with death. He is threatened by “the arrogant, accursed ones” (21), the “rulers” who speak against him (23), to the point that his soul “cleaves to the dust” (25). He is also tempted from within by “falsehood” (29) and “vanity” of “gain” (36–37).

II. I DELIGHT IN YOUR LAW, BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME The Second Subsequence (WAW––YOD, 119:41–80) The second subsequence also contains five passages arranged concentrically.

w “I will delight in your commandments”

z “The arrogant mock me”

ḥ “THE CORDS OF THE WICKED ENVELOP ME”

ṭ “It is good for me to be humiliated”

y “Your law is my delight”

119:41–48

119:49–56

119:57–64

119:65–72

119:73–80

218

Third Section (Ps 119) 1. “I WILL DELIGHT IN YOUR COMMANDMENTS” (WAW, 119:41–48)

COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (41–43) + 41 And let it come to me, + your salvation

your faithfulness, O Yhwh, according to your saying!

= 42 And I will answer .. because I trust

him who insults me in your word.

a word,

= 43 And do not take away .. because in your judgments

from my mouth I hope.

the word of loyalty

completely,

The unity of the part is marked by the triple repetition of the term “word”, to which should be added the synonym “saying”, in four consecutive members (41b–43a). In two instances it is the word of God (in the second members of the first two segments), in two instances it is the word of the psalmist (in the first members of the last two segments).1 In the first segment the psalmist prays to “Yhwh”. The next two segments are parallel: Their second members (42b & 43b), beginning with “because”, have the same construction and are practically synonymous; as for the first members (42a & 43a), they both deal with the “word” that the psalmist will pronounce. It should be noted, however, that the first member of the last segment (43a) has the same form of prayer as in the first segment (41). THE SECOND PART (44–46) + 44 And I WILL KEEP = forever

your law and ever.

+ 45 And I WILL WALK = because your precepts

at large, I search for.

+ 46 And I WILL SPEAK = and not,

of your orders before I WILL (NOT) BLUSH.

constantly,

kings,

The three segments begin with a verb of the same modality: They thus serve as initial terms; the last member ends with a verb of the same modality, forming an inclusion with the first member at the beginning of 44. Not only does the psalmist promise to keep God’s law (44), but he will propagate it even before kings (46). In the central segment he speaks of the result of his conduct (45a) and its cause (45b). 1

Unless one understands that “the word of loyalty” is the Torah.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

219

THE THIRD PART (47–48) + 47 And I WILL DELIGHT :: which

I love.

+ 48 And I WILL LIFT UP :: which + and I WILL MEDITATE

my palms I love, on your decrees.

in your commandments, to your commandments,

The first segment (47) and the first two members of the second (48ab) are completely parallel, the second members (47b & 48b) are even identical. The last member (48c) is a kind of coda, or final enlargement; it can also be called a closing phenomenon. THE WHOLE OF THE WAW PASSAGE (119:41–48) + 41 And let it come to me, + your salvation

your faithfulness, O Yhwh, according to YOUR SAYING!

:: 42 AND I WILL ANSWER – because I trust

in YOUR WORD.

:: 43 AND DO NOT TAKE AWAY :: the word of loyalty – because in YOUR JUDGMENTS

HIM WHO INSULTS ME

a word,

FROM MY MOUTH

completely, I hope.

:: 44 And I will keep – forever

YOUR LAW

:: 45 And I will walk – because YOUR PRECEPTS

at large, I search for.

:: 46 AND I WILL SPEAK :: BEFORE :: and not,

of YOUR ORDERS KINGS, I will (not) blush.

constantly,

and ever.

:: 47 And I will delight – which

in YOUR COMMANDMENTS, I love.

:: 48 And I will lift up – which :: and I will meditate

my palms I love, of YOUR DECREES.

to YOUR COMMANDMENTS,

220

Third Section (Ps 119)

+ 41 And let it come to me, + your salvation

your faithfulness, O Yhwh, according to YOUR SAYING!

:: 42 AND I WILL ANSWER – because I trust

in YOUR WORD.

:: 43 AND DO NOT TAKE AWAY :: the word of loyalty – because in YOUR JUDGMENTS

completely, I hope.

HIM WHO INSULTS ME

a word,

FROM MY MOUTH

:: 44 And I will keep – forever

YOUR LAW

:: 45 And I will walk – because YOUR PRECEPTS

at large, I search for.

:: 46 AND I WILL SPEAK :: BEFORE :: and not,

of YOUR ORDERS KINGS, I will (not) blush.

constantly,

and ever.

:: 47 And I will delight – which

in YOUR COMMANDMENTS, I love.

:: 48 And I will lift up – which :: and I will meditate

my palms I love, of YOUR DECREES.

to YOUR COMMANDMENTS,

The penultimate member (48b) should not be regarded as an extra load, since it is also attested in the Qumran text. If, therefore, the final segment of the last part is a trimember (48), the same could be said of the final segment of the first part (43), and of the second part (46). The first two parts are the only ones in which the psalmist promises to speak, first to his enemies (42a), then to kings (46); in the last part, on the other hand, he is entirely focused on the Torah alone. Only the first part is marked by prayer (41 & 43). CONTEXT “LOVE AND SALVATION” God's salvation is the fruit of his “faithfulness” (ḥesed in the plural, the only time in the whole psalm).2 See Ps 6:5, “save me for the sake of your faithfulness” (also Ps 17:7; 31:17; 109:26).

2

One could translate ḥesed as “love”, but such a translation is reserved here for terms from the root ’hb: verses 20, 47, 48, 140, 159a, 163, 165, 167.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

221

INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE EVERYTHING RESTS ON THE LOVE OF GOD The psalmist pledges himself to accomplish many things, to keep the law, to delight in it, to meditate on it (119:47–48), to speak of it to others, to defend it before his enemies and in front of kings (119:42–43, 46). However, he begins by invoking the Lord’s help, convinced that “salvation” can only come from him, for it is thanks to his “faithfulness” that a person will be able to keep all of his or her promises (119:41). THE WORD OF GOD BEGETS THE WORD Because the psalmist “trusts in the word” of the Lord, he will be able to answer with confidence a word “to him who insults him” (119:42); his word finds its foundation in the word of God. He immediately adds that he will not be able to speak in his own strength, and he implores the Lord to ensure his word in loyalty (119:43). If he will be able to speak of God’s law before kings without blushing (119:46), it will be because he has kept it “constantly” (119:44), which will enable him to “walk at large” (119:45), free from all fear. The word of the Lord gives rise to human word. 2. “THE ARROGANT MOCK ME” (ZAYIN, 119:49–56) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (49–51) + 49 Remember :: in which

the word to your servant, you have given me hope.

+ 50 This (is) :: because your saying

my comfort gives me life.

in my affliction,

– 51 The arrogant .. from your law

mock me I do not turn away.

completely,

The first two segments (49 & 50) end with two complementary verbs: The second one seems to fulfil the expectations of the first one. “This” (50a) seems to refer to the first member of the first segment: “the word” addressed by God to his “servant” (49a) will be his “comfort” (50a).3 His “affliction” (50a) is caused 3 It is also possible to understand that the referent of “this” is expressed by the second member; it would be necessary to translate kî as “that”: “This is my comfort in my affliction that your saying gives me life”. The parallelism of the first two segments rather supports the first interpretation.

222

Third Section (Ps 119)

by “the arrogant” (51a), and for this reason he “does not turn away” from the law (51b). THE SECOND PART (52–54) :: 52 I remember :: and I take comfort.

your judgments

from of old,

– 53 INDIGNATION . who forsake

sizes me your law.

because of the wicked,

+ 54 HYMNS . in the house

are to me of my residence.

your decrees,

O Yhwh,

The last two segments oppose “indignation” “because of the wicked” (53a) to the “hymns” which the psalmist considers to be the Lord’s “decrees” (54a); we can thus understand that the law which the wicked abandon (53b) is, on the contrary, the dwelling-place where the psalmist has chosen to make his residence (54b). As for the first segment (52), its first member seems to announce the last segment and its second member to prepare the next segment: indeed, the memory of God’s judgments (52a) gives rise to hymns (54) and gives comfort (52b) to indignation against the wicked (53). THE THIRD PART (55–56) + 55 I remember = and I WILL KEEP

in the night your law.

:: 56 This = because your precepts

has been to me, I OBSERVE.

your name,

O Yhwh,

The nightly remembrance of the Lord’s name (55a) prepares the daytime activity in conformity with his law (55b). In the next segment (56), we can understand that the referent of the term “this” (56a) is expressed in the second member (56b):4 His observance of the law is for him his wealth. But looking at the whole, “this” (56a) may refer to the first member of the preceding segment (55a): what belongs to him, what he has at heart, is to remember God’s name during the night. THE WHOLE OF ZAYIN PASSAGE (119:49–56) In the first two parts, “my comfort” (50a) is taken up by “I take comfort” (52b), “the arrogant” (51a) announce “the wicked” (53a). 4

See previous note.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

223

The initial terms of the first members of the last two parts are identical (52a & 55a). The second terms of the last segments (54a & 56a) are very similar. All three parts begin with the verb “to remember” (49a, 52a, 55a), whose subject is God in the first instance, the psalmist in the other two. “Your law” returns at the end of the first part, at the centre of the second part and at the beginning of the third part (51b, 53b, 55b); at the extremities the law is observed by the psalmist, at the centre it is “forsaken” by “the wicked”. The second segment of the first part (50) corresponds to the second segment of the last part (56). • 49 REMEMBER .. in which

the word to your servant, you have given me hope.

= 50 THIS (is) :: because your saying

gives me life.

– 51 THE ARROGANT : from YOUR LAW

mock me I do not turn away.

completely,

+ 52 I REMEMBER :: and I TAKE COMFORT.

your judgments

from of old,

– 53 Indignation : who forsake

sizes me YOUR LAW.

because of THE WICKED,

= 54 Hymns :: in the house

are to me of my residence.

your decrees,

+ 55 I REMEMBER :: and I will keep

in the night YOUR LAW.

your name,

= 56 THIS :: because your precepts

is to me, I observe.

MY COMFORT

in my affliction,

O YHWH,

O YHWH,

INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE MEMORY GAME It is first of all God who “remembers”, and his remembrance is the foundation of man. The Lord remembers his “word”, that is, his promise. It is the source of the psalmist’s hope (49b), which makes him confidently expect life (50b), despite the “mockery” of “the arrogant” (51a). In response, so to speak, to the remembrance of his God, the psalmist also “remembers” his words, the “judgments” (52a) contained in “the law” (55b), his “decrees” (54a), his “precepts” (56b). All this leads him, through the words of the law and beyond, to remember his ineffable “name” (55a); then in his mouth the words of the law are transformed into a song, into “hymns” that accompany him throughout the hours of the night.

224

Third Section (Ps 119)

THE PRESENCE OF THE WICKED The faithful are not alone in their relationship with the Lord. “The wicked”, those who “forsake” the law (53) are present and haunt his spirit. It is not only that they ignore the law and stay away from God; they also “mock” the righteous, the one who “does not turn away” from “the law” of his God (51). As if he were unbearable to them, representing a living reproach of their conduct. At the end, however, “the arrogant” are no longer mentioned, “affliction” that they made the righteous suffer (50a), “indignation” that they made rise in his heart (53a) seem to have disappeared and no longer disturb his nights; it is “this” alone that remains for him (56a). 3. “THE CORDS OF THE WICKED ENVELOPED ME” (ḤET, 119:57–64) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (57–58) + 57 My portion, + to keep

Yhwh, your words.

– 58 I appease – be gracious to me

your face with all heart, according to YOUR SAYING!

:: 59 I reflect :: and I will turn

on my ways, my feet

I HAVE SAID,

to your orders.

The declaration of the first segment, the commitment stated therein (57), is then diffracted first into a supplication which seeks to “appease” the Lord for a request for forgiveness (58), after which the psalmist promises to be converted in his conduct (59). The syntagma “I have said” in the first segment (57a) is matched by “your saying” in the second segment (58a), as if human word were matched by God’s word. THE SECOND PART (60–62) + 60 I hasten : to keep

and do not your commandments.

delay

– 61 The cords : your law

of the wicked I do not forget.

envelop me,

+ 62 In the middle : for the judgments

of the night of your righteousness.

I will rise

to give thanks to you

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

225

The part begins with a declaration of faithfulness (60) and ends with a promise of praise during the night (62). At the centre are “the wicked” who try to paralyse the psalmist without making him forget the law of his God. THE THIRD PART (63–64) :: 63 A companion :: and of those keeping

I (am) your precepts.

of all who

fear you,

+ 64 Of your faithfulness, + your decrees

O Yhwh, teach me.

is full

the earth,

The two segments seem to be complementary. While in the first segment the psalmist counts himself among the faithful, in the next segment he asks God to teach him his law, as if he were not yet perfect, as if he were not yet matching the love of God that fills the earth. “All who fear you” (63a) and “the earth is full” (64a) indicate the totality. THE WHOLE OF ḤET PASSAGE (119:57–64) + 57 My portion, • to KEEP

YHWH, your words.

– 58 I appease :: be gracious to me

your face with all heart, according to your saying!

- 59 I reflect - and I WILL TURN

on my ways, my feet

+ 60 I hasten • to KEEP

and do not your commandments.

delay

– 61 The cords :: your law

of the wicked I do not forget.

envelop me,

- 62 In the middle - for your judgments

of the night I WILL RISE of your righteousness.

I have said,

to your orders.

to give thanks to you

+ 63 A companion I (am) • and of those KEEPING your precepts.

of all who

fear you,

.. 64 Of your faithfulness, O YHWH, .. your decrees teach me.

is full

the earth,

226

Third Section (Ps 119)

+ 57 My portion, • to KEEP

YHWH, your words.

– 58 I appease :: be gracious to me

your face with all heart, according to your saying!

- 59 I reflect - and I WILL TURN

on my ways, my feet

+ 60 I hasten • to KEEP

and do not your commandments.

delay

– 61 The cords :: your law

of the wicked I do not forget.

envelop me,

- 62 In the middle - for your judgments

of the night I WILL RISE of your righteousness.

I have said,

to your orders.

to give thanks to you

+ 63 A companion I (am) • and of those KEEPING your precepts.

of all who

fear you,

.. 64 Of your faithfulness, O YHWH, .. your decrees teach me.

is full

the earth,

The first two parts are parallel. The second members of the first segments begin with the same verb followed by synonymous terms (57b, 60b, 63b). The second segments contain a negative aspect, the sin for which the psalmist wants to “appease” the Lord (58), “the wicked” who bind him (61). In the third segments, the psalmist promises to rectify his conduct (59), to rise in the night to give thanks to God (62). The first two parts are also linked by images that act as median terms: The last member of the first part (59b) and the first member of the second part (60a) both refer to walking. The last part differs from the two preceding ones. Not only does it comprise only two segments, but it does not end with a promise but with a request. “All who fear you” (63a) are opposed to “the wicked” (61a). The name “Yhwh” forms an inclusion (57a & 64a). All eight synonyms of “the law” are used, none of which is repeated.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

227

CONTEXT “HURRY, MAKE HASTE, DO NOT STOP” (1 SAM 20:38) These are the words that Jonathan addresses to his servant whom he has sent to retrieve the arrows he shot to warn David (1 Sam 20:38). The psalmist’s haste is not only psychological: it is the haste of walking the path of the law (Ps 119:60). “Moses tried to appease the Lord his God” (EXOD 32:11) When the Lord saw that Israel had strayed from the way he had marked out for them, his anger was kindled against his people to destroy them. Then “Moses appeased the face of the Lord his God and said ...” (Exod 32:11). INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE THE WICKED AND COMPANIONS The righteous man is confronted by “the wicked” who surround him in order to bind him (Ps 119:61); then he will not be able to walk and “hasten” along the ways marked out by the law of God (119:59–60). But these are not the first of his adversaries. The enemy within, sin, is perhaps an even greater peril to the one who intends to remain faithful to the Lord’s commandments. He has even succumbed to temptation, so that he must “appease” the divine wrath (119:58). Fortunately, he is not alone and can count on “companions” who “fear” their common Lord as he does (119:63). DO NOT STOP Liberated from sin (119:58) and “the wicked” who want to stop him on his way (119:60–61), the psalmist is happy to have received “his portion” of the inheritance, his keeping of God’s words (119:57). He hurries along the road (119:60); in constant motion, even at night, he “rises” to give thanks to the Lord, thanking him for his “righteousness”. With his “companions” he “keeps his precepts”. One might think that he fulfils all his duties. But only the Lord’s faithfulness fills the earth (119:64a) and so he ends his prayer by asking the Lord to teach him his decrees (119:64b), as if he were still at the beginning of the way.

228

Third Section (Ps 119) 4. “IT IS GOOD FOR ME TO BE HUMILIATED” (TET, 119:65–72)

COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (65–66) + 65 GOOD : O YHWH,

you have done to your servant, according to your word.

+ 66 THE GOODNESS of judgment : because in your commandments I have believed.

and knowledge

teach me,

Both segments begin with very similar nouns (ṭôb et ṭûb). In addition to the “good” already received (65a) the psalmist requests the Lord for “the goodness of judgment and knowledge” (66a). THE SECOND PART (67–70) + 67 Before = but now

I was humiliated, your saying

as for me, I keep.

+ 68 Good = teach me

you (are) your decrees.

and doing good,

– 69 They project .. as for me,

against me with all heart

falsehood, I observe

– 70 Is thick .. as for me,

as fat (in) your law

their heart, I delight.

I went astray,

················································································································

the arrogant, your precepts.

The two segments of the first piece put “me” (67a) and “you” (68a) in parallel; in the second members the psalmist declares that he is keeping the law (67b, after he “went astray”, 67a), but he still needs the Lord’s instruction (68b). The parallelism of the two segments in the second piece is much more marked. The arrogant smear the righteous with lies (69a), pouring out the evil fat of their hearts on him (70a). THE THIRD PART (71–72) + 71 GOOD for me = so that 72

+ GOOD for me = above thousands

to be humiliated, I might learn

your decrees.

the law of gold

of your mouth, and silver.

Undergoing “humiliation” is good (71a) like “the law” (72a), better than all riches (72b), since it allows one to be instructed in the divine decrees (71b).

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

229

THE WHOLE OF THE TET PASSAGE (119:65–72) + 65 GOOD - O YHWH,

you have done to your servant, according to your word.

+ 66 The GOODNESS of judgment - because in your commandments I have believed.

and knowledge

TEACH ME,

I went astray,

+ 67 Before = but now

I WAS HUMILIATED, your saying

as for me, I keep.

+ 68 GOOD = TEACH ME

you (are)

and DOING GOOD,

YOUR DECREES.

······················································································································

– 69 They project .. as for me,

against me with all heart

falsehood, I observe

– 70 Is thick .. as for me,

as fat (in) YOUR LAW

their heart, I delight.

+ 71 GOOD for me = so that

I MIGHT LEARN

YOUR DECREES.

THE LAW

of your mouth, and silver.

+ 72 GOOD for me = above thousands

the arrogant, your precepts.

TO BE HUMILIATED,

of gold

The segments in the extreme parts begin with “good” (ṭôb, 65a, 71a, 72a) and “goodness” (ṭûb, 66a); “good” is found in the central part where it is accompanied by “doing good” which is of the same root (68a). In a similar fashion, “teach me” (66a) is taken up in the last two parts by “teach me your decrees” (68b) and “I might learn your decrees” (71b). The central part brings in the humiliation (67a) caused by “the arrogant” (69– 70). The last part reveals the ultimately positive role of humiliation (71). CONTEXT “AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD” (GEN 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21) At the end of each of the first five days of creation “God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21). Finally, on the sixth day, “God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). FOR GOD ALL THINGS CAN WORK FOR THE GOOD “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him” (Rom 8:28). Paul further explains that “everything” includes “tribulation, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword”. As the Scripture says,

230

Third Section (Ps 119)

“For your sake we are being killed all day long; we have accounted as sheep to be slaughtered” (Ps 44:23 quoted in Rom 8:35–36). INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE “TEACH ME” (PS 119:66) From the outset, the psalmist acknowledges that, according to his promise, what the Lord has done for him is “good” (119:65). At the same time, he recognizes that he lacks wisdom, and so he asks to be taught in “judgment and knowledge” (119:66). He returns to this twice more: he needs to learn “the decrees” of his God (119:68b, 71b). THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD “You are good and doing good” (119:68a). The law that comes out of his mouth is better than all imaginable riches (119:72); whoever tastes it can only “delight” in it (119:70b). The “judgment and knowledge” that he can teach are also good (119:66). And even the “humiliation” caused by lies, which the arrogant, whose hearts are fat and whose minds are thick, who project against the Lord’s faithful, is good for him. It has an undeniable pedagogical function. It is humiliation that will enable him to “learn his decrees” (119:71). Without it, as the psalmist confesses he had gone “astray” from the law of God (119:67). 5. “YOUR LAW IS MY DELIGHT” (YOD, 119:73–80) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (73–74) + 73 Your hands :: GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING = 74 Your fearful = because in your word :: 75 I HAVE KNOWN, + that are righteous + and with truth

have made me and I shall learn

and have established me, your commandments.

will see me I hope.

and will rejoice,

O Yhwh, your judgments, you have humiliated me.

The extreme segments (73 & 75) correspond to each other in a mirrored fashion. The prayer of 73b is answered in 75a; the grace of creation (73a) is matched by the grace of humiliation (75bc), which the psalmist recognizes as the “righteous judgments” of God. The central segment (74) features those who are “fearful” of the Lord and will rejoice in the psalmist’s understanding of God’s commandments and judgments.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

231

THE SECOND PART (76–77) + 76 Let it be, : according to you saying + 77 Let them come to me, : because your law (is)

YOUR FAITHFULNESS,

my comfort

to your servant! YOUR MERCIES,

and I shall live,

my delight.

The two segments are parallel. The psalmist’s wish is that the Lord’s “faithfulness” and “mercies” be his “comfort” that will make him “live” (76a & 77a). Beginning equally with kî followed by the synonyms “your saying” and “your law” (76b & 77b), the second members express the reasons for the wishes in the first members. THE THIRD PART (78–80) – 78 LET THEM BLUSH, – because with falsehood + As for me,

the arrogant, they mistreat me! I meditate

on your precepts.

:: 79 Let them turn back to me, your fearful, :: and those knowing your orders! + 80 Let my heart be – so that

perfect I MAY NOT BLUSH.

in your decrees,

The extreme segments mirror each other (78 & 80): The first and last members oppose “the arrogant”, who will “blush”, to the psalmist, who will “not blush” (78a & 80b), while the last member of the first segment and the first member of the last segment end with synonymous terms “your precepts” and “your decrees” (78c & 80a). At the centre (79), the psalmist’s wish is for those who fear the Lord to return to him, who had strayed away from him, no doubt because of the false persecution that “the arrogant” had unleashed against him.

232

Third Section (Ps 119)

THE WHOLE OF YOD PASSAGE (119:73–80) + 73 YOUR HANDS + give me understanding • 74 YOUR FEARFUL • because in your word .. 75 I HAVE KNOWN, .. that are righteous .. and that WITH TRUTH

have made me and I shall learn

and have established me, your commandments.

will see me I hope.

and will rejoice,

O YHWH, your judgments, YOU HUMILIATED ME.

= 76 LET IT BE, : according to your saying

your faithfulness, to your servant!

my comfort

= 77 LET them come to me, : because your law (is)

your mercies, my delight.

and I shall live,

.. 78 LET them blush, .. because WITH FALSEHOOD .. As for me, 79

THE ARROGANT,

they mistreat me! I meditate

• LET them turn back to me, • and THOSE KNOWING

YOUR FEARFUL

80

perfect I may not blush.

+ LET MY HEART BE + so that

on your precepts.

your orders! in your decrees,

Two parts formed of three segments frame a shorter part. The extreme parts correspond to each other in a mirrored fashion: The extreme segments (73 & 80) show the psalmist in his relationship to God, the central segments (74 & 79) speak of the “fearful” of God in relation to the psalmist, and the median segments (75 & 78) speak of “the arrogant” who have “humiliated” the psalmist; in these segments “with truth” (“with a reason”) and “with falsehood” oppose each other (75c & 78b). It is noteworthy that “your hands” (73a) and “my heart” (80a), the only parts of the body which are mentioned, are found at the beginning of the extreme segments. The central part (76–77) differs from the other two by the fact that the psalmist prays to God to use his “faithfulness” and “mercies” in his favour. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE This passage brings together all the characters with whom the psalmist is in relationship, “Yhwh” above all, but also his “fearful” and “the arrogant”. Moreover, it contains all the synonyms of “the law”, one in each segment, without repeating any of them.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

233

THE LORD AS THE SOURCE OF LIFE More even than “comfort” (76), it is life that the psalmist desires (77). He received life from God’s “hands” when he was fashioned and “established” in the beginning (73). However, life is not limited to creation; “the law” given by the Lord is the “delightful” nourishment that sustains life and allows it to develop (77). But it must be assimilated, interiorised, understood and learned (73b), so that the “heart” is perfectly applied to it (80). But this is beyond human reach, and that is the reason why the psalmist prays to his Lord to grant it to him (73b & 80a). HUMILIATION OF THE ARROGANT AS A MEANS OF EDUCATION Whoever delights in “the law” of the Lord (77b) and “meditates on his precepts” (78c) inevitably becomes a victim of “the arrogant” who “humiliate” and “mistreat” him “falsely” (75c & 78ab). Their victim invokes God’s help to shed light on their lies and to cover them with shame (78a). The righteous person is “falsely” mistreated by the arrogant (78ab), and yet it is “with truth”, with a reason that the Lord has thus “humiliated” him (75c). The psalmist recognises in his humiliation a divine “righteous judgement”. It is not only through the commandments of the law, given once and for all on Mount Sinai, that the Lord educates his followers, but also through the vicissitudes of life and even through the persecution of the arrogant. THE SUPPORT OF THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD Besides having enemies who humiliate him, the psalmist also has friends: They are those who, like him, “fear” the Lord. “They will rejoice” (74a) when they will see the psalmist learning the commandments and understanding them with God’s help (73b), when they will find that it is in his word that he hopes (74b), and that he is even able to recognize in his humiliation the Lord’s benevolent intervention (75). Perhaps shaken for a while by false accusations brought against the psalmist (78ab), they will return to him when the arrogant will blush (78a), and the righteous with a perfect heart will be freed from shame (80). All this, of course, has not yet come to pass, but the psalmist’s hope in his God (74b) will not disappoint him: He is sure to be heard, since he relies on the Lord’s “faithfulness” and his “mercies”, on what he said to his servant (76–77).

234

Third Section (Ps 119)

6. I DELIGHT IN YOUR LAW, BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME (WAW––YOD, 119:41–80) COMPOSITION OF THE SECOND SUBSEQUENCE THE FIRST TWO PASSAGES Waw 41

And let your faithfulness come to me, O Yhwh, And I will answer him who insults me a word, 43 And do not take away from my mouth 42

44

And I WILL KEEP YOUR LAW constantly, And I will walk at large, 46 And I will speak of your orders before kings, 45

47 48

your salvation according to YOUR SAYING! because I trust in YOUR WORD. the WORD of loyalty completely, because I HOPE in YOUR JUDGMENTS. forever and ever. because I search for your precepts. and I will not blush.

And I will delight in your commandments, which I love. And I will lift up my palms to your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on YOUR DECREES.

Zayin 49

Remember the WORD to your servant, This is my comfort in my affliction, 51 The arrogant mock me completely, 50

in which you have given me HOPE. because YOUR SAYING gives me life. I do not turn away from YOUR LAW.

52

I remember YOUR JUDGMENTS forever, O Yhwh, and I take comfort. Indignation sizes me because of the wicked, who forsake YOUR LAW. 54 YOUR DECREES are hymns to me, in the house of my residence. 53

55 56

I remember in the night you name, O Yhwh, This is to me,

and I WILL KEEP YOUR LAW. because I observe your precepts.

The initial parts are matching by the repetition of “your saying” (41 & 50), “word” (42, 43, 49), “hope” (43 & 49). “Who insults me” (42) is matched by “the wicked” (53). In the second part of the first passage (44–46) and in the last part of the second passage (55–56) the syntagma “and I will keep your law” is repeated (44 & 55), and “because I search for your precepts” (45) is matched by “because I observe your precepts” (56).5 Enemies are mentioned only in the first two parts (42, 46, 51, 53).

5

This is a case of the 4th law of Lund (see Traité, 98 = Treatise, 42).

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

235

THE LAST TWO PASSAGES Ṭet 65 66

YOU HAVE DONE good to YOUR SERVANT, TEACH ME the goodness of judgment and KNOWLEDGE, 67 68 69

Before I was humiliated, as for me, I went astray, but now I keep YOUR SAYING. You are good and doing good, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. ·················································································································

The arrogant project falsehood against me, 70 Their heart is thick as fat, 71 72

O Yhwh, according to YOUR WORD. because I have believed in your commandments.

It is good for me to be humiliated, Better to me THE LAW of your mouth

as for me, I observe your precepts with all heart. as for me, I delight in YOUR LAW. so that I MIGHT LEARN YOUR DECREES. than thousands of gold and silver.

Yod 73

Your hands HAVE MADE ME and established me, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING & I SHALL LEARN your commandments. Your fearful will see me and will rejoice , because I hope in YOUR WORD. 75 I HAVE KNOWN, O Yhwh, that your judgments are righteous and you humiliated me in your truth. 74

76 77

Let your faithfulness be my comfort according to YOUR SAYING to YOUR SERVANT! Let your mercies come to me and I shall live, because YOUR LAW is my delight.

78

Let the arrogant blush,

79

Let your fearful turn back to me, Let my heart be perfect in YOUR DECREES,

80

because they mistreat me with falsehood! As for me, I meditate on your precepts. and THOSE KNOWING your orders! so that I may not blush.

The initial parts are marked by the repetition of the verb “to do” (65 & 73); in the same position, the phrase “because I hope in your word” (74) corresponds to “because I have believed in your commandments” (66); “your word” and “your commandments” are repeated in the same position (65, 66, 73, 74); the imperative “make me understand and I shall learn” in 73 recalls the imperative in 66, “teach me”. The name “Yhwh” appears only in these two parts (65 & 75). In the central parts the two occurrences of “your saying” play the role of initial terms (67 & 76); the corresponding members, “I delight in your law” (70) and “because your law is my delight” (77), play the role of final terms. In the final parts, we may notice the use of “so that” (71 & 80). Both passages are marked by terms that belong to the semantic field of knowledge: “to teach/learn” (66, 68, 71, 73), “knowledge” (66) and “to know” (75 & 79), which are of the same root (yd‘), “to give understanding” (73). The verb “to humiliate” is also repeated (67, 71, 75).

236

Third Section (Ps 119)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF EXTREME PASSAGES Waw 41 And LET YOUR FAITHFULNES COME TO ME, O Yhwh, 42 And I will answer him who insults me a word, 43 And do not take away from my mouth And I WILL KEEP YOUR LAW constantly, And I will walk at large, 46 And I will speak of your orders before kings, 47 And I WILL DELIGHT in your commandments, 48 And I will lift up my palms to your commandments, 44 45

Zayin 49 Remember the WORD to YOUR SERVANT, 50 This is my comfort in my affliction, 51 The ARROGANT mock me completely, 52 I remember your judgments from of old, O Yhwh, 53 Indignation sizes me because of the wicked, 54 Your decrees are hymns to me, 55 I remember in the night you name, O Yhwh, 56 This is to me,

your salvation according to YOUR SAYING! BECAUSE I trust in YOUR WORD. the WORD of loyalty completely, BECAUSE IN your judgments I HOPE. forever and ever. BECAUSE your precepts I search for. and I will not blush. which I love. which I love, and I WILL MEDITATE ON your decrees.

in which you have given me hope. BECAUSE YOUR SAYING I do not turn away from YOUR LAW. and I take comfort. who forsake YOUR LAW. in the house of my residence. and I WILL KEEP BECAUSE your precepts

GIVES ME LIFE.

YOUR LAW. I observe.

[57-64] Tet 65 You have done good to YOUR SERVANT, 66 Teach me the goodness of judgment and knowledge, 67 Before I was humiliated, as for me, I went astray, 68 You (are) good and doing good, 69 The ARROGANT project falsehood against me, 70 Their heart is thick as fat, 71 It is good for me to be humiliated, 72 Better to me THE LAW of your mouth

O Yhwh, according to YOUR WORD. BECAUSE in your commandments and now YOUR SAYING teach me your decrees. as for ME, with all heart I observe as for ME, in YOUR LAW so that I might learn your decrees. than thousands of gold and silver.

I have believed. I KEEP. your precepts. I DELIGHT.

Yod 73 Your hands have made me and have established me, give me understanding and I shall learn your commandments. 74 Your fearful will see me and will rejoice, BECAUSE IN YOUR WORD I HOPE. 75 I have known, O Yhwh, that your judgments are righteous, and you humiliated me in your truth. 76 Let YOUR FAITHFULNESS be my comfort according to YOUR SAYING to your servant! 77 LET your mercies COME TO ME AND I SHALL LIVE, BECAUSE YOUR LAW is MY DELIGHT. 78 Let the ARROGANT blush, because they mistreat me with falsehood! As for ME, I MEDITATE ON your precepts. 79 Let your fearful turn back to me, and those knowing your orders! 80 Let my heart be perfect in your decrees, so that I may not blush.

The first two passages and the last two correspond to each other in a mirror fashion. The extreme passages have in common: “let … come to me” (41 & 77), “faithfulness” (41 & 76), “because ... I hope” (43b & 74), “to delight” and “delight” (47 & 77), “to meditate on” (48b & 78b); “I will not blush” (46) is taken up again, with the same negation, in 80 (preceded by “let ... blush” in 78). These are the only passages in the subsequence comprising two trimember segments (43, 48, 75, 78).

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

237

The median passages begin with “your servant” and “word” (49 & 65), which thus play the role of initial terms; then come back “the arrogant” (51 & 69); “your law” comes back three times in the second passage (51, 53, 55) and twice in the penultimate one (70 & 72), while the term appears only once in the extreme passages (77). In the first two passages four final members begin with “because” followed by verbs in the first person and complements which are synonyms of “your law”: BECAUSE BECAUSE BECAUSE BECAUSE

I TRUST in your judgements your precepts your precepts

in your word I HOPE I SEARCH FOR I OBSERVE

42 43 45 56.

We can add to this list two other final members that start with “and” but have the same composition: AND AND

I WILL MEDITATE ON I WILL KEEP

your decrees your law

48b 55.

The same is applicable in the last passages where three second members start with “because“: BECAUSE BECAUSE BECAUSE

in your commandments in your word your law (is)

I HAVE BELIEVED I HOPE MY DELIGHT

66 74 77.

To which should be added three that begin with “as for me” and one that begins with “and”: as for ME, as for ME, as for ME, AND

with all heart I OBSERVE in your law I MEDITATE ON now your saying

your precepts I DELIGHT your precepts I KEEP

69 70 78b 67.

It should be pointed out that verse 50 also begins with “because”, but the subject is no longer the psalmist but the saying of the Lord: BECAUSE

your saying

GIVES ME LIFE

50

“The arrogant” occur in each of the last two passages (69 & 78); they already are found in the second passage (51), to which in the first passage corresponds “who insults me” (42) and in the second passage, “the wicked” (53). At the beginning of the first two passages “your faithfulness” (41) and “my comfort” (50) return, in contiguity, at the centre of the last passage (76). “I shall live” in 77 recalls “gives me life” in 50.

238

Third Section (Ps 119)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PASSAGE AND THE OTHER FOUR PASSAGES Waw 41 And let YOUR FAITHFULNESS come to me, O YHWH, 42 And I will answer him who insults me a word, 43 And do not take away from my mouth And I WILL KEEP YOUR LAW constantly, And I will walk at large, 46 And I will speak of your orders before kings, 47 And I will delight in your commandments, 48 And I will lift up my palms to your commandments, 44 45

Zayin 49 Remember the word to your servant, 50 This is my comfort in my affliction, 51 The arrogant mock me completely, 52 I remember your judgments from of old, O YHWH, 53 Indignation sizes me because of the wicked, 54 Your decrees are hymns to me, 55 I remember in THE NIGHT your name, O YHWH, 56 This is to me, Ḥet 57 YHWH is my portion, I have said, 58 I appease your face with all heart, 59 I reflect on my ways, 60 I hasten and do not delay 61 The cords of the wicked envelop me, 62 In the middle of THE NIGHT I will rise to give thanks to you 63 I am a companion of all WHO FEAR YOU 64 The earth, O YHWH, is full of YOUR FAITHFULNESS, Tet 65 You have done good to your servant, 66 TEACH ME the goodness of judgment and knowledge, 67 Before I was humiliated, as for me, I went astray, 68 You are good and doing good, 69 The arrogant project falsehood against me, 70 Their heart is thick as fat, 71 It is good for me to be humiliated, 72 Better to me THE LAW of your mouth Yod 73 Your hands have made me and have established me, 74 YOUR FEARFUL will see me and will rejoice, 75 I have known, O YHWH, Let YOUR FAITHFULNESS be my comfort Let your mercies come to me and I shall live, 78 Let the arrogant blush, 76 77

79 80

Let YOUR FEARFUL turn back to me, Let my heart be perfect in your decrees,

your salvation according to your saying! BECAUSE I TRUST IN YOUR WORD. the word of loyalty completely, BECAUSE IN YOUR JUDGMENTS I HOPE. forever and ever. BECAUSE YOUR PRECEPTS I SEARCH FOR. and I will not blush. which I love. which I love, and I will meditate on your decrees.

in which you have given me hope. BECAUSE YOUR SAYING from YOUR LAW

and I take comfort. who forsake YOUR LAW. in the house of my residence. and I WILL KEEP BECAUSE YOUR PRECEPTS

GIVES ME LIFE. I do not turn away.

YOUR LAW. I OBSERVE.

TO KEEP YOUR WORDS. be gracious to me according to your saying! and I will turn my feet to your orders. TO KEEP YOUR COMMANDMENTS. YOUR LAW I do not forget. for the judgments of YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. and of those KEEPING YOUR PRECEPTS.

TEACH ME your decrees.

O YHWH, according to your word. BECAUSE IN YOUR COMMANDMENTS I HAVE BELIEVED. and now your saying I KEEP. TEACH ME your decrees. as for me, with all heart I observe your precepts. as for me, in YOUR LAW I delight. so that I MIGHT LEARN your decrees. than thousands of gold and silver.

give me understanding & I SHALL LEARN your commandments. BECAUSE IN YOUR WORD I HOPE. that your judgments are RIGHTEOUS, and you humiliated me in your truth. according to your saying to your servant! BECAUSE YOUR LAW IS MY DELIGHT. because they mistreat me with falsehood! As for me, I meditate on your precepts. and those knowing your orders! so that I may not blush.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

239

The extreme passages as well as the central one contain a single occurrence of all eight synonyms, “word/s”, “saying”, “orders”, “commandments”, “law”, “judgments”, “precepts” and “decrees”. In the second and penultimate passages the total of eight is preserved: In the second passage, in fact, the triple occurrence of “law” compensates for the absence of “orders” and “commandments”; and in the penultimate passage the absence of “orders” and “judgements” is compensated for by the double occurrence of “decrees” and “law”. The most frequently occurring term is thus “law”: once in the extreme passages and the central passage, three times in the second passage and twice in the penultimate passage (44, 51, 53, 55, 61, 70, 72, 77), making a total of eight occurrences. In the passage preceding the centre, “the wicked” (53 & 61) and “the night” (55 & 62) are already mentioned. In the subsequent passage “with all heart” (58 & 69) is repeated, echoed by the other two occurrences of “heart” in 70 and 80. “Your righteousness” (62) is matched by “the righteous” in the last passage (75). Similarly, those “who fear you” (63) are matched by the two occurrences of “your fearful”, again in the last passage (74 & 79). The verb “to teach/learn” with which the central passage ends (64) is taken up again in the two subsequent passages (66, 68, 71, 73, where it is coupled with “to make understood”). Across the five passages: “to keep”, which occurs three times in the central passage (57, 60, 63), appears in each of the preceding passages (with “your law” as the direct object, 44, 55) as well as in the subsequent passage (67). “Your faithfulness” at the beginning of the first passage (41) is found, in the singular, at the end of the central passage (64) and is also repeated in the last passage (76). The name “Yhwh” occurs in all five passages (41, 52, 55, 57, 64, 65, 75), of which three times at the beginning of the passage (41, 57, 65). Although the word “the wicked” in 61 is used only once in the preceding passage (53), its synonyms are not lacking: “who insult me” (42), “the arrogant” (51, 69, 78), “they mistreat me” (78). Finally, although the word “ways” appears only once (59), it is followed in the central passage by “feet”, and then by “I hasten and do not delay” (60), and it is matched by “I will walk” (45) and “I went astray” (67) which belong to the same semantic field. The most striking feature of this subsequence found in the first two and last two passages is the list already of final members beginning with “because” (and with “as for me” or “and”) whose subject is the psalmist and whose object is the law of the Lord. In the central passage, on the other hand, there are no second members beginning with “because”. However, it is possible to notice the repetition of the verb “to keep” followed by a synonym of “the law” (57, 60, 63); in the first two instances the subject of the verb is the psalmist, in the third instance it is those “who fear” the Lord.

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Third Section (Ps 119)

REQUESTS Waw 41 AND LET your faithfulness COME TO ME, O YHWH, 42 And I will answer him WHO INSULTS ME a word, 43 AND DO NOT TAKE AWAY from my mouth And I will keep your law constantly, And I will walk at large, 46 And I will speak of your orders before kings, 47 And I will delight in your commandments, 48 And I will lift up my palms to your commandments, 44 45

Zayin 49 REMEMBER THE WORD to your servant, 50 This (is) my comfort in MY AFFLICTION, 51 THE ARROGANT mock me completely, 52 I remember your judgments from of old, O YHWH, 53 Indignation sizes me because of THE WICKED, 54 Your decrees are hymns to me, 55 I remember in the night you name, O YHWH, 56 This is to me, Ḥet 57 YHWH is my portion, I have said, 58 I appease your face with all heart, 59 I reflect on my ways, 60 I hasten and do not delay 61 The cords of THE WICKED envelop me, 62 In the middle of the night I will rise to give thanks to you 63 I am a companion of all who fear you, 64 The earth, O YHWH, is full of your faithfulness, Tet 65 You have done good to your servant, 66 TEACH ME the goodness of judgment and knowledge, 67 Before I was HUMILIATED, as for me, I went astray, 68 You are good and doing good, 69 THE ARROGANT project falsehood against me, 70 Their heart is thick as fat, 71 It is good for me to be HUMILIATED, 72 Better to me the law of your mouth Yod 73 Your hands have made me and have established me, 74 Your fearful will see me and will rejoice, 75 I have known, O YHWH, LET your faithfulness BE my comfort LET your mercies COME TO ME I shall live, 78 LET THE ARROGANT BLUSH, 76 77

79 80

LET your fearful TURN BACK to me, LET my heart BE PERFECT in YOUR DECREES ,

your salvation ACCORDING TO YOUR SAYING! because I trust in your word. THE WORD OF LOYALTY completely, because I hope in your judgments. forever and ever. because I search for your precepts. and I will not blush. which I love. which I love, and I will meditate on your decrees.

in which you have given me hope. because your saying gives me life. I do not turn away from your law. and I take comfort. who forsake your law. in the house of my residence. and I will keep your law. because I observe your precepts.

to keep your words. BE GRACIOUS TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR SAYING! and I will turn my feet to your orders. to keep your commandments. I do not forget your law. for the judgments of your righteousness. and of those keeping your precepts. TEACH ME your decrees.

O YHWH, according to your word. because I have believed in YOUR COMMANDMENTS. and now I keep your saying. TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. as for me, I observe your precepts with all heart. as for me, I delight in your law. so that I might learn your decrees. than thousands of gold and silver.

GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I shall learn YOUR COMMANDMENTS. because I hope in your word. that your judgments are righteous, and you humiliated me in your truth. ACCORDING TO YOUR SAYING to your servant! because your law is my delight. because THEY MISTREAT ME with falsehood! As for me, I meditate on your precepts. and those knowing your orders! so that I may not blush.

The Second Subsequence (118:41–80, Waw––Yod)

241

There are only two requests in the first, third and fourth passages (41, 43, 58, 64, 66, 68), only one in the second passage (49); there are considerably more in the last passage: once in the first segment, but five in the last five segments (73, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80). The requests are always addressed to God, whose name “Yhwh” appears seven times, once or twice in each passage (41, 52, 55, 57, 64, 65, 75). The psalmist pleads with his Lord to “teach” him to “understand” his decrees (64, 66, 68, 73), to keep him faithful to his law (43 & 80), “according to his word” (41, 58, 76); he also invokes his help against those who “insult” him (42) and “mistreat” him (78), “the arrogant” (51 & 69), “the wicked” (53 & 61), who “humiliate” him (67 & 71). INTERPRETATION OF THE SECOND SUBSEQUENCE “LET COME TO ME... YOUR SALVATION!” The first verse sets the tone: when the psalmist invokes “the faithfulness” of the Lord to obtain “salvation”, he does so because he is in danger. He is even in danger of death, since it is “the word” of his saviour (41) that “gives him life” (50). Indeed, he finds himself at the mercy of those who “insult him” (42), who “mock him completely” (51) and plunge him into “affliction” (50), who overwhelm him with their “falsehood” (69–70), who “mistreat him with falsehood” (78). At the centre, he comes to say: “The cords of the wicked envelop me” (61), as if they wanted to bind his “feet” so that he could not “walk at large” (45) and “hasten” in the ways of the Lord (60). HUMILIATION In the second side of the subsequence, the psalmist acknowledges that there was a time when he “went astray” (67) and that the Lord in his “goodness” was right to “humble” him (67, 71, 75). It can be understood that it was through “the arrogant” who “insulted” him and “mistreated” him falsely that the Lord corrected him. Seeing how “the wicked” were abandoning the law, “indignation” seized him and made him “reflect” on his “ways” (59). Therefore “the arrogant” will “blush” (78) and “the fearful” of God will “turn back” to him. In all humility, he can finally come to ask the Lord that his “heart be perfected”, so that he will no longer have to “blush” (80) like “the arrogant” (78).

III. YOUR LOVE SAVES ME FROM DEATH The Third Subsequence (KAPH—LAMED, 119:81–96)

k They have almost finished me off on earth

119:81–88

l I have seen an end to all finishing off

119:89–96

1. THEY HAVE ALMOST FINISHED ME OFF ON EARTH (KAPH, 119:81–88) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (81–83) – 81 IS FINISHED OFF , :: in your word

for your salvation, I hope.

my soul,

– 82 ARE FINISHED OFF – while saying:

my eyes “When

for your saying, will you comfort me?”

– 83 Though I am :: your decrees

like a wineskin I do not forget.

in the smoke,

The construction of the extreme segments (81 & 83) is similar: The first members express the misfortune in which the speaker finds himself, while the second members affirm his attachment to the “word” and “decrees” of the Lord (81b & 83b). At the centre, as often, there is a question (82b). The first two segments begin with the same verb,1 whose subject is “my soul” in the first instance (81a), “my eyes” in the second one (82a).

1

It is translated as “finished off” because of the repetition of the same verb in verse 87; the liturgical psalter renders it as “worn out”, Osty as “consumed”.

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Third Section (Ps 119)

THE SECOND PART (84–86) .. 84 How many .. When 85

are the days will you make

of your servant? on MY PERSECUTORS

– They dig for me, + which (are)

THE ARROGANT, pits, not according to your law.

+ 86 All – with falsehood

your commandments THEY PERSECUTE ME:

judgment?

(are) truth, help me.

The two questions in the first segment are correlated (84): We understand that, since the supplicant’s days are limited, he is anxious to be liberated. The last two segments (85–86) describe what “the arrogant” “persecutors” are doing: they want to trap him, using “falsehood”, whereas the commandments, that is, the “law” which they do not obey, are on the contrary “truth”.2 The part ends with a call for help (86b) that echoes the second question of the first segment (84b). THE THIRD PART (87–88) – 87 Almost :: but as for me,

THEY FINISHED ME OFF

I do not forsake

+ 88 According to your faithfulness GIVE ME LIFE, :: and I will keep the order

in the earth, your precepts. of your mouth.

The two segments are parallel. The death that the adversaries intended to inflict on the psalmist (87a) is opposed by the life that he asks of the Lord (88a). The second members repeat his faithfulness to God’s law.

2

The term ’ĕmûnâ often translated as faithfulness, indicates what is solid, what can be relied upon.

The Third Subsequence (Kaph—Lamed, 119:81–96)

245

THE WHOLE OF THE KAPH PASSAGE (119:81–88) – 81 IS FINISHED OFF, :: in your word

for YOUR SALVATION, I HOPE.

my soul,

– 82 ARE FINISHED OFF – while saying:

my eyes “When

for your saying, will you comfort me?”

– 83 Though I am :: your decrees

like a wineskin I DO NOT FORGET.

in the smoke,

are the days will you make

of your servant? on MY PERSECUTORS

.. 84 How many .. When 85

– They dig for me, – which (are)

THE ARROGANT, PITS, not according to your law.

+ 86 All – with falsehood

your commandments THEY PERSECUTE ME:

– 87 Almost :: but as for me,

I DO NOT FORSAKE

+ 88 In your faithfulness :: and I will keep

the order

THEY FINISHED ME OFF

judgment?

(are) truth, HELP ME!

in the earth, your precepts.

GIVE ME LIFE,

of your mouth.

In the extreme parts the psalmist exposes his status of being “finished off”. He plays on words: At the beginning he himself is exhausted, “finished off” (81 & 82), while in the last part his persecutors are not far from finishing him off, from burying him (87). In the central part (84–86), he calls for help against his enemies (this is the only place where enemies are mentioned, and in an insistent fashion, in each segment). The same verb translated as “to be finished off” and “to finish off” is repeated at the beginning of the extreme parts (81, 82, 87), forming an inclusion for the whole passage; “give me life” in the ending (88a) recalls “your salvation” in the beginning (81a) and “help me” at the end of the central part. Also noteworthy are the claims of faithfulness in the second members of the last part (87b & 88b) as well as in the second members of the extreme segments of the first part (81b & 83b), which are opposed to the unfaithfulness of “the arrogant” at the centre of the central part (85b). Finally, “in the earth” (87a) recalls “the pits” in 85a. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE AT THE EDGE OF THE PIT Facing “the arrogant” (85) who persecute him to death, the psalmist is exhausted, worn out, consumed, suffocated by “the smoke” (83). Of course, those who intend to remain faithful to God and his precepts are inevitably

246

Third Section (Ps 119)

subject to criticism and contradiction from those who mock the divine law. But these are not only opponents or even enemies for the supplicant, they are “persecutors” (84 & 86) and they are after his life. He sees himself at the edge of the “pit” (85), ready to be thrown into the “earth” (87). WHEN? But the Lord is silent and even seems absent. He has left his faithful to be consumed, without intervening, without helping him. Time seems desperately long for the one who is in trial and, in his night, cannot see the end of the tunnel. He has the feeling that he will never get out of it for the rest of his life. Will the Lord never intervene and abandon him forever? Yet he does not lose hope: “In your word I hope” (81b). He does not doubt that “salvation” (81a) will come, he knows that his call for “help” (86b) will not go unanswered, he is sure that he will be pulled out of the pit and that his God will “give him life” (88). But “when?” “When will you comfort me?” (82b), “When will you condemn my persecutors?” (84b). I DO NOT FORSAKE YOUR LAW The Lord seems to have forgotten the one who is in trial and in danger of death, as if he had abandoned him. In spite of this, the one persecuted because of the law “does not forget the decrees” of God (83b), “he does not forsake his precepts” (87b). That is because, contrary to the “falsehood” of his persecutors (86b), the words of the Lord are sincere and truthful (86a). He believes, with certain faith, that he can rely on them which are the source of life.

The Third Subsequence (Kaph—Lamed, 119:81–96)

247

2. I HAVE SEEN AN END TO ALL FINISHING OFF (LAMED, 119:89–96) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (89–91) + 89 Forever, + Your word 90

+ From age + you have established

O Yhwh, is firmly fixed to age, THE EARTH,

+ 91 Through your judgments THEY STAND + because all (are) YOUR SERVANTS.

in THE HEAVENS. your faithfulness, AND IT STANDS. this day,

Beginning with synonymous complements of time, the first two segments are complementary (89 & 90): as the word of God in “the heavens”, so “the earth” endures forever. The last segment (91) repeats the verb “to stand” from 90b, applying it to “all”, that is, both the heavens and the earth, called the “servants” of the Lord (91b).3 THE SECOND PART (92–94) :: 92 Unless – then

your law I WOULD HAVE PERISHED

had been my delight, in my humiliation.

:: 93 Forever + because by them

I will not forget YOU GIVE ME LIFE.

your precepts,

+ 94 Yours :: because your precepts

I (am), I search for.

SAVE ME,

The first member of the first two segments as well as the second member of the third segment are similar (92a, 93a, 94b): The psalmist repeats his love for the “law” and the “precepts” of the Lord. The other members are also similar. The call for help in the ending (94a) is preceded by two opposing statements: The death that the psalmist would have faced (92b) without the help of the law (92a & 93a), which “gives him life” (93b).

3

Although the term “faithfulness” (90a) is not one of the eight synonyms of the law, it can be considered here as one of its equivalents, because it is preceded by “from age to age” as “your word” is preceded by “forever” (89).

248

Third Section (Ps 119)

THE THIRD PART (95–96) – 95 Are waiting for me the wicked :: to your orders I am attentive.

THAT I WOULD PERISH,

+ 96 To all + broad (is)

I have seen exceedingly!

FINISHING OFF your commandment

an end:

The first members oppose each other: The relentlessness of the wicked to get the righteous “perish” (95a), to his “finishing off”4 (that is to say, to finish him off, 96a), will have “an end”. The second members are complementary: Human respect for the “orders” of God (95b) whose “commandment” is “broad” (96b), that is to say, vast, without limits, without end. The two members of the last segment oppose each other: Finishing off has an end (96a), while the commandment of the Lord has not (96b). THE WHOLE OF LAMED PASSAGE (119:89–96) + 89 Forever, + your word

O Yhwh, is firmly fixed

in the heavens.

+ From age + you have established

to age, the earth,

your faithfulness, and it stands.

+ 91 Through your judgments + because all (are)

they stand your servants.

this day,

:: 92 Unless – then

your law I WOULD HAVE PERISHED

had been my delight, in my humiliation.

:: 93 Forever + because by them

I will not forget YOU GIVE ME LIFE.

YOUR PRECEPTS,

+ 94 Yours :: because YOUR PRECEPTS

I (am), I search for.

SAVE ME,

– 95 Are waiting for me :: to your orders

the wicked I am attentive.

THAT I WOULD PERISH,

+ 96 To all + broad (is)

FINISHING OFF

your commandment

I have seen exceedingly!

90

an end:

4 This noun is not found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible; to understand it, it must be put in relation to the three occurrences of the verb from the same root in the preceding passage, in particular with the last one: “They have almost finished me off in the earth” (87a). It is corroborated by the parallel with “to perish” in the preceding segment (95a).

The Third Subsequence (Kaph—Lamed, 119:81–96)

249

The passage begins with a kind of profession of faith in the solidity of the law, which “stands” firm throughout the creation (89–91). The central part continues in the same clearly positive vein, but this time not in a general fashion as in the first part, but applied to the life of the psalmist. Indeed, he would have “perish” if the Lord did not “give him life” (92–93); the part ends with a supplication for the future: “save me” (94). In the last part, the speaker acknowledges that his trial, his “finishing off” (96a), has found a happy end thanks to God’s help, whose “commandment” is exceedingly broad, vast, immense, without limits (96b). INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE THE LORD’S STEADFASTNESS The psalmist’s gaze contemplates the whole of creation over the whole of time. Like the earth, God’s “word” and his “judgments” endure from everlasting to everlasting. All creatures obey the Lord’s orders, his word. In this way his “faithfulness”, his “steadfastness”, is manifested. THE SALVATION OF GOD It is not only the creation that can be sustained by the word of God, but also every person who trusts in the same word. The psalmist recognises that he would have perished if he had not put his trust and love in the “law” of the Lord (92). He will therefore remain faithful to it forever, for therein lies the source of life for him. Aware, no doubt, of his frailty, he continued to implore that salvation would never fail him. He has been able to endure thanks to the “law”; there are its “precepts” which keep him alive (93), and which will ensure his salvation forever. THE END OF HUMILIATION Like the word of the one who created it, the world stands forever. But not so with “the wicked”. They wanted to make “perish” the one who is faithful to the precepts and orders of the Lord, they wanted to terminate him, to “finish him off” once and for all. But their end will coincide with the end of the torments inflicted on the psalmist, who can then celebrate the immense “broadness” of God’s commandment, the infinite power of his saving word, as his creative power is infinitely faithful.

250

Third Section (Ps 119) 3. YOUR LOVE SAVES ME FROM DEATH (KAPH—LAMED, 119:81–86)

COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SUBSEQUENCE + 81 IS FINISHED OFF – in YOUR WORD

for your salvation I hope.

my soul,

+ 82 ARE FINISHED OFF – while saying:

my eyes “WHEN

for YOUR SAYING, will you comfort me?”

– 83 Though I am :: YOUR DECREES

like a wineskin I do not forget.

in the smoke,

are the days will you make

of your servant? ON MY PERSECUTORS

.. 84 How many .. WHEN 85

- They dig for me, - which (are)

the arrogant, PITS, not according to YOUR LAW.

.. 86 All - with falsehood

YOUR COMMANDMENTS

– 87 Almost :: but as for me,

THEY PERSECUTE ME:

(are) truthfulness, HELP ME.

THEY FINISHED ME OFF

IN THE EARTH,

I do not forsake

YOUR PRECEPTS.

+ 88 According to your faithfulness – and I will keep

GIVE ME LIFE THE ORDER

of your mouth.

+ 89 FOREVER, + YOUR WORD

O Yhwh, is firmly fixed

in the heavens.

+ FROM AGE + you have established

TO AGE, the earth,

your truthfulness, IT STANDS.

+ 91 Through YOUR JUDGMENTS + because all (are)

THEY STAND

this day,

90

:: 92 Unless – then

judgment?

your servants. I WOULD HAVE PERISHED

had been my delight, in my humiliation.

I will not forget

YOUR PRECEPTS,

YOUR LAW

:: 93 FOREVER + because by them

YOU GIVE ME LIFE.

+ 94 Yours :: because YOUR PRECEPTS

I (am), I search for.

SAVE ME,

– 95 Are waiting for me :: to YOUR ORDERS

the wicked I am attentive.

THAT I WOULD PERISH,

+ 96 To all + immense (is)

FINISHING OFF YOUR COMMANDMENT

I have seen exceedingly!

an end:

The Third Subsequence (Kaph—Lamed, 119:81–96)

251

The two passages correspond to each other in a certain parallelism. In the initial parts, “your word” returns in an identical position at the beginning of the second member of the first segment (81b & 89b). The double occurrence of “to stand” (90b & 91a) opposes the double occurrence of “to finish” (81a & 82a). The question “when” in 82b (taken up in the subsequent part in 84b) is answered by “forever” and “from age to age” in 89a and 90a (“forever” is taken up in the subsequent part in 93a). In the second parts, there are repeated two terms: “persecutors” and “to persecute” in the first one (84b & 86b), “your precepts” in the other one (93a & 94b). The threat of death is expressed as “pits” (85a) and “to perish” (92b). The synonymous imperatives, “help me” and “save me” (86b & 94a), act as final terms. In the third parts, “in the earth” and “to perish” are found in the same position, at the end of the first members (87a & 95a), echoing “pits” and “I would have perished” from the preceding parts (85a & 92b). “Finishing off” in 96a corresponds to “they finished me off” in 87. Both terms can be considered as final terms for the two passages, and “finishing off” in the last segment (96a) forms an inclusion with the first word in the sequence, “is finished off” (81a). The first word, which is used four times in the subsequence—and only once elsewhere in psalm (123)—, is of the root klh. The first two consonants (the third one is “weak”) are those with which each of the segments in the first and second passages begins, kaph and lamed. It may also be noticed that “all” (kol) occurs three times (86a, 91b, 96a). Its two consonants, kl, are the same as the first two in the verb klh. These two words are not unrelated from the semantic point of view. The name “Yhwh” appears only once, at the beginning of the second passage (89a). INTERPRETATION OF THE SUBSEQUENCE WHEN? ALWAYS! The psalmist thought of being “finished off” (81–83); he now recognizes that through God’s word everything “stands” (89–91). He asked twice the Lord “when” he would finally be liberated from his enemies (82 & 84). Having seen the end of his persecutions, he confesses twice that God’s word and his faithfulness endure “forever”, “from age to age” (89–90). In this way, the first part of the second passage responds to the first part of the first passage. FINISHING OFF IS FINISHED OFF The psalmist had been confronted with death. Not the natural death that ends all life, but a violent death that would have shortened his days. He was “persecuted” (86); people unfaithful to God’s law had decided to make him

252

Third Section (Ps 119)

“perish” (95), they dug “pits” (85) to put him “in the earth” (87). They wanted to terminate him, to “finish him off”; and indeed, he was psychologically finished off, he was at his end, his soul was “finished off”. But the persecutors did not have the last word, quite the contrary. The harm they had wanted to do to the faithful of the Law turned against them. In the end, it was their project of finishing off that came to an end, that could not be realised (96). THE LAW IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE Since “the arrogant” do not behave “according to the Law” of God, the psalmist, on the contrary, does not cease to recall in every tone his attachment to the Law, because it is his delight (92a), because the “word” of God is for him (81b & 89b), because “all his commandments are truthfulness”, “steadfastness” (86a), because his “commandment” is exceedingly “immense”, without limit (96b), since it can put an end to the activities of the wicked. In short, because it is through his love, through his “faithfulness” (88a) manifested in “the precepts” of the Law that God makes him alive (93).

IV. FAR FROM THOSE WHO STRAY FROM YOUR WAYS, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES The Fourth Subsequence (MEM—PE, 119:97–136) The first two passages and the last two are related in a parallel fashion: Mem with Ayin and Nun with Pe.

m “I restrain my feet from every evil path”

n “Lamp for my feet is your word”

s “SUSTAIN ME ACCORDING TO YOUR SAYING AND I SHALL LIVE”

‘ “I hate all ways of falsehood”

p “The opening of your words enlightens”

119:97–104

119:105–112

119:113–120

119:121–128

119:129–136

254

Third Section (Ps 119) 1. “I RESTRAIN MY FEET FROM EVERY EVIL PATH” (MEM, 119:97–104)

COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (97–100) :: 97 How :: all the day

I love

+ 99 MORE THAN ALL MY MASTERS – because your orders (are)

I have insight, a MEDITATION

your law!

IT (is) MY MEDITATION. ············································································································ + 98 MORE THAN MY ENEMIES, make me wiser your commandments, – because forever THEY (are) to me.

100

+ MORE THAN THE ELDERS – because your precepts

to me.

I understand, I observe.

The first piece (97) is very brief and serves as an introduction to the second piece. Its first word, “how” (97a), is answered by the three “more than” with which each of the three segments of the second piece begins (98a, 99a, 100a). The second member of the first piece (97b) gives the reason for the first member; likewise, the second members of the next three segments, which begin with “because” (98b, 99b, 100b). The two pieces are linked through the two occurrences of “meditation” (97b & 99b), but also through the same feminine singular pronoun, hî, translated as “it (is)” and then as “they (are)” (97b & 98b). Furthermore, “forever” echoes “all the day” in the same position (97b & 98b). THE SECOND PART (101–104) – 101 From EVERY PATH, evil, .. so that I might keep – 102 From your judgments .. because it is you

I RESTRAIN your word.

MY FEET,

I DO NOT TURN ASIDE, who instruct me.

····················································································································

:: 103 How sweet :: more than honey

to my palate to my mouth!

+ 104 Through your precepts I understand, – therefore I hate

your saying,

EVERY PATH

of falsehood.

In the first piece (101–102) the psalmist abstains from evil, in the second piece (203–104) he positively adheres to the law. However, the last member (104b) again expresses the rejection of evil. The two occurrences of “every path” (101a &

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

255

104b) form an inclusion. “Who instruct me” (102b) and “I have understanding” (104a) belong to the same semantic field. The four synonyms of the law are found in symmetrical positions. THE WHOLE OF MEM PASSAGE (119:97–104) • 97 HOW :: all the day

I LOVE it is

your law! my rumination.

··················································································································

+ 98 MORE THAN my enemies, – because forever

make me wiser they are

+ 99 MORE THAN all my masters – because your orders are

RUMINATION

+ 100 MORE THAN the elders – because YOUR PRECEPTS

I UNDERSTAND, I observe.

.. 101 From every path, = so that I might keep

evil, your word.

.. 102 From your judgments = because it is you

I do not turn aside, who instruct me.

your commandments, to me.

I have insight, to me.

I restrain

my feet,

·················································································································· 103

• HOW sweet is :: MORE THAN honey

to my PALATE to my MOUTH!

+ 104 Through YOUR PRECEPTS – therefore

I UNDERSTAND, I HATE

your saying,

every path

of falsehood.

The two occurrences of “how” serve as initial terms for the extreme pieces (97a & 103a); the two occurrences of “your precepts” and “I understand” serve as final terms for the two parts (100 & 104). It should be pointed out that “more than” (min) which occurs three times in the first part, at the beginning of the three segments of the second piece (98a, 99a, 100a), is repeated once in the second part (103b).1 “I love” and “I hate” (97a & 104b), in the same position in the extreme members, form an inclusion. The word śîḥâ, usually translated as “meditation” (97b & 99b), means at the same time meditation in the heart, mastication in the mouth, and also speech addressed to others; since it is related to “palate” and “mouth” (103) it has been rendered here as “rumination”.

1

“More than” (98a, 99a, 100a, 103b), “from” (101a & 102a) and “through” (104a) translate the same preposition min.

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INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE IT IS YOU WHO INSTRUCT ME Since it is God himself who instructs the psalmist (102b), it is not surprising that he understands more than the elders who have accumulated wisdom over the years (100a), more than all the teachers he had (99a), more also than what his enemies could teach him when he had to try to avoid their traps (98a). It was in the precepts of the law of his God that he found instruction, because he held on to them “all the day” (97b) and “forever” (98b), meditating on them in his heart, savouring their sweetness in his mouth. THE EVIL PATH OF FALSEHOOD From the exaltation that the love of the law gives him (97–100), the psalmist returns, so to speak, to earth, where the way of good and truth is never far from that of evil and falsehood (101a & 104b). Without the instruction given by the Lord in his law, it is easy to stray from it and to tread the evil path of falsehood, the one chosen by his “enemies” (98a). 2. “LAMP FOR MY FEET IS YOUR WORD” (NUN, 119:105–112) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (105–106) + 105 Lamp + and a light

for my feet, for my trail.

:: 106 I swear :: to keep

and I will stand up the judgments

your word,

of your righteousness.

The connection between the two segments seems to be of consequence: since your word enlightens me, I swear to keep it.

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

257

THE SECOND PART (107–110) – 107 I HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED :: give me life

completely, O Yhwh, according to your word.

:: 108 The offerings :: and your judgments

of my mouth teach me.

accept,

O Yhwh,

············································································································· 109

constantly,

– MY BREATH :: and your law

I do not forget.

– 110 They put, :: and from your precepts

THE WICKED, I do not wander.

IN MY PALMS

a trap for me,

This part is marked by the presence of the psalmist’s enemies, “the wicked” who have laid a “trap” for him (110a), who have “humiliated” him (107a); the first members of the two pieces both seem to indicate the mortal danger to which the speaker is exposed.2 In the first piece, which has three imperatives, the psalmist prays to the Lord; in the second piece, which is still addressed to the Lord, he affirms that he will remain faithful to his law and his precepts, despite the attacks of his enemies (109b &110b).3 THE THIRD PART (111–112) + 111 My inheritance, .. because the joy 112

.. I incline + FOREVER,

your orders of MY HEART

FOREVER,

MY HEART

to do

they (are). your decrees,

to the end.

The four members correspond to each other in a mirrored fashion with the two occurrences of “forever” (111a & 112b) and “my heart” (111b & 112a). The first segment (111) is a kind of statement, the second one a promise (112a), total and definitive (112b).

2

“To put his breath (his soul) in his palms” means “to risk his life” (Judg 12:3; 1 Sam 19:5). The two negative verbs in 109b and 110b are in the complete tense; they can be translated either as present tense, as here, if one understands that it is a commitment, or as past tense, if one understands that it is the affirmation of a proven fact. 3

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Third Section (Ps 119)

THE WHOLE OF NOUN PASSAGE (119:105–112) + 105 Lamp + and a light

for my feet, for my trail.

= 106 I swear = to keep

and I will stand up THE JUDGMENTS

YOUR WORD,

of your righteousness.

– 107 I have been humiliated completely, O Yhwh, .. give me life according to YOUR WORD. .. 108 The offerings .. and YOUR JUDGMENTS

of my mouth teach me.

accept,

O Yhwh,

··················································································································

– 109 My breath :: but your law

in my palms I do not forget.

constantly,

– 110 They put, :: but from your precepts

the wicked I do not wander.

a trap for me,

+ 111 My inheritance, + because the joy

your orders of my heart

forever, they (are).

= 112 I incline = forever,

my heart to the end.

to do

your decrees,

The extreme parts correspond to each other: they begin with a complementary statement, “lamp for my feet”, “joy of my heart” (105a & 111b). In the second segments, the psalmist commits himself to keep the law, with two verbs in the same modality, in the same initial position (106a & 112a). It is possible to link “I will stand up” (106a) with “forever” (111a & 112b), for these terms express the same perseverance. The long central part (107–110) is the only one where the enemies are present, and the only one that comprises a prayer (107–108). In the first part and the first piece of the central part, “your word” (105a & 107b) and “judgments” (106b & 108b) are repeated. “The offerings of my mouth” (108a) seem to recall “I swear” (106a). In the second piece of the central part and in the last part, “constantly” (109a) is a synonym of “forever” (111a & 112b); “completely” (107a) also expresses the totality. One should notice the large number of parts of the body: “my feet” (105a), “my mouth” (108a), “my breath” (or “my throat”, 109a), “my palms” (109a), “my heart” (111b & 112a).

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

259

INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE TENACITY The righteous person holds his breath “constantly” (109); that is because the “wicked” are working against him, humiliating him “completely” (107). But the tenacity of those who set “a trap” for him (110) is matched by the tenacity of the faithful. He has sworn to keep the judgements of the righteousness of his Lord and promises to keep his oath (106), he has stood firm in the trial, not forgetting the law (109), not wandering from its precepts (110), he will fulfil its decrees “forever, to the end” (111–112). WHOLLY The psalmist declares himself wholly, body and soul, attached to the law of his Lord. Like a lamp, the word of God lights the road beneath his “feet” (105). Even if his “breath is in his palms constantly” (109), if he risks his life constantly (107), the offerings of his “mouth” are always presented to the Lord (108). Finally, his “heart” finds its joy in God’s orders (111), “to do” them, as with his hands, “to the end” (112). SON OF GOD The “orders” of the Lord are the wealth that the psalmist has received as an “inheritance”, which gives him all his joy (111). When, after the humiliation that has overcome him “completely” (107a), he asks his God to “give him life” (107b), we hear him pleading with his father to give him back his life. He then implores his father to teach him (108b). Although very discreet, the theme of divine filiation is nonetheless present and indirectly enlightens the whole passage.

260

Third Section (Ps 119) 3. “SUSTAIN ME ACCORDING TO YOUR SAYING AND I SHALL LIVE” (SAMEK, 119:113–120)

COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (97–100) – 113 THE CROOKED + and your law + 114 My shelter + in your word – 115 Turn aside + and I will observe

I hate, I love. and my shield I hope. from me, the commandments

you (are), YOU EVILDOERS,

of my God.

In the extreme segments the first members deal with the opponents, “the crooked” and the “evildoers” whom he addresses at the end (113a & 115a). The verbs in the second members are in the first person singular and have as object complements “your law” (113b) and two of its synonyms (114b & 115b). The central segment (114) is all about God; however, “shelter” and “shield” represent divine protection against “the crooked” and “the evildoers”. THE SECOND PART (116–117) + 116 SUSTAIN ME .. and do not let me blush

according to your saying, of my expectation.

+ 117 HELP ME, .. and I will contemplate

your decrees

and I shall live, and I shall be saved, constantly.

The two segments are parallel: they begin with synonymous imperatives whose suffix pronoun is in the same first person singular and they end with synonymous verbs in the first person singular. The second members are complementary: one looks at the past of “expectation”, the other at the future. THE THIRD PART (118–120) – 118 YOU DESPISE all who stray – because falsehood (is) their thinking. – 119 (Like) dross, + therefore + 120 TREMBLES + and your judgments

YOUR HOLD

I LOVE for dread of you I FEAR.

from your decrees, all the wicked your orders. my flesh,

of the earth;

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

261

While the first segment (118) is about God’s action towards the ungodly, the last segment (120) is about the psalmist’s attitude towards his Lord. The central segment (119) ensures the transition from the first segment to the last one: The first member refers to the first member of the first segment and the second member announces the last segment. THE WHOLE OF SAMEK PASSAGE (119:113–120) – 113 The crooked + and your law + 114 My shelter + in your word – 115 Turn aside + and I will observe

I hate, I LOVE. and my shield I hope.

you (are),

from me, the commandments

you evildoers, of my God.

according to your saying, and I shall live, + 116 Sustain me + and do not let me blush of my expectation. + 117 Help me, + and I will contemplate – 118 You despise – because falsehood (is) – 119 (As) dross + therefore + 120 Trembles + and your judgments

and I shall be saved, YOUR DECREES

constantly.

all who stray their thinking.

from YOUR DECREES,

your hold I LOVE

all the wicked your orders.

for dread of you I fear.

my flesh,

of the earth;

The extreme parts are both constructed in a concentric fashion. Opponents are named twice: “the crooked” and the “evildoers” (113 & 115); “all who stray” and “all the wicked” (118 & 119). “I love” occurs twice, both times in the second members (113b & 119b). The two segments in the central part are the only ones that constitute a prayer of request. The last term of the first segment, “my expectation” (116b), corresponds to the last term of the central segment of the first part, “I hope” (114b). The two occurrences of “your decrees” act as median terms between the central part and the last part (117b & 118a).

262

Third Section (Ps 119)

INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH The central invocations, where the psalmist expressed his desire to “live” (116a) and “be saved” (117), suggest that the threat he faces from “evildoers” is very serious; it is a matter of life and death for him. The reason he calls the Lord his “shelter” and his “shield” (114) is that it is a war and therefore he is facing people who want to kill him. FROM DREAD OF ENEMIES TO THE FEAR OF GOD Tightly pressed by those who wish him ill, the psalmist calls upon God, his “shelter” and “shield” (114), but he also addresses the “evildoers”, crying out to them to “turn aside” from him (115). After his prayer, sure that his “expectation”, his hope will not be disappointed, he can see with relief how much his saviour “despises” and “holds as dross” the wicked (118–119). Then “dread” and “fear” take hold of him (120). The fear of the Lord has nothing to do with being afraid: It is the seizure that takes hold of the one who, suddenly freed from terror, trembles with all his body and soul at having been saved from death and who turns with gratitude to his saviour. “The trembling certainty of love is exactly what the Bible calls ‘the fear of God”.4 4. “I HATE ALL WAYS OF FALSEHOOD” (AYIN, 119:121–128) COMPOSITION DU PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (121–123) + 121 I have done – DO NOT LEAVE ME

judgment to my OPPRESSORS.

+ 122 Ensure your servant – DO NOT LET THEM OPPRESS me, the arrogant. + 123 My eyes + and for the saying

and RIGHTEOUSNESS, for good,

are finished off for your salvation, of your RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The two occurrences of “righteousness” act as extreme terms (121a & 123b). The second members of the first two segments are parallel (121b & 122b), even though the subject of “do not leave me” is God, for the syntagma “do not let them oppress me” refers to the enemies. The first members of the last two segments end with a similar phrase: “for good” and “for your salvation” (122a & 4

P. BEAUCHAMP, L’Un et l’Autre Testament. I, 272.

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

263

123a). In this way, the central segment links the other two: Moreover, whereas the extreme segments have the psalmist as their subject, in the one they frame it is God, the subject of the imperative, whom the psalmist begs to act on his behalf. THE SECOND PART (124–125) + 124 Do with + and your decrees

YOUR SERVANT TEACH ME.

according to your faithfulness

+ 125 YOUR SERVANT, + and I will know

I (am), your orders.

MAKE ME UNDERSTAND,

The psalmist, who calls himself “your servant” (124a & 125a), asks the Lord to “teach” him and “to make him understand” (124b & 125a) his “decrees” and “orders”. THE THIRD PART (126–128) + 126 (It is) time – they violate

of doing your law.

for Yhwh:

= 127 Therefore . more than gold

I love and pure gold.

your commandments,

= 128 Therefore . every path

all your precepts of falsehood

I esteem right, I hate.

The first member (126a) is understood in two ways: in its obvious sense of “doing (something) for Yhwh”, which seems to bother some people who think, on the contrary, that it is not for man to act but for God. The last two segments, beginning with “therefore” (127a & 128a), state a double consequence of what has just been said: The psalmist announces what he will “do for Yhwh”. The love of the law is concretized in the rejection of what those who “break the law” serve, “gold” (127b) and “falsehood” (128b). “I love” (127a) and “I hate” (128b) form an inclusion for these last two segments.

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Third Section (Ps 119)

THE WHOLE OF AYIN PASSAGE (119:121–128) + 121 I HAVE DONE – do not leave me

judgment

and righteousness,

to my oppressors.

+ 122 Ensure YOUR SERVANT – do not let them oppress me, the arrogant.

for good,

+ 123 My eyes + and for the saying

are consumed of your righteousness.

for your salvation,

YOUR SERVANT

according to your faithfulness,

. 124 DO with . and your decrees

teach me.

. 125 YOUR SERVANT, . and I will know

your orders.

I (am),

make me understand,

+ 126 (It is) time – they violate

your law.

= 127 Therefore .. more than gold

I love and pure gold.

your commandments,

= 128 Therefore .. every path

by all your precepts of falsehood

I direct myself, I hate.

of DOING

for YHWH:

The three occurrences of the verb “to do” punctuate the passage in the initial terms of its three parts: while at the beginning of the extreme parts it refers to human doing (121 & 126), at the beginning of the central part the psalmist calls for God’s doing (124a). “Your servant” also occurs three times, at the centre of the first part (122a) and in the first members of the two segments in the central part (124a & 125a). While the opponents attack the psalmist in the first part (121b & 122b), in the last part they “violate” God’s law (126b). The central part is the only one marked by the theme of knowledge, which comes from God, and the only part in which the enemies are no longer mentioned. CONTEXT HUMAN RIGHTEOUSNESS, DIVINE RIGHTEOUSNESS

In Isa 56:1 we find the same interplay between righteousness done by human being and righteousness accomplished by God: “Thus says the Lord: Observe judgment and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness is about to be revealed”.

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

265

FALSEHOODS The Letter of Jeremiah is a long diatribe against idols, which are “gods of silver, gold and wood” and are repeatedly called “false”: “Whatever is done for them is false. Why then must anyone think that they are gods?” (Bar 6:44; see also 6:47, 50). Amos 2:4 announces that Judah will be punished “because they have despised the Lord’s law and not kept his commandments, since their Falsehoods, which their ancestors followed, have led them astray”; these “falsehoods” are the idols they followed instead of walking in the ways of God.5 INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE RIGHTEOUSNESS Although the psalmist has behaved according to “righteousness”, has “done” it, he is nevertheless confronted by the arrogant who oppress him (Ps 119:121– 122). He therefore calls upon his Lord for help, for he alone can accomplish “righteousness” which he himself cannot attain and for which his eyes are consumed (119:123). Human righteousness (119:121a) is matched by divine righteousness (119:123b), the only one that can guarantee the good of the righteous and save him from those who do not respect God’s righteousness nor that of his “servant”. GOD’S DOING After emphasising his own righteousness, the psalmist reaches the point of appealing to the Lord’s righteousness to be saved from his oppressors. He then becomes aware of his radical ignorance of God’s decrees and orders, and so, as a mere “servant”, he insistently requests to be instructed by his Lord (119:124– 125): Only in this way can he know his will. WHAT SHOULD BE DONE FOR GOD? Instructed by God, he is eager to act for him, all the more because he sees the ungodly violating his law (119:126). What he understood from the teaching he received was to love the commandments (119:127a), that is to say to behave according to the precepts (119:128a). In concrete terms, this means preferring them to gold (119:127b), being ready to sacrifice to them all riches, those which the enemies of God adore, those to which they will not hesitate to sacrifice other people in order to obtain them. As for the “path of falsehood” (119:128b) which is placed in parallel with “gold” and “pure gold” (119:127b), it seems that it also refers to false gods who deceive people and lead them away from the only truth.

5

See Amos, 70–71, 99–100.

266

Third Section (Ps 119) 5. “THE OPENING OF YOUR WORDS ENLIGHTENS” (PE, 119:129–136)

COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (129–131) + 129 Wonders (are) = Therefore 130

: The opening : give understanding = 131 MY MOUTH + because of your commandments

your orders! observes them

MY THROAT.

of your words to the simple.

enlightens,

I open wide I am eager.

and I pant,

The extreme segments mirror each other: It is because of the “wonders” of God’s law (129a), for which he is “eager” (131b), that the psalmist’s “mouth” “pants” to it (131a) and his “throat” “observes” it (129b). At the centre, his eyes and his intelligence are “enlightened” (130a). THE SECOND PART (132–134) + 132 Turn – according to the judgment

to me for those who love

and be gracious to me, your name.

+ 133 My steps + and do not let rule over me

establish any iniquity.

by your saying,

+ 134 Redeem me = and I will keep

from the oppression your precepts.

of the adam,

This part is marked by the imperatives of the second person singular: two in each of the first two segments (132ab & 133ab), one at the beginning of the last segment (134a). THE THIRD PART (135–136) + 135 Let your face – and teach me

enlighten your decrees.

your servant,

+ 136 Streams of water – for they do not keep

run down from your law.

my eyes,

The divine light that enlightens the psalmist’s eyes (135a) to teach him his law (135b) is opposed by his tears (136a), because of the ungodly who do not keep it.

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

267

THE WHOLE OF PE PASSAGE (119:129–136) + 129 Wonders (are) = Therefore 130

your orders! observes him

MY THROAT.

+ The opening = GIVE UNDERSTANDING

of your words to the simple.

ENLIGHTENS,

= 131 MY MOUTH + because of your commandments

I open wide I am eager.

and I plant,

:: 132 TURN = according to the judgment

to me for those who love

and be gracious to me, your name.

:: 133 MY STEPS – and do not let rule over me

establish any iniquity.

by your saying,

:: 134 Redeem me = and I WILL KEEP

from the oppression your precepts.

of man,

+ 135 LET YOUR FACE = and TEACH ME

ENLIGHTEN

your servant,

+ 136 Streams of water – for THEY DO NOT KEEP

run down your law.

your decrees. MY EYES,

In the extreme parts appear the organs of perception, “throat” (129b), “mouth” (131a), “eyes” (136a), as well as the verb “to enlighten” (130a & 135a) which is correlated with them. “Teach me” (135b) refers to “give understanding” (130b). At the centre, another part of the body is mentioned, “steps” (or “feet”), which represent the organ of execution. The central part is linked to the last part through the repetition of “to keep” in final terms (134b & 136b). Moreover, it may be observed that “turn” (peneh, 132a) is of the same root as “your face” (pānèkā, 135a). Consequently, both terms also belong to the semantic field of the parts of the body. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE FACE TO FACE The understanding that the psalmist asks for is not mere intellectual understanding; it is physical, bodily, involving the whole being, his flesh. His “throat” and “mouth” desire to be satisfied with the word of God, to savour it, to delight in it (119:129, 131). His “eyes” (119:136a), which pour out torrents of tears because of the pain caused by the iniquity of the unbelievers (119:133b, 136b), even more than the oppression of which he is a victim (119:134a), cry out to be “enlightened” by the divine word (119:130, 135). He knows that this light will come to him from the “face” of God (119:135), the face that he begs the

268

Third Section (Ps 119)

Lord to “turn” towards him (119:132). The desired face-to-face meeting is in some way the same as that of Moses with the God of Israel: “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exod 33:11). “WALKING WITH GOD” Tasting the word of the Law, being nourished by the commandments, being enlightened by the word and face of God would not be enough. All this would be in vain if it were not translated into action, into conduct. It is certainly good to listen, to savour, to see; it is even better to commit oneself to the ways of the Lord, to walk in his presence, to walk with him, like Enoch and Noah (Gen 5:22; 6:9). Only this is required: “You have already been told what is right and what the Lord wants of you. Only this, to do righteousness, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8). 6. FAR FROM THOSE WHO STRAY FROM YOUR WAYS, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES (MEM—PE, 119:97–136) COMPOSITION OF THE FOURTH SUBSEQUENCE THE FIRST TWO PASSAGES (119:97–112) Mem How I love your law! ALL THE DAY it is my rumination. ································································································································· 98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, because they mine with me FOREVER. 99 I HAVE more INSIGHT than all my masters, because your orders are my rumination. 100 I UNDERSTAND more than the elders, because I observe your precepts. 97

I restrain MY FEET from EVERY evil PATH, so that I might keep your word. I DO NOT TURN ASIDE from your judgments, because it is you WHO HAVE INSTRUCTED ME. ························································································································································· 103 How sweet is your saying to my palate, more than honey to my mouth! 104 Through your precepts I UNDERSTAND, therefore I hate EVERY PATH of falsehood. 101 102

Nun 105 106

Lamp for MY FEE is your word I swear and I confirm

and a light for MY TRAIL. to keep the judgments of your righteousness.

I have been humiliated completely, O Yhwh, give me life according to your word. Accept, O Yhwh, the offerings of my mouth, and TEACH ME your judgments. ···································································································································· 109 My breath is constantly in my palms, but I did not forget your law. 110 The wicked put A TRAP for me, but I DID NOT WANDER from your precepts. 107 108

111 112

Your orders are my inheritance forever, I incline my heart to do your decrees,

because they are the joy of my heart. FOREVER, TO THE END.

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

269

Terms from the semantic field of the way abound: “every path” (101 & 104), “my feet” (101 & 105), “I do not turn aside” and “I did not wander” (102 & 110), “trail” (105) and “trap” (110). “Teach me” at the heart of the second passage (108) recalls the four terms of the same semantic field in the first passage: “I have insight” (99), “I understand” (100 & 104) and “you who have instructed me” (102). The two occurrences of “forever” form an inclusion (98 & 112), accompanied by “all the day” (97) and “to the end” (112). THE LAST TWO PASSAGES (119:121–136) Ayin I have done judgment and righteousness, Ensure your servant for good, 123 MY EYES are consumed for your salvation, 121 122

124 125

Do with your servant according to your faithfulness, I am your servant, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING,

It is) time of doing for Yhwh: Therefore I love your commandments, 128 Therefore I DIRECT MYSELF by all your precepts, 126 127

do not leave me to my OPPRESSORS. do not let the arrogant OPPRESS ME. and for the saying of your righteousness. and TEACH ME your decrees. and I WILL KNOW your orders. They violate your law. more than gold and pure gold. I hate EVERY PATH of falsehood.

Pe Your orders are wonders! The opening of your words enlightens, 131 I open wide my mouth and I pant, 129 130

Turn to me and be gracious to me, Establish MY STEPS by your saying, 134 Redeem me from THE OPPRESSION of man,

according to the judgment for those who love your name. and do not let any iniquity rule over me. and I will keep your precepts.

Let your face enlighten your servant, Streams of water run down from MY EYES,

and TEACH ME your decrees. for they do not keep your law.

132 133

135 136

Therefore my throat observes them. GIVE UNDERSTANDING to the simple. because I am eager for your commandments.

Each passage contains one occurrence of “teach me” (124 & 135) and “to give understanding” (125 & 130); “I will know” belongs to the same semantic field (125). “Your servant” occurring three times in the first passage (122, 124, 125) is repeated once in the next passage (135). “Oppressors” and “oppress me” at the beginning of the first passage (121– 122) are taken up by “oppression” at the centre of the second passage (134). The two occurrences of “my eyes” form an inclusion for the whole (123 & 136). It may also be pointed out that “my steps” (133) belongs to the same semantic field as “I direct myself” and “every path” (128).

270

Third Section (Ps 119)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE FIVE PASSAGES Mem 97 How I LOVE your law! 98 Your commandments make me wiser than MY ENEMIES, 99 I HAVE more INSIGHT than all my masters, 100 I UNDERSTAND more than the elders,

It is my rumination all the day. because they are with me forever. because your orders are my rumination. because I OBSERVE your precepts.

I restrain MY FEET from EVERY evil PATH, I do not TURN ASIDE from your judgments, 103 How sweet is your saying to my palate, 104 Through your precepts I UNDERSTAND,

so that I might keep your word. because it is you who HAVE INSTRUCTED ME. more than honey to my mouth! therefore I HATE EVERY PATH of falsehood.

Nun 105 A LAMP for MY FEET is your word 106 I swear and I confirm

and a LIGHT for MY TRAIL. to keep the judgments of your righteousness.

I HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED completely, O Yhwh, Accept, O Yhwh, the offerings of my mouth, 109 My breath is constantly in my palms, 110 THE WICKED put A TRAP for me,

GIVE ME LIFE according to your word. and TEACH ME your judgments. but I did not forget your law. but I DID NOT WANDER from your precepts.

101 102

107 108

111 112

Your orders are my inheritance forever, I incline my heart to do your decrees,

because they (are) the joy of my heart. forever, to the end.

Samek 113

I HATE THE CROOKED,

You are my shelter and my shield, 115 Turn aside from me, YOU EVILDOERS, 114

116 117

Sustain me according to your saying, and I SHALL LIVE, and do not let me blush of my expectation. Help me, and I SHALL BE SAVED and I will constantly contemplate your decrees.

You despise ALL WHO STRAY from your decrees, You hold all THE WICKED of the earth as dross; 120 My flesh trembles for dread of you, 118 119

Ayin 121 I have done judgment and righteousness, 122 Ensure your servant for good, 123 My eyes are consumed for YOUR SALVATION, 124 125

and I LOVE your law. I hope in your word. and I WILL OBSERVE the commandments of my God.

Do with your servant according to your faithfulness, I am your servant, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING,

It is time of doing for Yhwh: Therefore I LOVE your commandments, 128 Therefore I DIRECT MYSELF by all your precepts, 126 127

because their thinking is falsehood. therefore I LOVE your orders. and I fear your judgments.

do not leave me to my OPPRESSORS. do not let THE ARROGANT OPPRESS ME. and for the saying of your righteousness. and TEACH ME your decrees. and I WILL KNOW your orders. THEY VIOLATE your law. more than gold and pure gold. EVERY PATH of falsehood I HATE.

Pe 130

Your orders are wonders! The opening of your words ENLIGHTENS, 131 I open wide my mouth and I pant,

Therefore my throat OBSERVES them. GIVE UNDERSTANDING to the simple. because I am eager for your commandments.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, Establish MY STEPS by your saying, 134 Redeem me from THE OPPRESSION of man,

according to the judgment for those WHO LOVE your name. and do not let any iniquity rule over me. and I will keep your precepts.

129

132 133

135 136

Let your face ENLIGHTEN your servant, Streams of water run down from my eyes,

and TEACH ME your decrees. for THEY DO NOT KEEP your law.

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

271

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF EXTREME PASSAGES Terms belonging to the semantic field of intellect are found in all four passages (not in the central passage): “to understand” (100, 104, 125, 130), “to teach” (108, 124, 135), “to have insight” (99), “to instruct” (102), and “to know” (125). “I hate every path of falsehood” (104) and “every path of falsehood I hate” (128) act as final terms for the first and fourth passages. At the beginning of the second passage “the word” of God is presented as “a lamp” and “a light”, for the “feet” on the “trail” (105). In the fourth passage, God’s “word” “enlightens” (130) and similarly his “face” (135), each time for the sake of knowledge: “give understanding” (130) and “teach me” (135). “Light” (105) and “to enlighten” (130 & 135) are of the same root. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PASSAGE AND THE OTHER FOUR PASSAGES The opposition between “to hate” and “to love your law” with which the central passage begins (113, “to love” is also taken up in 119) is found at the extremities of the first passage (97a & 104b). This pair is repeated in the last two segments of the fourth passage (127–128); “to love” returns a fifth time in the last passage (132). “To observe” is found in the extreme passages (100 & 129) as well as in the central passage (115); “falsehood” in 118 takes up 104 and announces 128. The enemies of the psalmist and of God are present in all the passages: “my enemies” (98), “the wicked” (110; and “I have been humbled” already in 107); “the crooked”, “evildoers” and “the wicked” (113, 115, 119); “oppressors”, “oppress me”, “the arrogant”, “they violate your law” (121, 122, 126); “oppression”, “they do not keep your law” (134 & 136). The central passage is the only one in which the psalmist addresses the evildoers (115). The terms belonging to the semantic field of the way also run through the entire subsequence: – In the first two passages: “every path”, “my feet” (101), “I do not turn aside” (102), “every path” (104); “my feet”, “my trail” (105), “a trap”, “I did not wander” (110); – In the central passage: “all who stray” (118); – In the last two passages: “I direct myself”, “every path” (128); “my steps” (133). Finally, in the centre of the central passage (116–117), – “I shall live” recalls “give me life” in the third segment of the preceding passage (107); – And “I shall be saved” announces “your salvation” in the third segment of the subsequent passage (123).

272

Third Section (Ps 119)

REQUESTS Mem How I love your law! Your commandments make me wiser than MY ENEMIES, 99 I have more insight than all my masters, 100 I understand more than the elders,

It is my rumination all the day. because they are with me forever. because your orders are my rumination. because I observe your precepts.

I restrain my feet from every evil path, I do not turn aside from your judgments, 103 How sweet is your saying to my palate, 104 Through your precepts I understand,

so that I might keep your word. because it is you who have instructed me. more than honey to my mouth! therefore I hate EVERY PATH OF FALSEHOOD.

97 98

101 102

Nun 105 106 107

Your word is a lamp for my feet I swear and I confirm

and a light for my trail. to keep the judgments of your righteousness.

I HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED completely, O YHWH,

GIVE ME LIFE ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD. and TEACH ME YOUR JUDGMENTS. but I did not forget your law. but I did not wander from your precepts.

Your orders are my inheritance forever, I incline my heart to do your decrees,

because they are the joy of my heart. forever, to the end.

ACCEPT, O YHWH, the offerings of my mouth, 109 My breath is constantly in my palms, 110 THE WICKED put a trap for me, 108

111 112

Samek I hate THE CROOKED, You (are) my shelter and my shield, 115 TURN ASIDE from me, YOU EVILDOERS, 113 114

116 117

SUSTAIN ME ACCORDING TO YOUR SAYING, AND I SHALL LIVE, HELP ME, and I shall be saved,

You despise all WHO STRAY from your decrees, You hold all THE WICKED of the earth as dross; 120 My flesh trembles for dread of you, 118 119

and I love your law. I hope in your word. and I will observe THE COMMANDMENTS of MY GOD. and DO NOT LET ME BLUSH of my expectation. and I will constantly contemplate YOUR DECREES. because their thinking is falsehood. therefore I love your orders. and I fear your judgments.

Ayin I have done judgment and righteousness, ENSURE your servant for good, 123 My eyes are consumed for your salvation, 121 122

124 125

DO with your servant according to your faithfulness, I am your servant, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING,

It is time of doing for YHWH: Therefore I love your commandments, 128 Therefore I direct myself by all your precepts, 126 127

DO NOT LEAVE ME to MY OPPRESSORS. DO NOT LET THE ARROGANT OPPRESS ME.

and for the saying of your righteousness. and TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. and I will know YOUR ORDERS.

THEY VIOLATE YOUR LAW. more than gold and pure gold. I hate EVERY PATH OF FALSEHOOD.

Pe 130

Your orders are wonders! The opening of your words enlightens, 131 I open wide my mouth and I pant,

Therefore my throat observes them. give understanding to the simple. because I am eager for your commandments.

TURN to me and BE GRACIOUS TO ME, ESTABLISH my steps BY YOUR SAYING, 134 REDEEM ME from THE OPPRESSION of man,

according to the judgment for those who love your name. and DO NOT LET any INIQUITY RULE over me. and I will keep your precepts.

129

132 133

135 136

LET YOUR FACE ENLIGHTEN your servant, Streams of water run down from my eyes,

and TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. for THEY DO NOT KEEP YOUR LAW.

The Fourth Subsequence (Mem—Pe, 119:97–136)

273

While the first passage contains no requests (imperative or jussive), the second one contains three (107, 108ab), the third one four (115, 116ab, 117), the fourth one six (121, 122ab, 124ab, 125) and the fifth one seven (132ab, 133ab, 134, 135ab). The progression is notable. Four times the psalmist asks for understanding of the law (108, 124, 125, 135), to be “established” through it (133). He often asks to be saved from his enemies (especially 121–122, 134), but also from “iniquity” (133). All the petitions are addressed to God, except once, in the central passage, where the psalmist addresses the “evildoers” (115). The name “Yhwh” does not appear in either the extreme passages or the central passage; it appears only twice in the second passage (107 & 108) and once in the fourth passage (126), always in the vocative. “My God” appears at the centre, but not as a vocative (115). While God’s name does not appear often, the psalmist’s “enemies” (98) are mentioned throughout the subsequence, several times in each passage. They are “the crooked” (113), the “evildoers” (115), who “oppress” the psalmist (121 & 134) and who follow the “path of falsehood” (104 & 128), who “violate the law” of God and “do not keep it” (126 & 136). INTERPRETATION OF THE FOURTH SUBSEQUENCE A BEAUTIFUL ASSURANCE... The psalmist begins as if he were boasting of his love, his wisdom, his faithfulness. Certainly he ends up acknowledging that it is the Lord who has instructed him (102 & 104), but it is still the “I” that dominates, with the assurance of one who is entirely on the side of the law (97) and who hates “every path that falsehood” (104), who keeps the precepts without failing (100), who does not deviate from the divine judgments and restrains his steps “from every evil path” (101–102). ...WHICH CANNOT LAST From the second passage onwards, a flaw appears. He becomes less sure of himself. The fact that he swears to be faithful and to keep the commandments (106), the fact that he asks the Lord to teach him his judgements (108), means that something has changed. He has been “humiliated” completely (107) by “the wicked” who have set a trap for him (110a). He did not “wander” from the precepts (110b), but he prays to God to “give him life” according to his word (107). His beautiful assurance now gives way to a more modest attitude: He humbly declares that he inclines his heart to do the decrees of the law, “forever, to the end” (112).

274

Third Section (Ps 119)

“TURN ASIDE FROM ME, YOU EVILDOERS” (115) After taking up his initial statements (97–104), of loving the law and hating the crooked (113), the psalmist addresses the one who can protect him, his “shelter” and his “shield” (114). It is then that, for the first and last time, he challenges the “evildoers” to get away from him (115). This suggests that he is in close proximity and therefore in great danger. His prayer becomes particularly urgent, as does someone who is threatened with death (116–117). Seeing how the Lord deals with the “wicked” (118–119), he trembles and fears his judgements (120). “MY EYES ARE CONSUMED FOR YOUR SALVATION” (123) For the third time the psalmist affirms his love for the commandments and his hatred for “every path of falsehood” (127–128). The difference is that this declaration is preceded and prepared by a long supplication, all marked by the greatest humility. He pleads first of all to be protected and delivered from “the arrogant” ones who oppress him and would like to keep him from doing good (121–122), to be saved from them (123); he also prays insistently to be instructed by the Lord in his “decrees” and “orders” (124–125), as if he did not know them, as if he were the least of the beginners. FROM ONE ASSURANCE TO ANOTHER The psalmist started his prayer somewhat in the fashion of the Pharisee in the parable (Luke 18:9–14): Standing, boasting of his impeccable practice of the law, not without comparing himself to the publican whose way he openly hated (Ps 119:97–104). The trial, the “snare” (119:110) in which he risked being caught, the oppression of “the arrogant” who wanted to turn him away from good (119:122), ended up bending his self-confidence. And he finally begs the Lord to have mercy on him (119:132), as if he no longer dares to look up to heaven. From his confidence in his own faithfulness, he has moved on to his confidence in God, the only one who can give him the light to walk in his ways, the only one who can save him from his enemies and from himself, and give him life.

V. YOUR LAW IS MY DELIGHT, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU The Fifth Subsequence (TSADE–TAV, 119:137–176) As in the previous subsequence, the first two passages and the last two correspond to each other in a parallel fashion: Tsade with Shin and Qoph with Tav.

ṣ “You are righteous, O Yhwh”

q “I call with all heart, answer me”

119:137–144

119:145–152

r “GIVE ME LIFE!”

119:153–160

š “I praise your for your righteousness”

119:161–168

t “Let my cry draw near before you, O Lord”

119:169–176

276

Third Section (Ps 119) 1. “YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS, O YHWH” (TSADE, 119:137–144)

COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (137–138) + 137 RIGHTEOUS, .. and upright

you (are), (in) your judgments.

O Yhwh,

+ 138 You have commanded .. and sincerity

the RIGHTEOUSNESS of your orders, COMPLETELY. ··············································································································· – 139 Annihilates me :: because (they) forget 140

– Is purified, :: and your servant

my zeal, your words, your saying, loves it.

my adversaries. COMPLETELY,

The two pieces are complementary: the first one (137–138) tells about the law of the Lord, the second one (139–140) about the psalmist’s attitude towards it. The first segment (137) presents the qualities of God himself, “righteousness” and “uprightness”;1 the second segment (138), how in the law were placed “righteousness” and “sincerity”. In the second piece, the psalmist first expresses his anger at those who forget the law, whom he calls his “adversaries” (139); then, presenting himself as a “servant” of the Lord, he extols the purity of the law (140). The two occurrences of “completely” (138b & 140a) act as final terms. THE SECOND PART (141–144) – 141 Puny :: your precepts

I (am) I do not forget.

and despised,

+ 142 Your RIGHTEOUSNESS (is) + and your law (is)

RIGHTEOUSNESS

FOREVER,

loyalty.

– 143 Distress :: your commandments (are)

and anguish my delight.

have come upon me,

+ 144 RIGHTEOUSNESS, = give me understanding

your orders (are) and I shall live.

FOREVER,

·················································································································

1 In 137b, “upright” is in the singular and “judgment” in the plural. This clause can be understood in two ways: “and upright (are) your judgments” or “and you (are) upright (in) your judgments”. The parallelism with the first member (137a) tips the balance towards the latter interpretation.

The Fifth Subsequence (Tsade—Tav, 119:137–176)

277

The two pieces run in parallel (141–142 & 143–144). In the first segments the psalmist describes his afflicted condition (141a & 143a) and then he claims his commitment to the law (141b & 143b). The second segments (142 & 144) proclaim in a complementary fashion, first God’s “righteousness” which is “forever (142a & 144a). As for the second members, with which the two pieces end, they represent a discontinuity, or a final surprise: While 142b is an affirmation concerning God and his law, like the preceding member (142a), the last member (144b) is a prayer, followed by its expected consequence. It opposes the state in which the psalmist finds himself, as stated in the first members of each piece (141a & 143a). THE WHOLE OF TSADE PASSAGE (119:137–144) + 137 RIGHTEOUS, + and upright

YOU (are), in your judgments.

O Yhwh,

+ 138 YOU HAVE COMMANDED + and sincerity

the RIGHTEOUSNESS completely.

of YOUR ORDERS,

···············································································································

– 139 Annihilates me – because THEY FORGET 140

my zeal, your words,

my adversaries.

+ I purified, :: and your servant

your saying, loves it.

completely,

– 141 Puny :: your precepts

I (am) I DO NOT FORGET.

and despised,

+ 142 Your RIGHTEOUSNESS (is) RIGHTEOUSNESS + and your law (is) loyalty.

forever,

– 143 Distress :: YOUR COMMANDMENTS (are)

and anguish my delight.

have come upon me,

+ 144 RIGHTEOUSNESS, = give me understanding

YOUR ORDERS (are) and I shall live.

forever,

···············································································································

As the opening members (137a & 141a) indicate, the two parts are complementary: While “Yhwh” is proclaimed “righteous” (137a), the psalmist recognises himself as “puny and despised” (141a). In the first part the first piece (137–138) is devoted to God’s righteousness and the second piece (139–140) to the psalmist’s situation. These two elements are distributed differently in the second part: In fact, the psalmist’s poverty is presented in the first segments (141a & 143a) and God’s righteousness in the second ones (142 & 144). The symmetrical position of “righteous” and “righteousness” in the first piece of the first part (137a & 138a) is matched by the three occurrences of “righteousness”

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Third Section (Ps 119)

in the second part, at the beginning of the first members of the second segments of each piece (142a[2x] & 144a). + 137 RIGHTEOUS, + and upright

YOU (are), in your judgments.

O Yhwh,

+ 138 YOU HAVE COMMANDED + and sincerity

the RIGHTEOUSNESS completely.

of YOUR ORDERS,

···············································································································

– 139 Annihilates me – because THEY FORGET

my zeal, your words,

+ 140 I purified, :: and your servant

your saying, loves it.

completely,

– 141 Puny :: your precepts

I (am) I DO NOT FORGET.

and despised,

+ 142 Your RIGHTEOUSNESS (is) RIGHTEOUSNESS + and your law (is) loyalty.

my adversaries.

forever,

···············································································································

– 143 Distress :: YOUR COMMANDMENTS (are)

and anguish my delight.

have come upon me,

+ 144 RIGHTEOUSNESS, = give me understanding

YOUR ORDERS (are) and I shall live.

forever,

In the extreme pieces, the couple “you have commanded” and “your orders” (138a) corresponds to the couple “your commands” and “your orders” (143b & 144a). In the median pieces, “I do not forget” (141b) is opposed to “they forget” (139b). Finally, the two occurrences of “completely” in the last segments of each piece in the first part (138b & 140a) are matched by two occurrences of “forever” in an identical position in the last segments of each piece in the second part (142a & 144a). CONTEXT PS 69:10 Verse 139 of Ps 119: My zeal annihilates me, because my adversaries forget your words.

recalls Ps 69:10, because the zeal of your house eats me up, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

The Fifth Subsequence (Tsade—Tav, 119:137–176)

279

The first member of this verse is quoted in John 2:17. When Jesus drives the sellers out of the temple, the evangelist comments: “His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal of your house will consume me’”. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS God’s righteousness, proclaimed with the greatest insistence, is manifested in his law, in his “orders” and “commandments”. It is a righteousness that is perfect in its nature, for it is “sincere” and “tried” like gold in the crucible, “completely” (Ps 119:138b, 140a); it is also perfect in time, for it will not pass away, it stands “forever” (119:142a, 144a). DISTRESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS The one who clings to God’s law finds himself in opposition to those who forget it (119:139), who thus become not only enemies of God since they do not keep his law, but also “adversaries” of the righteous one whose “zeal” represents for them a living reproach of their misconduct. Although being “despised” by them and “puny”, the righteous person proclaims his attachment to the Lord’s “precepts” (119:141); and no “distress and anguish” will prevent him from delighting in his “commandments” (119:143). « GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING » All this beautiful profession of faith of the psalmist, faithful observant of the law of his God, is accompanied by “despise” on the part of the “adversaries” (119:141a) and by interior “distress” (119:143a). The fact that in the end he cries out “give me understanding” (119:144b) means that he is in the night of comprehension. And when he adds “and I shall live”, it means that he is confronted with death. What he does not understand is that people can hate the law of God, which he himself delights in, and the enmity that his faithfulness provokes, and finally that his love of the law can put him in danger of death.

280

Third Section (Ps 119) 2. “I CALL WITH ALL HEART, ANSWER ME” (QOPH, 119:145–152)

COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (145–148) + 145 I CALL :: O Yhwh,

with all heart, your decrees

answer me, I will observe.

+ 146 I CALL TO YOU, :: and

I will keep

save me, your orders.

···························································································· dawn and I CRY OUT,

– 147 I anticipate :: in your word

I hope.

148

– (They) anticipate, my eyes, :: to meditate on your saying.

the watches of the night,

The two segments of the first piece that begin with the same verb are entirely parallel to each other (145 & 146); and the same is true of the second piece (147–148). The two pieces in turn are parallel to each other; “I cry out” (147a) recalls the two occurrences of “I call” in the first piece (145a & 146a). THE SECOND PART (149–152) + 149 My voice, + O YHWH,

hear according to your faithfulness, according to your judgments give me life.

– 150 They draw near, – from your law

my persecutors they are far.

infamous,

································································································ O YHWH,

+ 151 Near, you (are), + and all your commandments (are) loyalty. + 152 Of old + that forever

I have known you have founded them.

your orders

The first piece begins with a call for help (149) motivated by the threat of “persecutors” (150); the extreme verbs of the second verse directly oppose each other. Meanwhile, the second piece continues with an adjective of the same root as the initial verb of the preceding segment, but this time it is God who is “near” (151a); this declaration finds its reason in the faith expressed in the last verse. The canonical pairing of “faithfulness and loyalty” (ḥesed we’ĕmet; see, e.g., Gen 47:29; Prov 20:28, etc.) is distributed in the first segments of each piece (Ps 119:149a, 151b).

The Fifth Subsequence (Tsade—Tav, 119:137–176)

281

THE WHOLE OF QOPH PASSAGE (119:145–152) + 145 I call :: O YHWH, 146

with all heart, your decrees

ANSWER ME,

I will observe.

+ I call to you, :: and

SAVE ME,

– 147 I anticipate :: in your word

dawn I hope.

and I cry out,

– 148 (They) anticipate, :: to meditate

my eyes, on your saying.

the watches of the night,

+ 149 My voice, + O YHWH,

HEAR

– 150 They draw near, – from your law

my persecutors they are far.

I will keep YOUR ORDERS. ···············································································································

according to your faithfulness, according to your judgments GIVE ME LIFE. infamous,

··············································································································· + 151 Near, you (are), O YHWH,

+ and all your commandments (are) loyalty. :: 152 Of old + that forever

I have known you have founded them.

YOUR ORDERS

Each of the first pieces is marked by two imperatives that correspond to each other in parallel: “answer me” and “save me” (145–146), “hear” and “give me life” (149). The two occurrences of “your orders” (146b & 152a) mark the end of the extreme pieces. INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE DANGER OF DEATH Only one verse speaks of the psalmist’s “persecutors” (150). And yet, the fact that the psalmist cries out “save me” (146), “give me life” (149), means that he is well aware of being in danger of death. That is the reason why he “calls” (145 & 146) and “cries out” to the Lord during the night watches, without waiting for the day (147–148). The persecutors “draw near”, despising the law of God (150), threatening the life of the one who is faithful to him and whose conduct condemns them. THE PRESENCE OF GOD The persecutors are present, threatening, getting closer and closer, but it is God and his law that the psalmist talks about throughout the passage. It is to him and to him alone that the psalmist addresses himself. Even in the verse in which

282

Third Section (Ps 119)

the persecutors are named, the Lord’s “law” is mentioned: Everything is considered in relation to God, even those who “are far” from him (150b). The persecuted psalmist has only the name of “Yhwh” in his mouth (145, 149, 151), and the various names of the law which he lists at pleasure. SHARED FAITHFULNESS AND LOYALTY The law is what he shares with his God. It is “according to his faithfulness” and “according to his judgments” that his saviour will keep him alive (149). As for the psalmist, he never ceases to proclaim his own faithfulness to the divine “decrees” and “orders”, a “word” in which he “hopes” and which he “meditates” throughout the nights, repeating it to the point of making it his own. 3. “GIVE ME LIFE!” (RESH, 119:153–160) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (153–155) + 153 SEE :: because your law

my humiliation I do not forget.

and LIBERATE ME,

+ 154 DEFEND :: by your saying

my cause

and REDEEM ME,

GIVE ME LIFE.

– 155 (Is) far – because your decrees

from the wicked salvation, they do not search for.

The first members of the first two segments (153a & 154a) are parallel and synonymous, while their second members (153b & 154b) are complementary: faithfulness to the “law” by man, faithfulness to his “saying” by God. The third segment (154) names those who cause “humiliation” to the righteous (153a) and make a case against him (154a); while the psalmist “does not forget” God’s law, “the wicked” “do not search for” his “decrees” (155b). THE SECOND PART (156–158) + 156 Your mercies :: according to your judgments

(are) MANY, give me life.

O Yhwh,

– 157 MANY (are) :: from your orders

my persecutors I do not deviate.

and my adversaries,

– 158 I have seen – that

traitors your saying

and feel disgusted, they do not keep.

The Fifth Subsequence (Tsade—Tav, 119:137–176)

283

The first two segments (156 & 157) are complementary: In the first members, whereas the psalmist’s “persecutors” and “adversaries” are “many” (157a), the divine “mercies” are also “many” (156a); note the opposition between the singular of the Lord and the plural of the adversaries. In the second members, God’s faithfulness to his “judgments” (156b) is matched by human faithfulness to his “orders” (157b). In the third segment (158), unlike God and the righteous, who are faithful to the law, the “traitors” “do not keep” it. THE THIRD PART (159–160) :: 159 See + O Yhwh,

how your precepts according to your faithfulness

I love, give me life.

+ 160 The head + and forever

of your word every judgment

(is) loyalty, of your righteousness.

The request in the second member of the first segment (159b) is motivated by the psalmist’s love for the law (159a). Then the Lord’s “faithfulness” (159b) is described as eternal, from “the head” (160a), that is to say, from the beginning until “forever” (160b). The canonical pairing of “faithfulness” and “loyalty” (ḥesed we’ĕmet in 159b & 160a; see p. 123) links the two segments. THE WHOLE OF RESH PASSAGE (119:153–160) + 153 SEE :: because your law

my humiliation I do not forget.

and liberate me,

+ 154 Defend • by YOUR SAYING

my cause GIVE ME LIFE.

and redeem me,

– 155 Is far – because your decrees

from the wicked, they do not search for.

salvation,

+ 156 Your mercies are many, • ACCORDING TO YOUR judgments GIVE ME LIFE.

O YHWH,

– 157 Many are :: from your orders

my persecutors I do not deviate.

and my adversaries,

– 158 I HAVE SEEN – that

traitors YOUR SAYING

feel disgusted, they do not keep.

+ 159 SEE • O YHWH,

how your precepts ACCORDING TO YOUR faithfulness

I love, GIVE ME LIFE.

+ 160 The principle + and forever

of your word every judgment

is loyalty, of your righteousness.

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+ 153 SEE :: because your law

my humiliation I do not forget.

and liberate me,

+ 154 Defend • by YOUR SAYING

my cause GIVE ME LIFE.

and redeem me,

– 155 Is far – because your decrees

from the wicked, they do not search for.

salvation,

+ 156 Your mercies are many, • ACCORDING TO YOUR judgments GIVE ME LIFE.

O YHWH,

– 157 Many are :: from your orders

my persecutors I do not deviate.

and my adversaries,

– 158 I HAVE SEEN – that

traitors YOUR SAYING

feel disgusted, they do not keep.

+ 159 SEE • O YHWH,

how your precepts ACCORDING TO YOUR faithfulness

I love, GIVE ME LIFE.

+ 160 The principle + and forever

of your word every judgment

is loyalty, of your righteousness.

The extreme parts begin with the same imperative (153a & 159a); but whereas in the first part the psalmist asks the Lord to “see” the evil he suffers at the hands of the “wicked”, in the last part the wicked are absent and he is fully committed to the law. The verb “to see” returns at the end of the central part (158a): What he has seen are his enemies, who are again present in the last two segments of the second part (157–158). They are those who mock the law of the Lord in the final terms of the first two parts (155b & 158b), while the psalmist affirms his faithfulness twice in similar terms (153b & 157b). In each of the three parts the imperative “give me life” is found (154b, 156b, 159b), the last two instances in a symmetrical position, and preceded by a complement introduced by “according to”. CONTEXT THE DECALOGUE The two tables of the Law regulate human relations with God and with one’s neighbour. THE UNJUST JUDGE AND THE PHARISEE In Luke 18:1–14, the two parables of the unjust judge and the widow on the one hand, and the Pharisee and the publican on the other hand are paired. The judge “had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone” (Luke 18:2), and the

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second parable is addressed to “some who trusted themselves that they were righteous and despised others” (Luke 18:9), such as the Pharisee who prayed, saying: “God, I thank you that I am not like the other people...” (Luke 18:11).2 INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE GOD AND THE NEIGHBOUR One might imagine that those who mock God’s law and those who keep it form two separate and unrelated groups. But that is not the case: the righteous are humiliated and persecuted by the wicked. They not only do not “search for” or “keep” the Lord’s decrees (Ps 119:155, 158), but they also attack the one who “does not forget” his law and “does not deviate” from his commands (119:153, 157). The ten words together regulate one’s relationship with God and with other people: Whoever does not respect God can only despise his or her neighbour. “GIVE ME LIFE” (119:154, 156, 159) The fact that the psalmist three times cries out “give me life” means that he is threatened with death. Summoned to the court, only God can defend him against the actions of his enemies (119:154). Despite humiliation and persecution, the psalmist is convinced that the Lord’s “mercies” are more “numerous” than his persecutors (119:156–157) and that he can liberate him from their schemes. Therefore, the passage ends with confidence in God’s “faithfulness” and “loyalty” leaving no room for his enemies, because it is known as lasting forever and ever (119:159–160).

2

See Luc (2011), 693–699.

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Third Section (Ps 119) 4. “I PRAISE YOU FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (SHIN, 119:161–168)

COMPOSITION OF PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (161–164) – 161 Rulers :: and at your words

persecute me trembles

without reason, my heart.

= 162 (I) REJOICE, .. like one who finds

I, spoil,

for your saying, abundant.

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– 163 Falsehood :: your law

I hate I love.

= 164 Seven times .. for the judgments

a day I PRAISE YOU, of your righteousness.

and I abhor,

It is not before his persecutors that the psalmist “trembles”, but at the “words” of God (161–162). The joy caused by the Lord’s “saying” is compared to that of the winner who collects the spoils (162). The two segments of the first piece seem to be constructed in a secular fashion: framed by “your words” and “your saying” (161b & 162a), the central members speak of the psalmist’s attachment to the law of the Lord; the last member (162b) responds to the first one (161a), as if the speaker were assured of his victory over his persecutors whom he will strip with joy. The second piece (163–164) is parallel to the first one. In the first members “falsehood”, which seems to be that of the persecutors, refers to “without reason” (163a & 161a); the second members (161b & 163b) are synonymous. In the second segments, “I praise you” (164a) corresponds to “rejoicing” (162a), and “for the judgments” (164b) to “for your saying” (162a). THE SECOND PART (165–168) = 165 Peace = and there is no for them

abundant stumbling.

for those WHO LOVE your law,

+ 166 I hope + and your commandments

for your salvation, I do.

O Yhwh,

························································································································

+ 167 (It) keeps, = and I LOVE them

my soul, completely.

your orders,

+ 168 I keep = because all my ways

your precepts (are) before you.

and your orders,

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In the first piece, the general law of the first segment (165) is then applied in the first person of the psalmist (166); “salvation” (166a) corresponds to “peace” and “no stumbling” (165ab). The two segments of the second piece are parallel: Their first members begin with “to keep” and end with “your orders” (167a & 168a; the second members emphasise the perfection of obedience (“completely” in 167b and “all” in 168b). The second piece expands on the content of the last member of the first piece. The verb “to love” is repeated in the first segments (165a & 167b). THE WHOLE OF SHIN PASSAGE (119:161–168) – 161 Rulers :: and at your words

persecute me trembles

without reason, my heart.

= 162 (I) rejoice, .. like one who finds

I, spoil,

at your saying, ABUNDANT.

························································································································

– 163 Falsehood :: YOUR LAW

I hate I LOVE.

= 164 Seven times .. for the judgments

a day I praise you, of your righteousness.

= 165 Peace = and there is no for them

stumbling.

+ 166 I hope + and your commandments

for your salvation, I do.

+ 167 (It) keeps, = and I LOVE them

my soul, completely.

your orders,

+ 168 I keep = because all my ways

your precepts (are) before you.

and your orders,

ABUNDANT

and I abhor,

for those WHO LOVE YOUR LAW, O Yhwh,

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The persecutors appear only in the first members of the two pieces of the first part (161a & 163a). In the first piece of the second part the “salvation” that the psalmist “hopes for” (166a) is the deliverance from his persecutors; this “salvation” is the “peace” and the absence of “stumbling” of the preceding segment (165). The verb “to love” from 163b returns twice in the second part (165a & 167b). “Abundant” at the end of the first piece (162b) is repeated at the beginning of the second part (165a). “Your law” occurs at the beginning of the intermediary pieces (163b & 165a). Finally, “seven times” at the end of the first part (164a) as well as “completely” and “all my ways” at the end of the second part (167b & 168b) express the same idea of totality.

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INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE GOD’S SALVATION FOR PERSECUTORS At the outset the psalmist speaks of his situation of being persecuted. He returns to this to express his hatred of “falsehood” (163), that of those who pursue him “without reason” (161). And he is not persecuted by just anyone, but by “rulers”, that is to say, by those who, by virtue of their position, are in a position to do him harm with impunity. The reason he hopes for “salvation” and “peace” (165–166) is that he is at war and his life is in danger. TRUST AND PRAISE Powerful enemies are threatening to make the psalmist stumble, but very quickly it is trust in God and love for his law that takes over and is maintained, unperturbed, until the end. In fact, it is not before his persecutors, even if they are “rulers”, that he “trembles” (161), but only before the only one who can “save him” (166a). His assurance is such that it is manifested in joy (162a) and in praise (164). That is why he can praise his saviour “seven times a day” (164). That is the reason why he can say that he loves God’s commands “completely” (167) and that “all” his ways are before him (168). 5. “LET MY CRY DRAW NEAR BEFORE YOU, O LORD” (TAW, 119:169–176) COMPOSITION OF THE PASSAGE THE FIRST PART (169–172) + 169 LET IT DRAW NEAR , = according to your word

my cry GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING.

before you,

+ 170 LET IT COME, = according to YOUR SAYING

my supplication deliver me.

before you,

O Yhwh,

···········································································································

::

171

LET THEM UTTER, - because YOU TEACH ME

:: 172 LET IT SING, - because all your commandments

my lips

praise,

my tongue

of YOUR SAYING,

your decrees. (are) righteousness.

The two segments of the first piece are completely parallel (169 & 170). The second members are complementary: The psalmist begins by asking for wisdom (169b), then pleads for deliverance (170b).

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In the second piece (171–172), the parallelism of the first members is somewhat less strict: “praise” is human doing (171a) while “your saying” is God’s doing (172a). The second members, beginning with “because” (171b & 172b), provide the reason for the first members. In turn, the two pieces are parallel to each other. The four segments begin with a verb in the jussive and all express a prayer. But while in the first piece the psalmist cries out in supplication, in the second piece he asks to be able to praise the Lord. In the first segment of the first piece (169) he asks God to “give him understanding” of his “word”; in the symmetrical segment (171) he praises God for “teaching” him his “decrees”. The second members in the first piece begin with the preposition ke translated as “according to” (169b & 170b), and in the second piece with the conjunction kî translated as “because” (171b & 172b). As for the second segments of each piece (170 & 172), where “your saying” is repeated, we can understand that God’s “righteousness” (172b) is manifested through the “deliverance” granted to his faithful (170b). THE SECOND PART (173–176) = 173 LET IT BE, - because your precepts

your hand I have chosen.

TO HELP ME,

+ 174 I DESIRE .. and your law (is)

your salvation, my delight.

O Yhwh,

···············································································································

=

175

LET IT LIVE, :: and let your judgments

my soul, HELP ME!

like an ewe, + 176 I WANDER + seek your servant, .. because your commandments I do not forget.

and let it praise you, a lost one:

The two segments of the first piece are parallel (173 & 174). The first members are requests for God’s “help” and “salvation” (173a & 174a), and the second members give as a reason that the speaker loves the law and its precepts (173b & 174b). In the second piece (175–176), supplication dominates, expressed in the two members of the first segment and the first two members of the second segment (175–176b). The last member (176c), on the other hand, is introduced by 'because' and gives the reason for the preceding requests. The two pieces are parallel. They begin with two very similar jussives in Hebrew (tehî in 173a and teḥî in 175a), followed by two parts of the body (especially if one were to translate the second one as “my throat” in 175a). In the first segments, “to help me” (173) refers to “help me” (175b). The second

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members of the two segments of the first piece (173b & 174b) as well as the last member of the second piece (176c) all express the reason for the prayer. THE WHOLE OF TAW PASSAGE (119:169–176) + 169 LET IT DRAW NEAR, = according to your word

my cry before you, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING.

+ 170 LET IT COME, = according to YOUR SAYING

my supplication deliver me.

O YHWH,

before you,

························································································································

+ 171 LET THEM UTTER, = because YOU TEACH ME

my lips your decrees.

PRAISE,

+ 172 LET IT SING, = because all YOUR COMMANDMENTS

my tongue (are) righteousness.

YOUR SAYING,

+ 173 LET IT BE, – because your precepts

your hand I have chosen.

TO HELP ME,

+ 174 I desire – and your law (is)

your salvation, my delight.

O YHWH,

························································································································

+ 175 LET IT LIVE, + and let your judgments

HELP ME!

my soul,

and LET IT PRAISE YOU,

+ 176 I wander + seek – because YOUR COMMANDMENTS

like an ewe, your servant, I do not forget.

a lost one:

All segments of the first part begin with jussive verbs (169–172), and so do the two pieces of the second part (173 & 175). The vocative “O Yhwh” occurs once in the first pieces of each part (169a & 174a), each time at the end of the member. The pair of synonyms “to give me understanding” and “to teach” in the first segments of each piece of the first part (169b & 171b) seem to correspond to the two terms of the same root in the first segments of each piece of the second part (“to help me” and “help me” in 173a & 175b). The noun “praise” and the verb “to praise” are symmetrically placed at the end of the first members of the second pieces (171a & 175a). The two occurrences of your “commandments” act as final terms (172b & 176c). Each part puts forward motivations for the requests addressed to the Lord, introduced by “because”; but, whereas in the first part these motivations are based on God’s actions (171b & 172b), in the second part they are based on the psalmist’s actions (173b & 176c, and similarly in 174b).

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INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON GOD In the first part the psalmist surrenders himself totally to the Lord. He is the one who will receive the cry of his supplication (169a & 170a); he is also the one who will open his lips and untie his tongue so that he can sing his praise (171a & 172a). The supplicant appeals to the word of God and to his saying to obtain wisdom and salvation (169b & 170b); he will praise his liberator, because he will teach him through the righteousness of his commandments (171b & 172b). The call for help continues in the second part to obtain the salvation which can only come from God. THE HUMAN SHARE In the second part the psalmist displays, in a determined fashion, his commitment and choice to follow the law of his God. He uses his commitment to the precepts as a lever to obtain the Lord’s help. Not that his faithfulness and the righteousness of his works can save him, since he continues to call for help from above. The reasons he gives, insisting three times on his love for God’s law (173b, 174b, 176c), seem to be a kind of declaration of love which in turn can only trigger divine mercy.

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Third Section (Ps 119)

6. YOUR LAW IS MY DELIGHT, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU (TSADE—TAV, 119:137–176) COMPOSITION OF THE FIFTH SUBSEQUENCE THE FIRST TWO PASSAGES (TSADE—QOPH) Tsade 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144

You are righteous, O YHWH, You commanded the righteousness of YOUR ORDERS,

and you are upright in your judgments. and sincerity completely.

My zeal annihilates me, YOUR SAYING is purified completely,

because my adversaries forget YOUR WORDS. and your servant loves it.

I am puny and despised, Your righteousness is righteousness FOREVER,

I do not forget your precepts. and YOUR LAW is loyalty.

Distress and anguish have come upon me, YOUR ORDERS are righteousness FOREVER,

YOUR COMMANDMENTS are my delight. give me understanding

.

Qoph 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152

I call with all heart, answer me, O YHWH, I call to you, save me,

I will observe your decrees. and I will keep YOUR ORDERS.

I anticipate dawn and I cry out, My eyes anticipate the watches of the night,

I hope in YOUR WORD. to meditate on YOUR SAYING.

Hear my voice according to your faithfulness, My infamous persecutors draw near,

O YHWH, in your judgments they are far from YOUR LAW.

You are near, O YHWH, I have known YOUR ORDERS of old

and all YOUR COMMANDMENTS are loyalty. that you have founded them FOREVER.

.

In the first parts, the four common terms occur in the same order: “Yhwh” (137a & 145a), “your orders” (138a & 146b), “your words” and “your word” (139b & 147b), “your saying” (140a & 148b). Similarly in the second parts, four terms appear in the same order: “your law” (142b & 150b), “your commandments” (143b & 151b), “your orders” (144a & 152a), “forever” (144a & 152b; already in 142). “Loyalty” and “I shall live”/ “give me life” are found in a reverse order, at the end of the second segments of each of the two pieces in the second part of the first passage (142 & 144); and, in contrast, at the end of the first segments of each of the two pieces in the second part of the second passage (149 & 151).

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THE LAST TWO PASSAGES (SHIN—TAV) Shin 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168

Rulers persecute me without reason, I rejoice at YOUR SAYING,

but my heart trembles at YOUR WORDS. like one who finds abundant spoil.

I hate and I abhor falsehood, Seven times a day I PRAISE YOU,

I love YOUR LAW. for the judgments of

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Abundant peace for those who love YOUR LAW, and there is no stumbling for them. I hope for YOUR SALVATION, O YHWH, and YOUR COMMANDMENTS I do. MY SOUL keeps your orders, I keep your precepts and your orders,

and I love them completely. because all my ways are before you.

Let my cry draw near before you, O Yhwh, Let my supplication come before you,

give me understanding according to YOUR WORD. deliver me according to YOUR SAYING.

Let my lips utter YOUR PRAISE, Let my tongue sing of YOUR SAYING,

because you teach me your decrees. because all YOUR COMMANDMENTS are RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Let your hand be to help me, I desire YOUR SALVATION, O YHWH,

because I have chosen your precepts. and YOUR LAW is my delight.

Tav 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176

Let MY SOUL live, and LET IT PRAISE YOU, and let your judgments help me! I wander like a lost ewe: seek your servant, because YOUR COMMANDMENTS I do not forget.

Each passage comprises two parts formed of two pieces. In the first parts, the first pieces repeat in the same order “your words”/“your word” (161 & 169) and “your saying” (162 & 170). In the second pieces, “your praise” (171) refers to “I praise you” (164); the two occurrences of “righteousness” play the role of final terms (164 & 172). The second segments of the second parts are very similar (166 & 174); at the beginning of the last pieces “my soul” is repeated in the same position (167 & 175); the final members begin with “because” (168b & 176c). The terms of the same family, “to praise” and “praise”, appear three times, once in the first passage (164) and twice in the second passage, in identical position (171 & 175).

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Third Section (Ps 119)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF EXTREME PASSAGES Tsade You are RIGHTEOUS, O Yhwh, You commanded THE RIGHTEOUSNESS of your orders, 139 My zeal annihilates me, 140 YOUR SAYING is purified completely, 141 I am puny and despised, 142 YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is RIGHTEOUSNESS forever, 143 Distress and anguish have come upon me, 144 Your orders are RIGHTEOUSNESS forever, 137 138

and you are upright in your judgments. and sincerity completely. because my adversaries forget YOUR WORDS. and YOUR SERVANT LOVES IT. I DO NOT FORGET your precepts. and your law is loyalty. your commandments are my delight. GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING AND I SHALL LIVE.

Qoph I call with all heart, answer me, I call to you, SAVE ME, 147 I anticipate dawn and I cry out, 148 My eyes anticipate the watches of the night, 149 Hear my voice according to your faithfulness, 150 MY PERSECUTORS infamous draw near, 151 You are near, O Yhwh, 152 I have known you orders of old 145 146

O Yhwh, I will observe your decrees. and I will keep your orders. I hope in YOUR WORD. to meditate on YOUR SAYING. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. they are far from your law. and all your commandments are loyalty. that you have founded them forever.

[153-160] Shin Rulers PERSECUTE ME without reason, I rejoice at YOUR SAYING, 163 I hate and I abhor falsehood, 164 Seven times a day I praise you, 165 Abundant peace for those WHO LOVE your law, 166 I hope for YOUR SALVATION, O Yhwh, 167 My soul keeps your orders, 168 I keep your precepts and your orders, 161 162

but my heart trembles at YOUR WORDS. like one who finds abundant spoil. I LOVE your law. for the judgments of YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. and there is no stumbling for them. and I do your commandments. and I LOVE them completely. because all my ways are before you.

Tav Let my cry draw near before you, O Yhwh, Let my supplication come before you, 171 Let my lips utter your praise, 172 Let my tongue sing of YOUR SAYING, 173 Let your hand be to help me, 174 I desire YOUR SALVATION, O Yhwh, 175 LET my soul LIVE, and let it praise you, 176 I wander like a lost ewe: seek YOUR SERVANT, 169 170

GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING according to YOUR WORD. deliver me according to YOUR SAYING. because you teach me your decrees. for all your commandments are RIGHTEOUSNESS. because I have chosen your precepts. and your law is my delight. and let your judgment help me! because I DO NOT FORGET your commandments.

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295

– “Righteousness”, which occurs four times in the first passage (138, 142[2x], 144, to which should be added “righteous” in 137a), is repeated once in each of the last two passages (164 & 172). – “Your word/s” followed by “your saying” occur in the third and fourth segments of the first two passages (139–140 & 147–148) and in the first two segments of the last two passages (161–162 & 169–170). – “Your orders” appears twice in the first two passages (138 & 144), twice in the penultimate passage (167 & 168) but does not appear in the last passage. – “I do not forget” and “give me understanding”, which occur together in the extreme passages (141, 144, 169, 176), can be considered as playing the role of extreme terms; the same is applicable to the two occurrences of “your servant” (140 & 176). – “To save” and “salvation” are found in the second passage (146) and in each of the last two passages, in the same position (166 & 174). – “To draw near” and “near” are found at the end of the second passage (150 & 151) and the beginning of the last one (169). – “My persecutors” and “persecute me” play the role of median terms at a distance (150 & 161). – “Let (it) live” at the end of the last passage (175) echoes “I shall live” in the first passage (144) and “give me life” in the second passage (149). – The verb “to love”, whose subject is always the psalmist, appears once in the first passage (140) and three times in the penultimate one (163, 165, 167). – “My delights” is repeated at the end of the extreme passages (143 & 174).

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PASSAGE AND THE OTHER FOUR PASSAGES Tsade 137 You are RIGHTEOUS, O Yhwh, 138 You commanded THE RIGHTEOUSNESS of your orders, 139 My zeal annihilates me, 140 Your saying is purified completely, 141 I am puny and despised, 142 YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is RIGHTEOUSNESS forever, 143 Distress and anguish have come upon me, 144 Your orders are RIGHTEOUSNESS forever,

and you are upright in your judgments. and sincerity completely. because MY ADVERSARIES FORGET your words. and your servant LOVES IT. I DO NOT FORGET your precepts. and your law is loyalty. your commandments are my delight. give me understanding AND I SHALL LIVE.

Qoph 145 I call with all heart, answer me, 146 I call to you, save me, 147 I anticipate dawn and I cry out, 148 My eyes anticipate the watches of the night, 149 Hear my voice ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITHFULNESS, 150 MY infamous PERSECUTORS draw near, 151 You are near, O Yhwh, 152 I have known your orders of old

O Yhwh, I will observe your decrees. and I WILL KEEP your orders. I hope in your word. to meditate on your saying. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. they are far from your law. and all your commandments are loyalty. that you have founded them forever.

Resh 153 See my humiliation and liberate me, 154 Defend my cause and redeem me, 155 Salvation is far from the wicked, 156 Your mercies are many, O Yhwh, 157 Many are MY PERSECUTORS and MY ADVERSARIES, 158 I have seen traitors and feel disgusted, 159 See how I LOVE your precepts, 160 The principle of your word is loyalty,

because I DO NOT FORGET your law. GIVE ME LIFE by your saying. because THEY DO NOT SEARCH FOR your decrees. GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. I do not deviate from your orders. that THEY DO NOT KEEP your saying. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITHFULNESS. and every judgment of YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS is forever.

Shin 161 Rulers PERSECUTE ME without reason, 162 I rejoice at your saying, 163 I hate and I abhor falsehood, 164 Seven times a day I praise you, 165 Abundant peace for those WHO LOVE your law, 166 I hope for your salvation, O Yhwh, 167 My soul KEEPS your orders, 168 I KEEP your precepts and your orders,

but my heart trembles at your words. like one who finds abundant spoil. I LOVE your law. for the judgments of YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. and there is no stumbling for them. and I do your commandments. and I LOVE them completely. because all my ways are before you.

Tav 169 Let my cry draw near before you, O Yhwh, 170 Let my supplication come before you, 171 Let my lips utter your praise, 172 Let my tongue sing of your saying, 173 Let your hand be to help me, 174 I desire your salvation, O Yhwh, 175 LET my soul LIVE, and let it praise you, 176 I wander like a lost ewe: seek your servant,

give me understanding according to your word. deliver me according to your saying. because you teach me your decrees. because all your commandments are RIGHTEOUSNESS. because I have chosen your precepts. and your law is my delight. and let your judgment help me! because I DO NOT FORGET your commandments.

The Fifth Subsequence (Tsade—Tav, 119:137–176)

297

A large number of items that are found elsewhere are concentrated in the central passage: – “Righteousness”, which has already been seen to appear repeatedly in the first passage (five times together with “righteous”, 137, 138, 142[2x], 144), and twice in each of the last two passages (164 & 172) is found at the end of the central passage (160). This is the only subsequence where the term is used so frequently.3 – “To save”/“salvation” which is found in the second passage (146) and the last two passages (166 & 174) returns at the centre (155). – The three occurrences of “give me life” (154, 156, 159) echo “and I shall live” in the first passage (144), “give me life” in the second passage (149, both times preceded by “according to your faithfulness”), and “let my soul live” in the last passage (175). – “I do not forget” (153) as in the extreme passages (141 & 176); the first occurrence is opposed to “they forget” (139) and similarly in the central passage “I do not forget” is opposed to “they do not seek” (155) and “they do not keep” (158). – “To keep” whose subject is the psalmist occurs again in the median passages (146, 167, 168), and it also occurs in the central passage, but with “traitors” as the subject (158). – “I love” (159) echoes the other four occurrences: Once in the first passage (140) and three times in the fourth passage (163, 165, 167). – “My persecutors” (157) refers to “my persecutors” in the preceding passage (150) and to “persecute me” in the subsequent passage (161); “my persecutors” is followed by “my adversaries”, which already occurs in the first passage (139). Both terms are accompanied in the central passage by two synonyms, “the wicked” (155) and “the traitors” (158). “My humiliation” and “my cause” at the beginning of the central passage (153 & 154) are provoked by the “persecutors” who are “rulers” at the beginning of the subsequent passage (161), which triggers “cry” and “supplication” at the beginning of the last passage (169–170). One should notice the final enlargement: The last segment is in fact the only trimember in the subsequence.

3

Eight times in this last subsequence, compared to two times in the first two and three times in the penultimate.

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REQUESTS Tsade 137 You are righteous, O YHWH, 138 You have commanded the righteousness of your orders, 139 My zeal annihilates me, 140 Your saying is purified completely, 141 I am puny and DESPISED, 142 Your righteousness is righteousness forever, 143 Distress and anguish have come upon me, 144 YOU ORDERS are righteousness forever,

and you are upright in your judgments. and sincerity completely. because MY ADVERSARIES forget YOUR WORDS. and your servant loves it. I do not forget your precepts. and your law is loyalty. your commandments are my delight. GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I SHALL LIVE.

Qoph 145 I call with all heart, ANSWER ME, 146 I call to you, SAVE ME, 147 I anticipate dawn and I cry out, 148 My eyes anticipate the watches of the night, 149 HEAR my voice according to your faithfulness, 150 MY infamous PERSECUTORS draw near, 151 You are near, O YHWH, 152 I have known your orders of old

O YHWH, I will observe YOUR DECREES. and I will keep YOUR ORDERS. I hope in your word. to meditate on your saying. O YHWH, GIVE ME LIFE according to YOUR JUDGMENTS. they are far from your law. and all your commandments are loyalty. that you have founded them forever.

Resh 153 SEE my HUMILIATION and LIBERATE ME, 154 DEFEND my cause and REDEEM ME, 155 Salvation is far from THE WICKED, 156 Your mercies are many, O YHWH, 157 Many are MY PERSECUTORS and MY ADVERSARIES, 158 I have seen TRAITORS and feel disgusted, 159 SEE how I love YOUR PRECEPTS, 160 The principle of your word is loyalty,

because I do not forget YOUR LAW. GIVE ME LIFE BY YOUR SAYING. because they do not search for your decrees. GIVE ME LIFE ACCORDING TO YOUR JUDGMENTS. I do not deviate from your orders. that they do not keep your saying. O YHWH, GIVE ME LIFE ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITHFULNESS. and forever every judgment of your righteousness.

Shin 161

RULERS PERSECUTE me without reason,

I rejoice at your saying, 163 I hate and I abhor falsehood, 164 Seven times a day I praise you, 165 Abundant peace for those who love your law, 166 I hope for your salvation, O YHWH, 167 My soul keeps your orders, 168 I keep your precepts and your orders, 162

Taw 169 LET my cry DRAW NEAR before you, O YHWH, 170 LET my supplication COME before you, 171 LET my lips UTTER your praise, 172 LET my tongue SING of YOUR SAYING, 173 LET your hand BE to help me, 174 I desire your salvation, O YHWH, 175 LET my soul LIVE, and let it PRAISE YOU, 176 I wander like a lost ewe: seek your servant,

but my heart trembles at your words. like one who finds abundant spoil. I love your law. for the judgments of your righteousness. and there is no stumbling for them. and I do your commandments. and I love them completely. because all my ways are before you.

GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.

DELIVER ME ACCORDING TO YOUR SAYING. because you teach me your decrees. because all your commandments are righteousness. because I have chosen YOUR PRECEPTS. and your law is my delight. and let YOUR JUDGMENTS HELP ME! because I do not forget your commandments.

The Fifth Subsequence (Tsade—Tav, 119:137–176)

299

The first passage comprises only one request, in the last member (144b), while the second passage comprises four requests (145, 146, 149a, 149b). Whereas the fourth passage contains no requests at all, the last one contains ten requests (169[2x], 170[2x], 171, 172, 173, 175[3x]); therefore, from this point of view, the first two passages and the last two correspond in parallel. As for the central passage, it contains eight requests (153a[2x], 154[3x], 156, 159[2x]). The progression is noticeable, up to the last passage where the density of requests reaches its maximum. The requests are all addressed to “Yhwh”, whose name appears nine times, always in the vocative (137, 145, 149, 151, 156, 159, 166, 169, 174). The psalmist asks God twice to “give him understanding”: firstly, of his “orders” (144), and at the end in absolute manner, without complement, (169). In the central passage, he asks God three times to “give him life” (154, 156, 159); he has already asked this in the preceding passage (149) and even at the end of the first passage (144), and he returns to it once more at the end: “Let my soul live” (175). In the first passage the “adversaries” (139) of God and the psalmist are mentioned, by whom the psalmist is “despised” (141); in the subsequent passage they are his “persecutors” (150). In the central passage, their presence is pervasive: they are “the wicked” (155), the psalmist’s “persecutors and adversaries” (157), “traitors” (158) who cause his “humiliation” (153). At the beginning of the penultimate passage these are “rulers” (161). They are not mentioned by name in the last passage, but “cry” and “supplication” (169–170) suggest that the psalmist is calling upon his Lord to be delivered from them. INTERPRETATION OF THE SUBSEQUENCE ADVERSARIES The psalmist complains of being “puny and despised” (141). His “humiliation” (153) is caused by his “adversaries” and “persecutors” (139, 150, 157, 161); they are “traitors” and “wicked” (155 & 158). They are “many” (157), and some of them are powerful persons, “rulers” (161). These people are also the Lord’s adversaries, as described by the one they humiliate: “because they forget your words” (139), “they are far from your law” (150), “because they do not seek your decrees” (155), “they do not keep your saying” (158). THE LORD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS The first word, “righteous” (137), sets the tone, with terms of the same root repeated throughout the subsequence. God’s righteousness and his law are accompanied by a series of qualities that display various facets: uprightness (137), “sincerity” (138), “loyalty” (142, 151, 160), “faithfulness” (149 & 159), “mercy” (156). God’s righteousness is manifested in his commandments (172)

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and especially in his “judgments” (156, 160, 164). And the psalmist appeals to this righteousness in his distress and anguish. THE PSALMIST’S FAITHFULNESS Faced with his adversaries who mock God’s law, the psalmist claims his faithfulness. With those who “love” the law of the Lord (165), he “loves” his “saying” (140), his “precepts” (159), his “law” (163), “his orders” (167). He takes care not to forget it (141, 153, 176); he knows it (152), keeps it (146 & 168), practices it (166), he has chosen it (173), he does not deviate from his orders (157). He finds his delight in it (143 & 174), he hopes in it (147): He hopes in his word (147), he hopes for his salvation (166). SUPPLICATION AND PRAISE The psalmist hopes for the Lord’s salvation, for even though he is faithful to his law, it is not his own righteousness that is capable of saving him from his persecutors; for this reason he appeals from the beginning to the righteousness of the one who alone can deliver him from distress and anguish (141 & 143), and give him “life” (144, 149, 154, 156, 159, 175), that is, to save him from death. Perhaps that is what he asks the Lord to “make him understand” at the end of the first passage (144). Then the supplication bursts forth and becomes more and more intense, to the point that in the last passage his “cry” and “supplication” end up occupying almost all the space. However, the supplication is joined by the song of praise (164, 171, 172, 175), for the faith of the psalmist is so great that he is sure to be heard.

VI. MEDITATION ON THE LAW The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119) The central sequence, which comprises only two passages, is shorter than the other four sequences that comprise five passages each. A. With those who walk in your ways,

B. I delight in your Law,

teach me your decrees

because you love me

C. YOUR LOVE SAVES ME FROM DEATH

119:1–40

119:41–80

119:81–96

A’. Far from those who stray from your ways, teach me your decrees 119:97–136

B’. Your Law is my delight, because I love you

119:137–176

On either side of the central sequence, the first two and last two sequences correspond to each other in a parallel fashion: The first one with the fourth one, the second one with the last one. We will first describe the relationship between the symmetrical sequences: – A and A’: Aleph–He (1–40) and Mem–Pe (97–135); – B and B’: Waw–Yod (41–80) and Tsade–Tav (137–175). Finally, the links between the central sequence and the other four will be studied. 1. COMPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE SEQUENCES A & A’ (119:1–40 & 119:97–135) For the sake of convenience, the relationships between the sequences will be presented in a progressive fashion: – First between their first two passages; – Then between their central passages; – And finally, between their last two passages. – An overview will conclude the presentation.

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THE FIRST TWO PASSAGES OF EACH SEQUENCE Aleph 1 Happy the perfect of the WAY, 2 Happy those observing his orders, 3 They also have not committed iniquity, 4 As for you, you have commanded your precepts 5 If only my WAYS were established 6 Then I will not blush in considering 7 I will give you thanks in uprightness of heart 8 I will keep your decrees,

WHO WALK in THE LAW of Yhwh! with all heart they search for him. THEY WALK in his WAYS! to be kept completely. to keep your decrees! all your commandments. IN LEARNING THE JUDGMENTS of your righteousness. do not FORSAKE me completely.

Bet 9 With what shall a youth cleanse his PATH 10 With all my heart I search for you, 11 In my heart I shelter your saying, 12 Blessed are you, O Yhwh, 13 With my lips I expose 14 I REJOICE in the WAY of your orders 15 I meditate on your precepts, 16 I delight in YOUR DECREES,

to keep it according to YOU WORD? do not LET ME STRAY from your commandments. so that I may not sin against you. TEACH ME YOUR DECREES! all the judgments of your mouth. as over all goods. and I consider your PATHS. I WILL NOT FORGET your word.

– Initial terms Your “law” for the first passages (1 & 97); “Your word” for the second passages (9 & 105). – Final terms “Your decrees” (16 & 112). – “Heart” occurs six times (2, 7, 10, 11, 111, 112). THE CENTRAL PASSAGES Gimel 17 Do good to your servant, AND I SHALL LIVE, 18 Open my eyes and I shall consider 19 I am a stranger on earth, 20 My soul has been crushed with love 21 You rebuke THE ARROGANT accursed ones, 22 Open up on me DISGRACE and CONTEMPT, 23 Let PRINCES sit, let them speak against me, 24 Let your orders be my delight,

and I shall keep your word. the wonders of your law. do not hide your commandments from me. for your judgments at all times. WHO STRAY from your commandments. because I have observed your orders. your servant meditates on you decrees. (your precepts) my counsellors.

– “And I shall live” occurs in 17 and 116. – The terms from the semantic field of enemies are many (21, 22, 23, 113, 115, 119). – “Who stray” is repeated in 21 and 118. – The Lord “despises” (118) those who bring “contempt” upon the psalmist (22).

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119) Mem 97 How I love YOUR LAW! 98 Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, 99 I have more insight than all my masters, 100 I understand more than the elders, 101 I restrain MY FEET from EVERY evil PATH, 102 I do not TURN ASIDE from YOUR JUDGMENTS, 103 How sweet is your saying to my palate, 104 Through your precepts I understand,

It is my rumination all the day. because they are with me forever. because your orders are my rumination. because I observe your precepts. so that I might keep your word. because it is you who HAVE INSTRUCTED ME. more than honey to my mouth! therefore I hate EVERY PATH of falsehood.

Nun 105 YOUR WORD is a lamp for MY FEET 106 I swear and I confirm 107 I have been humiliated completely, O Yhwh, 108 Accept, O Yhwh, the offerings of my mouth, 109 My breath is constantly in my palms, 110 The wicked put A TRAP for me, 111 Your orders are my inheritance forever, 112 I incline my heart to do YOUR DECREES,

and a light for MY TRAIL. to keep the judgments of your righteousness. give me life according to your word. and TEACH ME YOUR JUDGMENTS. but I DID NOT FORGET your law. but I DID NOT WANDER from your precepts. because they are THE JOY of my heart. forever, to the end.

303

– In a symmetrical position in the first passages: “in learned the judgements” (7) and “your judgements [...] have instructed me” (102). – In symmetrical position in the second passages: “teach me your decrees” (12) and “teach me your judgements” (108). – Density of the semantic field of the way (1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 101, 102, 104, 105, 110). – In the second passages we find “do not forget” (16 & 109); “I rejoice” (14) announces “the joy” (111). Samek 113 I hate THE CROOKED, and I love your law. 114 You are my shelter and my shield, I hope in your word. 115 Turn aside from me, YOU EVILDOERS, and I will observe the commandments of my God. 116 Sustain me according to your saying, AND I SHALL LIVE, and do not let me blush of my expectation. 117 Help me, and I shall be saved, and I will constantly contemplate your decrees. 118 YOU DESPISE all WHO STRAY from your decrees, because their thinking is falsehood. 119 You hold all THE WICKED of the earth as dross; therefore I love your orders. 120 My flesh trembles for dread of you, and I fear your judgments.

– While the first two passages did not contain any request, the central passages contain several requests (17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 116[2x], 117). Note that the only two requests affected by negation are in the second members (19 & 119).

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THE LAST TWO PASSAGES OF EACH SEQUENCE Dalet 25 My soul has cleaved to the dust, 26 I have exposed my WAYS, and you have answered me, 27 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING of the WAY of your precepts, 28 My soul has wept because of affliction, 29 Turn aside from me the WAY of falsehood, 30 I have chosen the WAY of truth, 31 I have cleaved to your orders, O Yhwh, 32 I WILL RUN in the WAY of your commandments,

give me life according to your word. TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. and I will meditate on your wonders. raise me up according to your word. and graciously give me your law. I have aligned myself with your judgments. do not make me blush. because you enlarge my heart.

He 33 INSTRUCT ME, O Yhwh, the WAY OF YOUR DECREES, 34 GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I will observe your law, 35 LEAD me on the TRAIL of your commandments, 36 Incline my heart to your orders, 37 Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity, 38 Raise up your saying to your servant, 39 Turn away my disgrace, which I dread, 40 Behold, I desire your precepts,

and I will observe them to the end. and I will keep it with all heart. because I am pleased in them. and not to gain. give me life in your WAYS. which (is) for your fearful. because your judgments are good. give me life in your righteousness.

– In the first passages, in two contiguous segments and in the same order, “teach me your decrees” and “give me understanding” (26–27 & 124–125). – The same items are also found in the second passages, in contiguity in one (33–34), at a distance and in a reverse order in the other (130 & 135). – The enemies of the psalmist and of God are present mainly at the end of the fourth subsequence (121, 122, 128, 134, 136), but they are not absent in the final passages of the first subsequence (25, 28, 39).

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119) Ayin 121 I have done judgment and righteousness, 122 Ensure your servant for good, 123 My eyes are consumed for your salvation, 124 Do with your servant according to your faithfulness, 125 I (am) your servant, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING, 126 It is time of doing for Yhwh: 127 Therefore I love your commandments, 128 Therefore I DIRECT MYSELF by all your precepts, Pe

Your orders are wonders! The opening of your words enlightens, 131 I open wide my mouth and I pant, 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, 133 Establish MY STEPS by your saying, 134 Redeem me from THE OPPRESSION of man, 135 Let your face enlighten your servant, 136 Streams of water run down from my eyes, 129 130

305

do not leave me to my OPPRESSORS. do not let the ARROGANT OPPRESS ME. and for the saying of your righteousness. and TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. and I will know your orders. They violate your law. more than gold and pure gold. I hate EVERY PATH of falsehood.

Therefore my throat observes them. GIVE UNDERSTANDING to the simple. because I am eager for your commandments. according to the judgment for those who love your name. and do not let any iniquity rule over me. and I will keep your precepts. and TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. for THEY DO NOT KEEP your law.

– The terms of the semantic field of the way are numerous, more in the final passages of the first subsequence (26, 27, 29, 30, 32), less in the final passages of the fourth subsequence (128 & 133). – There are many requests from both sides (28, 29, 31, 36, 37, 38, 39, 121, 122, 124, 132, 133, 134, 135). – “Every path of falsehood” (128) recalls “the way of falsehood” (29).

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THE TWO SEQUENCES A AND A’ The first sequence (A) Aleph 1 Happy the perfect of the WAY, 2 Happy those observing his orders, 3 They also have not committed iniquity, 4 As for you, you have commanded your precepts 5 If only my WAYS were established 6 Then I will not blush in considering 7 I will give you thanks in uprightness of heart 8 I will keep your decrees,

who WALK in the law of Yhwh! with all heart they search him. they WALK in his WAYS! to be kept completely. to keep your decrees! all your commandments. in learning the judgments of your righteousness. do not FORSAKE me completely.

Bet 9 With what shall a youth cleanse his PATH 10 With all my heart I search for you, 11 In my heart I shelter your saying, 12 Blessed are you, O Yhwh, 13 With my lips I expose 14 I rejoice in the WAY of your orders 15 I meditate on your precepts, 16 I delight in your decrees,

to keep it according to your word? do not LET ME STRAY from your commandments. so that I may not sin against you. teach me your decrees! all the judgments of your mouth. as over all goods. and I consider your PATHS. I will not forget your word.

Gimel 17 Do good to your servant, AND I SHALL LIVE, 18 Open my eyes and I shall consider 19 I am a stranger on earth, 20 My soul has been crushed with love 21 You rebuke THE ARROGANT, accursed ones, 22 Open up on me DISGRACE and CONTEMPT, 23 Let PRINCES sit, let them speak against me, 24 Let your orders be my delight,

and I shall keep your word. the wonders of your law. do not hide your commandments from me. for your judgments at all times. WHO STRAY from your commandments. because I have observed your orders. your servant meditates on you decrees. (your precepts) my counsellors.

Dalet 25 My soul has cleaved to the DUST, 26 I have exposed my WAYS, and you have answered me, 27 Give me understanding of the WAY of your precepts, 28 My soul has wept because of AFFLICTION, 29 Turn aside from me the WAY of falsehood, 30 I have chosen the WAY of truth, 31 I have cleaved to your orders, O Yhwh, 32 I WILL RUN in the WAY of your commandments,

GIVE ME LIFE according to your word. teach me your decrees. and I will meditate on your wonders. raise me up according to your word. and graciously give me your law. I have aligned myself with your judgments. do not make me blush. because you enlarge my heart.

He 33 Instruct me, O Yhwh, the WAY of your decrees, 34 Give me understanding and I will observe your law, 35 LEAD me on the TRAIL of your commandments, 36 Incline my heart to your orders, 37 Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity, 38 Raise up your saying to your servant, 39 Turn away my DISGRACE, which I dread, 40 Behold, I desire your precepts,

and I will observe them to the end. and I will keep it with all heart. because I am pleased in them. and not to gain. GIVE ME LIFE in your WAYS. which is for your fearful. because your judgments are good. GIVE ME LIFE in your righteousness.

– The same movement marks the two sequences: the requests, absent at the beginning, become more and more pressing from the second passages (only one), up to the last one (9 and 7 times; see p. 215 & 273). – In sequence A “to learn/teach” occurs three times, “to give understanding” twice and “to instruct” once. Similarly, in A’ “to teach” occurs three times, “to make understand” twice and “to instruct” once (highlighted in grey in the corresponding expressions).

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119)

307

The fourth sequence (A’) Mem 97 How I love your law! 98 Your commandments make me wiser than MY ENEMIES, 99 I have more insight than all my masters, 100 I understand more than the elders, 101 I restrain MY FEET from EVERY evil PATH, 102 I do not TURN ASIDE from your judgments, 103 How sweet is your saying to my palate, 104 Through your precepts I understand,

It is my meditation all the day. because they are with me forever. because your orders are my meditation. because I observe your precepts. so that I might keep your word. because it is you who have instructed me. more than honey to my mouth! therefore I hate EVERY PATH of falsehood.

Nun 105 Your word is a lamp for MY FEET 106 I swear and I confirm 107 I HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED completely, O Yhwh, 108 Accept, O Yhwh, the offerings of my mouth, 109 My breath is constantly in my palms, 110 THE WICKED put A TRAP for me, 111 Your orders are my inheritance forever, 112 I incline my heart to do your decrees,

and a light for MY TRAIL. to keep the judgments of your righteousness. GIVE ME LIFE according to your word. and teach me your judgments. but I did not forget your law. but I DID NOT WANDER from your precepts. because they are the joy of my heart. forever, to the end.

Samek 113 I hate THE CROOKED, and I love your law. 114 You are my shelter and my shield, I hope in your word. 115 Turn aside from me, YOU EVILDOERS, and I will observe the commandments of my God. 116 Sustain me according to your saying, AND I SHALL LIVE, and do not let me blush of my expectation. 117 Help me, and I shall be saved, and I will constantly contemplate your decrees. 118 YOU DESPISE all WHO STRAY from your decrees, because their thinking is falsehood. 119 You hold all THE WICKED of the earth as dross; therefore I love your orders. 120 My flesh trembles for dread of you, and I fear your judgments. Ayin 121 I have done judgment and righteousness, 122 Ensure your servant for good, 123 My eyes are consumed for your salvation, 124 Do with your servant according to your faithfulness, 125 I am your servant, give me understanding, 126 It is time of doing for Yhwh: 127 Therefore I love your commandments, 128 Therefore I DIRECT MYSELF by all your precepts,

do not leave me to my OPPRESSORS. do not let the ARROGANT OPPRESS ME. and for the saying of your righteousness. and teach me your decrees. and I will know your orders. THEY VIOLATE your law. more than gold and pure gold. I hate EVERY PATH of falsehood.

Pe

Therefore my throat observes them. give understanding to the simple. because I am eager for your commandments. according to the judgment for those who love your name. and do not let any iniquity rule over me. and I will keep your precepts. and teach me your decrees. for THEY DO NOT KEEP your law.

129 Your orders are wonders! The opening of your words enlightens, 131 I open wide my mouth and I pant, 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, 133 Establish MY STEPS by your saying, 134 Redeem me from THE OPPRESSION of man, 135 Let your face enlighten your servant, 136 Streams of water run down from my eyes, 130

– The terms of the semantic field of the path are found in all ten passages, but more in the first sequence than in the fourth one. – Enemies appear only starting from the centre of the first sequence, but are present in all the passages of the fourth sequence. – “Give me life” and “I shall live” occur in 17, 25, 37, 40 and in 107, 116.

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE SEQUENCES B & B’ (119:41–80 & 119:137–176) THE FIRST TWO PASSAGES OF EACH SEQUENCE Vav 41 And let your faithfulness come to me, O Yhwh, 42 And I will answer HIM WHO INSULTS ME a word, 43 And do not take away from my mouth AND I WILL KEEP your law constantly, And I will walk at large, 46 And I will speak of your orders before kings, 47 And I WILL DELIGHT IN YOUR COMMANDMENTS, 48 And I will lift up my palms to your commandments, 44 45

Zayin 49 Remember the word to your servant, 50 This is my comfort in MY AFFLICTION, 51 THE ARROGANT mock me completely, 52 I remember your judgments from of old, O Yhwh, 53 Indignation sizes me because of THE WICKED, 54 Your decrees are hymns to me, 55 I remember in the night you name, O Yhwh, 56 This is to me,

YOUR SALVATION according to your saying! because I trust in your word. the word of loyalty completely, because I HOPE in your judgments. forever and ever. because I search for your precepts. and I will not blush. which I LOVE. which I LOVE, and I will meditate on your decrees.

in which YOU HAVE GIVEN ME HOPE. because your saying GIVES ME LIFE. I do not turn away from your law. and I take comfort. who forsake your law. in the house of my residence. AND I WILL KEEP your law. because I OBSERVE your precepts.

– The penultimate segments of the first passages contain very similar phrases: “I will delight in your commandments” (47) and “your commandments are my delight” (143). – “I hope in your word” (147) recalls “I hope in your judgments” (43), to which should be added “you have given me hope” (49). – The terms of the semantic field of enemies are found in verses 42, 50, 51, 53, and in 139, 141, 150. THE CENTRAL PASSAGES Khet 57 Yhwh is my portion, I have said, 58 I appease your face with all heart, 59 I reflect on my ways, 60 I hasten and do not delay 61 The cords of THE WICKED envelop me, 62 In the middle of the night I will rise to give thanks to you 63 I am a companion of all who fear you, 64 The earth, O Yhwh, is full of your faithfulness,

TO KEEP your words. be gracious to me according to your saying! and I will turn my feet to your orders. TO KEEP your commandments. I DO NOT FORGET YOUR LAW. for . and of THOSE KEEPING your precepts. teach me your decrees.

– The syntagma “I do not forget your law” occurs in 61 and 153. – The syntagma “the judgments of your righteousness” (62) announces “every judgment of your righteousness” (160).

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119)

309

Tsade 137 You are righteous, O Yhwh, 138 You have commanded the righteousness of your orders, 139 My zeal annihilates me, 140 Your saying is purified completely, 141 I am PUNY and DESPISED, 142 Your righteousness is righteousness forever, 143 Distress and anguish have come upon me, 144 Your orders are righteousness forever,

and you are upright in your judgments. and sincerity completely. because MY ADVERSARIES forget your words. and your servant LOVES IT. I do not forget your precepts. and your law is loyalty. YOUR COMMANDMENTS are MY DELIGHT. give me understanding AND I SHALL LIVE.

Qoph 145 I call with all heart, answer me, 146 I call to you, SAVE ME, 147 I anticipate dawn and I cry out, 148 My eyes anticipate the watches of the night, 149 Hear my voice according to your faithfulness, 150 MY infamous PERSECUTORS draw near, 151 You are near, O Yhwh, 152 I have known your orders of old

O Yhwh, I WILL OBSERVE your decrees. AND I WILL KEEP your orders. I HOPE in your word. to meditate on your saying. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. they are far from your law. and all your commandments are loyalty. that you have founded them forever.

– “Give me life” occurs again in the second passages (50 & 149). – “Save me” (146) recalls “your salvation” (41). – The two occurrences of “I remember” (52 & 55) are matched by “I do not forget” (141) and opposed by “they forget” (139). – “I (will) observe” occurs at the end of the second passage in sequence B and at the beginning of the second passage in sequence B’ (56 & 145); “and I will keep” occurs three times (44, 55, 146). – “To love” occurs three times (47, 48, 140); “your faithfulness” in verse 41 belongs to the same semantic field. – “Your servant” is repeated in 49 and 140. Resh 153 See MY HUMILIATION and liberate me, 154 Defend my cause and redeem me, 155 Salvation is far from THE WICKED, 156 Your mercies are many, O Yhwh, 157 Many are MY PERSECUTORS and MY ADVERSARIES, 158 I have seen TRAITORS and feel disgusted, 159 See how I LOVE your precepts, 160 The principle of your word is loyalty,

because I DO NOT FORGET YOUR LAW. give me life by your saying. because they do not search for your decrees. give me life according to your judgments. I do not deviate from your orders. that THEY DO NOT KEEP your saying. O Yhwh, give me life according to your faithfulness. and forever .

– The single term from the semantic field of enemies in the central passage of the second sequence, “the wicked” (61), is matched by five terms in the central passage of the last sequence (153, 155, 157[2x], 158). – “Your faithfulness” (64) and “I love” (159) belong to the same semantic field.

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Third Section (Ps 119)

THE LAST TWO PASSAGES OF EACH SEQUENCE Tet 65 You have done good to YOUR SERVANT, 66 TEACH ME the goodness of judgment and knowledge, 67 Before I was HUMILIATED, as for me, I went astray, 68 You are good and doing good, 69 THE ARROGANT project falsehood against me, 70 Their heart is thick as fat, 71 It is good for me to be HUMILIATED, 72 Better to me the law of your mouth

O Yhwh, according to your word. because I have believed in your commandments. but now I keep your saying. TEACH ME your decrees. as for me, I observe your precepts with all heart. as for me, I DELIGHT IN YOUR LAW. so that I MIGHT LEARN your decrees. than thousands of gold and silver.

Yod 73 Your hands have made me and have established me, GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING and I SHALL LEARN your commandments. 74 Your fearful will see me and will rejoice, because I HOPE in your word. 75 I have known, O Yhwh, that , and you humiliated me with your truth. 76 Let your faithfulness be my comfort according to your saying to YOUR SERVANT! 77 Let your mercies come to me and I shall live, because YOUR LAW is MY DELIGHT. 78 Let THE ARROGANT blush, because THEY MISTREAT ME with falsehood! As for me, I meditate on your precepts. 79 Let your fearful turn back to me, and those knowing your orders! 80 Let my heart be perfect in your decrees, so that I may not blush.

– In the last passages, the two occurrences of “your law is my delight” are found in an analogous position (77 & 174); “I delight in your law” is already found in verse 70. – In a similar position at the beginning of the corresponding passages, “give me understanding and I shall learn” (73) is followed by “give me understanding” (169) and “you teach me” (171); the verb “to teach/learn” is already used three times in the passage Tet.

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119) Shin 161 RULERS PERSECUTE ME without reason, 162 I rejoice at your saying, 163 I hate and I abhor falsehood, 164 Seven times a day I praise you, 165 Abundant peace for THOSE WHO LOVE your law, 166 I HOPE for your salvation, O Yhwh, 167 My soul keeps your orders, 168 I keep your precepts and your orders, Tav 169 Let my cry draw near before you, O Yhwh, 170 Let my supplication come before you, 171 Let my lips utter your praise, 172 Let my tongue sing of your saying, 173 Let your hand be to help me, 174 I desire your salvation, O Yhwh, 175 Let my soul live, and let it praise you, 176 I wander like a lost ewe:

311

but my heart trembles at your words. like one who finds abundant spoil. I LOVE your law. for the judgments of your righteousness. and there is no stumbling for them. and I do your commandments. and I LOVE them completely. because all my ways are before you.

GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING according to your word. deliver me according to your saying. because YOU TEACH ME your decrees. because because I have chosen your precepts. and YOUR LAW is MY DELIGHT. and let your judgment help me! seek YOUR SERVANT, because I do not forget your commandments.

.

– “Your servant” occurs at the beginning of the passage Tet (65) and at the end of the final passage (176), forming a kind of inclusion. – The terms belonging to the semantic field of enemies are numerous in the last passages of the second sequence (67, 69, 71, 78); they appear only in the first segment of the last two passages of the final sequence (161). – The three occurrences of “to love” in the penultimate passage of the final sequence (163, 165, 167) are matched by “your faithfulness” in the last passage of the second sequence (76).

312

Third Section (Ps 119)

THE TWO SEQUENCES B AND B’ The second sequence (B) Vav 41 And let YOUR FAITHFULNESS come to me, O Yhwh, 42 And I will answer HIM WHO INSULTS ME a word, 43 And do not take away from my mouth And I will keep your law constantly, And I will walk at large, 46 And I will speak of your orders before kings, 47 And I WILL DELIGHT IN YOUR COMMANDMENTS, 48 And I will lift up my palms to your commandments, 44 45

Zayin 49 Remember the word to your servant, 50 This (is) my comfort in MY AFFLICTION, 51 THE ARROGANT mock me completely, 52 I remember your judgments from of old, O Yhwh, 53 Indignation sizes me because of THE WICKED, 54 Your decrees are hymns to me, 55 I remember in the night you name, O Yhwh, 56 This is to me, Khet 57 Yhwh is my portion, I have said, 58 I appease your face with all heart, 59 I reflect on my ways, 60 I hasten and do not delay 61 The cords of THE WICKED envelop me, 62 In the middle of the night I will rise to give thanks to you 63 I am a companion of all who fear you, 64 The earth, O Yhwh, is full of YOUR FAITHFULNESS , Tet 65 You have done good to your servant, 66 Teach me the goodness of judgment and knowledge, 67 Before I was HUMILIATED, as for me, I went astray, 68 You are good and doing good, 69 THE ARROGANT project falsehood against me, 70 Their heart is thick as fat, 71 It is good for me to be HUMILIATED, 72 Better to me the law of your mouth

YOUR SALVATION according to your saying! because I trust in your word. the word of loyalty completely, because I HOPE IN YOUR JUDGMENTS. forever and ever. because I search for your precepts. and I will not blush. which I LOVE. which I LOVE, and I will meditate on your decrees. in which YOU HAVE GIVEN ME HOPE. because your saying GIVES ME LIFE. I do not turn away from your law. and I take comfort. who forsake your law. in the house of my residence. and I will keep your law. because I observe your precepts. to keep your words. be gracious to me according to your saying! and I will turn my feet to your orders. to keep your commandments. I DO NOT FORGET YOUR LAW. for . and of those keeping your precepts. teach me your decrees. O Yhwh, according to your word. because I have believed in your commandments. but now I keep your saying. teach me your decrees. as for me, I observe your precepts with all heart. as for me, I DELIGHT IN YOUR LAW. so that I might learn your decrees. than thousands of gold and silver.

Yod 73 Your hands have made me and have established me, give me understanding & I shall learn your commandments. 74 Your fearful will see me and will rejoice, because I HOPE IN YOUR WORD. 75 I have known, O Yhwh, that , and YOU HUMILIATED ME with your truth. 76 Let YOUR FAITHFULNESS be my comfort according to your saying to your servant! 77 Let your mercies come to me AND I SHALL LIVE, because YOUR LAW is MY DELIGHT. 78 Let THE ARROGANT blush, because THEY MISTREAT ME with falsehood! As for me, I meditate on your precepts. 79 Let your fearful turn back to me, and those knowing your orders! 80 Let my heart be perfect in your decrees, so that I may not blush.

– The delights of the law form a system, in symmetrical positions, in the first passages (47 & 143) and in the last ones (77 & 174) as in a double inclusion; to these should be added verse 70. – “To live” occurs in 50 and 77, then in 144, 149, 154, 156, 159, 175.

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The final sequence (B’) Tsade 137 You are , O Yhwh, 138 You have commanded of your orders, 139 My zeal annihilates me, 140 Your saying is purified completely, 141 I am PUNY and DESPISED, 142 is forever, 143 Distress and anguish have come upon me, 144 Your orders are forever,

and you are upright in your judgments. and sincerity completely. because MY ADVERSARIES forget your words. and your servant LOVES IT. I DO NOT FORGET YOUR PRECEPTS. and your law is loyalty. YOUR COMMANDMENTS are MY DELIGHT. give me understanding AND I SHALL LIVE.

Qoph 145 I call with all heart, answer me, 146 I call to you, SAVE ME, 147 I anticipate dawn and I cry out, 148 My eyes anticipate the watches of the night, 149 Hear my voice according to your faithfulness, 150 MY infamous PERSECUTORS draw near, 151 You are near, O Yhwh, 152 I have known your orders of old

O Yhwh, I will observe your decrees. and I will keep your orders. I HOPE IN YOUR WORD. to meditate on your saying. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. they are far from your law. and all your commandments are loyalty. that you have founded them forever.

Resh 153 See my HUMILIATION and liberate me, 154 Defend my cause and redeem me, 155 SALVATION is far from THE WICKED, 156 Your mercies are many, O Yhwh, 157 Many are MY PERSECUTORS and MY ADVERSARIES, 158 I have seen TRAITORS and feel disgusted, 159 See how I LOVE your precepts, 160 The principle of your word is loyalty,

because I DO NOT FORGET YOUR LAW. GIVE ME LIFE by your saying. because they do not search for your decrees. GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. I do not deviate from your orders. that they do not keep your saying. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE according to your faithfulness. and forever .

Shin 161 Rulers persecute me without reason, 162 I rejoice at your saying, 163 I hate and I abhor falsehood, 164 Seven times a day I praise you, 165 Abundant peace for THOSE WHO LOVE your law, 166 I HOPE FOR YOUR SALVATION, O Yhwh, 167 My soul keeps your orders, 168 I keep your precepts and your orders,

but my heart trembles at your words. like one who finds abundant spoil. I LOVE your law. for and there is no stumbling for them. and I do your commandments. and I LOVE THEM completely. because all my ways are before you.

Tav 169 Let MY CRY draw near before you, O Yhwh, 170 Let MY SUPPLICATION come before you, 171 Let my lips utter your praise, 172 Let my tongue sing of your saying, 173 Let your hand be to help me, 174 I desire YOUR SALVATION, O Yhwh, 175 LET my soul LIVE, and let it praise you, 176 I wander like a lost ewe:

give me understanding according to your word. deliver me according to your saying. because you teach me your decrees. for . because I have chosen your precepts. and YOUR LAW is MY DELIGHT. and let your judgments help me! see your servant, because I DO NOT FORGET YOUR COMMANDMENTS.

.

– “I do not forget Your law” at the centre of B (61) returns at the centre of B’ (153) with an echo in the extreme passages (141 & 176); these are the last words of the psalm. – “Faithfulness” (ḥesed, singular and plural) and “to love” (’āhab) mark B and B' (41, 47, 48, 64, 76, 140, 159, 163, 165, 167); God’s love in B (41, 64, 76) is matched by the psalmist’s love, already in B (47–48) but especially in B’ (140, 159, 163, 165, 167).

314

Third Section (Ps 119)

The second sequence (B) Vav 41 And let YOUR FAITHFULNESS come to me, O Yhwh, 42 And I will answer HIM WHO INSULTS ME a word, 43 And do not take away from my mouth And I will keep your law constantly, And I will walk at large, 46 And I will speak of your orders before kings, 47 And I WILL DELIGHT IN YOUR COMMANDMENTS, 48 And I will lift up my palms to your commandments, 44 45

Zayin 49 Remember the word to your servant, 50 This (is) my comfort in MY AFFLICTION, 51 THE ARROGANT mock me completely, 52 I remember your judgments from of old, O Yhwh, 53 Indignation sizes me because of THE WICKED, 54 Your decrees are hymns to me, 55 I remember in the night you name, O Yhwh, 56 This is to me, Khet 57 Yhwh is my portion, I have said, 58 I appease your face with all heart, 59 I reflect on my ways, 60 I hasten and do not delay 61 The cords of THE WICKED envelop me, 62 In the middle of the night I will rise to give thanks to you 63 I am a companion of all who fear you, 64 The earth, O Yhwh, is full of YOUR FAITHFULNESS , Tet 65 You have done good to your servant, 66 Teach me the goodness of judgment and knowledge, 67 Before I was HUMILIATED, as for me, I went astray, 68 You are good and doing good, 69 THE ARROGANT project falsehood against me, 70 Their heart is thick as fat, 71 It is good for me to be HUMILIATED, 72 Better to me the law of your mouth

YOUR SALVATION according to your saying! because I trust in your word. the word of loyalty completely, because I HOPE IN YOUR JUDGMENTS. forever and ever. because I search for your precepts. and I will not blush. which I LOVE. which I LOVE, and I will meditate on your decrees. in which YOU HAVE GIVEN ME HOPE. because your saying GIVES ME LIFE. I do not turn away from your law. and I take comfort. who forsake your law. in the house of my residence. and I will keep your law. because I observe your precepts. to keep your words. be gracious to me according to your saying! and I will turn my feet to your orders. to keep your commandments. I DO NOT FORGET YOUR LAW. for . and of those keeping your precepts. teach me your decrees. O Yhwh, according to your word. because I have believed in your commandments. but now I keep your saying. teach me your decrees. as for me, I observe your precepts with all heart. as for me, I DELIGHT IN YOUR LAW. so that I might learn your decrees. than thousands of gold and silver.

Yod 73 Your hands have made me and have established me, give me understanding & I shall learn your commandments. 74 Your fearful will see me and will rejoice, because I HOPE IN YOUR WORD. 75 I have known, O Yhwh, that , and YOU HUMILIATED ME with your truth. 76 Let YOUR FAITHFULNESS be my comfort according to your saying to your servant! 77 Let your mercies come to me AND I SHALL LIVE, because MY DELIGHT is YOUR LAW. 78 Let THE ARROGANT blush, because THEY MISTREAT ME with falsehood! As for me, I meditate on your precepts. 79 Let your fearful turn back to me, and those knowing your orders! 80 Let my heart be perfect in your decrees, so that I may not blush.

– The terms belonging to the semantic field of persecution are found in all the passages (42, 50, 51, 53, 61, 67, 69, 71, 75, 78, 139, 141, 150, 153, 155, 157, 158, 161, 169, 170). – “I hope in your judgments – your word” and “you have given me hope” (43, 49, 74) are matched by “I hope in your word” and “I hope for your salvation” (147 & 166).

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The final sequence (B’) Tsade 137 You are , O Yhwh, 138 You have commanded of your orders, 139 My zeal annihilates me, 140 Your saying is purified completely, 141 I am PUNY and DESPISED, 142 is forever, 143 Distress and anguish have come upon me, 144 Your orders are forever,

and you are upright in your judgments. and sincerity completely. because MY ADVERSARIES forget your words. and your servant LOVES IT. I DO NOT FORGET YOUR PRECEPTS. and your law is loyalty. YOUR COMMANDMENTS are MY DELIGHT. give me understanding AND I SHALL LIVE.

Qoph 145 I call with all heart, answer me, 146 I call to you, SAVE ME, 147 I anticipate dawn and I cry out, 148 My eyes anticipate the watches of the night, 149 Hear my voice according to your faithfulness, 150 MY infamous PERSECUTORS draw near, 151 You are near, O Yhwh, 152 I have known your orders of old

O Yhwh, I will observe your decrees. and I will keep your orders. I HOPE IN YOUR WORD. to meditate on your saying. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. they are far from your law. and all your commandments are loyalty. that you have founded them forever.

Resh 153 See my HUMILIATION and liberate me, 154 Defend my cause and redeem me, 155 SALVATION is far from THE WICKED, 156 Your mercies are many, O Yhwh, 157 Many are MY PERSECUTORS and MY ADVERSARIES, 158 I have seen TRAITORS and feel disgusted, 159 See how I LOVE your precepts, 160 The principle of your word is loyalty,

because I DO NOT FORGET YOUR LAW.

GIVE ME LIFE by your saying.

because they do not search for your decrees. GIVE ME LIFE according to your judgments. I do not deviate from your orders. that THEY DO NOT KEEP your saying. O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE according to your faithfulness. and forever .

Shin 161 Rulers persecute me without reason, 162 I rejoice at your saying, 163 I hate and I abhor falsehood, 164 Seven times a day I praise you, 165 Abundant peace for THOSE WHO LOVE your law, 166 I HOPE FOR YOUR SALVATION, O Yhwh, 167 My soul keeps your orders, 168 I keep your precepts and your orders,

but my heart trembles at your words. like one who finds abundant spoil. I LOVE your law. for and there is no stumbling for them. and I do your commandments. and I LOVE THEM completely. because all my ways are before you.

Tav 169 Let MY CRY draw near before you, O Yhwh, 170 Let MY SUPPLICATION come before you, 171 Let my lips utter your praise, 172 Let my tongue sing of your saying, 173 Let your hand be to help me, 174 I desire YOUR SALVATION, O Yhwh, 175 LET my soul LIVE, and let it praise you, 176 I wander like a lost ewe:

give me understanding according to your word. deliver me according to your saying. because you teach me your decrees. for . because I have chosen your precepts. and YOUR LAW is MY DELIGHT. and let your judgments help me! see your servant, because I DO NOT FORGET YOUR COMMANDMENTS.

.

– “The judgments of your righteousness” and “your judgments are righteous” in sequence B (62 & 75) are matched by “every judgment of your righteousness”, “the judgments of your righteousness” and “all your commandments are righteousness” in sequence B’ (160, 164, 172), in both cases towards the end of the central passage and in the last passage. It should be added that the terms “righteousness” and “righteous” occur five more times in the first passage of the last sequence (137, 138, 142, 144, 164). – The requests are increasing in number (see p. 241 & 299).

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Third Section (Ps 119)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE FOUR SEQUENCES A B A’B’ The first sequence differs from all the others by the fact that the terms of the root drk (“way”, “to walk”) are repeated 12 times and that the term “way” occurs only once elsewhere, in sequence B (59). In each of the four sequences the number of requests increases from the beginning to the end1 (see p. 215, 241, 273, 299): Passage 1

Passage 2

Passage 3

Passage 4

Passage 5

Sequence A

1

2

5

7

9

Sequence B

2

1

2

2

6

Sequence C

0

0

Sequence A’

0

3

4

6

7

Sequence B’

1

4

8

0

10

This fact confirms the validity of the division into sequences. In addition, unlike the other four sequences, the central sequence does not contain any request. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL SEQUENCE & THE OTHER FOUR SEQUENCES Kaph 81 My soul IS FINISHED OFF waiting for YOUR SALVATION, 82 My eyes ARE FINISHED OFF waiting for your saying, 83 Though I am LIKE A WINESKIN IN THE SMOKE, 84 How many are the days of your servant? 85 THE ARROGANT dig PITS for me, 86 All your commandments are truth, 87 THEY almost FINISHED ME OFF IN THE EARTH, 88 According to your faithfulness GIVE ME LIFE,

I HOPE IN YOUR WORD. while saying: “When will you comfort me?” I DO NOT FORGET YOUR DECREES. When will you make judgement on MY PERSECUTORS? which are not according to your law. THEY PERSECUTE ME with falsehood: HELP ME. but as for me, I do not forsake your precepts. and I will keep the order of your mouth.

Lamed 89 Forever, O Yhwh, 90 Your faithfulness endures from age to age; 91 Through your judgments they stand this day, 92 UNLESS YOUR LAW HAD BEEN MY DELIGHT, 93 Forever I WILL NOT FORGET YOUR PRECEPTS, 94 I am yours, SAVE ME, 95 THE WICKED are waiting for me THAT I WOULD PERISH, 96 I have seen an end to all FINISHING OFF:

your word is firmly fixed in the heavens; you have established the earth, and it stands; because all are your servants. then I WOULD HAVE PERISHED in MY HUMILIATION. because by them YOU GIVE ME LIFE. because I search for your precepts. I am attentive to your orders. your commandment is exceedingly broad!

The central sequence concentrates a large number of terms present several times in other four sequences. 1

Except for the second one, where the progression is reduced to the concentration of requests in the last passage.

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– The vocabulary of persecution appears especially in the first passage (81–87) but also in the second one (92, 95, 96); the terms “the arrogant” (85), “humiliation” (92) and “the wicked” (95) used elsewhere are complemented by terms that are practically only found here: “These include “to finish off” and “finishing off” (81, 82, 87, 96),2 and “like a wineskin in the smoke” (83). – “I do not forget your decrees” (83) and “I will not forget your precepts” (93) are often found in the sequences B and B’. – “Your salvation” (81) and “save me” (94) appear especially in the last sequence (see p. 313). – “Give me life” and “you give me life” (88 & 93) are found everywhere else, in sequences A & A’ (see p. 306–307), and in the sequences B & B’ (see p. 312– 313). – “I hope in your word” (81) recalls the second sequence, with “I hope in your judgments”, “you give me hope” and especially “I hope in your word” (43, 49, 74); the same syntagma returns in the fourth and fifth sequence (114 & 147). – “I delight in your law” occurs in B (47, 70, 77) and in B’ (143 & 174). There are also differences between the central sequence and the others. – Neither “way” nor “path”, nor any lexeme belonging to this semantic field appears in this sequence. – The sequence does not include any of the many terms of knowledge so common elsewhere: “to learn/teach”, “to instruct”, “to understand”, “to know”. – There are no requests (imperative or jussive) in the central sequence, whereas they are so frequent elsewhere. Both passages in this central sequence are marked by terms belonging to the semantic field of death, in particular “pits” (85; not found elsewhere in the psalm) and “in the earth” (87), “to perish” (92 & 95),3 which are matched in the composition of the sequence (see p. 250); to these must be added the four occurrences of “to finish off” and “finishing off” already mentioned above, terms which are specific to this sequence. As already pointed out (see p. 251), the first two letters of the root of “to finish off” and “finishing off” (klh) are those with which the verses of the two passages (Kaph and Lamed, the third radical is “weak”) begin, which is a way of structurally emphasising the presence of this root. Kōl (“all”) derives from the same root; its two occurrences (86 & 96) contribute to emphasise the totality that is marked first by the alphabetical acrostic and the haunting repetition of the eight synonyms of law.

2 3

This verb appears only once elsewhere, in the fourth sequence (123). The verb is found in the last verse of the psalm: “I wander like a lost sheep” (176).

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Third Section (Ps 119)

THE EXTREMITIES OF THE PSALM Aleph 1 Happy the perfect of the WAY, 2 Happy those observing his orders, 3 They also have not committed iniquity, 4 5

As for you, you have commanded your precepts If only my WAYS were established

Then I will not blush in considering I WILL GIVE YOU THANKS in uprightness of heart 8 I will keep your decrees, 6 7

they WALK in the law of Yhwh! with all heart they search for him! they WALK in his WAYS. to be kept completely. to keep your decrees! all your commandments. IN LEARNING THE JUDGMENTS OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

do not forsake me completely.

Bet 9 With what shall a youth cleanse his PATH to keep it according to you word? 10 With all my heart I search for you, DO NOT LET ME STRAY from your commandments. 11 In my heart I shelter your saying, so that I may not sin against you. ·················································································································· 12 Blessed are you, O Yhwh, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES! ·················································································································· 13 With my lips I expose all the judgments of your mouth. 14 I GIVE THANKS in the WAY of your orders as over all goods. 15 16

I meditate on your precepts, I DELIGHT in your decrees,

and I consider your PATHS. I WILL NOT FORGET your word.

Several authors pointed out that the extremities of the psalm correspond to each other.4 We should first note the similarities: – The syntagma “the judgments of your righteousness” occurs in the first passages (7 & 164); – “Teach me your decrees” corresponds to “you teach me your decrees” in the second passages (12 & 171); the verb “to teach/learn” already appears in 7 and “give me understanding” in 169; – The two occurrences of “I do not forget” (16 & 176) are found at the end of each pair of passages, playing the role of final terms; – The verb “to keep”, which appears four times in the first two passages (4, 5, 8, 9), is used twice in the last two passages (167 & 168); note also the use of “heart” (2, 7, 10, 161), “lips” (13 & 171), “to give thanks” (7, 14, 162); “I delight” (16) announces “my delight” (174); – The two occurrences of “to search for” in the first two passages (2 & 10) correspond to the synonym “to seek” in the last passage (176); “to give thanks” (7 & 14) is matched by “to praise” and “praise” (164, 171, 175); – The vocabulary of the semantic field of the way marks the first pair of passages, as does the whole of the first sequence; in the last pair of passages, some terms from the same semantic field are found, “to stumble” (165), “ways” 4 W. Soll (Psalm 119: Matrix, Form and Setting, 91) and also E. Zenger (Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 262) are satisfied with stating that these two pairs of stanzas introduce and conclude the psalm. As for P. Auffret, he meticulously records the “structural relationships” that link the first stanza to the last one, the second one and the penultimate one (Voyez de vos yeux, 412–414); in Mais tu élargiras mon cœur, strophes I–XXII, 230–231; II–XXI, 229–230; I–XXI, 214–215; II–XXII, 358).

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319

(168), and finally “I wander” (176), a fact that is all the more noteworthy as the first three passages of the last subsequence are devoid of it. Shin 161 Rulers persecute me without reason, 162 I GIVE THANKS for your saying,

but my heart trembles at your words. like one who finds abundant spoil.

I hate and I abhor falsehood, I love your law. Seven times a day I PRAISE YOU, for THE JUDGMENTS OF YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. ············································································································································ 165 Abundant peace for those who love your law, and there is no STUMBLING for them. 166 I hope for your salvation, O Yhwh, and I do your commandments. 163 164

167 168

My soul keeps your orders, I keep your precepts and your orders,

Tav 169 Let my cry draw near before you, O Yhwh, 170 Let my supplication come before you,

and I love them completely. because all my WAYS are before you. GIVE ME UNDERSTANDING according to your word. deliver me according to your saying.

Let my lips utter YOUR PRAISE, because YOU TEACH ME YOUR DECREES. Let my tongue sing of your saying, because all your commandments are righteousness. ····················································································································································· 173 Let your hand be to help me, because I have chosen your precepts. 174 I desire your salvation, O Yhwh, and your law is MY DELIGHT. 171 172

175 176

Let my soul live, and LET IT PRAISE YOU, I WANDER like a lost ewe:

and let your judgment help me! seek your servant, because I DO NOT FORGET your commandments.

It is perhaps even more important to identify the differences between these two pairs of passages: – In the first pair the first passage contains no requests and the second passage only one request; in the last pair, though the first passage also contains no requests, the last passage contains the most requests of the twenty-two passages of the psalm (169[2x], 170[2x], 171, 172, 173, 175[2x], 176; see p. 316); – While there is no mention of adversaries in the first pair of passages, their presence is noticeable in the last pair of passages: “Rulers persecute me” (161), “I hope for your salvation” (166) and “I desire your salvation” (174), “my cry” (169) and “my supplication” (170), “deliver me” (170) and “help me” (175); – The “cry” and “supplication” (169 & 170) are accompanied, however, by thanksgiving (162) and especially by praise (164, 171, 175); it should be pointed out that “to praise” and “praise” are found only in the final passage and nowhere else in the psalm; – The word “happy” is found only in the first two segments of the first pair of verses, and not elsewhere in the psalm; – The last verse is surprising because it is the only one where “ewe” and “to seek” are used in the whole Psalm; it is even the only place in the whole Psalter where the term “ewe” appears. The verb “to wander” only appears in verse 110: “I did not wander from your precepts”.

320

Third Section (Ps 119)

NOTE ON THE COMPOSITION OF SEGMENTS AND PASSAGES The vast majority of segments are bimembers. However, sequence B contains four trimembers and sequence B’ only one (176). Some consider these to be accidents of textual transmission and modify the text to reduce the trimembers of the Masoretic text to bimembers. However, we have seen that in sequence B the trimembers are in a symmetrical position, two in the first passage (43 & 48) and two in the last (75 & 78), which forms a kind of inclusion. As for the last segment of the psalm, it will be interpreted as a final expansion.5 With regard to the passages, some reduce their composition to a single pattern. For example, Zenger writes: “The stanzas are divided into two subsections of four lines each, constituting a thematic unit (diptych structure) in each stanza”.6 Actually, also here the composition of the passages shows a great variety. Six patterns are used: – 14 passages are the size of a part formed of several pieces: . 8 comprise 3 pieces formed of 3 + 3 + 2 segments . 6 comprise 3 pieces formed of 3 + 2 + 3 segments – 8 passages are formed of two or three parts . 4 comprise 2 parts formed each of 2 pieces: (2/2) + (2/2) . 2 comprise 3 parts, the central one has 2 pieces: 2 + (2/2) + 2 . 1 comprises 2 parts, each contains two pieces: (1/3) + (2/2) . 1 comprises 3 parts, the last one contains two pieces: 3 + 1 + (2/2) We can therefore see that great regularity is tempered by an equally great freedom. The same applies to the occurrences of the eight synonyms of the law:

5 6

See Traité 2007.2013: 641; 2021: 148. Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 261.

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119) Aleph LAW orders precepts decrees commandments judgments decrees Bet

Vav SAYING WORD

judgments LAW precepts orders commandments commandments decrees Zayin

Kaph WORD

SAYING decrees LAW commandments precepts order Lamed

WORD

WORD

WORD

commandments SAYING decrees judgments orders precepts decrees

SAYING LAW judgments LAW decrees LAW precepts

judgments LAW precepts precepts order

commandment

Mem LAW

commandment orders precepts

WORD

judgments SAYING precepts Nun WORD

judgments

321 Tsade judgments orders WORDS

SAYING precepts LAW commandments orders Qoph decrees orders

WORD

WORD

judgments LAW precepts orders decrees

SAYING judgments LAW commandments orders

WORD

Gimel

Khet

WORD

WORDS

LAW commandments judgments commandments orders decrees orders

SAYING orders commandments LAW judgments precepts decrees

Dalet

Tet

WORD

WORD

decrees precepts

commandments SAYING decrees precepts LAW decrees LAW

WORD

LAW judgments orders commandments

Samek LAW

He decrees LAW commandments orders SAYING judgments precepts

Yod commandments

7+9+8+8+7 = 39

9+8+8+8+8 = 41

WORD

WORDS

commandments SAYING decrees decrees orders judgments

decrees judgments orders WORDS

precepts WORD

judgment

Ayin judgment SAYING decrees orders LAW commandments precepts

Shin

Pe orders

Tav

WORD

WORD

judgments SAYING LAW precepts orders decrees

commandments judgment WORDS

precepts decrees LAW 7+7 = 14

Resh LAW

8+8+8+7+8 = 39

WORDS

SAYING LAW judgments LAW commandments orders precepts orders WORD

SAYING decrees SAYING commandments precepts LAW judgments commandments 8+8+9+9+9 = 43

This makes a total of 176 occurrences, the same number as the verses. The first two sequences contain 80, the last two 82. Two passages have all eight synonyms (Khet, Yod), three have seven (He, Kaph, Ayin); in all others one or two synonyms are repeated.

322

Third Section (Ps 119) 2. CONTEXT

THE CONDUCT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A REPROACH TO THE UNGODLY (WIS 2) The first chapters of the book of Wisdom draw a parallel between the ungodly and the righteous. The righteous are persecuted because their conduct is a living reproach to those who do not keep God’s law: 12

Let us lay traps for the upright man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our sins against the Law, and accuses us of sins against our upbringing. 13 He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. 14 We see him as a reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs our spirits down; 15 for his kind of life is not like other people’s, and his ways are quite different. 16 In his opinion we are counterfeit; he avoids our ways as he would filth. (Wis 2:12–16)

3. INTERPRETATION OF THE PSALM Psalm 119 is regarded by many commentators as a hymn to the Law. “Considering the predominant theme of the whole poem, we can speak of a Torah psalm (cf. Ps 1 and Ps 19B).”7 “By its central theme, the tôrâ, and by its vocabulary, it is considered as a sapiential psalm.”8 “It is a work of Torah wisdom, which presents the Torah revealed by Yhwh as the source of wisdom and instructions for a successful life.”9 And one could multiply quotations over and over again. This is certainly the feeling that the psalm inevitably provokes if one considers it as a patchwork, composite and unorganised, because of the haunting repetition of the vocabulary of the Torah which, through its synonymic variations, ends up having a hypnotic effect on the most well-disposed reader. However, if one does not relegate to the background the numerous synonyms of the psalmist’s and God’s adversaries, the terms that express the suffering and anguish of the one praying, the impressive number of his cries and supplications, if one also considers the architecture of the poem, which focuses on the threat of death posed to the psalmist by those who intend to make him perish and throw him into the pit, then the psalm appears as the supplication of one who realizes that it is not his faithfulness to the law that can save him from death, but the 7

Kraus, II, 411. Lorenzin, 462. 9 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 256. 8

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119)

323

mercy and power of the Lord alone, whose help he invokes tirelessly. The centre of the composition being the keystone, that is where the interpretation should begin.10 A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH Those who persecute the psalmist are present throughout the poem. However, it is only at the centre that their murderous purpose is made clear. “The arrogant dig pits” for him (Ps 119:85), they “finish him off in the earth” (119:87), they have no other thought than to make him “perish” (119:92, 95). The eyes of their victim have been consumed for so long that he comes to ask God: “When will you comfort me?” (119:82). He calls for “help” (119:86), invokes divine “salvation” from the beginning (119:81) to the end (119:94). The fact that he twice asks for “life” (119:88, 93) means that he is in danger of death. These calls to salvation, to live, so dense at the centre of the psalm, find a powerful echo from the beginning to the end of the psalm.11 THE PSALMIST’S PERSECUTORS “The arrogant” ones who bring “disgrace and contempt” upon the psalmist (119:21, 22), the “princes” who “speak against” him (119:23) do not appear immediately, but only in the central passage of the first sequence. Then they do not leave him alone until the end. It seems that the conduct of the psalmist, faithful to God’s commandments, represents a living reproach to the arrogant, and that is the main reason why the psalmist is persecuted: “The arrogant mock me completely, I do not turn away from your law” (119:51); “Turn aside from me, you evildoers, and I will observe the commandments of my God” (119:115). The righteous person does not seem to hide his feelings towards the wicked who violate the law: “I hate the crooked, and your law I love” (119:113); “I hate every path of falsehood” (119:104, 128). And yet he has not done wrong: “Rulers persecute me without reason” (119:161); “they persecute me with falsehood” (119:86). Worse, he is unjustly accused of the same misdeeds as his opponents, a victim of the lies of those who practice it: “The arrogant project falsehood against me” (119:69). THE ENEMIES OF GOD’S LAW The psalmist’s opponents are accused throughout of not keeping the law of the Lord. The reproach is overall, from the beginning: “the arrogant, accursed ones, who stray from your commandments” (119:21), to the end: “I have seen 10

The present interpretation agrees with that of Jacquet (III, 337–346), who relies on a large number of authors. Yet he calls the psalm “Elevation on the divine law” (321). 11 While “help me” occurs only once at the end (173), “salvation”/”to save” occurs elsewhere seven times (119:41, 117, 123, 146, 155, 166, 174) and “to live”/“give life” fourteen time, in each sequence (119:17, 25, 37, 40, 50, 77, 107, 116, 144, 149, 154, 156, 159, 175).

324

Third Section (Ps 119)

traitors and feel disgusted, that they do not keep your saying” (119:158). They are not presented as guilty of disobedience to every commandment, nor are they accused of theft or adultery. What they are often accused of is “falsehood” (119:69, 86, 118). It consists above all in their homicidal intentions, which appear most clearly at the centre of the psalm, but which are not lacking elsewhere: in fact, if the psalmist does not cease to beg the Lord to “give him life”, it is indeed because he is threatened with death. From the very first sequence he cries out: “My soul has cleaved to the dust, give me life according to your word” (119:25). The reason why “the arrogant” disregard God’s commandments—an accusation that is repeated throughout the Psalm—is that they behave as if the author of the law did not exist. In this sense, putting their own desire in the place of the divine will, they arrogate his place. They are not only opponents of God, they are indeed idolaters. THE LAW DOES NOT SAVE The Psalm begins well, with great optimism: twice those who keep the law of the Lord are declared “Happy!” (119:1–2). Soon, however, the psalmist doubts his ability to keep the decrees of his God: “If only my ways were established to keep your decrees” (119:5). Therefore, he implores the Lord: “Do not forsake me completely” (119:8), “Do not lead me astray from your commandments" (10), "Teach me your decrees” (119:12), “Give me understanding of the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wonders” (119:27), and so on throughout the Psalm. He promises to keep God’s orders: “And I will keep your law constantly, forever and ever” (119:44). Very often he declares his faithfulness: “I delight in your decrees, I will not forget your word” (119:16), and he does this in spite of persecution and the threat of death: “They almost finished me off in the earth, but as for me, I do not forsake your precepts” (119:87). But his obedience to God's law only brings him misfortune on the part of “the wicked”. For this reason, in successive waves, his supplication becomes more and more intense towards the one who alone can save him from death and give him life. GOD ALONE IS RIGHTEOUS The psalmist only once claims his own righteousness: “I have done judgment and righteousness”, but immediately he invokes God’s help: “Do not leave me to my oppressors” (119:121). Elsewhere where the words righteous and justice are used, it is God’s righteousness that is meant, as it appears from the beginning of the last sequence: “You are righteous, O Yhwh, and you are upright in your judgments” (119:137), and he will repeat it until the end: “Let my tongue sing of your saying, because all your commandments are righteousness” (119:172). If in the same sequence the psalmist does not cease to proclaim his love for the Lord’s “saying” (119:140), for his “precepts” (119:159), for his “law” (119:163,

The Whole of the Third Section (Ps 119)

325

165), for his “commands” (119:167), he does not rely on this, on himself to be “saved”, but on God alone (119:145, 166, 174). Everything is grace. Everything comes to him from above: knowledge of the law, faithfulness to the commandments, salvation from the hand of enemies, life in God’s righteousness and love: “Give me life in your righteousness” (119:40), “According to your faithfulness give me life” (119:88). It sounds like Paul of Tarsus. HAPPY THE LOST EWE! Psalm 119 begins with a beatitude: “Happy!” Several other psalms do the same throughout the book, from the beginning (Ps 1) and throughout (Ps 32; 41, 112, 128). Like Ps 32, it actually doubles the beatitude (119:1–2). Ps 119, on the other hand, is the only one that ends with the image of the “ewe”; that is all the more remarkable since it is the only time in the whole psalter that the ewe is mentioned. The contrast between the extremities of the psalm is striking: While the psalmist begins by proclaiming “happy are the perfect of the way” (119:1), he concludes by confessing that he “wanders like a lost ewe” (176)! The Psalm is in a way the story of the long journey during which his prolonged meditation on the word of God, the experience of his own helplessness and the pain of persecution make him discover what he is, a poor “lost ewe” who, even if he does not forget the commandments, will forever be unable to find his way back, and humbly begs his Lord to come and “seek him” out. The Lord Jesus will recall this in the parable of the lost and found sheep.

FROM THE EXODUS IN BABYLON TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM Fourth Section Ps 120–134

328

The fourth section comprises fifteen psalms, organised in three sequences. Each of the extreme sequences has seven psalms, while the central sequence has only one psalm:1 On the way

toward Jerusalem

SOLOMON,

In peace

THE BELOVED

Ps 120–126

OF THE LORD

toward Jerusalem

Ps 127

Ps 128–134

The extreme sequences, each with seven psalms, consist of three subsequences: the extreme subsequences contain three psalms, the central subsequence contains only one (P 123 & Ps 131). The central sequence also contains a single psalm (127). FROM MESHECH AND KEDAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD LIKE SERVANTS JUBILATION

TOWARDS THEIR MASTER FOR THE LIBERATION

SOLOMON,

HAPPINESS LIKE A CHILD

THE BELOVED

FOR THE REDEMPTION

OF JERUSALEM

OF THE LORD

Ps 120–122 Ps 123 Ps 124–126

Ps 127

OF ISRAEL

Ps 128–130

RESTS AGAINST ITS MOTHER

FROM THE FIELDS OF YAAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

1

IN THE CITY OF DAVID

IN THE CITY OF DAVID

Ps 131 Ps 132–134

For the current discussion on the composition of the collection of psalms of the ascents, see R. MEYNET, Les psaumes des montées, 7–17.

I. ON THE WAY TOWARD JERUSALEM The First Sequence (Ps 120–126) The first sequence comprises three subsequences. The first one and last one are formed of three psalms (Ps 120–122 & Ps 124–126), while the central subsequence comprises only one (Ps 123). Each of the seven psalms in the sequence is the size of a passage.

FROM MESHECH AND KEDAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE CITY OF DAVID

LIKE SERVANTS JUBILATION

TOWARDS THEIR MASTERS

FOR THE LIBERATION

OF JERUSALEM

Ps 120–122

Ps 123 Ps 124–126

A. FROM MESHECH AND KEDAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE CITY OF DAVID The First Subsequence: PS 120–122 1. PSALM 120 TEXT A song of ascents. To Yhwh in my anguish I called, and he answered me. 2 Yhwh, deliver my soul from the lips of falsehood, from the tongue (of) deceit! 3 What shall he give to you, and what shall he add to you, you tongue (of) deceit? 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, with the embers of juniper. 5 Woe to me that I sojourn in Meshech, (that) I dwell with the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long has my soul dwelt with those who hate peace. 7 I (am) peace, and when I speak, they (are) for war. 1

3: “WHAT SHALL HE GIVE TO YOU...?” The problem is to identify not only the subject of “shall he give” and the addressee (“you”), but also the speaker. Despite some opposing views, the vast majority of commentators interpret “tongue of deceit” not as the subject of “shall he give” but as a vocative. The subject of the verbs in 3 is the Lord. It is therefore the psalmist who is apostrophising “the tongue of deceit” from which he has just asked the Lord to deliver him (2). 4: “THE ARROWS...” Verse 4 gives the answer to the questions in verse 3. The preposition “with” is not instrumental: The arrows are not sharpened by the embers of juniper. It is used here as a coordinator, the meaning of which is suggested by the parallelism with the preceding verse: “he will give” the arrows and “he will add” the embers. 7: “I (AM) PEACE...” The expression in the last verse seems so awkward that it is variously understood and translated. Following the Masoretic text in a very literal fashion, we read: “I peace and when I speak they for war”. It is clear that the psalmist’s desire for peace is met with hostility from his enemies, so many regard this verse as an antithetical bimember segment: I (am) of peace they (are)

when I speak (= when I speak of peace) for war.

Psalm 120

331

However, it seems preferable to keep the awkward wording of the Hebrew text, which seems to reflect the psalmist’s anguished state of mind: I (am) and when they (are)

peace I speak for war.1

COMPOSITION Several authors separate the first verse from the rest of the poem, for it is a statement about the past and not the present of what follows. Consequently, Ravasi sees two stanzas, one on the threat of deceptive language (2–4), the other one on the threat of war (5–7).2 Vesco—who follows Girard—organizes the text into two parts whose three subdivisions correspond to each other in parallel: 1 & 5; 2 & 6; 3–4 & 7.3 However, “the law of the question at the centre”4 invites us instead to recognise in this first psalm of the collection a concentric composition around the only question of the text (3) followed by its answer (4).5 In the first piece (1b–2) the psalmist first expresses his faith in God (1bc), then invokes him directly (2); in the second piece (3–4) he addresses his enemy, the “tongue (of) deceit”; in the third piece (5–7), although there is no vocative, it seems that his complaint is again addressed to Yhwh. The two segments of the first piece begin with the name “Yhwh” (1b & 2a). What the psalmist says in the first segment he actually addresses to “Yhwh” in the second segment. The second piece is a question (3) followed by its answer (4), which again verifies the law of the question at the centre.6 The third piece (5–7) is entirely devoted to the psalmist’s enemies, referred to in the first segment by their location (5). The next two segments (6–7) tell of the reason for the “woe” (5a), the “war” (7c) he must endure when he longs only for “peace” (7a). The first two segments are linked by the two occurrences of the verb “to dwell” (5b & 6a), the last two segments by “peace” (6b & 7a). In the central piece the psalmist addresses directly the “tongue of deceit” (3c) against which he asked God’s help at the end of the first piece (2c). The subject of “to give” and “to add” (3ab) is the Lord. The question is followed by its 1

In the same way Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 301. For the expression “I (am) peace”, Hakham (II, 441) refers to Ps 109:4, “In return for my friendship they accuse me, and I prayer (= and as for me, I am in prayer)”. 2 Ravasi, III, 512; in the same way Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 628; Hossfeld –Zenger, III, 301. 3 Vesco, II, 1171 (Girard, III, 288–290). 4 Traité 2007.2013: 417–435; 2021: 348–365 = Treatise, 280–286. 5 For examples of question and answer at the centre, see Traité: 2007.2013: 427–428; 2021: 357–358. 6 Traité, 2007.2013: 417–433; 2021: 348–363 = Treatise: 280–286.

332

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

answer: God will give the arrows and add fire to them (4), he will bring upon the enemy “fire and blood”. 1

A song

of ascents.

+ To Yhwh + I called,

in the anguish and he answered me.

:: 2 Yhwh, :: from the lips :: from THE TONGUE

deliver of falsehood, (of) DECEIT!

to me MY SOUL

·······························································································

– 3 What shall he give = and what shall he add .. YOU TONGUE (of) DECEIT?

to you, to you,

– 4 The arrows = with

sharpened, of juniper.

of a hero the embers

······························································································· 5

+ Woe to me + (that) I dwell

that I sojourn with the tents

in Meshech, of Kedar!

:: 6 Too long :: with those who hate

has dwelt peace;

MY SOUL

:: 7 I (am) :: and when :: they (are)

peace, I speak, for war.

“My soul” occurs in the same position at the end of the third member of the extreme pieces (2a & 6a). These pieces begin with the syntagmas “in the anguish to me” (1b) and “woe to me” (5a), which can be considered as playing the role of initial terms. At the end of these pieces, “I speak” (7b) belongs to the same semantic field as “lips” (2b) and “tongue” (2c), all of these terms refer to the psalmist and his enemies; it should be added that “I called” and “he answered me” (1c) also belong to the same semantic field, but deal with the relationship between the psalmist and his God.7 The division of the last segment into three members could be supported by the fact that the first piece also ends with a trimember (2).

7

The same appositional construction is found in all three pieces: “tongue (of) deceit” (2c & 3c) and “I (of) peace” (7a); see Joüon, 131c.

Psalm 120

333

CONTEXT “PRAISE TO BEGIN WITH” The supplication aimed at the future (2) is preceded by the reminder of a past benefit (1bc).8 Praise is the beginning of prayer. Here we already find supplication: every request, in fact, must be based on God’s love, especially on the love that God has already shown me: we must therefore begin by giving thanks and praise.9

Consequently, Ps 120 is not the only case. For example, in Ps 44 the psalmist begins with a long praise (44:2–9) before moving on to supplication. Ps 89 begins with the words: “I sing the faithfulness of the Lord forever, from age to age I will make your truth known with my mouth” (89:2). And the praise goes on for 38 verses before proceeding to the description of the present disastrous situation imputed to God (89:39–46) and the questions addressed to him (89:47– 50); thus after 50 verses comes the actual petition (89:51–52), before the concluding praise: “Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen! Amen!” (89:53). IMPRECATION FORMULA The form of the central double question resembles the form of the imprecations. For instance, Eli asks Samuel: “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” (1 Sam 3:17; see also 1 Sam 14:44; 25:22; 2 Sam 3:9, 35; 19:14, etc.) THE EMBERS OF JUNIPERS Juniper has large, dense roots which make it possible to make charcoal, which is very popular because it holds its embers for a long time. It was used to set the enemy on fire. MESHECH AND KEDAR These two enemy peoples are in a symmetrical position, at the extreme limits of the countries where the Israelites were scattered. Meshech, son of Japheth (Gen 10:2), is the name of a population located far north of Israel, south of the Black Sea. According to Ezek 32:26, “they are [...] killed by the sword; for they spread terror in the land of the living”. Kedar refers to a nomadic Arab tribe

8 It is also possible to translate by a present tense: “I call and he answers me” (BJ, Osty). Translation by the past tense does not necessarily mean that the benefit was verified only once. 9 P. BEAUCHAMP, Psaumes nuit et jour, 111. The title of this paragraph is taken from chapter 18 of his work, p. 92–98.

334

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

living far south of Israel. They were raiders and formidable archers. Isa 21:16– 17 announces their defeat: Within a year, according to the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end and the remaining bows of Kedar’s warriors will be few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken. (see also Jer 49:28–33)

INTERPRETATION “THE TONGUE OF DECEIT” (PS 120:2–3) All attention is focused on the words the psalmist addresses to his enemy (120:3–4). His question, immediately followed by the answer he gives him, is in fact a curse. Under the interrogative form is the conviction that the Lord will not fail to “give” his persecutor the right punishment for his falsehood and deceit. In this way, God will manifest himself as the “hero”, the warrior whose features will strike down the wicked, whose fire will reduce to nothing the one who thought only of “war” (120:7b). HOW TO LIVE AMONG ENEMIES? We have to wait until the last part of the psalm to discover who is the enemy against whom the psalmist invokes God’s help. The merism10 formed by “Meshech” and “Kedar” (120:5), at the extreme north and extreme south, encompasses the whole world where the Israelites were scattered. Now it is too difficult to bear the hatred of those who “hate peace” (120:6) and give no respite to the deportees living among them. Since they only want war, they will get it, but it will not come from the people they are oppressing, it will come from the fearsome “hero” who will defend them (120:4). “I REPORT TO GOD FIRST” (JOAN OF ARC) The words addressed by the psalmist to his enemies (120:3–4) should not obscure the fact that it is first and foremost to the Lord that he speaks, asking him to deliver him (120:2). As for the first verse, one may wonder who it is addressed to. Is the psalmist speaking to himself or is he making this statement to those who would hear his prayer? It is also possible that these are the first words of his prayer, in which he reminds God that he has always answered his cries and in which, with his faith, he expresses his hope that he will be heard again. The same is true of the last verses, which are no longer addressed to his enemies, but are part of his complaint and supplication. 10

Merism is a way of indicating the totality of a thing by mentioning its two components: “heaven and earth” (= the whole cosmos), “day and night” (= the totality of time), or its two limits: “from Dan to Beersheba” (= the whole territory of Israel). See p. 343.

Psalm 120

335

“WHEN I SPEAK” (120:7B) One might have expected a calming final verse. But it is not, quite the contrary. The style is so clumsy that it is difficult to comprehend exactly what it means. The simplest, but perhaps most simplistic, way of putting it is that while the psalmist speaks only of peace, his enemies think only of war. It is also understandable that his enemies refuse to listen to his words. And even that they interpret his words as false, saying peace but actually wanting war; they would thus project onto the psalmist their own falsity, the one mentioned in verse 2.11 Continuing with a contextual reading, the opposition between the extreme segments appears very strong. When the psalmist addresses the pagans among whom he lives, they only respond with war; on the contrary, when he calls upon the Lord in his anguish, the Lord always responds favourably. AN OPEN ENDING The last verse, and especially its last word, “war” (120:7c), will undoubtedly leave the one who prays the psalm with a bitter taste, a feeling of incompleteness. One might say that this should in no way make one forget the love of God with which the psalmist had begun, and which remains for him the mainspring of all his prayer. But it is also possible to consider that this is an open ending, which awaits a continuation. Has not Paul Beauchamp added to his chapter 13, entitled “Praise to begin with”, a complementary chapter: “Praise to end with”?12 It is true that he adds to this title a sort of subtitle: “But now?” In fact, it is not surprising that with the first of the fifteen psalms of the collection, the story is only beginning. It will end in blessing, but with Ps 120 we are only entering the time of the “now”. To be continued!

11 12

See, e.g., Hakham, II, 441. P. BEAUCHAMP, Psaumes nuit et jour, 99.

2. PSALM 121 TEXT A song for ascents. I lift up my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come? 2 My help from Yhwh who made heaven and earth. 3 May he not let your foot to stumble, may your keeper not slumber! 4 Behold, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the keeper of Israel. 5 Yhwh (is) your keeper! Yhwh (is) your shade at your right hand. 6 By day the sun shall not strike you, nor the moon by night. 7 Yhwh will keep you from all evil, he will keep your soul. 8 Yhwh will keep your going and your coming from now on and forever. 1

1C: “FROM WHERE WILL MY HELP COME?” mē’ayin is usually understood as an interrogative pronoun and therefore the second member of the first segment is interpreted as a question.1 Some prefer to consider it as a relative pronoun whose antecedent is “the mountains”; the member would thus be a relative clause. The choice is dictated by the general interpretation of the psalm.2 3–8: MODE AND TENSE OF VERBS Those who, in order to explain the psalm, remain preoccupied with determining its literary genre and especially the social situation that would have been the occasion of its production (its “living environment”), will interpret the first two verses—which are in the first person singular—as coming from a pilgrim who is about to set out for Jerusalem (or who is about to return), and the following verses—which are in the second person singular—as the response of a father, another authority, or even a temple official, who encourages and blesses the pilgrim. For Dahood, “In this blessing liturgy, the psalmist, who seems to be a representative or a leader of Israel, poses a rhetorical question in verse 1 which he answers in verse 2. In verses 3–8 divine blessings and promises are pronounced by the priest.”3 Fortunately, the time has passed when, in order to improve the dialogical character of the text, one hardly hesitated to correct it by changing the pronouns: “From where does my help come to me?—Help comes to you from the Lord [...] 1 Out of the 17 occurrences of mē’ayin, sixteen introduce a direct question. In Josh 2:4 (“I did not know where they came from”) the second proposition can be considered as an indirect question (cf. Joüon, 161g), but also as a relative proposition; such is the case of “où” in French, which Grévisse classifies as a relative pronoun (Le bon usage, 1237). The second option is adopted by Dhorme, Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 316. 2 See J. MORGENSTERN, “Psalm 121”; P.H. POLLOCK, “Psalm 121”; J.T. WILLIS, “An Attempt to Decipher Psalm 121:1b”. 3 Dahood, III, 199.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

May my foot not totter, may my keeper not sleep!”4 That the psalm is a dialogue is undeniable, but is it a dialogue between several people or a monologue, a personal meditation? The answer to this question depends on the translation, always delicate, of the mode and tense of the verbs. Some put everything in the present tense (Hossefeld – Zenger), except 2b: “who made heaven and earth” (Kraus). For others, the future tense largely dominates (Dahood: 1c, 2a, 3, 6–8; Ravasi, CEI: 1c, 3–4, 6–8). Some see an optative in verse 3 (Weiser, Mannati, Lorenzin, Dhorme, BJ, TOB, liturgical translation) and two of them also translate the last two verses as optatives (Dhorme, Mannati). COMPOSITION The vast majority of commentaries divide the Psalm into two parts (1–2 and 3–8),5 based on the change of pronouns: in fact, the psalmist, who begins speaking in the first person, abruptly switches to the second person singular from verse 3 to the end. But is it true that the change of pronouns is decisive for the composition of the whole? A single clue is always insufficient to establish a composition.6 A precise rhetorical analysis should help to better understand the logic used by the psalmist. The psalm is formed of three parts. The central part is the most extensive (3– 6), with five segments organized into three pieces, while the other two parts have only two segments (1b–2 & 7–8). THE FIRST PART (1B–2) + 1b I lift up : From where

my eyes will come

toward the mountains; my help?

: 2 My help + who made

from heaven

Yhwh and earth.

The two segments mirror each other, almost term by term:

4

See, e.g., Kraus, II, 427–428. See also D.G. BARKER, “‘The Lord Watches over You’: A Pilgrimage Reading of Psalm 121”, 170–171; J. LIMBURG, “Psalm 121: A Psalm for Sojourners”, 183. Lund (Chiasmus, 108– 109) organised it into four parallel stanzas of two verses each (1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8). 6 On “converging criteria”, see Traité 2007.2013: 71, 81, 278, 281; 2021: 210-213 = Treatise, 41, 183, 185. 5

Psalm 121 + 1b I lift up my eyes – toward the mountains. : From where

339

will come = MY HELP? = 2 MY HELP

: From – who made heaven + and earth.

Yhwh

In median terms, “my help”; then “from Yhwh” answers “from where will come”. “The mountains” and “heaven” are high places; finally, at the extremities, the psalmist’s “I” looking down on “the mountains” seems to correspond to the “earth” where he is, which is opposed to “heaven”. The second segment answers the question of the first segment. The problem is to know which “mountains” they are and what they represent. The many opinions can be put into two categories: negative or positive.7 In the first group, the mountains are those which the pilgrims encounter on their way to or from Jerusalem and which would represent an obstacle or a danger for them, in particular because of the brigands who find there a safe haven to attack and rob the travellers.8 Others believe that the mountains are the “high places” where idol worship is practised, which would represent a temptation for every Israelite.Some, on the contrary, think that it refers to the mountains from which the pilgrim could expect help or even a companion on his or her journey. Others, more numerous, are of the opinion that it refers to the mountains of Israel, which represent the homeland for those exiled in the plains of Mesopotamia, and in particular those where Mount Zion and its temple nestle, towards which the pilgrim will set out. Given the context, this interpretation will be preferred.

7

See for example, Ravasi, III, 521–522; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 316–320. However, the expression “to lift up one’s eyes toward/on” always means “to desire”: Putiphar’s wife “lifts up her eyes toward Joseph” (Gen 39:7); Israel “lifts up his eyes toward the idols” (Ezek 18:6, 12, 15; 23:27; 33:25). 8

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

THE SECOND PART (3–6) + 3 MAY HE NOT LET – MAY HE NOT SLUMBER,

to stumble your KEEPER!

your foot,

·····························································································

– 4 Behold, – the KEEPER + YHWH (is) + at the hand of

he neither slumbers of Israel.

nor sleeps,

5

your KEEPER!

YHWH

(is)

your shade your right.

····························································································· 6

+ By day – nor the moon

the sun by night.

SHALL NOT STRIKE YOU,

The extreme pieces (3 & 6) are wishes.9 They are parallel, the first members invoke divine protection “by day” for walking under “the sun” (3a & 6a), in the second members “by night” against the harmful influence of “the moon”, under the watchful care of the Lord (3b & 6b). In the central piece (4–5) the last two segments (5a & 5bc) are nominal phrases, thus expressing affirmations; the first segment (4), beginning with “behold”, is also an affirmation, as if in response to the preceding member (3b). Just as 4 refers to 3b, 5bc announces the subsequent member (6a), the Lord giving his shadow to those who walk under “the sun”. In the centre, a single member segment (5a): The first term is repeated at the beginning of the subsequent member, the second term is repeated from the beginning of the preceding member. Verse 6 is a good example of concentric composition: By day the sun

SHALL NOT STRIKE YOU,

nor the moon

by night.

THE THIRD PART (7–8) + 7 YHWH + 8 YHWH

WILL KEEP you : he WILL KEEP WILL KEEP

: from now on

9

from all your life.

evil,

your going and forever.

and your coming

Verse 3 uses the usual negation for the defence, ’al. Instead, in verse 6 there is the even stronger negation lō’ (see Gesenius, § 107o). Hakham (II, 444) interprets these two verses as blessings, in other words wishes.

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In the first segment (7) the verbs are identical; as for the complements, they oppose each other, the Lord intervenes between the “evil” and the “life” of the psalmist. In the second segment (8), the two double complements concern first space and then time. The two occurrences of “Yhwh” act as initial terms (7a & 8a), immediately followed by “will keep”, repeated at the beginning of the second member of 7. “Going and coming” (8a) as well as “from now on and forever” (8b) are merisms: They indicate totality and thus correspond to “all” in the first member (7a). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A song

for ascents.

+ I lift up : FROM where

WILL COME

toward the mountains. my HELP?

: 2 My HELP + who made

FROM heaven

YHWH and earth.

my eyes

+ 3 May he not let to stumble – may he not slumber, your KEEPER!

your foot,

·····················································································

– 4 Behold, – the KEEPER

he neither slumbers nor sleeps, of Israel. 5

+ YHWH (is) + at the hand of

YHWH

(is)

your KEEPER!

your shade your right.

····················································································· 6

+ By day – nor the moon + 7 YHWH + 8 YHWH

the sun by night. WILL KEEP you : he WILL KEEP WILL KEEP

: FROM now on

shall not strike you,

FROM all your life.

evil,

your going and forever.

and your COMING

The first part ends with a merism, “heaven and earth” (2b), and the second part with a merism, “day” and “night” (6, doubled by “sun” and “moon”). As for the last part, it closes the psalm with two merisms (see p. 334, note 10): The first one (8a) refers to the end of the first part (2b), as both merisms concern space, the second one (8b) recalls the final merism of the second part (6), both merisms indicate the totality of time.

342 1

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

A song

for ascents.

+ I lift up : FROM where

my eyes

2

: My HELP + who made

WILL COME

toward the mountains. my HELP?

FROM heaven

YHWH and earth.

+ 3 May he not let to stumble – may he not slumber, your KEEPER!

your foot,

····················································································

– 4 Behold, – the KEEPER

he neither slumbers nor sleeps, of Israel. 5

+ YHWH (is) + at the hand of

YHWH

(is)

your KEEPER!

your shade your right.

···················································································· 6

+ By day – nor the moon + 7 YHWH + 8 YHWH

the sun by night. WILL KEEP you : he WILL KEEP WILL KEEP

: FROM now on

shall not strike you,

FROM all your life.

evil,

your going and forever.

and your COMING

In the extreme parts the name “Yhwh” (2a, 7a, 8a), the verb “to come” (1c & 8a) as well as four occurrences of the preposition “from” (min, 1c, 2a, 7a, 8b). occur. The future tense is mandated by the last member, “from now on and forever”. While the initial part has a concentric structure, the last one is parallel. The term “keeper” occurs three times in the central part (3b, 4b, 5a) and the verb of the same root “to keep” three times in the last part (7a, 7b, 8a); the two occurrences of “help” in the first part (1c & 2a) belong to the same semantic field. The name “Yhwh” which appears only once in the first part (2a) is repeated twice in the second and third parts (5a, 5b, 7a, 7b). It is also worth noting the list of body parts that runs through the whole psalm: “my eyes” (1b), “your foot” (3a), “the hand of your right” (= your right hand in 5c), and finally “your life” (nepeš, literally “your throat” in 7b). The central member (5a) is preceded and followed by eight members.10

10

For A. Ceresko (“Psalm 121: A Prayer of a Warrior?”, 499), 5a is the mathematical centre, preceded and followed by 58 syllables. However, like many others, Ceresko divides the psalm into four stanzas of two lines (1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8).

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343

The transition from the first person singular (1–2) to the second person singular (3–8) should not necessarily be interpreted as a change of interlocutors. Soliloquies in “you” exist. For example, Catullus (poem 8, Miser Catulle): Poor Catullus, stop being unreasonable And what you see lost, hold it for lost...

Personal experience confirms this, provided one thinks about it. Several commentators opt for the monologue.11 The title (1a) is slightly different from all the others: instead of “Psalm of ascents”, Ps 121 is the only one to have “Psalm for ascents”. Attributing this difference to a scribal error seems an easy solution. Some regard it as nothing more than a stylistic variation. It is possible, and more likely, that it indicates that this psalm is particularly “for” going on pilgrimage. CONTEXT “WHY ARE YOU COLLAPSING, MY SOUL?” (PS 42–43) This psalm is marked by the triple repetition of a refrain in which the psalmist addresses, in the second person singular, his “soul”, meaning himself:12 Why are you collapsing, my soul, and why are you rumbling over me? Wait for God, because still I will give him thanks, the salvation of my face and my God! (Ps 43:5; see 42:6, 12).

The beginning of Ps 42–43 closely recalls that of Ps 121, and in a way amplifies it: 2

As a deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. 3 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and shall I see the face of God? (Ps 42:2–3)

We find the same desire for God, which is expressed at the end by a question.

11

Thus, e.g., Ravasi, III, 522–523; Lorenzin, 478. The inner dialogue is found, for example, at the beginning of Ps 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all my being, his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his rewards.” (Ps 103:1–2) 12

344

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

The end of Ps 42–43 is not far from the theme of Ps 121 either: 3

Send your light and your truth: they will guide me, they will make me come to the mountain of your holiness and to your tents. 4 And I will come to the altar of God, to the God of the joy of my exultation. And I will give you thanks on the cithara, O God, my God. (Ps 43:3–4)

“HE KEPT HIM AS THE APPLE OF HIS EYE” (DEUT 32:10) Deuteronomy has an impressive number of occurrences of the verb “to keep” (šmr). The subject is most often the people: “Hear, O Israel, the laws and customs that I proclaim to your ears today. Learn them and keep them in order to put them into practice” (Deut 5:1). It is only at the end of the book, in the song of Moses (Deut 32), that the Lord presents himself as the one who “keeps” his people (nṣr, synonymous with šmr): 8

When the Most High apportioned the nations, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples 9 the Lord’s own portion was his people, 10 He sustained him in a desert land, he shielded him, cared for him, 11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, as it spreads its wings, takes them up,

when he divided humankind, according to the number of the god; Jacob his allotted share. in a howling wilderness waste; he kept him as the apple of his eye. and hovers over its young; and bears them aloft on its pinions.

“THE KEEPER OF ISRAEL” There is no other place in the Hebrew Bible where the Lord is said to be “the keeper of Israel”. However, in Isa 27:2–5 he calls himself “the keeper of his vineyard” (again with the root nṣr, synonymous with šmr): 2

In that day: I, the Lord, am its keeper, so that no harm befall it, 3

A pleasant vineyard, sing about it! from time to time, I water it; I keep it night and day.

Note the merism “night and day” (3b), as in Ps 121:6. INTERPRETATION A PATH OF FAITH It all starts with a question: “From where will my help come?” Immediately the psalmist reassures himself that the one who created heaven and earth and continues to preserve them in being cannot cease to help his creatures. Then, continuing his inner dialogue, he expresses the wish that the Lord would keep him on his journey, night and day (Ps 121:3); and again he replies that his God never “slumbers nor sleeps” (121:4). The meditation culminates in the central proclamation, “Yhwh (is) your keeper!” (121:5a). As frequently happens, the

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345

centre marks a decisive turning point, as if it were tipping the text.13 Indeed, after the central nominal phrase, there are only affirmations that leave no room for the slightest hesitation. The path undertaken by the psalmist is not only the one that will take him “to the mountains of Israel” that he desires (Ezek 34:13), but it is the path of faith that is strengthened little by little, under God’s gaze and with his “help”. I BELIEVE IN ALMIGHTY GOD The God to whom the psalmist’s desire is directed is not only the one who dwells in the mountains of Israel, who has chosen to dwell in the temple on Mount Zion (Ps 121:1), but he is the one whose power extends far beyond them: he reigns over the whole earth and the heavens which he made (121:2). His help embraces day and night. By day the pilgrims’ feet will not stumble on the way (121:3a), nor will he suffer from the heat of the sun, protected as he is by the shade of the Lord (121:5bc, 6a). He will not have to fear the terrors of the night either, for the Lord will watch over him constantly (121:3b, 4); he will be able to sleep in the hands of God, who will protect him from the evils of the moon (121:6b). In short, divine help is available to him all along the way, both on the way back and on the way out (121:8a). And well beyond returning home, since it will be “forever” (121:8b), throughout his pilgrimage on this earth.

13

A striking example of the first two “Lund’s laws”; see Traité 2007.2013: 97; 2021: 347 = Treatise, 42.

3. PSALM 122 TEXT A song of ascents, of David. I rejoiced among them saying to me: “We are arriving to the house of Yhwh!” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem built as a city that is compact together, 4 that there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yah. (It is) the precept for Israel to give thanks to the name of Yhwh, 5 because there are set the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Ask for the peace of Jerusalem, may those who love you have tranquillity! 7 Let it be peace within your walls, tranquillity in your palaces. 8 For the sake of my brothers and my companions, I want to say, “Peace upon you!” 9 For the sake of the house of Yhwh our God, I will implore good for you! 1

2A & 4A: “OUR FEET ARE STANDING”—“THAT THERE THE TRIBES GO UP” The verbs in verses 2 and 4 are in the past tense: The psalmist would recall at the time of leaving Jerusalem or even when he returned home,1 how they had arrived in the holy city. The composition of the first three psalms as a whole points to the present: The moment of the psalm is rather that of arrival in Jerusalem.2 4CD: “THE PRECEPT FOR ISRAEL...” The most important textual problem concerns the last two members of verse 4. Many are of the opinion that the last clause is a final (thus translated as “to praise the name of Yhwh”) depending on the relative clause “that there the tribes go up”; “the precept for Israel” is then considered as an incision.3 The translation of the TOB follows this option: “There the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, according to the rule in Israel, to celebrate the name of the Lord.” For the BJ “Jerusalem” is the subject of “is for Israel”: “Jerusalem, built as a city, where all together form one body, where the tribes go up, the tribes of Yahweh, is for Israel a reason to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.” However, it is possible to consider that “Precept for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord” is a nominal phrase where the infinitive clause is the subject and “precept” is the predicate. Such is the choice of Osty: “It is an order for Israel to celebrate the Name of Yahweh.”4 1

E.g., Dahood, III, 203. Many believe that the words of the second member (1c) are those heard by the psalmist as he set out on his pilgrimage and thus translate them: “We are going to the house of the Lord”. However, the verb can also mean “to come” or “to arrive”, and the phrase would be spoken by the psalmist’s companions on their arrival in Jerusalem. 3 Among others, Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 332. 4 It is also the choice of Weiser, 749, and Dahood, III, 203. 2

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

COMPOSITION The composition of the psalm obviously depends on the solution of the grammatical problem. Those who integrate 4cd as well as 5 with what precedes will say that the psalm comprises three parts. For instance, Kraus thinks that “its structure is transparent”: The structure of the psalm is easily noted: verses 1 and 2 deal with the starting point and the destination of the pilgrimage. Then the praise of Zion resounds in vv. 3–5. Vv. 6–9 proclaim prayers and blessings for the city of God. 5

For Dahood, on the other hand, since his syntactic analysis is different, the psalm is organised in a different fashion: In the first stanza (vss. 1–4a) the poet describes his joy at arriving in the Holy City, but in the second stanza (vss. 4b–5) he gives a brief homily on the reason for making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the seat of government. In the final stanza (vss. 6–9) he pronounces blessings on the Holy City.6

This division is similar to the one adopted here. THE FIRST PART (1B–4) + 1b I rejoiced . “To the house of YHWH

among them saying we are arriving”.

to me:

+ 2 Standing . in your gates,

are O JERUSALEM.

our feet

···························································································· 3

:: JERUSALEM :: that is compact

built together,

as a city

.. 4 that there .. the tribes

go up of YAH.

the tribes,

The “I” of the first member (1b) is included in the “we” of the second member,7 as well as in the subsequent segment (2a).8 In the second members, “the house of Yhwh” (1c) is located “within the gates” of “Jerusalem” (2b).9 5 Kraus, II, 432. Similarly, most of the commentaries: among others, Weiser, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, Ravasi, Girard, Vesco, Hossfeld – Zenger. 6 Dahood, III, 203–204. 7 Many translate: “when they said to me”; however, the construction is similar to that of Judg 9:19, which can be rendered as: “Rejoice in (or: for the sake of) Abimelech and let him also rejoice in (for the sake of) you”. 8 11QPsa as well as the Peshitta have “my feet”: Thus, verse 2 would be spoken by the psalmist alone.

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The two segments of the second piece form a single complex phrase.10 In the second segment (4) the two occurrences of “the tribes” act as median terms; the adverb “there” with which the segment (4a) begins refers to “Jerusalem” at the beginning of the first segment (3a). The median members (3b & 4a) start with the same relative pronoun. The piece is included between the two proper names, “Jerusalem” (3a) and “Yah” (4b). The rhythm of the four segments is 3+2 terms. The two occurrences of “Jerusalem” serve as median terms (2b & 3a). In the second members of the extreme segments “Yah” corresponds to “Yhwh” (1c & 4b). The inclusion of the first person in the group of pilgrims (1–2) is followed by the compact character of the city of Jerusalem (3) and the gathering of all “the tribes” that go up to it (4). THE SECOND PART (4C–5) - (It is) the precept -- to give thanks

for Israel to the name

of YHWH,

- 5 because there -- the thrones

are set of the house

the thrones of DAVID.

of judgment,

The second segment (5), introduced by “because”, gives the reason why Israel must “give thanks” to the Lord (4d); its second member (5b) specifies the nature of “the thrones of judgment” (5a).11 The proper names “Yhwh” and “David” are found in the final terms of both segments (4d & 5b).

9 Most attribute only 1c to the psalmist’s companions; but it is possible to understand that their speech extends also to 2ab. That is the reason why the inverted commas have been omitted. 10 See R.R. MARRS, “Psalm 122:3–4: A New Reading”; T. BOOIJ, “Psalm CXXII 4: Text and Meaning”. 11 Apart from Isa 14:9 and Ezek 26:16, where the plural of “thrones” is required by the context (Isa 14:9, “He has made all the kings of the nations get up from their thrones”), this is the only instance where the term is in the plural, which is thus a plural of excellence or majesty (Joüon, 136d).

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

THE THIRD PART (6–8) :: 6 Ask for PEACE .. may have tranquillity those who love you.

of Jerusalem,

:: 7 Let it be .. tranquillity

within your walls,

PEACE

in the palaces of yours.

············································································································ 8

+ For the sake of . I want to say:

my brothers “PEACE

and my companions, upon you!”

+ 9 For the sake of . I will implore

the house of Yhwh good

our God, for you.

The two segments of the first piece begin with the verbs in imperative and jussive moods followed by “peace” (6a & 7a); the second members begin with a term of the same root (6b & 7b). In the second segment, the “palaces” inside the walls (7b) are complementary to “the walls” of the city (7a). “The walls” at the end of the first member of the second segment refers to “Jerusalem” at the end of the first member of the first segment (6a); similarly “the palaces” at the end of the second segment (7b) refer to those who inhabit them, “those who love” Jerusalem at the end of the first segment (6b). In the second piece (8–9), both segments end with the same pronoun whose referent is Jerusalem (6a); they begin with the same preposition. “Peace” and “good” (8a & 9a) in the same position are synonymous. The two segments are complementary, the first concerning people, “brothers” and “companions”, the second one concerning the Lord and his Temple. "Peace" occurs three times, always in second position (6a, 7a, 8b). Note the play on words between “peace” (šālôm) and “Jerusalem” (yerûšālāyim); the alliteration that unites the three terms of the first member (ša’ălû šlôm yerûšālāyim) continues in the next member with yišlāyû (“to have tranquillity”) and also in verse 7.12 All second members end with the second person singular pronoun (6b, 7b, 8b, 9b). While the psalmist addresses his companions in the first piece inviting them to prayer, he does so in the second piece in the first person. There is a parallel correspondence in the first segments between “those who love you” (6b) and “my brothers and my companions” (8a), and in the second segments between “your palaces” (7b) and “the house of Yhwh” (9a).

12

See A. STRUS – L. ALONSO SCHOEKEL, “Salmo 122: Canto al nombre de Jerusalén”.

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351

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A song

of ascents,

of David.

+ I rejoiced . “To the house of YHWH

among them SAYING are arriving”.

to me:

WE

+ 2 Standing . in your gates,

are O JERUSALEM.

OUR

feet

·················································································································

:: 3 JERUSALEM :: that is compact

built together,

as a city

.. 4 that THERE .. the tribes

go up of YAH.

the tribes,

- (It is) the precept -- to give thanks 5

- because THERE -- the thrones

for Israel to the name

of YHWH,

are set of the house

the thrones of David.

of judgement,

:: 6 Ask for PEACE .. may have tranquillity those who love you.

of JERUSALEM,

:: 7 Let it be .. tranquillity

within your walls,

PEACE

in the palaces of yours.

·················································································································

+ 8 For the sake of . I WANT TO SAY:

my brothers “PEACE

and my companions, upon you!”

+ 9 For the sake of . I will implore

the house of YHWH good

OUR

God, for you.

The extreme pieces (1b–2 & 8–9) are the only ones where the first person singular (1b, 8b, 9b) and plural (1c, 2a, 9a) are used; there are also pronouns of the second person singular (2b, 8b, 9b).13 They are also the only ones where the syntagma “the house of Yhwh” occurs (1c & 9a). The only words reported by the psalmist are found in their second members (1c & 8b). The verbs translated as “to say” (1b & 8b) are synonyms in Hebrew (’mr & dbr). The penultimate piece is built on the complementary opposition between the city of “Jerusalem” enclosed by its “walls” (6a & 7a) and its inhabitants, “those who love” it and reside in its “palaces” (6b & 7b); in the same fashion the 13

The penultimate piece also contains two second person singular pronouns (6b & 7b).

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second piece presents first the city (3) and then “the tribes” who go up to it (4). The name “Jerusalem” occurs in the first members (3a & 6a). 1

A song

of ascents,

of David.

+ I rejoiced . “To the house of YHWH

among them SAYING are arriving”.

to me:

WE

+ 2 Standing . in your gates,

are O JERUSALEM.

OUR

feet

·················································································································

:: 3 JERUSALEM :: that is compact

built together,

as a city

.. 4 that THERE .. the tribes

go up of YAH.

the tribes,

- (It is) the precept -- to give thanks 5

- because THERE -- the thrones

for Israel to the name

of YHWH,

are set of the house

the thrones of David.

of judgement,

:: 6 Ask for PEACE .. may have tranquillity those who love you.

of JERUSALEM,

:: 7 Let it be .. tranquillity

within your walls,

PEACE

in the palaces of yours.

·················································································································

+ 8 For the sake of . I WANT TO SAY:

my brothers “PEACE

and my companions, upon you!”

+ 9 For the sake of . I will implore

the house of YHWH good

OUR

God, for you.

In the central part, the adverb “there” (5a) echoes that one found in 4a. “Yhwh” in 4d and “Yah” at the end of the preceding part play the role of median terms. While the name “Yhwh” takes up that of the extreme parts (1c & 9a), it is especially the syntagma “the house of David” (5b) that corresponds to the two occurrences of “the house of Yhwh” (1c & 9a). The name “David”, with which the central part ends (5b), is already present in the title of the book (1a).

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CONTEXT THE PRECEPT OF PILGRIMAGE The three “pilgrimage feasts” are prescribed together and in detail in Deut 16. The place is specified, with emphasis: “You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of the cities given to you by the Lord your God, but in the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name, only there shall you offer the Passover sacrifice...” (Deut 16:5–6; see also 7:11, 15, 16). It should be noted that “the Name” is also occurs at the centre of Ps 122. THE THRONES OF JUDGMENT The supreme justice was dispensed by the king in his capital: “He (Solomon) made the vestibule of the throne, where he was to pronounce judgment; it was finished with cedar from floor to beams” (1 Kgs 7:7). INTERPRETATION THE EXPERIENCE OF UNITY The function of the pilgrimage festivals to the place chosen by the Lord to make his name dwell there to the exclusion of all others is clearly to promote the religious and political unity of the country. The fact of being all together in Jerusalem makes a great impression on the individual (Ps 122:1b) who feels a great joy in feeling integrated into the crowd and carried by it to the holy city, to “the house of the Lord”. The compact unity of the city (122:3) is in some way a reflection of the unity of all the tribes of Israel that converge on it (122:4); together with his “brothers” and “companions” (122:8a), each pilgrim has the unique experience of being an integral part of the immense people of those who “love” Jerusalem (122:6b). Everything begins with the individual person and ends with him or her, but in the meantime he or she has become in some way another through the journey he or she has made, the journey of an inner pilgrimage where the encounter with his or her brothers and sisters and with the one who is the God of them all has led him or her. “THE HOUSE OF YHWH” AND “THE HOUSE OF DAVID” There are many buildings that form the city of Jerusalem, but there are only two that attract the tribes of Israel, two “houses”, that of the Lord, the temple, and the royal palace, the house of David. These are the two houses that outline the configuration of the city with its double pole, religious and political, not only from the point of view of town planning, but above all on the symbolic level. The centre of the psalm’s structure highlights the focal point of the theological construction: the precept of “giving thanks to the name of the Lord” is motivated

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by the fact that justice is rendered from “the throne of the house of David”. It is a fashion to indicate the unity between the King who exercises judgement and the Lord, the ultimate source of all justice: “I will rejoice and exult in you; I will sing praises to your name, O Most High, for you have made my judgment and my sentence, you have sat on the throne as a righteous judge” (Ps 9:3, 5). Perhaps that is the reason why the word “thrones” is found twice in the plural of majesty (122:5a, 5b). JERUSALEM, THE CITY OF PEACE The most visible result of the judgement exercised by the king is the “peace” that flows directly from it. But peace is a very fragile “good”. The natural state of any society, whether internal or external, is war and division; peace, on the other hand, is a real miracle. That is probably the reason why the psalmist invites brothers and friends to “ask” God for it for Jerusalem, and he insists in all ways, as many as four times, on obtaining this most precious “good” (122:6–9). One only implores, one only asks for what one is deprived of or what one fears to lose. The psalmist lingers on, playing with the name of Jerusalem, as if to ward off fate with incantatory formulas that charm the ear of those who pray with his words, and that can only attract the Lord’s benevolent attention.

4. FROM MESHECH AND KEDAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE CITY OF DAVID (PS 120–122) COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SUBSEQUENCE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME PSALMS (PS 120 & PS 122) 1. Ps 120 1 A song of ascents. TO Yhwh in my anguish 2 Yhwh, deliver my soul from false lips, 3 What shall he give to you and add to you, 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, 5 Woe to me that I sojourn in MESHECH, 6 Too long has my soul dwelt 7 I am PEACE, and when I SPEAK,

I called, and he answered me. from deceitful tongue! you deceitful tongue? with the embers of juniper. that I dwell with THE TENTS of KEDAR! with those who hate PEACE. they are for war.

[...] 3. Ps 122 1 A song of ascents, of David. I rejoiced among them saying to me: 2 OUR FEET are standing 3 JERUSALEM built as a CITY 4 that there the tribes go up, It is the precept for ISRAEL 5 because there sit the thrones of judgment, 6 Ask for PEACE of JERUSALEM: 7 Let it be PEACE within your WALLS: 8 For the sake of my brothers and my companions, 9 For the sake of THE HOUSE of Yhwh our God,

We are arriving to THE HOUSE of Yhwh! in your GATES, O JERUSALEM! that is compact together, the tribes of Yah. to give thanks to the name of Yhwh, the thrones of the house of David. may those who love you have tranquillity! tranquillity in your PALACES! I WILL SAY PEACE upon you! I implore good for you!

The movement of the text brings the psalmist from the lands of deportation and dispersion, – From “Meshech” in the north of Israel and from “Kedar” in the south (Ps 120:5), to “Jerusalem” (Ps 122:2, 3, 6), – From the “tents” of Kedar to the “house” of the Lord, in the “palaces” of the “city” of Jerusalem within its “gates”, its “walls”. The two occurrences of “peace” in Ps 120:6–7 and the three in Ps 122:6, 7, 8 serve as final terms. The psalmist will move from areas where the inhabitants “hate peace” (120:6) while he wants to “speak peace” (120:7), to the city whose name, Yerûšālāyim, traditionally resonates with that of “peace”, šālôm. The centres of the extreme psalms concern God’s judgement against enemies (Ps 120:3–4) and the king’s judgement for his people (Ps 122:4b–5).

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

RELATIONSHIPS OF THE CENTRAL PSALM WITH THE OTHER TWO 1. Ps 120 1 A song of ascents. TOWARD Yhwh in my anguish 2 Yhwh, deliver my soul from false lips, 3 What shall he give to you and add to you, 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, 5 Woe to me that I sojourn in Meshech, 6 Too long has MY SOUL dwelt 7 I am peace, and when I speak,

I called, and he answered me. from deceitful tongue! you deceitful tongue? with the embers of juniper. that I dwell with the tents of Kedar! with those who hate peace. they are for war.

2. Ps 121 1 A song for ascents. I lift up my eyes TOWARD the mountains. From where will my help come? 2 My help from Yhwh who made heaven and earth. 3 May he not let YOUR FOOT to stumble, may your keeper not slumber! 4 Behold, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the keeper of ISRAEL. 5 Yhwh is your keeper! Yhwh is your shade at your right hand. 6 By day the sun shall not strike you, nor the moon by night. 7 Yhwh will keep you from all evil, he will keep YOUR SOUL. 8 Yhwh will keep your going and your coming from now on and forever. 3. Ps 122 1 A song of ascents, of David. I rejoiced among them saying to me: 2 OUR FEET are standing 3 Jerusalem built as a city 4 that there the tribes go up, It is the precept for ISRAEL 5 because there sit the thrones of judgment, 6 Ask for peace of Jerusalem: 7 Let it be peace within your walls: 8 For the sake of my brothers and my companions, 9 For the sake of the house of Yhwh our God,

We are arriving to the house of Yhwh! in your gates, O Jerusalem! that is compact together, the tribes of Yah. to give thanks to the name of Yhwh, the thrones of the house of David. may those who love you have tranquillity! tranquillity in your palaces! I will say peace upon you! I implore good for you!

Between the point of departure and the point of arrival there is naturally time for the journey (Ps 121). – The central psalm is linked to the preceding one by the repetition of the preposition “toward” (120:1b & 121:1b), whose two occurrences play the role of initial terms. As for the two occurrences of “soul” (120:6 & 121:7) they serve as final terms. – It is linked to the subsequent psalm by the repetition of “foot/feet” (121:3 & 122:2): after walking for a long time, “by day” and “by night” (121:3, 6), the feet of the pilgrims finally “are standing” in the gates of Jerusalem (122:2). Note also the repetition of “Israel” (121:4 & 122:4b). All three psalms begin in the first person singular: “I called” (120:1), “I lift up my eyes to the mountains” (121:1), “I rejoiced” (122:1). In the first psalm the psalmist is in relationship with those among whom he lives in the diaspora, in

The Whole of the First Subsequence (Ps 120–122)

357

the second one with the Lord, in the third one again with the Lord, but also with the members of his people. INTERPRETATION FROM ISOLATION TO COMMUNITY The psalmist seems to be alone on the edges of the diaspora among the pagans who surround him. As if, from Meshech to Kedar (Ps 120:5), there were no other Israelites to lean on! Isolated among all these people who wish him evil, he cries out to his God. Unable to bear his exile and the hostility of his enemies, he sets out, still alone, full of fear and doubt, but gradually ensuring himself of being accompanied and protected by his Lord, “the keeper of Israel” (121:4). Finally, he finds himself carried by the stream of all the tribes that have converged on Jerusalem. At last, he has found “brothers” and “companions” (122:8) with whom he can give thanks to the name of the Lord. Until the end of the road he speaks in the first person, but he no longer appeals only to himself as at the beginning, but to all the others in order to implore the peace of his people. FROM WAR TO PEACE Among the nations, the psalmist seeks to live in peace with his neighbours, but he encounters only falsehood and lies. These people hate peace. He tries to “speak”, but they do not want to hear him, they only seek war (120:7). That is the reason why he calls for God’s help against his enemies, “the arrows" and “the embers” of the war that the Lord will have to unleash against them (120:4). He then starts his journey, trusting in the Lord, sure that he will be kept from all evil throughout the journey, that he will live in peace from the moment he sets out until he arrives, night and day. At the end of the pilgrimage, having experienced the compact unity of the tribes in the image of the city, we understand his insistence on asking for peace for Jerusalem (122:6–9). He rejoices in the happiness he has just achieved, but he cannot forget where he came from. FROM SUPPLICATION TO THANKSGIVING The journey of the psalmist is not only physical, but also and above all spiritual. From Mesheh and Kedar to Jerusalem, from the painful experience of war to the wonder of peace, from the sadness of loneliness to the joy of brotherly life, his journey leads him to move from supplication to thanksgiving. The salvation he had implored in the tents of Kedar was granted to him, and in the house of his Lord he gives thanks to the one who sits on the throne of judgement, for righteousness has been done to him.

B. LIKE SERVANTS TOWARDS THEIR MASTER The Second Subsequence (PS 123) PSALM 123 TEXT A song of ascents. Toward you I lift up my eyes, who sit in the heavens. 2 (They are) here as the eyes of servants toward the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid toward the hand of her mistress. Yes, our eyes toward Yhwh our God until he has mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Yhwh, have mercy on us, because we are greatly filled with contempt; 4 our soul is greatly filled with the scorn of the satisfied, the contempt of the proud. 1

2: “... AS [...] SO” The psalm does not present any major textual problem. There is, however, the question of the division of the first two verses. Most commentaries make verse 2 a single phrase, considering that kēn is the correlative of the two preceding ke: “As the eyes of servants [...], as the eyes of a maid [...], so our eyes...”. However, some link the first comparison to the preceding verse and organize verses 1b–2 into two stanzas.1 For instance the BJ: 1b

I lift up my eyes to you who sit in heaven; 2 they are here as the eyes of servants toward the hand of their masters. As the eyes of the maid toward the hand of her mistress, thus our eyes toward Yhwh our God, as long as he takes pity on us.

Grammatically, 2ab can be considered a nominal phrase, with the subject pronoun omitted after hinnē (“here”).2 At this point, 2a-d will be considered as forming of a single phrase which, together with 1bc, constitutes the first part of the psalm. The particle kēn with which 2e begins will therefore not be taken as correlative of the two preceding “as”, but as a “demonstrative adverb”,3 which can be translated as “thus”, but also as, “certainly” or “yes”.4 1

Calès, II, 460; Beaucamp, II, 123; Jacquet, III, 437. See Joüon, 146h, 154c. “(It is) here in my bag” (Gen 42:28); “Go to Pharaoh in the morning; (he) here goes out to the waters” (Exod 7:15; 8:16). 3 Joüon, 102h. 4 Thus in the centre of Ps 127: “Yes, he gives to his beloved in sleep” (2e; see p. 396). 2

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

4C: “THE CONTEMPT OF THE PROUD” The ketib, ge’ēyōnîm, is a hapax. The qeré cuts the word in two: ge’ey yonîm, “the pride of oppressors”, where one could see an allusion to the Greeks (yonîm, “Ionians”)5. Most commentators retain the ketib. COMPOSITION 1

A song

of ascents.

+ TOWARD YOU + who sit

I lift up in the heavens;

MY EYES,

.. 2 (there are) here - TOWARD the hand

as THE EYES of their master,

of servants

..

as THE EYES of her mistress.

of a maid

- TOWARD the hand

····························································································

+ Yes, OUR EYES = until

TOWARD YHWH HE HAS MERCY ON US.

our God

···························································································· 3

= HAVE MERCY ON US, – because greatly

O YHWH, we are filled with

– 4 greatly – the scorn – the contempt

is filled with, of the satisfied, of the proud.

HAVE MERCY ON US,

contempt; our soul,

Many are not concerned with providing an outline of the psalm.6 For some it has two parts: affirmation of trust (1–2) and supplication (3–4).7 Others see three parts; for instance Ravasi writes: “The centre is obviously in the threefold ḥnn, “to have mercy” in verses 2b–3a.”8 Still others organise the text into four parts: “The composition is clear and extremely simple. Four verses fix, with a double parallel, a gesture of expectation with the eyes: the result is the scheme A BB A.”9 The composition does not impose itself in an obvious fashion; it is neither clear nor simple. The three pieces are organised in a concentric fashion around 2ef, which links the two pieces that frame it. 5

See Vesco, 1186, note 2; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 344–345. E.g., Kraus, Dahood, Mannati. 7 Thus, Hakham, II, 451; Lorenzin, 481. 8 E.g., Ravasi, III, 550. 9 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 652. 6

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The first piece (1b–2d) is of ABB’ type: parallel and complementary, the last two segments (2a–2d) qualify by comparison the psalmist’s attitude towards his God. The psalmist presents himself as a “servant” or a “maid”, his eyes are fixed “toward the hand” of his “master”, his “mistress”; and “the one who sits in the heavens” (1c) is compared to a human “master” or “mistress” (2b & 2d). In the last piece the final trimember (4) makes explicit the preceding member (3b) from which it takes up, in median terms, the words “greatly” + “to be filled with” (3b & 4a). The last two members (4bc) name the authors of “contempt” (3b, repeated in 4c). The short central piece (2ef) differs from the other two by the fact that it speaks of God, while the other two pieces are addressed to him. As usual in concentric compositions, this piece concentrates terms that occur elsewhere. The first member (2e) with “eyes” and “toward” refers back to the preceding piece, but “Yhwh” is repeated at the beginning of the last piece (3a); the second member (2f) ends with “have mercy on us”, which is repeated twice at the beginning of the last piece (3a). Thus, the central piece ensures the transition from the first person singular (1b–2d) to the first person plural (3–4). Between the extreme pieces, the two occurrences of “greatly we are filled with” / “greatly is filled with, our soul”10 (3b & 4a) seem to refer to the two occurrences of “toward the hand of” (2b & 2d). If this is the case, then what servants and maid expect from their master or mistress would not be orders but sustenance. “Master” and “mistress” are opposed to the evil couple of “the satisfied” and “the proud” (4bc). Note the sequence of body parts: “eyes” (four times: 1b, 2a, 2c, 2e), “hand” (twice: 2b & 2d), and finally “soul” (or “throat”, once in 4a). CONTEXT “I LIFT UP MY EYES TOWARD...” “To lift up the eyes to/toward”, as has already been said,11 expresses the desire. Given the context of the present psalm, where the psalmist faces the “contempt” and “scorn” of “the satisfied” and “the proud” (3–4), what he desires is indeed salvation. For example, in Ps 25:15–16,

10 11

Literally, “our throat”. See Ps 121:1, p. 346–347.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

My eyes are ever toward Yhwh, Turn to me and have mercy on me,

because he brings my feet out from the net; because I am lonely and afflicted. (see also Ps 141:8–9)

SERVANT AND MAID – MASTER AND MISTRESS The master-servant relationship can be interpreted in two opposing fashions: The oppressive one in which the slave lives in fear of being beaten, or the one provided for in the Decalogue when, on the Sabbath, the father of the family treats his servant and his maid as if they were his son and his daughter (Exod 20:10; Deut 5:14). THE HAND The hand of the Lord can be the one that falls on man: “By night and by day your hand was heavy upon me” (Ps 32:4), but it is also the one that helps him/her: “Let your hand be to help me” (Ps 119:173). It is also the one that distributes food: The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. You open your hand and you satisfy all the living at will. (Ps 145:15–16)

INTERPRETATION ONE ON BEHALF OF ALL It is the whole people who suffer from the contempt and scorn of their neighbours, but it is only one—a poet, an inspired person, a king—who speaks in the first person singular, in his own name, but also to appeal for divine help on behalf of all his brothers and sisters in misfortune: “Yes, our eyes toward the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us” (Ps 123:2). THE EYES AND THE HAND Before the mouth finally opens to implore the Lord’s mercy (123:3–4), it is the silent prayer that is expressed bodily through his gaze (123:1–2). The whole being of the supplicant is concentrated, so to speak, in his eyes, eyes that ask in silence, as if words could not explain the object of his desire. Curiously, his gaze is not on the Lord’s eyes, as one might have expected, but on his hand. The reason is that the hand is the organ of action, and in particular of giving: “You open your hand and satisfy all the living at will” (Ps 145:16). From the eyes to the hand, it is the meeting of two desires, for the Lord asks only one thing, to give life and salvation.

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THE LORD’S CONSIDERATION The psalmist, and with him all Israel, are filled with the contempt of the proud. What they implore from the hand of their God can only be its opposite, respect. They are hungry for consideration rather than bread. They know from whose hand they can receive it, from the master who sits in the heavens, the only one humble enough to treat them as his own children. Taking pity on them, he could refuse them nothing; in his love he will bend over them as a mother over her little ones.

C. JUBILATION FOR THE LIBERATION OF JERUSALEM The Third Subsequence: Ps 124–126 1. PSALM 124 TEXT 1A

song of ascents, of David. Without Yhwh who was for us — let Israel say it now! — 2 without Yhwh who was for us, when a man rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was burning on us, 4 then the waters would have overflowed us, a river would have passed over our soul, 5 then over our soul would have passed the arrogant waters. 6 Blessed be Yhwh who has not given us (as) a prey to their teeth! 7 Our soul has escaped like a bird from the net of fowlers; the net broke, and as for us, we escaped. 8 Our help in the name of Yhwh, who made heaven and earth.

1–2: “WITHOUT YHWH WHO WAS FOR US” The subordinating conjunction lûlê (“if not”) introduces an unreal conditional: “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed” (Gen 31:42). Some think that in the double expression of the psalm, lûlê yhwh šehāyâ lānû, the subject, “Yhwh”, is separated from the verb hāyâ by the relative še, thus comprising all four words as one clause.1 And that is how Osty translates: “If Yahweh had not been for us”. However, it is possible—and much more natural—to hold that the last two words constitute a relative clause: šehāyâ lānû, “who was for us”; the first two words are then interpreted as the main clause, which is a nominal phrase: lûlê Yhwh, “if there had not been Yhwh”. The majority of French translations render the meaning well and better respect the syntax and therefore the rhythm, even if the first two words are not translated by a conditional clause: “Without the Lord who was for us...” (BJ, TOB, Traduction liturgique, Le Psautier de Jérusalem). Since the formulation of the psalm is somewhat different from the usual form of this kind of conditional (Gen 31:42; 43:10; Judg 14:18, etc.), it has been suggested to translate it as: “If the Lord had not been the one he was for us”, or “If the Lord had not been (then, on this occasion) the one he is for us”.2

1

Thus Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 352. For an in-depth treatment of this issue, see B. COSTACURTA, Il laccio spezzato, 32–40; this position has been adopted by Hossfeld – Zenger (III, 352, 355). 2

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

4B & 5A: “OUR SOUL” The two occurrences of napšēnû could be translated by “our throat” (for instance Osty: “a torrent would have passed over our throat”) but also, more simply, by a simple pronoun: “the torrent passed over us”.3 Since the same term occurs a third time at the beginning of verse 7 (“Our soul, like a bird, has escaped”), the two occurrences in verses 4–5 had to be translated in the same way, especially since these terms play the role of median terms at a distance for the extreme parts. 5B: “THE ARROGANT WATERS” The last term in verse 5, zêdôn, is a hapax. It is close to zēd, “proud”, “arrogant” (Ps 19:14; 119:21, 51). “The arrogant waters” refer to the psalmist’s enemies. Some, who derive zêdôn from the verb zîd, “to bubble”, translate it as “the bubbling waters”. COMPOSITION As for the composition of the psalm, most commentaries divide it into two parts (1–5 & 6–8): “The first part describes what would have happened without divine intervention. The second part tells what actually happened, God intervened to liberate.”4 Some consider that the last verse stands out from the rest as a conclusion.5 There is still other authors who recognise the concentric organisation of the psalm:6

3 In this way the BJ, which apparently wanted to avoid repetition, translates the following member as “then he passed over our soul”. 4 Vesco, II, 1190; similarly, e.g., Mannati, Dahood, Weiser, Ravasi, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, Girard, Costacurta, Hossfeld – Zenger. 5 Kraus, Lorenzin. 6 J. SCHREINER, “Wenn nicht der Herr fürn ubs Wäre! Auslegung von Psalm 124”. Ravasi (III, 558) reports it but does not follow it. See also C. WESTERMAN, Salmi: genere ed esegesi, 53–55; S.A. GAMELEIRA SOARES – A.V. DE MELLO, “A romaria dos pobres de Deus: Leitura do Salmo 124”, 21. D. Grossberg’s concentric composition focusing on verses 4–5 is untenable, apart from the relationship between the extremities: 1–2 and 8 (Centripetal and Centrifugal Structures in Biblical Poetry, 38–40).

Psalm 124 1b: 1c:

367

introductory synthesis appeal to the community 2b–5:

description of the danger and the need 6a: praise 6:

it is the thematic climax of the psalm 6b: God’s works

7:

recovery from danger

final expression of trust.7

8:

The psalm is organised into three parts: between the threat (1b–5) and the liberation (7–8), the blessing of the one who has done it (6). THE FIRST PART (1B–5) + 1b Without - who was . let say it now

YHWH for us, Israel!

+ 2 without - who was . when rose up

YHWH for us, against us

an adam,

···························································································· 3

– then : when was burning

alive their anger

they would have swallowed us on us,

:: a river

the waters would have passed

would have overflowed us, over our soul,

would have passed the arrogant ones.

over our soul

:: the waters,

= 4 then = 5 then

The two segments of the first piece are parallel (1–2). Their first two members are identical (1b & 2a). The last members (1d & 2c) can be considered as complementary: The first one names the victim, “Israel”, the other his anonymous enemy, “an adam”. The latter term is a collective, since the verb in the subsequent segment is in the plural (3a). This protasis (1b–2) is followed by the apodosis (3–5). The three segments of the second piece, which begin with the same “then”, are of ABB’ type: Indeed, the first segment uses the image of fire, the other two of “waters”.8 The last two segments (4 & 5) have four terms in common.

7 8

Based on Ravasi, III, 558. The translation has kept the plural of the Hebrew word, which does not exist in the singular.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

THE SECOND PART (6) + 6 Blessed be :: who has not :: (as) a prey

YHWH given us to their teeth!

The last two members give the reason for which the psalmist blesses the Lord. THE THIRD PART (7–8) - 7 OUR SOUL, . from the net

like a bird, of fowlers;

. the net - and as for us,

broke, we escaped.

has escaped

·················································································· 8

+ OUR HELP + who made

in the name heaven

of Yhwh, and earth.

The two segments of the first piece (7) are constructed in mirror image. The initial terms of both pieces are in a paronomastic relationship (napšēnû – ezrēnû). “The name of Yhwh” (8a) is opposed to “the net of fowlers” (7b). “Bird” at the beginning (7a) and “heaven” at the end (8b) correspond to each other, the bird flying into the heavens. THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM The occurrences of “Yhwh” (1b, 2a, 6a, 8a) mark the extremities and centre of the text; those of “our soul” act as median terms between the extreme parts (4b, 5a, 7a). The extreme parts correspond to each other in a mirrored fashion. While the extreme pieces focus on God’s help (1b–2 & 8; “Yhwh” appears only in these two pieces), the other two pieces present the psalmist’s enemies and their threats (3–5 & 7). The images of “fire” (3) and “water” (4–5) at the end of the first part are supplemented by the image of the “net” at the beginning of the second part (7). However, the dominant image is that of wild animals, with “they would have swallowed us” in the first part (3a) and “a prey to their teeth” in the second part (6c). The central part (6) links the other two parts. It corresponds to the extreme pieces since it celebrates the Lord’s help. But it also recalls the pieces that surround it by mentioning the danger: The last member, “a prey to their teeth” (6c), refers directly to “they would have swallowed us” (3a).

Psalm 124 1

A song

of ascents,

+ Without - who was . — let say it now

YHWH for us Israel! —

+ 2 without - who was . when rose up

YHWH for us, against us

369 of David.

a man,

·······································································································

= 3 then : when WAS BURNING

alive their anger

they would have swallowed us on us,

= 4 then :: a river

THE WATERS

would have overflowed us, over OUR SOUL,

= 5 then :: THE WATERS,

would have passed the arrogant ones.

+ 6 Blessed be + who has not + (as) a prey

would have passed

over OUR SOUL

YHWH given us to their teeth!

= 7 OUR SOUL, : FROM THE NET

like a bird, of fowlers;

: THE NET = and as for us,

broke, we escaped.

has escaped

································································································ 8

+ Our help + who made

in the name heaven

of YHWH, and earth.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

CONTEXT FIRE AND WATER The two images are complementary and are often found together. For example, in Ps 66:10–12, 10

Yes, you have tested us, O God, you have refined us as one refines silver; [...] we have entered into fire and into water, and you have brought us out into abundance.

In Isa 43:2, When you pass

through water, and through the rivers,

I will be with you, they shall not overwhelm you.

When you walk

through fire, and the flame

you shall not be burned, shall not consume you.

In Mark 9:22 the father of the epileptic child says to Jesus: “It has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him”. FOWLER’S NET The image of the net—the trap or snare—as an instrument of death is frequent not only in the psalms (see, for example, Amos 3:5, “Does the bird fall into a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it?). Stretched out for the bird, in the psalter it is only found in Ps 91:3, “He snatches you from the net of the fowler set on destruction” (BJ). “BLESSED BE THE LORD WHO...” The relative pronoun that follows the exclamation and gives the reason for blessing God is an integral part of the canonical formula for blessing. “Jethro said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh’” (Exod 18:10; see also, among others, Gen 24:27; 1 Sam 25:39; 2 Sam 18:28; Ruth 4:14).

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INTERPRETATION “THE NAME OF THE LORD” The prayer of thanksgiving is based, at the beginning and end as well as at its centre, on the name of the Lord. Before the danger is evoked at length, it is this name that is invoked twice, and it continues to resound after the song has fallen silent. It seems to block out the tumult of images that intermingle and jostle to describe the repeated assaults of a ferocious enemy: The fire of anger and the arrogant waters, the fangs of the beasts that wanted to swallow all Israel alive, the fowlers’ net to capture the prey. TWO QUITE DIFFERENT TIMES The extreme parts are quite different in length. The time of threat (Ps 124:1b–5) seems desperately long, it seems never ending. It is the time of suffering, of anxiety, of night, of patience and faith, of the nightmare whose grip seems to be tightening each time by successive assaults (124:3, 4, 5). The double image of the burning mouth (124:3), then the double image of the waters whose successive waves threaten to swallow up the psalmist, clearly express the obsession with death that the enemy brings. On the contrary, deliverance comes suddenly, and the bird flies up into the heavens (124:7). THE BLESSING AT THE HEART It might seem strange, at least at first sight, that the blessing and thanksgiving (124:6) should precede the account of salvation (124:7); it would indeed seem more logical, at least to the Western reader, that it should follow it as its consequence. But is it not even more natural that the cry of joy and recognition should spring forth at the very moment of deliverance, as a kind of irrepressible reflex, before the surprise is over, and the story of what has happened and how one has been saved is told?

2. PSALM 125 TEXT A song of ascents. Those who trust in Yhwh are like Mount Zion: it cannot be shaken, forever it endures. 2 Jerusalem, the mountains surround it, and Yhwh surrounds his people, from now on and forever. 3 No, the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous might not set their hands to perversity. 4 Do good, O Yhwh, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts; 5 and those who deviate (in) their crookedness, may Yhwh lead them with the doers of iniquity! Peace on Israel! 1

1: “THOSE WHO TRUST IN YHWH ARE LIKE MOUNT ZION” The Septuagint seems to have had some difficulty with the first segment which it renders as follows: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion: he shall not be shaken forever the one who dwells in Jerusalem”, considering “Jerusalem” of 2a as the complement of the final verb of verse 1, which it reads as a participle. The syntax of the first verse in the Masoretic text is not obscure, if one sees that the two verbs of 1c have “Zion” as their subject and that “forever” is a complement of the following verb, “it endures”: “it cannot be moved, forever it stands.”1 3: “THE SCEPTRE OF WICKEDNESS” In the first member of verse 3, some manuscripts and ancient versions read “the wicked” in place of the abstract “wickedness”. The construction of the verse, where at the extremities “wickedness” (3a) corresponds to “perversity” (3d), supports the Masoretic text: – 3 No, shall not rest + upon the lot

the sceptre of the righteous,

of WICKEDNESS

+ so that – to PERVERSITY

might not set their hands.

the righteous

There is certain ambiguity regarding the second term in 3a which, in addition to “sceptre”, can also mean “tribe”; most commentaries favour the first meaning.

1

Pace, Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 360–361. The adverb “forever” is most often placed at the end, but sometimes it precedes the verb: “And Judah forever shall be inhabited (tēšēb, as in Ps 125:1c) and Jerusalem from age to age” (Joel 4:20; see also, e.g., Ps 100:5).

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

5: “THOSE WHO DEVIATE (IN) THEIR CROOKEDNESS” In verse 5, the second term is found only once elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible; in the Song of Deborah we read: “those who went in the ways went in crooked paths” (Judg 5:6). The translation of Ps 125:5a is not easy, but the meaning is clear, if we note that those who take crooked paths are opposed to “the upright” of the preceding member. COMPOSITION Many people divide the body of the psalm into three parts (1–2, 3, 4–5).2 Others put the last three verses together, because of the opposition between “the righteous” (also “the good” & “the upright”) and “wickedness” and “perversity” (also “those who deviate” & “the doers of iniquity”).3 The three pieces of the psalm are arranged in a concentric fashion: 1

A song

of ascents.

+ THOSE WHO TRUST + it cannot be shaken,

in YHWH (are) forever

like Mount it endures.

:: 2 JERUSALEM, :: and YHWH :: from now on

the mountains surrounds and forever.

surround it, HIS PEOPLE,

ZION:

············································································································

– 3 No, shall not rest + upon the lot

the sceptre of THE RIGHTEOUS,

of WICKEDNESS

+ so that – to PERVERSITY

might not set their hands.

THE RIGHTEOUS

············································································································

+ 4 Do good, + and TO THE UPRIGHT

O YHWH, in their hearts;

– 5 and THOSE WHO DEVIATE – may he lead them,

(in) their crookedness, YHWH,

= Peace

on ISRAEL!

TO THE GOOD,

with the doers

of iniquity!

In the first segment (1bc), the subject of the two verbs in the second member is “Mount Zion”; as Mount Zion does, those who put their trust in “Yhwh” shall 2 3

E.g., Ravasi, Lorenzin, Hossfeld – Zenger. Thus Vesco, who follows Girard.

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not be shaken. The second segment (2) is complementary to the first one, as the protection of “Yhwh” is given to Jerusalem, which he surrounds (2b), like the “mountains” that “surround it” (2a). The terms “Mount” and “mountains” occur in the first members of both segments (1b & 2a); “forever” and “and forever” are matching in the last members (1c & 2c). The second piece (3) from the syntactic point of view has a parallel construction (the second members are complements of the two clauses), but from the lexical and semantic point of view it is mirrored (“wickedness” – “the righteous” / “the righteous” – “perversity”). The psalmist is assured that “the righteous” will not be led into “wickedness” and “perversity”. The third piece (4–5) is a prayer that invokes a blessing on “the upright” (4) and a curse on those who “deviate” (5); it ends with a wish for all “Israel” (5c). The extreme pieces comprise five members, the central piece only four. The name “Yhwh” appears twice in the extreme pieces (1b, 2b, 4a, 5b), but not in the central piece. At the beginning, “Zion” and “Jerusalem” (1b & 2a) and especially “his people” (2b) are matched at the end by “Israel” (5c). The participle “those who deviate” (5a) is opposed to “those who trust” (1b).4 The opposition of the central piece between “wickedness” / “perversity” and “the righteous” is taken up in the last piece with the opposition between “the good” – “the upright” (4) and “those who deviate” – “the doers of iniquity” (5ab). The double occurrence of “the righteous” in the heart of the psalm refers to “those who trust” at the beginning of the first piece (1b). Thus, the first segment of the central piece (3ab) seems to refer to the first piece, with the assurance it manifests, while the second segment (3cd), which envisages the contamination of the righteous by perversity, foreshadows the last piece where “the righteous” are opposed to “those who deviate”. CONTEXT THE ORACLE ON JERUSALEM (ISA 54) The whole of chapter 54 of Isaiah is devoted to the restoration of Jerusalem. It ends with the words: “This will be the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness from me, says the Lord” (Isa 54:17). It is possible that “the lot of the righteous” (Ps 125:3b) may refer to “Zion” / “Jerusalem”, which has been mentioned throughout the first piece, as the “inheritance” (synonym of “lot”) of the Lord’s faithful, who are “righteous” in God’s righteousness.

4

It is also possible to notice a paronomastic relationship between “it cannot be shaken” (1c, lō’-yimmôṭ) and “those who deviate” (5a, wehammaṭṭîm); Dahood changes the vocalization of the latter term to a verb of the same root as that in 1c (mwṭ).

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

INTERPRETATION AN UNFAILING CONFIDENCE It begins with a declaration of confidence that can be described as doubleedged (Ps 125:1–2). The psalmist is absolutely sure that those who put their trust in the Lord will never be shaken. He is confident in their trust! But that is not all: He does not doubt for a moment that Jerusalem will be eternally secure, that the Lord will protect her “forever”. A TEST OF CONFIDENCE And yet, a doubt seems to creep into his soul, a crack to weaken the rock of his certainty. Could it not be that the enemy will take control of the inheritance that Israel has received from the Lord (125:3ab)? Worse still, the righteous who have fallen under the influence of an unjust power could well be contaminated by its wickedness and be tempted to imitate it in its injustice (125:3cd). A CONFIDENCE THAT CAN REST IN GOD ALONE Therefore, the psalmist turns to the Lord. He alone will be able to keep the righteous in goodness and in uprightness (125:4), by driving away from them the crooked and leading them away with “the wicked”, their peers (125:5ab). His final vow, “peace on Israel” (125:5c), expresses well the danger from which he begs the Lord to preserve his people, the war that “the sceptre of wickedness” (125:3) would certainly bring upon them.

3. PSALM 126 TEXT A song of ascents. When Yhwh brought back the fortunes of Zion, we were like dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with jubilation. Then they said among the nations: “Yhwh has done great things for them.” 3 Yhwh has done great things for us, we were glad! 4 Bring back, O Yhwh, our captivity, like torrents in the Negeb. 5 Those sowing in tears shall reap in jubilation: 6 He goes away, he goes away weeping, carrying the bag of seed; he comes, he comes in jubilation, carrying his sheaves. 1

4A: “OUR CAPTIVITY” Concerning the last term of the first member of 4, the Masoretic text hesitates, as it were, between two possibilities: it is written “fate, fortune” (ketib: šebût), but we read “captivity” (qeré: šebît). The ketib follows the frequent expression šûb šebût, “to restore or change the fortunes” (e.g., Ps 85:2, “O Lord, you have shown favour to your land, you restored the fortunes of Jacob”). The qeré points to the return from exile: “Bring back, O Yahweh, our captives” (BJ, Dhorme, Osty, etc., who follow the ancient versions). The hesitation is perhaps intentional, thus preserving the ambiguity: the return from exile would thus be one case among many others, emblematic however, of God's intervention in favour of his people. 1B: “FORTUNES” Verse 1b, which corresponds to 4a, uses yet another form of the word: šîbâ which is not found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible but which, in an Aramaic manuscript, means “fate”.1 And that is the reason why this term is often read as šebût in 4a, “fate, fortune”. But the Septuagint, followed by the Vulgate, understood it in the sense of šebît and translates, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion”, as in verse 4 it translates, “Bring back, O Lord, our captivity”. Ideally, it would be possible to keep in the translation the play on words between the verb šûb and the nouns šebût/šebît, which have the same root, as well as the ambiguity between these two words. For this last point, a possibility would be to distribute the two meanings at the beginning of each part: 1b 4a

1

WHEN BROUGHT BACK BRING BACK,

Yhwh O Yhwh,

THE FORTUNES 2 OUR CAPTIVITY.

of Zion

See, e.g., Ravasi, III, 576–577; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 370–371. In the Hebrew text there is a paronomastic relation between ’et-šîbat (1b, “fortunes”) and ’etšebîtēnû (4a, “captivity”). 2

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Fourth Part (Ps 120–134)

This solution is adopted here. The context of the psalm invites us not to exclude the aspect of the return from exile.3 COMPOSITION Most commentators agree on a division into two parts (1–3 & 4–6).4 However, some consider that 1 and 4, instead of being the initial terms of both parts, are the extreme terms of part 1–4.5 Some even believe that verse 4 is the centre of the psalm,6 that the last two verses are a kind of appendix.7 The psalm comprises two parallel parts. THE FIRST PART (1B–3) + 1b When brought back + WE WERE

Yhwh like dreaming.

the fortunes

of Zion,

····················································································································

=2 =

Then was filled and our tongue :: Then they said :: “Great things

= =

3

Great things WE WERE

with laughter with jubilation. among the nations: Yhwh Yhwh glad!

our mouth,

has done

for them.”

has done

for us,

What the first piece (1bc) only briefly states is expanded in the second piece (2–3). The second piece has a concentric composition. In fact, the second segment (2cd) differs from the other two that it reports, in the third person, the words of “the nations”. The other two segments emphasize the feelings of the speakers in the first person plural: “laughter” (2a), “jubilation” (2b) and “glad” (“joyful”, 3b). The verb “we were” is repeated at the beginning of the final members of each piece (1c & 3b).

3

See A.M. HARMON, “The Setting and Interpretation of Psalm 126”. E.g., Mannati, Ravasi, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, Lorenzin, Hossfeld – Zenger. Already in 1942, Lund, Chiasmus in the New Testament, 107–108. 5 E.g., Dahood and Girard, followed by Vesco. 6 Among others, Kraus and Westerman. For a detailed account, see Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 372–375. 7 Gerstenberger, II, 342. 4

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379

THE SECOND PART (4–6) + 4 Bring back, + like torrents

O Yhwh, in the Negeb.

our captivity,

··········································································································

– 5 Those sowing :: in JUBILATION

in tears shall reap:

– 6 He goes away, – carrying

he goes away the bag

weeping, of seed;

:: he comes, :: carrying

he comes his sheaves.

in JUBILATION,

What the first piece implores in a few words (4) is described at length in the second piece (5–6). This last piece is of ABB’ type. The two moments stated in the first segment—sowing in 5a, harvesting in 5b—are taken up in the same order by each of the next two segments: “seed” in 6b refers to “sowing” in 5a, “jubilation” is taken up in 6c as well as in 5b, “his sheaves” in 6d corresponds to “shall reap” in 5b. The strong parallelism of the last two segments underlines the opposition between “weeping” of sowing and “jubilation” of harvest.

380

Fourth Part (Ps 120–134)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A song

of ascents.

+ When BROUGHT BACK + we were

YHWH like dreaming.

THE FORTUNES

of Zion,

··················································································································

=2 =

Then was filled and our tongue :: Then they said :: “Great things

=3 =

Greet things we were

+ 4 BRING BACK, + like torrents

with laughter with JUBILATION. among the nations: Yhwh

our mouth,

has done

for them.”

Yhwh glad!

has done

for us,

O YHWH, in the Negeb.

OUR CAPTIVITY,

··················································································································

= 5 Those sowing = in JUBILATION

in tears shall reap:

- 6 He goes away, :: carrying

he goes away the bag

weeping, of seed;

- he comes, :: carrying

he comes his sheaves.

in JUBILATION,

After the title (1a) the two parts comprise the initial piece of the size of a bimember (1bc & 4), followed by a piece formed of three bimembers (2–3 & 5–6). The first members of each part are very similar (1b & 4a), but the first one recalls the past, while the second one prays for the future. The order of the two parts may be surprising. It would seem more normal that the prayer of the second part, marked by the initial imperative, “Bring back” (4a) should precede the description of the joy experienced upon return from captivity that the first part describes. It should be noted, however, that while the entire first part is sung in the first person plural, the second part is marked by the third person plural. The first person plural pronoun appears only in the syntagma “our captives” (4a): It can be understood that these captives are those who remained in captivity and those who have already returned implore the Lord on their behalf.

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CONTEXT THE RETURN There is no shortage of texts where the expression “change the fortunes of” is found in a context of return from exile. It occurs frequently in Jeremiah 29–33. I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jer 29:14; see also 30:3, 18; 31:23; 32:37–44; 33:7, 11, 26)

The return journey is accompanied by singing and laughter (Jer 30:18–19; 31:12–13).8 Playing on the verb šûb, Deut 30:1–10 furthermore conditions the return from exile to the return of the people to the Lord: 2

If you return to the Lord your God, [...] 3 the Lord your God will change your fate (BJ: bring back your captives), he will have mercy on you, he will return and gather you (BJ: gather you again) from among all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.

In the previous chapter (Deut 29:23–27), at the sight of the curse on Israel, the nations say that it is because of their sin that they suffer all this punishment and exile from their country. These words are opposed by those spoken by the Gentiles in Ps 126:2cd. The historical moment to which the psalm refers is the return of the first group of exiles after the edict of Cyrus in 538. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah record the events, with the vicissitudes that accompanied the rebuilding of the city and the temple. Many Israelites, however, remained in Babylonia and resisted returning to the land of Israel. TORRENTS IN THE STEPPE After the long summer when the heat burns all grass and dries out the wadis in desert regions like the Negeb, comes the rainy season which brings back the vegetation, a classic image of the rebirth of the people on their return from exile: 1

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing [...] 6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. (Isa 35:1–2, 6–7)

8

See Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 673.

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Fourth Part (Ps 120–134)

THE NEW EXODUS The movement of Psalm 126, which expresses the already of the return and the not yet of what should happen, can remind us of the Song of the Sea (Exod 15): The whole of the first part celebrates the crossing of the sea (15:1– 10); after the double central question (15:11), the last part anticipates what will happen up to the settlement in the promised land and the building of the temple where the Israelites will be able to serve their Lord (15:12–18).9 A NEW BIRTH The image of the rain that fills the wadis of the desert is naturally linked to that of the seeds that, thanks to the water, make the earth green again. The seed refers not only to plants (Isa 30:23), but also to the human being who, after the winter of the exile, will be able to repopulate the land of Israel: 27

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. 28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. (Jer 31:27– 28)

Ps 85, where the first part (85:2–8) is a kind of variation on the verb šûb, 2

You love your land, O Lord, you bring back the fortune of Jacob. 3 You take away the fault of your people, you cover all their sin. 4 You end all your wrath, you turn back from your burning anger. 5 Bring us back, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us. 6 Will you be angry with us forever, will you prolong your anger from age to age? 7 Behold, as for you, you will turn back to revive us, and your people will rejoice in you. 8 Show us your faithfulness, O Lord, and you will give us your salvation.

recounts in its last part (85:10–14) the story of the marriage between the Lord and the land of Israel which leads to the birth of a child.10 This birth brings such joy that it makes one forget the pains of childbirth:

9

See R. MEYNET, “Le cantique de Moïse et le cantique de l’Agneau (Ap 15 et Ex 15)”; ID., Appelés à la liberté, chap. 2, “Le chant de la mer”, 51–85. 10 See R. MEYNET, “L’enfant de l’amour (Ps 85)”.

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20

Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. 22 So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:20–22)

INTERPRETATION A JOY THAT MAKES YOU FORGET ALL PAIN The joy of those who have been saved by the Lord is such that it fills their “mouths” and the whole space of their consciousness. They are then nothing but “laughter” and “jubilation” (Ps 126:2ab). Just as liberation makes us forget at first the walls of the prison, the barbed wire of the deportation camps. And yet, this palpable reality of the return is so unimaginable that it seems like a dream in which one does not really dare to believe. As if it were too good to be true! THE JOY OF THE RETURN OF THE NATIONS Joy is contagious. Those who are overwhelmed by it must talk about it and sing about it, so that everyone knows what has happened and rejoices with those who have been saved. However, the jubilation of the survivors goes far beyond this natural exultation. They rejoice not only in their own return, but also in that of their oppressors. The words of the Gentiles they report do not sound like revenge after what they have suffered, after the sarcasm they have had to hear, but like a wonder at what God has done in their hearts. And they end up echoing the same words to let their joy burst forth. There they are united in the same confession of faith. A FLASHBACK However, from joyful praise (126:1–3), the psalmist abruptly turns to supplication (126:4–6). Joy cannot be complete if it is not shared by all, if others are still in captivity and have not yet been able to taste the exultation of liberation. If this is so, even those who have been delivered from their prison remain in it, as it were, with their brothers still in tears. Those whose fortunes have already been reversed cannot be content to think fondly of their companions left behind; they must implore their deliverer to bring them back too, so that they can praise him all together. THE CERTAINTY OF THE FUTURE HARVEST Faith does not mean closing one's eyes to the time of renunciation and weeping. On the contrary, it makes us see, in hope, what will certainly happen

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Fourth Part (Ps 120–134)

then, when the Lord will intervene: The “jubilation” of a harvest whose abundance will surpass all that we could have imagined. The farmers know from centuries of experience that they must sacrifice a part of what they could have consumed in order to prepare for the future. In saying this, the psalmist projects onto the future of those who are still in tears, what he himself experienced before tasting the laughter and jubilation of the harvest.

4. JUBILATION FOR THE LIBERATION OF JERUSALEM (PS 124–126) THE WHOLE OF THE THIRD SUBSEQUENCE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME PSALMS (PS 124 & PS 126) 5. Ps 124 1 A song of ascents, of David. Without Yhwh who was for US, 2 without Yhwh who was for US, 3 THEN they would have swallowed US alive, 4 THEN the waters would have overflowed US, 5 THEN over OUR soul would have passed 6

Blessed be Yhwh who has not given US

7

OUR soul has escaped like a bird the net broke, 8 OUR help in the name of Yhwh,

—let ISRAEL SAY it now!— when an ADAM rose up against US, when their anger was burning on US, A RIVER would have passed over OUR soul, the arrogant waters. as a prey to their teeth! from the net of fowlers; and as for US, WE escaped. who MADE heaven and earth.

[...] 7. Ps 126 1 A song of ascents. When Yhwh brought back the fortunes of ZION, WE were like dreaming. 2 THEN OUR mouth was filled with laughter, and OUR tongue with jubilation. THEN they SAID among THE GENTILES: “Yhwh HAS DONE great things for them!” 3 Yhwh HAS DONE great things for US, WE were glad. 4

Bring back, O Yhwh, OUR captivity, Those who saw in tears 6 He goes away, he goes away weeping, he comes, he comes in jubilation, 5

like TORRENTS in the Negeb! shall reap in jubilation: carrying the bag of seed; carrying his sheaves.

– The first person plural pronouns are numerous (124:1b, 2[2x], 3[2x], 4[2x], 5, 6, 7a, 7b[2x], 8; 126:1b, 2a[2x], 3[2x], 4) but are totally absent in the central psalm. – The three “then” in Ps 124 introduce the threat of death (’ăzay, 124:3–5); the two in Ps 126 present the joy of the saved and the conversion of enemies (’āz, 126:2a, 2b). – The “Gentiles” of the last psalm (126:2b) are called “an adam” in the first psalm (124:2). – The “river” of death in the first psalm (124:4) is matched by the “torrents” of rebirth in the last psalm (126:4). – The proper names “Israel” and “Zion” (124:1b; 126:1b) act as initial terms. – The subject of “to say” in the first psalm is “Israel” (124:1b), in the last one “the Gentiles” (126:2b). – Note the terms belonging to the semantic field of body parts: “anger” (lit. “nose”), “soul” (lit. “throat”), “teeth” as well as “swallowed” implying the mouth (124:3, 4, 5, 6, 7); “mouth”, “tongue”, as well as “tears” and “weeping” implying the eyes (126:2[2x], 5, 6).

386

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL PSALM WITH THE OTHER PSALMS 5. Ps 124 1 A song of ascents, of David. Without Yhwh who was for us 2 without Yhwh who was for us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive, 4 then the waters would have overflowed us, 5 then over our soul would have passed

— let ISRAEL say it now!— when (the children of) ADAM rose up against us, when their anger was burning on us, a river would have passed over our soul, the arrogant waters.

* 6 Blessed be Yhwh who has not given us as a prey to their teeth! 7

Our soul has escaped LIKE a bird the net broke, 8 Our help in the name of Yhwh,

from the net of fowlers; and as for us, we escaped. who MADE heaven and earth.

6. Ps 125 1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in Yhwh are LIKE Mount ZION: it cannot be shaken, forever it endures. 2 Jerusalem, the mountains surround it, and Yhwh surrounds his people, from now on and forever. 3

No, the sceptre of WICKEDNESS shall not rest upon the lot of the RIGHTEOUS, so that the RIGHTEOUS might not set their hands to PERVERSITY.

* 4 Do good, O Yhwh, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts. 5 and those who deviate in their crookedness, may Yhwh LEAD them with THE DOERS of iniquity! Peace on ISRAEL! 7. Ps 126 1 A song of ascents. When Yhwh brought back the fortunes of ZION, we were LIKE dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with jubilation. Then they said among THE GENTILES: “Yhwh HAS DONE great things for them!” 3 Yhwh HAS DONE great things for us, we were glad. * 4 Bring back, O Yhwh, our captivity, 5 Those who saw in tears 6 HE GOES AWAY, HE GOES AWAY weeping, he comes, he comes in jubilation,

torrents in the Negeb! shall reap in jubilation: carrying the bag of seed; carrying his sheaves. LIKE

– The name “Yhwh” appears four times in each psalm (124:1b, 2, 6, 8; 125:1b, 2a, 4, 5a; 126:1b, 2b, 3, 4). – The verb “to do” appears again in all three psalms. The Lord is presented as the creator in Ps 124 (“who made heaven and earth”, 124:8), as the saviour in Ps 126 (“Yhwh has done great things for them”, 126:2b). At the centre, on the other hand, “the doers of iniquity” are the enemies of the Lord (125:5). The two occurrences of “to do” in 124:8 and 125:5 act as the final terms for the first two psalms. – The names “Israel” and “Zion” are found in initial terms of the extreme psalms (124:1b; 126:1b), and, in reverse order, at the extremities of the central psalm (125:1b, 5b). At the beginning, “Israel” is opposed to (the children of) “adam” (124:1b, 2), at the end, “Zion” agrees with “the Gentiles” (126:1b, 2b). – The three “like” (124:7a; 125:1b; 126:1b, 4) introduce positive images.

The Whole of the Third Subsequence (Ps 124–126)

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– Each psalm contains a short prayer: A blessing at the centre of the first psalm (124:6), requests in the other two: at the beginning of the last piece of the central psalm (125:4), at the beginning of the last part of the third psalm (136:4). – We may also note, in the final terms of the last two psalms, the repetition of the same verb translated as “to lead” and “to go” (125:5; 126:6). – Although “adam” (124:2) or “Gentiles” (127:2b) are not included in the central psalm, its central piece (3)—which is also the centre of the subsequence— opposes “the righteous” to “wickedness” and “perversity”. Those who practice wickedness and perversity are the enemies of Israel mentioned in the preceding psalm. INTERPRETATION While the first psalm celebrates liberation and the last one the return to Zion, the central psalm invokes “peace on Israel” (125:5), always in danger of being invaded and subjected to the Gentiles and contaminated by their perversity. FROM THE SWALLOWING NET TO THE REVIVING TORRENTS The first psalm describes the situation of Israel under the violence of the descendants of Adam (124:1–5), from which the Lord saves them by snatching them from “their teeth” and letting them escape from the net of predators (124:6–8). The last psalm shows the survivors of the first psalm returning to Zion in successive waves. While violence swept over the deportees like “a river” to swallow them up (124:3–5), the “torrents” of the former deportees (126:4) flow down to irrigate the Negeb desert in jubilant harvests that will make the tears of the sowing forgotten. Then “the Gentiles” turn from violence against Israel to admiration for what the Lord has done for his people (126:2b). They too are freed from the death they wanted to inflict on Israel, from the “wickedness” and “perversity” they intended to impose on their victims: here they finally join them in one chorus in the praise of God. A NEW CREATION The waters that start flowing again in the wadis of the Negeb give new life to a parched and barren land. The desert can then be reborn as if from its ashes. The great things the Lord has done for his people (126:2–3) are of the same order as what he did in creating the heavens and the earth (124:8). Pulling Israel out of the teeth of predators, rescuing them from the net of hunters, pulling them out of the abyss of death, he brings them back to life. Like a “seed” that dies in the earth, it becomes the promise of “sheaves” that will nourish the generations to come.

A. Ps 120 1 A song of ascents. To Yhwh in my anguish I called, and he answered me. 2 Yhwh, deliver MY SOUL from the lips of falsehood, from the tongue of deceit! 3 What shall he give to you, and what shall he add to you, you tongue of deceit? 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, with the embers of juniper. 5 Woe to me that I sojourn in MESHECH, that I dwell with the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long has MY SOUL dwelt with those who hate PEACE. 7 I am PEACE, and when I speak, they are for war.

A’. Ps 124 1 A song of ascents, OF DAVID. Without Yhwh who was for us—let ISRAEL say it now!— 2 without Yhwh who was for us, when a man rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was burning on us. 4 then the waters would have overflowed us, a river would have passed over OUR SOUL, 5 then the arrogant waters would have passed over OUR SOUL. 6 Blessed be Yhwh who has not given us as a prey to their teeth! 7 OUR SOUL has escaped like a bird from the net of fowlers; the net broke, and as for us, we escaped. 8 Our help in the name of Yhwh, who made heaven and earth.

B. Ps 121 1 A song for ascents. I lift up my eyes toward the MOUNTAINS. From where will my help come? 2 My help from Yhwh who made heaven and earth. 3 May he not let your foot to be shaken! may your keeper not slumber! 4 Behold, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the keeper of ISRAEL. 5 Yhwh is your keeper, Yhwh is your shade at your right hand. 6 By day the sun shall not strike you, nor the moon by night. 7 Yhwh will keep you from all evil, he will keep your soul. 8 Yhwh will keep your going and your coming, FROM NOW ON AND FOREVER.

B’. Ps 125 1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in Yhwh are like MOUNT Zion: it cannot be shaken, forever it endures. 2 Jerusalem, the MOUNTAINS surround it, and Yhwh surrounds his people, FROM NOW ON AND FOREVER. 3 Because the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous might not set their hands to perversity. 4 Do good, O Yhwh, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts. 5 And those who deviate in their crookedness, may Yhwh lead them with the doers of iniquity! PEACE on ISRAEL!

C. Ps 122 1 A song of ascents, OF DAVID. I rejoiced among them saying to me: “We are arriving to the house of Yhwh!” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, O JERUSALEM! 3 JERUSALEM built as a city that is compact together, 4 that there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yah. It is the precept for ISRAEL to give thanks to the name of Yhwh, 5 because there are set the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Ask for PEACE of JERUSALEM, may those who love you have tranquillity! 7 Let PEACE be in your walls, tranquillity in your palaces! 8 For the sake of my brothers and my companions, I will say: “PEACE upon you!” 9 For the sake of the house of Yhwh our God, I will implore good for you!

C’. Ps 126 1 A song of ascents. When Yhwh brought back the fortunes of ZION, we were like dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with jubilation. Then they said among the nations: “Yhwh has done great things for them!” 3 Yhwh has done great things for us, we were glad. 4 Bring back, O Yhwh, our captivity, like torrents in the Negeb! 5 Those who saw in tears shall reap in jubilation. 6 He goes away, he goes away weeping, carrying THE BAG of seed; he comes, he comes in jubilation, carrying his sheaves.

D. ON THE WAY TOWARD JERUSALEM (PS 120–126) COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SEQUENCE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SUBSEQUENCES (PS 120–122 & 124–126) The two subsequences correspond to each other in a parallel fashion. In fact, the first psalms (Ps 120 & Ps 124) describe the anguish of those who live among the Gentiles, prey to false “lips” and lying “tongues” (120:2), to the “teeth” of those who want to “swallow” them (124:3, 6). But the Lord intervened, answering the cry of prayer (120:1) and granting his “help” (124:6–8). Note the double occurrence of “my soul” in 120:2, 6, which is repeated three times in Ps 124:4, 5, 7 (this term appears again only in 121:7). The third psalms (Ps 122 & Ps 126) celebrate the “joy” (122:1; 126:3) of the arrival in “Jerusalem” (122:2, 3, 6) and of the return to “Zion” (126:1). In the central psalms (Ps 121 & Ps 125) the occurrences of “mountain/mount” (121:1; 125:1, 2) have the function of initial terms (this term does not occur elsewhere). “From now on and forever” is repeated in 121:8 and 125:2 and not elsewhere. Note also the two occurrences of “Israel” (121:4; 125:5) and “hand/s” (121:5; 125:3), as well as the verb “shaken” (121:3; 125:1). Although the situation in these two psalms is different, the theme of trust in God is present, along with the theme of the firmness of his help. It should also be pointed out that: – The name “Israel” appears in every psalm except in the extreme psalms (120 & 126); – The word “peace” present at the end of the extreme psalms of the first side (Ps 120 & 122) is found at the end of the central psalm of the second side (Ps 131); – Most importantly, the psalms in the first side are in the first person singular, while those in the second side are in the first person plural; – The last psalm of the first side is “of David” and so is the first psalm of the second side, acting as median terms at a distance; – The word “bag” at the end of the last psalm (126:6) echoes “Meshech” at the end of the first psalm (120:5): In fact, in Hebrew it is exactly the same word (mešek). – The pair “lips” – “tongue” of the first psalm (120:2, 3) corresponds to the pair “mouth” – “tongue” in the last psalm (126:2).

390

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL SUBSEQUENCE AND THE OTHER TWO Ps 120 1 A song of ascents. TOWARD THE LORD in my anguish I called, and he answered me. 2 Lord, deliver MY SOUL from false lips, and from deceitful tongue! 3 What shall he give to you, and what shall he add to you, you deceitful tongue? 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, with the embers of juniper. 5 Woe to me that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell with the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long has MY SOUL dwelt with those who hate peace. 7 I am peace, and when I speak, they are for war. Ps 121 1 A song of ascents. I LIFT UP MY EYES TOWARD the mountains. From where will my help come? 2 My help from the Lord who made HEAVEN and earth. 3 May he not let your foot to stumble, may your keeper not slumber! 4 Behold, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the keeper of Israel. 5 The Lord is your keeper! The Lord is your shade at your right HAND. 6 By day the sun shall not strike you, nor the moon by night! 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil, he will keep YOUR SOUL. 8 The Lord will keep your going and your coming from now on and forever. Ps 122 1 A song of ascents. Of David. I rejoiced among them saying to me: “We are arriving to the house of Yhwh!” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem built LIKE a city that is compact together, 4 that there the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. It is the precept for Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord, 5 because there SIT the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Ask for the peace of Jerusalem, may those who love you have tranquillity! 7 Let it be peace within your walls, tranquillity in your palaces! 8 For the sake of my brothers and my companions, I will say, “Peace upon you!” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will implore good for you! Ps 123 1 A song of ascents. TOWARD YOU I LIFT UP MY EYES, who SIT in THE HEAVENS. 2 They are here LIKE THE EYES of servants TOWARD the HAND of their master, LIKE THE EYES of a maid TOWARD the HAND of her mistress. Yes, OUR EYES toward the Lord our God until he has mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, because we are greatly filled with contempt; 4 OUR SOUL is greatly filled with scorn of the satisfied, the contempt of the proud. Ps 124 1 A song of ascents. Of David. Without the Lord who was for us —let Israel say it now!— 2 without the Lord who was for us, when (the children of) Adam rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was burning on us. 4 Then the waters would have overflowed us, a river would have passed over OUR SOUL, 5 then over OUR SOUL would have passed the arrogant waters. 6 Blessed be the Lord who has not given us as a prey to their teeth! 7 OUR SOUL has escaped LIKE a bird from the net of fowlers. The net broke, and as for us, we escaped. 8 Our help in the name of the Lord who made HEAVEN and earth. Ps 125 1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are LOKE Mount Zion: it cannot be shaken, IT SITS forever. 2 Jerusalem, the mountains surround it, and the Lord surrounds his people, from now on and forever. 3 Because the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous might not set their HANDS to perversity. 4 Do good, O Lord, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts. 5 And those who deviate in their crookedness, may the Lord lead them with the doers of iniquity! Peace on Israel! Ps 126 1 A song of ascents. When Yhwh brought back the fortunes of Zion, we were LIKE dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with jubilation. Then they said among the Gentiles: “The Lord has done great things for them!” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, we were glad. 4 Bring back, O Lord, our captivity, LIKE torrents in the Negeb! 5 Those who saw in tears shall reap in jubilation. 6 He goes away, he goes away weeping, carrying the bag of seed; he comes, he comes in jubilation, carrying his sheaves.

The Whole of the First Sequence (Ps 120–126)

391

The links of the central subsequence with the first subsequence are particularly strong: – Initial terms: Psalm 123 begins with “Toward you I lift up my eyes” (echoed in verses 2a, 2b, 3) as does Ps 121 with “I lift up my eyes toward” and Ps 120 with “Toward the Lord”. – Final terms: the last segment of Ps 123 begins with “Our soul is greatly filled” (123:4), and the penultimate segment of Ps 120 begins with “Too long my soul dwelt” (120:6). – “The Lord our God” at the centre of Ps 123 (verse 2c) is already found at the end of the preceding psalm (122:9). Some terms from the central psalm are found on both sides: – “To sit”: 123:1 — 122:5 / 125:1 – “Heaven/s”: 123:1 — 121:2 / 124:8 – “Hand/s”: 123:2a, 2b — 121:4b / 125:3b – “Soul”: 123:4 — 120:6; 121:7 / 124:4, 5, 7 – “Like”: 123:2a, 2b — 122:3 / 124:7; 125:1; 126:1, 4 Prayer is more marked in the central psalm (Ps 123) than in the others, where it is somewhat episodic (120:2 / 124:6; 125:4; 126:4). The central psalm marks a crucial “turning point” between the two sides of the sequence: It begins in the first person singular (123:1–2b) and continues, from the centre, in the first person plural, thus ensuring the transition from the first side, which is all in the “I”, to the second side, which is all in the “we”. This transition was already initiated in the last psalm of the first subsequence (Ps 122).1 INTERPRETATION OMNIPRESENCE OF EVIL Enemies and misfortune are hauntingly present throughout the sequence; none of its seven psalms is spared. In the regions of the deportation the psalmist is confronted with the “false lips” and “deceitful tongue” of those from “Meshech” to “Kedar” who deny him “peace” and wage “war” against him (Ps 120). Israel can say that the children of “Adam"”, burning with “anger”, threatening them with their “teeth”, catching them in their “net”, intended to “swallow” them and, without the Lord, they would have been submerged by the river of their “arrogant waters” (Ps 124). On the way from the lands of exile to Jerusalem, there are many dangers, day and night, and the pilgrim will need to invoke the “help” of the “Keeper of Israel” (Ps 121). Threatened with falling into the 1

Unless one reads with 11QPsa and the Peshita: “my feet are standing” (112:2), or considers that verse 2 is part of the speech started at the end of verse 1.

392

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

“wickedness” and “perversity” of their enemies, they will have to beware of those whose ways are “crooked” (Ps 125). Finally, at the end of the journey, joy overwhelms the pilgrim with his “brothers” and “friends” (122:8); However, since he asks so insistently for “peace” and “happiness” for Jerusalem, it is because war and misfortune are not very far away (Ps 122), while the “mouths” of the survivors “are filled with laughter” and their “tongues” with “jubilation”, they cannot forget those who, in “tears”, have not yet “returned” (Ps 126). FROM SUPPLICATION TO THANKSGIVING The tone is set in the first verse: “Toward the Lord in my anguish I called, he answered me” (120:1). The psalmist calls for deliverance (120:2), he invites others to ask for peace for Jerusalem (122:6). But throughout the first side and until the heart of the sequence, his prayer is mostly silent: It is his “eyes” that implore the Lord (121:1; 123:1–2). The supplication returns unceasingly (123:3– 4; 125:4–5; 126:4), but it is also the blessing (124:6) for the help received, and it is also the thanksgiving which is expressed by “laughter” and “jubilation” (126:2), without words, as the supplication of the eyes raised to the Lord was without words. BROTHERS’ MEETING From Meshek to Kedar, exposed to lies and violence, the psalmist finds himself in anguish in the midst of the pagans, isolated, as if he had no companion in misfortune to turn to, on whom to lean (Ps 120). Leaving these hostile regions, he set out for the mountains of Judea, but he is still alone to face the dangers that threaten him by day and by night (Ps 121). It is only at the gates of Jerusalem that the voice of those who announce that the end of the journey has arrived and that they have finally reached the goal resounds in his ears. And here he speaks to those whom he recognises as his “brothers” and “friends”, all those who belong like him to the “tribes of the Lord” (Ps 122). The transition from “I” to “we” takes place at the centre of the sequence (Ps 123), and from this point onwards everything shifts from isolation to conviviality. The psalmist is now integrated into his people, not forgetting what he has experienced, but reviving it with his own (Ps 124). In the end, the circle opens, since the survivors of the deportation are united with “the Gentiles” in the same praise of the Lord (Ps 126).

II. SOLOMON, THE BELOVED OF THE LORD The Second Sequence: Ps 127 One of the laws of biblical rhetoric is that the centre of a concentric composition is always enigmatic.1 The centre of Ps 127 is particularly enigmatic, judging from the discussions it has provoked. Moreover, this psalm constitutes the centre of the series of fifteen psalms of the ascents. The enigma will therefore be redoubled. PSALM 127 TEXT A song of ascents, of Solomon. If Yhwh does not build the house, in vain its builders labour in it; if Yhwh does not keep the city, in vain the keeper watches. 2 In vain for you, anticipating rising up, delaying lying down, eating a bread of sufferings. Yes, he gives to his Beloved (in) sleep. 3 Behold, sons (are) the inheritance of Yhwh, the fruit of the womb (is) a reward: 4 Like arrows in the hand of a hero, so (are) the sons of youth. 5 Happy the man who has filled his quiver with them: they shall not blush, when they shall deal with the enemies at the gate. 1

2: “YES, HE GIVES TO HIS BELOVED IN SLEEP” Looking at the psalm itself, the last member of verse 2 is essentially problematic. First of all, syntactically, some consider it an integral part of the verse, practically interpreting the kēn with which it begins as a subordinating conjunction. For instance, Dhorme translates: “you who eat the bread of sorrows, while he gives it to his beloved who is asleep” (also BJ, Osty; already by the Septuagint). Others, on the other hand, attach this member to what follows. The Vulgate makes it a subordinate clause of which the main one is the following verse: Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum, 3 ecce haereditas Domini, filii; merces, fructus ventris. However, some editions link it to what precedes. These hesitations suggest the pivotal function of the member in question: “The place of this strophe (the last of the first part, where it opposes the whole 1–2c movement, forming a hinge between this part and the subsequent one) makes the whole psalm relate to it.”2 On the lexical level, three of the four terms that constitute the member are problematic. The Septuagint, followed by the Vulgate, reads the third word in the plural: “his beloved”, whereas the Hebrew text has the singular. In fact, it is 1 2

Traité 2007.2013: 417–469; 2021: 348–396 = Treatise, 280–310. Mannati, IV, 157, note 3.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

especially the last word that has given rise to long discussions and multiple corrections.3 In fact, šēnā’ is a hapax. The ancient versions, like most commentators, recognize the Aramaic spelling of šēnāh, “sleep”. But there were also attempts to correct the word: “satiation” (šb‘), “prosperity” (šalwâ), etc., and even to delete it. Another problem concerns the function of this noun: some see it as the object complement of “gives”, others as a complement of time or fashion. The initial kēn is not the only problem. The Septuagint translates it as hotan “when”, in the sense of “while”) and thus seems to have read kî in place of kēn. Those who follow the Hebrew text interpret the word in different ways; “so”, “so much”, “certainly”, “yes”. The commentaries and numerous articles devoted to these few words testify to its enigmatic character. COMPOSITION The majority of commentators, if not all, organize the psalm into two parts (1b–2 & 3–5). Recently, some commentators have argued that the two parts are unrelated: Psalm 127 is clearly split into two parts that are different in theme. The first part consists of four lines, vv. 1b–2. The second part also consists of four lines, vv. 3–5. The first part deals with the dependence of man on God [...] The second part of the psalm deals with a completely different theme: The benefits afforded to a man who has many children in his youth.4

According to this author, until the 1950s, the majority of exegetes held that these were in fact two juxtaposed psalms.5 Many have since sought to understand the relationship between the two parts.6 For example, Daniel E. Fleming takes up the challenge: “The major interpretive problems lie in the meaning of v. 1–2 together and in the relationship between the two parts of the whole psalm.”7 Along with many others, Marina Mannati also believes that the psalm is organised into two parts, although she notes the “hinge” function of the end of verse 2. Similarly, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti who write: Between these two parts, two thematic relationships are established in a dynamic way: the construction of the city is matched by the construction of the family thanks to the 3

See, e.g., J.A. EMERTON, “The Meaning of šēnā’ in Psalm CXXVII 2”. E. ASSIS, “Psalm 127 and the Polemic of the Rebuilding of the Temple in the Post Exilic Period”, 256–257; the author devotes pp. 257–261 to the criticism of those who see a connection between the two parts of the psalm. 5 Thus Weiser, 764, following many others. 6 In short, it is a matter of applying the second of the five “hermeneutical rules” proposed in the Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric: “When two related units seem opposed in every way, look for the similarity” (p. 345). 7 D.E. FLEMING, “Psalm 127: Sleep for the Fearful, and Security in Sons”, 435. See also P.D. MILLER, Jr, “Psalm 127—The House that Yahweh Builds”. 4

Psalm 127

395

sons; the defence of the city is matched by the defence of rights in court. In the middle the gift of God is situated during the sleep of man: agricultural and family gift.8

As is often the case, the key to understanding lies at the centre of the composition. Paradoxically, it is the most problematic, the most obscure point, which will make it possible to decipher the enigma and shed light on the meaning of the whole. The third of the five hermeneutical rules proposed in the Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric is stated as follows: “Starting from the centre”.9 After the title, the psalm is organized into three parts, two of which expand into two pieces, framing a very brief part, the size of a single segment (2e). THE FIRST PART (1B–2D) + 1b If Yhwh . in vain

does not built labour

the house, its builders

+

does not keep watches

the city, the keeper.

if Yhwh . in vain

in it;

···········································································································

– 2 In vain :: anticipating :: delaying :: eating

for you, rising up, lying down, a bread

of sufferings.

The two bimembers of the first piece are strictly parallel (1bc & 1de). As for the second piece (2), formed of one unimember segment (2a) followed by one trimember (2bcd) whose three members are parallel, with a final expansion, it begins with “in vain” which appears twice at the head of the second members of the preceding segments. The first piece states a general law by presenting two examples, the second piece applies it to a second person plural.

8

Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 680; see also p. 682: “Since God watches and works, man can sleep and rest after work. And if we read this verse and also consider the subsequent one, it suggests nocturnal fecundity, which Wis 7:2 will formulate as follows: ‘fruit of the seed of a man and the pleasure to the companion of sleep’”. 9 Traité 2007.2013: 567; 2021: 403 = Treatise, 350.

396

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

THE LAST PART (3–5) + 3 Behold, + A REWARD,

THE INHERITANCE

the fruit

of Yhwh (are) of the womb:

.. 4 Like ARROWS .. so (are)

in the hand the sons

of a HERO, of youth.

sons,

······················································································································

– 5 HAPPY :: who = they shall not blush, = when they shall deal

THE MAN

has filled

HIS QUIVER

with the enemies

at the gate.

with them:

In the first piece (3–4), the second segment (4) describes the “sons” as weapons in their father’s hand. The metaphor continues in the second piece (5): “quiver” (5b) is a case for “arrows” (4a)10 and “the man” (geber, 5a) refers to “hero” that is from the same root (gibbôr, 4a). Arrows are meant to fight “the enemies” whom they will have to face at “the gate” of the city, where disputes and trials are held, where the enemies from outside must be repelled. THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM The term “sons” (bēn, plural bānîm, 3–4), at the beginning of the last part, is of the same root as “to build” (banah) and also “the house” (bayit) at the beginning of the symmetrical part (1bc).11 The blessing of the second piece of the last part (5) opposes the futility of the second piece of the first part (2a–d). The extreme parts are thus parallel to each other. Note also that “the gate” at the end of the last part (5d) recalls “the city” at the end of the first piece of the first part (1d). The central part (2e) is very enigmatic. We can understand, without too much difficulty, that the subject of the verb is “Yhwh”, named twice in the preceding verse (1bd), but who is “his beloved” and especially what does the Lord give him? It should be pointed out that “sleep” (šēnā’, 2e) belongs to the same semantic field as “to lie down” (šebet) in the preceding segment (2c) and that “to give” (2e) is not unrelated to “the inheritance” in the subsequent member (3a), the inheritance is a free gift par excellence.

10

In French the author prefers traits (“features”) in place of flèches (“arrows”), because in Hebrew the term is masculine. On the metaphor of “arrows” and “quiver”, see D.J. ESTES, “Like Arrows in the Hand of a Warrior (Psalm CXXVII)”. 11 The same play on words exists in French where “maison” can refer to a family’s dwelling, or to the family in the sense of a dynasty, e.g., “la maison de Savoie”.

Psalm 127 1

A song

397

of ascents,

of Solomon.

+ If YHWH . in vain

does not BUILD labour

THE HOUSE, ITS BUILDERS

+ if YHWH . in vain

does not keep watches

THE CITY,

in it;

the keeper.

··················································································································

– 2 IN VAIN

for you,

:: anticipating :: delaying :: eating Yes, + 3 Behold, + a reward, .. 4 Like arrows .. so (are)

rising up, lying down, a bread

of sufferings.

he gives

to his Beloved

(in) sleep.

the inheritance

of YHWH (are) OF THE WOMB:

SONS,

THE FRUIT

in the hand THE SONS

of a hero, of youth.

··················································································································

– 5 HAPPY :: who = they shall not blush, = when they shall deal

the man has filled

his quiver

with the enemies

at THE GATE.

with them:

CONTEXT “A BREAD OF SUFFERINGS” (PS 127:2D) This expression recalls the words of the Lord God addressed to Adam in Gen 3:17–19: Accursed be the soil because of you! You shall eat your food in suffering as long as you live [...] By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” (see also Gen 5:29).

“BELOVED OF GOD” (PS 127:2E) The second son whom Bathsheba gave to King David, and who was to be his successor, was called by the prophet Nathan, on behalf of the Lord, “Yedidyah”, which means “Beloved of Yah”:

398

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

24

David consoled his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. She conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she called Solomon. Yhwh loved him 25 and made this known by means of the prophet Nathan, who named him Jedidiah, as Yhwh had instructed (2 Sam 12:24–25).

The central part (Ps 127:2e) can be understood in a general fashion and applied to any man; it can also be interpreted in the light of the title (127:1a) as referring to Solomon who a descendant promised by God who will be able to defend his “city”, or country, against his enemies. “SLEEP” (PS 127:2E) Sleep may recall the torpor into which the Lord God plunged Adam in order to give birth to the woman from his side during his “sleep”: Then the Lord God caused a torpor to fall upon the man, and he fell asleep. He took one of his ribs and closed the flesh in its place. Then the Lord God built (bnh) a woman out of the rib that he had taken from the man and brought her to the man. (Gen 2:21–22)

In these two verses “fell asleep” (yšn) is from the same root as “sleep” (šēnā’) in Ps 127:2e and “built” is the same verb as in Ps 127:1bc. In the Wisdom of Solomon, “sleep” refers to the time when children are conceived: “In the womb of a mother I was moulded into flesh, where, for ten months, in blood I acquired substance, from the seed of man and from pleasure, a companion of sleep” (Wis 7:1–2; see also 4:6). THE GIFT OF BREAD At Bethel “Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God…’” (Gen 28:21). When the Israelites ask what manna is, Moses answers: “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat” (Exod 16:15). The Lord’s prayer (Matt 6:9–13) focuses on the request for bread: “Our daily bread, give us today”.12 THE GIFT OF CHILDREN Children are a gift from God. The Lord said to Abraham concerning his wife: “I will bless her and moreover give you a son by her” (Gen 17:16). This is even more evident in Gen 30:1–2,

12

See R. MEYNET, “La composition du Notre Père”, 91.

Psalm 127

399

When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” Jacob became very angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?”

ARROWS IN THE QUIVER At the beginning of the second song of the Servant, his prophetic mission is described in terms of the violent struggle that he will have to wage: He made my mouth he sheltered me

a sharp in the shadow

sword, of his hand;

he made me in his quiver

a polished arrow, he hid me. (Isa 49:2)

As in the psalm, the arrows are linked to speech, since the children will “speak” at the door. The tongue and their words are compared to the arrow: “Their tongue is a deadly arrow” (Jer 9:7); they “who sharpen their tongue like a sword, bend their arrow, bitter word” (Ps 64:4; see also Sir 51:6).13 “THE ENEMIES AT THE GATE” (PS 127:5D) It is at the gateway to the city, a place of passage and meeting place, that business is conducted and trials are held. “Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the next of kin, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by” (Ruth 4:1). The gate is also the weak point of the walls that the enemies of the city will try to break through to invade it. In the first case, that of the legal confrontation between members of the same city, the last verb, dibber, has its usual meaning, “to speak”, speech being the weapon of this kind of combat. In the other case, it means “to fight”, “to wage war”.14 The translation as “to deal with” is intended to respect the ambiguity.15 The composition of the psalm, which in the extreme pieces connects “the keeper” of “the city” (Ps 127:1de) and “the enemies at the gate” (127:5d), could favour the interpretation of the enemies from outside. A HYMN TO NISABA The same themes are found in a Sumerian hymn to the goddess Nisaba:

13 The Rothschild coat of arms contains five arrows connected to each other, symbolising the five sons that Baron Mayer Amschel Rothschild sent to found banks in five major European cities in the 17th century. 14 A. Hakham, II, 469. See also Dahood, III, 225. 15 Although perhaps a little too familiar, “to explain” would probably convey the meaning even better.

400

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

NISABA, WHERE YOU DO NOT ORDAIN IT, man builds no (house), he builds no city, he builds no place, he appoints no king, he does not take care of the purification cults of the gods. NISABA, WHERE YOU ARE NOT NEAR, he builds no fold, he makes no pen, the shepherds’ heart does not rejoice in playing the shawm. NISABA, WHEN YOUR HEART IMPELS YOU, you make everything broad, let everything extend itself, you order the ponds like the heavenly pond, you order the sanctuaries, pouring our brightness (over them). THE LADY, WHO GIVE THE HEART’S JOY, ARE YOU, you put good seed in the womb, let the fruit grow in the womb, give the mother love for the child.16

INTERPRETATION SOLOMON JEDIDIAH, THE BELOVED OF THE LORD The title of the psalm suits him perfectly, since the name “Solomon” echoes the name the Lord himself gave him, Jedidiah, “his Beloved” (Ps 127:2e), at the exact centre of the composition;17 this certainly provides a key to the reading of the psalm. The first verse applies perfectly to the king who was given the task of building “the house of the Lord”, which David his father could not do. It is also possible that the first two verses reflect the situation in Jerusalem after the return from exile, when they were rebuilding Solomon’s temple (127:1bc) and the walls to protect the city (127:1de).18 As for the sons that the Lord gives, they are those of the promise made to David (2 Sam 7), which his son Solomon recalls in his prayer at the time of the consecration of the temple (1 Kgs 8:25) and which the Lord himself will confirm to him in a dream (1 Kgs 9:4–5). ABANDONMENT OF SLEEP From morning to evening people do their work, building, guarding the city, cultivating their fields; but the night is a time of rest and above all of abandonment and trust, like a kind of daily Sabbath, when they entrust 16 P.D. MILLER, Jr., “Psalm 127”. The first and last stanzas were already mentioned by Kraus (II, 455). 17 If we ignore the maqqep, the term “to his beloved” is preceded and followed by 28 words. 18 It is possible to think of Neh 4 where, in the face of the attacks they were threatened with, half the men continued to rebuild the ramparts while being armed, and the other half protected them.

Psalm 127

401

themselves entirely to their Lord. During the day they sow their wheat, but it is God who makes it sprout and grow, even when they sleep. It is also in sleep (Ps 127e), “companion of pleasure”, in the abandonment of awareness that the most beautiful “inheritance” is given to them, that of the children, “the fruit of the womb” (127:3). As with Adam, whom the Lord put to sleep so that from his side could be drawn the one who was to be his helper. “WITHOUT THE LORD...” The temple does not build itself and the builders must work hard to build or rebuild it; likewise, those who guard the city at night must not sleep but must see to it that the enemy does not break through the gate to enter the city (127:1). It is true that children are “the fruit of the womb” (127:3) and they do not educate themselves. And yet, all parents know from personal experience that children are the most beautiful and totally free gift that the Lord can give them. The worker, the soldier, when they have accomplished a beautiful work, when they have fulfilled the mission entrusted to them, by giving their body and soul to it, even by sweating blood and water, are well aware in the depths of their being that, as we say, it was given to them; that it was another who gave them the ability to accomplish what they did with their own hands. All is grace, and what the workers of the first hour, who recriminate against the one who hired them, did not understand was that the gift their Lord had given them was not so much the payment they had agreed upon with him, but, first and foremost, the grace of having been admitted to work in his vineyard (Matt 19:20–20:16).19 The same is applicable to the exegete, whose interpretation is received as a gift.20

19

See R. MEYNET, Le fait synoptique reconsidéré, 238–243. See Traité 2007.2013: chap. 13, “Le don de l’interprétation”, 623–635; 2021: 545–557 = Treatise, chap. 11, “The Gift of Interpretation”, 405–406. 20

III. IN PEACE TOWARD JERUSALEM The Third Sequence: Ps 128–134 The third sequence comprises three subsequences. The first one and the last one are formed of three psalms (Ps 128–130 & Ps 132–134), while the central subsequence comprises only one psalm (Ps 131). Each of the seven psalms in the sequence is the size of a passage.

HAPPINESS

LIKE A CHILD

FOR THE REDEMPTION

OF ISRAEL

RESTS AGAINST ITS MOTHER

FROM THE FIELDS OF YAAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

IN THE CITY OF DAVID

Ps 128–130

Ps 131

Ps 132–134

A. HAPPINESS FOR THE REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL The First Subsequence: Ps 128–130 1. PSALM 128 TEXT A song of ascents. Happy everyone who fears Yhwh and walks in his ways! 2 From the labour of your hands, yes, you shall eat, happy you and good to you; 3 your wife like a fruitful vine on the flanks of your house, your sons like shoots of olive trees around your table. 4 Behold, that surely will be blessed the man who fears Yhwh. 5 May Yhwh bless you from Zion and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life, 6 and may you see the sons of your sons! Peace on Israel! 1

2A: “YES, YOU SHALL EAT” In the first member of verse 2 the last term, “you shall eat” is preceded by kî, which the ancient versions did not translate; most modern French translations— Dhorme, BJ, TOB, liturgical translation—do the same, except for Osty, who is always very literal, who renders it by “yes”.1 3: “YOUR WIFE LIKE [...] YOUR SONS LIKE” The two segments in verse 3 are nominal phrases, so they have no temporal value2 and should strictly speaking be translated into the present tense.3 Some, however, interpreting the whole piece of verses 2–3 as a beatitude or macarism, choose the future tense as in 2a.4 Still others see it as a wish and therefore translate it as an optative: “May your wife be like a fruitful vine.”5 4A: “BEHOLD, THAT SURELY” Kî from 2a is found in 4a, joined to kēn, and preceded by hinneh. The whole thing can be rendered as: “Here that surely…” Here again the Septuagint and the Peshita did not translate the kî. The Septuagint has idou houtōs eulogēthēsetai... 1

See Joüon, 164b: “kî is sometimes used in order slightly to reinforce and affirmation; it has the force of a weakened certainly, indeed, and must usually be left out in translation”. 2 Ravasi translates literally as nominal phrases (III, 128); similarly Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 685. 3 Thus Kraus, II, 457. 4 Thus Dahood, III, 227; similarly, Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 396; and Vesco, 1211. 5 See Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 397.

406

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

(“Behold, thus shall it be blessed...”), hence clearly making 4 the introduction to what follows (5–6). COMPOSITION Thomas Boys discovered it in 1825, and described it well: In this Psalm we have an alternate parallelism of four members, A., B., A., B.: the third member, A. [4], answering to the first, A. [1], and the fourth, B. [5–6] to the second, B. [2–3]. The principle of the arrangement is this: In A. and A., the first and third members, the man “that feareth the Lord,” is spoken of; in B. and B., the second fourth, he is spoken to. Thus A. and A. go together; and also B. and B. [...] The advantage is, to be able to see an arrangement where none was before observed. This, surely, must be satisfactory to all who read the Scripture, and wish to understand what they read.6

Most moderns share this analysis.7 There are, however, those who divide the psalm differently. Weiser sees three parts: “The psalm [...] begins with a “beatitude” about the pious man (v. 1), praises his good fortune (vv. 2–4) and concludes with a blessing (vv. 5–6).8 There are also those who put the break between the two parts after verse 4, interpreting the links between 1 and 4 as an inclusion.9 The psalm comprises two parallel parts. THE FIRST PART (1B–3) In the first piece (1bc), the second member (1c) explains the meaning of “fearing the Lord”: It means “walking in his ways”, that is, obeying his commands, more concretely, following him, imitating his conduct. The second piece (2–3) sets out, in what might be called chronological order, how man is blessed, first in himself (2b) through the fruit of his labour (2a), then in his fertile wife (3ab),10 and finally in his children (3cd). The last two segments, strictly parallel, are marked by a comparison (“like”, in the same position: 3a & 3c) which refers to the agricultural world, vine and olive tree.

6

Th. BOYS, A Key to the Book of the Psalms, 64–65. For example, Kraus, II, 458; Mannati, IV, 161; Ravasi, III, 606–607; Vesco, 1212. 8 Weiser, 767. 9 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 399; see also Lorenzin, 486: “beatitude” (vv. 1ab–4); blessing (vv. 5– 6)”. see also A.J.O. WAL van der, “The Structure of Psalm 129”. 10 The first term of 3b can also be translated as “on the sides of”. The image could refer to the vines planted on the sides of the inner courtyard of the house, whose arbour provides not only a beneficial shade, but also and above all its bunches of grapes (see Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 401). 7

Psalm 128 + 1b HAPPY + and walks

everyone who fears in his ways!

407 Yhwh

··········································································································

. 2 From the labour . HAPPY you

of your hands, and good

yes, you shall eat, to you;

.. 3 your wife .. on the flanks

like a vine, of your house,

a fruitful one,

:: your sons :: around

like shoots your table.

of olive trees

While the first piece, in the third person, expresses a general law, the second piece is addressed to a particular individual in the second person. The two occurrences of “happy” (1b & 2b) serve as initial terms. THE SECOND PART (4–6) + 4 Behold, + the man

that surely who fears

WILL BE BLESSED

YHWH.

············································································································

. 5 MAY HE BLESS YOU,

YHWH

from Zion,

.. and may you see .. all the days

the good of your life,

of Jerusalem

:: 6 and may you see :: Peace

the sons on Israel!

of your sons!

In the second piece (5–6), all three segments begin with a verb in the optative, the first one having “Yhwh” as its subject (5a), the other two the blessed man.11 The last two segments begin with the same verb; in the first (5bc) good things are desired for the duration of one’s life, in the next one (6) this extends to the grandchildren. Just as the perspective extends from the individual to his or her descendants, so it starts from “Zion” (5a) and “Jerusalem” (5b) and extends to all “Israel” (6b). “Peace” (6b) is the other name for “the good” things (5b). The last two segments (5bc & 6ab) are the fruit of the divine blessing (5a). The first piece in the third person singular is an affirmation; the second piece in the second person singular is a wish for an individual. The two occurrences of “to bless” (4a & 5a) act as initial terms for both pieces; those of “Yhwh” (4b & 5a) as median terms.

11

The last two, “and may you see”, could be translated by a consecutive: “so that you may see” (see Joüon, 116f).

408

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A song

of ascents.

+ HAPPY + and walks

EVERYONE WHO FEARS

YHWH

in his ways!

······················································································································

. 2 From the labour . HAPPY you .. 3 your wife .. on the flanks :: YOUR SONS :: around + 4 Behold, + THE MAN

of your hands, and GOOD

yes, you shall eat, to you;

like a vine, of your house,

a fruitful one,

like shoots your table.

of olive trees

that surely

WILL BE BLESSED

WHO FEARS YHWH. ······················································································································

. 5 MAY HE BLESS YOU, .. and may you see .. all the days :: 6 and may you see :: Peace

Yhwh

from Zion,

the GOOD of your life,

of Jerusalem

THE SONS

OF YOUR SONS!

on Israel!

The first pieces (1bc & 4) are the size of a bimember segment, while the second pieces (2–3 & 5–6) comprise three bimember segments. The first pieces are in the third person, the second pieces in the second person. In the first pieces “the man who fears Yhwh” (4b) recalls “everyone who fears Yhwh” (1b). The two occurrences of “happy” of the first part (1b & 2b) correspond to the two occurrences of “to bless” in the second part (4a & 5a); “good” returns in 2b and 5b. The good things and blessing of those who “fear the Lord” (1bc & 4ab) is achieved first in family life (2–3) and then in social life in the capital and the whole country (5–6). The first part ends with “sons” (3c), at the end of the second part the descendants are extended to “the sons of your sons” (6a). CONTEXT “HAPPY” Five other psalms begin in the same fashion: Ps 1:1 and thus the whole psalter, the immense Ps 119 at the beginning of its first two verses, but also Ps 32:1–2; 41:2; 112:1.

Psalm 128

409

“AND GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD” The first account of creation is punctuated by the refrain where the Lord states that what he had made was good (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25) and even “very good” (Gen 1:31). “WALKING IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD” Ps 1 is built on the opposition between the two ways, that of the righteous and the wicked. The theme of “the way” marks the beginning of Ps 119, already quoted: 1

Happy the perfect of the way, Happy those observing his orders, 3 They also have not committed iniquity, 2

who walk in the law of Yhwh! with all heart they search for him! they walk in his ways.

Walking in the ways of God means obeying his Law. This theme continues throughout the first sequence of Ps 119.12 Micah sums up the whole Law as follows: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic 6:8). THE FEAR OF GOD To fear God is not to be afraid of him; it is to respect him and walk in his ways. Ps 112 begins: “Happy the man who fears the Lord, he greatly delights in his commandments” (Ps 112:1). The last segment of Ps 111, the sister psalm of the previous one, says: “The principle of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Ps 111:10).13 “IN PAIN YOU SHALL EAT OF IT ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE” (GEN 3:17) After the fall, the serpent is cursed (Gen 3:14) and also the ground because of Adam. Eve and Adam are not cursed, but the woman will give birth in “pain” (3:16) and the man will eat of the produce of the ground in “pain” (3:17). In Psalm 128 in verses 2a and 5c echoes what was promised to the man. The Lord’s blessing is first manifested in the fact that man can feed himself with the work of his hands: 3

If you live according to my laws, if you keep my commandments and put them into practice, 4 I shall give you the rain you need at the right time; the soil will yield its produce and the trees of the countryside their fruit, 5 you will thresh until vintage time and gather

12 13

See R. MEYNET, Les huit psaumes acrostiches alphabétiques, 162–163. R. MEYNET, Les huit psaumes acrostiches, 136–137; see also 210.

410

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

grapes until sowing time. You will eat your fill of bread and live secure in your land. (Lev 26:3–5; see also Deut 28:1–14; Isa 62:8–9; 65:21–22)

THE VINE AND THE OLIVE TREE The two are often quoted together (Exod 23:11; Deut 6:11; 24:20–21; 28:39– 40; 1 Kgs 5:5; Hos 14:7–8; Mic 4:4). They symbolise the happy life in the land of Israel. The vine represents the chosen people; see especially “The Song of the Vineyard” (Isa 5:1–7; see also Ps 80:9–15). The shoots of the olive tree can refer to young plants, but also to the offshoots that grow around the old olive tree whose trunk has been cut down to the ground; some of them will be able to grow a new trunk on the old root, others will be transplanted with the roots they have developed to give new trees.14 As the fruit of the vine represents the children of the woman, so the olive shoots symbolise the sons of man.15 TO SEE THE CHILDREN OF YOUR OWN CHILDREN One of the signs of the blessing is long life, to the point of seeing the children of your own children to the fourth generation. Joseph, for instance: “Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation, and also the children of Machir son of Manasseh, who were born on Joseph’s lap” (Gen 50:22–23). Similarly, Job: “After this, Job lived for another one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and his children’s children to the fourth generation. Then, old and full of days, Job died” (Job 42:16–17). JERUSALEM, FERTILE WIFE OF THE LORD There is mention of children and children’s children in the last segments of each part (Ps 128:3cd, 6). The parallelism of the two parts suggests a connection between the penultimate segments (128:3ab, 5bc). Isa 54 presents Jerusalem as a fertile bride: “Shout for joy, barren one who has borne no children! Break into cries and shouts of joy, you who were never in labour! For the children of the forsaken one are more in number than the children of the wedded wife, says the Lord...” (Isa 54:1).16

14 15

See Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 401–403. “Vine” (gepen) is feminine, while “olive tree” (zayit) is masculine (Hossfeld – Zenger, III,

403.

16

As in the psalm, the names “Zion” and “Jerusalem” appear together at the beginning of the oracle addressed to them (Isa 52:1).

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411

INTERPRETATION GOODNESS All of creation is good, very good, and human beings are made for goodness. Provided, of course, that they walk in the ways of the one who created them, that they listen to his voice and obey him, doing as he does what is good for others. By the labour of their hands, and in spite of their pain, they collaborate in the work of God. His wife also gives birth in pain, but her fertility is a gift from God. The fruit of the earth and the fruit of the womb are the sign of God’s blessing that accompanies a person on his or her journey “all the days of his or her life”. THE GIFT OF LIFE The life that people received from the one who made them, they maintain by the work of their hands. However, the husband does this not only for himself, but also for his entire household, his wife and the children she has given him. Through them, life will be passed on to their children and their children’s children. When the trunk of the old olive tree is cut down, the shoots will arise that will allow life to continue and multiply. From the family the gaze extends to Zion and from Jerusalem to all Israel, from the particular house with its children to the house of Israel, to all the children of Israel. EVE AND JERUSALEM As Eve suffers punishment because of her disobedience, so Jerusalem suffers punishment because of her unfaithfulness to the covenant of her Lord. But her husband, the one who made her, “Yhwh” (Ps 128:5a), is also the one who redeems her, “the Holy One of Israel” (Isa 54:5). And she who had been struck with barrenness, she who “knew no pain” (Isa 54:1), will have to enlarge the space of her tent to welcome the multitude of children who will be given to her.

2. PSALM 129 TEXT A song of ascents. Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, let Israel say it now! 2 Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, also they have not prevailed against me. 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, they made long their furrows; 4 Yhwh (is) righteous, he has shattered the yoke strap of the wicked. 5 Let them blush and be turned backward, all who hate Zion! 6 Let them be like grass of the roofs which dried up before one pulls it up, 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, or the binder his lap, 8 and the passers-by do not say: “The blessing of Yhwh upon you!” We bless you in the name of Yhwh. 1

2B: “BUT NOT” The second member of 2 begins with gam, which usually means “also”. Connecting two opposing members, it becomes adversative (see, among others, Jer 6:15). 3A: “THE YOKE STRAP” Instead of the Masoretic text’s “the ploughmen”, which is of the same root as the verb “ploughed”, 11QPsa reads “the wicked” as at the end of 4b; as for the Septuagint, it translates as “sinners”. The Masoretic text is preferable because it preserves the metaphor, which will be deciphered at the end of the subsequent verse. 3D: “THEIR FURROWS” Ketib has the plural of ma‘ănâ, qeré the plural of ma‘ănît. Both terms have the same meaning. 4A: “YHWH (IS) RIGHTEOUS” Many hold that “righteous” qualifies or is affixed to “Yhwh”.1 The Masoretic punctuation makes the two words a nominal phrase.2 4B: “THE YOKE STRAP” “The yoke strap” is the belt that secures the “yoke” to the head of the beasts that pull the plough. The image is consistent with that of “the ploughmen” of the 1

Thus Kraus, II, 462, which makes it a vocative; Dahood, III, 231–232; Ravasi, III, 129; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 691, 693. 2 See, e.g., Weiser, 770; Vesco 1215.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

preceding verse. Some, especially those who believe that the second part of the psalm begins with verse 4, interpret the term in a broader sense, as a “bond” or “rope” (Ps 2:3, “Let us break their bonds, throw away their shackles from us”). 5–6: “LET THEM BLUSH...” While verbs in verses 1b–4 are in the complete tense (except for the one in the incision of 1c) and are translated as the past tenses, in the subsequent main clauses (5a & 6a) they are in the incomplete tense. Some translate them as the present tense,3 interpreting this second part as a declaration of confidence. The majority translate them as optatives, the second part is thus a prayer of request.4 COMPOSITION Most authors divide the psalm into two parts, but do not place the dividing line in the same place; the majority include verse 4 in the first part,5 while some place it in the second part,6 interpreting qiṣṣēṣ as a complete precative and thus translating it as an optative as in the subsequent verses. As verse 4 is torn, so to speak, between the two parts, it could be considered as being situated in the centre.7 The ending of verse 8 (“We bless you in the name of the Lord”) is problematic. Some think that this blessing is a part of what the passers-by do not say;8 the Targum takes the view that it is the response of those to whom the previous blessing is addressed (see Ruth 2:4), or rather is not addressed. Most think that it constitutes a concluding blessing addressed to the one who has been speaking throughout the psalm, namely “Israel” (Ps 129:1c), a real blessing that is in some way opposed to the preceding no-benediction. This blessing that stands out from the preceding will be regarded as a final part; the same applies to the ending of Ps 131 and Ps 134. It remains to be decided whether we deal with a unimember or a bimember segment; since the object is not a pronoun suffix (as in Ps 118:26), but since it forms one term with the particle ’et, it is preferable to regard it as a bimember.

3

See Kraus, II, 461. Similarly, e.g., the last piece of Ps 125 (4–5) which begins with an imperative and continues with an optative (see p. 398). 5 E.g., Kraus, II, 461; Weiser, 771, Mannati, IV, 164, Hakham, II, 476; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 409. 6 Dahood, III, 230, followed by Ravasi, III, 618–619. 7 This would be in line with Girard’s position, III, 352. 8 Thus Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 407. 4

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415

After the title, the psalm has three parts, two long ones, followed by a shorter one. THE FIRST PART (1B–4) The first members of the first piece are identical (1b & 2a), the second members are complementary (1c & 2b): What Israel is invited to say (1c) is not only what the first members of the two segments say but also what the last member of the piece affirms (2b). In the second piece, the metaphor of the first segment (3) is spun into the second segment with “the yoke strap” (4b): “the wicked” of the second segment (4b) are the “ploughmen” of the first segment (3a).9 – 1b Greatly . Let say it now

have they oppressed me Israel!

from my youth,

– 2 Greatly + yet they have not

have they oppressed me prevailed against me.

from my youth,

··············································································································

– 3 On my back – they made long + 4 Yhwh (is) + he has shattered

ploughed their furrows; righteous, the yoke strap

ploughmen,

of the wicked.

The first segment of the second piece (3ab) describes in a figurative way the oppression that the first members of the segments of the first piece expressed (1b & 2a). The second segment of the second piece (4) names the one by whom the oppressors “could not” prevail over Israel (2b), “Yhwh”; it also labels “the wicked” as the subject of the verbs of the first piece (1b & 2ab).

9

For information on ploughing and hitching techniques, see Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 412–415.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

THE SECOND PART (5–8) – 5 LET THEM BLUSH – all who hate

AND BE TURNED

backward,

Zion!

······················································································································ 6

.. LET THEM BE .. which, before

like grass one pulls it up,

of the roofs it dried up,

- 7 with which does not - or the binder

fill his lap,

his hand

.. 8 and do not .. “The blessing

say of Yhwh

the passers-by: upon you!”

the reaper,

The three segments of the second piece form a single phrase, except for the words of the last member (8b). The last two segments, which begin with the negation, are complementary: one deals with those who reap the harvest (7), the other with those who see the result of their harvest (8). Both pieces begin with optatives. The second piece figuratively develops what the first piece wished for the enemies of “Zion”: It is indeed a shame and a defeat to reap such a derisory harvest as that on the terrace of a house.10 THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM

“Israel” (1c) and “Zion” (5b), which are found in symmetrical positions at the end of the first segments, play the role of initial terms for the first two parts. The three occurrences of the name “Yhwh” (4a, 8b, 8d) serve as final terms for the three parts. “The wicked” (4b) and “all who hate Zion” (5b) are found in median terms, especially since these are the only places where the enemies are mentioned in anything other manner than a metaphorical way. “The reaper” (7a) corresponds to the “ploughmen” (3a). The negation, rendered as “not”, occurs three times (2b, 7a, 8a). “Blessing” and “we bless” link the last two parts (8b & 8c). The two occurrences of “to say” (1c & 8a) form an inclusion for the two main parts.

10

Nowadays, traditional houses are still covered with an earthen terrace, on which grasses or even some cereals grow, which dry up due to the lack of rain when the hot weather arrives. See, e.g., Vesco, 1218 (he refers to 2 Kgs 19:26 and Isa 37 :27 that talk about “roof grass”).

Psalm 129 1

417

A song

of ascents.

– Greatly . let SAY it now

have they oppressed me from my youth, ISRAEL!

– 2 Greatly + yet they have NOT

have they oppressed me from my youth, prevailed against me.

···················································································································

– 3 On my back – they made long + 4 YHWH (is) + he has shattered – 5 Let them blush – all who hate

ploughed their furrows; righteous, the yoke strap and be turned ZION!

PLOUGHMEN,

of the wicked. backward,

···················································································································

.. 6 Let them be .. which, before

like grass one pulls it up,

of the roofs it dried up,

- 7 with which does NOT - or the binder

fill his lap,

his hand

.. 8 and do NOT .. “The blessing

SAY of YHWH

the passers-by: upon you!”

+ We bless + in the name

THE REAPER,

you of YHWH.

CONTEXT “FROM MY YOUTH” (PS 129:1B) The expression refers to the time when Israel was born as a people: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hos 11:1). God compares his people to a forgiven unfaithful wife, saying through Hosea: “There she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as on the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt” (Hos 2:17; see also Hos 11:1; Jer 2:2). For an individual, it is a way of saying “from the beginning, from eternity”: “O God, you have taught me from my youth and until now I proclaim your wonders” (Ps 71:17; see also Gen 8:21; Ps 71:5).

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

“THEY SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST YOU” (JER 1:19) The first chapter of the book of Jeremiah—the oracle of the Lord that defines the prophet’s vocation—concludes as follows: They will fight against you, but shall not prevail against you, for I am with you —oracle of Yhwh— to deliver you.

THE PLOUGHED BACK The defeated would bow down to the victor, who would put his foot on his neck, or even step on him. 22

Thus says your Lord Yhwh, your God, defender of your people: Behold, I am taking the stupefying cup from your hand, the chalice, the cup of my wrath, you will not have to drink again. 23 I shall hand it to your tormentors who used to say to you, ‘On the ground! So that we can walk over you!’ And you would flatten your back like the ground, like a street for them to walk on. (Isa 51:22–23)

A sledge formed of planks with flints or iron spikes underneath was used to remove the wheat from the threshing floor. This image appears several times to mark the domination over the defeated (Amos 1:3; Isa 41:15–16). In the third song of the Servant, the latter declares: “I gave my back to those who struck me” (Isa 50:6). THE BROKEN YOKE The yoke is the traditional image of inhuman oppression, since it is over animals that humans are called to exercise dominion, not over their fellow human beings (Gen 1:26–27). The Lord delivers his subjugated people by breaking their yoke: “For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian” (Isa 9:3; see also Isa 10:27).

Psalm 129

419

INTERPRETATION “LET ISRAEL SAY NOW! (PS 129:1) It is a first person who takes the floor to express both oppression and liberation. But, identifying himself with the whole people, he speaks in their name and invites them to join their words to his own. Through the mouth of one individual, all of Israel speaks as one person. Some would say that this single person is “a poet”, the author of the psalm, others would think that it is a priest or a prophet in the temple, but it could also be the king. In any case, the people only ever speak through the mouth of a particular being, who represents them. “Oppressed, but not crushed” (2 COR 4:8) The history of Israel has always been a history of persecution: in biblical times and up to the present day. Having emerged from the womb of Egypt, which had held them in oppression and slavery for four hundred years (Gen 15:13), the people were finally freed “with a strong hand”. Defeated and driven into exile, they returned after seventy years, by the grace of the one against whom their enemies could do nothing (Ps 129:2b). When the psalmist recalls the sufferings of his nation, it is really only to celebrate the salvation that the Lord has offered him unceasingly. “For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken” (Isa 9:3). THE DANGER PERSISTS In the past, the people have always been saved, but the story continues, today as in the past. Injustice and oppression will always be with us, a threat that will leave no respite for the inhabitants of Zion. That is the reason why supplication remains the order of the day, for the enemies remain on the lookout. They will continue to plough, tear and crush. May the Lord prevent them from reaping, may their hand be closed only on a handful of weeds, which the passers-by can only laugh at! THE BLESSING CONTINUES Those who hate Zion will not hear the blessing of the passers-by for the abundant harvest they expected as the fruit of their plunder. Instead, the people they had oppressed will be blessed by God. Who pronounces this blessing with which the psalm ends, or rather on which it opens? Is it the poet, passing from the “I” to the “we”, so to speak, of majesty, exaltation, jubilation? Is it the priest or the prophet, or even the king? On the contrary, it is possible to interpret that it is of the members of the people who, united in the first person plural, blesses each of his or her companions. It is undoubtedly the one who sings the psalm today, alone and especially in chorus. In any case, it is clear that the one who is

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

blessed is the whole of Israel in each of its members. And the main character is the one whose “name” is pronounced in the finale.

3. PSALM 130 TEXT A song of ascents. From the depths I call you, O Yhwh: 2 Lord, hear my voice; let your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayer! 3 If you watch faults, O Yah, Lord, who could stand? 4 Because with you forgiveness, so that you may be feared. 5 I wait for Yhwh, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. 6 My soul for the Lord more than watchmen for the dawn; (like) watchmen for the dawn, 7 hope, O Israel, in Yhwh! Because with Yhwh (is) grace, and with him abundance of redemption; 8 and it is he who will redeem Israel from all his faults. 1

1B: “I CALL” The verb is in the complete form, and some translate it as a past tense.1 Most consider it as a stative verb and render it as a present tense instead.2 4A: “BECAUSE WITH YOU” Many rightly interpret the particle kî with which verse 4 begins as an adversative; however, in order to respect the correspondence of 4a with 7b, both kî-‘im are equally translated as “because with”. 4B: “SO THAT YOU MAY BE FEARED” The conjunction lema‘an is ambiguous: its meaning is either final or consecutive. The translation must choose between “so that” + subjunctive and “so that” + indicative. The ancient versions are of no help: the Peshita deletes the member, followed by the Vulgate, the Septuagint has another text. The problem is primarily interpretive, especially with regard to the verb, since the fear of God does not mean to be afraid, but to respect, adore and acknowledge.3 5A: “I WAIT FOR YHWH” Following the Septuagint, some consider “Yhwh” as a vocative.4 The symmetry of 5a (“I wait for Yhwh”) and 5c (“and in his word I hope”) suggests that it should be interpreted as an object complement;5 if it were a vocative, the third member would be: “and in your word I hope” (thus the Septuagint). 1

E.g., Weiser, 772; Vesco 1221. See Joüon, 112a, which gives as an example the extreme verbs of verse 5 (see also Ps 85:2). 3 See, e.g., Ravasi, III, 643–644. 4 Kraus, II, 464; Ravasi, III, 636. 5 Thus Hakham, II, 479. 2

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

6–7: “WATCHMEN FOR THE DAWN” 6c repeats the preceding member, without the preposition min. According to Masoretic punctuation, this member belongs to verse 6, which would therefore be a trimember.6 In the composition of the whole—which, apart from verse 6, consists only of bimembers—6c–7a will be considered as a bimember, the first member is affixed to the subject of the verb of 7a. Members 6b and 6c act as median terms.7 COMPOSITION The commentaries organize the psalm in very different fashions. Many agree, however, on the divisions of the minor units 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8. Some consider that 1–2 introduces the body of the psalm.8 Others point out that the first part (1– 4) is in the second person singular, while the second part (5–8) is in the third person singular, which is not quite correct because 7a is addressed to Israel. 9 Dahood makes the point that 1–4 is addressed to God and 5–8 to Israel.10 Some authors divide the text into three parts.11 The psalm comprises two extensive parts which frame a much shorter part (5). THE FIRST PART (1B–4) + 1b From the depths – 2 LORD,

I call you, hear

O YHWH: my voice;

– let be + to the voice

your ears of my prayer!

attentive

································································································ 3

:: If faults . LORD,

you watch, who could stand?

:: 4 Because with you . so that

forgiveness, you may be feared.

O YAH,

6 Kraus (II, 464) translates the third member as the second, repeating the preposition; similarly, Ravasi, III, 625. 7 See J. TROMP, “The text of Psalm 130:5–6”. 8 Thus Ravasi, III, 638; for Girard (III, 360–364), followed by Vesco, each of the two parts has a concentric composition. 9 Cf. Hakham, II, 477; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 425. 10 Dahood, III, 235. 11 E.g., Kraus, II, 466–468 (1–4, 5–6, 7–8); Mannati, IV, 170 (1–2, 3–6, 7–8).

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423

The two segments of the first piece (1b–2a & 2bc) are synonymous and form a mirrored composition: prayer at the extremities (1b & 2c), a call to hear in between (2a & 2b). On the contrary, the two segments of the second piece (3 & 4) are in opposition and built in parallel. “Forgiveness” (4a) erases “faults” (3a); the second members (3b & 4b) can be seen as complementary insofar as human stability is related to the fear of God. The names of God are matching in identical positions in the first segments of each piece. Thanks to the second piece, we understand that the “prayer” referred to in the first piece (2c) is a request for forgiveness (4a). THE SECOND PART (5) 5

+ I wait for

– it waits, + and in HIS WORD

YHWH, my soul, I hope.

The trimember is of ABA’ type. In the extreme members the verbs are in the first person singular, while the verb in the central member is in the third person. The verbs “I wait” and “I hope” act as extreme terms. “Yhwh” is matched by “his word”, which are two object complementary to the verbs. THE THIRD PART (6–8) + 6 My soul + more than watchmen

for THE LORD for the dawn;

:: watchmen :: 7 hope,

for the dawn, O ISRAEL,

in YHWH!

········································································································

+ Because with YHWH + and abundance 8

:: and it is HE :: from all

(is) grace, with him who will redeem his faults.

of redemption; ISRAEL

The two segments of the first piece (6ab & 6b–7a) are constructed in mirror image fashion. At the extremities (6a & 7a), “Israel” corresponds to “my soul”, and “Yhwh” to “the Lord”; the internal members (6b & 6c) are almost identical. The psalmist invites all “Israel” to imitate his conduct. In the second piece (7b–8), a general statement about “redemption” (7bc) is followed by its application to “Israel” (8).

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

+ 6 My soul + more than watchmen

for THE LORD for the dawn;

:: (like) watchmen :: 7 hope,

for the dawn, O ISRAEL,

in YHWH!

·······································································································

+ Because with YHWH + and abundance 8

:: and it is HE :: from all

(is) grace, with him who will redeem his faults.

of redemption; ISRAEL

Beginning with “because” (7b), the second piece is therefore the reason for the first piece: What the psalmist with all Israel hopes for, as “watchmen”, is “the redemption”. The final segments (6c–7a & 8) apply to “Israel” and it could therefore be understood that the first two concern the psalmist; unless the latter invites Israel to consider that the grace of the Lord (7bc), on which he himself relies (6ab), will also extend to all the people. The two occurrences of “Yhwh” act as median terms (7a & 7b). Note also that the two occurrences of God’s names in the first piece (at the end of the extreme members) are matched by “Yhwh” and “He” in the second piece (7b & 8a, in the initial terms of the two segments). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM The extreme parts are parallel to each other, although the first one is addressed to God and the last one to Israel (7a is in the imperative). The first pieces (1b–2 & 6–7a) speak of waiting “for Yhwh”, the second pieces (3–4 & 7b–8) of the assurance that he will forgive “faults” (3a & 8b), for “with” him (4a, 7b, 7c) are “forgiveness” (4a), “grace” and “redemption” (7bc). The central part (5) is the only trimember in the psalm. It is in the third person, while the extreme parts are in the second person. It links the other two parts: The name “Yhwh” (5a) appears already in 1b (and in the form of “Yah” in 3a), and comes again in 7a and 7b. “My soul” is taken up again at the beginning of the subsequent part (6a) and “to hope” in 7a. “His word” corresponds to “my voice” (2a, repeated in 2c). The two words are complementary: The psalmist first asks God to listen to the “voice” of his prayer and then assures that he is waiting for God’s “word” in response. We can also notice the double occurrence of “voice” at the beginning of the first part (2a & 2c), of “watchmen” at the beginning of the last part (6b & 6c) and of “to wait” at the beginning of the central part (5a & 5b).

Psalm 130 1

425

A song

of ascents.

+ From the depths . 2 LORD,

I call you, hear

O YHWH: MY VOICE;

:: let be . to THE VOICE

your ears of my prayer!

attentive

································································································

– 3 If FAULTS - LORD,

YOU WATCH,

= 4 BECAUSE WITH you .. so that

FORGIVENESS,

O YAH,

who could stand? you may be feared. 5

I wait for it waits, and in HIS WORD + 6 MY SOUL . more than WATCHMEN

for THE LORD for the dawn;

:: (like) WATCHMEN . 7 HOPE,

for the dawn, O Israel,

YHWH, MY SOUL,

I HOPE.

in YHWH!

································································································

= BECAUSE WITH YHWH .. and abundance 8

– and it is HE - from all

(is) GRACE, with him

of REDEMPTION;

who will redeem

Israel

HIS FAULTS.

CONTEXT THE SONG OF JONAH The situation of the two psalms is similar: It is “from the belly of Sheol”, from “the abyss, in the heart of the seas” that the prophet “calls” the Lord for help. (Jonah 2).12 “SO THAT YOU MAY BE FEARED” (PS 130:4B) The fear of the Lord is the awe which seizes the one who, suddenly freed from terror, trembles with all his or her body and soul at having been saved from death and turns with gratitude to his or her saviour. It is not a dread of God, it is 12

See Cl. LICHTERT, “La prière de Jonas (Jon 2)”.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

a dread of lack of respect for him and of gratitude. “The trembling certainty of love is exactly what the Bible calls the fear of God.”13 REDEMPTION The root pdh occurs twice in the ending of the psalm (130:7c, 8a). Liberation from slavery in the land of Egypt is often referred to as redemption, the process of paying a ransom to free a prisoner of war or a slave. “I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment” (Exod 6:6; also, for example, Deut 7:8; 9:26; Ps 78:42; Isa 63:9). INTERPRETATION THE ABYSS OF FAULTS The first word of the psalm—which is its title, at least in Latin—sets the tone (Ps 130:1b). The one who calls sees himself as in a well, at the bottom of the abyss, in the depths of the sea, “at the root of the mountains” like Jonah. He is enveloped in a dark night, like the guards who only hope for one thing, that the day will finally dawn. These are the symptoms of depression: He is, as one says, “at the bottom of the hole”. The last word provides the reason: His faults have pushed him into the abyss of guilt, under which he is crushed, buried, without being able to get out. THE SLAVERY OF SIN From the depths of his distress, however, the psalmist still has the strength to cry out. He calls “the Lord”, the one whom he has offended—even more— whom he has abandoned in order to cling to someone who is not God and whom he has followed and to whom he has clung. Therefore, he begs not only to be forgiven (130:4a), to be pardoned (130:7b), but to be “redeemed” (130:7c, 8a). Such an emphasis in the ending draws attention to the nature of the “faults”. It is unfaithfulness that the psalmist has been guilty of. The text does not specify the material circumstances of the “faults” committed, but with the image of redemption it suggests that the root of all sin is idolatry. WAITING FOR THE WORD OF GOD If the psalm is enclosed by “the depths” of “faults”, it is nevertheless focused on expectation (130:5). At the heart of his distress, the psalmist has not lost his hope. It is hope that makes him breathe, that expands his throat, that makes his soul live. What he hopes for is to be lifted out of the abyss, for deliverance and 13

P. BEAUCHAMP, L’Un et l’Autre Testament, I, 272.

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427

redemption. And yet, what he says he is waiting for and hoping for is “the word” of his God. He awaits an answer to the call of his “prayer”. The word that will be addressed to him will be that of “forgiveness” (130:4a), of “grace” (130:7b), of “redemption” (130:7c), in short it will mark the renewal of the covenant. THE PSALMIST IS NOT ALONE The whole psalm is in the first person singular. And one might get the impression that the speaker is alone in the abyss of sin into which he has sunk. And it is true that unfaithfulness to God also isolates him from other persons. However, repentance brings him back to his community; a community of “faults”, certainly, but also of redemption (130:7–8). The prayer ends with the reunion of the individual and all his people, redeemed from “all” their faults.

4. HAPPINESS FOR THE REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL (PS 128–130) COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SUBSEQUENCE While the first psalm has a very positive tone, the other two psalms evoke a situation of misfortune; we can therefore say that the three psalms are organised according to the ABB’ pattern. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE LAST TWO PSALMS (PS 129 & PS 130) 10. Ps 129

1

A song of ascents.

Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 2 Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, 4 YHWH is righteous,

let ISRAEL say it now! yet they have not prevailed against me. they made long their furrows; he has shattered the yoke strap of THE WICKED.

5

Let them blush and be turned backward, Let them be like grass of the roofs 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, 8 and the passers-by do not say:

all who hate Zion! which dried up before one pulls it up, or the binder his lap, “The blessing of YHWH upon you!”

We bless YOU

in the name of YHWH.

6

11. Ps 130

1

A song of ascents. 2

From the depths I call you, O YHWH: let your ears be attentive 3 If you watch FAUKTS, O YAH, 4 Because with you forgiveness, 5 6

I wait for YHWH,

my soul waits,

My soul for THE LORD (like) watchmen for the dawn, Because with YHWH is grace, 8 and it is he who will redeem ISRAEL

LORD, hear my voice; to the voice of my prayer! LORD, who could stand? so that you may be feared. and in his word I hope. more than watchmen for the dawn; hope, O ISRAEL, in YHWH! and with him abundance of redemption; from all his FAULTS.

7

The two psalms are complementary. In the first psalm, the situation of misfortune is due to “the wicked”, the enemies of Israel (129:4), in the second psalm it is due to “faults” in which the psalmist and his people are sunk (Ps 130:3, 8). Thus, it concerns enemies from outside and then from within. The first psalm is a psalm of complaint against the enemies, the second one of supplication for himself. In Psalm 129 the complaint (129:1–4), which ends with a mention of God’s response (129:4), is followed by a long curse against the oppressors (129:5–8), which ends with a blessing for Israel (129:8b). It is reversed in Psalm 130: It begins with a prayer (130:1–4) and continues with a declaration of confidence (130:5–8).

430

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE FIRST TWO PSALMS (PS 128 & PS 129) 9.

Ps 128

1

A song of ascents.

Happy everyone who fears YHWH 2 From the labour of your hands, yes, you shall eat, 3 your wife LIKE a fruitful vine your sons LIKE shoots of olive trees 4

Behold, that surely will be BLESSED May YHWH BLESS you from ZION and may you see the good of JERUSALEM 6 and may you see the sons of your sons! 5

10. Ps 129

1

and walks in his ways! happy you and good to you; on the flanks of your house, around your table. the man who fears YHWH. all the days of your life, Peace on ISRAEL!

A song of ascents.

Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 2 Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, 4 YHWH is righteous, 5

let ISRAEL say it now! yet they have not prevailed against me. they made long their furrows; he has shattered the yoke strap of THE WICKED.

Let them blush and be turned backward, Let them be LIKE grass of the roofs 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, 8 and the passers-by do not say:

all who hate ZION! which dried up before one pulls it up, or the binder his lap, “THE BLESSING of YHWH upon you!”

WE BLESS YOU

in the name of YHWH.

6

Comparisons, introduced by “like”, refer to plants, but they are opposed at all: “a fruitful vine” and “shoots of olive trees” on the one hand (128:3), “grass of the roofs which dried up before one pulls it up” on the other hand (129:6–7). “Blessing” is assured to “the man who fears the Lord” (128:4–5), but denied to “all who hate Zion” (129:8a). RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ALL THREE PSALMS All three begin in the singular (“he” and “you” in 128:1–6a; “me” in 129:1–4; “I” in 130:1–6), but end by expanding to the plural, “Israel”/”you” (128:6; 129:8b; 130:6b–8). “Zion” is mentioned only in the first two psalms (128:5; 129:5), along with “Jerusalem” (128:5b); in the third one, as if to compensate for the absence of the name “Zion”, “Israel” is mentioned twice (130:7, 8). The three occurrences of “to fear” are found only in the extreme psalms (128:1, 4; 130:4). While in the first two psalms the name “Yhwh” occurs infrequently and never as vocative (128:1b, 4, 5a; 129:4, 8a, 8b), in the last psalm the divine names (“Yhwh”, “Yah”, “Lord”) are mentioned eight times, half of them as vocatives (130:1b, 2a, 3a, 3b, 5, 6a, 7a, 7b). The first psalm, addressed to a “you”, speaks only of happiness, while the other two, addressed to an “I”, speak of misfortune.

The Whole of the First Subsequence (Ps 128–130) 9.

Ps 128

1

A song of ascents.

Happy everyone WHO FEARS YHWH 2 From the labour of your hands, you shall eat, 3 your wife like a fruitful vine your sons like shoots of olive trees

and walks in his ways! happy you and good to you; on the flanks of your house, around your table.

4

the man WHO FEARS YHWH.

Behold, that surely will be blessed May YHWH bless you from ZION and may you see the good of JERUSALEM 6 and may you see the sons of your sons! 5

10.

431

Ps 129

1

all the days of your life, Peace on ISRAEL!

A song of ascents.

Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 2 Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, 4 YHWH is righteous,

let ISRAEL say it now! yet they have not prevailed against me. they made long their furrows; he has shattered the yoke of the wicked.

5

Let them blush and be turned backward, Let them be like grass of the roofs 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, 8 and the passers-by do not say:

all who hate ZION! which dried up before one pulls it up, or the binder his lap, “The blessing of YHWH upon you!”

We bless YOU

in the name of YHWH.

6

11.

Ps 130

1

A song of ascents.

From the depths I call you, O YHWH: let your ears be attentive 3 If you watch faults, O YAH, 4 Because with you forgiveness,

2

5

and in his word I hope.

I wait for YHWH,

my soul waits,

6

My soul for THE LORD (like) watchmen for the dawn, Because with YHWH is grace, 8 and it is he who will redeem ISRAEL

LORD, hear my voice; to the voice of my prayer! LORD, who could stand? so that you MAY BE FEARED.

more than watchmen for the dawn; 7 hope, O ISRAEL, in YHWH! and with him abundance of redemption; from all his faults.

INTERPRETATION A HIGHLY ENIGMATIC CONTRAST If the three psalms really form a unity, how is it that the first one, which radiates happiness, is followed by the other two, in which misfortune overwhelms the psalmist? The first words of each psalm, like so many titles, clash: “Happy”, “Greatly have oppressed me”, “From the depths I call you”. The least we can say is that the passage between the first psalm and the other two is without the slightest transition. After addressing those who fear the Lord to celebrate their happiness, the psalmist begins to tell of his own misfortunes.

432

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

TELLING THE STORY OF ISRAEL The psalmist uses the first person singular to endorse and re-enact the history of Israel. The one whom he first addresses is the ideal person, the people who walk in the ways of the Lord, who observe his Law. He will be blessed in the generations to come. “Peace on Israel!” (128:6). However, the reality has proved to be far from the dream. Misfortune befell the people from the beginning, from their youth. They were the toys of their enemies who never ceased to oppress them. Who could forget what happened to them as soon as a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph became king (Exod 1:8)? Then came the time of the deportation to Babylon. But the Lord is righteous, and the enemies could never prevail to the end. We bless you in the name of the Lord” (Ps 129:8). The psalmist continues his account by confessing the sin that has caused him to be in “the depths” (130:1) and by declaring his firm hope that “he will redeem Israel from all his sins” (130:8).

B. LIKE A CHILD RESTS AGAINST ITS MOTHER (PS 131) PSALM 131 TEXT A song of ascents, of David. Yhwh, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised up, and I do not walk in great things, and in wonders beyond me. 2 But not that, I hold equal and hold my soul silent; like a child (rests) against its mother, like the child against me (is) my soul. 3 Hope, O Israel, in Yhwh from now on and forever. 1

2A: “BUT NOT” ’im-lō’ usually introduces the apodosis of an imprecatory oath: “So may God do to me, and more, if you are not the commander of my army from now on, in place of Joab” (2 Sam 19:14; see also Josh 11:10; Ps 137:6). Often the protasis is implied (Josh 14:9; Isa 14:24).1 Without the imprecatory clause, ’im-lō’ is used “to reinforce the statement”2 (1 Kgs 20:23; Isa 5:9; Ezek 38:19). The translation “But not that” is intended to mark the connection with the three negations of 1bcd; “that” is intended to underline the insistence. 2CD: “CHILD” The translation of gāmul as “child” respects the ambiguity of the term. Most modern scholars take the view that it refers to a “weaned” child (see 1 Sam 1:21, 23, 24; Hos 1:8; Isa 11:8;3 28:9) who is content to snuggle with or be carried by its mother.4 Others believe, on the contrary, that the infant rests against its mother when it has finished suckling and that, satisfied now, it falls asleep.5 The verb gāmal in fact often means “to do good”, that is, “to satisfy” (Ps 13:6; 116:7; 119:17; 142:8), and also “to finish”, “to achieve”, “to complete” (Num 17:23; Isa 18:5). That is the most natural image of abandonment.6

1

Some think that in Gen 24:38 ’im-lō’ is oppositional; e.g., P.A.H. DE BOER, “Psalm 131:2”, 289. And this is how Osty translates. But the BJ does not agree and supplements the imprecatory formula before “if you do not...”, “37 My master made me take this oath: You are not to choose a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose country I live. 38 Woe to you if you do not go to my father’s house, to my family, and choose a wife for my son!” (the oath is explicitly stated at the beginning of verse 37). 2 Joüon, 165j. 3 Where “infant” (lit. “suckling”) is used in parallel with “weaned”. 4 See, e.g., Weiser, 777; Lorenzin, 490; Vesco 1230. 5 Mannati, IV, 177; Hakham, II, 483. 6 See also M.D. KNOWLES, “A Woman at Prayer: A Critical Note on Psalm 131:2b”; B.P. ROBINSON, “Form and Meaning in Psalm 131”; W.A. VANGEMEREN, “Psalm 131:2 – kegamul:

434

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

COMPOSITION The composition of the psalm does not pose great problems. Although some divide it into three parts: a. Declaration of innocence, expressed in a negative fashion (1); b. Declaration of appeasement, expressed in a positive way (2); c. Conclusion (3),7 most of them group the first two verses in an opposed diptych,8 the final verse serving as a link between the two parts of the diptych.9 In the first part the psalmist addresses the Lord to assure him of his humility; in a much shorter second part he invites all the people to put their trust in their God. 1

A song

of ascents,

of David.

– YHWH, – and

is NOT exalted are NOT raised up

my heart, my eyes,

– and I do NOT walk – and in wonders

in great things, beyond me.

································································································

+ 2 but NOT that, + and hold silent

I hold equal my soul;

+ like a child + like the child

(rests) against against me (is)

its mother, my soul.

= 3 Hope, =

O Israel, from now on

in YHWH and forever.

In the first piece of the first part (1b–2) he says that he refuses pride, in the second piece he describes the attitude of humility he adopts (2). The two verbs in the first segments oppose each other (1bc & 2ab); in the second segments the two nouns of the first piece (1de) are matched by the two “like a child” in the second piece (2cd). The two occurrences of “my soul” at the end of the segments

The Problems of Meaning and Metaphor”; M. GROHMANN, “The Imagery of the “Weaned Child” in Psalm 131”. 7 Vesco 1227; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 447. 8 Girard, III, 366; Lorenzin, 490. 9 Ravasi, III, 655.

Psalm 131

435

of the second piece (2b & 2d) correspond to “my heart” and “my eyes” at the end of the two members of the first segment of the first piece (1bc). The two occurrences of “the Lord” (1b & 3a) can be considered as forming an inclusion. The fact that the psalm is said to be “of David” (1a) puts the words of the psalm into the mouth of the king who, at the end of his meditation, calls his people to join him in his hope. CONTEXT PRIDE The Lord cannot stand pride and the “proud eyes”, which he will bring down (Isa 2:11–18). “Haughty of eyes and swollen of heart, that one I will not bear” (Ps 101:5; see Prov 21:4). The oracle against the king of Tyre (Ezek 28:1–19) reveals the true nature of his pride, idolatry: putting his trust in his wisdom and wealth, he took himself for a god. “WONDERS WHICH ARE BEYOND ME” (JOB 42:3) Job in his final response states: “Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, about wonders which are beyond me, of which I know nothing. Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3–6). “Great things” and “wonders” are the works of God (Ps 136:4, “He alone has done great things, for his love endures forever”). LIKE INFANTS In the last chapter of Isaiah, we read: You will be suckled, carried on her hip and fondled in her lap. As a mother comforts a child, so I shall comfort you; you will be comforted in Jerusalem (Isa 66:12–13; see also Hos 11:3–4).

BECOMING LIKE CHILDREN The condition sine qua non for entering the Kingdom of Heaven is to become like children (Matt 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17).

436

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

INTERPRETATION SOME WORDS TO INTRODUCE THE SILENCE The declaration of innocence and humility with which the psalmist begins (Ps 131:1) soon gives way to the image of the child resting against its mother’s breast. This is how his prayer addressed to the Lord ends (131:2cd). In the eyes, in the heart and in the soul of the one who takes up the prayer, this image invades and occupies all the space. It leads him or her to calm down, to close the eyes, to be silent and, in the end, to abandon himself or herself to sleep in complete confidence. HOPING IN THE LORD Strictly speaking, and taken in itself, the comparison of the child resting against its mother (131:2c) does not apply directly to the psalmist's relationship with his God (131:2d). This is probably a matter of discretion and modesty. The subsequent verse (131:3), with which the psalm ends, is no longer a part of the prayer addressed to God; it is an invitation addressed by the first person of the psalmist to all Israel. He tells them to hope in the Lord, that is, to trust in him, being sure that he will come. As a child is sure of its mother’s love and abandons itself into her arms. “WONDERS WHICH ARE BEYOND ME” (JOB 42:3) The “great things” and “wonders” are done by the Lord. He did them in the past and continues to do them every day in creation. He did them when he brought his people out of slavery in the land of Egypt, when he brought them back from their exile in Babylon. And these are the wonders that, with the psalmist, Israel “hopes for”, “from now on and forever” (Ps 131:3).

C. FROM THE FIELDS OF YAAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE CITY OF DAVID (PS 132–134) 1. PSALM 132 TEXT A song of ascents. Remember, O Yhwh, for David, all his humility, 2 who has sworn to Yhwh, he has vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 “I will not come into the tent of my house, I will not go up on the couch of my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, to my eyelids—respite, 5 until I find a place for Yhwh, dwelling places for the Mighty One of Jacob!” 6 Behold, we have heard it in Ephrata, we have found it in the Fields of Yaar! 7 Let us come into his dwelling places, let us bow down to the footstool of his feet: 8 “Rise up, O Yhwh, to your rest, you and the ark of your strength. 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful jubilate. 10 For the sake of David your servant do not turn back the face of your Messiah.” 11 Yhwh has sworn to David, the truth, he will not turn back from it: “From the fruit of your womb I will set on the throne for you. 12 If your sons will keep my covenant and my precept (which) I have taught them, also their sons forever will sit on the throne for you.” 13 Yes Yhwh has chosen Zion, he has desired her as a seat for himself: 14 “This (is) my rest forever, here I will sit, because I have desired her. 15 With food, with blessing, I will bless, her poor I will satisfy with bread, 16 and her priests I will clothe with salvation and her faithful will jubilate with jubilation. 17 There I will cause a horn to sprout for David, I will prepare a lamp for my Messiah; 18 his enemies I will clothe with shame and upon him his diadem will flourish.” 1

1C: “HIS HUMILITY” As in 1 Kgs 2:26, the term means “suffering”, “torment”, that is, humiliation suffered. The vow that David pronounces (3–5) allows us to understand that it is rather his own humiliation that he manifested in this way. For this reason, the Septuagint translates it as “humility” (see David’s response to Michal’s criticism: 2 Sam 6:22). 3–4A: “NOT...” These negations translate the conjunction ’im, lit. “if”, which introduces a conditional clause, to be understood as “If I come into the tent of my house, (let such and such an evil happen to me)”, e.g., 1 Sam 3:17; 2 Kgs 6:31.1

1

See Joüon, 165: “Clause of curse and oath” (see Ps 131, p. 435).

438

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

5B: “DWELLING PLACES” It is a plural of majesty or excellence to designate the temple (also in 7a)2. 6AB: “WE HAVE HEARD IT [...] WE HAVE FOUND IT” The two feminine singular suffix pronouns are problematic. Their referent is “the ark” which has not yet been mentioned and which is not named until 8b. Moreover, the noun ’ărôn is usually masculine, but it can also be feminine (1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11). COMPOSITION Most commentators agree that the psalm is divided into two parts. However, not all of them place the boundary between the two parts in the same place: some place it before verse 10,3 but the majority place it after.4 However, there are some authors who find three parts, the second of which is the one that reports the return of the ark (6–10).5 After the title, the psalm is organized into two parallel parts. THE FIRST PART (1B–10) The first part comprises two subparts which must be studied separately before analysing the whole. The first subpart (1b–5) The first piece (1b–2) is a prayer addressed to “Yhwh” on David’s behalf; it forms a single complex phrase, the second segment is a relative clause qualifying “David” and making explicit what “his humility” consisted of (1c). The second piece recalls the words of David’s oath (3–5). The first two segments are marked by the negation of the verbs in the future tense with which the first three members begin (3–4a); in the last member (4b) the verb and its negation are spared. The last segment (5) is a temporal clause indicating the duration of the promises made in the two preceding segments.

2

See Joüon, 136d. E.g., Mannati, IV, 182; T.E. FRETHEIM, “Psalm 132: A Form Critical Study”; similarly, F.-L. Hossfeld (see Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 457–458). 4 For instance, among others, Weiser, 779–780; Kraus, II, 474; Ravasi, III, 672; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 713; Girard, III, 370 sqq; H. CRUZE, “Psalm CXXXII and the Royal Zion Festival”; G. BARBIERO, “Psalm 132: A Prayer of “Solomon”. 5 Thus Dahood, III, 241–242; Hakham, II, 485. 3

Psalm 132

439

+ 1b Remember, + all

O YHWH, his humility,

= 2 who = he has vowed

has sworn

to YHWH,

TO THE MIGHTY ONE

OF JACOB:

for David,

·················································································································

: 3 “I will not come : I will not go up

to the tent on the couch

of my house, of my bed,

: 4 I will not give :

sleep to my eyelids—

to my eyes, respite,

:: 5 until I find :: dwelling places

a place FOR THE MIGHTY ONE

for YHWH, OF JACOB!”

The two pieces end with the two occurrences of “to/for Yhwh” (2a & 5a) and “to/for the Mighty One of Jacob” (2b & 5b) as final terms. David’s “humility” 6 (1c) was manifested in the vow he made (2) not to sleep in his own “house” (3– 4) until he would find “a place”, “dwelling places” for the Lord (5). The second subpart (6–10) + 6 Behold, + we have found it

we have heard it in the Fields

in Ephrata, of Yaar!

+ 7 Let us come + let us bow down

into his dwelling places, to the footstool

of his feet:

·················································································································

:: 8 “RISE UP, - you .. 9 Let your priests .. and let your faithful - 10 For the sake :: DO NOT TURN BACK

O Yhwh, and the ark

to your rest, of your strength.

be clothed jubilate.

righteousness,

of David the face

your servant of your Messiah.”

6 It is the infinitive of the verb ‘nh in pual, which means “to humiliate oneself”. The meaning of this term is much debated, and many interpret it as “toil”, “pain”. Zenger (III, 455) rightly writes: “The translation depends on the overall interpretation.” He goes on to point out that “humiliation” fits well with the account in 2 Sam 6–7.

440

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

+ 6 Behold, + we have found it

we have heard it in the Fields

in Ephrata, of Yaar!

+ 7 Let us come + let us bow down

into his dwelling places, to the footstool

of his feet:

··················································································································

:: 8 “RISE UP, - you .. 9 Let your priests .. and let your faithful - 10 For the sake :: DO NOT TURN BACK

O Yhwh, and the ark

to your rest, of your strength.

be clothed jubilate.

righteousness,

of David the face

your servant of your Messiah.”

In the first piece (6–7) a “we” says to have “found” the ark (6b) after having heard about it (6a);7 then it invites to set out towards his future “dwelling places” (7a) to bow down to him (7b). The last piece (8–10) has a concentric composition. The extreme segments are in the imperative (8 & 10), while the central segment comprises two coordinated members in the optative (9a & 9b). In the extreme segments, each member ends with the same second person singular affix pronoun (translated as the possessive pronouns), while this pronoun is a part of the first terms of both members in the central segment (9a & 9b), thus forming a fully regular figure. The first and last members of the piece start with an imperative, a positive one (8a) followed by a negative one (10b), the intermediary members (8b & 10a) are simple complements. The first piece (6–7) introduces the prayer of the second piece (8–10). The complement of the verbs in the first segment (6a & 6b) is only explained at the beginning of the second piece with the term “the ark” (8b).

7

“Ephrata” is located in the vicinity of Bethlehem, the city of David (Gen 35:19; 48:7; Mic 5:1); “The Fields of Yaar” refer to Kyriat Yearîm (1 Sam 6:21–7:1). See A. ROBINSON, “Do Ephfathah and Jaar Really Appear in Psalm 132:6?”.

Psalm 132

441

The whole of the first part (1b–10) + 1b REMEMBER, + all

O YHWH, his humility,

for DAVID,

= 2 who = he has vowed

has sworn to the Mighty One

to Yhwh, of Jacob:

···················································································································

: 3 “I will not COME : I will not go up

into the tent on the couch

of my house, of my bed,

: 4 I will not give : to my eyelids—

sleep respite,

to my eyes,

:: 5 until I FIND :: DWELLING PLACES

a place for the Mighty One

for Yhwh, of Jacob!”

+ 6 Behold, + we have FOUND it

we have heard it in the Fields

in Ephrata, of Yaar!

+ 7 LET US COME + let us bow down

into his DWELLING PLACES, to the footstool

of his feet:

···············································································································

:: 8 “Rise up, - you .. 9 Let your priests .. and let your faithful - 10 For the sake :: DO NOT TURN BACK

O YHWH, and the ark

to your rest, of your strength.

be clothed jubilate.

with righteousness,

of DAVID the face

your servant of your Messiah.”

The two subparts are parallel. The first pieces introduce speeches: David’s oath (3–5) and then the prayer addressed to God by the crowd accompanying the ark to its “rest” (8–10). The name “Yhwh” is identically positioned in the extreme pieces (1b & 8a). The two occurrences of “to find” (5a & 6b) act as median terms; so does “dwelling places” (5b & 7a). The verb “to come” (3a & 7a) can also be noted. Finally, the two imperatives, “remember” (1b) and “do not turn back” (10b), perform the function of extreme terms, especially since they both concern “David” (1b & 10a). The “delay” in identifying the referent of the object pronouns of the initial verbs (6) has already been observed in the second subpart. A similar phenomenon can be noticed in the whole part. In fact, it is not possible to know who is speaking in the first subpart (1b–2); however, if we take the parallelism seriously, we will be able to understand that it is the “we” of the symmetrical subpart (6–7), the plural of the people who accompany the ark to Jerusalem according to 2 Sam 6:1: “All the elite of Israel, thirty thousand men”.

442

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

THE SECOND PART (11–18) Like the first part, the second part comprises two subparts (11–12 and 13–18). The first subpart (11–12) + 11 Has sworn + the truth,

Yhwh HE WILL NOT TURN BACK

to David, from it:

··········································································································

:: “From the fruit :: I will set

of your womb on the throne for you.

: 12 If will keep : and my precept

your sons my covenant (which) I have taught them,

: also : will sit

their sons on the throne for you.”

FOREVER

A short narrative piece introduces the words of Yhwh’s oath (11c–12). In the single segment of the first piece, the second member reinforces the first member by adding that the oath is irrevocable. The second piece is of ABB’ type. First, there is the unconditional promise to David that his successor will be one of his sons, “the fruit of his womb” according to the traditional expression (11cd). For the rest of the succession, on the other hand, the promise (12cd) is conditional on the faithfulness of his sons (12ab). The piece seems to follow the chronological progression of the generations that will come out of David: first his son and successor (11cd), then “your sons” in the plural indicates the subsequent ones (12ab),8 and finally “their sons forever” expands again to infinity (12cd). The second members of the extreme segments end in the same way (11d & 12d). Throughout the pieces, God’s commitment is without repentance (11b), but on condition that David’s sons are also faithful to the “covenant” (12ab). “Forever” (12c) corresponds to “he will not turn back” (11b); both terms can be considered as the final terms for the two pieces.

8

“Your sons” cannot refer to the other sons of David who did not reign after him, but only to his successors.

Psalm 132

443

The second subpart (13–18) + 13 Yes, has chosen + HE HAS DESIRED HER

Yhwh AS A SEAT

Zion, for himself:

································································································

:: 14 “This (is) :: HERE

my rest I WILL SIT,

forever, because I HAVE DESIRED HER.

.. 15 With food, .. her poor

with blessing I will satisfy

I will bless, with bread,

.. 16 and her priests .. and her faithful

I WILL CLOTHE

with salvation

with jubilation

will jubilate.

························································································································

:: 17 THERE :: I will prepare .. 18 his enemies .. and upon him

I will cause to sprout a horn a lamp for my Messiah;

I WILL CLOTHE

with shame

will flourish

his diadem.”

for David,

As a narrative, the first piece (13) introduces the discourse of the subsequent two pieces (14–18). The segment of the first piece is of A (bc) / A’ (cb) type. The first piece of the discourse is about God himself (14–16), the second piece about his “Messiah” (17–18). After the initial declaration (14ab), the first of these two pieces continues with the Lord’s benefits to the “poor” of Zion (15), “her priests” and “her faithful” (16); the poor will be filled with “bread”, the priests clothed with “salvation”; the extreme members of the last two segments end with internal object complements followed by the corresponding verbs (15a & 16b). In the last piece, on the other hand, the consequence of the support given to David is twofold: “his enemies” will be confounded while he will be crowned (18). Across the pieces the clothing of the priests and the enemies are contrasted (16a & 18a). The second piece is linked to the preceding one by the repetition of “to desire” and “a seat”—“I will sit” (13b & 14b). The two pieces of the discourse are linked by the opposition of 16a and 18a concerning the clothes of the “priests” and the “enemies” of the king. The adverbs of place “there” (at the beginning of 17a) and “here” (at the beginning of 14b) both refer to “Zion” (13a).

444

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

The whole of the second part (11–18) + 11 Has sworn + the truth,

YHWH he will not turn back

to DAVID, from it:

················································································································

:: “From the fruit :: I will set

of your womb on the throne for you.

.. 12 If will keep .. and my precept

your sons my covenant (which) I have taught them,

.. also .. WILL SIT

their sons on the throne for you.”

FOREVER

YHWH

Zion, for himself:

+ 13 Yes, has chosen + he has desired her

AS A SEAT

··················································································································· my rest FOREVER,

:: 14 “This (is) :: here

I WILL SIT,

for I have desired her.

.. With food, .. her poor,

with blessing, I will satisfy

I will bless, with bread,

.. 16 and her priests .. and her faithful

I will clothe with jubilation

with salvation will jubilate.

15

··················································································································· for DAVID,

:: 17 There I will cause to sprout a horn :: I will prepare a lamp 18

.. his enemies, .. and upon him

I will clothe will flourish

for my Messiah; with shame his diadem.”

The two subparts correspond to each other in parallel: In fact, their first pieces, which comprise only one bimember, are narratives (11ab & 13ab), which introduce much more extensive discourses (11c–12 & 14–18). The only two occurrences of the name “Yhwh”, found in the same position (11a & 13a), play the role of initial terms for the two subparts; they are preceded by verbs of decision with the same modalities (“as sworn” and “has chosen”) and they are followed by the proper names of the beneficiaries of the divine actions, that of the king “David” and that of his city “Zion”. It may be added that the terms “to/for David” are found in symmetrical position at the end of the first member of the extreme pieces (11a & 17a). As for “to sit” – “seat” (12d, 13b, 14b) with “forever” (12c.14a), they play the role of median terms; likewise, “on the throne for you” and “a seat for himself” (12d & 13b). The one who “sits” is David in the first subpart, Yhwh in the second subpart.

Psalm 132

445

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A song

of ascents.

+ Remember, + all

O YHWH, his humility,

for DAVID,

= 2 who = he has vowed

HAS SWORN to the Mighty One

to YHWH, of Jacob:

···················································································································

: 3 “I will not come : I will not go up

into the tent on the couch

of my HOUSE, of my bed,

: 4 I will not give : to my eyelids—

sleep respite,

to my eyes,

:: 5 until I find :: dwelling places

a place for the Mighty One

for YHWH, of Jacob!”

+ 6 Behold, + we have found it

we have heard it in the Fields

in Ephrata, of Yaar!

+ 7 Let us come + let us bow down

into his dwelling places, to the footstool

of his feet:

···················································································································

:: 8 “Rise up, :: you

.. 9 LET YOUR PRIESTS .. AND LET YOUR FAITHFUL :: 10 For the sake :: do not turn back + 11 HAS SWORN + the truth,

O YHWH, and the ark

to your REST, of your strength.

BE CLOTHED JUBILATE.

WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS,

of DAVID the face

your servant of your MESSIAH.”

YHWH he will not turn back

to DAVID, from it:

···················································································································

:: “From the fruit :: I will set

of your womb on the throne for you.

: 12 If will keep : and my precept

your SONS (which) I have taught them,

my covenant

: also : will sit

their SONS on the throne for you.”

forever

+ 13 Yes, has chosen + he has desired her

YHWH as a seat

Zion, for himself:

···················································································································

- 14 “This (is) - here

my REST I will sit,

forever, because I have desired her.

.. 15 With food, .. her poor,

with blessing, I will satisfy

I will bless, with bread,

.. 16 AND HER PRIESTS .. AND HER FAITHFUL

I WILL CLOTHE WITH JUBILATION

WITH SALVATION WILL JUBILATE.

···················································································································

+ 17 There I will cause to sprout + I will prepare

a horn a lamp

for DAVID, for my MESSIAH;

– 18 his enemies – and upon him

I will clothe will flourish

with shame his diadem.”

446 1

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

A song

of ascents.

+ Remember, + all

O YHWH, his humility,

for DAVID,

= 2 who = he has vowed

HAS SWORN to the Mighty One

to YHWH, of Jacob:

···················································································································

: 3 “I will not come : I will not go up

into the tent on the couch

of my HOUSE, of my bed,

: 4 I will not give : to my eyelids—

sleep respite,

to my eyes,

:: 5 until I find :: dwelling places

a place for the Mighty One

for YHWH, of Jacob!”

+ 6 Behold, + we have found it

we have heard it in the Fields

in Ephrata, of Yaar!

+ 7 Let us come + let us bow down

into his dwelling places, to the footstool

of his feet:

···················································································································

:: 8 “Rise up, :: you

.. 9 LET YOUR PRIESTS .. AND LET YOUR FAITHFUL :: 10 For the sake :: do not turn back + 11 HAS SWORN + the truth,

O YHWH, and the ark

to your REST, of your strength.

BE CLOTHED JUBILATE.

WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS,

of DAVID the face

your servant of your MESSIAH.”

YHWH he will not turn back

to DAVID, from it:

···················································································································

:: “From the fruit :: I will set

of your womb on the throne for you.

: 12 If will keep : and my precept

your SONS (which) I have taught them,

my covenant

: also : will sit

their SONS on the throne for you.”

forever

+ 13 Yes, has chosen + he has desired her

YHWH as a seat

Zion, for himself:

···················································································································

- 14 “This (is) - here

my REST I will sit,

forever, because I have desired her.

.. 15 With food, .. her poor,

with blessing, I will satisfy

I will bless, with bread,

.. 16 AND HER PRIESTS .. AND HER FAITHFUL

I WILL CLOTHE WITH JUBILATION

WITH SALVATION WILL JUBILATE.

···················································································································

+ 17 There I will cause to sprout + I will prepare

a horn a lamp

for DAVID, for my MESSIAH;

– 18 his enemies – and upon him

I will clothe will flourish

with shame his diadem.”

Psalm 132

447

The two parts are parallel. The first subparts recall first David’s oath (3–5) and then, in response, Yhwh’s oath (11c–12). The introductory pieces, however, are different: While the piece that introduces David’s oath is a prayer addressed to Yhwh (1b–2), the piece that introduces God’s oath is a narrative (11ab). Although the pieces 11 and 13 are not in the first person singular, we can nevertheless understand that the second part is the Lord’s answer to the prayer addressed to him in the first part, recalling the two episodes from the narrative of 2 Sam 6–7. The names “Yhwh” and “David” act as initial terms (1b & 11a). “House” (3a) and “sons” (12a & 12c) are of the same root (bnh): While David wants to build a house for Yhwh (“a place”, “dwelling places”, like his own “house”), it is God who builds him a house in the sense of family, dynasty.9 The two occurrences of “rest” (8a & 14a) act as initial terms, those of “David” and “Messiah” (10 & 17) as final terms, preceded by verses 9 and 16 which are very similar. CONTEXT 2 SAM 6–7 The psalm is in some ways a poetic and prayerful version of the stories in 2 Sam 6–7: David’s plan to build a house for the ark of the Lord is answered through the mediation of the prophet Nathan that the Lord will build it a house (2 Sam 7:1–17). The psalm also recalls the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6), which had been taken by the Philistines (1 Sam 4:11), then restored and brought back first to Bet-Shémesh, then to Qiryat-Yéarim (1 Sam 6). “The Fields of Yaar” or “Fields of the Wood” (śedê-yā‘ar, Ps 132:6b) are not mentioned in 2 Sam 6. This name is a variant of “Qiryat-Yéarim”, qiryat ye‘ārîm (lit. “The village of the Woods”; 1 Sam 6:21–7:2). Like Bethlehem, the city of David, Qiryat-Yéarim is located in the district of Ephrathah. PS 89 In a situation of misfortune where the throne of the Anointed One of the Lord has been overthrown (89:39–52), the psalmist reminds the Lord of his promises, when he swore to David to build him “a throne from age to age” (89:4–5), even if his sons would have abandoned his law (89:31–38). In Ps 132, on the other hand, the divine promise is conditioned by the faithfulness of David’s descendants (132:12).

9

It should also be pointed out that the three “not” in 3–4 and the “if” in 12a translate the same particle ’im in Hebrew.

448

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

JER 33 The promise made to David is recalled in the oracle of Jer 33:14–26. Here too it is not conditional on the faithfulness of David’s successors. As in the psalm (132:9, 16), the priests and Levites in charge of worship are associated with the promise: 17

For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. 18 and the levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to make grain offerings, and to make sacrifices for all time. (See also verses 21 and 22)

THE CONCLUSION OF SOLOMON’S PRAYER After completing the construction of the temple and transferring the ark of the covenant to it, Solomon addressed a long prayer to the Lord, which ends as follows: 41

[And now] rise up, Yhwh [God], and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might! Let your priests, [O Yhwh God,] be clothed with salvation, and let your faithful jubilate in the goodness! 42 [O Yhwh God,] do not reject the face of your anointed one. Remember your graces for your servant David! (2 Chr 6:41–42)

This prayer is very similar to the one with which the first part of Ps 132 ends (132:8–10). The words in square brackets are not found in the psalm; those in italics are different. This obvious contact between the psalm and Chronicles suggests that, like the latter book, the psalm is postexilic. THE DIADEM The diadem is that of the king (2 Sam 1:10; 2 Kgs 11:12). It is also that of Aaron (Exod 29:6). The priestly diadem is decorated with a flower of pure gold (Exod 29:30). When Aaron was consecrated, Moses “put the turban on his head and put the golden flower, the sacred diadem, on the front of the turban, as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Lev 8:9). The last member of Ps 132 uses the verb “to flourish” which recalls the “flower” of the diadem and seems to emphasise the priestly character of the Messiah at the end of the psalm.10

10

The first verb of the penultimate verse, “to cause to sprout”, belongs to the same vegetal semantic field. The “seed” (or “shoot”) often designates the messiah: Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8, etc.

Psalm 132

449

INTERPRETATION HUMILITY AND HUMILIATION By swearing an oath not to live in “the house of cedar” (2 Sam 7:2) that he had built for himself until he had found a place for the ark of the covenant, David humbles himself before his Lord. However, his humility will be reinforced by the humiliation that the Lord will make him undergo, whose oath will sweep away, so to speak, that of the king: It will not be David who will make a house for the Lord, it will be the Lord who will ensure him a house, by giving him descendants who will reign after him. Everything comes from God alone. The people who accompany the procession of the ark recognise this without ambiguity: “Rise up, O Yhwh, to your rest, you and the ark of your strength” (Ps 132:8). It is not David with all Israel who leads the ark to Jerusalem, it is the Lord himself. He does so at the prayer of the people (132:8– 10), just as it is at their prayer (132:1b–2) that he would remember David. The Lord is not an idol of wood to be transported like an inert and inanimate object; it is he who, like the cloud at the time of the exodus, leads his people to their home. THE KING AND THE MESSIAH The final part of each of the two parts of the psalm (132:10b, 17b) points to the “Messiah”. This person is the successor of David, he has received the anointing of the one who is in charge of leading the people of Israel. Whoever places the composition of the psalm in the monarchical period will see in him one of David’s descendants, one of his “sons” according to the flesh. Those who think of the time of the exile will share with the deportees the hope of a Messiah, a descendant of David, who would restore kingship to Israel. On the contrary, many believe that the Messiah invoked in the psalm is not a descendant of David after the exile. The kingship could not be restored, because it turned out that the sons of David did not keep the covenant and the precept that the Lord had taught them (132:12ab).11 Now “the diadem flourishes” on the head of the high priest who is at the head of the people. As God’s “Messiah”, his “priests” are named twice, right next to him (132:9, 16)12. The story does not end there, and Jesus’ disciples recognised him as the Messiah expected in the psalm (Acts 2:30; 7:45– 47).

11 12

See G. BARBIERO, “Psalm 132: A Prayer of ‘Solomon’”. See, e.g., J.-M. AUWERS, “Le Psaume 132 parmi les Graduels”.

2. PSALM 133 TEXT A song of ascents, of David. Behold, how it is good and how it is sweet to dwell all together as brothers! 2 Like fine oil on the head coming down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, that comes down on the collar of his tunics. 3 Like the dew of Hermon that comes down on the mountains of Zion. Yes, there Yhwh has commanded the blessing, life forever. 1

1C: “ALL TOGETHER” “All” translates the particle gam, whose function here is to reinforce the meaning of the adverb yāḥad, “together”. 2: “OIL ON THE HEAD THAT COMES DOWN... ON THE COLLAR OF HIS TUNICS” The first comparison, that of oil (the medium of perfumes at the time), occupies the whole verse. The interpretation that sees “Aaron’s beard” as the referent of the relative in 2d does not hold: the oil poured on Aaron’s head in abundance flows on his beard and even on the collar of his garment.1 3C: “YES” The kî with which 3c begins can be understood as a conjunction of causal subordination, thus translated as “for”, or of coordination, translated as “because”. This kî will be interpreted here as an adverb that reinforces the statement. COMPOSITION Bringing the four members of verse 3 together, the Masoretic punctuation considers them as a single phrase; it can therefore be assumed that it interprets the kî with which 3c begins as a causal subordinate particle. Amos Hakham follows this division, considering the second part of the psalm (3) as a prayer asking for rain and thus fertility for the earth. Most modern commentaries agree that the psalm is divided into three parts: the extreme parts (1bc & 3cd) correspond to each other and frame a double comparison, that of the fragrant oil that descends on Aaron’s beard down to the collar of his garment (2) and that of the dew that falls on Hermon and spreads to

1

See, e.g., Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 470–471. See also W.G.E. WATSON, “The Hidden Simile in Psalm 133”, and especially B. DOYLE, “Metaphora interrupta: Psalm 133”.

452

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

Mount Zion (3ab).2 Lorenzin, on the other hand, organizes the psalm into four parts, considering the two central comparisons equally as parts3. After the title, the psalm comprises three parts, short ones at the extremities, more extensive at the centre. 1

A song

: Behold, : to dwell + 2 Like the oil, - coming down - the beard . that comes down

of ascents,

of David.

how it is GOOD as brothers

how it is sweet all together!

a FINE one on the beard, of Aaron,

on the head,

on the collar

of his tunics.

························································································· 3

+ Like the dew . that comes down : Yes, THERE : life

of Hermon, on the mountains has commanded forever.

of ZION. Yhwh

the blessing,

The extreme parts comprise only one bimember segment: “there” (3c) refers to the just mentioned “Zion” (3b), but inevitably recalls the first part which is symmetrical to it, the place where brothers all live together (1c).4 “Brothers” (1c) and “life” (3d, ḥayyîm, a term always in plural form) are in a paronomastic relationship (’aḥîm and ḥayyîm). Both parts begin with adverbs whose reinforcing function is similar (hinneh, “behold” and kî, “yes”). The central part is a double comparison. The first piece comprises one trimember segment followed by one unimember segment which is a relative clause;5 by its particular form (a relative instead of a simple participle in 2b), this last member has the effect of expressing a kind of a fortiori, which could be rendered as “which comes down to the collar of his tunics”. The second piece (3ab) is much shorter: its two members correspond to the extreme members of the preceding piece, so that the second member can be understood in the same

2 Thus, among others, Ravasi, III, 692–693; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 723–724; Girard, III, 382–384, followed by Vesco, 1246; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 477. 3 Lorenzin, 493. 4 We can see a slight paronomastic relationship between šebet (“to dwell”) and šām (“there”), especially since the two words are in a symmetrical position. 5 Such is the division of the MT which places the ’atnaḥ after “Aaron”.

Psalm 133

453

key as the symmetrical member of the first piece. Note that “Aaron” and “Hermon” rhyme. The first two parts are linked by the repetition of ṭôb, translated as “good” and “fine” (1b & 2a), and by the paronomastic relationship between “to dwell” (šebet) and “oil” (šemen). In the median terms of the last two parts “Zion” (ṣiyyôn, 3b) and “has commanded” (ṣiwwâ, 3c) are in a paronomastic relationship. We have already pointed out that “there” (3c) refers to “Zion” (3b). CONTEXT THE OIL OF CONSECRATION According to Exod 29:7, only Aaron was anointed with perfumed oil. Exod 30:22–33 begins with the description of the composition of this perfume, which was used to consecrate first the Tent of Meeting and all the furnishings of the temple, then Aaron and his sons. THE DEW AND ZION Rain and dew are opposed to aridity. In the traditional expression, “dry land” (’ereṣ ṣiyyâ; see Jer 51:43; Ezek 19:13; Ps 63:2), the term ṣiyyâ is close to the name of Zion (ṣiyyôn).6 Whereas Mount Hermon, which is mostly snow-covered and from which water flows from the north of Israel to the south, is favoured by rain and dew, Jerusalem is located in a dry region, on the edge of the desert of Judah. THE BLESSING OF AARON 22

Yhwh spoke to Moses and said, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and say: This is how you must bless the Israelites. You will say: – 24 May Yhwh bless you and keep you! – 25 May Yhwh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you! – 26 May Yhwh show you his face and bring you peace! 27 This is how they must call down my name on the Israelites, and then I shall bless them.” (Num 6:22-27)

It is the blessing of the Lord that is passed on through the blessing of Aaron and his sons.

6

See Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 725.

454

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

INTERPRETATION BROTHERS As soon as two brothers appeared on the earth, the first one killed the second one (Gen 4) and the whole first book of the Bible is traversed and even structured by the theme of brotherhood. Beginning with the story of Cain and Abel, continuing with that of Abraham and Lot, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, it ends with that of Joseph and his brothers.7 Perhaps the cruellest moment in Israel’s history was the schism when the northern tribes separated from the southern ones, with Israel going to war with his brother Judah. One wonders, then, what could be the historical situation that makes it more urgent to reflect on and encourage fraternity: the schism, the return from exile? Without prejudice, when was it or is it necessary to inculcate brotherhood?—Always: “always” is the natural context of this psalm.8

The “brothers” mentioned at the beginning of the psalm (Ps 133:1c) can be understood as those united by blood ties, including in the extended family, which often “dwells” in the same house, the same block or the same village. But the circle soon widens, first with the mention of “Aaron”, the High Priest of all the people (133:2c), and then with the mention of “Zion” in Judah (133:3b), which benefits from the dew coming down from the far north of Israel.9 BLESSING The “blessing” that the Lord “commanded” (133:3c) can probably be understood as the one with which he ordered Moses to command his brother Aaron to bless the people (Num 6:24–26). This blessing is no different from the one that he himself pours out, through the mouth of Aaron and his descendants, on the twelve tribes of the people of “the sons of Israel”, who are therefore all brothers. However, it is also possible to think that the Lord’s commandment concerns all these brothers: they are called to bless each other for “life” and to renounce evil, murderous violence which leads inexorably to death, as the people have experienced from the beginning until now. “Brothers” rhymes with “life”, and with life “forever”.

7

See L. ALONSO SCHOEKEL, Dov’è tuo fratello? Pagine di fraternità nel libro della Genesi; A. WÉNIN, Joseph ou l'invention de la fraternité: lecture narrative et anthropologique de Genèse 37– 50. 8 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 722. 9 See T. BOOIJ, “Psalm 133: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant’”.

3. PSALM 134 TEXT A song of ascents. Behold, bless Yhwh, all you servants of Yhwh who are standing in the house of Yhwh by night. 2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless Yhwh. 3 May Yhwh bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth! 1

“THE HOUSE OF YHWH” AND “THE SANCTUARY” The first expression (1c) refers to the temple as a whole, while “the sanctuary” (2) is the central, most sacred part, the Holy of Holies. COMPOSITION It seems that all commentators agree on the organization of the psalm into two parts. However, the identification of the speakers is not unanimous. Some are of the opinion that it is the same people, namely the priests, who are invited to bless the Lord (1–2) and who bless the people (3). The interpretation adopted here is also that of the majority of commentators.1 1

A song

+ Behold, .. all you servants .. who are standing 2

– Lift up + and BLESS

of ascents. BLESS of YHWH in THE HOUSE OF YHWH

your hands YHWH.

YHWH, by night. to THE SANCTUARY

··············································································································

:: 3 May he BLESS YOU, :: the maker of

YHWH, heaven

from ZION, and earth!

The first piece in the imperative is addressed to those who serve the Lord in the temple. The last two members of the first segment designate the subjects of the verb “bless”; as for the first member (1b), it will be amplified and clarified by the second segment. The name “Yhwh”, which is repeated in each of the members of the initial trimember segment (1abc), is taken up, together with “bless”, in the last member (2b), thus forming an inclusion for the first piece. “In the house of Yhwh” (1d) and “to the sanctuary” (2a) link the two segments. 1

See especially Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 484–487.

456

Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

Taking up the first words of the priestly blessing, the second piece, which like the priestly blessing is addressed to a singular “you”, is addressed to the whole people to invoke the blessing of “Yhwh” upon them. Thus, the blessing of the Lord’s servants (1–2) is answered by the blessing of the Lord on the children of Israel (3). In the second piece, “Zion” (3a) recalls “the house of Yhwh” (1d) and “the sanctuary” (2a): These limited places are paralleled in the ending with the whole of creation (3b). CONTEXT THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD As the subsequent member (1d) makes clear, the “servants of the Lord” are all those who perform the liturgical service in the temple, priests and Levites. “The house of Aaron and the house of Levi” will be quoted together in the next psalm (Ps 135:19–20). LIFTING UP HANDS This is one of the usual bodily attitudes of prayer and supplication: Hear the voice of my supplications when I lift up my hands

when I cry out to you, to your Holy of Holies (Ps 28:2).

With raised hands, Ezra addresses his confession and supplication to God (Ezra 9:5–15). PRIESTLY BLESSING The first member of the second piece begins as the priestly blessing: Num 6:24 Ps 133:3a

May Yhwh bless you May Yhwh bless you

and keep you! from Zion,

Hence the use of the second person singular. Note that the priests lift up their hands to pronounce the blessing (Lev 9:22). THE PRIESTLY BLESSING CONCLUDES THE LITURGICAL SERVICE In Lev 9, after offering the various sacrifices to the Lord (Lev 9:1–21), Aaron blesses the people (9:22; verse 23 says that he blesses them together with his brother Moses). In Sir 50, the first nineteen verses describe the High Priest

Psalm 134

457

Simon officiating in the temple with Aaron’s sons to offer the sacrifices: after which he blesses the people (Sir 50:20–21).2 THE LAST PASSAGE IN THE LUCAN GOSPEL At the end of his gospel, Luke shows another exchange of blessings. As Jesus is about to be taken up into heaven, he blesses his disciples, whom he is about to leave. Afterwards, the disciples return to Jerusalem and “were continually blessing God in the temple” (Luke 24:53). Similarly, Ps 134 closes the set of fifteen Psalms of the Ascents. INTERPRETATION A DIALOGUE IN THREE VOICES Several voices are heard in the psalm. First, there is the voice of those who ask the “servants of the Lord” to keep watch in the temple by blessing the one who dwells in the sanctuary, and to whom they will raise their hands in adoration and supplication (Ps 134:1–2); it is not difficult to identify this voice as that of the people. Then there is the voice that, in a way, answers them, that of the priests who, in the name of the Lord, will bless them (134:3). Finally, there is the voice that is not heard directly, the voice that blesses the whole of his people through the mouth of the priests. ZION AND THE UNIVERSE The last words of the psalm might be surprising. Everything was concentrated, with the whole of the people of Israel, on Zion, on the mountain of the temple, all eyes turned towards the sanctuary. And now, at the end, everything explodes, so to speak, to the dimensions of the universe. The God who has chosen to reside in the sanctuary of Zion is not confined there, as if he could be imprisoned there. You cannot lay hands on the Lord; you cannot possess him. Walls do not stop him, for his domain extends to the whole earth and to all the heavens. Yet he is not a distant God who cannot be reached. He has made himself close to all humanity through the intermediary of the chosen people of all, in the place where he has made his name to dwell, in the sanctuary from which his blessing will ultimately reach the limits of the world. Zion, the umbilicus of creation, would be meaningless if it were separated from the whole body.

2

Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 486.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

13. Ps 132

1

A song of ascents.

Remember, O Yhwh, for DAVID, 2 who has sworn to Yhwh, 3 “I will not come into the tent of my HOUSE, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, 5 until I find a PLACE for Yhwh, 6 Behold, we have heard it in Ephrata, 7 Let us come into his DWELLING PLACES, 8 “Rise up, O Yhwh, to your REST, 9 Let your PRIESTS be clothed with righteousness, 10 For the sake of DAVID your servant

all his humility, he has vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: I will not go up on the couch of my bed, to my eyelids—respite, DWELLING PLACES for the Mighty One of Jacob!” we have found it in the Fields of Yaar! let us bow down to the footstool of his feet. you and the ark of your strength. and let your faithful jubilate. do not turn back the face of your Messiah.”

11

the truth, he will not turn back from it: I will set on the throne (made) for you. and my precept which I have taught them, WILL SIT on the throne (made) for you.” he has desired her as a SIEAT for himself: here I WILL SIT, because I have desired her. her poor I will satisfy with bread, and her faithful will jubilate with jubilation. I will prepare a lamp for my Messiah; and upon him his diadem will flourish.”

Yhwh has sworn to DAVID, “From the fruit of your womb 12 If your sons will keep my covenant also their sons forever 13 Yes Yhwh has chosen ZION, 14 “This (is) my REST forever, 15 With food, with BLESSING, I WILL BLESS, 16 and her PRIESTS I will clothe with salvation 17 There I will cause a horn to sprout for DAVID, 18 his enemies I will clothe with shame 14.

Ps 133

1

A song of ascents,

of DAVID.

Behold, how it is good and how it is sweet

to DWELL all together as brothers!

2

coming down on the beard, that comes down on the collar of his tunics. that comes down on the mountains of ZION.

Like fine oil on the head, the beard of AARON, 3 Like the dew of Hermon,

Yes, there Yhwh has commanded the BLESSING, life forever. 15.

Ps 134

1

A song of ascents.

Behold, BLESS Yhwh, all you SERVANTS of Yhwh who are standing in the HOUSE of Yhwh by night. 2 Lift up your hands to the SANCTUARY and BLESS Yhwh. 3

May Yhwh BLESS you from ZION,

the maker of heaven and earth!

4. FROM THE FIELDS OF YAAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD IN THE CITY OF DAVID (PS 132–134) COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SUBSEQUENCE The three psalms are organised according to ABB’ pattern. In fact, while the first one is very long, the other two are very short. The first one is a prayer addressed by the psalmist in favour of David, recalling the two oaths of David (132:2–10) and of the Lord (132:11–18). The subsequent psalms, both beginning with “behold”, are not addressed to God: one psalm is an exclamation concerning all the “brothers”, the other one is an invitation addressed to the officiants of the worship service followed by the priestly blessing. The “blessing” commanded by Yhwh at the end of the penultimate psalm (133:3b) is then actualized in its double dimension: first the people bless the Lord (134:1, 2), and then, in the ending, the Lord responds with his own blessing (134:3). The three psalms have a number of points in common: – Each one ends with a blessing (132:15; 133:3b; 134:1, 2, 3); – The name Zion appears, always towards the end (132:13; 133:3; 134:3); – The “priests” are named twice in a symmetrical position in the first psalm (132:9, 16), which correspond in the second psalm to the name “Aaron” (133:2b) and to the “servants of Yhwh” in the third one (134:1b). Relationships between the extreme psalms: – The last psalm uses the term “house” (134:1c), already present at the beginning of Ps 132 (3), followed by a whole series of synonyms: “place” (132:5, a traditional term which, together with the article, “a place”, designates the temple), “dwelling places” (132:5, 7), “rest” (132:8, 14) and finally “seat” (132:13, taken up by the verb in 14). This last verb is taken up again in the next psalm, translated as “to dwell” (133:1). In the last psalm “house” is followed by “sanctuary” (134:2). – The phrase “who are standing [...] by the night” of the last psalm (134:1c) recalls verse 4 of the first; the same theme of the vigil emerges in both places, first on the part of the king, then at the end on the part of those in charge of the worship. Relationships between the first two psalms: – The name of the king “David”, mentioned four times in the first psalm—in extreme terms (132:1, 10, 11, 17) and in median terms (132:10, 11)—returns in the title of the next psalm (133:1); – The Lord assures the dynasty of David “forever” (132:12b) and promises to all “life forever” (133:3b). The ending of the last psalm refers in a complementary fashion to the origin: even though the participle “doing” is in the present tense, the expression recalls the primordial time of creation, when the Lord made “heaven and earth” (134:3).

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

INTERPRETATION TELLING THE PAST UNTIL YOU LIVE IT AGAIN The psalmist begins with a request to the Lord to remember the time when David had sworn to build him a house. He is so present in his account that he soon replays it with his fathers, when he finds the ark and accompanies it to its resting place. Then he recalls the Lord’s oath, which belongs to the present as much as to the past: “Yes, the Lord has chosen Zion” (132:13). There is no interruption between the past, relived in prayer, and the praise for the present: the sweetness of life among brothers seems to flow naturally from the fact that the Messiah, for whom the psalmist has just interceded, fulfils the function of father for all those whom he is charged to govern and protect near the house of God in Zion. What the Lord has “commanded” is finally put into practice in the exchange of blessings. AARONIC MESSIAH The Messiah for whom the psalmist prays to the Lord is indeed the heir to the promises made to David, but he is gradually revealed, not as king but as High Priest. He is accompanied by all his priests in liturgical vestments, and surrounded by all the people of the faithful. He is a son of Aaron, whose figure is mentioned at length in the second psalm. This priestly Messiah leads the nightly worship in the temple with his hands raised to the sanctuary. He is the one who, with his hands still raised, brings down the blessing of the Lord on all the people of Israel.

Praise of Solomon (Sir 47:13–22) 13

Solomon reigned in a time of peace, and God gave him peace all round so that he could raise a House to his Name and prepare an everlasting sanctuary. 14 How wise you were despite your youth, like a river, brimming over with intelligence! 15 Your mind ranged the earth, you filled it with mysterious sayings. 16 Your name reached the distant islands, and you were loved for your peace. 17 Your songs, your proverbs, your sayings and your answers were the wonder of the world. 18 In the name of the Lord God, of him who is called the God of Israel, you amassed gold like so much tin, and made silver as common as lead. 19 You abandoned your body to women, you became the slave of your appetites. 20 You stained your honour, you profaned your stock, so bringing retribution on your children and affliction for your folly: 21 the empire split in two, from Ephraim arose a rebel kingdom. 22 But the Lord never goes back on his mercy, never cancels any of his words, will neither deny offspring to his elect nor stamp out the line of the man who loved him. And hence, he has granted a remnant to Jacob and to David a root sprung from him.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

9. Ps 128 1 A song of ascents. Happy everyone who fears Yhwh and walks in his ways! 2 From the labour of your hands, yes, you shall eat, happy you and good to you; 3 your wife like a fruitful vine on the flanks of your HOUSE, YOUR SONS like shoots of olive trees around your table. 4 Behold, that surely will be blessed the man who fears Yhwh. 5 May Yhwh bless you from Zion and may you see the good of JERUSALEM all the days of your, 6 and may you see THE SONS OF YOUR SONS! Peace on Israel!

13. Ps 132 1 A song of ascents. Remember, O Yhwh, for David, all his humility, 2 who has sworn to Yhwh, he has vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 “I will not come into the tent of my HOUSE, I will not go up on the couch of my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, to my eyelids—respite, 5 until I find a PLACE for Yhwh, DWELLING PLACES for the Mighty One of Jacob!” 6 Behold, we have heard it in Ephrata, we have found it in the Fields of Yaar! 7 Let us come into his DWELLING PLACES, let us bow down to the footstool of his feet: 8 “Rise up, O Yhwh, to your REST, you and the ark of your strength. 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful jubilate. 10 For the sake of David your servant, do not turn back the face of your Messiah.”

10. Ps 129 1 A song of ascents. Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, let Israel say it now! 2 Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, they made long their furrows; 4 Yhwh is righteous, he has shattered the yoke strap of THE WICKED. 5 Let them blush and be turned backward, all who HATE ZION! 6 Let them be LIKE grass of the roofs which dried up before one pulls it up, 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, or the binder his lap, 8 and the passers-by do not say: “The blessing of Yhwh upon you!” We bless you in the name of Yhwh.

11

11. Ps 130 1 A song of ascents. From the depths I call you, O Yhwh: 2 Lord, hear my voice; let your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayer! 3 If you WATCH faults, O Yah, Lord, who COULD STAND? 4 Because with you forgiveness, so that you may be feared. 5 I wait for Yhwh, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. 6 My soul for the Lord more than WATCHMEN for the dawn; WATCHMEN for the dawn, 7 hope, O Israel, in Yhwh! Because with Yhwh is grace, and with him abundance of redemption; 8 and it is he who will redeem Israel from all his faults.

14. Ps 133 1 A song of ascents, of David. Behold, how it is good and how it is sweet to dwell all together as BROTHERS! 2 LIKE fine oil on the head coming down on the beard, the beard of Aaron; that comes down on the collar of his tunics. 3 LIKE the dew of Hermon, that comes down on the mountains of ZION. Yes, there Yhwh has commanded the blessing, life forever.

Yhwh has sworn to David, the truth, he will not turn back from it: “From the fruit of your womb I will set on the throne (made) for you. 12 If YOUR SONS will keep my covenant, and my precept which I have taught them, ALSO THEIR SONS forever will sit on the throne (made) for you.” 13 Yes Yhwh has chosen ZION, he has desired her as a seat for himself: 14 “This is my REST forever, here I will sit, because I have desired her. 15 With food, with blessing, I will bless, her poor I will satisfy with bread, 16 and her priests I will clothe with salvation and her faithful will jubilate with jubilation. 17 There I will cause a horn to sprout for David, I will prepare a lamp for my Messiah; 18 his enemies I will clothe with shame and upon him his diadem will flourish.”

15. Ps 134 1 A song of ascents. Behold, bless Yhwh, all you servants of Yhwh who are STANDING in the house of Yhwh by night. 2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless Yhwh. 3 May Yhwh bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth!

D. IN PEACE TOWARD JERUSALEM (PS 128–134) COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SEQUENCE 1. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SUBSEQUENCES (PS 128–130 & 132–134) Psalm 132 is much more extensive than the others. However, the equilibrium of the weights is respected between the two sides of the septenary, because the last two psalms are very short. In the first psalms (128 & 132), “your sons” (128:3; 132:12) and “also their sons” in 132:12 correspond to “the sons of your sons” in 128:6. Note also the repetition of “house” (128:3 & 132:3, echoed by the synonyms, “place” in 132:5, “dwelling places” in 132:5, 7, “rest” in 132:8, 14), even though it is a human house in Ps 128 and God’s house in Ps 132. “Zion” is repeated in 128:5 and 132:13, and “to bless/blessing” in 128:4, 5 and 132:15. The theme of food is also noticeable in 128:2 and 132:15. The second psalms have little common vocabulary, except for “Zion” (129:5 & 133:3) and “blessing/to bless” in the ending (129:8 & 133:3). The use of “like” (129:6 & 133:2, 3) is also noteworthy. Furthermore, there is a strong contrast between “the wicked” who “hate Zion” (129:4–5) and persecute the psalmist (129:1–3), and the “brothers” (133:1) with whom it is so sweet to dwell. The comparisons obviously oppose each other as well. As for the links between the third psalms (Ps 130 & Ps 134), they do not appear at first glance, even less than those between the two preceding psalms. Ps 130 is the only one of the six psalms that does not mention “blessing” nor the name “Zion”. However, the same verb is used, which can hardly be translated in the same way, but which, for lack of anything better, has been rendered as “to stand” in 130:3 and 134:1. The meaning of this verb is not particularly problematic in Ps 130, but what does it mean in the context of Ps 134? What does it mean to “stand in the house of the Lord by night?” “Standing” is opposed to “sitting” or “lying down”. Those who “stand by night” are thus similar to those who “watch towards the dawn” (130:6; the Ecumenical Version, liturgical text translates: “who watch”). In a similar way to the psalms of the two sides of the first septenary, the psalms of the two sides of the second septenary correspond to each other in parallel. The hypothesis is therefore verified. Between the last psalm of the first subsequence and the first psalm of the last subsequence, we can notice two similar conditionals: If YOU WATCH If your sons

faults, KEEP

O Yah my covenant

130:3 132:12

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

2. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL SUBSEQUENCE & THE OTHER TWO The central psalm includes in the ending (131:3) an entire member from the preceding psalm (130:7): “Hope, O Israel, in the Lord”. The name “Israel” (131:3) is already mentioned in each of the psalms of the first side (128:6; 129:1; 130:7, 8); it does not appear again in the second side. On the other hand, the name “Zion” appears in the three psalms of the second side (132:13; 133:3; 134:3) accompanied by numerous terms that designate the temple: “place”, “dwelling places” (132:5, 7), “rest” (132:8, 14), “the house of the Lord” (134:1), “sanctuary” (134:2). It may be pointed out that the two occurrences of “my soul” (131:2) are referring to those in the preceding psalm (130:5, 6) and that “my eyes” (131:1) is taken up in the following psalm (132:4). The two “like” (131:2) refer to the two in the first psalm (128:3), to the one in the second psalm (129:6) and to the two in the penultimate psalm (133:2, 3). “From now on and forever” (131:3) recalls “all the days of your life” from the first psalm (128:5) and in the second side the two “forever” (132:12, 14) and “life forever” (133:3). Let us remember that these promises for the future lead, in the final part of the septenary, to the reminder of creation (134:3). The central psalm is in the singular, like the three psalms of the first side; it ends, like them, with an extension to “Israel” (131:3). It is linked to the second side because it is a prayer, addressed to “the Lord”, not only like the preceding psalm (Ps 130), but also like the subsequent one (Ps 132). The theme of filiation present in the central psalm (131:2) can also be seen in Ps 133: In fact, when the members of Israel are called “brothers”, this supposes that they are sons of the same father. At the end of the preceding psalm, the Lord presents himself as the one who feeds (132:15) and clothes (132:16), that is as a father. In the first psalm (Ps 128) the one addressed by the psalmist is presented as husband and especially as father. In the symmetrical psalm the one for whom he prays, David (132:1), is also seen as father (132:11–12). In the penultimate psalm (Ps 133) he is counted among the brothers, thus indirectly as a son of the same father. But it is especially in the central psalm, “of David”, that he sees himself as a son, “like a child rests against its mother” (131:2). The theme of blessing marks the first two psalms (128:4, 5; 129:8) as well as the last three (132:15; 133:3; 134:1, 2, 3); the term of blessing is not found in the third psalm, but there are “grace” and “redemption” that correspond to it (130:7) as God’s free gift. In the central psalm neither “blessing” nor “grace” nor “redemption” is found, but the final expression “hope in the Lord” (131:3; linked to “grace” and “redemption” in 130:7) expresses very clearly that the psalmist expects everything only from the Lord.

The Whole of the Third Sequence (Ps 128–134)

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9. Ps 128 1 A song of ascents. Happy everyone who fears the Lord and walks in his ways! 2 From the labour of your hands, yes, you shall eat, happy you and good to you; 3 your wife LIKE a fruitful vine on the flanks of your house, YOUR SONS LIKE shoots of olive trees around your table. 4 Behold, that surely will be blessed the man who fears the Lord. 5 May the Lord bless you from Zion and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life, 6 and may you see THE SONS OF YOUR SONS! Peace on ISRAEL! 10. Ps 129 1 A song of ascents. Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, let ISRAEL say it now! 2 Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, they made long their furrows; 4 the Lord is righteous, he has shattered the yoke strap of the wicked. 5 Let them blush and be turned backward, all who hate Zion! 6 Let them be LIKE grass of the roofs which dried up before one pulls it up, 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, or the binder his lap, 8 and the passers-by do not say: “The blessing of the Lord upon you!” We bless you in the name of the Lord. 2 11. Ps 130 1 A song of ascents. From the depths I call you, O Lord: Adonay, hear my voice; let your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayer! 3 If you watch faults, O Yah, Adonay, who could stand? 4 Because with you forgiveness, so that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. 6 My soul for the Lord more than watchmen for the dawn; 7 LIKE watchmen for the dawn, HOPE, O ISRAEL, IN THE LORD! Because with the Lord is grace, and with him abundance of redemption; 8 and it is he who will redeem ISRAEL from all his faults. 12. Ps 131 1 A song of ascents, of David. Lord, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised up, and I do not walk in great things, and in wonders beyond me. 2 But not that, I hold equal and hold my soul silent; LIKE A CHILD rests against ITS MOTHER, LIKE THE CHILD against me is my soul. 3 HOPE, O ISRAEL, IN THE LORD from now on and forever. 13. Ps 132 1 A song of ascents. Remember, O Lord, for David, all his humility, 2 who has sworn to the Lord, he has vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 “I will not come into the tent of my house, I will not go up on the couch of my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, to my eyelids—respite, 5 until I find a place for the Lord, dwelling places for the Mighty One of Jacob!” 6 Behold, we have heard it in Ephrata, we have found it in the Fields of Yaar! 7 Let us come into his dwelling places, let us bow down to the footstool of his feet: 8 “Rise up, O Lord, to your rest, you and the ark of your strength. 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful jubilate. 10 For the sake of David your servant do not turn back the face of your Messiah.” 11 The Lord has sworn to David, the truth, he will not turn back from it: “From THE FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB I will set on the throne (made) for you. 12 If YOUR SONS will keep my covenant and my precept which I have taught them, also THEIR SONS forever will sit on the throne (made) for you.”. 13 Yes the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired her as a seat for himself: 14 “This is my rest forever, here I will sit, because I have desired her. 15 With food, with blessing, I will bless, her poor I will satisfy with bread, 16 and her priests I will clothe with salvation and her faithful will jubilate with jubilation. 17 There I will cause a horn to sprout for David, I will prepare a lamp for my Messiah; 18 his enemies I will clothe with shame and upon him his diadem will flourish.” 14. Ps 133 1 A song of ascents, of David. Behold, how it is good and how it is sweet to dwell all together as BROTHERS! 2 LIKE fine oil on the head coming down on the beard, the beard of Aaron; that comes down on the collar of his tunics. 3 LIKE the dew of Hermon that comes down on the mountains of Zion; Yes, there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever. 15. Ps 134 1 A song of ascents. Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who are standing in the house of the Lord by night. 2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord. 3 May the Lord bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth!

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

INTERPRETATION “LIKE A CHILD” The image on which the whole sequence is focused is that of “the child resting against its mother” (131:2). This is a powerful image of the humility of the one whose heart is not “exalted” and whose eyes are not “raised up”, who does not “walk” in “great things” and in “wonders” that surpass him. Such is the “humility” of David who refused to live in a house, to give his eyes sleep until he had found a dwelling for the Lord (132:1–5). Such is the humility of the psalmist whose soul “waits” for “forgiveness”, “grace” and “redemption” from the Lord (Ps 130), who knows that “the Lord is righteous” who alone can free him from his oppressors (Ps 129), who hopes for God’s blessing (Ps 133 & Ps 134). DIVINE BLESSING Looking at the first psalm, one could understand that the divine blessing is the reward that the person “who fears the Lord” has deserved (128:1). That is indeed what the psalm suggests at the beginning: “From the labour of your hands you shall eat” (128:2). At the end of the psalm, however, the blessing invoked on this person leaves no doubt: It is the Lord who will give him the grace to see “the good of Jerusalem” and to see “the sons of (his) sons” (128:5–6). Like the blessing invoked on those who have been freed by the Lord (129:8), “grace” and “redemption” can only come from above (130:7). The Lord’s blessing extends to the “poor” whom only their God can satisfy with bread (132:15); as he is the one who will provide David with descendants (132:11–12). “Life”, “life forever” is a free gift of the Lord (133:3). And in the end (Ps 134), we can understand that being able to bless the Lord in his temple represents the grace of graces. Filiation The child resting against its mother, in the centre of the septenary, represents the keystone of the edifice, the key to the reading of the whole sequence. The child resting against its mother knows that it can do nothing by itself and expects everything, food, clothing, protection from its parents. The theme of filiation is intrinsically linked to that of paternity. The one who has fathered sons, if he has had the grace to remain a child, knows that fatherhood is a free gift from God. The first psalm declares “blessed” the person who fears the Lord, whose wife is “like a fruitful vine”; “around the table” their sons receive their food from them, and they all together bless the Lord (128:1–4), for it is from his hand that they receive their daily bread: “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth!” The Lord’s blessing extends to “all the days of (his) life”, so that he can see “the sons of (his) sons” (128:5–6). The same blessing is addressed to David in a symmetrical position (Ps 132): “If your

The Whole of the Third Sequence (Ps 128–134)

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sons will keep my covenant ... also their sons forever will sit on the throne made for you” (132:12). The divine blessing is the gift that is repeated from generation to generation, the gift of “life forever” (133:3). THE LORD AND HIS MESSIAH Throughout the first side of the sequence, as well as in the central passage, “Israel” is found in relation to “the Lord”: From the initial wish, “Peace on Israel!” (128:6), to the repeated encouragement, “Hope, O Israel, in the Lord” (130:6 & 131:3), passing through the incitement, “Let Israel say now!” (129:1). In the second side, the name of Israel does not appear again. On the other hand, the name “Zion” appears in each of the last three psalms (132:13; 133:3; 134:3). It is true that this name had already been used in the first two psalms of the septenary (128:5 & 129:5), along with that of “Jerusalem” (128:5). However, it is only on the second side that the focus is on the temple built on Mount Zion. That is the “place”, the “dwelling place” that David wanted to build for his Lord, the “resting place” that he desired for him (132:5, 8) and that the Lord himself “chose” and “desired” (132:13–14). It is here that the Lord’s “priests” and “faithful” gather for the liturgy (132:9, 16), where the “poor” are fed and “satisfied with bread” (132:15). At the head of the people is the “Messiah”, a successor of David according to God’s oath (132:10, 17). But because David’s sons failed to keep the covenant, they are no longer the ones who sit on their father’s throne. The one who received the anointing of consecration is a son of Aaron (133:2), the High Priest who after the exile leads the people of Israel, represents them during the liturgical functions and imparts the divine blessing (134:3).

IV. FROM THE EXODUS FROM BABYLON TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM The Whole of the Fourth Section: Ps 120–134

The section comprises fifteen psalms.

FROM MESHECH AND KEDAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD LIKE SERVANTS JUBILATION

TOWARDS THEIR MASTER FOR THE LIBERATION

SOLOMON,

HAPPINESS LIKE A CHILD

IN THE CITY OF DAVID

THE BELOVED

FOR THE REDEMPTION

OF JERUSALEM

OF THE LORD

Ps 123 Ps 124–126

Ps 127

OF ISRAEL

Ps 128–130

RESTS AGAINST ITS MOTHER

FROM THE FIELDS OF YAAR TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

Ps 120–122

IN THE CITY OF DAVID

Ps 131 Ps 132–134

COMPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE TWO SEPTENARIES If the composition in two septenaries around a single psalm is well established, the two septenaries must be related. It remains to check if and how they correspond to each other. Are the subsequences constructed in parallel (Ps 120–122 with Ps 128–130 on the one hand; Ps 124–126 with Ps 132–134 on the other hand) or in a mirrored fashion (Ps 120–122 with Ps 132–134 on the one hand; Ps 124–126 with Ps 128–130 on the other hand)?

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

Relationships between the extreme subsequences (Ps 120–122 & Ps 132–134) An initial investigation of possible relationships between the first three psalms of each septenary was disappointing, so the hypothesis of a concentric construction had to be tried. It gradually became apparent that the extreme subsequences have much in common. – First of all, and essentially, vocabulary of habitation: “house” is found three times in Ps 122 (twice “the house of the Lord” in verses 1 and 9 and once “the house of David” in verse 5), once in Ps 132:3, once in Ps 134:1b. To this we should add terms, nouns and verbs, belonging to the same semantic field: “to sojourn” (120:5), “to dwell” (120:5, 6) and “dwelling places” (132:5, 7), “to sit” (122:5; 132:12b, 14; 133:1b) and “seat” (132:13), “palace” (122:7), “place” (132:5), and lastly, “sanctuary” (134:2). This vocabulary is specific to these two subsequences: In the other two (Ps 124–126 & Ps 128–130) only the term “house” is used, and it occurs only once (128:3). It also appears at the beginning of the central psalm (127:1); the verb “to sit” occurs in 123:1. – There are particularly numerous connections between the last psalm of the first subsequence (Ps 122) and the first one of the other subsequence (Ps 132), thus acting as median terms at a distance. The name “David” (four times in Ps 132:1, 10, 11, 17) appears for the first time in Ps 122:5 (and in the title). The term “thrones” found twice in 122:5 is repeated twice in the singular in 132:11b, 12b (not elsewhere). “Precept” in 122:4b occurs again in 132:12a (not elsewhere). – “To keep”/“keeper” which saturates Ps 121 (verses 3, 4, 5, 7a, 7b, 8) is repeated once in 132:12. – “The maker of heaven and earth” occurs in 121:2 and 134:3. – The phrase “from now on and forever” of 121:8 is echoed by “forever” (132:12b, 14; 133:3b). – The same participle translated as “standing” in 122:2 and “who are standing” in 134:1. – “Brothers” of 122:8 occurs again in 133:1b (not elsewhere).

The Whole of the Fourth Section (Ps 120–134) 1. Ps 120 1 A song of ascents. To the Lord in my anguish 2 Lord, deliver my soul from false lips, 3 What shall he give to you and add to you, 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, 5 Woe to me that I SOJOURN in Meshech, 6 Too long has my soul DWELT 7 I am peace, and when I speak, 2. Ps 121 1 A song for ascents. I lift up my eyes toward the mountains. 2 My help from the Lord, 3 May he not let your foot to stumble, 4 Behold, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, 5 The Lord is your keeper! The Lord is your shade 6 By day the sun shall not strike you, 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil, 8 The Lord will keep your going and coming 3. Ps 122 1 A song of ascents, of David. I rejoiced among them saying to me: 2 Our feet STANDING 3 Jerusalem built as a city 4 that there the tribes go up, It is the PRECEPT for Israel 5 because there SIT the THRONES of judgment, 6 Ask for the peace of Jerusalem: 7 Let it be peace within your walls: 8 For the sake of my BROTHERS and my friends, 9 For the sake of the HOUSE of Lord our God,

I called, and he answered me. false lips! you deceitful tongue? with the embers of juniper. that I DWELL with the tents of Kedar! with those who hate peace. they are for war. From where will my help come? the maker of heaven and earth. may your keeper not slumber! the keeper of Israel. at your right hand. nor the moon by night! he will keep your soul. from now on and forever. “We are arriving to the HOUSE of the Lord! in your gates, O Jerusalem! that is compact together, the tribes of the Lord. to give thanks to the name of the Lord, the THRONES of the HOUSE of DAVID. may those who love you have tranquillity! tranquillity in your PALACES! I will say, “Peace upon you!”! I will implore good for you!

[...] 13. Ps 132 1 A song of ascents. 2 who has sworn to the Lord, 3 “I will not come into the tent of my HOUSE, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, 5 until I find A PLACE for the Lord, 6 Behold, we have heard it in Ephrata, 7 Let us come into his DWELLING PLACES, 8 “Rise up, O Lord, to your rest, 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, 10 For the sake of DAVID your servant 11 The Lord has sworn to DAVID, “From the fruit of your womb 12 If your sons will keep my covenant also their sons forever 13 Yes the Lord has chosen Zion, 14 “This is my rest forever, 15 With food, with blessing, I will bless, 16 and her priests I will clothe with salvation 17 There I will cause a horn to sprout for DAVID, 18 his enemies I will clothe with shame 14. Ps 133 1 A song of ascents, of David. to SIT all together as BROTHERS! 2 Like fine oil on the head, the beard of Aaron, 3 Like the dew of Hermon Yes, there the Lord has commanded the blessing, 15. Ps 134

1

Remember, O Lord, for DAVID, all his humility, he has vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: I will not go up on the couch of my bed, to my eyelids—respite, DWELLING PLACES for the Mighty One of Jacob!” we have found it in the Fields of Yaar! let us bow down to the footstool of his feet: you and the ark of your strength. and let your faithful jubilate. do not turn back the face of your Messiah.” the truth, he will not turn back from it: I will set on the THRONE (made) for you. and my PRECEPT which I have taught them, WILL SIT on the THRONE (made) for you. he has desired her as a SEAT for himself: here I WILL SIT, because I have desired her. her poor I will satisfy with bread, and her faithful will jubilate with jubilation. I will prepare a lamp for my Messiah; and upon him his diadem will flourish.” Behold, how it is good and how it is sweet coming down on the beard, that comes down on the collar of his tunics. that comes down on the mountains of Zion. life forever.

A song of ascents. Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, in the HOUSE of the Lord by night. Lift up your hands to the SANCTUARY and bless the Lord. 3 May the Lord bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth!

WHO ARE STANDING 2

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

Relationships between the median subsequences (Ps 124–126 & Ps 128–130) Ps 124 and Ps 129 have a number of things in common: – Their first segments repeat the first member (124:1–2 & 129:1–2); – Their first segments end with “Let Israel say it now!” (124:1b & 129:1b), playing the role of initial terms (it is not found elsewhere in the collection); – “Blessed be” (124:6) is taken up by “blessing” and “we bless” (129:8; also in 128:4, 5); – “The name of the Lord” occurs in final terms (124:8 & 129:8b; it is not found elsewhere in the collection); – “Like” occurs in 124:7 and in 129:6; – The “net” that “broke” in Ps 124:7 is related to the “yoke strap” that the Lord “shattered” in Ps 129:4 (they are not found elsewhere in the collection). Ps 125 and Ps 128 also have much in common: – “Peace on Israel” plays the role of final terms (125:5b & 128:6; it is not found elsewhere in the collection); – The synonymous participles “who trust” and “who fear” can be seen as having the function of initial terms, especially since they have the same complement, “the Lord” (125:1 & 128:1; they are not found elsewhere in the collection); – “Jerusalem” occurs in 125:2 and 128:5 (and not elsewhere in the six psalms); – The same adverb translated as “to surround” occurs in 125:2a[2x] and translates as “around” in 128:3b (and elsewhere in the collection); – “Like” of 125:1 is retaken twice in 128:3a, 3b; – The term “hands” occurs in 125:3b and in 128:2; – The terms “do good” and “the good” (ṭôb) in 125:4 are matched by the two occurrences of “good” (ṭôb) in 128:2, 5. Psalms 126 and Ps 130 have no common vocabulary, except for “the Lord”. They even seem to oppose each other, with “laughter”, joy and “jubilation” on the one hand (126:2, 3, 5, 6b), and on the other hand with a cry that comes “from the depths” and implores “forgiveness” (130:1–4). However, while the first half of Ps 126 expresses the joy of the return from exile, the second half implores the Lord to bring back the deportees who have not yet returned and are still in “tears”; in a symmetrical fashion, when the speaker of Ps 130 begins with a call for help, he then comes to express his confidence, his hope in the redemption, which is not only his own, but that of “Israel” (130:7a, 8). Therefore, both psalms are about the prayer and the expectation of the whole people. The first two and the last two psalms are marked by misfortune or at least the threat from which the Lord delivers. On the contrary, the last psalm of the first subsequence (126) and the first of the last one (128) speak of joy and happiness. And that is a characteristic of these two subsequences compared to the extreme subsequences: while this aspect is found in Ps 120 and Ps 121, it is much less present in Ps 122 and Ps 132, and absent in the last two (Ps 133 & Ps 134). Finally, it should be noted that “soul” is found only in the extreme psalms (124:4, 5, 7 & 130:5, 6), playing the role of extreme terms.

The Whole of the Fourth Section (Ps 120–134) 5. Ps 124 1 A song of ascents, of David. Without the Lord who was for us, 2 without the Lord who was for us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive, 4 Then the waters would have overflowed us, 5 then over our soul would have passed 6 BLESSED BE the Lord who has not given us 7 Our soul has escaped like a bird The net broke, 8 Our help in THE NAME OF THE LORD, 6. Ps 125 1 A song of ascents. Those WHO TRUST in the Lord are like Mount ZION: 2 JERUSALEM, the mountains surround it, from now on and forever. 3 Because the scepter of wickedness shall not rest so that the righteous might not set 4 DO GOOD, O Lord, to THE GOOD, 5 And those who deviate in their crookedness, 7. Ps 126 1 A song of ascents. When the Lord brought back the fortunes of ZION, 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, Then they said among the nations: 3 The Lord has done great things for us, 4 Bring back, O Lord, our captivity, 5 Those who saw in tears 6 He goes away, he goes away weeping, he comes, he comes in jubilation,

let Israel say it now! when (the children) of Adam rose up against us, when their anger was burning on us. a river would have passed over our soul, the arrogant waters. as a prey to their teeth! from the net of fowlers. and as for us, we escaped. who made heaven and earth. it cannot be shaken, forever it endures. and the Lord surround his people, upon the lot of the righteous, their hands to perversity. and to the upright in their hearts. may the Lord lead them with the doers of iniquity! PEACE ON ISRAEL! we were like dreaming. and our tongue with jubilation. “The Lord has done great things for them!” we were glad. like torrents in the Negeb! shall reap in jubilation: carrying the bag of seed; carrying his sheaves.

[Ps 127] 9. Ps 128 1 A song of ascents. Happy everyone WHO FEARS the Lord 2 From the labour of your hands, yes, you shall eat, 3 your wife like a fruitful vine your sons like shoots of olive trees 4 Behold, that surely WILL BE BLESSED 5 May the Lord BLESS your from ZION all the days of your life, 6 and may you see the sons of your sons! 10. Ps 129 1 A song of ascents. Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 2 Greatly have they oppressed me from my youth, 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, 4 The Lord is righteous, 5 Let them blush and be turned backward, 6 Let them be like grass of the roofs 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, 8 and the passers-by do not say: We BLESS you 11. Ps 130 1 A song of ascents. From the depths I call you, O Lord: let your ears be attentive 3 If you watch faults, O Yah, 4 Because with you forgiveness, 5 I wait for the Lord, 6 My soul for Adonay (like) watchmen for the dawn, Because with the Lord is grace, 8 and it is he who will redeem Israel

and walks in his ways! happy you and GOOD to you; on the flanks of your house, around your table. the man who fears the Lord. and may you see the GOOD of JERUSALEM PEACE ON ISRAEL! let Israel say it now! yet they have not prevailed against me. they made long their furrows; he has shattered the yoke strap of the wicked. all who hate ZION! which dried up before one pulls it up, or the binder his lap, “The BLESSING of the Lord upon you!” IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. 2 Adonay, hear my voice; to the voice of my prayer! Adonay, who could stand? so that you may be feared. my soul waits, and in his word I hope. more than watchmen for the dawn; 7 hope, O Israel, in the Lord! and with him abundance of redemption; from all his faults.

473

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

Relationships between the central psalms (Ps 123 & Ps 131) 4. Ps 123

1

A song of ascents.

Toward you I LIFT UP MY EYES, 2 They are here LIKE THE EYES of servants LIKE THE EYES of a maid Yes, OUR EYES toward Yhwh our God,

who sit in the heavens. toward the hand of THEIR MASTER, toward the hand of HER MISTRESS. until he has mercy on us.

3

Have mercy on us, O Yhwh, have mercy on us, because we are greatly filled with contempt; 4 OUR SOUL is greatly filled with the scorn of the satisfied, the contempt of the proud. […] 12. Ps 131

1

A song of ascents, of David.

Yhwh, MY HEART is not exalted and I do not walk in great things, 2

But not that, I hold equal

and MY EYES are not RAISED UP, and in wonders beyond me. and hold MY SOUL silent;

LIKE a child rests against ITS MOTHER,

LIKE the child against me is MY SOUL.

3

from now on and forever!

Hope, O Israel, toward Yhwh

At the beginning of Ps 131 “and my eyes are not raised up” echoes “I lift up my eyes” at the beginning of Ps 123, both syntagmas play the role of initial terms. Moreover, the word “proud” in Ps 123:4b (root g’h) is matched in Ps 132:1b by “is not exalted” (root gbh), a play on words that serve as median terms. While the term “eyes” occurs four times in Ps 123, it is coupled with “my heart” at the beginning of Ps 131 (verse 1b). “Yhwh” occurs twice in each psalm (123:2c, 3; 131:1b, 3). The most striking connection is undoubtedly the double comparison introduced with “like” (123:2 & 131:2). In Ps 123 the psalmist compares his relationship with “Yhwh” to that of “servants” to their “master” and of a “maid” to her “mistress”, whose help they implore against the “satisfied” who fill them with “contempt”. To our ears this relationship might sound like a master-slave relationship. The symmetrical psalm with its maternal image hardly allows for this interpretation. In the Israelite society of the time, servants and handmaids were part of the household; in the central commandment of the Sabbath, the Decalogue recommends that the father of the family treat his servants and handmaids as his sons and daughters (Exod 20:10; Deut 5:14).1

1

It was the same in France, not so long ago, where farm workers were part of the family, living in the house and eating at the same table.

The Whole of the Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

475

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE THREE SEQUENCES (PS 120–126; 127; 128–134) The name of the Lord The name “Yhwh” occurs 25 times in each of the two septenaries. Moreover, the distribution happens to be the same: eleven times in the first subsequences (Ps 120–122 & 128–130), twice in the central psalms (Ps 123 & 131), twelve times in the third subsequences (Ps 124–126 & 132–134). In the central psalm (Ps 127) “Yhwh” occurs three times.2 Relation between the three central psalms (Ps 123; 127; 131) 4. Ps 123

1

A song of ascents.

Toward you I lift up my eyes, who sit in the heavens. 2 They are here LIKE the eyes of SERVANTS toward the hand of their master, LIKE the eyes of a MAID toward the hand of her mistress. Yes, our eyes toward Yhwh our God, until he has mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Yhwh, have mercy on us, for we are greatly filled with contempt; 4 our soul is greatly filled with the scorn of the satisfied, the contempt of the proud. […] 8.

1

Ps 127

A song of ascents,

of Solomon.

If Yhwh does not BUILD the house, in vain its BUILDERS labour in it; if Yhwh does not keep the city, in vain the keeper watches. 2 In vain for you, anticipating rising up, delaying lying down, eating a bread of sufferings. Yes, he gives to his beloved in sleep. 3 Behold, SONS are the INHERITANCE of Yhwh, the fruit of the womb is a reward: 4 LIKE arrows in the hand of a hero, so are the SONS of youth. 5 Happy the man, who has filled his quiver with them: they shall not blush, when they shall deal with the enemies at the gate. […] 12. Ps 131

1

A song of ascents,

Yhwh, my heart is not proud, and I do not walk in great things 2

But not that, I hold equal rests against it mother, 3 Hope, O Israel, in Yhwh LIKE A CHILD

2

of David. and my eyes are not raised up, and in wonders beyond me. and hold my soul silent against me is my soul. from now on and forever!

LIKE THE CHILD

The two occurrences of “our God” in the first septenary (122:9 & 123:2), and in the other septenary the two occurrences of “Adonay” (130:1–2) and “Yah” (130:3) should also be noted.

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Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

4. Ps 123

1

A song of ascents.

Toward you I lift up my eyes, who sit in the heavens. 2 They are here LIKE the eyes of SERVANTS toward the hand of their master, LIKE the eyes of a MAID toward the hand of her mistress. Yes, our eyes toward Yhwh our God, until he has mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Yhwh, have mercy on us, for we are greatly filled with contempt; 4 our soul is greatly filled with the scorn of the satisfied, the contempt of the proud. […] 8.

1

Ps 127

A song of ascents,

of Solomon.

If Yhwh does not BUILD the house, in vain its BUILDERS labour in it; if Yhwh does not keep the city, in vain the keeper watches. 2 In vain for you, anticipating rising up, delaying lying down, eating a bread of sufferings. Yes, he gives to his beloved in sleep. 3 Behold, SONS are the INHERITANCE of Yhwh, the fruit of the womb is a reward: 4 LIKE arrows in the hand of a hero, so are the SONS of youth. 5 Happy the man, who has filled his quiver with them: they shall not blush, when they shall deal with the enemies at the gate. […] 12. Ps 131

1

A song of ascents,

Yhwh, my heart is not proud, and I do not walk in great things 2

But not that, I hold equal rests against it mother, 3 Hope, O Israel, in Yhwh LIKE A CHILD

of David. and my eyes are not raised up, and in wonders beyond me. and hold my soul silent against me is my soul. from now on and forever!

LIKE THE CHILD

We have already noted the double occurrence of “like” in Ps 123:2ab and Ps 131:2b, which introduces the terms “servants” and “maid”, and “a child” and “the child”. But “like” is also found, accompanied by “the sons”, in the central psalm (127:4); just as “child” is repeated in the third psalm (131:2b), “son” is repeated in the central psalm (127:3, 4), which corresponds to the couple “servants” – “maid” in the first psalm (123:2ab). The theme of filiation thus runs through the three central psalms. It is “toward” the Lord that the psalmist turns to implore his help against the “proud” who besiege him (Ps 123), it is from him alone that he expects the gift of a posterity, of sons on whose help he will be able to count in the face of their enemies (Ps 127), it is in him alone that Israel will be able to “hope” with the humility, confidence and abandonment of the little child (Ps 131).

The Whole of the Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

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Other Relationships between Ps 127 and the two septenaries 127 1 A song of ascents, of Solomon. If the Lord does not build the house, if the Lord does not keep the city, 2 In vain for you, you delay lying down,

in vain its builders labour in it; in vain the keeper watches. you anticipate rising up, you eat a bread of sufferings.

Yes, he gives to his beloved in sleep. 3

Behold, sons are the inheritance of the Lord, Like arrows in the hand of a hero, 5 Happy the man they shall not blush, 4

the fruit of the womb is a reward: so are the sons of youth. who has filled his quiver with them: when they shall deal with enemies at the gate.

Ps 127 begins with a double negative conditional “If the Lord does not [...] If the Lord does not”; the same is true of Ps 124: literally, “If the Lord had not been for us” (2x).3 – The theme of the house with which the central psalm begins is found twice in Ps 122: At the beginning it is “the house of the Lord” (122:1) and at the end “the house of the Lord our God” (122:9). It is more frequent in the second septenary. It appears at the beginning (128:3) where it is the house of the man who fears the Lord. Then it is especially in Ps 132, where David does not want to sleep in his “house” (132:3) until he has found “a place”, “dwelling places” for the Lord (132:5, 7), “rest” for him (132:8, 14), “seat” he has desired (132:13).4 Finally, the last psalm of the collection is located “in the house of the Lord”, before the “sanctuary” (134:1–2). At the beginning of the collection the “tents” of Kedar were mentioned, where the psalmist is obliged to “dwell” (120:5–6), a habitation which is opposed to the “palaces” within the “walls” of Jerusalem (122:7). “Tent” is found in Ps 132:3 in the expression “the tent of my house”. “Zion” is the place where it is sweet to “dwell” “together as brothers” (133:1). The mention of “the house of the Lord” is found in the last psalm (134:1) followed by “the sanctuary” (134:2). – The theme of the house is linked to that of filiation, through the play on words between “build” (banah), “house” (bayt) at the beginning of the first part of Ps 127 (verse 1bc) and “son” (bēn, plural bānîm) at the beginning of the last part (verses 3-4).5 The sons of youth are compared to “arrows in the hand of a hero” (127:4); these terms were already present at the beginning of the collection: “What shall he give to you [...]? Sharp arrows of a hero” (120:3–4). In the second septenary, the theme of filiation is developed, beginning with Ps 128, where the man who fears the Lord is surrounded by his “wife” “on the flanks of 3

See p. 367, 371. The terms, nouns and verbs, belonging to the same semantic field have been listed, see p. 472. 5 See p. 398. 4

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his house” and by his “sons” (128:3) and who is wished to see “the sons of his sons” (128:6). The theme is taken up again in Ps 132, always linked to that of the house: “From the fruit of your womb I will set on the throne made for you. If your sons will keep my covenant [...] also their sons forever will sit on the throne made for you” (132:11–12). “Brothers” belongs to the same semantic field as “sons”: In the penultimate psalm the “brothers” who dwell together in Zion are mentioned (133:1), and the same applies to Psalm 122 (“For the sake of my brothers and my companions, I will say, ‘Peace upon you!’”, 122:8). – The theme of the house is coupled with that of “the city” and its “gate” (127:1, 5). This city is none other than “Jerusalem”. Thus, in Ps 122, where the name “Jerusalem” is used, the same vocabulary is repeated: 2 3

Our feet standing in your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem built as a city that is compact together.

The name “Jerusalem” (122:2, 3, 6; 125:2 / 128:5) and the name “Zion” (125:1; 126:1 / 128:5; 129:5; 132:13; 133:3; 134:3) throughout the collection: six times in the first septenary, six times in the second one. – The theme of the city is linked to that of its guardians (127:1). They must ensure that the city is not attacked and invaded by the enemy. Ps 121 insistently presents the Lord as the pilgrim’s “guardian”: there are six occurrences of the root šmr in both nouns and verbs (translated as “to keep” and “keeper”), to which should be added the two occurrences of “help” (121:1–2).6 In Ps 130 the poet plays on the root: the first time (verse 3) the subject is God who “keeps” the faults, the other two times (verses 6), with the metaphor of “keepers for the dawn”, it concerns on the contrary the psalmist and all Israel. The verb returns in 132:12, but this time the meaning is different again: “If your sons will keep my covenant”. – The guardian must “watch” (šqd): “If the Lord does not keep the city, in vain the keeper watches” (127:1). Related to the preceding one, the theme of watchfulness is already present in the second psalm: the Lord watches over the pilgrim not only by day but also “by night” (121:3, 6).7 At the end of the collection, it is the “servants of the Lord” who “are standing”, that is, who watch “by night” to bless the Lord (134:1). – Linked to the theme of guarding and watching is the theme of sleep. In the central psalm, the guardian of the city must resist sleep in order to guard the city, but the psalmist insists that without the Lord’s help the watchman could not 6 7

See p. 343. See p. 342.

The Whole of the Fourth Section (Ps 120–134)

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guard the city. The word “sleep” (127:2) appears especially at the centre of the psalm, and thus of the whole collection: While man sleeps, the Lord watches to prepare his food and “to give him” the inheritance of sons. David does not want to “give” sleep to his eyes until he has found a home for the Lord (132:4), but it will be the Lord who will build him a home and put his son and the sons of his sons on his throne. – The theme of gift is linked to the preceding one, since it is during the sleep that the Lord “gives” to man all that he needs, food and offspring (127:2), that is to say life. The verb appears at the beginning of the series, at the centre of Ps 120: what the Lord will “give” to the “lying tongue” that threatens the psalmist are the “arrows of a hero” (122:3–4), which the central psalm identifies, so to speak, with the sons with which “the beloved” of God has filled his quiver (127:4). On the other hand, in the second psalm, the Lord “does not give to stumble” to the pilgrim’s foot (121:3); in Ps 124, in the name of Israel, the psalmist blesses the Lord “who has not given us as a prey to their teeth” (124:6). Finally, in 132:4, David does not want to “give sleep” to his eyes, because he wants to find a house for the Lord, but it is the Lord who will give him a house. – The theme of gift is linked to that of its permanence. The gift of God, the gift of food (127:2; 128:2; 132:15) and especially of sons, is the gift of “life forever” (133:3), “from now on and forever” (121:8, 125:2; 131:3), “forever” (125:1), “all the days of your life” (128:5), “forever” (132:12, 14), “by day” and “by night” (121:6), “the sons of your sons” (128:6), “your sons [...] also their sons” (132:12). – The theme of permanence looks to the future; correlatively, the theme of creation, even expressed in the present tense, refers to the origin: “the maker of heaven and earth” occurs three times, twice in the first septenary (121:2 & 124:8) and once at the very end of the collection (134:3). – In Ps 124, God’s gift is that of help against enemies: “He has not given us as a prey to their teeth” (124:6). The theme of enemies is very present throughout the collection. Ps 127 ends with a reference to “enemies” with whom the man assisted by the sons of his youth will “deal” without “blushing” at the gate of the city (127:5). Ps 132 also ends with a reference to “enemies” (132:18) who will be “clothed with shame” (the word “shame” derives from the same root as the verb “to blush”, 127:5 & 129:5). But the enemies were already present in the first psalm: They are the “false lips” of “those who hate peace” (120:2, 6), the Gentiles among whom the psalmist is forced to live. In the subsequent psalm, the enemies are not mentioned directly, but they are those who threaten the pilgrim on his way to Jerusalem by day and by night, who are symbolised by “the sun” and “the moon” that could “strike” (121:6) and who represent the “evil” from which the Lord guards him (121:7). The fact that in the third psalm the pilgrim

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so insistently invites us to ask for “peace” and to implore happiness (122:6–9) is because they are threatened. Ps 123 also ends with a supplication against the “contempt” of “the satisfied”, “the proud” (123:3–4). The subsequent psalm begins with the mortal danger posed by those who want to “swallow” Israel, like a river with “arrogant waters”, who intend to catch it in the “net” (124:3–7). This continues in the next psalm, where “the sceptre of wickedness” risks leading the people to “perversity” (125:3). Ps 126 sings of the joy of salvation granted to Zion (126:1–3), but the return from exile is not yet complete and it is still a time of “tears” for some (126:4–6). In this way, all the psalms of the first septenary are marked by the suffering and danger that the enemies bring to the people of Israel. The second septenary is considerably more serene than the first one. There is no trace of enemies in its first psalm (Ps 128) and no trace of them in the last two psalms (Ps 133 & Ps 134). Ps 129, on the other hand, begins with a reminder of the oppression that many have brought upon the psalmist since his youth (129:1–3) before mentioning the deliverance provided by the Lord who “has shattered the yoke strap of the godless” (129:4). But when the psalmist asks that “all those who hate Zion” should blush (129:5–8a), he does so because the danger remains. In De profundis (Ps 130) the enemy is no longer the one from outside but the one from within, “the faults” from which the psalmist asks to be forgiven. In Ps 132, as we have already pointed out, enemies are mentioned, but at the very end of God’s oath to David (132:18). In the central psalm (131) the enemies are not present, but the final encouragement, “Hope, O Israel, in the Lord” (131:3), suggests that their threat continues to weigh on him. – What the enemies threaten is “peace”. The word appears seven times in the collection: six times in the first septenary (120:6, 7; 122:6, 7, 8; 125:5) and only once in the other one (128:6), which is consistent with the massive presence of the enemies in the first septenary, and more discreet in the other one. Shalom, Jerusalem, Solomon In Ps 122 the following traditional play on words between “peace” (šālôm) and “Jerusalem” (yerûšālāyim) has been noted.8 It has just been pointed out that in the collection “peace” occurs seven times, the number of totality, and that the names “Jerusalem” and “Zion” are mentioned six times in each of the two septenaries. In the central psalm, however, none of these terms appear, neither “peace” nor “Jerusalem” nor even “Zion”; however, the title of the psalm contains the name “Solomon” (šelōmōh, 127:1), which enters into sound resonance with both “peace” and “Jerusalem”.

8

See p. 352.

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CONTEXT SOLOMON, KING OF PEACE According to the First Book of Kings, David was unable to build the Temple because of the wars he had to support; thanks to his peaceful reign, Solomon was able to fulfil his father’s desire: 16

And Solomon sent this message to Hiram, “You are aware that my father David was unable to build a house for the Name of Yhwh his God, on account of the wars waged on him from every side, until Yhwh put his enemies under the soles of his feet. 18 But now Yhwh my God has given me rest on every side: not one enemy, no calamities. 19 I propose, then, to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my God, in accordance with what Yhwh told my father David, ‘Your son whom I shall place on your throne to succeed you will be the man to build a house for my Name’.” (1 Kgs 5) 17

The other psalm “of Solomon” presents him twice as the king of righteousness and peace (Ps 72:3, 7). Similarly, Sir 47:13, “Solomon reigned in a time of peace, and God gave him peace all round so that he could raise a house to his name and prepare an everlasting sanctuary” (see p. 461). SOLOMON, THE BUILDER OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD The story of Solomon’s reign is reported in 1 Kgs 2:12–11:43. Now 40% of this account focuses on the building of the temple, its consecration and the prayers that accompany it (5:15–6:38; 7:13–9:9). THE OATH MADE TO DAVID As recorded in the First Book of Kings, the oath made to David to keep one of his sons on the throne of Israel forever is conditional on their faithfulness to the covenant. Thus, at the time of his death, David says it in his recommendations to his son and successor Solomon: “If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you will never want for a man on the throne of Israel” (1 Kgs 2:4). It is then Solomon who repeats it in his prayer after the transfer of the ark into the temple (8:25). And the Lord will also say it to Solomon in the second dream he had after he had completed all his constructions: For your part, if you walk before me in innocence of heart and in honesty, like your father David, if you do everything that I command and keep my laws and my ordinances, 5 I shall make your royal throne secure over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I said, “You will never lack for a man on the throne of Israel.” (1 Kgs 9:4–5)

This condition did not appear in the promise made to David by the prophet Nathan in 2 Sam 7. However, it is mentioned in Ps 132:12.

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“DAY AND NIGHT” In his prayer at the transfer of the ark into the temple, Solomon asks the Lord to watch over his people “day and night”: “May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day” (1 Kgs 8:29). Further on he asks: “May these words of mine, of my entreaty before Yahweh, be present with Yahweh our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of Israel his people, as each day requires” (8:59). In the collection of the Psalms of Ascents, it is first the Lord who guards his people “day” and “night” (Ps 121:3, 6) and at the end they are the servants of the Lord who remain standing “in the house of the Lord by night” (134:1). SOLOMON IMPLORES FORGIVENESS With its request for “forgiveness” De profundis (Ps 130) finds an echo repeated in Solomon’s long prayer: “Listen from the place where you reside in heaven, hear and forgive” (1 Kgs 8:30; see also verses 34, 36, 39, 50). SOLOMON BLESSES THE PEOPLE At the end of the collection of the Psalms of Ascents, they are the priests, sons of Aaron, who bless the people. In 1 Kgs, King Solomon blesses the people twice (8:14–21; 8:55–61). He does so “with his hands stretched out toward heaven” (8:54); in the last Psalm of Ascents, it is the servants of the Lord who are encouraged to “lift up their hands toward the sanctuary” to bless the Lord (Ps 134:2). SOLOMON IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE Solomon’s name appears in two places in the Gospel of Luke. Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like the lilies of the field (Luke 12:27; par. Matt 6:29); the Queen of Sheba “came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look, there is something greater than Solomon!” (Luke 11:31; par. Matt 12:42). The figure of Solomon, without his name being mentioned, appears as a watermark throughout the seventh sequence of the third section of the gospel (Luke 18:31–19:46): Invoked as “son of (King) David” by the blind man of Jericho (18:39), acclaimed as “king” by the disciples in 19:38, he presents himself in the central parable as the one who goes “to receive the kingdom” (19:12); he exercises it by “judging” (19:22) both the wicked servant and his “enemies”, those who “did not want” him to “reign over them” (19:14 and 27). This king is presented, throughout the sequence, under the features of Solomon: like Solomon he is “son of David” (18:38, 39); like Solomon he is “brought up” on a royal mount and brought to his city amidst shouts of joy (19:35–40); like Solomon

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he judges his servants on the words of their own mouths (19:22) and sends them to death (19:27); like Solomon, whose name means “man of peace”, this king “comes” (18:37; 19:10, 23, 38; and in verse 44 he “visits”), for “salvation” in the first side of the sequence (three times: 18:42 and 19:9, 0), for “peace” in the second side (twice: 19:38 and verse 42); finally, like Solomon, he designates the Temple as “house of prayer” (19:45).9

INTERPRETATION “A PSALM OF SALOMON” King Solomon dominates the whole construction of the collection with his elevated stature (Ps 127). It is true that his name is mentioned only once, but the position he occupies is royal, at the centre of attention, as if illuminated by the two candelabras with which he is flanked, surrounded by two pairs of “Psalms of David” his father (Ps 122 and Ps 124; Ps 131 and Ps 133). He is the son promised by the Lord to the son of Jesse to sit on his throne after him (132:11); he is the foundation stone of “the house of David”. He is the one about whom the longest psalm in the collection is primarily concerned (Ps 132). He is the one who built “the house of the Lord” (122:1, 9; 134:1) which his father did not have the pleasure of building, the temple to which “the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord” (122:4). He is the king of “peace”, whose name resounds throughout the collection seven times, the figure of totality (120:6, 7; 122:6, 7, 8; 125:5; 128:6). He is the king of “the city” of “Jerusalem”, and this name echoes five times his own name (122:2, 3, 6; 125:2; 128:5). ASCENDING TOWARDS ZION The Lord had brought the people of the sons of Israel up from Egypt into the land flowing with milk and honey (Exod 3:8), to his “sanctuary”: “You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain which is your inheritance, the place of your seat, which you made, O Yhwh, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands had established” (Exod 15:17).10 It is towards Mount Zion that the pilgrims tend all their desire (Ps 121), from the lands of their exile where they had come down, from Meshech and from Kedar (120:5). From there they began to ascend in successive waves in a new exodus, when the Lord “brought back the fortunes of Zion” (126:1). It is there that they all go together, there “the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord” (122:4), after having escaped the “net of fowlers” (124:7). It is on Mount Zion that those who trust in the Lord end up identifying themselves, sure never to stumble (125:1). It is from Zion that the Lord blesses his people (128:5; 134:3). “Yes, the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired her as 9

R. MEYNET, L’évangile de Luc, 2011, 754 (see also 735, 744), 2005, 746; English trans. Luke: The Gospel of the Children of Israel, 628. 10 The translation of the words in italics is the one adopted for the Psalms of Ascents.

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a seat for himself” (132:13) and that is the reason why all dream of “dwelling all together as brothers” (133:1). EVER-PRESENT ENEMIES The Psalm of Solomon ends with mentioning the “enemies” with whom the father and his sons will have to deal at the city gate (127:5). The identity of these enemies remains ambiguous: they may be fellow citizens who meet at the gate to settle their disputes, but it is also possible that they are those from outside who threaten the city by attacking its gate.11 In any case, enemies are present throughout the collection. From the very first psalm, they are those in the diaspora who “hate peace” and are “for war” (120:6–7). By day and by night enemies of all kinds threaten the pilgrims on their way “toward the mountains” (121:1). In the subsequent psalm, the pilgrims who have finally arrived in Jerusalem invite their compatriots at length and with such insistence to ask for “peace in Jerusalem”, for this peace must be very fragile and threatened (122:6– 9). There is no difference in the psalm that follows, where the psalmist prays to his Lord to have mercy, “because we are greatly filled with contempt” (123:3– 4). The whole of Ps 124 recounts how Israel was freed from those who wanted to swallow them alive. Immediately afterwards, “the sceptre of wickedness” could pervert the people to whom they were subjected (Ps 125). While Ps 126 initially sings of the joy of deliverance, it comes to ask the Lord to bring back those who are still living in exile away from Zion. After the turning point of the central psalm, the macarism of Ps 128 nevertheless ends with the vow, “Peace on Israel” (128:6); this would not be the case if it were assured. The subsequent psalm is a dramatic reminder of how oppression has plagued the psalmist since his youth (Ps 129). Then he asks to be freed from sin, which is the enemy from within (Ps 130). The situation then calms down, even though the “enemies” appear in the ending of Ps 132. “THE GUARDIAN OF ISRAEL” The presence of enemies throughout the collection is impressive. Escaping the net of exile and ascending to Jerusalem is not without risk. And when the pilgrims have finally arrived in the city, sheltered by its walls, the threat does not disappear. Yet the enemies can never prevail. The Lord has answered the one who cries out to him in anguish (120:1); so with the first verse of the first psalm, the tone is set. Once the pilgrim has departed, the Lord “keeps” him throughout the journey to Jerusalem, day and night (Ps 121). “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion: it cannot be shaken, forever it endures” (125:1). With this faith the psalmist asks for “peace of Jerusalem” (122:6–8), turning his eyes to his Lord and begging for mercy (Ps 123). Prayer never ceases to accompany the psalmist in the persecution he endures: supplication, but also thanksgiving and 11

See p. 401.

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blessing: “Blessed be the Lord who has not given us as a prey to their teeth” (124:6). The same unwavering confidence is widely expressed in the Psalm of Solomon: “If Yhwh does not keep the city, in vain the keeper watches” (127:1). “The man who fears the Lord” and “walks in his ways” is firmly convinced that he will be blessed (128:1). In the endless oppression suffered from his youth, the psalmist acknowledges that the Lord has kept him by breaking “the yoke strap of the wicked” (129:4). Damaged in the “depths” of his faults (130:1, 3), he is sure that the dawn will come for him and for all his people: “Like the watchmen for the dawn, hope, O Israel, in the Lord” (130:6–7). And he repeats his unfailing hope in the subsequent psalm: “Hope, O Israel, in the Lord, from now on and forever” (131:3). In Ps 132, he expresses his confidence in the promise made to David, which is fulfilled before his eyes in the person of God’s Messiah. Finally, he can receive in faith the blessing that the priests bring down on him as he returns to his dwelling place (134:3). “IF THE LORD DOES NOT BUILD THE HOUSE” (127:1) The reason why Jerusalem stirs up the desire of every son of Israel and why his eyes are turned towards it with such love is undoubtedly because “there are set the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David” (122:5). Each person can appeal to the royal righteousness to obtain justice. Each member of the people is happy to be with the other members of the twelve tribes, to experience the brotherhood that is so good and so sweet (133:1). To see again the city “that is compact together”, with its “walls”, “gates” and “palaces” (Ps 122), is certainly a great joy. But beyond all this, it is “the house of the Lord” that most powerfully touches the heart of every Israelite. The temple built by Solomon, the house where the Lord has chosen to dwell (132:13–14), in its unparalleled beauty, attracts all eyes and hearts. And even if the temple rebuilt after the return from exile falls far short of the splendour of the one which the enemies of Zion had stripped and given to the flames, it is the house built by Solomon which remains present in the memory of all pilgrims, even of those who have never seen it with their own eyes. Eventually, through the beauty and majesty of the building, it is the presence of the one who inhabits it that all pilgrims seek. It is toward the Lord that all lift their eyes, the only one from whom they expect help and blessing. “THE HOUSE OF DAVID” (122:5) Among all the “palaces” in Jerusalem, the one that most resembles “the house of God” in its magnificence is obviously the palace of the king, “the house of David”; that is how Solomon had built it (1 Kgs 7:1–12). However, the palace of stone and cedar wood is only the building that houses the king and his family, the king and his sons. The house of David is first and foremost the house that the Lord himself will build, the dynasty that he will establish from father to son for

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all eternity (Ps 132). Of this “house” founded by God, Solomon is the emblematic and ideal descendant: He was the only one who governed and held together the twelve tribes of the Lord. After him, in fact, the single kingdom was cut into two. David had decided to build a house for the Lord, but “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain its builders labour in it” (127:1) and it will be the Lord himself who will build the house of David, assuring him that it will be his sons who will sit on his royal throne after him (132:11–12). “SONS ARE THE INHERITANCE OF THE LORD” (127:3) Through the mouth of the prophet Nathan, the Lord had said to David, “Moreover the Lord declares to you that he will make you a house” (2 Sam 7:11). He promised him that he would establish the throne of his son and added: “I will be a father to him and he shall be a son to me” (2 Sam 7:14). At the centre of the collection is the throne of the promised son, and Solomon, son of David, is called by the Lord “his beloved” (2 Sam 12:25; Ps 127:2). Sons will be given to this king during his sleep by the one who “neither slumbers nor sleeps” (121:4); these sons will be the “inheritance” freely received from the one who is thus presented as the father of the king and as the one who begets his sons. Sons of David, Solomon and his sons are thus portrayed as sons of God. As “arrows in the hand of a hero”, Solomon’s sons were already prefigured in the first psalm: “What shall he give to you and add to you, you deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows of a hero” (120:3–4). In a symmetrical position at the beginning of the second septenary there is again reference, this time in a clear fashion, to the “sons” and “sons of sons” of the man who fears the Lord (Ps 128). Starting from the centre, the theme of filiation also reappears at the centre of the two septenaries: first in a veiled fashion under the features of the servants and the handmaid waiting for their salvation with their eyes raised towards their master and mistresses (Ps 123), and more visibly at the heart of the second septenary with the image of “the child resting against its mother” with whom Israel, like the psalmist, is called to identify (Ps 131). Finally, in Ps 132, as in Ps 128, it still concerns David’s son and successor and “their sons forever” who will sit on the throne prepared for them by the Lord. Like the Lord, his inheritance cannot be limited in time: this is evident in the insistence throughout the collection on the perennial nature of the gift of offspring “from now on and forever”. “THE MESSIAH OF THE LORD” Although the dynasty ended with the exile and could not rise from the ashes, the ideal Messiah was always Solomon, son of David, the wise and powerful king. After the return from exile, it was the High Priest who, under successive occupations, assumed the role of supreme authority of the nation. With the destruction of Herod’s temple by the legions of Titus, both the cult and the sacrifices and the office of the High Priest died out. The Messiah always awaited

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by the children of Israel has thus become an apocalyptic figure whose coming is postponed to the end of time. The disciples of Jesus, on the other hand, recognised in him the new Solomon, “son of David”, Messiah, Christ of God. Jesus fulfils the figure of the son of David by bringing it to perfection: “look, there is something greater than Solomon” (Luke 11:31). He brings it to completion through the divine filiation that he shares with all those who believe in him (John 1:12–13).

FROM THE VENOM OF THE SERPENT TO THE PRAISE OF THE RIGHTEOUS Fifth Section Ps 135–145

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The fifth section comprises eleven psalms organised into three sequences: THANKSGIVING KEEP ME

AFTER

FROM THE VENOM

THANKSGIVING

BEYOND

THE EXILE

Ps 135–139

OF THE VIPER

Ps 140

DEATH

Ps 141–145

The extreme sequences, each with five psalms, are formed of three subsequences: The extreme subsequences comprise two psalms, the central subsequence contains only one (Ps 137 & Ps 143). The central sequence also contains only one psalm (Ps 140). GIVE THANKS HOW TO SING I GIVE YOU THANKS,

KEEP ME

O LORD, DELIVER ME O LORD,

TO THE LORD,

FOR HE HAS SAVED US

IN EXILE? O LORD,

Ps 137

FOR YOU WILL SAVE ME

FROM THE VENOM OF THE VIPER

I PRAY TO YOU AND I IMPLORE YOU FROM DEATH I BLESS YOU

Ps 135–136

Ps 138–139

Ps 140

Ps 141–142 Ps 143

AND I PRAISE YOU

Ps 114–145

I. THANKSGIVING AFTER THE EXILE The First Sequence: Ps 135–139

The first sequence comprises three subsequences. The first and last one are formed of two psalms (Ps 135–136 & 138–139), while the central subsequence comprises only one psalm (Ps 137). Each of the five psalms in the sequence is the size of a passage.

GIVE THANKS

TO THE LORD,

HOW TO SING

I GIVE THANKS TO YOU,

FOR HE HAS SAVED US

IN EXILE?

O LORD,

FOR YOU WILL SAVE ME

Ps 135–136

Ps 137

Ps 138–139

A. GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE SAVED US The First Subsequence: Ps 135–136 1. PSALM 135 TEXT 1 Praise

Yah! Praise the name of Yhwh, praise, you servants of Yhwh, 2 who stand in the house of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 Praise Yah, yes he is good, Yhwh, play to his name, yes he is sweet. 4 Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession. 5 Yes, as for me, I know that Yhwh is great, and our Master is above all gods. 6 All that Yhwh pleases he makes, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all depths, 7 causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth, he makes lightning for the rain, making the wind come out from his storehouses. 8 He struck down the first-born of Egypt from man to beast; 9 he sent signs and miracles into your midst, O Egypt, on Pharaoh and on all his servants. 10 He struck down many nations and killed valiant kings, 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. 12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people. 13 Yhwh, your name forever! Yhwh, your memory from age to age! 14 Yes, Yhwh judges his people and he is moved for his servants. 15 The idols of the nations, gold and silver, made by the hands of man! 16 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 17 they have ears and do not hear, there is not even wind in their mouth. 18 Like them are those who make them, all those 19 O house of Israel, bless Yhwh, who trust in them. O house of Aaron, bless Yhwh, 20 O house of Levi, bless Yhwh, you who fear Yhwh, bless Yhwh. 21 Blessed be Yhwh from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise Yah!

The psalm presents no significant textual difficulties. COMPOSITION To our knowledge, never before has a structural analysis of Ps 135 been presented in such a comprehensive and rigorous manner. We are the first to suggest a chiastic reading1 of the whole, which surprisingly highlights the profound unity and cohesion of the poem as a whole.2

In 1825, Boys had already found in this psalm a concentric composition that is focused on the two members of verse 13.3 In 1988, Amos Hakham (II, 505) recognized not only the limits of the extreme invitatories (1–3 & 19–21), but also those of the other five units (with the only difference to Girard’s division: his fourth part goes up to verse 12). The construction is not mirrored, but concentric (see p. 498).

1

“Mirror construction” in the terminology of biblical rhetorical analysis: ABC/C’B’A’. Girard, III, 398–399. 3 Th. BOYS, A Key to the Book of the Psalms, 138–143. 2

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Two identical acclamations, “Praise God!” (1a & 21c) frame the other five parts of the psalm, which are arranged in a concentric fashion: – At the extremities, the two invitatories (1b–3 & 19–21) matching each other; – Then there are two long parts, formed of two subparts corresponding to each other in parallel (4–5 + 6–7; 12–14 + 15–18); – Finally, the central part (8–11) recalls the exodus from Egypt and the conquest of the land of Canaan. THE SECOND PART (1B–3) + PRAISE + PRAISE, :: 2 who officiate :: in the courts + 3 PRAISE YAH, + PLAY

you servants

of YHWH, of YHWH,

in the house of the house

of YHWH, of OUR GOD;

yes, he is good, to HIS NAME,

YHWH, yes, he is sweet.

THE NAME

The extreme segments correspond to each other (1bc & 3): Their two members begin with imperatives, identical in the first three cases, “praise”. The last segment, with the two occurrences of “yes”, gives the reasons for the invitation: “yes, he is good – sweet”. At the centre (2), a participial clause that elaborates the vocative that precedes it, “you servants of the Lord” (1c). Each segment contains two names of God. The two occurrences of the “name” at the extremities form an inclusion (1b & 3b). THE THIRD PART (4–7) The two segments of the first subpart begin with kî, translated as “yes” (4a & 5a). The connection between the two segments is not obvious; however, the first one recalls the Lord’s choice of Jacob-Israel out of all the nations, and the second one brings “Yhwh” out of the group of “all gods”. The second subpart (6–7) presents “Yhwh”, the God of Israel, as the creator of all that exists: the first segment (6) is marked by the double merism of “heavens” and “earth”, “seas” and “all depths”. The second segment (7, where “earth” is repeated as in 6b) shows God in action in the storm. “All” in 5c and “all” in 6a act as median terms; “all” is also used at the end of 6b.

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495

+ 4 Yes, Jacob, + Israel

has chosen for himself YHWH, for his treasured possession.

:: 5 Yes, as for me, :: that great (is) :: and our Lord

I know YHWH, is above ALL

gods.

– 6 ALL that – he makes – in the seas

he pleases, in heaven and ALL

YHWH, and on earth, depths,

.. 7 causing go up .. lightning .. making come out

the clouds for the rain, the wind

from the ends of the earth, he makes, from his storehouses.

the first-born to beast;

of Egypt

signs O Egypt, and on ALL

and miracles

THE FOURTH PART (8–11) + 8 HE STRUCK DOWN + from man : 9 he sent : into your midst, : on Pharaoh

his servants.

···························································································· 10

+ HE STRUCK DOWN + and killed : 11 Sihon, : and Og, : and ALL

nations kings,

numerous the valiant ones,

king king the kingdoms

of the Amorites, of Bashan, of Canaan.

The two pieces begin with the same term, šehikkâ (lit. “who struck”, 8a & 10a), and recall Yhwh’s interventions against the enemies of his people, first Egypt before the exodus, then the peoples of the land of “Canaan” at the end of the forty years of the exodus in the desert. The two occurrences of “all” (9c & 11c) serve as final terms.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE FIFTH PART (12–18) + 12 And he gave + as an inheritance

their land TO ISRAEL

as an inheritance, his people.

your name your memory

forever! from age to age!

– 14 Yes, he judges, – and for

Yhwh, his servants,

his people, he is moved.

+ 15 The idols - made

OF THE NATIONS,

gold of adam!

:: 13 Yhwh, :: Yhwh,

by the hands

and silver,

················································································································

• 16 A mouth

to them

and they do not speak,

– eyes – 17 ears

to them to them

and they do not see, and they do not hear,

there is not breath

in their mouth.

• even

················································································································ 18

- Like them + all those

are who trust

those who make them. in them.

The first subpart (12–14) deals with ‘Yhwh” and “his people” “Israel”, the second subpart (15–18) with “idols of the nations”. The extreme segments of the first part begin with verbs whose subject is Yhwh and whose beneficiaries are “his people” (12b & 14a). The last segment introduced with “yes” (kî, 14a), gives the reason for God’s action as described in the first segment. At the centre (13), a completely parallel double invocation addressed to Yhwh. The second subpart is also constructed in a concentric fashion. The extreme pieces correspond to each other in a mirrored fashion, with “them” at the end (18a) referring back to “idols” at the beginning (15a), and “make” (18a) repeats “made” from 15b. In the central piece (16–17), the extreme segments deal with “mouth” (16a & 17b), while the central bimember parallels “eyes” and “ears” (16b–17a).

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THE SIXTH PART (19–21B) + 19 O house + O house + 20 O house = you who fear

of Israel, of Aaron, of Levi,

BLESS BLESS BLESS

Yhwh, Yhwh, Yhwh,

Yhwh,

BLESS

Yhwh.

······················································································ 21

:: BLESSED BE :: he who dwells

Yhwh in Jerusalem!

from Zion,

In the first piece (19–20) the three traditional components of Israel are invited to “bless” the Lord, and then comes the turn of those “who fear Yhwh” (20b), that is, those who—according to the current interpretation—are not a part of the chosen people, but nevertheless worship “Yhwh”. The second piece (21) appears as the blessing called for in the first piece. The two proper names of “Zion” and “Jerusalem” (21), the capital and cultic centre of the people of Israel, refer to the three proper names of the first piece, “Israel”, “Aaron”, “Levi” (19–20a).

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THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

PRAISE YAH! PRAISE THE NAME of YHWH, 2 who stand in the HOUSE of YHWH, 3 PRAISE YAH, yes he is good, YHWH, 4 5

Yes, YHWH has chosen Jacob for himself, Yes, as for me, I know that YHWH is great,

PRAISE, YOU SERVANTS of YHWH, in the courts of the HOUSE of OUR GOD. PLAY to HIS NAME, yes he is sweet. ISRAEL for his treasured possession. and OUR MASTER is above all gods.

6

All that YHWH pleases,

HE MAKES, in heaven and on earth,

7

causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth,

HE MAKES lightning for the rain,

in the seas and all depths, making the WIND come out from his storehouses. 8 9

HE STRUCK DOWN the first-born of Egypt he sent signs and miracles

10 11

HE STRUCK DOWN many NATIONS Sihon, king of the Amorites,

12

And he gave their land as an inheritance, YHWH, YOUR NAME forever! 14 Yes, YHWH judges his people 13

15

The idols of the NATIONS, gold and silver, 16 They have a mouth they have eyes 17 they have ears there is not even WIND 18 Like them are those who MAKE them, 19

O HOUSE of Israel, BLESS YHWH,

21

you who fear YHWH, BLESSED BE YHWH from Zion,

from man to beast; into your midst, O Egypt, on Pharaoh and on all his SERVANTS. and killed valiant kings, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

as an inheritance to ISRAEL his people. YHWH, your memory from age to age! and he is moved for his SERVANTS. by the hands of man. and do not speak, and do not see and do not hear, in their mouth. all those who trust in them. MADE

O HOUSE of Aaron, BLESS YHWH, 20 O HOUSE of Levi, BLESS YHWH, BLESS YHWH. he who dwells in Jerusalem!

PRAISE YAH!

The two Alleluia (“Praise God”, 1a & 21b) in the first and last parts act as extreme terms. In consonance with these two Alleluia, the second and penultimate parts (1c–3 & 19–21a) contain the only imperatives of the psalm, four times in each part: at the beginning three times “praise” and “play”, at the end four times “bless”. God’s name appears six times: “Yhwh”, “Yah”, “our God”. Those who stand in the “house” of the Lord at the beginning (2a) are those who are called the “house” of Israel, Aaron and Levi at the end (19–20a). The house of the Lord (2) is that which is in “Zion”, “Jerusalem” (21a).

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The two parts that frame the central part (4–7 & 12–18) are more extensive. Their first subparts (4–5 & 12–14) deal with “Israel” (4 & 12) described as the Lord’s “treasured possession” and “inheritance” (4 & 12a). The second subparts (6–7 & 15–18) also related, with what the Lord “makes” (6a & 7a) and what the Gentiles “make” (15 & 18), namely their ineffective idols. While Yhwh brings “the wind” (7b) out of his storehouses, the idols do not even have “wind” in their mouths (17b). The three “all” of part 4–7 (5, 6a, 6b) are matched by “forever”, “from age to age” and “all” of the symmetrical part (13a, 13b, 18). There are strong links between the second half of the central part and the subsequent part. Indeed, the referent of the pronoun “their” at the beginning (“And he gave their land”, 12) is “all the kingdoms of Canaan” (11b); as for the “nations” referred to at the beginning of the second subpart (15–18), they are “the many nations” mentioned in 10–11. The beginning of the second part, “Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession,” clearly alludes to the exodus, as will be seen in the Context. In all that the Lord is pleased to make (6–7) may be included all “signs and miracles” (9) which Yhwh said he would multiply in the land of Egypt (Exod 7:3), namely the plagues which were to bring Pharaoh to his knees in the end, with the death of the first-born (Ps 135:8). The storm in verse 7 is reminiscent of the seventh plague, the hail (Exod 9:13–35). It has already been noted that the third and fifth parts are marked by totality (“all” in Ps 135:5, 6a, 6b; “forever”, “from age to age” and “all” in 13a, 13b, 18; “all” is also found in the final terms of the two pieces in the central part 9b & 11b). It may also be pointed out that “servants” occurs at the beginning of the first side (1b), at the beginning of the second side (14) and at the centre (9b), and that the occurrences of the “name” of Yhwh (1b, 3, 13) play the role of initial terms for both sides of the psalm. Finally, while verse 13 differs from all the others in that it is the only one addressed to Yhwh, verse 9 is the only one addressed to Egypt; another link between the first half of the central part and the subsequent part is the repetition of “man” (’ādām, 8 and 15). CONTEXT “A psalm without originality, all the elements of which are borrowed from other psalms or reproduce passages from the prophets or from historical books”. 4 This Osty’s judgement is not shared by: « Although many of its verses have been borrowed from other psalms, this hymn has real vigour of rhythm and spirit”.5 4 5

La Bible Osty, 1268–1269. Dahood, III, 258.

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From Ps 134 Ps 135 begins like the preceding one: Behold, bless Yhwh, all you servants of Yhwh who are standing in the house of Yhwh by night (Ps 134:1).

The ending of the same Ps 134, “May Yhwh bless you from Zion” (3), recalls the ending of Ps 135: “Blessed be Yhwh from Zion” (21). From Ps 136 With the subsequent psalm (Ps 136), verse 8 has in common verse 10 and verses 10–12 are very similar to those of Ps 136:17–22, but without the refrain, “yes, his love endures forever”. From Ps 115 First, the beginning of Ps 135:6 is identical to Ps 115:3, “Whatever he pleases, he does”. Then Ps 135:15–18 corresponds to Ps 115:4–8, although the diatribe against idols is shorter in Ps 135, which has neither the “nose” nor the “hands” and “feet” of Ps 115, which does not prevent the construction from being concentric: + 4 Their idols – MADE

silver by the hands

and gold, of man.

····························································································· A MOUTH to them and they do not SPEAK, : EYES to them and they do not SEE, :6 EARS to them and they do not HEAR;

·5

[NOSE to them :7 HANDS of theirs : FEET of theirs · they do not MURMUR

and they do not SMELL; and they do not TOUCH, and they do not WALK,] in the THROAT of theirs.

····························································································· 8

– Like them + all those who

will be trust

those who MAKE them, in them.

Ps 115:4–8

Finally, Ps 135:19–20 is similar to Ps 115:9–11, although the second members of each segment are shorter, “trust” is replaced by “bless”, and “house of Levi” is deleted:

Psalm 135 + 9 O ISRAEL, :: their help + 10 O HOUSE :: their help

OF

+ 11 O FEARFUL :: their help

OF YHWH,

AARON,

501

trust and their shield

in YHWH, is he.

trust and their shield

in YHWH, is he.

trust and their shield

in YHWH, is he.

As we can see, these are not simple collages; they are real rewritings. “SIGNS AND MIRACLES” 1

Praise Yah! Praise the name of Yhwh, 2 who stand in the house of Yhwh, 3 Praise Yah, yes he is good, Yhwh, 4 5

Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Yes, as for me, I know that Yhwh is great, 6

All that pleases to Yhwh,

7

causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth, 8 9

He struck down the first-born of Egypt he sent signs and miracles

10 11

He struck down many nations Sihon, king of the Amorites,

12

And he gave their land as an inheritance, Yhwh, your name forever! 14 Yes, Yhwh judges his people 13

The idols of the nations, gold and silver, 16 They have a mouth they have eyes 17 they have ears there is not even wind 18 Like them are those who make them, 15

19

21

O house of Israel, bless Yhwh, you who fear Yhwh, Blessed be Yhwh from Zion,

Praise Yah!

praise, you servants of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God. play to his name, yes he is sweet. Israel for his treasured possession. and our Master is above all gods. he makes, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all depths, he makes lightning for the rain, making the wind come out from his storehouses. from man to beast; into your midst, O Egypt, on Pharaoh and on all his servants. and killed valiant kings, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. as an inheritance to Israel his people. Yhwh, your memory from age to age! and he is moved for his servants. made by the hands of man! and do not speak, and do not see, and do not hear, in their mouth. all those who trust in them. O house of Aaron, bless Yhwh, O house of Levi, bless Yhwh, bless Yhwh. he who dwells in Jerusalem! 20

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

When he sends Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, the Lord announces: “I will multiply my signs and miracles in the land of Egypt” (Exod 7:3; it is repeated, almost literally, in Ps 135:9). THE GOD OF THE STORM Jeremiah chapter 10 begins with a long diatribe against idols and those who make them (1–5 & 8–9), contrasted by verse 10: “But Yhwh is the true God. He is the living God and the everlasting King. When he is angry, the earth trembles, the nations cannot stand his wrath”, and it corresponds to verse 13, which Ps 135:7 repeats, almost literally: he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings for the rain, and he brings out the wind from his storehouses. (Jer 10:13)

And the prophet concludes: “Everyone is stupid and without knowledge; goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols; for their images are false, and there is no breath in them” (Jer 10:14). ISRAEL, YHWH’S TREASURED POSSESSION When the Lord proposes his covenant to the Israelites just before the theophany of Sinai, the first words he has addressed through Moses to the people recall Ps 135:4: Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine. (Exod 19:3–5; see also Deut 7:6; 14:2)

JETHRO’S CONFESSION Verse 5 recalls the words of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law: “Blessed be Yhwh who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and of the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from grasp of the Egyptians. Now I know that Yhwh is greater than all other gods...” (Exod 18:10–11). THE SONG OF MOSES Ps 135:14 quotes exactly Deut 32:36. THE IDOLATRY OF THE KINGDOMS OF CANAAN The reason why the peoples of Canaan had to leave the place to the Israelites (Ps 135:10–14) was because of their idolatry (135:15–18) and the practices that

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this entailed: “It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are taking possession of their land, but because of their wickedness that the LORD your God is dispossessing these nations for your benefit” (Deut 9:5). 9

When you come into the land that Yhwh your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is abhorrent to Yhwh; it is because of such abhorrent practices that Yhwh your God is driving them out before you. (Deut 18:9–12)

PS 117 The shortest psalm in the Psalter invites all nations to praise the Lord for his faithfulness to Israel. The election thus finds its function and its goal.6 INTERPRETATION THE BIRTH OF ISRAEL The whole psalm focuses on the salvation that the Lord granted to his people, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and when he brought the next generation into the land of Canaan, which was to be freed from all its idolatrous kingdoms. It is this double founding event that all are invited to celebrate by praising the Lord (Ps 135:1–3) and blessing him (135:19–21). Egypt refused to let out its slaves from whom it did not want to be separated; Canaan did not want to let in those who were to dispossess them of their land. That is the reason why the Lord had to intervene to “strike down” the nations who refused to let Israel be born out of Egypt and inherit the land of Canaan. THE BREATH OF GOD In addition to celebrating Israel’s salvation, the psalm is also a hymn to the Lord’s omnipotence. The creator of the heavens and the earth does whatever he pleases (135:6). His dominion is particularly evident when he makes the elements break loose, “making the wind come out from his storehouses” (135:7). Thus, he had shown his strength in front of Pharaoh, in the hailstorm that had devastated Egypt (Exod 9:13–35), and so he will show himself to the Israelites on Mount Sinai (Exod 19:16–19). The contrast could not be more striking with the description of the idols (Ps 135:16–17): The absence of word and wind in 6

See p. 156.

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their mouths is opposed in a striking fashion to the words that the Lord addresses to his people from the top of the mountain. We understand that the memory of such a revelation is answered by the voice of praise and blessing. CHOSEN FOR ALL The body of the psalm immediately sets out the dogma of Israel’s election: “Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession” (Ps 135:4). And all that follows is a reminder of all that the Lord did for his people, from the departure from the land of Egypt to the installation in the land of Canaan, all at the expense of the nations among which the Lord had chosen a special people, the people of election. And the whole of the chosen people gathered in the temple of Jerusalem is called to praise the Lord for all the blessings with which he has filled his chosen one. The final invitatory begins with listing its components: “house of Israel”, “house of Aaron”, “house of Levi”, the servants in charge of the worship leading the whole of the Israelites (135:19–20a). Now, the list suddenly opens up to those “who fear Yhwh” (135:20b), those members of foreign peoples who, having turned away from their idols, serve the God of Israel. In proclaiming with the whole house of Israel, “Blessed be Yhwh from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem” (135:21), they recognise the place of the presence of the true God, but they are nevertheless the premises of all those whom the election had in view, for whom it was established.

2. PSALM 136 TEXT 1 Give

thanks to Yhwh, yes he is good, yes forever his faithfulness! 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, yes forever his faithfulness! 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, yes forever his faithfulness! 4 To him who made great wonders by himself alone, yes forever his faithfulness! 5 To him who made the heavens with wisdom, yes forever his faithfulness! 6 To him who established the earth upon the waters, yes forever his faithfulness! 7 To him who made the great lights, yes forever his faithfulness! 8 The sun to rule by day, yes forever his faithfulness! 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, yes forever his faithfulness! 10 To him who struck down Egypt in their firstborn, yes forever his faithfulness! 11 And brought Israel out from the midst of them, yes forever his faithfulness! 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, yes forever his faithfulness! 13 To him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts, yes forever his faithfulness! 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, yes forever his faithfulness! 15 And overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Sea of Reeds, yes forever his faithfulness! 16 To him who led his people through the desert, yes forever his faithfulness! 17 To him who struck down great kings, yes forever his faithfulness! 18 And killed illustrious kings, yes forever his faithfulness! 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, yes forever his faithfulness! 20 And Og, king of Bashan, yes forever his faithfulness! 21 And he gave their land as an inheritance, yes forever his faithfulness! 22 An inheritance to Israel his servant, yes forever his faithfulness! 23 He who in our lowliness has remembered us, yes forever his faithfulness! 24 And snatched us away from our oppressors, yes forever his faithfulness! 25 He gives bread to all flesh, yes forever his faithfulness! 26 Give thanks to the God of the heavens, yes forever his faithfulness!

4–17: “TO HIM WHO MADE...” The participles introduced with le (lit. “in doing...”) are in apposition to “to the Lord of lords” (3) and are therefore also governed by “give thanks”. 18–21: “AND KILLED [...] AND HE GAVE” These conjugated verbs are coordinated with the participle in 17, “to him who struck down”. 23: “HE WHO [...] HAS REMEMBERED US” This verse differs from the preceding ones for it begins with the relative še. 25: “HE GIVES” The last verse where Yhwh is the subject has a simple present participle. All these changes correspond to the flow of the psalm (see p. 519).

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It is widely recognised that verses 1–3 and 26 frame the psalm as an invitation and conclusion. As for the body of the psalm (4–25), namely, the twenty-two verses that enumerate the works of God—twenty-two as the letters of the Hebrew alphabet—there is a unanimous agreement to see creation in verses 4–9. However, concerning the end of the subsequent part, opinions are divided. Mannati goes as far as verse 25 which, after God the creator, sees God the protector of his people.1 Most end this part at verse 22: It relates the exodus until the occupation of the land east of the Jordan.2 But some stop at verset 16,3 or at verse 20,4 while some others make a distinction between exodus (10–15) and conquest (16–22).5 As for verses 23–25, they seem to be composite: Hossfeld – Zenger entitle them “Relief in favour of Israel and universal gift of life”;6 others go so far as to think that it is a late addition.7 Although the verb “to praise” (hallēl) is not used even once, Ps 136 is called “the great Hallel”. It is formed of five parts arranged in a concentric fashion (see the whole, p. 519). THE FIRST PART (136:1–3) COMPOSITION + 1 GIVE THANKS :: 2 GIVE THANKS :: 3 GIVE THANKS

to Yhwh, to the God to the Lord

yes (he is) good, of gods, of lords,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

The first part comprises three bimember segments. Their first members begin with the same imperative, give thanks; their second members are identical. These three segments are of ABB’ type: In fact, the complements of the imperative, in the second and third segments, have the same syntactic structure (“to the God of gods”, “to the Lord of lords”).

1

Mannati, IV, 207. Thus Dahood, III, 265; Hakham, II, 510; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 740–741; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 504–505. 3 Kraus, II, 498–499. 4 Ravasi, III, 733; Vesco, 1268. 5 Lorenzin, 499. 6 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 508. 7 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 743. 2

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CONTEXT Jer 33 Verse 1 of our psalm is found, with two brief additions, in an oracle of Jeremiah announcing the return from exile: 10

Thus says Yhwh: In this place of which you say, “It is a waste without human beings or animals,” in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without inhabitants, human or animal, there shall once more be heard 11 the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of Yhwh: “Give thanks to Yhwh Sabaoth, because he is good, Yhwh, because forever his faithfulness!” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says Yhwh. (Jer 33:10–11).

Deut 10 The names given to God in the first part, “Yhwh” (Ps 136:1), “the God of gods” (136:2), “the Lord of lords” (136:3), are found in Deut 10:17. In the same manner, “the God of the heavens” (Ps 136:26) echoes Deut 10:14. After the episode of the golden calf, Moses on the mountain receives, for the second time, the Decalogue, the tablets of the law which he places in the ark of the covenant. Afterwards he says to the Israelites: 12

And now, O Israel, what does Yhwh your God require of you? Only to fear Yhwh your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve Yhwh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments of Yhwh your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being. 14 Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to Yhwh your God, the earth with all that is in it, 15 yet Yhwh set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. 16 Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer, 17 For Yhwh your God is God of gods and Lord of lords [...] 20 You shall fear Yhwh your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. 21 He is your praise; he is your God. (Deut 10:12–17, 20–21)

INTERPRETATION “Yhwh” is the proper name of the God of Israel. It is to him that the psalmist invites us to give thanks. But this God is not a particular divinity, which would be on the same level as those of the nations where the people of the one God has been scattered. The Israelites, although humiliated, seemingly abandoned by a god who, for their oppressors, was unable to defend and save them, they are nonetheless convinced that their God is “the God of gods” and “the Lord of lords”. Despite appearances to the contrary, they continue to believe that “yes, forever is his faithfulness” to his covenant. This is what the rest of the psalm will unfold.

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THE SECOND PART (136:4–9) COMPOSITION + 4 TO HIM WHO MADE wonders, GREAT ONES by himself alone, :: 5 TO HIM WHO MADE the heavens with wisdom, :: 6 To him who established the earth upon the waters,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

·························································································· 7

– TO HIM WHO MADE .. 8 The sun .. 9 The moon

the lights

GREAT ONES,

and stars

to rule to rule

by day, by night,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

This part comprises two pieces (4–6 & 7–9), both formed of three bimember segments. Each of these pieces is of ABB’ type. In the first piece, the last two segments, which parallel “the heavens” and “the earth” (5–6), detail the “wonders” mentioned in the first segment (4). In the second piece, the last two segments, which relate the star that governs the day to those that govern the night (8–9), detail “the lights” of the first segment (7). The second members of all six segments are identical. The verbs with which the first segments of each piece begin are the same and thus act as initial terms; they are both followed by the same adjectives “great ones” which perform the same function. CONTEXT “Great wonders” This is the only occurrence of this expression in the entire Hebrew Bible.8 The second term has been translated as an adjective because of the parallelism with the first member of the second piece: “lights, great ones” (7). However, it would be possible to understand that both terms are juxtaposed nouns (“wonders of greatness”), because each one is often used separately, for example in Exod 34:10, “In the presence of all your people I will do wonders such as have not been done in any country or nation.” Most of the time “wonders” refer to God’s saving actions and not to his creative work, e.g. at the centre of the Song of the Sea (Exod 15:11; see p. 105), in psalms (Ps 40:6; 72:18; 75:2; 78:4, 11; 86:10; 106:21–22; 107:8, 15, 21, 24, 31, etc.); only Ps 96:3 seems to be concerned with creation. The same is true for “greatness” (Deut 10:21; Jer 33:3; Job 5:9; Ps 71:19; 106:21).

8

In Ps 131:1 the two words are coordinated, but they belong to two members of the same segment: “and I do not walk in great things / and in wonders beyond me”. The expression “great wonders” occurs twice in Dan 4:37a, 37c (Septuagint).

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For this reason, some think that this expression introduces not only the second part, which concerns creation, but all the works of God (Ps 136:4–25).9 However, it is possible to interpret these as “great prowess” referred to here in the context of creation alone, conceived as a victorious struggle of God against the powers of chaos (Job 25–26; 38:8–11). The fourth day Of all the works of creation, the psalm retains only that of the sun and the moon, which separate day from night and govern time, the calendar and the years (Gen 1:14–19). The moon is joined by “the stars” to govern the night (Ps 136:9), a role they do not have in Gen 1:16. That day is of a paramount importance in the first creation account, for it is the day that is placed at the centre of the original week, in connection with both the first day and the seventh and last day.10 INTERPRETATION “Making” The text stresses God’s “making” three times (Ps 136:4, 5, 7). Some find this repetition unsightly;11 others erase it in their translation.12 The criteria of biblical and Semitic rhetoric are not those of classical Greco-Latin rhetoric. Rather than seeing in this triple occurrence of the verb “to make” a stylistic negligence, it is worthwhile to reflect on it in order to try to grasp, not the author’s intention— which we cannot reach—but at least the effect of this repetition on the reader. The effect of insistence is undeniable, and it fits in well with the general style of the psalm, where there is no lack of repetitions, even if it is only the acclamation that sounds at the end of each segment. The three occurrences of the verb “to make” attract attention, especially since, far from being specific as would be “to form”, “to fashion” and even “to create”, “to make” seems very general and vague. In fact, it appears to be the verb most often used to indicate God’s work in the first account of creation (Gen 1:1–2:4a); it occurs eight times (1:7, 16, 25, 26, 31; 2:2[2x], 3),13 while “to create” is used only seven times (1:1, 21, 27[3x]; 2:3, 4a). Furthermore, the verb “to make” is used intensively to designate God’s action on behalf of his people and of humanity in general: 9

E.g., Ravasi, III, 738; Gerstenberger, II, 386. See P. BEAUCHAMP, Création et Séparation, 65–71. 11 Gerstenberger, II, 386, who thinks that the author could have used variations, given the richness of the Hebrew creation vocabulary. 12 For instance, Beaucamp renders these words as “to achieve”, “to work” and “to make”. He had already translated the three occurrences of “to give thanks” (1–3) in a different way: “Let us note that the Hebrew verb, which we translate three times differently, in order to bring out all its nuances, is not equivalent purely and simply to our word ‘to praise’” (II, 263). 13 Only the occurrences of the verb whose subject is God are counted; to these should be added the two occurrences whose subject is “the (fruit) trees making fruit” (Gen 1:11–12). 10

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

For the priestly author, God has no hands, but acts at the very centre of things: In his time, the verb ‘âśâh has an extension that goes far beyond craft activity: the prophets and the psalms apply it many times to the salvific activity of God.14

Just as verse 4 of our psalm can be considered as introducing not only this part but the whole body of the psalm, so the threefold repetition of the verb “to make” plays in a way the role of a title for all “mighty works” of God, both in history and in creation.15 Creation and separation Although the verb “to separate”, which occurs five times in the first account of creation (Gen 1:4, 6, 7, 14, 18), is not used even once in the part about God’s creative work, the psalmist retains, as it were, only its activity of separation, between “the heavens” and “the earth” (Ps 136:5–6), between “the earth” and “the waters” (136:6), between “day” and “night” (136:8–9). In this way, it is not only space that is delimited by the creator, but also time, which announces the continuation of the “historical” work of the saviour. Great ones In addition to the verb “to make”, the adjective “great”, always in the plural, which qualifies the works of God, marks the beginning of each of the two pieces in the part (135:4, 7). This insistence does not fail to make impression. And this greatness of the creatures reflects on their author. In fact, the expression “by himself alone”, implies that he is great who was able to achieve such greatness: “Great is Yhwh and highly to be praised, and to his greatness there is no limit” (Ps 145:3).16 THE THIRD PART (136:10–22) COMPOSITION This part comprises three subparts, two of six segments that frame a part formed of a single segment (16). These three subparts correspond to the three phases of the exodus: the departure from Egypt (10–15), the crossing of the desert (16), the gift of the land (17–22). The first subpart (10–15) has two pieces formed of three bimember segments. Each one constitutes a single phrase: they begin with a participle (10a & 13a), continue with a conjugated verb preceded by a coordinating particle (11a & 14a); as for the third members, in the first instance it is a complement (12) and in the second instance it is another clause coordinated to the preceding one (15). 14

P. BEAUCHAMP, Création et Séparation, 87. See, e.g., Ps 118:15, 16, 17, 24 (see p. 168–204). 16 The root gdl (“great”) occurs four times in Ps 145:3–8; see p. 606. 15

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These two pieces correspond to each other in a mirrored fashion, at least in their extreme segments: In fact, “Pharaoh and his army” at the end corresponds to “Egypt in their first-born” at the beginning; as for the central members, they are parallel term by term (11 & 14). + 10 To him who STRUCK DOWN Egypt in their firstborn, :: 11 And brought out ISRAEL , · 12 With a hand, strong one, and an arm outstretched,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

······························································································

· 13 To him who divided :: 14 And made pass + 15 And overthrew 16

To him who led

- 17 To him who STRUCK DOWN - 18 And killed

the Sea of Reeds into parts, ISRAEL , Pharaoh and his army in the Sea of Reeds,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

HIS PEOPLE

through the desert,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

kings, kings,

great ones, illustrious ones,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

···································································································

· 19 Sihon, · 20 And Og,

king king

of the Amorites, of Bashan,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

······························································································

= 21 And he gave = 22 An inheritance

their land to ISRAEL

as an inheritance, his servant,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

The last subpart (17–22) is formed of three pieces, each with two bimember segments. The first two pieces (17–18 & 19–20) are parallel to each other, with the second piece naming two of the “great” and “illustrious” kings of the first piece. In the third piece (21–22), the kings of the first two pieces whom the Lord “struck down” and “killed” are opposed by “Israel” to whom is given “their land”; it should be pointed out that the two occurrences of “inheritance” in the last piece act as median terms. The extreme subparts begin with the same “To him who struck down” (10a & 17a),17 indicating that their complements are related: The four occurrences of “king/s” (17–20) correspond to the four symmetrical terms in the first part: “Egypt in their firstborn” (10) and “Pharaoh and his army” (15). The name “Israel” occurs at the centre of each of the two pieces in the first subpart (11 & 14) and at the end of the last piece (22).

17 These two occurrences therefore do not form an inclusion (see Ravasi, III, 732–733); similarly, the two occurrences of “to him who made” (verses 4 & 7; p. 519) are initial terms, and not extreme terms (or inclusion); just as the two occurrences of “to give” in verses 21 and 25 do not form an inclusion (see p. 519).

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The whole part is focused on the very short subpart where the crossing of the desert is mentioned (16); “his people” corresponds to the three occurrences of “Israel” in the other two subparts. CONTEXT – Exodus from Egypt The first subpart summarises the liberation from the land of Egypt. In the first piece (10–12) the ten plagues are reduced to the last one, that of the night of Passover (Exod 11–13), decisive for the exodus from Egypt. The second piece (Ps 136:13–15) reports the crossing of the sea (Exod 14). – The gift of the land The last subpart (Ps 136:17–22) summarises all the battles Israel had to fight with different peoples to inherit their territories. The only ones mentioned are the same as in Ps 135. Sihon king of the Amorites, between Moab in the south and the Ammonites in the north, refused to give passage to the Israelites, who defeated him (Num 21:13, 21–32) and occupied his land; the same happened with Og, king of Bashan to the north of the Ammonites and Gilead (Num 21:33– 35). These were the first territories conquered by the Israelites. Although situated east of the Jordan, these two regions—which Moses gave to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Num 32)—are thus emblematic of the successive conquests of the land of Canaan (see also Deut 1:4–8; 2:24–36; 3:21). – Ps 135:10–12 The third subpart (Ps 136:17–22) is found, almost word by word, in the preceding psalm: 10

He struck down many nations, and killed valiant kings, Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan; 12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people. 11

To Sihon and Og, Ps 135 adds “all the kingdoms of Canaan”. INTERPRETATION The silence of the desert The whole of the exodus, the whole way leading the Israelites from the departure from Egypt to the entry into their own land, is concentrated at its extremes. The forty years of wanderings in the desert are contained in a single segment (Ps 136:16) whose function seems, at first sight, to be reduced to linking the two ends of the chain. It is as if a veil were cast over the long period

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when the people, isolated in the middle of the desert, found themselves alone with their God, when the law of the Decalogue was given to them on Mount Sinai and the covenant was concluded between the two partners of this unique relationship. As if the time of the desert did not concern those who are called to “give thanks to the Lord of lords” (136:1–3), to “the God of the heavens” (135:26). Israel and the others God appears as “the one who strikes down” both Egypt and the kings of the Amorites and Bashan (136:10, 17). This was the only way for him to save his people, to free them from the servitude of the land of Egypt, which wanted to prevent them from being born, to deliver them from the hand of Sihon, who wanted to forbid them to pass through his territory,18 thus preventing them from reaching the Jordan and entering the land that the Lord had sworn to give them. “Israel is my firstborn son” “Israel” is named three times, twice in the first subpart, once in the third one. At the centre, on the other hand (136:16), he is called “his people”, which cannot fail to attract attention.19 At the end of the part, he receives from God “as an inheritance” the land of his enemies (136:21–22). That is a very clear fashion to indicate that Israel is a son of the Lord. In fact, that is how God had described him to Moses from the beginning: 22

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.” I said to you, “Let my son go that he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; now I will kill your firstborn son.” (Exod 4:22–23)

23

Perhaps for this reason the part begins with the mention of the “firstborn” of Egypt, struck down to save the firstborn of the Lord.

18

The verb used in Num 21:22–23 (‘br, “to cross”) is the same as in Ps 136:14. Beaucamp (II, 262) thinks that “only verse 16 remains extraneous to the meaning of the whole, and can be considered secondary”; it does not seem that this is the case. 19

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THE FOURTH PART (136:23–25) COMPOSITION – 23 He who in OUR humiliation – 24 And snatched US away

has remembered from the oppressors of

US,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

OURS,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

··························································································

+ 25 He gives

bread

to

ALL FLESH,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

The three bimember segments of this part can be considered as forming of two pieces. In fact, while the first two concern “us” (23–24), that is Israel, the third one concerns “all flesh” (25), that is all nations, both the pagan nations and Israel itself. This part differs from the preceding ones in several ways: it begins with the relative še, which is the only occurrence in the whole psalm, it is the only one in which the complete verb is used, the only one in which the first person plural is used, and finally the participle with which the last segment begins is the only one without being preceded by the preposition le. Moreover, the last verse is surprisingly open to universality.20 From a syntactic point of view, the first members could be considered as one single phrase. CONTEXT Liberation from exile The affinity of verse 24 with Lam 5:8 (“Slaves rule over us; there is no one to snatched us away from their hands”) makes it possible to situate the moment of enunciation at the time of the exile and even, more probably, after the return,21 because liberation is expressed in the accomplished. Those who devoured you Israel’s enemies are often presented as ferocious beasts that “devour” it: “Aram to the east, the Philistines to the west: they devoured Israel with their teeth” (Isa 9:11). 14

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: “Because they have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and 20

This is the reason why some hold these verses to be “a later addition” (Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 742–743). 21 Deissler, 272, who also establishes a link with Isa 32:19, where Jerusalem is said to be “humbled with humiliation”, the same word used at the beginning of verse 23. For Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, (II, 743), these verses seem to refer to the time of the Judges; this would be possible if it were not for the first person plural pronouns by which the psalmist refers to the situation in which he and his community find themselves.

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the fire shall devour them. 15 I am going to bring upon you a nation from far away, O house of Israel, says the Lord. It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. 16 Their quiver is like an open tomb; all of them are mighty warriors. 17 They shall devour your harvest and your bread, they shall devour your sons and your daughters, they shall devour your flocks and your herds, they shall devour your vines and your fig trees; they shall destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust. (Jer 5:14–17)

We also read in Ps 27:12, “Do not deliver me over to the appetite22 of my oppressors” (see also Ps 7:2–3; Zach 11:16). See also Ezek 35:12 where the Lord addresses Mount Seir as follows: “You shall know that I, the Lord, have heard all the insolence that you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are laid desolate; they are given to us to devour’”. Snatched from the lion’s mouth Isa 49:19 presents the liberation from exile in this way: “For your desolate places and your ruins and your devastated country from now on will be too cramped for your inhabitants, and your devourers will be far away.” And the prophet continues: 24

Can the body be snatched from the warrior? Can the tyrant’s captive be set free? 25 But thus says the Lord: The warrior’s captive will indeed be snatched away and the tyrant’s booty will indeed be set free; I myself shall fight those who fight you and I myself shall save your children. 26 I shall make your oppressors eat their own flesh, they will be as drunk on their own blood as on new wine. And all humanity will know that I am the Lord, your Saviour, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isa 49:24–26)

This language is reminiscent of what “David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I used to follow it up, lay into it and snatch the sheep out of its mouth’” (1 Sam 17:34–35), although a different verb is being used (see also Ezek 34).

22

Literally, “the throat” (nepeš) which could also be translated as “the mouth”.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

The gift of food In the first creation account, after the Lord creates the human being, he gives his “food” to him and to every living being (Gen 1:29–30). In Ps 145, for example, the Lord is also good to all the children of Adam (145:9), 15 16

The eyes of all to you, they hope You open you hand

and you give them food in its time. and you satisfy freely all living thing.

In verse 25 of Ps 136 it is not the word “food” that is used, as in Ps 145:15 (see also Ps 104:27, where the same word used: “All of them wait for you to give their food in its time”), but the word “bread”. This word can refer to food in general, but its first meaning is the one it has in French: food of vegetable origin, made of cereals, especially wheat. It should be remembered that the food given by God in Gen 1, both to animals and to humans, is exclusively vegetarian (see also Ps 104:14–15). INTERPRETATION An enigmatic verse The final verse (Ps 136:25) is surprising and can even be confusing. To claim that the expression “all flesh” “is limited to all Israelites”23 is an unacceptable cop-out. It can certainly be understood that the psalmist wanted to end his long enumeration of God’s wonders on a universal note, in which some will see the climax of the psalm.24 However, we will venture another type of interpretation which intends to take into account the striking contrast between the “us” of the first two verses (136:23–24) and “all flesh” of the final verse. Indeed, how can we justify moving so suddenly from a situation of oppression, where God must intervene in a brutal manner to snatch the weak out of the hands of those who have crushed them, to the peacefulness of a situation where all conflicts have disappeared and where all share the same bread in peace? An ironic verse It may not be primarily universalism, but a kind of irony, biting if veiled. “All flesh” (136:25) comprises Israel, of course, but also their “oppressors” (136:24); if one takes seriously the composition of the part and its coherence, “all flesh” refers primarily to these two groups just mentioned. The Lord “snatched” his people from the clutches of their oppressors, from the jaws of those who were devouring them. A person should not be a wolf to another person; he or she should not eat the “flesh” of his or her fellow human beings, but the “bread” that God gives them. 23 24

Jacquet, III, 577. Gerstenberger, II, 387.

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THE LAST PART (136:26) COMPOSITION :: 26 GIVE THANKS

TO THE GOD

of the heavens,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

The last part contains only one bimember segment. CONTEXT “The God of the heavens”25 appears only here in the whole Psalter.26 Used in the biblical texts especially after the exile,27 it is a title that is found in the religions of the surrounding peoples, particularly in the Aramaic world.28

25

It would probably have been preferable to translate it by a singular form, “the God of heaven”. However, we preferred to keep the plural form, not because in Hebrew the word exists only in this form, but to preserve the relationship with the plurals of the first part, “the God of gods” and “the Lord of lords”. 26 In the form of ’elohê ha-ššāmāyim, it occurs nine times in the Bible, but only once in the form of Ps 136:26, ’el ha-ššāmāyim. 27 E.g., 2 Chr 36:23; Ezra 1:2; Neh 1:4; 2:4; Dan 2:18; Jonah 1:9, but also in Gen 24:7 (see, e.g., Beaucamp, II, 262). 28 See F. VATTIONI, “Aspetti del culto del Signore dei cieli”.

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THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM COMPOSITION The single segment of the last part (26) is similar to the last two segments of the first part, especially the penultimate one (2). Note that the first member of the psalm contains the only occurrence of “Yhwh”. The formal connections between the first members of the second part and those of the penultimate part are absent. “Great” is repeated in 4, 7 and 17. The same term translated as “the earth” in 6 occurs also in 21 where it is translated as “land”. The two occurrences of “to give” act as final terms for the central part (21) and for the subsequent part (25). It goes without saying that the strongest link between the five parts of the psalm is the identity of the second members, a unique case not only in the Psalter but also in the entire Hebrew Bible.29 CONTEXT The new creation In addition to the relationships already established at the level of the parts, it is now necessary to note what the composition suggests as the relationship between the second part and the penultimate part. One celebrates the wonders of creation, the other the wonders of the return from exile, when the psalmist switches to the “us” of the present. The latter are presented by the prophets of the time as a new creation: 17

For look, I am going to create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered and will come no more to mind. 18 Rather be joyful, be glad for ever at what I am creating, for look, I am creating Jerusalem as a joy, and my people as a gladness. (Isa 65:17–18; see also Isa 66:22)30

The link between these two parts is confirmed by the gift of food, which refers to Gen 1:29–30; “all flesh” can therefore be understood as referring not only to the children of Adam, but also to animals.31 29

A similar, though less regular, phenomenon is found in the song of the three young men in the furnace (Dan 3:51–90 according to the Septuagint). 30 See P. BEAUCHAMP, L’Un et l’Autre Testament, I, 252–257. 31 “Before recalling the historical actions of salvation, this psalm begins by erecting, at the base of this memorial column, a kind of cosmological foundation. Now this one, very close to Gen 1, gives the main place to the heavenly works [...] The finale (or motif over the memorial column) is as universal as the beginning: ‘giving bread to all flesh’ (v. 25). The theme—and its universalism—contrasts with the recollection of the facts of salvation, although it is announced by the facts that immediately precede the gift of a promised land (vv. 21, 22), and is found in Gen 1:29, 30.

Psalm 136 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes he is good, GIVE THANKS to the GOD of gods, 3 GIVE THANKS to the Lord of lords, 1 2

519 YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

To him who made GREAT wonders by himself alone, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! To him who made the HEAVENS with wisdom, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 6 To him who established THE EARTH upon the waters, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! ······························································································· 7 To him who made the GREAT lights, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 8 The sun to rule by day, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 4 5

To him who struck down Egypt in their firstborn, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! And brought Israel out from the midst of them, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! ························································································ 13 To him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 15 And overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Sea of Reeds, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 10 11

16

To him who led his people through the desert,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

To him who struck down GREAT kings, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! And killed illustrious kings, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! ························································································ 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 20 And Og, king of Bashan, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! ························································································ 21And he gave THEIR LAND as an inheritance, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 22 An inheritance to Israel his servant, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 17 18

He who in our lowliness has remembered us, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! And snatched us away from our oppressors, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! ······························································································· 25 He gives bread to all flesh, YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS! 23 24

26

GIVE THANKS to the GOD of the HEAVENS,

YES FOREVER HIS FAITHFULNESS!

The very last verse (v. 26) repeats the hôdû of verses 1–3 and invites us to praise the “God of the heavens”, which is consistent with the dominant note of the initial cosmology” (P. BEAUCHAMP, Création et Séparation, 352–353).

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

We must not forget that the Exodus is already conceived as a creation: Although the Old Testament saw in the Exodus the birth of Israel, the later books also present the event as a kind of new creation. This representation is the fruit of a progressive deepening; more and more the past and the future appear as the uninterrupted work of the same Creator. The one whom the experience of the Exodus had revealed as the Saviour of Israel is recognised as the same God “who made heaven and earth”, and the one who makes and will make history until its culmination.32

“Because forever his faithfulness!” It has already been noted that faithfulness (ḥesed) belongs to the language of the covenant (see p. 123). The fact that faithfulness is “forever” (usually translated as “eternal”, which probably better reflects the meaning “forever and ever”) fits well with the perspective of the new covenant. INTERPRETATION The new covenant... The psalm focuses on the exodus, from the departure from Egypt to the entry into the land of Israel, and this takes up most of the narrative. However, the story leads into the present (Ps 136:23–25). This present day, which the psalmist does not dwell on, is presented as a new Exodus, with the recent “oppressors” resembling Pharaoh as well as Sihon and Og. The present situation, which is paralleled by creation, is therefore placed in the context of the new covenant after the departure from exile, a covenant so new that it is perceived and experienced as a new creation. ... and eternal The haunting repetition of the acclamation with which the twenty-six segments of the psalm end could risk blunting its edge. The predicate of the phrase is “forever”. One could not imagine a better way to link all the phases of the story that unites the present with the ultimate origin, beyond the wonders of the Exodus. We know that one of the essential characteristics of the new covenant is that it is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting.33 A universal covenant The new covenant is eternal from the beginning and therefore concerns the whole of humanity, all the children of Adam. Without erasing the election of 32

R. LE DÉAUT, La Nuit pascale, 88. See P. BEAUCHAMP, L’Un et l’Autre Testament, I, 263–264, 270–274. On Ps 136, read the illuminating pages by the same author: Psaumes nuit et jour, Chapter 27, “Psaume 136”, 190–198. 33

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Israel, on the contrary, it implies that its benefits, its blessing extends to “all flesh” (136:25). When God separates day and night, he distinguishes them but does not divide them. When he brings the children of Israel out of the slavery of Egypt, when he rescues them from the oppression of exile, it is not to set them against each other. Only their mutual dignity will allow them to recognise themselves as one flesh, nourished by the same “God of heaven” (136:26).

3. GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE SAVES US (PS 135–136) COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SUBSEQUENCE Both psalms are characterised by a litany style. This feature is particularly striking in Ps 136, where the twenty-six segments end with “Yes, forever his faithfulness”; but it is also found in Ps 135, especially at the beginning, where the particle kî, systematically translated as “yes”, resounds four times (135:3–5; also in verse 14). Creation is mentioned at the beginning of Ps 135 (verses 6–7, where the verb “to make” occurs twice), opposed by the fabrication of idols at the end (verses 15–18, where the same verb “to make” occurs twice). Ps 136 also recalls the wonders of creation, in the same position (verses 4–9). The exodus and the gift of the land are reported at the centre of each psalm (135:8–14 & 136:10–22), with the same episodes repeated in the same order: – departure from Egypt and crossing of the sea: 135:8–9 & 136:10–15; – destruction of the nations and their kings: 135:10–11 & 136:17–20; – the gift of the land: 135:12 & 136:21–22. It is for these two works of the Lord that the psalmist invites the faithful to “praise” him and “play” for him in the temple (135:1–3), that he appeals to all Israel and even the fearful God to “bless” him (135:19–21). At the extremities of Ps 136, he calls for “thanksgiving” (136:1–3, 26). While the first psalm mentions in the end those “who fear God” (135:20), those pagans who worship the God of Israel without being part of his people, the second reminds us that the Lord is the one who “gives bread to all flesh” (136:25). INTERPRETATION FROM THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD TO ALL FLESH In the first psalm the psalmist addresses the “servants of the Lord” (135:1), who are responsible for the liturgical service in the courts of the house of their God. And the first reason why he invites them to “praise” the Lord is the fact that he has chosen Israel out of all the peoples to make it his “possession”. When he quickly goes on to talk about creation (135:5–7), it is to say that he “knows” who God is, the God of his people. After recalling the departure from Egypt and the entry into the land of Canaan, after having castigated the idol-makers (135:15–18), he addresses his own people again, “from Zion” (135:19–21). It is true that those “who fear God” are included with those whom he calls to bless the Lord.

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Ps 135 1 PRAISE

Yah! PRAISE the name of Yhwh, PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, 2 who stand in the house of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 PRAISE Yah, YES HE IS GOOD, Yhwh, PLAY to his name, YES he is sweet. 4 YES, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession. 5 YES, as for me, I know that Yhwh is great, and our Master is above all gods. 6 All that Yhwh pleases, HE MAKES, in HEAVEN and on EARTH, in the seas and all depths, 7 causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth, HE MAKES lightning for the rain, making the wind come out from his storehouses. from man to beast; sent signs and miracles into your midst, O Egypt, on PHARAOH and on all his servants. 10 He struck down many nations and killed valiant kings, 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. 12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel his people. 13 Yhwh, your name FOREVER! Yhwh, your memory from age to age! 14 YES, Yhwh judges his people and he is moved for his servants. 8 HE STRUCK DOWN THE FIRST-BORN OF EGYPT 9 he

15 The

idols of the nations, gold and silver, MADE by the hands of man! 16 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 17 they have ears and do not hear, there is not even wind in their mouth. 18 Like them are those who MAKE them, all those who trust in them. 19 O house of Israel, BLESS Yhwh, O house of Aaron, BLESS Yhwh, 20 O house of Levi, BLESS Yhwh, you who fear Yhwh, BLESS Yhwh. 21 BLESSED BE Yhwh from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! PRAISE Yah! Ps 136 1 GIVE THANKS

to Yhwh, YES HE IS GOOD, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 2 GIVE THANKS to the God of gods, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 3 GIVE THANKS to the Lord of lords, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 4 To him WHO MADE great wonders by himself alone, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 5 To him WHO MADE the HEAVENS with wisdom, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 6 To him who established the EARTH upon the waters, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 7 To him WHO MADE the great lights, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 8 The sun to rule by day, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 10 TO HIM WHO STRUCK DOWN EGYPT IN THEIR FIRSTBORN, 11 And

brought Israel out from the midst of them, 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, 13 To him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts, 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, 15 And overthrew PHARAOH and his army in the Sea of Reeds, 16 To him who led his people through the desert, 17 To him who struck down great kings, 18 And killed illustrious kings, 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, 20 And Og, king of Bashan, 21 And he gave their land as an inheritance, 22 An inheritance to Israel his servant, 23 He

YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness! YES FOREVER his faithfulness!

who in our lowliness has remembered us, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 24 And snatched us away from our oppressors, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 25 He gives bread to all flesh, YES FOREVER his faithfulness! 26 GIVE THANKS to the God of the heavens, YES FOREVER his faithfulness!

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The tone of the subsequent psalm is quite different. Those whom the psalmist addresses are not identified. They are invited to give thanks to “Yhwh”, “the God of gods”, “the Lord of lords” (136:1–3), but it is to the creator of heaven and earth that they are to give thanks, and hence we can understand that the psalmist is addressing all human beings. Of course, he then moves on to the wonders that the Lord is doing in favour of Israel, but he does so in a new fashion: he no longer addresses Egypt (135:9) or the Lord (135:13). Although more extensive, his account is entirely in the third person (136:10–22), it is in some ways impersonal, objective, in the same line as the creation account. It is only at the moment of conclusion that the “us” suddenly intervenes (136:22–23), to recall something that should win the assent of any man worthy of the name, who could only give thanks to this God who liberates the oppressed. And the sequence ends with “all flesh” giving thanks to the Lord for the faithfulness with which he gives bread and life to all.

B. HOW TO SING IN EXILE? (PS 137) PSALM 137 TEXT 1 By

the rivers of Babylon there we sat down and wept, we remembered Zion; 2 on the poplars in the midst of it we had hung our harps. 3 Because there they asked us, our captors, for words of song, and our jailers for joy: “Sing for us a song of Zion.” 4 How could we sing a song of Yhwh in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget itself! 6 Let my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, if I do not bring Jerusalem up to the summit of my joy! 7 Remember, O Yhwh, against the sons of Edom, the Day of Jerusalem, when they said, “Strip it! Strip it to the foundations in it!” 8 Daughter of Babylon, the devastated one, happy the one who will pay to you the works that you made to us! 9 Happy the one who will seize and dash your infants against the rock!

1A: “THE RIVERS” As there is only one river that waters the city of Babylon, the Euphrates, many translate the plural of nāhār as “canals”, as these were numerous in the city (see Isa 19:6, “the rivers of Egypt”). 3C: “OUR JAILERS” The term is a hapax, and therefore variously interpreted. The parallelism with “captors” in 3b leads to the solution of the ancient versions. 5B: “LET IT FORGET ITSELF” It is not necessary to use a closely related Ugaritic verb to translate “wither”. Playing on the repetition of the same verb (“If I forget Jerusalem, let my right hand forget itself”), the MT makes sense. 8A: “DAUGHTER OF BABYLON, THE DEVASTATED ONE” “Daughter (of) Babylon” is a fashionable way of saying “Babylon” similarly to “the virgin (of) Israel” which means “Israel” (Amos 5:1). Many read the passive participle “the devastated one” as a future,1 since Babylon is not yet destroyed at the time of the lament. It is possible to understand this as a wish or even a prediction.

1

The participle does not in itself have a temporal value; see Joüon 50e; 121ab.

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Fourth Section (Ps 135–145)

COMPOSITION The composition of this psalm is not architectonic or geometrical, but lyrical. It is possible to indicate some internal correspondences, such as the inclusion formed of the name of Babylon, the voices of the Babylonians and those of the Idumeans; we can force the hand until we obtain a concentric composition. However, what is not an exaggeration of the exegete or the researcher is accidental in the poem, which moves more emotionally than intellectually.2

Many have indeed proposed a concentric composition of the psalm that revolves around verses 5–6.3 Rather, it seems that the single question of the psalm constitutes its keystone, which is another example of the “law of the question at the centre”.4 The lamentation of the exiles about their situation in Babylon (1–3) gives way to an imprecation concerning all the actors in the drama (5–9), the central question links the two parts of the psalm. THE FIRST PART (1–3) + 1 By the rivers + THERE we sat down + we remembered :: 2 on the poplars :: we had hung

of Babylon also we wept, ZION; in the midst of it our harps.

······································································

+ 3 Because THERE + our captors, + and our jailers, :: “Sing :: a song

they asked us, for words of song, for joy: for us of ZION.”

The two pieces (1–2 & 3), each one formed of one trimember and one bimember segments, are linked by the word “because” and are parallel: The exiles “weep” (1), refusing to be accompanied by the “harp”, while those who keep them in captivity ask them to sing in “joy” (3). “There” is repeated in 1b and 3a, “Zion” in 1c and 3e. 2 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, III, 755; however, the “exegesis” follows the division of a concentric composition: 1–2 / 3 // 5–6 // 7 / 8–9. 3 J. MAGNE, “Répétitions de mots et exégèse dans quelques psaumes et le pater”, 194–195; D.N. FREEDMAN, “The Structure of Psalm 137”; P. AUFFRET, “Essai sur la structure du psaume 137”; M. HALLE – J.J. MCCARTHY, “The metrical Structure of Psalm 137”; J. MAGONET, “Some Concentric Structures in Psalms”; P. AUFFRET, “Souviens-toi Yhwh. Étude structurelle du Psaume 137”; Ravasi, III, 758–760; Girard, III, 414–420; see also S.M. SESSA, “Sal 137”. 4 See Traité 2004.2013 : 417–435 ; 2021 : 348–365 = Treatise, 280–286.

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THE SECOND PART (4) + 4 How + a song – in a land,

could we sing of Yhwh a foreign one?

The trimember segment is of AA’B type, with the third member opposing the first two. THE THIRD PART (5–9) .. 5 If I forget you, .. let it forget itself,

O JERUSALEM, my right hand!

.. 6 Let it stick, – if I do not

REMEMBER

– if I do not – to the summit

bring up of my joy!

my tongue

to my palate you, JERUSALEM

······················································································································· O Yhwh, against the SONS OF EDOM, of JERUSALEM,

: 7 REMEMBER, : the Day

- when they said: - Strip it =

“Strip it! to the foundations

in it!”

······················································································································· 8 DAUGHTER OF BABYLON, the devastated one,

- happy : your works

the one who will pay that you made

to you to us!

- 9 Happy : your infants

the one who will seize against the rock!

and dash

In the first piece (5–6) the psalmist addresses “Jerusalem”, in the last piece “Babylon” (8–9), but in the central piece he addresses the Lord himself (7). In the first piece, the two occurrences of “Jerusalem” are found at the end of the first members of the extreme segments (5a & 6c). The central segment (6ab) provides the passage between the other two segments: Its first member (6a) contains two body parts that refer to “my right hand” of 5b, its second member (6b) begins as the first member of the subsequent segment: “if I do not”. The last piece begins with an apostrophe to the “daughter of Babylon” (8a) and continues with two macarisms introduced by the same “happy” (8b & 9a). The last segment (9) makes explicit the content of the preceding segment: What Babylon did for Jerusalem was to dash her infants against the rock. The central piece recalls “the Day of Jerusalem” (7b), its capture by the Babylonians, encouraged and helped by the Edomites (7a). “Jerusalem” in 7b

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Fourth Section (Ps 135–145)

recalls the two occurrences of the same name in the first piece (5a & 6c), “the sons of Edom” at the beginning of the piece (7a) foreshadows the “daughter of Babylon” at the beginning of the last piece (8a). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM + 1 By the rivers + THERE we sat down + WE REMEMBERED :: 2 on the poplars :: we had hung

of BABYLON and wept, ZION; in the midst of it our harps.

···········································································

+ 3 It is THERE + our captors, + and our jailers :: “SING :: A SONG

that they asked us, for words of SONG, for JOY: for us of ZION.”

4

How A SONG in a land,

COULD WE SING of YHWH a foreign one?

– 5 If I forget you, .. let it forget itself,

O JERUSALEM, my right hand!

.. 6 Let it stick, – if I do not

REMEMBER YOU,

– if I do not – to the summit

bring up of my JOY!

my tongue

to my palate JERUSALEM

······················································································································· : 7 REMEMBER, O YHWH, against the SONS OF EDOM, : the Day of JERUSALEM,

- when they said: - Strip it

“Strip it! to the foundations

in it!”

······················································································································· = 8 DAUGHTER OF BABYLON, the devastated one,

- happy : the works

the one who will pay that you made

to you to us!

- 9 Happy : your infants

the one who will seize against the rock!

and dash

The name “Babylon” occurs at the beginning of the extreme pieces (1a & 8a). The two occurrences of “Zion” in the first part (1c & 3e) are matched by three

Psalm 137

529

occurrences of “Jerusalem” in the last part (5a, 6c, 7b); “Zion” at the end of 3 and “Jerusalem” at the beginning of 5 can be considered as acting as median terms. The verb “remember” (1c) is repeated twice in the last part (6b & 7a) and “joy” is repeated in 3c in 6d. The first segment of the last part, where “the right hand” is mentioned, seems to refer to verse 2 where the deportees give up playing the harp; verse 6, with “tongue”, refers to the “songs” that are requested from the exiles (3). The short central part with the terms “to sing” and “song” refers to the end of the first part where they are found (3b, 3d, 3e); “a song of Zion” of 3e is called “a song of Yhwh” in 4b. The link of the central part with the last one is provided by the repetition of the name “Yhwh” (4b & 7a). CONTEXT “A FOREIGN LAND” (137:4) The expression (lit., “a land of the foreigner”, 4c) has a strong religious connotation. Indeed, a similar expression, “the foreign gods”, is often used to refer to the idols of the nations: “Put away the foreign gods that are among you” (Gen 35:2; see also Josh 24:20). “As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours” (Jer 5:19). “THE DAY OF JERUSALEM” (PS 137:5) It is the “day” of its capture by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (June-July 587), on the ninth day of the fourth month (Jer 39:1–2; 52:1–11); “in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month” the temple was plundered and burned (Jer 52:12–23). THE DAY OF BABYLON Jeremiah chapters 50–51 form a long oracle announcing the devastation of Babylon: “The word which Yhwh spoke against Babylon, against the land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of the prophet Jeremiah” (Jer 50:1). THE DAY OF EDOM Among all the oracles against Edom (Isa 34; Jer 49:7–20, etc.), that of Ezek 35 seems to be the closest to Ps 137: “As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you” (Ezek 35:15). But Obadiah is the most explicit about Edom’s conduct during the devastation of Jerusalem: 11

On the day that you stood aside, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem,

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you too were like one of them. 12 But you should not have gloated over your brother on the day of his misfortune; you should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah on the day of their ruin; you should not have boasted on the day of distress. 13 You should not have entered the gate of my people on the day of their calamity; you should not have joined in the gloating over Judah’s disaster on the day of his calamity; you should not have looted his goods on the day of his calamity. 14 You should not have stood at the crossings to cut off his fugitives; you should not have handed over his survivors on the day of distress 15 For the day of the Lord is near against all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head. (Obad 1:11–15)

The crime of Edom is even more serious than that of Babylon, because, according to tradition, Edom is the twin brother of Jacob, linked to Israel by blood ties. INTERPRETATION CULTURAL CURIOSITY The Babylonians’ invitation addressed to the exiles is sometimes compared to what the Philistines demanded of their prisoner Samson: “And when their hearts were merry, they said, ‘Call Samson, and let him entertain us.’ So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them” (Judg 16:25). This does not seem to be coercion on the part of the Babylonians, but an invitation on the part of people curious to hear music that was exotic to them. The capital was a cosmopolitan place with a wide variety of people from all over the empire, and the natives were probably more curious than cynical or sadistic. A DANGEROUS TEMPTATION Such interest on the part of the conquerors could flatter the pride of the deportees. Why not give in to such an invitation and sing some “song of Zion”, if only to show them that their art was not inferior to theirs? Other deportees were perhaps not slow to do so... But was it only poetic and musical art? In the question that emerges at the very centre of the psalm is the answer: “the song of Zion” (Ps 137:3) that the pagans demand is not that of a distant people, now subjugated, it is “a song of Yhwh” (137:4b), made to be heard and heard by the God of Israel, not to charm the ears of foreigners curious about new sensations. Thus, those on whose behalf the psalmist responds flush out the temptation into which it would be easy to succumb, opening the way to confusion and ultimately assimilation.

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THE DUTY TO REMEMBER Once the centre is reached, the psalmist continues his poem in the first person. The tone becomes more personal, but it is still in the name of all his people that he intones his imprecation, if this term really expresses what is at stake in the second part of the psalm. It would probably be more accurate to define it as a promise not to forget, not to forget anything. This is probably the reason why the psalmist begins with his imprecation against himself (137:5–6). The faithfulness he swears is not limited to the songs of worship to the Lord in “Zion” (137:1c, 3e); it concerns “Jerusalem”, whose name comes up in his mouth three times, not only when he implicates it personally (137:5a, 6c) but also when he recalls what happened during the siege of the capital of the country (137:7b). The duty to remember is not only spiritual, but also political and military. The imprecation against Babylon, which is so disturbing because of its ferocity, is first of all a promise not to forget what it did to Jerusalem. JUDGEMENT LEFT TO YHWH While at first the psalmist addresses Jerusalem, as the bridegroom makes oaths to the one he loves (137:5–6), when it comes to the enemy and first of all to the false brother who had allied himself with him, he defers to the judgment of the Lord whose righteousness cannot leave his crimes unpunished. He turns to “Yhwh” to ask him to “remember” what Edom had done against his brother Israel. Finally, when he calls out to the “daughter of Babylon”, it is not to promise her revenge: the final double “happy” is not the victim, but the divine judge. It is first of all to remind Babylon of the unspeakable crimes she committed by crushing the infants of Jerusalem against the rock. It is also to proclaim that, if she did not remember, Israel would not forget. Above all, it is to leave it to the Lord to restore righteousness by a verdict which, according to the law of retaliation, can only be proportionate to the crime.5

5

See A. WÉNIN, Les psaumes censurés.

C. I GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O LORD, FOR YOU WILL SAVE ME (PS 138–139) 1. PSALM 138 TEXT 1 Of

David. I give thanks to you with all my heart, in front of the gods I sing psalms to you; bow down toward the temple of your holiness and I give thanks to your name, for your faithfulness and your loyalty, because you have made great above all your name your word. 3 On the day I called, you answered me, 4 They give you awakened strength in my soul. thanks to you, O Yhwh, all the kings of the earth, because they have heard the words of your 5 and they celebrate the ways of Yhwh, mouth; because great is the glory of Yhwh, 6 because Yhwh is exalted and he sees the lowly and the proud he knows from far away. 7 If I walk in the midst of anguish, you will give me life to the fury of my enemies; you will send your hand, and will save me with your right hand. 8 Yhwh will go to the end for me; Yhwh, your faithfulness forever. The works of your hands do not abandon. 2I

1B: “I GIVE THANKS TO YOU WITH ALL MY HEART” Following some Hebrew manuscripts, 11QPsa, as well as the ancient versions, several modern translations, such as the BJ and Osty, add the vocative “O Yhwh” after “I give you thanks”. 1C: “IN FRONT OF THE GODS” The ancient versions as well as the rabbinic tradition found various expedients to avoid mentioning “gods” that do not exist and thus save monotheism. The Septuagint translates “in the presence of the angels”, comprehending ’ĕlōhîm, as the supernatural beings who populate the sky and praise the only true God. Yet this is not the only time Yhwh is introduced with “the gods”: “Who is like you among the gods, Yhwh?” (Exod 15:11; see also Ps 82:1; 86:8; 96:4).1 2D: “BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE GREAT ABOVE ALL YOUR NAME YOUR WORD” The phrase is not easy to understand.2 If “name” means “fame”, that is, what the name of Yhwh evokes, what everyone knows about him, a slight paraphrase would say: “You have magnified your word beyond all your fame”. It remains to be determined what is meant by ’imrâ, translated here as “word”. In Ps 119, where it is used nineteen times, it is one of the eight synonymous terms for Torah.3 As in our Psalm the term is used in the plural (138:4c), its meaning is best understood in the immediate context. 1

See, e.g., Kraus, II, 507; Ravasi, III, 779–780. See, e.g., Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 539; also Vesco, 1288. 3 In Ps 119 ’imrâ is translated as “saying”. 2

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

3B: “YOU AWAKENED STRENGTH IN MY SOUL” The hiphil form of the verb rhb is problematic and therefore the ancient versions prefer to read rbh, “to multiply” of rḥb, “to put out into an open space”. Sticking to the Masoretic text, one can understand, as in Ct 5:6, “you have troubled me, excited me”. Hossfeld – Zenger translate by “to awaken”4, which could be supported by the correspondence with “you will give me life” in 7b. 6C: “AND THE PROUD HE KNOWS FROM FAR AWAY” The adjective gābōah, translated here as “proud”, is attributed not only to high things (such as the mountains in Gen 7:19), but also to people, in the sense of being “great”, of high stature (as for Saul, in 1 Sam 9:2) or in the sense of “superb”, “proud” (Isa 5:15; 10:33; Ps 101:5). Some authors attribute it to God himself, for this title is “very frequently” found “in rabbinic literature” as a divine attribute.5 The problem is that gābōah is not attributed to God in the Hebrew Bible.6 COMPOSITION “The division of the psalm into three sections or stanzas is universally recognized.”7 With some exceptions.8 The psalm comprises three parts. The extreme parts are formed of two pieces and have the psalmist as their subject; the central part (4–6), which is the size of a piece, has as its subject “all the kings of the earth”, that is, the kings of the pagan nations. THE FIRST PART (1B–3) In the first two segments of the first piece the psalmist emphasizes his willingness to “give thanks”. The extreme members begin with the same verb (1b & 2b), while the inner members (1c & 2a) seem to correspond, opposing “the gods” and the “holiness” of the one God worshipped in his “temple”. The two verbs, “I sing psalms to you” and “I bow down”, which are found in contiguity (1c and 2a), at the end of the first member and at the beginning of the next, emphasize the mirrored construction of the two segments. The third segment (2cd) provides the reason for the praise, in two members introduced by “for” and “because”. 4

Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 526.529. Dahood, III, 279; followed by Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 527 (in the wake of Gunkel). 6 See Dahood, III, 279 and I, 62. 7 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 527. 8 For instance, Girard, III, 424–430; the author sees it as a diptych: 1–2c / 2d–3 // 4–5a / 5b–8. 5

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535

+ 1b I GIVE THANKS TO YOU – in front

with all of the gods

MY HEART, I sing psalms to you;

– 2 I bow down + and I GIVE THANKS

toward the temple to your name,

of your holiness

– for your faithfulness – because you have made great

and your loyalty, above all your name

YOUR WORD.

············································································································· :: 3 On the day I called, YOU ANSWERED ME,

:: you awakened,

in MY SOUL,

strength.

The second piece (3) explains concretely how God’s intervention, which provoked the praise, manifested itself. “My heart” and “my soul” (1b & 3b) form an inclusion. In the same position at the end of the members (2d & 3a), “your word” and “you answered me” act as median terms between the two pieces. THE SECOND PART (4–6) – 4 THEY GIVE THANKS TO YOU, .. because they have heard

O YHWH, the words

all the kings of your mouth;

– 5 AND THEY CELEBRATE .. because great (is)

the ways the glory

of YHWH, of YHWH,

YHWH, he sees from far away

he knows.

.. 6 because exalted (is) = and the lowly, = and the proud

of the earth,

The part is of AA’B type. The first two segments (4–5) are parallel. Their first members begin with two synonymous verbs of the same modality, the first segment stating the subject of the verb, “all the kings of the earth” (4a), the other segment its object, “the ways of Yhwh” (5a). Their second members, introduced by “because”, express the reason for the thanksgiving and celebration. The third segment (6) is an expansion of the last member of 5: The last two members specify the reason why the Lord is exalted. The whole part thus leads to the double action of God raising up “the lowly” and lowering “the proud”.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE THIRD PART (7–8) – 7 If I walk + you will give me life,

in the midst to the fury

+ you will send + and will save me

YOUR HAND

of anguish, of my enemies,

WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND.

···································································································

:: 8 YHWH :: YHWH, = the works

will go to the end your faithfulness OF YOUR HANDS

for me, forever, do not abandon.

While the first piece names the “enemies” and the “anguish” that they cause the psalmist (7ab), the second piece names “Yhwh” twice, in the initial terms of the first two members (8ab). In the first piece the request is expressed in the future tense (7bc), at the end of the second piece in the imperative. “Do not abandon” (8c) relies on Yhwh’s “faithfulness” which is “forever” and “goes to the end”. The syntagma “your hands” (8c) in the last member of the second piece recalls “your hand” and “your right hand” in the same position in the last two members of the first piece (7cd). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM In the extreme parts it is the psalmist who speaks of his relationship with the Lord, but whereas in the first part he gives thanks at length (1b–2) for God’s answer to his prayer in the past (3), in the last part he also speaks at length (7) of his confidence that his Lord will not fail to work in his favour in the future (8). In the central part, the psalmist relates how the pagan kings praise the God of Israel in the present for what they have witnessed, “the words” of the Lord which they have heard and the “ways”, that is, the deeds which he has done, namely, that he exalts the oppressed and brings down the oppressor (6). The only term common to the extreme parts, but of a great weight, is faithfulness (2c & 8b). The lexical relationships are more numerous between the first part and the central part. These include the two occurrences of “I give thanks to you” in 1b & 2b, echoed by “they give thanks to you” and “they celebrate” in 4a & 5a, “all” (1b, 2d, 4a), “great” (2d & 5b) and “word/s” (2d & 4b). The name “Yhwh” occurs twice in the last part (8a & 8b) and four times in the central part, where its four occurrences form a regular pattern (4a, 5a, 5b, 6a), whereas it is completely absent from the first part. The title attributes the psalm to “David” (1a) and the central part mentions “the kings of the earth” (4a), whose thanksgiving is thus united with that of the king of Israel.

Psalm 138 1

537

Of DAVID.

+ I GIVE THANKS TO YOU + in front

with ALL of the gods

my heart, I sing psalms to you;

+ 2 I bow down + AND I GIVE THANKS

toward the temple to your name,

of your holiness

+ for YOUR FAITHFULNESS and your loyalty, + because YOU HAVE MADE GREAT above ALL your fame

YOUR WORD.

················································································································

:: 3 On the day :: you awakened,

I called, in my soul,

you answered me, strength.

– 4 THEY GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O YHWH, .. because they have heard THE WORDS

ALL

– 5 AND THEY CELEBRATE .. because GREAT is

the ways the glory

of YHWH, of YHWH,

YHWH, he sees, from far away

he knows.

+ 7 If I walk + you will give me life

in the midst to the fury

of anguish, of my enemies;

+ you will send + and will save me

your hand with your right hand.

.. 6 because exalted is = and the lowly, = and the proud

the KINGS of the earth, of your mouth;

················································································································

:: 8 YHWH :: YHWH, :: The works

will go to the end YOUR FAITHFULNESS

of your hands

for me; forever. do not abandon.

CONTEXT ALL NATIONS PRAISE YHWH FOR THE GOOD HE HAS DONE FOR HIS PEOPLE Some psalms invite the Gentile nations to praise the Lord; Ps 47; Ps 96–100. Ps 117 is very similar to Ps 138: Indeed, the reason why people are called to praise God is because of his unfailing “faithfulness and loyalty” to his particular people.9

9

See p. 156.

538 + 1 PRAISE + glorify him, :: 2 because strong is :: and the loyalty = PRAISE

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145) YHWH,

ALL YOU NATIONS, ALL YOU COUNTRIES;

TOWARD US

his faithfulness, (endures) forever.

of YHWH YAH!

The same applies to Ps 98:4, “Acclaim Yhwh, all the earth”, Ps 148:7, 11, “Praise Yhwh from the earth [...] kings of the earth and all nations”. In Ps 2, “the kings of the earth rise up against Yhwh and against his Messiah” (2:2), but the Lord “speaks to them in his anger” (2:5–9), after which the psalmist invites them: “And now, you kings, comprehend, correct yourselves, you judges of the earth” (2:10). In other psalms, the praise of Yhwh by kings is announced in the future tense: “All the kings will bow down to him, all the nations will serve him” (Ps 72:11; see also Ps 102:16). As for Ps 138, opinions differ. Some translate the verbs of 4a and 5a as wishes: “Let them give you thanks [...] and let them celebrate you” (in this way, TOB, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, Vesco). Others prefer the future tense (Osty, Dahood, Ravasi, Lorenzin, Hossfeld – Zenger). Finally, there are those who opt for the present tense (for example, BJ, Weiser); which seems to better suit the logic of the text as it results from its composition. “HE OVERTHROWS THE MIGHTY FROM THEIR THRONES, HE LIFTS UP THE HUMILIATED” (LUKE 1:52) The law of the kingdom of God is stated in various fashions, not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New. It is the law of the Lord himself, as Mary sings in the Magnificat, and it is the law that the disciple of Jesus, in the image of his Father, must live by. Stated in the form of a proverb, it is found at the centre of the parable of the invited guests in Luke 14:7–14, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). INTERPRETATION THE LAW OF GOD’S REIGN REVEALED TO ALL THE KINGS OF THE EARTH The psalm focuses on “the words” of the Lord’s mouth (Ps 138:4), those that set forth his “ways”, his conduct, his law: he is the God who lifts up the lowly and brings down the proud (138:6). The psalmist testifies that this law has been true for him in the past (138:1b–3); he does not doubt for a moment that it will also be true in the future (138:7–8).

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A DOUBLE TRIGGER THANKSGIVING First, the psalmist gives thanks that the Lord has answered his plea and saved him from the mortal peril in which he found himself. Bowing down in the temple, “David” testifies before all that he owes his salvation not to any of the deities honoured by the pagan peoples, but to the one God who is worshipped in his only sanctuary. All will see, therefore, how the Lord was loyal and faithful to his covenant, keeping his “word” far beyond the reputation he already enjoyed. The Lord’s “word”, his response to his king, went beyond Israel to “all the kings of the earth”, even those who might be thought to be his enemies, those against whom the king had called for help. Indeed, if the divine intervention had been a purely internal affair of the people of Israel, the foreign kings would probably not have heard of it; if they did, it was because it concerned them primarily, whether they were allies of the chosen people or their adversaries. Now all of them, even the “proud” ones who had wanted to “lower” Israel, are united in the same admiration and join David in the same thanksgiving. A CONFIDENT SUPPLICATION All the kings of the earth give thanks to “Yhwh”, the God of Israel, but David is well aware that not all will be as faithful as his Lord. In international relations, nothing is ever taken for granted once and for all. Unanimity cannot last and “enemies” will arise who will make the king of Israel walk “in the midst of anguish” (138:7). Therefore, just as he had “called upon” his God for help (138:3), he now begs him not to abandon the work of his hands (138:8).

2. PSALM 139 TEXT 1 For

the music director, of David, a psalm. O Yhwh, you examine me and you know; 2 it is you, you know my laying down and my rising up. You understand my thought from afar. 3 You sense my walking and my resting, and you are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Because there is not (yet) a word on my tongue, behold, O Yhwh, you know it all; 5 you hem me in, behind and before, and you have laid your palm upon me. 6 (Such) knowledge (is) too wonderful for me, incomprehensible, I am not able for it. 7 Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your face? 8 If I ascend the heavens, there you are, and I stretch out in Sheol, behold you. 9 Let me take the wings of the dawn, and let me dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, 10 even there your hand leads me and your right hand holds me. 11 And I said, “Oh, let the darkness cover me!” but the night becomes light around me. 12 Even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night shines as the day. Like the darkness so the light! 13 Because it was you, you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb, 14 I give you thanks because terribly, I am wonderfully made, wonderful (are) your works, and my soul knows (them) well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you, when I was fashioned in secret, (when) I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 My embryo, your eyes saw it —and in your book all of them are written, the days that were fixed— and to him one of them. 17 And to me, how difficult are your thoughts, O El, how immense are their substances! 18 I count them, they are more than sand; I come to an end, and I am still with you. 19 If you would slay, O Eloah, the wicked, men of blood would turn aside from me! 20 They who speak of you with intrigue, your adversaries take (you) for nothing. 21 Do I not hate those who hate 22 I hate them with perfect hatred, you, O Yhwh, and abhor those who oppose you? they have become my enemies. 23 Examine me, O El, and know my heart, test me and know my concerns; 24 and see if there is a way of affliction for me and lead me in the way of eternity.

2B: “YOU UNDERSTAND MY THOUGHT” The hapax rēa‘ is an Aramaic word meaning “thought”; it is taken up in the plural in 17a. 12C: “LIKE THE DARKNESS SO THE LIGHT” These two words (kaḥăšêkâ kā’ôrâ) are considered by many as an Aramaic gloss and are therefore deleted by several modern translations (BJ, Osty). However, this phrase, which looks like a proverb (for instance, “Like mother, like daughter” in Ezek 16:44), is rather enigmatic and constitutes the pivot of the psalm, and thus its key to reading. 14A: “BECAUSE TERRIBLY, I AM WONDERFULLY MADE” The adverb "terribly" translates the participle nôrā’ôt (from yr’, “to fear”; “to be afraid”) which is used to qualify the astonishing, terrifying actions of God (Deut 10:21; Ps 45:5; 145:6). Some are of the opinion that niplêtî is from the

542

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

root plh, “to distinguish”,1 but the majority think that the verb is from the root pl’, like the subsequent word translated as “wonderful”. 16A: “MY EMBRYO” Gôlem is another Aramaic hapax. 17B: “HOW IMMENSE ARE THEIR SUBSTANCES” “Immense” has the advantage of comprising both connotations of the Hebrew term: “numerous” and “important”. The noun rô’š, “head”, has also many other meanings. It is therefore interpreted here in different fashions as “principle”, “element”, “number”, “sum”, “substance”.2 20B: “YOUR ADVERSARIES” The ancient versions understood “your cities” (from ‘îr); it is rather a new Aramaism, from ‘ār, “enemy” as in 1 Sam 28:16, “And why do you ask me, since Yhwh has turned away from you and has become your adversary?” 24A: “A WAY OF AFFLICTION” Some understand ‘ōṣeb as “idol”3 (for instance in Isa 48:5). Others, with the ancient versions, are of the opinion that the word means “sorrow”, “affliction”, as in Isa 14:3, “On the day when Yhwh gives you rest, after your sorrow, your torment and the hard service with which you were made to serve...” The context favours the latter meaning. COMPOSITION Most people divide the psalm into four parts or stanzas: 1–6, 7–12, 13–18, 19–24.4 Weiser also subdivides 19–24 into two parts and thus arrives at five parts.5 Lorenzin has an atomistic division into eight parts (1–5, 6, 7–12, 13–14, 15–16, 17–18, 19–22, 23–24).6 Some organize the psalm into two main parts (1– 18 & 19–24), which they then subdivide. The subdivisions of Hakham correspond to the five of Weiser;7 for Girard, the first part comprises eight 1

For example, Vesco, 1291, who translates as “I was set apart”; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II,

773.

2

See Hakham, II, 536; Ravasi (III, 820–821) who believes to detect a play on words between ‘oṣmî (“my bone”) in 15a and ‘āṣmû (“are immense”) in 17b, which are quite distant in the text. 3 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 536. 4 Thus, Kraus, II, 514–518; Mannati, IV, 225–226; Ravasi, III, 802. 5 Weiser, 802–808. 6 Lorenzin, 519. 7 Hakham, II, 530; those by Alonso Schoekel – Carniti (II, 779–780) are not clear.

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concentrically arranged subdivisions, and the second part comprises four, also concentrically arranged units.8 The present analysis is slightly different from that of the majority because verses 17–18 are not considered as belonging to the third part but to the fourth part (17–24), the end of verse 12 is held as the centre of the psalm, and the first two parts and the last two parts correspond to each other in a parallel fashion. THE FIRST PART (1B–6) + 1b O YHWH, – 2 it is you, : You understand 3

– My walking + and with all

you examine me

AND YOU KNOW,

YOU KNOW

my laying down

my thought

from afar.

and my resting, my ways

you sense, you are acquainted.

and my rising up.

·······································································································

+ 4 Because there is not a word + behold, O YHWH,

on my tongue, YOU KNOW (it)

– 5 behind – and you have laid

you hem me in, your palm.

and before, upon me

all;

The first piece has a concentric structure. At the centre there is a unimember segment (2b). The two bimember segments that frame it correspond to each other in a mirrored fashion. In 2b and 3a the couple “my walking and my resting” refers to the couple “my lying down and my rising up”; both couples are preceded and followed by the verbs “you know” and “you sense”. In the extreme members the same idea of totality is expressed by the coordination of two synonymous verbs at the beginning (1b), by “all” at the end (3b). The second piece begins with kî (4a), which can be understood as causal linking the two pieces. The only formal link between the two segments is the pair of terms belonging to the same semantic field, “tongue” and “palm”, in the same position at the end of the extreme members (4a & 5b). All the verbs have “Yhwh” as their subject. The name “Yhwh” occurs in the first members of each piece (1b & 4b). The merism “behind and before” (5a) recalls the expressions in 2a and 3a. The verb “to know” occurs three times, twice in the first piece (1b & 2a) and once in the second piece (4b). “All” acts as median term (3b & 4b).

8

Girard, III, 438–442; followed by Vesco, 1293. A similar structure had already been proposed by J. HOLMAN, “The Structure of Psalm CXXXIX”.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE SECOND PART (6–12) + 6 too wonderful + incomprehensible,

(such) knowledge I am not able

FOR ME,

+ 7 Where + and where

shall I go from your face

from your spirit, shall I flee?

for it.

················································································································

: 8 If I ascend : and I stretch out

the heavens, in Sheol,

there behold you.

: 9 Let me take : and let me dwell

the wings in the uttermost part

of the dawn, of the sea,

= 10 even there = and holds me

your hand your right hand.

leads me,

you are,

················································································································ 11

: And I said: : but the night (becomes)

“Oh, let darkness light

cover me!” around me.

= 12 Even the darkness = and the night

is not dark as the day

TO YOU,

shines.

In the first piece (6–7), the double question in the second segment expresses the terror caused by the psalmist’s “knowledge” (6a) of the “spirit” and “face” of God (7). The second piece (8–10) focuses on human inability to escape the divine presence. The last two segments (9–10) have the same structure as each of the members of the first segment (8): a conditional clause followed by the main clause. “The heavens” (8a), “Sheol” (8b) and “the sea” (9b) constitute a merism that expresses the totality of space. In the third piece (11–12) the two members of the first segment are opposed: man would like to be covered by darkness (11a), but, despite the night, it is light that envelops him (11b). The second segment (12) takes up and elaborates on the second member of the first segment, attributing the light to the one whom the psalmist addresses, the Lord. The three pieces have no common vocabulary. The only formal relationship between the extreme pieces is the opposition between “for me” (6a) and “to you” (12a) which forms an inclusion. The final opposition between “darkness” and “light” and between “night” and “day” (11–12) recalls the opposition between divine “knowledge” which is “incomprehensible” to human beings (6). “The heavens”, “Sheol” and “the sea” of the central piece (8ab, 9b) are places where human hope of hiding from the light and knowledge of God is not successful.

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THE FOURTH PART (13–16) + 13 Because it was you, + you knit me together : 14 I give you thanks : wonderful (are) : and my soul

you formed in the womb

MY INWARD PARTS,

because terribly, your works, knows (them)

I am wonderfully made,

15

+ They were not hidden, MY BONES, + when I was fashioned + (when) I was woven together in the depths

of my mother.

well. from you, in secret, of the earth.

·····················································································································

+

16

MY EMBRYO,

— and in your book the days + and TO HIM

they saw it,

your eyes,

all of them that were fixed —

are written,

one

of them.

In the first piece (13–15) the extreme segments correspond to each other, at the beginning positively, the subject is the Lord (13), at the end by negation of the opposite, the psalmist is now the subject of the passive verbs, The verbs “to form” and “to fashion” (13a & 15b) are synonymous, and likewise “to knit together” and “to weave together” (13b & 15c), the two pairs are found in the same position. The central segment (14) expresses the psalmist’s reaction to God’s wonderful deeds. The second piece (16) comprises two unimembers framing a bimember, which is an incision. “To him” at the beginning of the last segment (16d) refers to “my embryo” at the beginning of the first member (16a), and “them” (16d) refers to “the days” in the preceding member (16c). The Lord sees the embryo from the beginning, when it is only one day old. “My inward parts” and “my bones”, which are found in the initial terms of the extreme segments of the first piece (13a & 15a), are those of “my embryo” (16a), which together with “to him” are found in the initial terms of the extreme segments of the second piece (16a & 16d).

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE FIRTH PART (17–24) + 17 And to me, + O EL,

how difficult are how immense are

your thoughts, their substances!

+ 18 I count them, + I come to an end,

more than sand and I (am) still

they are, with you.

– 19 If you would slay, – men

O ELOAH, of blood,

the wicked, would turn aside from me!

– 20 They who – they take (you)

speak of you for nothing,

with intrigue, your adversaries.

················································································································ O YHWH, I hate,

:: 21 Is it not that, those who hate you, :: and those who oppose you I abhor? :: 22 With perfect :: enemies

hatred I hate them, they have become for me.

+ 23 Examine me, + test me

O EL,

and know and know

my heart, my concerns;

+ 24 and see + and lead me

if there is a way in the way

of affliction of eternity.

for me,

This part is more extensive than the other parts and is organised into three subparts. The central subpart is entirely devoted to the enemies of God (19–20), which are also the enemies of the psalmist (21–22). While in the first subpart the psalmist acknowledges his inability to know the Lord, in the last subpart he asks to be known by him. The Lord is called “El” in the extreme subparts (17b & 23a), but “Eloah” and “Yhwh” in the central subpart (19a & 21a). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM The first part as well as the fourth one (1b–5 & 13–16) are concerned with the Lord who knows humankind. The two occurrences of “you” (2a & 13a) serve as initial terms. The fourth part goes further than the first one, for while in the first part God knows the human beings in their activities, in the fourth part he knew them from before their birth, from the first day of their embryo. These two parts are formed of two pieces, the second pieces are shorter than the first ones. The second and fifth parts (6–12 & 17–24) are about the psalmist recognizing the narrow limits of his knowledge of God: “for me” (mimmennî in 6a) and to me (lî in 17a) play the role of opening words for these two parts. The central units of these parts (8–10 & 19–22) begin with the same particle “if”, and repeat the verb “to take” (9a & 20b). Both parts have a concentric composition.

Psalm 139 1

547

For the music director, of David, a psalm. O Yhwh, you EXAMINE me and you KNOW; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You sense my walking and my resting, 4 5

For there is not yet a word on my tongue, you hem me in, behind and before, 6 7

2

It is YOU, you KNOW my laying down and my rising up.

and you are acquainted with all my WAYS. behold, O Yhwh, you KNOW it all; and you have laid your palm upon me.

Such KNOWLEDGE is too wonderful FOR ME, Where shall I go from your spirit, 9

IF I ascend the heavens, there you are, LET ME TAKE the wings of the dawn, 10 even there your hand LEADS ME,

and I stretch out in Sheol, behold you. and let me dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, and your right hand holds me.

And I said, “Oh, let THE DARKNESS cover me!”, Even THE DARKNESS IS NOT DARK for you,

but the night becomes LIGHT around me. and the night SHINES as the day.

8

11 12

Like THE DARKNESS For it was YOU, you formed my inward parts, I give you thanks for terribly, I am wonderfully made, and my soul KNOWS them well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 13 14

My embryo, your eyes saw it the days that were fixed — 16

17 18

you knit me together in my mother’s womb; wonderful are your works, when I was fashioned in secret, — and in your book all of them are written, and to him one of them. O El, how immense are their substances! I come to an end, and I am still with you.

IF you would slay, O Eloah, the wicked, They who speak of you with intrigue, 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Yhwh, 22 I hate them with perfect hatred,

men of blood would turn aside from me! your adversaries TAKE YOU for nothing. and abhor those who oppose you? they have become my enemies.

EXAMINE me, O El, and KNOW my heart, and see if there is a WAY of affliction for me,

test me and KNOW my concerns; and LEAD ME in the WAY of eternity.

20

24

so THE LIGHT!

And TO ME, how difficult are your thoughts, I count them, they are more than sand, 19

23

incomprehensible, I am not able for it. and where shall I flee from your face?

The verb “to examine” occurs at the beginning of the extreme units (1b & 23a), “to know” three times at the beginning (1b, 2a, 4b) and twice at the end (23a & 23b), “ways” once at the beginning (3b) and twice in the singular at the end (24a & 24b). All these repetitions form an inclusion. Furthermore, “knowledge” in the second part (6a) and “to know” in the fourth part (14c) echo the five occurrences of “to know” at the extremities. The divine names are found only in the extreme parts.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

The central part (12b) is linked lexically to the end of the second part (11–12), but it is also linked to the subsequent part, as God “saw” (16a) in the darkness of the womb and the earth. The most difficult problem—the challenge—is to determine the function of verses 19–22 on the whole. The break between verses 18 and 19 has led some to claim that verses 19–24 constitute a psalm on their own, or at least that they are merely an addition:9 “If the psalm had ended with the third stanza, that is, with verse 18, it would have been one of the most beautiful songs in the psalter.”10 The firmness and regularity of the composition of the psalm as outlined above argues for its integrity. The symmetry between 19–22 and 8–10 in the rigorous structure of the whole, supported by the fact that these two units begin with “if”, suggests that they necessarily have some relationships in meaning. INTERPRETATION “LIKE THE DARKNESS SO THE LIGHT” (139:12C) This particularly concise phrase has all the characteristics of a centre of concentric composition: like many proverbs and like all centres of concentric composition, it is enigmatic.11 The function of the enigma is to invite reflection. Here the question posed by the proverb is particularly well suited to the psalm, for it speaks only of knowledge. It is easy to understand that “light” is knowledge and that “darkness” is its opposite. However, the preceding verse says that for the Lord there is no darkness and that all is light for him: “and the night shines as the day” (139:12ab). In the previous part, he is described as being there in “Sheol” as well as in the heavens”, leading man by the hand (139:8–10). In the subsequent part, “he sees” what is hidden from human eyes, the “embryo” knit together in the womb, “woven together in the depths of the earth”, and he sees it from the first of his days (139:13–16). He knows the word of the psalmist even before his lips have spoken it (139:4), he knows what is in his “heart” (119:23). Thus, the whole psalm is summed up in two words that can serve as its title: “As the darkness, so the light!” (139:12c). “EXAMINE ME, O EL, AND KNOW MY HEART” (139:23) The fact that the whole psalm is focused on one proverb does not in any way exclude that there is a progression from the beginning to the end, and even that there is a change of direction, a turning point from one side to the other. Lund stated that “the centre is always the turning point (of the text)”.12 There is 9

See J. HOLMAN, “The Structure of Psalm CXXXIX”, 299. E. Reuss, quoted by J. HOLMAN, “The Structure of Psalm CXXXIX”, 300. 11 See Traité 2007.2013: 417; 2021: 545 = Treatise, 280. 12 Traité 2007.2013: 97 = Treatise, 42. 10

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already a clear progression between the first passage (139:1b–5) and the symmetrical passage (139:13–16): The Lord not only knows human actions, but even their “thought” and “word” before they reach their lips, he knew them before they were born, from the first day of their conception. As far as the psalmist’s relationship with God is concerned, it is not so much a question of progression between what precedes the centre and what follows it, but of a radical reversal. In the second part (139:6–12), the divine “knowledge” overwhelms him so much that he wants to flee as far away as possible, to all places where he imagines that God cannot reach him. His light is unbearable for him, and he wants darkness to cover him. But he experiences God’s presence everywhere and especially God’s hand in “leading” him into the heart of darkness. In the symmetrical part (139:17–24), he is certainly still struck by the “thoughts” of God, by their difficulty and their infinity (139:17–18). But this no longer frightens him, on the contrary, since he asks his Lord to examine him, to search his heart, to accompany him and to “lead” him “in the way of eternity” (139:23–24). He no longer intends to flee from God, but on the contrary, he begins with the words: “I am still with you” (139:18). Then he asks that “the men of blood” be removed from him and even that they be “slain”, removed forever; he stands by his Lord, holding those who oppose him to be his own enemies, thus committing himself to fight them with him. For the psalmist, and for those who take up his words and make them their own, “like the darkness, so the light” (139:12c). “AND MY SOUL KNOWS THEM WELL» (139:14C) There is yet another reversal that takes place from one side of the central proverb to the other. The relationship between the first part of each side is not limited to God’s knowledge of the human beings, from their adult actions (139:1b–5) to their weaving in their mother’s womb (139:13–16). A new feature of the part that follows the centre of the composition is the psalmist’s thanksgiving to God because his soul “knows well” his wonders, above all “the terrible” wonder that he himself is (139:14). Knowledge, then, is not reserved for God: It is given to human beings when it is revealed to them where they come from and who has “fashioned them in secret”. For them too, “like the darkness, so the light” (139:12c).13

13

See the beautiful commentary by A. WÉNIN, Les psaumes censurés.

3. I GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O LORD, FOR YOU WILL SAVE ME (PS 138–139) COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SUBSEQUENCE – Both psalms are “of David”. – The first psalm begins with “to give thanks” (138:1–2; repeated in verse 4); the same verb occurs in the second psalm (139:13). – “Your hand” and “your right hand” occur together in 138:7 and 139:10, to which should be added “your hands” (138:8) and “your palm” (139:5); – The word “works” is repeated in 138:8 and 139:14; in both cases it refers to the works of God. – The verbs “to know” and “to see” are synonymous, and are used only once in parallel in Ps 138:6, but that is at the centre of the composition. These verbs return in force in the following psalm: “to know” and “knowledge” (139:1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 23a), “to see” (139:16, 24), to which must be added their synonyms “to examine” (139:1, 23), “to understand” (139:2), “to be acquainted with” (139:3), “were not hidden” (139:15). – The “enemies” are only mentioned at the end of each psalm (138:7 & 138:19– 22); – Similarly, what the enemies cause is found at the end: “anguish” (138:7), “concerns” and “affliction” (139:23–24). – “The words of your mouth” (138:4) correspond to “there is not yet a word on my tongue” (139:4); – The word “ways” of 138:5 is taken up at the extremities of the next psalm (139:3, 24[2x]). – The two occurrences of “heart” (138:1 & 139:23) act as extreme terms; – The same word translated as “forever” and “eternity” (138:8 & 139:24) plays the role of final terms. INTERPRETATION VARIATIONS ON DIVINE KNOWLEDGE The last word of the central part of Ps 138 is repeated seven times in Ps 139, which can be described as a long variation on divine “knowledge”. Curiously, while in Ps 138 those whom the Lord “knows” are the “proud”, that is, the enemy of the “lowly”, in the following psalm it is the latter who is known by God throughout.

The Whole of the Third Subsequence (Ps 138–139)

551

Ps 138 1

OF DAVID.

I GIVE THANKS TO YOU with all my HEART, in front of the gods I sing psalms to you; 2 I bow down toward the temple of your holiness and I GIVE THANKS to your name, for your faithfulness and your loyalty, because you have made great above all your name your word. 3 On the day I called, you answered me, you awakened strength in my soul. 4 HEY GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O Yhwh, all the your mouth; 5 and they celebrate the WAYS

kings of the earth, because they have heard the words of of Yhwh, because great is the glory of Yhwh, 6 because Yhwh is exalted and HE SEES the lowly and the proud HE KNOWS from far away. 7 If

I walk in the midst of anguish, you will give me life to the fury of my enemies; you will send

YOUR HAND, and will save me with YOUR RIGHT HAND. 8 Yhwh will go to the end for me; Yhwh, your faithfulness FOREVER. The WORKS of YOUR HANDS do not abandon. Ps 139 1

For the music director, OF DAVID, a psalm.

O Yhwh, you examine me and YOU KNOW; 2 it is you, YOU KNOW my laying down and my rising up. You understand my thought from afar. 3 You sense my walking and my resting, and you are acquainted with all my WAYS. 4 Because there is not yet a word on my tongue, behold, O Yhwh, YOU KNOW IT all; 5 you hem me in, behind and before, and you have laid YOUR PALM upon me. 6 Such KNOWLEDGE

is too wonderful for me, incomprehensible, I am not able for it. 7 Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your face? 8 If I ascend the heavens, there you are, and I stretch out in Sheol, behold you. 9 Let me take the wings of the dawn, and let me dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, 10 even there YOUR HAND leads me, and YOUR RIGHT HAND holds me. 11 And I said, “Oh, let the darkness cover me!” but the night becomes light around me. 12 Even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night shines as the day. Like the darkness so the light! 13 Because

it was you, you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb; 14 I GIVE because terribly, I am wonderfully made, wonderful are your WORKS, and my soul KNOWS them well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you, when I was fashioned in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 My embryo, your eyes SAW it—and in your book all of them are written, the days that were fixed—and to him one of them. YOU THANKS

17 And

to me, how difficult are your thoughts, O El, how immense are their substances! 18 I count them, they are more than sand; I come to an end, and I am still with you. 19 If you would slay, O Eloah, the wicked, men of blood would turn aside from me! 20 They who speak of you with intrigue, your adversaries take you for nothing. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Yhwh, and abhor those who oppose you? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred, they have become my enemies. 23 Examine me, O El, and KNOW my HEART, test me and KNOW my concerns; 24 and SEE if there is a WAY of affliction for me and lead me in the WAY of ETERNITY.

THE LOWLY AND THE PROUD The two characters of the “lowly” and the “proud” are present throughout the subsequence. The most important, judging by the space given to them, is of course the first one, who speaks in the first person, the psalmist who gives thanks, but who also invokes God’s help. The lowly one is not alone: he is

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confronted with his “enemies”, who make him walk “in the midst of anguish” (138:7), with the “wicked”, with those who “hate God”, who cause him “trouble” and “affliction”, with the “men of blood”, those who seek his life (139:19–24). It is true that they are only mentioned at the end of each psalm, far behind the thanksgiving; they are nonetheless present and active, and that is the reason why the psalmist calls upon his Lord to help him against them. A “MANUAL” KNOWLEDGE Divine knowledge is not primarily an intellectual operation. It is manifested by “the hand”, by “the palm”, in “the works of his hands” (138:8). The hand of the Lord is the one that “lays” upon his faithful and “hems him in” (139:5), that takes “hold” of him and “leads him” (139:10, 24), in short that “saves him” (138:7). The psalmist recognises in thanksgiving and wonder (139:14) that God’s “works” are from everlasting to everlasting: they have accompanied him from the beginning, “for you formed of my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (139:13), and they will lead him, he is sure, “in the way of eternity” (139:24).

D. THANKSGIVING AFTER THE EXILE (PS 135–139) COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SEQUENCE The first sequence comprises three subsequences. While the extreme subsequences are formed of two psalms, the central subsequence consists of only one psalm.

GIVE THANKS

TO THE LORD,

HOW TO SING

IN EXILE?

I GIVE THANKS TO YOU,

O LORD,

FOR HE SAVES US

Ps 135–136

Ps 137

FOR YOU WILL SAVE ME

Ps 138–139

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1. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SUBSEQUENCES (PS 135–136 & 138–139) Ps 135 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE the NAME of Yhwh, PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, 2 who stand in the house of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 PRAISE Yah, yes he is good, Yhwh, PLAY to his NAME, yes he is sweet. 4 Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession. 5 Yes, as for me, I know that Yhwh is GREAT, and our Master is above all gods. 6 All that Yhwh pleases he makes, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all depths, 7 causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth, he makes lightning for the rain, making the wind come out from his storehouses. 8 He struck down the first-born of EGYPT from man to beast; 9 he sent signs and miracles into your midst, O EGYPT, on PHARAOH and on all his servants. 10 He struck down many NATIONS and killed valiant KINGS, 11 SIHON, KING of the Amorites, and OG, KING of Bashan, and all the KINGDOMS of Canaan. 12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people. 13 Yhwh, your NAME forever! Yhwh, your memory from age to age! 14 Yes, Yhwh judges his people and he is moved for his servants. 15 The idols of the NATIONS, gold and silver, made by the HANDS of man! 16 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 17 they have ears and do not hear, there is not even wind in their mouth. 18 Like them are those who make them, all those who trust in them. 19 O house of Israel, BLESS Yhwh, O house of Aaron, BLESS Yhwh, 20 O house of Lev, BLESS Yhwh, you who fear Yhwh, BLESS Yhwh. 21 BLESSED be Yhwh from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise Yah!

Ps 138 1 Of David. I GIVE THANKS TO YOU with all my heart, in front of the gods I sing psalms to you; 2 I bow down toward the temple of your holiness and I GIVE THANKS to your NAME, for your faithfulness and your loyalty, because you have made GREAT above all your NAME your word. 3 On the day I called, you answered me, you awakened strength in my soul. 4 THEY GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O Yhwh, ALL THE KINGS of the earth, because they have heard the words of your mouth; 5 and they celebrate the ways of Yhwh, because GREAT is the glory of Yhwh! 6 because Yhwh is exalted and he sees the LOWLY and the proud he knows from far away. 7 If I walk in the midst of anguish, you will give me life to the fury of my ENEMIES; you will send your HAND and will save me with your RIGHT HAND. 8 Yhwh will go to the end for me; Yhwh, your faithfulness forever. The works of your HANDS do not abandon.

Ps 136 1 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes he is good, yes forever his faithfulness! 2 GIVE THANKS to the God of gods, yes forever his faithfulness! 3 GIVE THANKS to the Lord of lords, yes forever his faithfulness! 4 To him who made GREAT WONDERS by himself alone, yes forever his faithfulness! 5 To him who made the heavens with wisdom, yes forever his faithfulness! 6 To him who established the earth upon the waters, yes forever his faithfulness! 7 To him who made the GREAT LIGHTS, yes forever his faithfulness! 8 The sun to rule by day, yes forever his faithfulness! 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, yes forever his faithfulness! 10 To him who struck down EGYPT in their firstborn, yes forever his faithfulness! 11 And brought Israel out from the midst of them, yes forever his faithfulness! 12 With a strong HAND and an outstretched ARM, yes forever his faithfulness! 13 To him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts, yes forever his faithfulness! 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, yes forever his faithfulness! 15 And overthrew PHARAOH and his army in the Sea of Reeds, yes forever his faithfulness! 16 To him who LED his people through the desert, yes forever his faithfulness! 17 To him who struck down GREAT KINGS, yes forever his faithfulness! 18 And killed illustrious KINGS, yes forever his faithfulness! 19 SIHON, KING of the Amorites, yes forever his faithfulness! 20 And OG, KING of Bashan, yes forever his faithfulness! 21 And he gave their land as an inheritance, yes forever his faithfulness! 22 An inheritance to Israel his servant, yes forever his faithfulness! 23 He who in our LOWLINESS has remembered us, yes forever his faithfulness! 24 And snatched us away from our OPPRESSORS, yes forever his faithfulness! 25 He gives bread to all flesh, yes forever his faithfulness! 26 GIVE THANKS to the God of the heavens, yes forever his faithfulness!

Ps 139 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O Yhwh, you examine me and you know; 2 it is you, you know my laying down and my rising up. You understand my thought from afar. 3 You sense my walking and my resting, and you are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Because there is not yet a word on my tongue, behold, O Yhwh, you know it all; 5 you hem me in, behind and before, and you have laid your PALM upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, incomprehensible, I am not able for it. 7 Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your face? 8 If I ascend the heavens, there you are, and I stretch out in Sheol, behold you. 9 Let me take the wings of the dawn, and let me dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, 10 even there your HAND LEADS me and your RIGHT HAND holds me. 11 And I said, “Oh, let the darkness cover me!” but the night becomes LIGHT around me. 12 Even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night SHINES as the day. Like the darkness so the LIGHT! 13 Because it was you, you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb; 14 I GIVE YOU THANKS because terribly, I AM WONDERFULLY MADE, WONDERFUL are your works, and my soul knows them well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you, when I was fashioned in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 My embryo, your eyes saw it—and in your book all of them are written, the days that were fixed—and to him one of them. 17 And to me, how difficult are your thoughts, O El, how immense are their substances! 18 I count them, they are more than sand; I come to an end, and I am still with you. 19 If you would slay, O Eloah, THE WICKED, MEN OF BLOOD would turn aside from me! 20 They who speak of you with intrigue, your ADVERSARIES take you for nothing 21 Do I not hate those WHO HATE you, O Yhwh, and abhor those WHO OPPOSE you? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred, they have become my ENEMIES. 23 Examine me, O El, and know my heart, test me and know my concerns; 24 and see if there is a way of affliction for me and LEAD me in the way of eternity.

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The four psalms are psalms of praise and thanksgiving. “To Give thanks” is found in the last two psalms (138:1, 2, 4; 139:14) as well as in Ps 136 (136:1, 2, 3, 26). In the first psalm the equivalent expressions are “to praise” (135:1b, 3), “to play” (135:3) and “to bless” (135:19, 20[2x], 21). It should be noted that in the first subsequence the psalmist calls for praise and thanksgiving in the plural (“praise”, “give thanks”, “bless”), while in the last subsequence he does so himself (“I give you thanks”). Enemies are present in all four psalms: “Egypt” and “Pharaoh” (135:8–9; 136:10, 15), “the kingdoms” of “the nations”, their “kings”, especially “Sihon” and “Og” (135:10–11; 136:17–20), “the enemies” (138:7), “the wicked”, “men of blood”, “adversaries”, “those who hate” the Lord, “those who oppose” him, his “enemies” (139:19–22). The term “hands”, which appears once in the first psalm (135:15; these are the hands of man), appears again in the subsequent psalm coupled with “arms” (136:12), in Ps 138:7 coupled with “right” (v. 8) and in Ps 139:10 coupled with “the right hand” (not forgetting “palm” in 139:5); in these three psalms, it is always the hand of God that is involved. The word “Forever” is found in 135:13, coupled with “from age to age”, in each verse of Ps 136, that is to say 26 times, at the end of Ps 138 (v. 8) and of Ps 139 (v. 24, translated here as “eternity”). It had been noted that both occurrences in 138:8 and 139:24 serve as final terms for the two psalms of the last subsequence; one can also say that both occurrences in 136:26 and 139:24 play the same role for the two subsequences. Both subsequences begin with a call to worship and to give thanks to “the name” of the Lord in the temple, “in the house of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God”, “toward the temple of your holiness” (135:1–2; 138:1–2), thus acting as initial terms. The two subsequences are linked by “lowliness” (136:23) and “lowly” (138:6). “Faithfulness” is found only in these two psalms (26 times in Ps 136, twice in Ps 138 (vv. 2, 8). The relationship to other “gods” is found in the first psalms of each subsequence (135:5; 138:1) as well as in the beginning of Ps 136 (vv. 2–3). The same applies to “great” (135:5; 136:4, 7, 17; 138:2, 5). The last two psalms have in common the terms of the same root, “wonders” (136:4), “wonderfully made” and “wonderful” (139:14), “lights” (136:7), “light” and “to shine” (139:11, 12a), as well as “to lead” (136:16; 139:10, 24). While Ps 136 invites us to celebrate the wonders of the creation of the world (136:4–9), in Ps 139 the psalmist wonders at his own individual creation (139:14–16).

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

2. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL SUBSEQUENCE AND THE OTHER TWO The central psalm is directly opposed to the other four. While the two psalms of the first subsequence (Ps 135–136) call for praise and thanksgiving, and in the two psalms of the last subsequence (Ps 138–139) the psalmist gives thanks to the Lord, the exiles in Babylon refuse to “sing” (137:3–4). Enemies are mentioned at the centre of the two psalms of the first subsequence (135:8–11; 136:10–20) and at the end of the two psalms of the last subsequence (138:7; 139:19–22); in the central subsequence they occupy the entire space: “Babylon”, “our captors”, “our jailers”, “a foreign land”, “the sons of Edom”, “daughter of Babylon” (137:1, 3, 4, 7, 8). – Links between the first two subsequences The names “Zion” and “Jerusalem” that mark the end of the first psalm (135:21) are found in the central psalm, twice “Zion” (137:1, 3), three times “Jerusalem” (137:5, 6, 7). The two terms of the same root, “memory” and “to remember”, in the first subsequence (135:13; 136:23) are echoed in the central subsequence by three occurrences of “to remember” (137:1, 6, 7). – Links between the last two subsequences “Right hand” of the central psalm (137:5) introduces “hand/s” and “right hand” of the next psalm (138:7–8) as well as “palm”, “hand” and “right hand” of the last psalm (139:5, 10). INTERPRETATION Considering the whole sequence, it is hard not to think that the central psalm represents the negative response to the invitation to praise and thanksgiving of the first subsequence. While the first two psalms call for thanksgiving for the creation and for the liberation from slavery in the land of Egypt, the deportees in Babylon retort that it is impossible for them to sing about the wonders of the Lord in the prison where they are once again oppressed, even as their jailers demand it. Then a voice rises in the name of David, giving thanks, bowing down “toward the temple” of Jerusalem (138:1–2), announcing that “all the kings of the earth” will do the same (138:4), that the Lord’s “faithfulness” is “forever” (138:8), that as far as the exiles have gone, their God “leads them” (139:10), that he will never cease to lead them “in the way of eternity” (139:24). In the darkness of the Babylonian prison, the Lord never ceases to enlighten them.

The Whole of the First Sequence (Ps 135–139)

557

Ps 135 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE the name of Yhwh, PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, 2 who stand in the house of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 PRAISE Yah, yes he is good, Yhwh, PLAY to his name, yes he is sweet. 4 Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession. 5 Yes, as for me, I know that Yhwh is great, and our Master is above all gods. 6 All that Yhwh pleases he makes, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all depths, 7 causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth, he makes lightning for the rain, making the wind come out from his storehouses. 8 He struck down the first-born of Egypt from man to beast; 9 he sent signs and miracles into your midst, O Egypt, on Pharaoh and on all his servants. 10 He struck down many nations and killed valiant kings, 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. 12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people. 13 Yhwh, your name forever! Yhwh, YOUR MEMORY from age to age! 14 Yes, Yhwh judges his people and he is moved for his servants. 15 The idols of the nations, gold and silver, made by the hands of man! 16 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see; 17 they have ears and do not hear, there is not even wind in their mouth. 18 Like them are those who make them, all those who trust in them. 19 O house of Israel, BLESS Yhwh, O house of Aaron, BLESS Yhwh, 20 O house of Levi, BLESS Yhwh, you who fear Yhwh, BLESS Yhwh. 21 BLESSED be Yhwh from ZION, he who dwells in JERUSALEM! PRAISE Yah! Ps 136 1 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes he is good, yes forever his faithfulness! 2 GIVE THANKS to the God of gods, yes forever his faithfulness! 3 GIVE THANKS to the Lord of lords, yes forever his faithfulness! 4 To him who made great wonders by himself alone, yes forever his faithfulness! 5 To him who made the heavens with wisdom, yes forever his faithfulness! 6 To him who established the earth upon the waters, yes forever his faithfulness! 7 To him who made the great lights, yes forever his faithfulness! 8 The sun to rule by day, yes forever his faithfulness! 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, yes forever his faithfulness! 10 To him who struck down Egypt in their firstborn, yes forever his faithfulness! 11 And brought Israel out from the midst of them, yes forever his faithfulness! 12 With a strong HAND and an outstretched ARM, yes forever his faithfulness! 13 To him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts, yes forever his faithfulness! 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, yes forever his faithfulness! 15 And overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Sea of Reeds, yes forever his faithfulness! 16 To him who led his people through the desert, yes forever his faithfulness! 17 To him who struck down great kings, yes forever his faithfulness! 18 And killed illustrious kings, yes forever his faithfulness! 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, yes forever his faithfulness! 20 And Og, king of Bashan, yes forever his faithfulness! 21 And he gave their land as an inheritance, yes forever his faithfulness! 22 An inheritance to Israel his servant, yes forever his faithfulness! 23 He who in our lowliness HAS REMEMBERED us, yes forever his faithfulness! 24 And snatched us away from our oppressors, yes forever his faithfulness! 25 He gives bread to all flesh, yes forever his faithfulness! 26 GIVE THANKS to the God of the heavens, yes forever his faithfulness! 137 1 By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down and wept, WE REMEMBERED ZION; 2 on the poplars in the midst of it we had hung our harps. 3 Because there our captors asked us for words of song, and our jailers for joy: “SING for us A SONG of ZION.” 4 How COULD WE SING A SONG of Yhwh in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O JERUSALEM, let my RIGHT HAND forget itself! 6 Let my tongue stick to my palate if I DO NOT REMEMBER you, if I do not bring JERUSALEM up to the summit of my joy! 7 REMEMBER, O Yhwh, against the sons of Edom, the Day of JERUSALEM, when they said, “Strip it! Strip it to the foundations in it!” 8 Daughter of Babylon, the devastated one, happy the one who will pay to you the works that you made to us! 9 Happy the one who will seize and dash your infants against the rock! Ps 138 1 Of David. I GIVE THANKS TO YOU with all my heart, in front of the gods I sing psalms to you; 2 I bow down toward the temple of your holiness and I GIVE THANKS to your name, for your faithfulness and your loyalty, because you have made great above all your name your word. 3 On the day I called, you answered me, you awakened strength in my soul. 4 THEY GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O Yhwh, all the kings of the earth, because they have heard the words of your mouth; 5 and they celebrate the ways of Yhwh, because great is the glory of Yhwh! 6 because Yhwh is exalted and he sees the lowly and the proud he knows from far away. 7 If I walk in the midst of anguish, you will give me life to the fury of my enemies; you will send your HAND and will save me with your RIGHT HAND. 8 Yhwh will go to the end for me; Yhwh, your faithfulness forever. The works of your HANDS do not abandon. Ps 139 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O Yhwh, you examine me and you know; 2 it is you, you know my laying down and my rising up. You understand my thought from afar. 3 You sense my walking and my resting, and you are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Because there is not yet a word on my tongue, behold, O Yhwh, you know it all; 5 you hem me in, behind and before, and you have laid your PALM upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, incomprehensible, I am not able for it. 7 Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your face? 8 If I ascend the heavens, there you are, and I stretch out in Sheol, behold you. 9 Let me take the wings of the dawn, and let me dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, 10 even there your HAND leads me and your RIGHT HAND holds me.11 And I said, “Oh, let the darkness cover me!” but the night becomes light around me. 12 Even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night shines as the day. Like the darkness so the light! 13 Because it was you, you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb; 14 I GIVE YOU THANKS because terribly, I am wonderfully made, wonderful are your works, and my soul knows them well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you, when I was fashioned in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 My embryo, your eyes saw it—and in your book all of them are written, the days that were fixed—and to him one of them. 17 And to me, how difficult are your thoughts, O El, how immense are their substances! 18 I count them, they are more than sand; I come to an end, and I am still with you. 19 If you would slay, O Eloah, the wicked! men of blood would turn aside from me! 20 They who speak of you with intrigue, your adversaries take you for nothing. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Yhwh, and abhor those who oppose you? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred, they have become my enemies. 23 Examine me, O El, and know my heart, test me and know my concerns; 24 and see if there is a way of affliction for me and lead me in the way of eternity.

II. KEEP ME FROM THE VENOM OF THE VIPER The Second Sequence: Ps 140 PSALM 140 TEXT 1 For

the music director, a psalm, of David. 2 Liberate me, O Yhwh, from evil man, from violent man defend me, 3 who meditate evil things in the heart; all the day they foment wars, 4 they sharpen their tongue like a serpent, the venom of viper under their lips. Selâ 5 Keep me, O Yhwh, from the hands of the wicked, from violent man defend me, who meditate to overthrow my steps; 6 the arrogant ones hide a trap for me, and with cords they spread a net, by the side of the way they set snares for me. Selâ 7 I said to Yhwh: “You are My God! Give ear, O Yhwh, to the voice of my supplications. 8 O Yhwh Adonai, strength of my salvation, you cover my head in the day of battle. 9 Do not grant, O Yhwh, the desires of the wicked, his design is not fulfilled, (lest) they exalt themselves. Selâ 10 The head of those who surround me, it covers the pain of their lips. 11 Let descend on them coals of fire, and let him cast them into the abyss, and no more to rise. 12 Do not let a man of tongue be established in the earth, let evil chase the violent man with double blows!” 13 I know that Yhwh will make the cause of the afflicted, the judgment of the poor. 14 Yes, the righteous shall give thanks to your name, the saints shall dwell before your face.

3: “THEY FOMENT WARS” According to the MT, the verb, from the root gwr II, means “to stir up”, “to activate”. The majority, following 11QPsa, read yegārû, from the root grh, “to provoke”, “to foment”. 6B: “AND WITH CORDS THEY SPREAD A NET” It seems that we should avoid corrections and follow the MT, considering that the verb has a double complement, “cords” and “net”.1 8B: “YOU COVER MY HEAD” The complete form of sakkōta can be understood in various ways: as a past tense, as a habitual present tense, and even as a precative perfect, that is, as a request. The latter would be supported by the context, since the whole of the part is a supplication. In order to respect the difference between this verb and the form of the other verbs in the part, it has been rendered as the present tense.

1

Like in Song 3:10; see Joüon, 125v.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

9A: “DO NOT GRANT […] THE DESIRES OF THE WICKED” Literally, “do not give”, that means “do not allow the desires of the wicked (to be fulfilled)”. 9B: “HIS DESIGN IS NOT FULFILLED, (LEST) THEY EXALT THEMSELVES” This member has always been problematic.2 While 9b begins with the singular “his design”, at the end the verb is in the plural, yarûmû, “they exalt themselves”. One can understand it as: “least they exalt themselves”, the subject is the collective “the wicked”, or even the only antecedent plural noun, “the desires”. 10: “THE HEAD OF THOSE WHO SURROUND ME, IT COVERS THE PAIN OF THEIR LIPS” A literal translation makes sense, even if the construction of the sentence seems somewhat chaotic: the object complement of the final verb (in the singular according to the qeré) is found at the beginning of the segment. This reading is confirmed by the opposition between this segment and 8b: “You cover my head in the day of battle”. 11: “LET DESCEND ON THEM...” Following the qeré, the niphal of mwṭ means “to descend”, “to fall”. The division of the verse is problematic: the MT places the atnah after “coals” and makes “of fire” a complement of the verb “let him cast them”. It seems that the parallelism of the two members recommends cutting after “fire”, so that both members begin with verbs of a similar meaning, “let them fall”, “let him bring them down”. COMPOSITION Commentators differ on the composition of the psalm. For some, two parts of complaint (2–6 & 9–12) are followed by two shorter parts where the psalmist expresses his trust in God (7–8 & 13–14).3 It is true that 7 and 13 begin with a verb in the first person singular, translated as “I said” and “I know”. However, the words introduced by “I said to Yhwh” extend to the end of 12 and form of a single supplication. After this, the last two verses deal not with the enemies but with their victims, “the afflicted” and “the

2

See Ravasi III, 839–840. See, for example, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 799–800; Girard, III, 456–462, followed by Vesco, 1306. 3

Psalm 140

561

poor”, “the righteous” and “the saints”, who will praise God (14) for the salvation he has given them (13). The psalm is organised into three parts: two parts of equal length, each containing six bimembers (2–6 & 7–12), followed by a shorter conclusion where the psalmist expresses his trust in God. The three selâ (“pause”) in the MT at the end of 4, 6, and 9 confirm this organization in part.4 THE FIRST PART (2–6) + 2 LIBERATE ME, = FROM THE MAN * 3 WHO

O YHWH, OF VIOLENCE MEDITATE

from the man DEFEND ME, evil things

– all the day :: 4 they sharpen :: the venom

they foment their tongue of viper

wars, like under

of evil, in the heart; a serpent, their lips.

Selâ

······························································································································

+ 5 KEEP ME, = FROM THE MAN * WHO 6

– they hide, :: and with cords :: by the side

O YHWH,

from the hands

of the wicked,

OF VIOLENCE MEDITATE

DEFEND ME, to overthrow

my steps;

the arrogant one, they spread of the way

a trap for me, a net, snares

they set for me. Selâ

In the first segment, the plural “evil things” (3a) refers to the “evil” in singular (2a); in the second segment, “their tongue” and “their lips” belong to the same semantic field (4a & 4b); in the third segment, “hands” and “steps” are complementary (5a & 5c); in the fourth segment, the extreme members end with the same “for me” (6a & 6c). The first segments of each piece (2–3a & 5abc) have much in common: an imperative followed by the same vocative in the first members, identical second members, third members beginning in the same way. The first piece ends with the image of “serpent”, “viper” and their “venom” (4), the second piece with that of “trap”, “net” and “snare” (6); in both instances they are instruments of death. The first piece seems to indicate the intentions of the “heart” (3a), while the second would be acting on “the hands” (5a) and all the traps are set for the psalmist’s “steps” (5c).

4

551.

The present composition is similar to that of Ravasi, III, 835 and of Hossfeld – Zenger, III,

562

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE SECOND PART (7–12) :: 7 I said :: GIVE EAR,

to YHWH: O YHWH,

“MY GOD, to the voice

you are! of my supplications.

+ 8 O YHWH + you cover

ADONAI, MY HEAD

strength in the day

of my salvation, of battle.

– 9 DO NOT GRANT, – his design

O YHWH, IS NOT FULFILLED,

the desires of the wicked, (lest) they exalt themselves.

Selâ

··························································································································

+ 10 THE HEAD + the pain

of those who surround me, of their lips IT COVERS.

– 11 LET DESCEND – LET HIM CAST THEM

on them into the abyss

the coals AND NO MORE TO RISE.

– 12 A man of tongue – the man of violence,

LET NOT BE ESTABLISHED let evil

in the earth, CHASE HIM

of fire,

with double blows!”

While the composition of the first part is regular, the parallelism of its two pieces is evident, that of the second part is far from being obvious. The division into two pieces indicated by Selâ is acceptable. The first piece is marked by the large number of names of God: “Yhwh” (7a, 7b, 8a, 9a), “my God” (’ēlî, 7a), “Adonai” (8a), which are totally absent in the second piece. In the extreme segments of the second piece, “tongue” (12a) corresponds to “lips” (10b). The two pieces have in common the verbs in the imperative or jussive form. In addition, verses 8 and 10 contrast “the head” of the psalmist, which the Lord protects, with the head of his enemies, upon which the curse is invoked. THE THIRD PART (13–14) + 13 I know . the cause . the judgment

that he will make, of the afflicted, of the poor.

YHWH,

+ 14 Yes, the righteous + shall dwell

shall give thanks the saints

to your name, before your face.

The promise of thanksgiving (14) follows from God’s action, “cause” and “judgment” in favour of the victims. It should be pointed out that the singular “the afflicted” is extended to the plural for the next three terms, “the poor”, “the righteous” and “the saints”.

Psalm 140

563

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

For the music director,

a psalm,

of David.

2

O YHWH,

from the man DEFEND ME,

OF EVIL,

OF VIOLENCE

meditate

EVIL THINGS

in the heart;

they foment

wars, like under

THEIR LIPS.

LIBERATE ME, from THE MAN 3 who all the day 4 they sharpen the venom 5

THEIR TONGUE

of viper

a serpent, Selâ

·····························································································································

KEEP ME, from THE MAN who

O YHWH, meditate

from the hands DEFEND ME, to overthrow

they hide, and with cords by the side

the arrogant ones, they spread of the way

a trap for me, a net, snares

they set for me.

7 I said GIVE EAR,

to YHWH: O YHWH,

“MY GOD, to the voice

you are! of my supplications.

8

O YHWH you cover

ADONAI, my head

strength in the day

of my salvation, of battle.

9 DO NOT GRANT, his design

O YHWH, IS NOT FULFILLED,

the desires of THE WICKED, (lest) they exalt themselves.

6

OF VIOLENCE

of THE WICKED, my steps;

Selâ

Selâ

·····························································································································

10

The head the pain

of those who surround me, of THEIR LIPS IT COVERS.

11

LET DESCEND LET HIM CAST THEM

on them into the abyss

the coals AND NO MORE TO RISE.

12

LET NOT BE ESTABLISHED let EVIL

in the earth, CHASE HIM

that he will make, of the afflicted, of the poor.

YHWH,

shall give thanks the saints

to your name, before your face.

A man OF TONGUE

THE MAN OF VIOLENCE, 13

I know the cause the judgment

14 Yes, the righteous shall dwell

of fire,

with double blows!”

In the first part the names of God appear in the same position at the beginning of each piece (2a & 5a); in the second part, they appear frequently in the first piece (six times) and no longer in the second piece. “Yhwh” is used only once at the beginning of the last part (13a). There is a close relationship between the first two parts. – The volitive, imperative and jussive verbs mark the first two parts, in a regular fashion at the extremities of the first segments of the first part (2ab & 5ab),

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

irregularly but much more intensively in the second part (7b, 9a, 9b, 10b, 11[3x], 12a, 12b, nine times in total). – The word “evil” forms an inclusion (2a, repeated in the plural in 3a; 12b); likewise, “man of violence” (2b, repeated in 5b; 12b), to which must be added “man of evil” (2a) and “man of tonguage” (12a). – “All the day [...] wars” corresponds to “in the day of battle” (in the second segments, 3b & 8b). – The couple “tongue” and “lips” at the end of the first piece in the first part (4) is found in a reverse order at the extremities of the second piece of the second part (10b & 12a). – “The wicked” at the beginning of the second piece of the first part (5a) appears again at the end of the first piece of the second part (9a). The second part is the one that concentrates most of the problems, including four (9a, ma’ăwayyê “desires’; 9b, zemāmô, “his design”; 11b, mahămōrôt, “the abyss”; 12b, madḥēpōt, “double blows”); its expressions are clumsy to the point of being difficult to understand in more than one place. CONTEXT TRAP AND POISON The central section of Amos is framed by two short sequences that correspond to each other.5 The first one (Amos 3:1–8) focuses on “a trap” (paḥ) and “a snare” (mōqēš): “Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground, when there is no snare for it?” (Amos 3:5), both terms are found in parallel also in Ps 140:6a & 6c. The last sequence (Amos 6:8–14) focuses on a double question which is answered by the following verse: “Yes, you have turned judgment into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood” (Amos 6:12). The term translated as “poison” (rō’š) also means “venom” as in Deut 32:33, “Their wine is the venom of serpents, and cruel poison of vipers”.6 “Venom” and “trap” are in a symmetrical position in Ps 140:4 and 140:6. The trap and the serpent have in common not only that they bring death, but also that they hide themselves, which is the condition of their effectiveness: those who have discovered them avoid them. PS 64 Psalm 140 and Psalm 64 have several elements in common. – The first member of Ps 64, “Hear, O God, my voice in my complaint” is very similar to Ps 140:7b.

5 6

P. BOVATI – R. MEYNET, Le livre du prophète Amos, 102–112, 213–224. “Venom” as in Ps 140:4b, “poison” as in Amos 6:12.

Psalm 140

565

– Like in Ps 140:4, the wicked in Ps 64:4 “sharpen their tongue like a sword” (see also 64:9a). – Like in Ps 140:6, “they calculate to conceal traps” (Ps 64:6). – Like Ps 140:14, Ps 64 ends with the joy and praise of “the righteous” and “all the upright of heart” (Ps 64:11). THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS Verse 4 of the psalm is found in a long mosaic of quotations in Romans 3:13, “With their tongues they plot deceit, a venom of asps is under their lips”. Paul piles up the scriptural evidence to support his affirmation that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are sinners. In Romans 12:20, Paul quotes Prov 25:21–22, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap coals of fire on his head.” This quotation recalls Ps 140:10–11. THE LETTER OF JAMES In James 3:1–8, the tongue is portrayed as capable of the best and the worst: like the rudder, it can steer the whole ship; like fire, it can set “the cycle of life on fire”. The passage ends with “No one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (Jas 3:8). The story of the fall attributes the evil that befell humans to the serpent and its lying word.7 PS 9–10 From one alphabetical acrostic poem the MT makes two psalms (Ps 9–10), whereas the Septuagint considers it one single psalm (Ps 9). In fact, the alphabetical pattern, evident throughout Ps 9 MT (Ps 9:1–21: from aleph to kaph), is suddenly lost from the beginning of Ps 10 MT (Ps 10:1–11), only to reappear in a completely regular fashion from qoph to tav (Ps 10:12–18). It turns out that the first eleven verses of Ps 10 are not only marked by the loss of the alphabetical patter, but also by the fact that the text is tormented to the point of being almost incomprehensible. This should not be interpreted as an incident, as a poor textual transmission, but as a manifestation of a crisis in which the psalmist is immersed when he describes the misfortune that has befallen him. He only emerges abruptly when he turns to the Lord and says: “Rise up, O Lord! God, lift up your hand; do not forget the humiliated” (Ps 10:12).8 In the same way, the second part of Ps 140, where the psalmist recalls his first supplication to the Lord (140:7–12), is tormented, accumulating problems, testifying to a deep crisis from which he has now emerged, still making supplication, but in a more peaceful fashion. 7 8

See T. KOT, La Lettre de Jacques. La foi, chemin de la vie, 121–130. See R. MEYNET, Les huit psaumes acrostiches alphabétiques, “Le psaume 9–10”, 21–49.

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INTERPRETATION AN ENEMY THAT HIDES ITSELF Those against whom the psalmist calls for the Lord’s help are not the enemies who face each other in the light of battle, the soldiers of a clearly identified country. They are people who hide, who meditate in their hearts their venomous plans, like those of a viper that can only bite if it remains hidden. They are hunters whose traps only work if they are not discovered. The violence of these enemies is all the more formidable and terrifying because their victims cannot know where and when they will strike. They are condemned to a panic that leaves them no respite and no hope. There is nothing to be done in the face of an enemy that cannot be seen or heard, but which is known and felt to be on the lookout, ready to strike in a sneaky fashion. A HAUNTING MEMORY OF PRAYER The psalmist’s supplication to the Lord is certainly a cry for help, for the threat of venom and trap is still very much with us, death still prowling around, seeking whom to strike. However, it is incomparably calmer and, so to speak, more serene than the one that has never ceased to haunt the psalmist’s memory and that he cannot stop reminding the Lord. As if it were a fashion to acknowledge that he has already been half-heard. If he is still in danger, and in danger of death, he has already overcome the panic that suffocated him and blurred the words of his prayer. Such an inner change is already a first expression of thanksgiving for the path taken. FREE FROM LONELINESS All the supplication, both today and yesterday, are in the first person singular. The other people present in the psalmist’s long speech are only his enemies. Surrounded by them, he is desperately alone, without a brother, without a friend on whose help he could rely. In any case, even if he has any, he does not say a word. On the other hand, when supplication finally gives way to confession of faith and the prospect of thanksgiving, “the afflicted” finds fellow sufferers, for whom, as for him, the Lord will have carried out “the cause” and “the judgment”. From now on, he is no longer alone, and with all the righteous and all the saints freed from evil and violence, all of them will be able to give thanks to their Saviour, in the Temple, before his face.

III. PRAISE BEYOND DEATH The Third Sequence: Ps 141–145

The third sequence comprises three subsequences. While the extreme subsequences are formed of two psalms, the central subsequence consists of only one psalm.

O LORD, DELIVER ME O LORD,

I PRAY TO YOU AND I IMPLORE YOU FROM DEATH I BLESS YOU

Ps 141–142 Ps 143

AND I PRAISE YOU

Ps 144–145

A. O LORD, I PRAY TO YOU AND I IMPLORE YOU (PS 141–142) 1. PSALM 141 TEXT 1A

psalm, of David. O Yhwh, I call you, hasten to me, give ear to my voice when I call to you; my prayer be established, incense before your face, lifting up of my palms, evening offering! 3 Set, O Yhwh, a guard for my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of 5 Let the righteous strike me (that is) iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! faithfulness and let him correct me, (that is) an oil of head, and do not let my head refuse, because my prayer (is) still among their wickedness. 6 They are cast down into the hands of the Rock, their judges, and they have heard my sayings because they were delicious: 7 “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” 8 Yes, toward you, O Yhwh Adonai, my eyes, in you I take refuge, do not strip my soul. 9 Keep me from the hands of the trap that they set for me and from the snares of doers of iniquity; 10 let the wicked together fall into their nets, as for me, till I pass over. 2 let

While the extremities (1–4 and 8–10) do not pose a problem, verses 5–7 pose very big problems1 that everyone tries to solve as best he or she can,2 often resorting to multiple corrections. Weiser writes: “In view of the corruption of the text in the middle of the psalm, which cannot be eliminated, the relationship between the first and second parts of the psalm can no longer be clearly discerned,” and he gives up translating the corrupted part.3 The Masoretic text will be followed closely. By placing each element in its context at the various levels of its composition, the rhetorical analysis should shed some light on it. 5: “LET THE RIGHTEOUS STRIKE ME (THAT IS) FAITHFULNESS AND LET HIM CORRECT ME...” The clause “let the righteous strike me” is the subject, “faithfulness” is the predicate; at the end of the member “and let him correct me” is coordinated with the first verb. At the beginning of the second member “an oil of head” (meaning a first choice perfume) is a second predicate, in apposition to “faithfulness”, the last two terms introduce a relative clause, “do not let my head refuse (it)”. The third member is a nominal phrase, linked to the previous one by “because”: the psalmist’s prayer continues even in the midst of the wickedness of the wicked, which shows that he accepts the correction. Many divide it differently: “Let the righteous strike me (that is) faithfulness, and let him correct me (that is) an oil of 1

See, e.g., Ravasi who quotes several translations (III, 850–851). See the essay by T. BOOIJ, “Psalm 141”. 3 Weiser, 811; see also, among others, Beaucamp, II, 286. 2

570

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

head...”4 It was preferable to follow the division of the Masoretic text. Some think that “the righteous” is a name of God.5 This interpretation could be supported by the fact that “the Rock” in the following verse is considered as such. 6A: “THEY ARE DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF THE ROCK, THEIR JUDGES” The subject, “their judges” (in the sense of “their leaders”), is dropped at the end. “The Rock” is interpreted as a divine name (e.g., Isa 17:10; 26:4; 30:29; 51:1; Ps 18:3; 31:4; 42:10, etc.). 6B: “AND THEY HAVE HEARD TO MY SAYINGS BECAUSE THEY WERE DELIGHTFUL” The psalmist’s “sayings” are those recorded in the subsequent segment: “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” These words of the Israelites were evidently “delightful” to the ears of their enemies. 7: “AS ONE WHO PLOUGHS AND BREAKS UP THE EARTH, OUR BONES ARE SCATTERED AT THE MOUTH OF SHEOL”. The second member is without problems, if one understands that “the mouth” is the entrance to Sheol, the place where the dead reside. At first sight the comparison of the first member is less clear. However, whoever ploughs the earth turns it into clods which must then be broken up. Thus, for the scattered bones. COMPOSITION The proposed outlines are quite different from each other. Lorenzin follows Kraus who divides the text into four parts (1–2, 3–5, 6–7, 8–10).6 Some distinguish two parts after an introduction (1–2), but their boundaries do not match.7 For others, they are three parts with a different division.8 Ravasi discerns a rigorous parallel composition into two parts (1–7 and 8–10) entitled “The great supplication” and “The mini-supplication”, subdivided into the “introductory appeal” and the “body of the supplication”, the body is subdivided into two stanzas in the case of the former part, and two phrases in the case of the latter part.9 As for Girard, he discerns a chiastic composition: 1–4c / 4d–5 // 6 / 7–10.10 4

E.g., Lorenzin, 511; Vesco, 1312. See Dahood, III, 311; Manatti (IV, 242) is of the opinion that “the righteous is most likely God, as reflected on hessed” (faithfulness). See also Ravasi, III, 851. 6 Kraus, II, 526–527; Lorenzin, 523. 7 For Dahood (III, 309): 1 then 2–5 and 6–10; for Hakham (II, 435): 1–2 then 3–7, 8–10. 8 Hossfeld – Zenger (III, 558): 1–4, 5–7, 8–10; T. BOOIJ, “Psalm 141”: 1–2, 3–6, 7–10. 9 Ravasi, III, 855. 5

Psalm 141

571

After the title, the psalm comprises three parts. The central part, which comprises the only trimember segment of the text, is very short (5). The two parts that surround it are more extensive: each has five bimember segments, which are arranged in a concentric fashion. THE FIRST PART (1B–4) + 1b O YHWH, + give ear

I call you, TO MY VOCE

hasten when I call

to me, to you;

+ 2 let be established + lifting up

my prayer, MY PALMS,

incense offering

before your face, of the evening!

······················································································································· :: 3 Set, O YHWH, a guard FOR MY MOUTH, OF MY LIPS. :: keep watch over the door ·······················································································································

– 4 Do not incline .. to practice .. with men,

deeds the doers

to a word, of wickedness, of iniquity;

– and do not

let me eat

of their delicacies!

MY HEART

an evil one,

The first segment (1bc) is constructed in a mirror image: at the extremities the psalmist’s “call”, in contiguity, the two imperatives of his request. The two members of the second segment are parallel: the vocal prayer and the raising of the palms are compared to the incense and the evening offering. The two core manifestations of prayer, “my voice” and “my palms”, are found in the same position. The last piece (4) coordinates two phrases, a complex phrase the size of a trimember segment and the simple phrase of the final unimember segment. In the first piece (1b–2) the psalmist asks that his relationship to Yhwh be established and heard through prayer; in the last piece (4) he pleads with the Lord not to let him enter into a relationship with “the doers of iniquity” to do evil. At the centre (3), he pleads that his words be kept by the Lord. In this way, the central piece provides the transition between the other two pieces: What comes out of his “mouth” and “lips” concerns both the words of his “prayer” to God (2a) and the “word”11 (4a) that he might exchange with people, especially the “doers of iniquity”. In a symmetrical position, “lifting up” (2b) matches “do not incline” (4a).

10

Girard, III 468; followed as usual by Vesco, 1312. The term dābār is ambiguous, and can be translated as a “word”, but also as a “thing”. The link with the immediately preceding central piece led to the former solution. 11

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE SECOND PART (5) + 5 LET STRIKE ME + (that is) an oil = because still (is)

the righteous (that is) faithfulness and LET HIM CORRECT ME, of head and do not let refuse my head, my prayer among their wickedness.

The trimember segment is a single phrase. In the first member, the two coordinated verbs are qualified as “faithfulness”. The second member is another way of describing the action of the righteous, compared to a precious perfume that cannot be refused. In the third member, the psalmist gives evidence of his acceptance of correction: although he is surrounded by the “wickedness” of his enemies, he does not cease to pray to his Lord. THE THIRD PART (6–10) = 6 THEY ARE CAST DOWN = and they have heard – 7 “As – are scattered

my sayings

of THE ROCK, their judges, because they were delicious:

one who ploughs

and breaks up

INTO THE HANDS

the earth,

OUR BONES at the mouth of Sheol.” ··················································································································· + 8 Yes, toward you, O YHWH ADONAI, MY EYES,

MY SOUL. I take refuge, do not strip ··················································································································· 9 Keep me FROM THE HANDS of the trap that they set

+ in you

– – and from the snares

of doers

of iniquity;

= 10 LET THEM FALL = as for me,

into their nets, till

the wicked I pass over.

for me,

together,

In the last piece (9–10) the two segments are complementary: the psalmist first asks to be preserved from the traps12 of his enemies, and that they be the ones to fall into them. The first piece (6–7), which is so hard to understand, should be clarified in relation to the rest of the part, and in particular to the last piece, of which it is symmetric. First, the synonyms “to be delivered” and “to fall” are found in the initial terms of the extreme segments (6a & 10a). The two occurrences of “the hands” also serve as initial terms for the extreme pieces (6a & 9a); “the hands of the Rock” are thus related to “the hands of the trap”. The leaders of the enemies, “their judges”, who found their delight (6b) in the complaint of those they crushed (7), now find themselves, “in the hands of the Rock” (6a) in the position of their victims. The same reversal is expressed in the extreme pieces. 12

“Trap”, “snares” and “nets” belong to the same semantic field.

Psalm 141

573

At the centre (8), the psalmist reiterates his trust in God to whom he entrusts his “eyes” and his “soul”. The double divine name refers to “the Rock” at the beginning of the part (6a). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A psalm,

+ O YHWH, + give ear + 2 let be established + lifting up

of David. TO MY VOICE

I call you,

hasten when I call

to me, to you;

MY PRAYER,

incense

before your face,

OF MY PALMS, offering of the evening! ························································································································ :: 3 Set, O YHWH, A KEEPER FOR MY MOUTH,

– – –

:: keep watch over the door OF MY LIPS. ························································································································ 4 Do not incline MY HEART to a word, an EVIL ONE, to practice deeds OF WICKEDNESS, with men, THE DOERS OF INIQUITY;

– and do not : 5 let strike me : (that is) an oil : because still (is)

let me eat

OF THEIR DELICACIES!

the righteous

(that is) faithfulness, let him correct me, and do not let refuse MY HEAD, among their WICKEDNESS.

OF HEAD

MY PRAYER

= 6 They are cast down INTO THE HANDS = and they have heard my sayings

of THE ROCK,

= 7 “As = are scattered

and breaks up

one who ploughs

their judges,

BECAUSE THEY WERE DELICIOUS:

the earth,

OUR BONES at the mouth of Sheol.” ························································································································ :: 8 Yes, toward you, O YHWH ADONAI, MY EYES,

– –

:: in you I take refuge, do not strip MY SOUL. ························································································································ 9 KEEP ME FROM THE HANDS of the trap that they set for me, and from the snares OF DOERS OF INIQUITY;

= 10 let them fall = as for me,

into their nets, till

THE WICKED

together,

I pass over.

Relationships between the extreme parts – The divine names are found in symmetrical positions: in the first members, “Yhwh” and “the Rock” (1b & 6a), and at the beginning of the central pieces “Yhwh” and “Yhwh Adonai” (3a & 8a);

574 1

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

A psalm,

of David.

+ O YHWH, + give ear

I call you,

2

+ let be established + lifting up

TO MY VOICE

hasten when I call

to me, to you;

MY PRAYER,

incense

before your face,

OF MY PALMS, offering of the evening! ························································································································ :: 3 Set, O YHWH, A KEEPER FOR MY MOUTH,

– – –

:: keep watch over the door OF MY LIPS. ························································································································ 4 Do not incline MY HEART to a word, an EVIL ONE, to practice deeds OF WICKEDNESS, with men, THE DOERS OF INIQUITY;

– and do not : 5 let strike me : (that is) an oil : because still (is)

let me eat

OF THEIR DELICACIES!

the righteous

(that is) faithfulness, let him correct me, and do not let refuse MY HEAD, among their WICKEDNESS.

OF HEAD

MY PRAYER

= 6 They are cast down INTO THE HANDS = and they have heard my sayings

of THE ROCK,

= 7 “As = are scattered

and breaks up

one who ploughs

their judges,

BECAUSE THEY WERE DELICIOUS:

the earth,

OUR BONES at the mouth of Sheol.” ························································································································ :: 8 Yes, toward you, O YHWH ADONAI, MY EYES,

– –

:: in you I take refuge, do not strip MY SOUL. ························································································································ 9 KEEP ME FROM THE HANDS of the trap that they set for me, and from the snares OF DOERS OF INIQUITY;

= 10 let them fall = as for me,

into their nets, till

THE WICKED

together,

I pass over.

– The central pieces (3 & 8) correspond to each other. In addition to the repetition of the divine names, their two members end with parts of the body: “mouth” and “lips”, “eyes” and “soul” (or “throat”, “breath”); – In the last pieces (4 & 9–10) we find the “doers of iniquity” (4c & 9b) accompanied by “wickedness” (4b) and “the wicked” (10a); – “Their delicacies” and “they were delicious” (4d & 6b) have the function of median terms at a distance; – The term “my palms” (2b) is echoed by the two occurrences of the synonym “hands” (6a & 9a); – The word “a keeper” at the centre of the first part (3a) is taken up by a verbal form, “keep me”, at the beginning of the last piece in the last part (9a);

Psalm 141

575

– “To be cast down” and “to fall” at the extremities of the last part (6a & 10a) are opposed to “lifting up” of the first part (2b), that of the incense and the smoke of the burnt offering rising towards God, lifting up is opposed to “to incline” (4a). While in the first part the psalmist prays to be preserved from doing evil with the wicked, in the last part he prays not to be punished with them. Relationships between the central part and the other two – The two occurrences of “head” at the centre of the central passage enter the long list of body parts: “my palms” (2b), “my mouth” and “my lips” (3), “my heart” (4a), “hands” (6a), “our bones” (7b), “my eyes” and “my soul” (8), and again “hands” (9a), to which can be added “my voice” (1c), making a total of twelve. – “My prayer” occurs in 2a and 5c; – “Evil” of 4a is taken up by “wickedness” in 5c. The central part stands out from the other two, as it features “the righteous” (5a) who is opposed to “the wicked” in the other two parts. CONTEXT INCENSE AND THE EVENING OBLATION In the morning and evening, incense and the oblation that accompanied the burnt offering of a lamb were offered in the temple (Exod 30:1–9; Num 28:3–8; for the incense offering see also Luke 1:8–9). THE SAGE’S CORRECTION The wise man is the one who knows how to accept the correction of the righteous: “Rebuke the wise and he will love you” (Prov 9:8; see also Prov 27:6). Correction is a very precious thing: “A golden ring, an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise rebuke to the attentive ear” (Prov 25:12). Like the finest perfume (Ps 141:5b), “oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel” (Prov 27:9). INTERPRETATION THE DELICACIES OF THE WICKED The wicked are ready to do anything to corrupt and bring down the psalmist, as if they could not bear the presence of the righteous, who must pray to the Lord for strength to refuse to eat “the delicacies” offered to him, in which he recognises the bait of a trap (Ps 141:4). Just as the psalmist prefers the blows of

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

the righteous and his correction to their gifts, which he appreciates as a perfume of great price (141:5), so the doers of iniquity will find their delicacies in the words of the faithful whom they have reduced to the last extremity (141:6–7). In this way, their gifts are revealed for what they really are, poisoned food that leads to death. Unable to rejoice at having caused the righteous to fall into the trap of evil, they become drunk with the evil they inflict on him and with their despair. RISE AND FALL The psalmist’s prayer rises to Yhwh like the smoke of incense, burnt offering and oblation (141:1–2); his “eyes” are turned towards him and he “takes refuge” under his protection (141:8). On the contrary, “the doers of iniquity” do everything to “incline” him downwards so that he shares their “deeds of wickedness” with them (141:4). They had succeeded in breaking the Lord’s faithful as clods of ploughing and scattering their bones at the gates of hell (141:7). But “the Rock” was watching and the wicked are cast into his hands (141:6); they “fall” into the hands of their own trap, while the psalmist passes on (141:9–10). THE POWER OF PRAYER It is in prayer that the psalmist finds his refuge and the strength to get through the trial. From the beginning to the end, he never stops praying to his Lord. It is on the Rock that he relies unfailingly. Faced with the temptation of evil, he continues to beg God not to incline his heart to it (141:4). When he is struck down and corrected by the righteous, his prayer continues even in the midst of the wickedness of his enemies (141:5). Broken and at the gates of Sheol, he does not take his eyes off the Lord his God (141:8). And to the end he will call for help to avoid falling into the traps set for him. And the psalm ends with the image of the saved psalmist passing on his way.

2. PSALM 142 TEXT 1A

poem, of David, when he was in the cave, a prayer. 2 (With) my voice to Yhwh, I cry out, (with) my voice to Yhwh, I implore. 3 I pour out my complaint before him, I declare my anguish before him. 4 When my breath faints within me, and it is you who know my way; in this path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 5 Look on the right hand and see, and there is no one for me who recognizes (me). Shelter disappeared from me, there is no one who cares for my soul. 6 I cried out to you, O Yhwh, I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living! 7 Be attentive to my cry, because I am greatly debased. Deliver me from my persecutors, because they are stronger than I! 8 Bring my soul out from prison, that I may give thanks to your name; the righteous shall make a circled around me, because you will do good to me.

Unlike the preceding psalm, Ps 142 presents no particular textual problem. COMPOSITION The layouts proposed are quite different. Girard, taking into account only the repetitions, organizes the psalm into two parallel parts (2–5 & 6–8), each one divided into three;1 for Hakham, after the introduction (2–3), the body of the text is divided into two parts: 4–5 & 6–8. Kraus and Hossfeld – Zenger see three parts, but their divisions are not the same.2 For Ravasi the text also consists of three parts, but they are organised in a concentric fashion: an introductory invocation (2–4a), the central supplication (4b–8a) and the concluding thanksgiving (8bcd).3 After the title, the psalm is organised into two parts (2–5 & 6-8), the beginnings of which are marked by the repetition of “Yhwh”, “to cry out” and “to”. Each of these two parts comprises three pieces arranged in a concentric fashion.

1

Girard, III, 472–473. Kraus, II, 531–533 (1–2, 3–4, 5–7); Hossfeld – Zenger III, 565: 2–5, 6, 7–8. 3 Ravasi, III, 870. 2

578

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE FIRST PART (2–5) + 2 (With) MY VOICE + (with) MY VOICE

to Yhwh, to Yhwh,

I cry out. I implore,

+ 3 I pour out + my anguish

before him before him

my complaint, I declare.

··················································································································

= 4 When faints = and it is you

within me

MY BREATH,

who know

my way;

:: in this path – they have hidden

where I walk a trap

for me.

··················································································································

:: 5 Look – and there is no one for me :: disappeared – there is no one who cares

on the right hand

and see,

shelter

from me,

who recognizes (me); FOR MY SOUL.

In the first piece (2–3) the two segments are synonymous; the first one (2) is constructed in parallel, the second one (3) in a mirror image. At the centres of each member, synonymous terms, “to Yhwh” (2ab) and “before him” (3ab). The second piece (4) explains the reason for the “complaint” (3a), the trap that has been set for the psalmist (4cd), but the complaint is preceded by a confession of faith and trust: when the “breath”—which reminds us of “my voice” (2a & 2b)—runs out, the psalmist is aware that the Lord knows his way, what is his situation. “Way” and “path” link the two segments (4b & 4c). “You know” (4b) and “they have hidden” (4c) oppose each other: indeed, nothing escapes the Lord’s knowledge. The two segments of the last piece are parallel (5ab & 5cd). The second members start with “there is no one”. It is possible to say that “on the right hand” and “shelter” (5a & 5c) correspond to each other, because the right is the usual side from which comes help and protection.4 In the desperate situation in which the psalmist finds himself, he cannot count on anyone to help him. “My voice” (2) and “my soul” (5d, nepeš, lit. “my throat”, “my breath”), which belong to the same semantic field, form inclusion; on the other hand, “my voice” (2) and “my breath” (rûaḥ, 4a) play the role of initial terms for the first two pieces. The synonyms “who know” (4b) and “who recognizes (me)” (5b) are found in symmetrical position at the beginning of the last two pieces.

4

“I place Yhwh before me always, because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Ps 16:8; see also Ps 109:31; 110:5; 121:5).

Psalm 142

579

THE SECOND PART (6–8) + 6 I cried out

to you,

O Yhwh;

+ I said: + my portion

“You are in the land

my refuge, of the living!”

·············································································

– 7 Be attentive :: because I am debased

to my cry, greatly;

– deliver me from my persecutors, :: because they are stronger then I! ············································································· 8

– Bring out + that I may give thanks to

from prison your name;

my soul,

+ around me – because you will do good

shall make a circled to me.

the righteous,

In the first piece (6), the second segment (6bc) quotes the words which in the first segment the psalmist “cried out” to the Lord expressing his trust in him (6a). The second piece (7) states the complaint against the “persecutors” (7c). The first members (7a & 7c), beginning with imperatives, expressing the requests, the second members (7b & 7d), introduced with “because”, state the reason. The two segments of the last piece are constructed in a mirror image (8ab & 8cd): At the extremities (8a & 8d) the good that the Lord will do and between them its double consequence, the praise on the part of the psalmist (8b) with whom “the righteous” form a circled (8c). The first segment of the central piece with “my cry” (7a) refers to the cry of the first piece (6a), while the second segment focuses on “the persecutors” (7c), those who have put the psalmist in “prison”. Thus, the first segment is directed towards the Lord, the second towards the enemies. It is possible to notice a link between “the living” at the end of the first piece (6c) and “the righteous” at the end (8c).

580

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

A poem, when he was

of David, in the cave,

+ 2 With my voice + with my voice

TO YHWH, TO YHWH,

I CRY OUT, I implore;

+ 3 I pour out + my anguish

before him before him

my complaint, I declare.

a prayer.

·················································································································

= 4 When faints = and it is YOU

within me who know

my breath, my way;

:: in this path – they have hidden

where I walk a trap

for me.

·················································································································

:: 5 LOOK – and there is no one for me

on the right hand who recognizes me;

and SEE,

:: disappeared – there is no one who cares

SHELTER

from me,

for MY SOUL.

+ 6 I CRIED OUT

TO

+ I said: + my portion

“YOU are in the land

you,

O YHWH; MY REFUGE,

of the living!

·················································································································

– 7 BE ATTENTIVE :: because I am debased

to my cry, greatly.

– DELIVER ME :: because they are stronger

from my persecutors, than I!

················································································································· 8

– BRING OUT + that I may give thanks

from prison to your name;

MY SOUL,

+ around me :: because you will do good

shall make a circled to me.

the righteous,

At the beginning of the two parts are repeated, “to cry out”, “to” and “Yhwh” (2a & 6a). In median terms, the synonyms shelter and refuge (5c & 6b).5 In final terms, the synonyms, “to care” and “to do good” (5d & 8d). We can also observe the repetition of “you” which has the same referent (4b & 6b), “my soul” in the 5

These are names of places, beginning with mā-, mānôs, and māḥseh.

Psalm 142

581

last pieces (5d & 8a), and also mimmennî, translated as “from me” (5c) and as “than I” (8d). Finally, the two imperatives in the first part (5) correspond to three imperatives in the second part (7a, 7c, 8a). CONTEXT “IN THE CAVE” (PS 142:1) It may be the cave of Adullam where David took refuge after escaping from Achish king of Gath (1 Sam 22), or the cave of Engaddi where David refused to raise his hand against Saul who was pursuing him. The latter story and the psalm share some vocabulary.6 “THE LAND OF THE LIVING” (PS 142:6) The expression simply means life. The opposite is death: “So God will crush you, to the end will destroy you, and will tear you away from the tent, and will uproot you from the land of the living” (Ps 52:7). “You have liberated my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling: I will walk in the face of Yhwh in the lands of the living” (116:8–9). The hunter’s “trap” (142:4d) is set to capture and kill; the “prison” (142:8a) that was closed on the one his enemies were pursuing (142:7c) is very much like this trap. INTERPRETATION PERIL OF DEATH Like David in the cave, the psalmist’s situation is dramatic. The shelter in which he took refuge has closed in on him like a prison and there he is trapped. Those who pursue him are stronger than he is (Ps 142:7cd) and he cannot escape their hands. He can count on no one: all ignore him and not one comes to his aid (142:5). All his acquaintances, those in whom he could have found refuge, through cowardice or fear, turn away from him. Overwhelmed by “anguish”, his breath fails him (142:4a). He is almost cut off “from the land of the living” (142:8c). SAVING FAITH The psalmist does not despair in the depths of his “prison”. Otherwise he would remain silent. If he calls so insistently on the Lord (142:2–3), that means that he is sure to be heard. His situation is known to his God, he is aware of it; and he affirms it even before he utters his complaint (142:4b). When he sums up 6

See Vesco, 1317.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

the content of his prayer, it is a pure cry of confidence: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (142:6). He is so sure of himself, sure of his Lord, that he can already see himself freed from his prison, praising his liberator, surrounded by all “the righteous” who will celebrate with him his return to life (142:8).

3. O LORD, I PRAY TO YOU AND I IMPLORE YOU (PS 141–142) COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SUBSEQUENCE Ps 141 1A

psalm, OF DAVID.

O Yhwh, I call you, hasten to me, give ear to MY VOICE when I call to you; 2 let my PRAYER be established, incense before your face, lifting up of my palms, evening offering! 3 Set, O Yhwh, a guard for my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with MEN, THE DOERS OF INIQUITY; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! 5 Let

the righteous strike me that is faithfulness and let him correct me, that is an oil of head, and do not let my head refuse, because my PRAYER is still among their wickedness. 6 They

are cast down into the hands of the Rock, their judges, and they have heard my sayings because they were delicious: 7 “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” 8 Yes, toward you, O Yhwh Adonai, my eyes, IN YOU I TAKE REFUGE, do not strip MY SOUL. 9 Keep me from the hands of the TRAP that they set for me and from the SNARES of DOERS OF INIQUITY; 10 let THE WICKED together fall into their NETS, whereas I pass over. Ps 142 1A

poem, OF DAVID, when he was in the cave, a PRAYER.

2 With MY VOICE

to Yhwh, I cry out, with MY VOICE to Yhwh, I implore. 3 I pour out my complaint before him, I declare my anguish before him. 4 When my breath faints within me, and it is you who know my way; in this path where I walk they have hidden a TRAP for me. 5 Look on the right hand and see, and there is no one for me who recognizes me. Shelter disappeared from me, there is no one who cares for MY SOUL. 6I

cried out to you, O Yhwh, I said: “YOU ARE MY REFUGE, my portion in the land of the living!” 7 Be attentive to my cry, because I am greatly debased. Deliver me from MY PERSECUTORS, because they are stronger than I! 8 Bring MY SOUL out from PRISON, that I may give thanks to your name; the righteous shall make a circled around me, because you will do good to me.

Both psalms are “of David”. They both begin with a supplication (141:1–2; 142:2–3) where “my voice” occurs three times; the “prayer” of 141:2 is repeated at the centre (141:5), as well as at the end of the title of the next psalm (142:1). The psalmist’s enemies are first called “doers of iniquity” (141:4, 9), “the wicked” (141:10), and “persecutors” (142:7). All of them lay “traps”, “snares” and “nets” (141:9–10; 142:4), which are echoed by “prison” at the end of the second psalm (142:8). The term “the righteous” at the centre of the first psalm (141:5) is found at the end of the second psalm (142:8). “In you I take refuge” (141:8) corresponds to “You are my refuge” (142:6). The term “my soul” of 141:8 is repeated twice in the second psalm (142:5, 8). While the first psalm ends with the liberation of the persecuted psalmist (“whereas I pass over”, 141:10), the second psalm goes further, to praise and, what is more, to the circle of the righteous.

584

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

INTERPRETATION IN THE TEMPLE Wherever David finds himself when he makes his first complaint to the Lord, he formulates it in the terms of the temple liturgy: “incense before your face, lifting up of the palms, evening offering” (141:2). Now his situation does not seem very different from that in which he raises the “voice” of his “prayer” a second time, “when he was in the cave” (142:1). It is as if he intended that his prayer “be established” in the recognised forms of their wickedness (141:5). As if he already had in mind, from the depths of his distress, the prospect of salvation, when he will be able to “give thanks”, in the centre of the “circle” of “the righteous”, in the Temple of the Lord (142:8). PRISON TURNED INTO A REFUGE When he was about to be caught in the “trap” of the doers of iniquity, to be thrown into their “snares”, to be bound in their “nets”, although he was locked up “in the cave”, David did not turn his eyes away from his God, “Yhwh Adonai” (141:8). From the “prison” where his persecutors wanted to lock him up, from the “net” where they intended to capture him, the Lord will “bring him out” and shelter him with his wings. THE REFUGE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS David asks to be protected from the snares of “the wicked”, his “persecutors”, those who attack his freedom and seek his life. These are primarily “men, doers of iniquity” (141:4, 9), and the greatest danger they pose to “the righteous” is that they will lead him to “practice deeds of wickedness” (141:4), following their example. The psalmist asks the Lord to guard him above all against this. He is ready to receive the blows of the righteous who will correct him, like the best of perfumes (141:5), provided that he is never excluded from the “circle” of “the righteous” who will give thanks with him for his liberation (142:8).

B. DELIVER ME FROM DEATH (PS 143) PSALM 143 TEXT 1A

psalm, of David. O Yhwh, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications, in your truth answer me in 2 and do not come into judgment with your servant, because no one living is your righteousness; righteous before you. 3 Yes, the enemy pursues my soul, he crushes my life to the ground; he makes 4 My breath faints within me, my heart within me is me dwell in darkness like the dead forever: desolate. 5 I remember the days of old, I recall all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands: 6 I stretch out my hands to you, 7 Make haste, answer me, my soul like a thirsty land for you. Sela O Yhwh, my breath is worn out; do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear your faithfulness in the morning, because in you I trust. Let me know the way I should go, because to you I lift up my soul; 9 deliver me from my enemies, O Yhwh, in you I take refuge; 10 teach me to do your will, because you (are) my God. Your good breath leads me on level ground. 11 For the sake of your name, O Yhwh, give me life in your righteousness, bring my soul out of anguish, 12 and in your faithfulness annihilate my enemies and destroy all the oppressors of my soul, because I (am) your servant.

9B: “IN YOU I TAKE REFUGE” The piel of kāsāh means “to cover”, “to hide”. The difficulty is that here it has no complement. The Septuagint has translated it as “I have fled”; in this line and according to the context one understands: “I hide myself”, “I take refuge”. COMPOSITION The caesura between 6 and 7 is recognized by the great majority, especially because of the selâ (“pause”) that follows verse 6. Many divide the psalm into two main parts, but the internal divisions within each part vary from one commentator to another: for example, some divide them into two (1–2 & 3–6, then 7–10 & 11–12)1, other into three (1–2, 3–4, 5–6, then 7–8, 8–10, 11–12).2 Others distinguish three parts, with 1–2 as the initial invocation,3 or on the contrary setting aside 11–12 as a conclusion.4 Still others organise the text into four distinct parts.5 Each of the two parts (1–6 & 7–12) is subdivided into three pieces arranged in a concentric fashion.

1

This Ravasi, III, 885; Girard, III, 476–477; Lorenzin (525) distinguishes only two stanzas in the second part, but their boundaries do not correspond to those of Ravasi and of Girard (7–9 & 10–12). 2 Hakham, II, 555. 3 Kraus, II, 535. 4 Mannati, IV, 251. 5 Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 572 (1–2, 3–6, 7–10ab; 10cd–12).

586

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE FIRST PART (1–6) + 1b O YHWH, + give ear + in your truth

hear to my supplications, answer me

2

+ and do not come into judgment + because is not righteous before you

my prayer, in your righteousness; with your servant, any LIVING.

······································································································· – 3 Yes, he pursues, the enemy MY SOUL, – he crushes to the ground my LIFE;

– he makes me dwell – like the dead

in darkness forever:

= 4 and faints = within me

within me is desolate

my breath, my heart.

·······································································································

:: 5 I remember :: I recall :: on the works

the days all of your hands

of old, your deeds, I meditate:

- 6 I stretch out - MY SOUL

my hands like a land

to you, thirsty

for you.

Selâ

In the extreme pieces (1b–2 & 5–6) the psalmist addresses his prayer to “Yhwh”. In the middle piece (3–4) he expresses the danger of death in which he finds himself, which is the reason for his supplication. In the first piece (1b–2) the initial trimember segment is of AAB type. In fact, the two terms of the second member are synonymous with the last two terms of the first member, and the psalmist asks to be heard, while in the third member the expected answer is doubly qualified: to human “prayer” and “supplication” (1bc) correspond God’s “truth” and “righteousness” (1d). The next bimember segment (2) makes the preceding member explicit: “righteousness” can only belong to God and not to the psalmist. In the last piece (5–6), which is entirely in the first person singular, the prayer with hands outstretched to God (6) is motivated by the memory of the past: the psalmist relies again, as in the first piece, on God’s “deeds” and his “works” and not on his own strength, like the earth waiting for rain from on high (6b). The two segments are linked by the repetition of “hands” (5c & 6a) which act as median terms. The central piece is of AAB type: the third segment (4) speaks of the result of the actions of “the enemy” on the psalmist (3). “My soul” (synonymous with “my life”) occurs at the beginning of the second piece and the end of the third one (3a & 6b). “Living” and “life” link the first two pieces (2b & 3b).

Psalm 143

587

THE SECOND PART (7–12) + 7 Make haste, – is worn out

answer me, MY BREATH;

O YHWH,

+ do not hide – or I will be like

your face those who go down

from me to the pit.

+ 8 Let me hear • because in you

in the morning I trust.

YOUR FAITHFULNESS,

·······································································································

+ Let me know :: because to you + 9 deliver me :: to you + 10 teach me • because YOU (are)

the way I lift up

I should go, MY SOUL;

from MY ENEMIES, I refuge;

O YHWH,

to do

your will,

MY GOD. ······································································································· YOUR BREATH, good one, leads me

+ + on the ground 11

+ For the sake of + give me life + bring out

level. your name, in your righteousness, of anguish

– 12 and IN YOUR FAITHFULNESS annihilate – and destroy all the oppressors • because I (am) your servant.

O YHWH, MY SOUL, MY ENEMIES OF MY SOUL,

The first piece (7–8b) is of AAB type: In the first two segments the psalmist asks for God’s help against the threat of death (7b & 7d), whereas in the last member he speaks of God’s “faithfulness” and “trust” (8b). “Morning” (8a) connotes light, revival after the night and darkness of “the pit” (7d). The final piece (10c–12) consists of a bimember segment followed by two trimember segments. In the first two segments (10c–11) the speaker appeals to “Yhwh”, to his “good breath”, “his name”, his “righteousness” in order to obtain liberation from anguish and life; “your breath” and “my soul” (10c & 11c) form an inclusion for these two segments. In the last segment (12), he asks for the death of his “enemies”, precisely those who are after his life. The central piece (8c–10b) is built in a concentric manner. The extreme bimembers begin with synonymous imperatives, “let me know” and “teach me” (8c & 10a); the second members begin with “because” (8d & 10b). For the same reason the psalmist asks to be taught by God to walk according to his will. At the centre (9) are the “enemies” who oppose this will; the second member begins like the second member of the preceding segment.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

“My breath” and “your breath” (7b & 10c) act as initial terms for the extreme pieces, where “your faithfulness” is also repeated (8a & 12a). In the last two pieces “my enemies” are found (9a & 12a) as well as the three occurrences of “my soul” (8d, 11c, 12b). The name “Yhwh” occurs in each piece (7a, 9a, 11a). The final members of the three pieces correspond to each other, especially 10b and 12c, which are complementary. THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM The two occurrences of “answer me” and “Yhwh” in the first segments of each part (1b–1d, 7a) serve as initial terms. The extreme pieces share a certain vocabulary: “your servant” (2a & 12c), “in your righteousness” (1d & 11b; taken up by “is not righteous” in 2b), to which it is possible to add “in your truth” and “in your faithfulness” (1d & 12a), as well as “living” and “give me life” (2b & 11b). These repetitions form an inclusion. However, it is not possible to speak of a parallel or consecutive construction. The lexical recurrences are not sufficient to establish a composition.6 Certainly, the opposing themes of the danger of death and the plea for life structure the two parts, but in different ways. In the first part, the danger of death is stated in the centre (3–4), while the desire for life is expressed on both sides: in the supplication of the first part, which symptomatically ends with the word “living” (2b), and in the third part, where the psalmist, relying on his past experience (5), waits for the gift of life which will be given to him from on high like the rain that makes the thirsty earth green (6). While the first piece of the second part begins with a call for help, especially with the repetition of “answer me” (7a), the psalmist asks to be liberated from death (7b & 7d). In a complementary way, the last piece asks for life (10c–11), and although death is again mentioned in the last segment, it is that of “enemies”, which is the condition for the persecuted to escape the pit himself; thus, it is not the psalmist who “comes to judgment” before God (at the end of the first piece, 2), but his enemies (at the end of the last piece, 12). In the central piece, the “enemies” are mentioned at the centre (9a) and the psalmist finds a safe refuge in the Lord, but the request at the extremities of the piece is a new one: the speaker begs his God for the teaching that will enable him to conduct himself according to his will. In other words, he awaits his “righteousness” from God alone.

6

They have been noted in the rewriting by the usual typographical means.

Psalm 143 1

589

A psalm,

of David.

+ 1b O YHWH, + give ear + IN YOUR TRUTH

hear to my supplications, ANSWER ME,

IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS;

into judgment before you

with YOUR SERVANT, any LIVING.

2

+ and do not come + because IS NOT RIGHTEOUS

my prayer,

···································································································

– 3 Yes, he pursues, – he crushes

THE ENEMY

MY SOUL,

to the ground

MY LIFE;

– he makes me dwell – like the dead

in darkness forever:

= 4 and faints = within me

within me is desolate

MY BREATH, my heart.

···································································································

:: 5 I remember :: I recall :: on the works

the days all of your hands

of old, your deeds, I meditate:

- 6 I stretch out - MY SOUL (is)

my hands like a land

to you, thirsty

+ 7 Make haste, – is worn out

ANSWER ME,

O YHWH,

+ do not hide – or I will be like

your face those who go down

from me, to the pit.

+ 8 Let me hear • because in you

in the morning I trust.

YOUR FAITHFULNESS,

for you.

MY BREATH;

···································································································

+ Let me know :: because to you

the way I lift up

I should go,

+ 9 deliver me :: in you

from MY ENEMIES, I take refuge;

O YHWH,

+ 10 teach me • because YOU (are)

MY GOD.

to do

your will,

MY SOUL;

···································································································

+ YOUR BREATH, + on the ground

good one, level.

leads me

+ 11 For the sake of + GIVE ME LIFE + bring out

your name,

O YHWH,

12

– and IN YOUR FAITHFULNESS – and destroy • because I (am)

IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,

of anguish

MY SOUL,

annihilate all the oppressors YOUR SERVANT.

MY ENEMIES OF MY SOUL,

Selâ

590

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

CONTEXT JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH Paul quotes twice from the last phrase of the first part of the psalm, “because no one living is righteous before you” (Ps 143:2a): “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified before him” (Rom 3:20), “knowing that no man is justified by the works of the law, except through faith in Christ Jesus...” (Gal 2:16).7 DAVID, SERVANT OF YHWH In the Second Book of Samuel, the Lord is the first to call David his “servant”: “... Yhwh has said of David, ‘By the hand of my servant David I shall deliver my people Israel from the clutches of the Philistines and all their enemies’” (2 Sam 3:18; see also 7:5, 8). Then the king presents himself before God as his servant, especially when his covenant with him is sealed (7:19, 20, 21 etc.). “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn to David my servant: I have established your offspring forever and built your throne from age to age” (Ps 89:4–5). The title “servant” is given to a vassal who has made a covenant with his suzerain and is therefore entitled to his protection against his enemies (see Ps 89:21–24). INTERPRETATION CHASED TO DEATH Like David, who was pursued first by his predecessor Saul and then, once he became king, by the son who should have succeeded him, the psalmist is “pursued” by “enemies” who want his life and have decided to send him to the realm of death (Ps 143:3), to bring him down into “the pit” (143:7d). His anguish is such that “breath” goes out of his throat (143:4, 7b). One can indeed die of fear. One does not have to be a king to be threatened with death, nor does one have to face physical death. The person whose existence is denied because no one speaks to him or her, because he or she is abandoned, as if he or she no longer exists for anyone, will find that the psalmist’s words have been chosen for the situation in which he or she finds himself or herself. THE DESIRE TO LIVE In such a situation, faced with such threats of death, on the edge of “the pit” dug for him, one could give up and resign oneself. That is not the attitude of the palmist: he wants to live. As withered as he is, he never stops yearning for the 7

See R.B. HAYS, “Psalm 143 and the logic of Romans 3”.

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rain that will bring him back to life. A few years ago, a recent graffito in square Hebrew under the Arch of Titus in Rome reads: yiśrā’ēl ḥay, “Israel is alive”. The capture and destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 CE, never destroyed the desire to live of the defeated nor of their children from generation to generation. FAITH IN GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS The source of this willingness to live is found in the one whose name is proclaimed in the first word of the psalm. Faith in “Yhwh”, the absolute assurance that he “hears” and “answers”, trust in his “truth” and “righteousness”, is the rock on which the psalmist’s life rests. Apart from his ever-present “enemies” (143:3a, 9a, 12a), there is no one else, no friend on whom he can rely. If he continues to reach out to his Lord, the reason is because of what he has experienced in the past with his works (143:5–6). That means it is not the first time he has been saved. If he cannot rely on anyone, he cannot rely on himself, on his own works of righteousness, since he is convinced, again through experience, that “no one living is righteous” before God (143:2). It is only because of his “name” and his “righteousness” that he can “be brought out” of “anguish” and “live” (143:11). SERVANT OF GOD By calling himself a “servant” at the beginning and end of his prayer (143:2, 12), the psalmist appeals to God as his protector, bound with him by the terms of covenant. He thus humbly and truthfully acknowledges his human condition as a limited and precarious creature, as a servant before the Master of the universe and of life. Above all, he claims his dignity as a partner in a covenant that has been given to him to make with his God and that makes him a person who can freely use the imperative with him, without embarrassment, as a son addresses his father with unbounded confidence.

C. O LORD, I BLESS YOU AND I PRAISE YOU (PS 144–145) 1. PSALM 144 TEXT 1 Of David. Blessed be Yhwh my rock, who teaches my hand to fight, my fingers to battle. 2 My love and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. 3 O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him? 4 The adam resembles a breath, his days like a shadow that is passing by. 5 O Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth your hands from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from the hand of the sons of strangers 8 whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand (is) a right hand of perjury. 9 O God, I will sing a new song to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I will play to you, 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David from the sword of evil. 11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of the sons of strangers whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand (is) a right hand of perjury. 12 That our sons (are) like plants, grown in their youth, our daughters like corner-figures, carved model of a temple; 13 our granaries filled with good 14 our solid leaders, there is no on good, our flocks of thousands, innumerable in our fields; 15 happy the people breaching and there is no going out, and there is no crying in our broad places, where thus (it happens) to him, happy the people where Yhwh (is) their God!

12A: “THAT OUR SONS (ARE) LIKE PLANTS...” The function of the ’ăšer with which the long list of verses 12–14 begins causes some problems, and therefore some delete or correct it.1 Some link it to what precedes, in particular to the relative pronoun ’ăšer translated as “whose” in the preceding verse.2 Others, considering that it does not act as a relative pronoun but as a subordinating conjunction, give it a consecutive or final meaning and interpret the whole of verses 12–14 as a wish or even as a supplication.3 It should be pointed out that verses 12–14 are only nominal phrases, and thus have no temporal or optative value; the same is true of verse 15. The composition of the part that constitutes the whole of these four verses leads to the interpretation that verses 12–14 constitute the subject, introduced by the conjunction, and that verse 15 is the predicate. “A people who live as good as verses 12–14 describe can truly be called happy.”4 12C: “CORNER-FIGURES” Literally “of corners”. These are either columns or rather ornate and sculpted corners. 1

See Kraus, II, 540; Dahood, III, 332; Weiser, 823. See, e.g., Hakham, II, 565; 3 Ravasi, III, 906; Mannati, IV, 255; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 830–831; Lorenzin, 514; Vesco, 1330. 4 Th. BOOIJ, “Psalm 144: Hope of Davidic Welfare”, 176. 2

594

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

14A: “OUR LEADERS” Following the ancient versions and in line with “flocks” of the preceding verse, most interpret ’allûpênû as “our oxen”, “our cattle”. However, the term can mean “leaders” (Gen 36:15–43; Exod 15:15; Zech 9:7). The context of the verse, with its “breaching”, “going out”, “crying in our broad places”, is rather of a military type: “If the leaders of the community are strong and if their authority is well established, the community will face less danger from external attacks.”5 COMPOSITION Most commentators understand the psalm as being composed of two quite different parts,6 and even bringing together two separate psalms (1–11 & 12– 15).7 The divisions within the first part (1–2, 3–4, 5–8, 9–11) are recognised by many.8 Lorenzin identifies four parts: a) Prayer of pastor David (1b–8), b) Vow of thanksgiving (9–10), followed by c) Supplication of the community (12–14); d) Final wish (15).9 Hossfeld – Zenger distinguish six parties: 1–2, 3–4, 5–8, 9– 11, 12–14, 15. The central part comprises two parallel subparts (5–6/7–8 and 9–10b/10c–11). The extreme parts, which correspond to each other, are also formed of two subparts each (1b–2/3–4 and 12–14/15).

5

A.F. KIRKPATRICK, The Book of Psalms, 812. W.E. BARNES, The Psalms, II, 658. A.F.J. Makujina (“The Interpretation of Ps 144:14”) proposes a combination of the two interpretations, given that herds were a usual part of warfare (p. 493, bibliographical references on the military interpretation). 6 Mannati, IV, 255; Ravasi, III, 900; Hakham, II, 561; Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 832. 7 Dahood, III, 328. 8 Kraus, II, 542–543; Hakham, II, 561; Girard (III, 488) on the contrary, sees two groups: 1–7 & 7b–11); Ravasi (III, 900) organises it into two “movements” (1–4 & 5–11), the second movement comprising two “stanzas” ending in an antiphon. 9 Lorenzin, 526.

Psalm 144

595

THE FIRST PART (1B–4) +

1b

Blessed be

:: WHO TEACHES ::

YHWH

my rock,

my hand my fingers

to fight, to battle.

·················································································································· 2

+ My love + my citadel + my shield :: WHO SUBDUES

and my fortress, and liberator for me, and in him I take refuge, my people

under me.

: 3 O YHWH, : the son

what is the adam of man,

that you care for him, that you think of him?

: 4 The adam, : his days

a breath like a shadow

he resembles, that is passing by.

The two pieces of the first subpart are parallel (1bcd & 2). The first segment of the second piece (2abc) elaborates in three members “my rock” of the first segment of the first piece (1b). The second segments are complementary relative clauses: the first segment (1cd) deals with the king whom God “teaches” “to battle”, the second one with the people under his command (2d). The whole vocabulary is clearly military. The second subpart (3–4) comprises a double question (3) followed by its answer (4), which is also double, both concerning “the Adam” (3a & 4a), who is also called “son of man” (3b). The two subparts begin with the name “Yhwh” (1b & 3a). There is a striking contrast between the solidity of Yhwh, which the first subpart emphasises through the accumulation of metaphors, especially warlike, and the weakness of human being, which the second subpart develops; yet God “cares” for him and “thinks of him” (3). Yhwh takes care to teach the king and to bring his people under his command. “The adam” in fact comprises both the king (1) and his people (2).

596

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE SECOND PART (5–11) + 5 O YHWH, + touch

incline the mountains

your heavens and they smoke;

:: 6 flash forth :: send forth :: 7 send forth

lightning your arrows

and scatter them, and rout them, from on high.

YOUR HANDS

and come down,

················································································································

– Rescue me, – from THE HAND

and deliver me of the sons

from great of strangers

waters,

mouth speaks of nothing .. 8 whose .. and THE RIGHT HAND (is) A RIGHT HAND of perjury. —————————————————————————————————— + 9 O GOD, a song, a new one, I will sing to you, + on a lyre ten-stringed I will play to you, :: 10 who gives :: who rescues :: from the sword

victory David of evil.

to kings, his servant

················································································································

– 11 Rescue me, – from THE HAND

and deliver me of the sons

.. whose mouth .. and THE RIGHT HAND (is) A RIGHT HAND

of strangers speaks of perjury.

of nothing

The second pieces of each subpart (7b–8 & 11) are almost identical: only the ending of the first member of 7b is not repeated in a symmetrical position (11a). The first pieces (5–7a & 9–10) begin with a divine name, “Yhwh” (5a) and “God” (9a). In the first piece (5–7a) the psalmist asks the Lord to manifest his power by coming down from heaven and revealing himself in the storm. In the parallel piece (9–10), in response to God’s intervention, he promises a song of thanksgiving (9), the second segment explains the reason, first in general (10a), then in particular applied to “David” (10bc). Yhwh’s “hands” (7a) are opposed to “the hand of the sons of strangers” (7c & 11b), to their “right hand” (8b & 11d) from which he delivers “his servant” king “David” (10b).

Psalm 144

597

THE THIRD PART (12–15) + 12 THAT - grown

our sons (are) in their youth,

+ our daughters - carved

like corner-figures, model

like plants,

of a temple;

··············································································································

:: 13 our granaries - with good

filled on good,

:: our flocks - innumerable

of thousands, in our fields;

·························································································

+ 14 our leaders,

solid ones:

- there is no breaching - and there is no crying

and there is no going out, in our broad places,

= 15 HAPPY the people : where thus (it happens) to him, = HAPPY : where YHWH (is)

the people their GOD!

The whole first subpart is the protasis (12–14), the second one the apodosis (15). In the first subpart the first piece concerns the family (12), the second one the economic goods (13), the third one the military domain (14). “Sons” are compared to plants grown outside the house, “daughters” to parts of a building (12); the economic goods comprise “granaries” where the crops are kept and the herds that graze outside (13); finally, the “leaders” are so “solid” that the country is protected against the incursions of the enemy and the complaints of mourners (14). “In our fields” (13d, beḥûṣôtēnû) and “in our broad places” (14d, birḥōbōtênû) play the role of final terms for the last two pieces. “Carved” and “innumerable” in symmetrical position are in a paronomastic relationship (12d, meḥuṭṭābôt; 13d, merubbābôt); similarly, “thousands” (13c, ma’ălîpôt) and “leaders” (14a, ’allûpênû) which seem to be of the same root. The second subpart is much shorter; the element of surprise comes at the very end of the part, where the name of the Lord appears just once.

598

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

Of David. + BLESSED BE YHWH my rock, + who teaches my HAND to fight, 2

= My love and my fortress, = my shield and in him I take refuge, : 3 O YHWH, what is the adam : the SON of man, : 4 The adam resembles a breath, 5

O YHWH, incline your heavens and come down, flash forth lightning and scatter them, 7 send forth your HANDS from on high. 6

my fingers to battle. my citadel and liberator for me, who subdues my PEOPLE under me. that you care for him, that you think of him? his days like a shadow that is passing by. touch the mountains and they smoke; send forth your arrows and rout them,

·······················································································································

Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, 8 whose mouth speaks of nothing and 9

O GOD, I will sing a new song to you, who gives victory to kings, from the sword of evil. 10

from the HAND of the SONS of strangers the right hand is a right hand of perjury. on a ten-stringed lyre I will play to you, who rescues his servant David

·······················································································································

11

Rescue me, and deliver me whose mouth speaks of nothing and

from the HAND of the SONS of strangers the right hand is a right hand of perjury.

: 12 That our SONS are like plants, : our DAUGHTERS like corner-figures,

grown in their youth, carved model of a temple;

: 13 our granaries filled, : our flocks of thousands,

overflowing with good on good, innumerable in our fields;

= 14 our solid leaders, = there is no breaching and there is no going out,

there is no crying in our broad places,

15

+ HAPPY the PEOPLE + HAPPY the PEOPLE

where thus it happens to him, where YHWH is our GOD!

The extreme parts are complementary: the first one (1b–4) is a blessing (“blessed be”), the last one a macarism (“happy”). With the blessing the psalmist praises “Yhwh”, with the macarism he declares “the people” happy. The first part concerns primarily the person of the king, the last part concerns the people. Apart from “Yhwh”, the other common terms in both parts do not occur elsewhere in the psalm. The two occurrences of “Yhwh” in the first part (1b & 3a) are matched by “Yhwh” and “God” in the last one (15b). Other noteworthy features are the repetition of “son” (3b & 12a) and comparisons: “resembles” and “like” in 4 and the two occurrences of “like” in 12. The central part is the only one where the imperatives of supplication appear (twelve, ten of which are in the first subpart). The first subpart begins with the

Psalm 144

599

name “Yhwh” (5a) as at the beginning of the two subparts of the first part (1b & 3a); the second subpart begins with the name “God” (9) with which the last part ends (15b). The term “hand/s”, which occurs three times (7a, 7b, 11a), refers to “my hand” in 1c: At first it concerns the king’s hands, then those of God, and finally those of the enemies. Note also that the two occurrences of “son” (7b & 11a) refer to “the son of man” at the end of the first part (3b) and to “sons” and “daughters” at the beginning of the third part (12). CONTEXT BLESSING AND MACARISM In the Old Testament “The typical pattern of blessing is not ‘Blessed be N.!’ on the one hand, and “Blessed be God!’ on the other hand, but ‘Blessed be N. and blessed be God!’ More than one example attests to this.”10 In addition to the examples where “blessed” is used in both parts of the blessing, the author also refers to 1 Kgs 10:8–9 where the Queen of Sheba uses “happy” for the man and “blessed be” for God: 8

HAPPY are your wives! HAPPY are these your servants, who continually attend you and hear your wisdom! 9 BLESSED BE the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.

WAILING IN THE SQUARES Amos’ central sequence announcing Israel’s punishment ends with the announcement of the manifestations of mourning that the divine intervention will cause: “In all the squares there shall be wailing; and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning, and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing.” (Amos 5:16) CROSSING THE SEA The play on words between “the hand of the sons of stranger” (Ps 144:7b, 11a) and his “right hand” (144:8, 11b), that of the king trained in combat (144:1c) and “the hands” of God (144:7a) recalls Exod 14 between the hand of Moses that the Lord orders him to stretch out over the sea (vv. 16, 21, 26, 27), that of the Egyptians (v. 30) and finally that of God (v. 31).

10

J. GUILLET, “Le langage spontané de la bénédiction dans l’Ancien Testament”, 201 (among the examples provided, Gen 14:19–20, Jdt 13:17f, 1 Sam 25:32f).

600

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

PSALM 18 All commentators point out the anthological character of the psalm, and in particular the relationship between what they consider to be its first part (Ps 144:1–11) and Ps 18. Ps 144 Of David. Blessed be Yhwh my rock, who teaches my hand to fight, my fingers to battle. 2 My love and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, 1

who subdues my people under me. O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him 4 The adam resembles a breath, his days like a shadow that is passing by. 5 O Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth your hands from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from the hand of the sons of strangers 8 whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 9 O God, a new song I will sing to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I will play to you. [10] 11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of the sons of strangers...

Ps 18 [...] David [...] 47 blessed be my rock 35 he teaches my hands to war my arms... 3 Yhwh, my crag and my fortress, my liberator, he is my God. I take refuge in him, my rock, my shield and the horn of my salvation. 1

3

He inclined the heavens and came down, the foundations of the mountains trembled, 15 he sent his arrows and scattered them, he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. 17 He sends forth from on high, he takes me, he draws me from great waters, 45 the sons of strangers court me, 10 8b

Therefore I will give you thanks, O Yhwh, and I will play to your name: 50

46

the sons of strangers fade away,

The contacts are undeniable, but their order is very different. The situation and literary genre of the two psalms are not the same. INTERPRETATION PRAISE INCLUDES THE REQUEST There exists a kind of elementary grammar of prayer. We will retain two principles. The first one is that praise is the beginning and the end of every prayer. The second one is that praise and supplication are the two elements which, in themselves, are sufficient to describe the totality of prayer 11.

11

P. BEAUCHAMP, Psaumes nuit et jour, 92 (see chapters 13, “Louange pour commencer”, (92–98), and 14, “Louange pour finir. – Mais maintenant?”, (99–105).

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601

These two principles are particularly clear in Ps 144. The praise is distributed at the beginning and at the end. At the beginning, with the blessing that the king addresses to the Lord, not only because he teaches him to wage war at the head of his people, but above all because he himself is their defender, because he cares for them in their extreme fundamental weakness. In the end, because he is the “God” of the people whom he cares for in all aspects of their lives, family, economic and military. At the centre, prepared by the initial blessing, the psalmist can now address his supplication to the one whose powerful hand can save him “from the hand of the sons of strangers” (144:7, 11). PRAISE AT THE HEART OF SUPPLICATION Praise is not limited to the framework of supplication. Thanksgiving is an integral part of supplication, certainly in the form of a promise (144:9), but a promise that immediately takes the form of praise: “who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David from the sword of evil” (144:10). Praise is the lever on which the request is based. It is the end of supplication. The latter would have no meaning if it were not oriented from the beginning by the praise of thanksgiving. This is the reason why the Psalter is entitled “Praises” in Hebrew. THE HANDS OF GOD The king’s hand is in the singular (144:1), as well as the hand of his enemies, “the sons of strangers” (144:7b, 11a). For the Lord, on the other hand, the plural of majesty is used: “send forth your hands from on high” (144:7a), as if to underline his omnipotence. The hand of the enemy is that of Cain who wants to shed the blood of his brother (Gen 4:11). The hands that the Lord sends from on high are those of liberation, which save “from the great waters” (Ps 144:7b), as he had once saved the sons of Israel from the sea. The hand of the king is the one instructed by God for the defence of the whole people. In his praise as well as in his supplication, the king proclaims his faith in the power of the one he calls his “rock”, his “fortress”, his “citadel”, his “shield” (144:1–2), the one who will defend him, who will not allow him to fall into the hand of his aggressor, who will save him despite his weakness.

2. PSALM 1451 TEXT 1 Praise of David. I will exalt you, my God the king, and I will bless your name forever and ever; 2 all the days I will bless you and I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great (is) Yhwh and highly to be praised, and to his greatness there is no limit. 4 Generation after generation extols your works and 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty and the story of your wonders, they declare your prowess. I recite; 6 and they tell of your formidable power, and I recount to them your greatness. 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness, and they acclaim your righteousness. 8 Yhwh (is) tender and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithfulness. 9 Yhwh (is) good to all and his compassion over all his works. 10 All your works give thanks to you, O Yhwh, and your faithful bless you. 11 They tell 12 to make known to the sons of Adam of the glory of your kingdom, and they speak of your prowess, 13 Your kingdom (is) a kingdom for all times his prowess, and the glory and honour of his kingdom. and your empire for all generations of generations. 13b [God is trustworthy in his words and faithful in all his works.] 14 Yhwh supports all who are falling and makes straight all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy all the living at will. 17 Yhwh (is) righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his works. 18 Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He does the will of those who fear him, and he hears their cry and saves them. 20 Yhwh maintains all who love him and all the wicked he will exterminate. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of Yhwh and all flesh will bless the name of his holiness forever and ever.

In the Masoretic text the alphabetic pattern has an irregularity: There is no verse beginning with the letter nun. On the other hand, both the Septuagint, the Syriac version and Qumran have this verse: “God (is) trustworthy in his words and faithful in all his works.”2 The four most widespread modern French versions (Dhorme, BJ, Osty, TOB) have adopted it (v. 13b).3 The manuscript attestation, the support for the versions, as well as the completeness of the alphabetic pattern thus provide three important, and probably sufficient, criteria for establishing the text. However, it is possible to add the fourth criterion: the “rhetorical” one. In fact, if the figure of the text is more regular with verse 13cd than without it, if the balance of the textual units requires, so to speak, the presence of this segment, if without it a piece is missing something in the architecture of the text, it will not be an exaggeration to say that an additional criterion has been highlighted to support the adoption of the verse in question.4 Two kinds of criteria would therefore be used: primarily textual criteria, which are subdivided into two, namely Hebrew manuscript attestation on the one hand (especially from Qumran) and confirmation by the versions on the other 1

See R. MEYNET, “Le psaume 145”. It is the text of 11 QPsa that is adopted for this verse (J.A. SANDERS, Discoveries in the Judaean Desert of Jordan IV: The Psalms Scroll of Qumran Cave 11 (11QPsa), 37–38, Plate XI); the versions suggest “Yhwh” instead of “God”. 3 However, except for Osty, they put this verse in square brackets. 4 See J. CHINITZ, “Psalm 145: Its Two Faces”. For this author the two faces of the psalm are the desire to praise God and the description of his works; the first one has 11 segments, while the second one would have only 10 if we did not count the verse nun. 2

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

hand; secondly, compositional criteria, which are also subdivided into two, namely the completeness of the alphabetic pattern on the one hand and the regularity (or completeness) of the composition of the text on the other hand. The latter criterion is a more elaborate form of a criterion that has been used for a long time in textual criticism, the use of parallelism; more elaborate form, or enlarged, since the use of parallelismus membrorum is generally limited to the level of a segment, whereas the criterion in question here is at the level of an entire psalm, that is, in the case of Ps 145, of a text of the size of a “passage”. COMPOSITION All agree that the invitatories of 1–3 and 21 frame the whole. For the body of the psalm, some divide it into two parts.5 Many, however, have noted its concentric composition. Liebreich sees it focused on v. 10, framed by two groups of two stanzas (3–6 & 7–9, 11–13 & 14–20), then by a “prelude” (1–3) and a “postlude” (21).6 Lindars widens the centre to 10–13b, 14–16 is corresponding to 7–9 and 17–20 to 2–6.7 Ravasi believes that the centre is formed of verses 11–13, framed by two “movements”, each of concentric construction: God’s salvific actions frame the divine attributes (8–9 & 17).8 Psalm 145 is organised into seven parts of very different length and complexity (see p. 615): A brief introduction and conclusion (1–2 & 21), three main parts (3–8, 10–13a, 14–20), linked together by two parts the size of a bimember segment (9 & 13b). THE FIRST PART (1B–2)9 : 1b I will exalt you, – and I WILL BLESS

my God your NAME

the king, FOREVER AND EVER;

: 2 all the days – and I WILL PRAISE

I WILL BLESS you your NAME

FOREVER AND EVER.

5

Thus, e.g., Girard, III, 496–506 (4–13 & 13c–20). L.J. LIEBREICH, “Psalms 34 and 145 in the Light of Their Key Words”, 187–190; the same division by R. KIMELMAN, “Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact”. 7 B. LINDARS, “The Structure of Psalm CXLV”. 8 Ravasi, III, 920. The same boundaries of the centre by N.L. DECLAISSÉ-WALFORD, “Psalm 145: All flesh will bless God’s holy name”, 65. 9 The title of the psalm is excluded from the analysis for the time being. 6

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The second members (1c & 2b) are almost identical, except for the two synonymous verbs with which they begin, “I will bless” and “I will praise”. The first members (1b & 2a) are complementary: The last two terms of the first member, “my God the king”, make explicit the object of the praise, the first words of 2a specify the time, “all the day”; the latter expression is synonymous with “forever and ever”, of which both occurrences play the role of final terms for the two segments. THE SECOND PART (3–8) + 3 GREAT (is) YHWH + and to his GREATNESS there is no

and to be praised limit.

: 4 Generation after generation extols : and your prowess

highly,

your works

they declare.

···············································································································

– 5 The honour . and the story

of your glory of your wonders

of your majesty I recite;

. 6 and of the power – and your GREATENESS

of your miracles,

they tell, I recount to them.

··············································································································· 7

: The memory : and + 8 Tender + slow

of your immense goodness your righteousness and merciful (is) YHWH, to anger and GREAT

they proclaim they acclaim.

in faithfulness.

This part is marked by the use of four words from the family of “great” (3a, 3b, 6b, 8b) which do not appear elsewhere in the psalm. At the extremities (3 & 8), two short subparts speak of “Yhwh” whose name is the subject of the first members (this name is not used in the rest of the part); the two subparts are complementary: The first one affirms God’s greatness in himself, the last one his greatness in love, that is, in his relationship with humans. The central subpart (4–7) is considerably more extensive and is marked by the second person singular: God is referred to (the second person singular masculine suffix pronouns, translated as possessives in English, are found in all eight members). The extreme pieces (4 & 7) correspond to each other: apart from the first one, their verbs are in the third person plural; the beginnings, “generation after generation” and “the memory”, can be related, as they both connote a transmission, a passage from the past to the present/future.

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+ 3 GREAT (is) YHWH + and to his GREATNESS there is no

and to be praised limit.

: 4 Generation after generation extols your prowess : and

greatly,

your works

they declare.

···············································································································

– 5 The honour . and the story

of your glory of your wonders

of your majesty I recite;

. 6 and of the power – and your GREATENESS

of your miracles,

they tell, I recount to them.

··············································································································· 7

of your immense goodness your righteousness

: The memory : and + 8 Tender + slow

and merciful (is) YHWH, to anger and GREAT

they proclaim they acclaim.

in faithfulness.

The central piece (5–6), on the other hand, alternates the first person singular at the end of the segments with the third person plural: the psalmist is involved in the great movement of praising God; the mirrored composition is strengthened by the fact that the central members (5b & 6a) have the same syntactic structure. Note that the two segments are coordinated by “and”. The central subpart (4–7) constitutes the reaction or, better, the human response to the action of God described in the extreme subparts. The praises of the central subpart are in a way announced by “praise” at the very beginning of the part (3a). The last piece of the central subpart (7) foreshadows the next part (8), for God’s “goodness” and “righteousness” relate to his dealings with people. As for the first piece (4), the “works” and “prowess” seem to refer mainly to God’s creative activity.10 It is difficult to distinguish in the central piece (5–6) what is creation and what is salvation. In any case, this part unites the two dimensions of the same greatness of God, that is manifested in creation and that is revealed in the history of his relationship with people. THE THIRD PART (9) + 9 (Is) GOOD + and HIS COMPASSION

10

Yhwh over all

to all his works.

In Hebrew, “works” is of the same root as the verb “to do, to make”, used alternately with “to create” in the first creation story (Gen 1:21, 25, 26–27).

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This part comprises only one bimember segment and the two members are parallel. The last word of the first member (kōl) can be understood as meaning “all” (things); in that case it would have the same meaning as “all his works” of the second member. But kōl can also mean “all” (people).11 The expression “all his works” would then have a broader meaning, including all creatures. In other words, both terms are either synonymous or complementary. THE FOURTH PART (10–13) = 10 They give thanks to you, = and your faithful

O Yhwh,

ALL your works bless you.

························································································································

:: 11 The glory – and your prowess,

of your KINGDOM and they speak of it,

they tell of it,

– 12 to make known :: and the glory

to the sons and honour

of Adam of his KINGDOM.

his prowess,

························································································································ (is) a KINGDOM of ALL time, for ALL generations and generations.

= 13 Your KINGDOM = and your empire

The extreme pieces (10 & 13) are complementary: 13ab gives the reason for the praise (10). These pieces are marked by the repetition of kōl translated as “all” which indicates a different kind of complementarity. In fact, the totality has a double dimension: it reaches “all” persons in 10 (not only “his faithful” but also “all his works”, that is, “all his creatures”) and extends to “all” generations (or “ages”) in 13. The two segments in the central piece (11–12) form a single phrase, and this is the only case in the whole psalm. The construction of these two segments is mirrored: “glory [...] of your/his kingdom” at the extremities,12 then “prowess” and finally “they speak, to make known” at the centre. The movement extends, since those who praise the Lord “make it known” to “the sons of Adam”, that is to say to all people. The part is marked by the fourfold occurrence of “kingdom” (11a, 12b, 13a[2x]), accompanied by its synonym “empire” (13b). “Kingdom” is not found elsewhere in the psalm; only “the king” at the beginning (1b) is of the same root. Moreover, “prowess” (gebûrâ, from the same root as gibbôr, “hero”, “valiant”) can be considered as belonging to the semantic field of kingship: “The history of King David [...] is all written [...] with all his kingdom and his prowess...” (1 Chr 29:29–30; see also 1 Kgs 15:23; 16:5; 2 Kgs 10:34). 11

That is the understanding of the BJ, Osty, the TOB, which translate kōl as “all”. Several manuscripts of the Septuagint have “to all his faithful”. 12 It would seem more consistent to read “your prowess” and “your kingdom” in the second person, following the Septuagint, Syriac and Jerome, as opposed to the MT which puts the pronouns in the third person.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE FIFTH PART (13CD) + 13c TRUSTWORTHY is + and FAITHFUL

God

in in

all

his words, his works.

The two members of the segment are complementary. They parallel two actions of God, or two aspects of his acting: What he says (13c) and what he does (13d). THE SIXTH PART (14–20) – 14 HE SUPPORTS, – and he makes straight

YHWH,

ALL who are falling ALL who are bowed down. ························································································································· : 15 The eyes of ALL in YOU they hope

: and it is you who give them their food 16

: You open : and you satisfy

your hand ALL the living

+ 17 Righteous (is) YHWH + and faithful

in its time. at WILL. in ALL in ALL

his ways his works.

: 18 Near (is) : to ALL

YHWH who call upon him

: 19 The WILL : and their cry

of those who fear him he does he hears and saves them.

to ALL who call upon him, in truth.

························································································································· 20

– HE MAINTAINS, – and ALL the wicked

YHWH,

ALL who love him he will exterminate.

The very short central subpart (17) is framed by two much more extensive subparts (14–16 & 18–20). The first piece of the first subpart (14) is a segment with two parallel members (“Yhwh” is spared in the second member). In the second piece (15–16) the Lord is presented as the one who feeds (“you who give them their food” in 15b and “you satisfy” in 16b). Unlike the first piece which is in the third person singular, the second piece is in the second person singular. The third subpart (18–20) is also formed of two pieces. The two bimember segments of the first piece (18–19) present the Lord as the one who hears and answers those who call upon him (“who call upon him” in 18a & 18b, “their cry” in 19b). In the second piece (20) God’s action is described in its two complementary aspects: salvation for those who love him, destruction for the

Psalm 145

609

wicked. These two kinds of characters are related to each other: The wicked are those who pursue the Lord’s faithful. In the preceding piece (18–19), those who call upon the Lord are those who are threatened by the wicked. The final verbs of the two pieces, “he saves them” (19b) and “he will exterminate” them (20b), are opposed. The extreme subparts are complementary: In the first subpart (14–16) the Lord cares for his burdened and hungry creatures, in the last subpart (18–20) he defends those who are persecuted by the wicked. In other words, the first subpart presents God as a father who provides food, the second one as a judge who defends the righteous. These subparts correspond to each other in mirror image fashion. In fact, the extreme segments (14 & 20) correspond to each other: The syntactic structure of the first members is identical and the similarity is reinforced by the paronomasiatic relationship between the first words (ṣômēk and šômēr), a relationship that the translation has endeavoured to render as “he supports” and “he maintains”.13 The central subpart (17) differs from the other two because the beneficiaries of God’s actions (“his ways” and “his works”) are not named. It is possible to see a chiastic relation between its two members and the other two subparts. In fact, “righteous” in the first member (17a) seems to announce the last subpart, because in 18–20 God renders righteousness; on the contrary, “faithful” in the second member (17b) seems to recall the first subpart, because in 14–16 God manifests his love and faithfulness for his creatures. This is confirmed by the choice of the last words of each member: while “works” refer to the creatures of the first subpart,14 the “ways” announce the judicial procedure (iter)15 of the last subpart. It is worth noting the symmetrical position of the name of God, “Yhwh”, which recurs, in identical positions, in the first members of the extreme segments and of the central segment (14a, 20a, 17a); the last occurrence of “Yhwh” in 18a does not have its correspondent in 15a because the discourse in 15–16 is in the second person (the subject of “who give” is the pronoun “you”). Furthermore, the most frequently occurring word is “all” (ten times). Its distribution is quite regular: Twice in the extreme pieces (14 & 20) as well as in the central segment (17) and only twice in each of the corresponding pieces 15– 16 and 18–19.

13 The last segment (20) has a chiastic composition, while the first one (14) has a parallel composition. 14 See note 10. 15 See P. BOVATI, Ristabilire la giustizia, 172–173, note 52.

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

THE SEVENTH PART (21) : 21 The PRAISE of the Lord, it will speak my mouth, : And IT WILL BLESS, all flesh, the name of his holiness – forever and ever.

The first two members parallel the psalmist’s praise with that of “all flesh”; the third member complements the two preceding ones. THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM • Relationships between the introduction and the conclusion (1–2 & 21) : 1b I will exalt you, – and I WILL BLESS 2

: all the days – and I WILL PRAISE

MY GOD your NAME

the king, FOREVER

AND EVER;

I WILL BLESS you your NAME

FOREVER

AND EVER.

[...]

: 21 The PRAISE OF THE LORD, : and it WILL BLESS, all flesh, –

it will speak my mouth the NAME of his holiness FOREVER AND EVER.

The conclusion comprises only one trimember segment, while the introduction is formed of two bimember segments. – In the same position, both terms of the first members, two names of God: “my God” (1b) and “the Lord” (21a). – The initial terms of the second members of the introduction, “I will bless” and “I will praise” (1c & 2b) are echoed in a reversed fashion by the initial terms of the first two members of the conclusion, “praise” and “it will bless” (21ab) – “The name of his holiness” (21b) takes up the two occurrences of “your name” (1c & 2b). – “All” is found in 2a and 21b. – The final terms of both segments in the introduction, “forever and ever” (1c & 2b), are repeated at the end of the conclusion (21c). – While the introduction is entirely in the first person singular, the conclusion coordinates the psalmist’s praise (21a) with that of “all flesh” (21b). First person singular pronouns are not found elsewhere, except for two instances at the centre of the second part (5–6). – These are the only parts of the psalm where the noun “name” occurs (1b, 2a, 21b) as well as the expression “forever and ever”.

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– If we take into account the title of the psalm (1a), the first and last verses of the psalm begin with the same word, “praise” (1a & 21a), which will not be found elsewhere in the psalm.16 • Relation between the second and sixth parts (3–8 & 14–20) Great is YHWH and highly to be praised,

and to his greatness there is no limit.

Generation after generation extols your WORKS – 5 The honour of the glory of your majesty – 6 and they tell of the power of your miracles, 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness

and they declare your prowess. and the story of your wonders, I recite; and I recount to them your greatness. and they acclaim your RIGHTEOUSNESS.

YHWH is tender and compassionate,

slow to anger and great in FAITHFULNESS.

3

4

8

[...] 14

YHWH supports all who are falling 15 The eyes of all hope in you, 16 You open your hand

and makes straight all who are bowed down. and it is you who give them their food in its time. and satisfy all the living at will.

17

YHWH is RIGHTEOUS in all his ways

and FAITHFUL in all his WORKS.

YHWH is near to all who call upon him, He does the will of those who fear him, 20 YHWH maintains all who love him 18 19

to all who call upon him in truth. and he hears their cry and saves them. and all the wicked he will exterminate.

The two parts are of a similar length. Their common vocabulary is reduced: “Yhwh” (3, 8, 14, 17, 18, 20), “your works” (4 & 17), “righteousness” and “righteous” (7 & 17; a root that does not appear elsewhere in the psalm), “faithfulness” and “faithful” (8 & 17). The second part essentially describes (4–7) what people do for God, people in general (4, 6a, 7) and the psalmist in particular (5 & 6b): They praise him for his “works” (4), because he is “greatly to be praised” (3). In a complementary fashion, the sixth part describes God’s “works” (17) on behalf of people: Thirteen times the Lord is the subject of the phrases. It is remarkable that kol (translated as “all”), which occurs ten times in the sixth part, does not appear once in the second part. Such a difference between two symmetrical parts may seem strange. In the sixth part, it is about God’s actions on behalf of “all: the poor (14a, 14b, 15, 16, 18a, 18b, 20a) and his actions against “all” the wicked (20); the central verse (17) speaks of “all” the ways and works of the Lord. Therefore, all the works of God reach all people). The fact that the symmetrical part (3–8) does not use the word “all” even once does not mean that the idea of totality or completeness is absent: it can be expressed in other ways. First, it should be pointed out that words of the same root as great (gādôl) occur four times in the second part (3a, 3b, 6b, 8b) and 16

The first word of the last verse may have inspired the title of the psalm, to indicate its genre; it should be noted that “praise” (tehillâ) is not used elsewhere in the psalter as a title, but that the Hebrew title of the collection of 150 psalms has taken it over (tehillîm).

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

nowhere else in the psalm. Other words can be put on the same semantic line, “highly” (3a, lit. “much, greatly”), “there is no limit” (3b), “immense” (7a), as well as, on the one hand, the long list of plural nouns, “your works” and “your prowess” (4), “your miracles” (5), “your greatness” (6), and, on the other hand, the list of the four plural verbs, “they declare” (4b), “they tell” (6a), “they proclaim” (7a) and “they acclaim” (7b). Finally, it seems that the author has ingeniously accumulated all the possible synonyms of “to say”, without ever using the same one twice: “to praise” (3), “to extol” (4a), “to declare” (4b), “to recite” (5), “to tell” (6a), “to recount” (6b), “to proclaim” (7a), “to acclaim” (7b), which further strengthens the effect of multitude or completeness. In this way, totality is expressed in two complementary ways, by the difference of seven synonymous verbs on the one hand, and by the identity of the ten occurrences of the same adjective, whose meaning expresses totality. Great is YHWH and highly to be praised,

and to his greatness there is no limit.

Generation after generation extols your WORKS – 5 The honour of the glory of your majesty – 6 and they tell of the power of your miracles, 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness

and they declare your prowess. and the story of your wonders, I recite; and I recount to them your greatness. and they acclaim your RIGHTEOUSNESS.

YHWH is tender and compassionate,

slow to anger and great in FAITHFULNESS.

3

4

8

[...] 14

YHWH supports all who are falling 15 The eyes of all hope in you, 16 You open your hand

and makes straight all who are bowed down. and it is you who give them their food in its time. and satisfy all the living at will.

17

YHWH is RIGHTEOUS in all his ways

and FAITHFUL in all his WORKS.

YHWH is near to all who call upon him, He does the will of those who fear him, 20 YHWH maintains all who love him

to all who call upon him in truth. and he hears their cry and saves them. and all the wicked he will exterminate.

18 19

• Relationships between the third and fifth parts (9 & 13cd) + 9 GOOD is – and HIS COMPASSION

YHWH

to all, over all

his works.

in in

his words, his works.]

[...]

+ 13c [TRUSTWORTHY is – and FAITHFUL

GOD

all

These two bimember segments are parallel to each other: Their first members are of identical syntactic structure and their second members end with the same syntagma, “over/in all his works”.17 17

“Over” and “in” translate the same Hebrew preposition.

Psalm 145

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• Relationships between the centre (10–13) and the extremities (1–2 & 21) I will exalt you, my God the KING, All the days I WILL BLESS you

1b 2

and I WILL BLESS your NAME forever and ever. and I will praise your NAME forever and ever.

[...] 10

All your WORKS give thanks to you, O Yhwh, 11 12

13

and your faithful BLESS you.

They tell of the glory of your KINGDOM, and they speak of your prowess, to make known to the sons of Adam his prowess, and the glory and honour of his KINGDOM.

Your KINGDOM is a kingdom of all times,

and your empire for all

generations of generations.

[...] 21

My mouth will speak the praise of Yhwh

and all flesh WILL BLESS his holy NAME forever and ever.

These are the only parts where the verb “to bless” is used (1b, 1c, 10, 21b). The word “kingdom”, which occurs four times in the central part, is announced in the introduction with “the king” (1b); these are the only uses of words from the root mlk in the whole psalm. The expression “all times” (13a), used with “the generations of generations” (13b), recalls “forever and ever” (1b, 2b, 21c). Finally, “the sons of Adam” (12) at the heart of the central part—an expression that refers to all people—foreshadows “all flesh” in 21b.18 W.G.E. Watson has pointed out that the first letters of verses 11, 12, 13 form a small acrostic which, read backwards, gives the root mlk, which is the root of the noun “kingdom” used four times in the central part.19 In fact, the analysis of the composition of the psalm showed that the central part begins not with verse 11 but with verse 10. Therefore, the acrostic discovered by Watson must be extended to yod, which reads mālkī, “my king”,20 and which recalls the expression “my God the king” in verse 1 where “God” was already assigned the first person singular suffix pronoun.

18 The Jewish liturgy emphasizes the “we”, meaning Israel: In the synagogue prayer, where it is recited three times a day, Ps 145 is framed at the beginning with Ps 84:5 (“Happy are those who dwell in your house, they praise you without ceasing”) and Ps 144:15 (“Happy are the people where it is so, happy are the people whose God is the Lord”), and at the end with Ps 115:18 (“We bless Yah, from this time forth and for evermore, Hallelujah”); see A. BERLIN, “The Rhetoric of Psalm 145”. 19 W.G.E. WATSON, “Reversed Rootplay in Ps 145”. 20 If it is true that the yod was used as an abbreviation for “Yhwh”, the acrostic mlk y(hwh), “God reigns”, could be read. J.Z. LAUTERBACH writes: “Instances of the use of the letter Yod s an abbreviation of the Tetragrammaton can be cited from ancient times. Many translations of the Septuagint reflect this usage. Traces of it, though not usually recognized as such, can be found in the Masoretic text of the Bible” (“Substitutes for the Tetragrammaton”, 30); see also M. FISHBANE, “Abbreviations, Hebrew Texts”.

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• The role of the third and fifth parts (9 & 13b) These two very short parts like hinges link the three main parts of the psalm. Verse 9 repeats words already used in the two preceding verses: “good” (9a) like “goodness” (7a), “his compassion” (9b) recalls “compassionate” (8a); in addition, “his works” (9b) repeats “your works” from 4, and also announces “your works” in 10 and “his works” in 13b and 17. Verse 13b foreshadows the central verse of the subsequent part (17) and differs very little from it: 13b Trustworthy Elohim in his words 17 Righteous Yhwh in all his ways

AND FAITHFUL

IN ALL HIS WORKS

AND FAITHFUL

IN ALL HIS WORKS

The difference in the first terms is required by alphabetic pattern (13b begins with noun, 17 with tsadé); the term “words” has a very similar sound to “ways” (debārāw and derākāw); as for the variation between “God” and “the Lord”, it is possible that it has a function in the whole psalm: The beginnings of the two sides of the poem (1–9 & 13b–21) are the only places where the name “God” is used. It should be added that the two occurrences of “faithful” (13b & 17) are reminiscent of faithfulness, the last word of the second part (8). • Relationships between the central part and the rest of the psalm – The central part and the extreme parts . The four occurrences of “kingdom” (11, 12, 13[2x]) were announced by the initial vocative, “my God the king” (1b), which is the only one in the whole psalm. . The verb “to bless” occurs only in these three parts (1b, 2, 10, 21a). . “Forever and ever” of the extremities (1b, 2, 21b) is taken up at the end of the central part (13a) by “all times” (kol-‘ōlāmîm, which is of the same root as “forever”, le‘ôlām) and by “all generations of generations”. . The expression “the sons of Adam” (12) is taken up by “all flesh” (21). – The central part and the second part The relationships are particularly visible: . “The glory and honour” (12) recalls “the honour, the glory” (5). . “Your faithful” at the beginning of the central part (10) and “faithfulness” at the end of the second part (8) play the role of median terms at a distance. . The expression “all generations of generations” at the end of the central part (13) corresponds to “generation after generation” in 4. . The “prowess” of 11 and 12 are already found in 4. . “They tell” of 11 is already used in 6, and “they speak” of 11 is of the same root as “the words” in 5 (which had been translated so far as “the story”).

Psalm 145 1

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Praise of David

I will exalt you, my God THE KING, 2 All the days I WILL BLESS you

and I WILL BLESS your NAME forever and ever. and I will praise your NAME forever and ever.

Great (is) Yhwh and highly to be praised,

and to his greatness there is no limit.

Generation after generation extols your WORKS – 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty – 6 and they tell of your formidable power, 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness,

and they declare YOUR PROWESS. and the words of your wonders, I recite; and I recount to them your greatness. and they acclaim your righteousness.

Yhwh is tender and compassionate,

slow to anger and great in FAITHFULNESS.

3

4

8

9

Yhwh is good to all, 10

All your WORKS, give thanks to you, O Yhwh, 11 12

13

13b

They tell of the glory of your KINGDOM, to make known to the sons of Adam HIS PROWESS,

and his compassion OVER all HIS WORKS. and your FAITHFUL BLESS you. and they speak of YOUR PROWESS, and the glory and honour of your KINGDOM.

Your KINGDOM is a KINGDOM of all times

and your empire for all generations of generations.

[God is trustworthy in his words,

and faithful

IN all HIS WORKS.]

14

Yhwh supports all who are falling 15 The eyes of all hope in you 16 You open your hand

and makes straight all who are bowed down. and it is you who give them their food in its time. and satisfy all the living at will.

17

Yhwh is righteous in all his ways

and FAITHFUL

IN all HIS WORKS.

Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, HE DOES the will of those who fear him, 20 Yhwh keeps all who love him

to all who call upon him in truth. and he hears their cry and saves them. and all the wicked he will exterminate.

My mouth will speak the praise of Yhwh

and all flesh WILL BLESS his holy NAME forever and ever.

18 19

21

– The central part and the penultimate part Although less apparent, the relationships between the two parts are strong. . The three kol in the central part (10 & 13a[2x]) announce the ten occurrences of the same word in the penultimate part. . The word “faithful” at the centre of the penultimate part (17) refers to “your faithful” at the beginning of the central passage (10). . “He does” (19) is from the same root as “works” (4). – The central part and the rest of the psalm . It has already been noted that “faithful” (10) is echoed both at the end of the second part with “faithfulness” (8) and at the centre of the penultimate part (17); we should add “faithful” from the second linking part (13b). Human faithfulness in the centre (10) responds to God’s faithfulness everywhere else.

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. As for the “works” in 10, which we have seen used in the second part (4) and, in verbal form, in the penultimate part (“he does” in 19), it is also found at the end of the two linking parts (9 & 13b). . “The sons of Adam” at the centre (12), echoed by “all flesh” at the end (21), has an equivalent also in the penultimate part with “all the living” (16), even though the last two expressions can refer not only to human beings, but also to animals.21 . Finally, kol (translated as “all”) occurs eighteen times in the psalm: once in the introduction (2a) and once in the conclusion (21b), three times at the extremities of the central part (10a, 13a, 13b), three times also in the binding parts (9a, 9b, 13d), and ten times in the sixth part (14–20). – Note on the tenses Everyone knows how difficult it is to translate verbs in Hebrew poetry and how debatable every decision is. Here we have chosen to render the incomplete form by future tense in the introduction and conclusion, while everywhere else they are translated by present tense. In the introduction the verbs of the second members are in the cohortative form, often rendered as “I wish to bless”, “I wish to praise”, and this is the reason why the future tense was necessary; the symmetry of the extreme parts meant that the same should apply in the conclusion. In the penultimate part (14–20) most of the sentences are nominal phrases with the verb in the participle, which expresses the present tense, so the achievements of the symmetrical part (3–8) are rendered in the present tense, as well as the linking parts, which are nominal phrases. Consequently, even the central part is in the present tense. INTERPRETATION “GOD” (1B) The one whom the psalmist addresses is mentioned right at the beginning, in the only vocative in the psalm. It is under this name of ’ĕlôhîm, “God” (1b), that he wants to “bless” and “praise” him unceasingly, “all days”, “forever and ever”. He is the God whose “greatness” is boundless (3), whose “power” is “formidable” (6), whose “works” are those of creation, the God who “satisfies all the living” (16) and whose name “all flesh” will “bless forever and ever” (21).

21 Whereas in Gen 6:12 “all flesh” means people (“all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth”), in the flood narrative the expression clearly refers to all living beings (7:16, 21; 9:15). In Gen 6:19 “all flesh” and “all living things” are juxtaposed: “of all living things, of all flesh you shall bring into the ark”.

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“MY GOD” (1B) The name “God” is repeated in the second linking part (13b), but in the first linking part (9), in a symmetrical position, it is the name “Yhwh” that is used. And this name is used nine times in the psalm. The one whom the psalmist invokes is not only “God”, the creator; he calls him “my God”, and his proper “name” is “Yhwh”, the name of the God of the Israelites, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exod 3:6, 15), the one who was revealed at the passage of the bush (Exod 3:14), the one who promises to liberate his people from slavery in the land of Egypt. For the psalmist, his God is not only the Creator, but above all the one who intervenes in history on his behalf, the God who saves.22 “THE KING” (PS 145:1B) But that is not all! The psalmist adds a title to God whom he invokes: “my God, the king” (145:1b). And the whole central part will unfold “the glory and honour of (his) kingdom” (145:12). This kingdom is “a kingdom of all times”, that is, of all times and “for all generations of generations” (145:13). Taking into account the title of the psalm, it is King David who thus recognises that God’s kingdom precedes his own from creation and will follow him to the end of time. There is only one king in Israel, and that is the Lord; and it can be understood that the main function of the king of Israel is to proclaim the “praise” of the eternal King, in order to lead his people and all people in his wake. FATHER AND JUDGE The saving God, the King of the world, is presented as the father, the one who feeds his people, all the peoples of the earth, and “all the living” (145:15–16), who “supports” and “sustains” all those who need his help and call upon him (145:14, 18–20). The king’s function is also to judge in order to enforce justice. The Lord is “righteous” par excellence (145:17) and he is the judge who separates “those who love him”, that is to say who observe his law of righteousness from “the wicked” whom he “will exterminate” (145:20). FROM THE INDIVIDUAL TO THE UNIVERSAL The one who speaks, from the beginning to the end, is a single person. The title identifies him as King David. He is the one who addresses his God in the introduction, with four verbs in the first person singular. But soon, in the second part, this singular individual brings together, so to speak, a crowd that unites with his own praise, a crowd that, from the beginning, is handed down from 22

For Chaïm Pearl, the two complementary faces of God are the Creator and the Redeemer (Ch. PEARL, “The Theology of Psalm 145, Part I”, 6–9; “The Theology of Psalm 145, Part II”.

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generation to generation (145:4). In the central part, it is still the single person of the king who speaks, but his “I” has almost disappeared in favour of a plural that extends to all “the sons of Adam” and contemplates the whole of the future. Afterwards, although he still addresses the Lord (145:15–16), it is the discourse about him that takes over, as if the psalmist were addressing himself above all to the “sons of Adam” to “make them know” who his God is, the one who can save them (145:14–20). At the end, his praise is coordinated with the blessing of “all flesh” (145:21). COMPLETENESS Besides its probable mnemonic function, the alphabetic acrostic, that is, the use of all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet at the beginning of each segment, is a traditional fashion for indicating totality. Indeed, by combining all the letters of the alphabet in various ways, it is possible to form all the words of the language, to construct all the possible and imaginable statements, in short to express all things.23 In addition, the central acrostic of the psalm, mlky, “my king” (see p. 613), conceals another acrostic: the two central segments of the central part (145:11–12) begin with the letters kaph and lamed which read kōl, “all”. Finally, the psalmist, by accumulating all the synonyms of the verbs of speech that he could, and not only in the second part, further strengthens the sense of totality. Therefore, the psalm could be summarised in the following formula: “Let all flesh praise in every fashion and at all times all the works of the Lord King who cares for all his creatures.” “OF DAVID” It is certainly not without relevance that this poem of praise was put on the lips of king David. In all the glory of his splendour, the king of Israel ranks himself among the “works” of the Creator; he recognises that there exists a King greater than himself, the one whom he calls at the very beginning “my God, the king” (145:1b), or, in a cryptic fashion at the centre of the song, “my king” (145:10–13). Proclaiming the glory of the supreme King, David fulfils one of his functions as king, that of making God's kingship known. Describing the actions of the heavenly King, the father who feeds, the judge who defends the poor, he also portrays the image of the ideal earthly king, articulating, so to speak, his governing programme. JESUS, SON OF DAVID This attitude will be perfectly realised in Jesus, “the King of the Jews” (Mark 15:2, 26), whose mission is in some way summed up in the proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). Each of his disciples is called to enter into this 23

See N.K. GOTTWALD, Studies in the Book of Lamentations, 27–30.

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same movement of recognition of the kingship of God. If they surrender totally to God, as the Son does, they will receive as an inheritance the kingdom of their Father: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). But this inheritance is not reserved for the children of Israel; it will extend, through the apostolic preaching, to all “the children of Adam”.

3. O LORD, I BLESS YOU AND I PRAISE YOU (PS 144–145) COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SUBSEQUENCE Ps 144 1 OF DAVID.

BLESSED be Yhwh my rock, who teaches MY HAND to fight, my fingers to battle. 2 My FAITHFULNESS and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. 3 O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him? 4 The adam resembles a breath, HIS DAYS like a shadow that is passing by. 5O

Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth YOUR HANDS from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from THE HAND of the sons of strangers 8 whose MOUTH SPEAKS of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 9 O God, I will sing a new song to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I will play to you, 10 who gives victory to KINGS, who rescues his servant DAVID from the sword of evil. 11 Rescue me and deliver me from THE HAND of the sons of strangers whose MOUTH SPEAKS of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 12 That

our sons are like plants, grown in their youth, our daughters like corner-figures, carved model of a temple; 13 our granaries filled with good on good, our flocks of thousands, innumerable in our fields; 14 our solid leaders, there is no breaching and there is no going out, and there is no crying in our broad places! 15 Happy the people where thus it happens to him, happy the people where Yhwh is their God! Ps 145 1 Praise OF DAVID.

I will exalt you, my God THE KING, and I WILL BLESS your name forever and ever. 2 ALL I WILL BLESS you and I will praise your name forever and ever.

THE DAYS

3 Great

is Yhwh and highly to be praised, and to his greatness there is no limit. 4 Generation after generation extols your works and they declare your prowess. 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty and the story of your wonders, I wish to recite. 6 And they tell of your formidable power, and I want to recount to them your greatness. 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness, and they acclaim your righteousness. 8 Yhwh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and great in FAITHFULNESS. 9 Yhwh

is good to all and his compassion over all his works.

10 All

your works give thanks to you, O Yhwh, and YOUR FAITHFUL BLESS you. 11 They tell of the glory of your KINGDOM, and they SPEAK of your prowess, 12 to make known to the sons of Adam his prowess, and the glory and honour of his KINGDOM. 13 Your KINGDOM is a KINGDOM for all times and your empire for all generations of generations.

13b [God

is trustworthy in his words, and FAITHFUL in all his works.]

14 Yhwh

supports all who are falling and makes straight all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. 16 You open YOUR HAND and satisfy all the living at will. 17 Yhwh is righteous in all his ways and FAITHFUL in all his works. 18 Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He does the will of those who fear him, and he hears their cry and saves them. 20 Yhwh keeps all who love him and all the wicked he will exterminate. 21 MY MOUTH

will speak the praise of Yhwh and all flesh WILL BLESS his holy name forever and ever.

The Whole of the Third Subsequence (Ps 144–145)

621

Both psalms are “of David”. The first word of Ps 144, “blessed”, is repeated at the extremities and at the centre of the next psalm (145:1–2, 10, 21). In the same line, the two verbs “to sing” and “to play” for God at the centre of the first psalm (144:9) correspond in the following psalm to the long list of verbs of praise: “to praise” (145:2–3), “to extol”, “to declare”, “to recite”, “to tell”, “to recount”, “to proclaim”, “to acclaim” (145:4–7), “to tell”, “to speak”, “to make known” (145:10–12), “to speak the praise” (145:21). At the beginning of Ps 144, the Lord’s “faithfulness” is celebrated (144:2); the noun returns in 145:8, the adjective in 145:13b and 145:17. In 145:10 there are his “faithful” who bless God. In the central part of Ps 144, God “gives victory to kings” and “rescues David” (144:10); from the beginning of Ps 145 David exalts his God, “the King” (145:1) and God’s “kingdom” occurs four times at the centre of the psalm (145:10–13). This God is the one who “rescues” and “delivers” “from the hand of the sons of strangers” (144:7, 11), who “saves” and “keeps” them (145:19–20). The term “hand/s”, which appears four times in Ps 144 (verses 1, 7[2x], 11), is repeated in 145:16; it refers to God’s hand/s (144:7; 145:16), which saves and nourishes, to the hand/s of the wicked (144:7, 11) and, at the very beginning of the sequence, to that of the psalmist, whom God instructs for the battle. Human “days” are “like a shadow that passes by” (144:4); yet the psalmist will bless the Lord “all the days” of his life (145:2). INTERPRETATION Both psalms are placed in the mouth of the same David who also “blesses” his Lord (144:1 & 145:1). However, their tone is quite different. That can be seen from the very first lines. At the beginning of Ps 144 the first person singular pronouns predominate: “my Rock”, “my hands” and “my fingers”, and even more so in verse 2 with “my faithfulness and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield; in him I take refuge, he who subdues my people under me”. At the end of the psalm, the psalmist switches to the plural, but it is the first person plural: “our sons” and “our daughters”, “our granaries”, “our flocks”, “our fields”, “our leaders”, and everything ends with a double “Happy the people” (144:12–15). Everything is limited to Israel and its king. The others are “the sons of strangers” (144:7, 11) whose hand threatens the chosen people and at the beginning there is reference to “fight” and “battle” (144:1) and at the end to “our leaders” (144:14).

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The characteristic of the second psalm is even more apparent in the contrast with the first one. Right from the beginning the second person singular dominates: “I will exalt you [...] and bless your name forever and ever; all the days I will bless you and praise your name” (145:1–2). The focus is no longer on King David, but on God’s “kingdom” (145:10–13), and the psalmist addresses the divine “king” from the outset, “my God the king” (145:1). He does not only rule over Israel, but over all peoples. It is true that David speaks throughout, but his praise is accompanied by that of all the others: “Generation after generation extols your works and they declare your prowess” (145:4–7). The conclusion of the psalm combines in the same phrase the Hebrew psalmist and all mankind: “My mouth will speak the praise of Yhwh and all flesh will bless with his holy name” (145:21). The Lord’s “compassion” is “over all his works” (145:9). He “supports all who are falling”, he “satisfy all the living at will” (145:14–19). Certainly “the wicked” could not fail to be present (145:20), and be destroyed, but the focus is on “the sons of Adam” of all generations who receive the good news of the “prowess, and the glory and honour” of God’s kingdom, who give thanks to him and bless him with his “faithful” (145:10–13).

D. PRAISE BEYOND DEATH (PS 141–145) COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SEQUENCE The third sequence consists of five psalms which are organised into three subsequences. Each of the extreme subsequences comprises two psalms (Ps 141–142 and 144–145), while the central subsequence contains only one psalm (Ps 143):

O LORD, DELIVER ME O LORD,

I PRAY TO YOU AND I IMPLORE YOU FROM DEATH I BLESS YOU

Ps 141–142 Ps 143

AND I PRAISE YOU

Ps 144–145

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Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

1. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SUBSEQUENCES (PS 141–142 & 144–145) All four psalms are “of David”. The psalms of the last subsequence are more extensive than those of the first subsequence. The first two psalms are essentially supplications (141:1–4, 8–10; 142:2–8); they are called “prayers” (141:2 & 142:1). There are many imperatives and jussives (ten in Ps 141; five in the next psalm), without counting the verbs and nouns that describe the complaint, e.g., “I call you” (141:1), “toward you, Yhwh Adonai, my eyes” (141:8), “my voice to Yhwh”, “I cry out”, “I implore” (142:2), “I pour out my complaint before him”, “I declare my anguish before him” (142:3). On the contrary, the last two psalms are marked by blessing and praise: “Blessed be Yhwh my rock...” (144:1), “Happy the people...” (144:15). Psalm 144 still contains a supplication (at the centre, vv. 6–11); the last psalm is entirely “praise” (145:1). The contrast between the two subsequences is well marked by the opposition between the verbs of speech in the last two psalms: in Ps 142: “I cry out”, “I implore”, “I pour out my complaint”, “I declare”, “my breath faints within me” (142:2–4) and in the last psalm “I will exalt you”, “I will bless”, “I will praise”, “to be praised”, etc. (145:1–7).1 The same verb “to declare” is used in both psalms (142:3 & 145:4). It should be pointed out that the first subsequence ends with thanksgiving, shared by “the righteous”, as the fruit of liberation (142:9), thus ensuring the transition from supplication in the first subsequence to praise in the last one. We may also note: – In the first psalms of each subsequence, the double occurrence of “mouth” (141:3, 7; 144:8, 11) and “Rock” as the divine name of the one who punishes the unjust (141:6) and saves the oppressed (144:1); – The word “righteous” appears in 141:5; 142:8; 145:17 (to which should be added “righteousness” in 145:7); – The noun “hand/s” is found in 141:6 (and its synonym “palms” in 141:2), 144:7[2x], 8, 11 (as well as “right hand” twice in 144:8 and in 144:11), 145:16.

1

See p. 612.

The Whole of the Third Sequence (Ps 141–145) Ps 141 1 A psalm, OF DAVID. O Yhwh, I call you, hasten to me, give ear to my voice when I call to you; 2 let my prayer be established, incense before your face, lifting up of my PALMS, evening offering! 3 Set, O Yhwh, a guard for my MOUTH, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! 5 Let THE RIGHTEOUS strike me that is faithfulness and let him correct me, that is an oil of head, and do not let my head refuse, because my prayer is still among their wickedness. 6 They are cast down into the HANDS of the ROCK, their judges, and they have heard my sayings because they were delicious: 7 “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the MOUTH of Sheol.” 8 Yes, toward you, O Yhwh Adonai, my eyes, in you I take refuge, do not strip my soul. 9 Keep me from the HANDS of the trap that they set for me and from the snares of doers of iniquity; 10 let the wicked together fall into their nets, as for me, till I pass over.

Ps 142 1 A poem, OF DAVID, when he was in the cave, a prayer. 2 With my voice to Yhwh, I cry out, with my voice to Yhwh, I implore. 3 I pour out my complaint before him, I DECLARE my anguish before him. 4 When my breath faints within me, and it is you who know my way; in this path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 5 Look on the right hand and see, and there is no one for me who recognizes me. Shelter disappeared from me, there is no one who cares for my soul. 6 I cried out to you, O Yhwh, I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living! 7 Be attentive to my cry, because I am greatly debased. Deliver me from my persecutors, because they are stronger than I! 8 Bring my soul out from prison, that I MAY GIVE THANKS to your name; THE RIGHTEOUS shall make a circled around me, because you will do good to me.

625

Ps 144 1 OF DAVID. BLESSED be Yhwh my ROCK, who teaches my HAND to fight, my FINGERS to battle. 2 My faithfulness and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. 3 O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him? 4 The adam resembles a breath, his days like a shadow that is passing by. 5 O Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth your HANDS from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from the HAND of the sons of strangers 8 whose MOUTH speaks of nothing and the RIGHT HAND is a RIGHT HAND of perjury. 9 O God, I will sing a new song to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I will play to you, 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David from the sword of evil. 11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the HAND of the sons of strangers whose MOUTH speaks of nothing and the RIGHT HAND is a RIGHT HAND of perjury. 12 That our sons are like plants, grown in their youth, our daughters like corner-figures, carved model of a temple; 13 our granaries filled with good on good, our flocks of thousands, innumerable in our fields; 14 our solid leaders, there is no breaching and there is no going out, and there is no crying in our broad places! 15 Happy the people where thus it happens to him, happy the people where Yhwh is their God! Ps 145 1 PRAISE OF DAVID. I will exalt you, my God the king, and I will bless your name forever and ever. 2 All the days I will bless you and I will PRAISE your name forever and ever. 3 Great is Yhwh and highly to be praised, and to his greatness there is no limit. 4 Generation after generation extols your works and THEY DECLARE your prowess. 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty and the story of your wonders I want to recite. 6 And they tell of your formidable power and I want to recount to them your greatness. 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness and they acclaim YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 8 Yhwh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithfulness. 9 Yhwh is good to all and his compassion over all his works. 10 All your works GIVE THANKS to you, O Yhwh, and your faithful BLESS you. 11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom, and they speak of your prowess, 12 to make known to the sons of Adam his prowess, and the glory and honour of his kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all times and your empire for all generations of generations. 13b [God is trustworthy in his words and faithful in all his works.] 14 Yhwh supports all who are falling and makes straight all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. 16 You open your HAND and satisfy all the living at will. 17 Yhwh is RIGHTEOUS in all his ways and faithful in all his works. 18 Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He does the will of those who fear him, and he hears their cry and saves them. 20 Yhwh maintains all who love him and all the wicked he will exterminate. 21 My MOUTH will speak the PRAISE of Yhwh and all flesh WILL BLESS his holy name forever and ever.

626

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE FIRST TWO SUBSEQUENCES (PS 141–142 & PS 143) Ps 141 1 A psalm, OF DAVID. O Yhwh, I call you, HASTEN to me, GIVE EAR to my voice when I call to you; 2 let MY PRAYER be established, incense before your face, lifting up of my PALMS, evening offering! 3 Set, O Yhwh, a guard for my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! 5 Let THE RIGHTEOUS strike me (that is) faithfulness and let him correct me, that is an oil of head, and do not let my head refuse, because MY PRAYER is still among their wickedness. 6 They are cast down into the HANDS of the Rock, their judges, and they have heard my sayings because they were delicious: 7 “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” 8 Yes, toward you, O Yhwh Adonai, my eyes, in you I take refuge, do not strip my soul. 9 Keep me from the HANDS of the trap that they set for me and from the snares of doers of iniquity; 10 Let the wicked together fall into their nets, as for me, till I pass over. Ps 142 1 A poem, OF DAVID, when he was in the cave, a PRAYER. 2 With my voice to Yhwh, I cry out, with my voice to Yhwh, I implore. 3 I pour out my complaint before him, I declare my anguish before him. 4 When MY BREATH faints within me, and it is you who know my way; in this path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 5 Look on the right hand and see, and there is no one for me who recognizes me. Shelter disappeared from me, there is no one who cares for my soul. 6 I cried out to you, O Yhwh, I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living! 7 Be attentive to my cry, because I am greatly debased. Deliver me from my persecutors, because they are stronger than I! 8 Bring my soul out from prison, that I may give thanks to your name; THE RIGHTEOUS shall make a circled around me, because you will do good to me. Ps 143 1 A psalm, OF DAVID. O Yhwh, hear MY PRAYER, GIVE EAR to my supplications, in your truth answer me IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS; 2 and do not come into judgment with your servant, because no one living IS RIGHTEOUS before you. 3 Yes, the enemy pursues my soul, he crushes my life to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like the dead forever: 4 MY BREATH faints within me, my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old, I recall all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your HANDS: 6 I stretch out my HANDS to you, my soul like a thirsty land for you. Sela 7 MAKE HASTE, answer me, O Yhwh, MY BREATH is worn out; do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear your faithfulness in the morning, because in you I trust. Let me know the way I should go, because to you I lift up my soul; 9 deliver me from my enemies, O Yhwh, in you I take refuge; 10 teach me to do your will, because you are my God. YOUR good BREATH leads me on level ground. 11 For the sake of your name, O Yhwh, give me life IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, bring my soul out of anguish, 12 and in your faithfulness annihilate my enemies and destroy all the oppressors of my soul, because I am your servant.

Relationships between the three psalms: — each one is a “prayer” (141:2; 142:1; 143:1). — “Righteous” occurs in 141:5 and 142:8; “in your righteousness” is repeated at the extremities of the central psalm (143:1, 11), to which “is righteous” in 143:2 should be added. — Enemies are mentioned at the end of the first two psalms (141:9–10: “doers of iniquity”, “the wicked”; 142:7: “persecutors”) and at the extremities of Ps 143 (v. 3: “the enemy”; vv. 9, 12: “my enemies”, “all the oppressors”). Relationships between the extreme psalms: — at the beginning, “prayer” is accompanied by “give ear” (141:1 & 143:1). — “To haste” is repeated in 141:1 and 143:7. — “lifting up of my palms” is matched by “I stretch out my hands” (141:2 & 143:6); “hand/s” and “palms” occur in 141:2, 6, 9 and 143:5, 6). Relationships between the last two psalms: — “my breath” is repeated in 142:4 and 143:4, 7, 10; — “anguish” (142:3 & 144:11); — “bring my soul out from prison” (142:8) and “bring my soul out of anguish” (143:11) play the role of final terms.

The Whole of the Third Sequence (Ps 141–145)

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE LAST TWO SUBSEQUENCES (PS 143 & PS 144–145) Ps 143

1 A psalm, OF DAVID. O Yhwh, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications, in your truth answer me IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS; 2 and do not come into judgment with your servant, because ALL THE LIVING ARE NOT RIGHTEOUS before you. 3 Yes, the enemy pursues my soul, he crushes my life to the ground; he makes me

dwell in darkness like the dead forever: 4 My breath faints within me, my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old, I RECALL all your deeds, I MEDITATE on the works of your hands: 6 I stretch out my hands to you, my soul like a thirsty land for you. Sela 7 Make haste, answer me, O Yhwh, my breath is worn out; do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear your FAITHFULNESS in the morning, because in you I trust. Let me know the way I should go, because to you I lift up my soul; 9 deliver me from my enemies, O Yhwh, in you I take refuge; 10 teach me to do your will, because you are my God. Your good breath leads me on level ground. 11 For the sake of YOUR NAME, O Yhwh, give me life IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, bring my soul out of anguish, 12 and in your FAITHFULNESS annihilate my enemies and DESTROY all the oppressors of my soul, because I am your servant. Ps 144

1 OF DAVID. Blessed be Yhwh my rock, who teaches my hand to fight, my fingers to battle. 2 My FAITHFULNESS and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, who subdues

my people under me. 3 O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him? 4 The adam resembles a breath, his days like a shadow that is passing by. 5 O Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth your hands from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from the hand of the sons of strangers 8 whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 9 O God, I WILL SING a new song to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I WILL PLAY to you. 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David from the sword of evil. 11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of the sons of strangers whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 12 That our sons are like plants, grown in their youth, our daughters like corner-figures, carved model of a temple; 13 our granaries filled with good on good, our flocks of thousands, innumerable in our fields; 14 our solid leaders, there is no breaching and there is no going out, and there is no crying in our broad places. 15 Happy the people where thus it happens to him, happy the people where Yhwh is their God! Ps 145 1 PRAISE, OF DAVID. I WILL EXALT YOU, my God the king, and I WILL BLESS YOUR NAME forever and ever. 2 All the days I WILL BLESS YOU and I WILL PRAISE YOUR NAME forever and ever. 3 Great is Yhwh and highly to BE PRAISED, and to his greatness there is no limit. 4 Generation after generation EXTOLS your works and THEY DECLARE your prowess. 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty and the story of your wonders I WANT TO MEDITATE. 6 And THEY TELL of your formidable power and I WANT TO RECOUNT TO THEM your greatness. 7 THEY PROCLAIM the memory of your immense goodness and THEY ACCLAIM YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. 8 Yhwh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and great in FAITHFULNESS. 9 Yhwh is good to all and his compassion over all his works. 10 All your works, give thanks to you, O Yhwh, and your FAITHFUL bless you. 11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom, and they speak of your prowess, 12 to make known to the sons of Adam his prowess, and the glory and honour of his kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all times and your empire for all generations of generations. 13b [God is trustworthy in his words, and FAITHFUL in all his works.] 14 Yhwh supports all who are falling and makes straight all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy ALL THE LIVING at will. 17 Yhwh is RIGHTEOUS in all his ways and FAITHFUL in all his works. 18 Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He does the will of those who fear him, and he hears their cry and saves them. 20 Yhwh maintains all who love him and all the wicked he will DESTROY. 21 My mouth WILL SPEAK THE PRAISE of Yhwh and ALL FLESH WILL BLESS HIS HOLY NAME forever and ever.

Relationships between the three psalms: – The praise that fills the whole of Ps 145 is already found at the centre of the first two psalms (143:5 & 144:9); – “All you/his works” (143:5; 145:9, 10, 13b, 17); – “Faithfulness/faithful” (143:8, 12; 144:2; 145:8, 10, 13b, 17). Relationships between the extreme psalms: – Terms from the family of “righteousness” occur in Ps 143:1, 2, 11 and Ps 145:7; – “Your name” (143:11; 145:1, 2) and “his holy name” (145:21); – “To destroy” (143:12 & 145:20, in final terms); – “All the living” (143:2 & 145:16).

628

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

Relationships between the first two psalms: the term “servant” (143:12 & 144:10). SPECIFICITY OF THE CENTRAL SUBSEQUENCE (PS 143) All five psalms are “of David”. However, the psalm in the central subsequence differs from the other four because of the emphasis on the danger of death in which the psalmist finds himself: – “He crushes my life to the ground” (143:3); – “He makes me dwell in darkness like the dead forever” (143:3); – “My breath faints within me” (143:4); – “My breath is worn out” (143:7); – “I will be like those who go down to the pit” (143:7); – “Give me life” (143:11). In order to live, the psalmist asks in conclusion that his enemies might suffer the fate they had reserved for him, death: – “Annihilate my enemies” – “and destroy all the oppressors of my soul” (143:12). INTERPRETATION FROM THE CRY OF THE PRISON … The supplication rises from the depths of “the prison” where David is imprisoned (142:8) as he was in “the cave” of Engaddi (142:1). He is caught in the “snares”, “traps” and “nets” that “the doers of iniquity” have set to capture him. The enemy “crushes his life to the ground”, “makes him dwell in darkness like the dead forever” (143:3), he joins “those who go down to the pit” (143:7). Up to the centre of the sequence he only “calls” for help to his Lord. … TO THE PRAISE IN THE CITADEL OF THE KINGDOM Having touched the bottom of anguish (143:11), like Jonah the bottom of the “great waters” (144:7), the trap, the cave, the prison and the pit are transformed into a “fortress” and a “citadel” (144:2). What was closing in on David to put him to death becomes a protection for life. The “fortress”, the “citadel”, is called “my Rock”, “my Faithfulness” (144:1–2), “my God the King” (145:1–2). The place where David finds salvation and liberation is God’s “kingdom”, on which the last psalm of the sequence is strongly focused. For this reason, supplication can gradually give way to blessing (144:1; 145:21), thanksgiving (145:10), praise (145:1, 21).

The Whole of the Third Sequence (Ps 141–145)

629

Ps 141 1 A psalm, OF DAVID. O Yhwh, I call you, hasten to me, give ear to my voice when I call to you; 2 let my prayer be established, incense before your face, lifting up of my palms, evening offering! 3 Set, O Yhwh, a guard for my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! 5 Let the righteous strike me that is faithfulness and let him correct me, that is an oil of head, and do not let my head refuse, because my prayer is still among their wickedness. 6 They are cast down into the hands of the Rock, their judges, and they have heard my sayings because they were delicious: 7 “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” 8 Yes, toward you, O Yhwh Adonai, my eyes, in you I take refuge, do not strip my soul. 9 Keep me from the hands of the trap that they set for me and from the snares of doers of iniquity; 10 let the wicked together fall into their nets, as for me, till I pass over. Ps 142 1 A poem, OF DAVID, when he was in the cave, a prayer. 2 With my voice to Yhwh, I cry out, with my voice to Yhwh, I implore. 3 I pour out my complaint before him, I declare my anguish before him. 4 When my breath faints in me, and it is you who know my way; in this path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 5 Look on the right hand and see, and there is no one for me who recognizes me. Shelter disappeared from me, there is no one who cares for my soul. 6 I cried out to you, O Yhwh, I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living! 7 Be attentive to my cry, because I am greatly debased. Deliver me from my persecutors, because they are stronger than I! 8 Bring my soul out from prison, that I may give thanks to your name; the righteous shall make a circled around me, because you will do good to me. Ps 143 1 A psalm, OF DAVID. O Yhwh, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications, in your truth answer me in your righteousness; 2 and do not come into judgment with your servant, because no one living is righteous before you. 3 Yes, the enemy pursues my soul, HE CRUSHES MY LIFE TO THE GROUND; HE MAKES ME DWELL IN DARKNESS LIKE THE DEAD FOREVER: 4 MY BREATH FAINTS WITHIN ME, my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old, I recall all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands: 6 I stretch out my hands to you, my soul like a thirsty land for you. Sela 7 Make haste, answer me, O Yhwh, MY BREATH IS WORN OUT; do not hide your face from me or I will be like THOSE WHO GO DOWN TO THE PIT. 8 Let me hear your faithfulness in the morning, because in you I trust. Let me know the way I should go, because to you I lift up my soul; 9 deliver me from my enemies, O Yhwh, in you I take refuge; 10 teach me to do your will, because you are my God. Your good breath leads me on level ground. 11 For the sake of your name, O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE in your righteousness, bring my soul out of anguish, 12 and in your faithfulness ANNIHILATE my enemies and DESTROY all the oppressors of my soul, because I am your servant. Ps 144 1 OF DAVID. Blessed be Yhwh my rock, who teaches my hand to fight, my fingers to battle. 2 My faithfulness and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. 3 O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him? 4 The adam resembles a breath, his days like a shadow that is passing by. 5 O Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth your hands from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from the hand of the sons of strangers 8 whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 9 O God, I will sing a new song to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I will play to you, 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David from the sword of evil. 11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of the sons of strangers whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 12 That our sons are like plants, grown in their youth, our daughters like cornerfigures, carved model of a temple; 13 our granaries filled with good on good, our flocks of thousands, innumerable in our fields; 14 our solid leaders, there is no breaching and there is no going out, and there is no crying in our broad places. 15 Happy the people where thus it happens to him, happy the people where Yhwh is their God! Ps 145 1 Praise OF DAVID. I will exalt you, my God the king, and I will bless your name forever and ever. 2 All the days I will bless you and I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is Yhwh and highly to be praised, and to his greatness there is no limit. 4 Generation after generation extols your works and they declare your prowess. 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty and the story of your wonders, I want to meditate; 6 and they tell of your formidable power, and I want to recount to them your greatness. 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness, and they acclaim your righteousness. 8 Yhwh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithfulness. 9 Yhwh is good to all and his compassion over all his works. 10 All your works give thanks to you, O Yhwh, and your faithful bless you. 11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom, and they speak of your prowess, 12 to make known to the sons of Adam his prowess, and the glory and honour of his kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all times and your empire for all generations of generations. 13b [God is trustworthy in his words and faithful in all his works.] 14 Yhwh supports all who are falling and makes straight all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy all the living at will. 17 Yhwh is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his works. 18 Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He does the will of those who fear him, and he hears their cry and saves them. 20 Yhwh maintains all who love him and all the wicked he will exterminate. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of Yhwh and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.

IV. FROM THE VENOM OF THE SERPENT TO THE PRAISE OF THE RIGHTEOUS The Whole of the Fifth Section: Ps 135–145 The extreme sequences are formed of three subsequences arranged concentrically, each containing five psalms. The central sequence, on the other hand, comprises only one passage:

GIVE THANKS HOW TO SING I GIVE YOU THANKS,

KEEP ME

O LORD, DELIVER ME O LORD,

TO THE LORD,

FOR HE HAS SAVED US

IN EXILE? O LORD,

Ps 137

FOR YOU WILL SAVE ME

FROM THE VENOM OF THE VIPER

I PRAY TO YOU AND I IMPLORE YOU FROM DEATH I BLESS YOU

Ps 135–136

Ps 138–139

Ps 140

Ps 141–142 Ps 143

AND I PRAISE YOU

Ps 114–145

632

Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

COMPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SUBSEQUENCES (PS 135–136 & 144–145) Both subsequences are marked by praise. The first one begins with “Praise Yah” (135:1) and the other one with “Blessed be Yhwh” (144:1), which thus play the role of initial terms. However, especially the beginnings of the extreme psalms correspond to each other with the multiple repetitions of “praise” (135:1– 3 & 145:1–3, accompanied by “to play” in 135:3 and “to bless” in 145:1, 2). As belonging to the same semantic field, we should also mention “to give thanks” at the beginning of 136 and at the centre of 145 (v. 10). “To praise” in 135:1 and “praise” in 145:21 serve as extreme terms, likewise for the repetition of “the name of Yhwh” in 135:1 and “his holy name” in 145:21. The two occurrences of the Lord’s “name” at the beginning of the first psalm (135:1–3) are matched by two occurrences of the same “name” at the beginning of the last psalm (145:1–2). At the end of the last subsequence “you satisfy all the living at will” (145:16) recalls “he gives bread to all flesh” at the end of the first subsequence (136:25). The 26 occurrences of “forever” in Ps 136 are echoed by “forever” and “from generation to generation” in 135:13, “forever and ever”, “of all times” and “for all generations of generations” in 145:1, 2, 4, 13[2x], 21. The reference to “sons” and “daughters” in 144:12 also indicates the sequence of generations. The theme of kingship is found in the first two psalms (135:9–11; 136:15–20) and in the last one (145:11–13). “Faithfulness” found in all verses of Ps 136 is repeated in 144:2; 145:8 (together with “faithful” in 145:10, 13b, 17).

The Whole of the Fifth Section (Ps 135–145)

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Ps 135 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE THE NAME of Yhwh, PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, 2 who stand in the house of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 PRAISE Yah, yes he is good, Yhwh, PLAY to HIS NAME, yes he is sweet. 4 Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession. 5 Yes, as for me, I know that Yhwh is great, and our Master is above all gods. 6 All that Yhwh pleases he makes, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all depths, 7 causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth, he makes lightning for the rain, making the wind come out from his storehouses. 8 He struck down the first-born of Egypt from man to beast; 9 he sent signs and miracles into your midst, O Egypt, on PHARAOH and on all his servants. 10 He struck down many nations and killed valiant KINGS, 11 Sihon, KING of the Amorites, and Og, KING of Bashan, and all the KINGDOMS of Canaan. 12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people. 13 Yhwh, YOUR NAME forever! Yhwh, your memory from generation to generation! 14 Yes, Yhwh judges his people and he is moved for his servants. 15 The idols of the nations, gold and silver, made by the hands of man! 16 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 17 they have ears and do not hear, there is not even wind in their mouth. 18 Like them are those who make them, all those who trust in them. 19 O house of Israel, BLESS Yhwh, O house of Aaron, BLESS Yhwh, 20 O house of Levi, BLESS Yhwh, you who fear Yhwh, BLESS Yhwh. 21 BLESSED be Yhwh from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! PRAISE Yah! Ps 136 1 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes he is good, yes forever his faithfulness! 2 GIVE THANKS to the God of gods, yes forever his faithfulness! 3 GIVE THANKS to the Lord of lords, yes forever his faithfulness! 4 To him who made great wonders by himself alone, yes forever his faithfulness! 5 To him who made the heavens with wisdom, yes forever his faithfulness! 6 To him who established the earth upon the waters, yes forever his faithfulness! 7 To him who made the great lights, yes forever his faithfulness! 8 The sun to rule by day, yes forever his faithfulness! 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, yes forever his faithfulness! 10 To him who struck down Egypt in their firstborn, yes forever his faithfulness! 11 And brought Israel out from the midst of them, yes forever his faithfulness! 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, yes forever his faithfulness! 13 To him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts, yes forever his faithfulness! 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, yes forever his faithfulness! 15 And overthrew PHARAOH and his army in the Sea of Reeds, yes forever his faithfulness! 16 To him who led his people through the desert, yes forever his faithfulness! 17 To him who struck down great KINGS, yes forever his faithfulness! 18 And killed illustrious KINGS, yes forever his faithfulness! 19 Sihon, KING of the Amorites, yes forever his faithfulness! 20 And Og, KING of Bashan, yes forever his faithfulness! 21 And he gave their land as an inheritance, yes forever his faithfulness! 22 An inheritance to Israel his servant, yes forever his faithfulness! 23 He who in our lowliness has remembered us, yes forever his faithfulness! 24 And snatched us away from our oppressors, yes forever his faithfulness! 25 He gives bread to all flesh, yes forever his faithfulness! 26 GIVE THANKS to the God of the heavens, yes forever his faithfulness! […] Ps 144 1 Of David. BLESSED be Yhwh my rock, who teaches my hand to fight, my fingers to battle. 2 My faithfulness and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. 3 O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him? 4 The adam resembles a breath, his days like a shadow that is passing by. 5 O Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth your hands from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from the hand of the sons of strangers 8 whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 9 O God, I will sing a new song to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I WILL PLAY to you. 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David from the sword of evil. 11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of the sons of strangers whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 12 That our sons are like plants, grown in their youth, our daughters like cornerfigures, carved model of a temple; 13 our granaries filled with good on good, our flocks of thousands, innumerable in our fields; 14 our solid leaders, there is no breaching and there is no going out, and there is no crying in our broad places. 15 Happy the people where thus it happens to him, happy the people where Yhwh is their God! Ps 145 1 PRAISE of David. I will exalt you, my God the king, and I WILL BLESS YOUR NAME forever and ever. 2 All the days I WILL BLESS you and I WILL PRAISE YOUR NAME forever and ever. 3 Great is Yhwh and highly to BE PRAISED, and to his greatness there is no limit. 4 Generation after generation extols your works and they declare your prowess. 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty and the story of your wonders, I want to meditate. 6 And they tell of your formidable power, and I want to recount to them your greatness. 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness, and they acclaim your righteousness. 8 Yhwh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithfulness. 9 Yhwh is good to all and his compassion over all his works. 10 All your works GIVE THANKS to you, O Yhwh, and your faithful BLESS you. 11 They tell of the glory of your KINGDOM, and they speak of your prowess, 12 to make known to the sons of Adam his prowess, and the glory and honour of his KINGDOM. 13 Your KINGDOM is a KINGDOM for all times, and your EMPIRE for all generations of generations. 13b [God is trustworthy in his words, and faithful in all his works.] 14 Yhwh supports all who are falling and makes straight all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy all the living at will. 17 Yhwh is righteous in all his ways, and faithful in all his works. 18 Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He does the will of those who fear him, and he hears their cry and saves them. 20 Yhwh maintains all who love him and all the wicked he will exterminate. 21 My mouth will speak the PRAISE of Yhwh and all flesh WILL BLESS HIS HOLY NAME forever and ever.

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE MEDIAN SUBSEQUENCES (PS 138–139 & 141–142) Ps 138 1 Of David. I give thanks to you with all my heart, in front of the gods I sing psalms to you; 2 I bow down toward the temple of your holiness and I give thanks to your name, for your faithfulness and your loyalty, because you have made great above all your name your word. 3 On the day I CALLED, you answered me, you awakened strength in my soul. 4 They give thanks to you, O Yhwh, all the kings of the earth, because they have heard the words of your mouth; 5 and they celebrate the WAYS of Yhwh because great is the glory of Yhwh! 6 because Yhwh is exalted and he sees the lowly and the proud he KNOWS from far away. 7 If I walk in the midst of anguish, you WILL GIVE ME LIFE to the fury of my enemies; you will send your hand, and will save me with your right hand. 8 Yhwh will go to the end for me; Yhwh, your faithfulness forever. The works of your hands do not abandon. Ps 139 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O Yhwh, you examine me and you KNOW; 2 it is you, you KNOW my laying down and my rising up. You understand my thought from afar. 3 You sense my walking and my resting, and you are acquainted with all my WAYS. 4 Because there is not yet a word on my tongue, behold, O Yhwh, you KNOW it all; 5 you hem me in, behind and before, and you have laid your palm upon me. 6 Such KNOWLEDGE is too wonderful for me, incomprehensible, I am not able for it. 7 Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your face? 8 If I ascend the heavens, there you are, and I stretch out in Sheol, behold you. 9 Let me take the wings of the dawn, and let me dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, 10 even there your hand leads me and your right hand holds me. 11 And I said, “Oh, let the darkness cover me!” but the night becomes light around me. 12 Even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night shines as the day. Like the darkness so the light! 13 Because it was you, you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb; 14 I give you thanks because terribly, I am wonderfully made, wonderful are your works, and my soul KNOWS them well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you, when I was fashioned in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 My embryo, your eyes SAW it—and in your book all of them are written, the days that were fixed—and to him one of them. 17 And to me, how difficult are your thoughts, O El, how immense are their substances! 18 I count them, they are more than sand; I come to an end, and I am still with you. 19 If you would slay, O Eloah, the wicked, men of blood would turn aside from me! 20 They who speak of you with intrigue, your adversaries take you for nothing. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Yhwh, and abhor those who oppose you? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred, they have become my enemies. 23 Examine me, O El, and KNOW my heart, test me and KNOW my concerns; 24 and SEE if there is a WAY of affliction for me and lead me in the WAY of eternity. […]

Ps 141 1 A psalm, of David. Yhwh, I CALL YOU, hasten to me, give ear to my voice when I CALL to you; 2 let my prayer be established, incense before your face, lifting up of my palms, evening offering! 3 Set, O Yhwh, a guard for my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! 5 Let the righteous strike me that is faithfulness and let him correct me, that is an oil of head, and do not let my head refuse, because my prayer is still among their wickedness. 6 They are cast down into the hands of the Rock, their judges, and they have heard my sayings because they were delicious: 7 “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” 8 Yes, toward you, O Yhwh Adonai, my eyes, in you I take refuge, do not strip my soul. 9 Keep me from the hands of the trap that they set for me and from the snares of doers of iniquity; 10 let the wicked together fall into their nets, as for me, till I pass over. Ps 142 1 A poem, of David, when he was in the cave, a prayer. 2 With my voice to Yhwh, I cry out, with my voice to Yhwh, I implore. 3 I pour out my complaint before him, I declare my anguish before him. 4 When my breath faints in me, and it is you WHO KNOW my WAY; in this path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 5 Look on the right hand and SEE, and there is no one for me who recognizes me. Shelter disappeared from me, there is no one who cares for my soul. 6 I cried out to you, O Yhwh, I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the LIVING! 7 Be attentive to my cry, because I am greatly debased. Deliver me from my persecutors, because they are stronger than I! 8 Bring my soul out from prison, that I may give thanks to your name; the righteous shall make a circled around me, because you will do good to me.

The verb “to call” is found in the initial terms of the subsequences (138:3 & 141:1). In extreme terms, the two occurrences of “your name” (138:2 & 142:8). In the final terms of the extreme psalms, “you will give me life” (138:7) and “my portion in the land of the living” (142:6). In final terms of the four psalms, the mention of “enemies” (138:7), “the wicked”, “adversaries”, “those who hate”, “those who oppose” and “enemies”

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(139:19–21); “doers of iniquity” (141:9; already found in v. 4); “persecutors” (142:7). “To know” – “knowledge” and “to see” occur in 138:6; 139:1, 2, 4, 6, 14, 16, 23[2x], 24; 142:4, 5. Finally, the occurrences of the “way/s” should be noted (138:5; 139:3, 24[2x]; 142:4). RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL SUBSEQUENCES (PS 137 & PS 143) Ps 137 1 By the rivers of BABYLON there we sat down and wept, WE REMEMBERED Zion; 2 on the poplars in the midst of it we had hung our harps. 3 Because there they asked us, OUR CAPTORS, for words of song, and OUR JAILERS, for joy: “Sing for us a song of Zion.” 4 How could we sing a song of Yhwh in a foreign land? 5 If I FORGET YOU, O Jerusalem, let my RIGHT HAND FORGET ITSELF! 6 Let my tongue stick to my palate if I DO NOT REMEMBER you, if I do not bring Jerusalem up to the summit of my joy! 7 REMEMBER, O Yhwh, against THE SONS OF EDOM, the Day of Jerusalem, when they said, “Strip it! Strip it to the foundations in it!” 8 DAUGHTER OF BABYLON, the devastated one, happy the one who will pay to you the works that you made to us! 9 Happy the one who will seize and dash your infants against the rock! […] Ps 143 1 A psalm, of David. O Yhwh, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications, in your truth answer me in your righteousness; 2 and do not come into judgment with your servant, because no one living is righteous before you. 3 Yes, THE ENEMY pursues my soul, he crushes my life to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like the dead forever: 4 My breath faints within me, my heart within me is desolate. 5 I REMEMBER the days of old, I recall all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your HANDS: 6 I stretch out my HANDS to you, my soul like a thirsty land for you. Sela 7 Make haste, answer me, O Yhwh, my breath is worn out; do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear your faithfulness in the morning, because in you I trust. Let me know the way I should go, because to you I lift up my soul; 9 deliver me from MY ENEMIES, O Yhwh, in you I take refuge; 10 teach me to do your will, because you are my God. Your good breath leads me on level ground. 11 For the sake of your name, O Yhwh, give me life in your righteousness, bring my soul out of anguish, 12 and in your faithfulness annihilate MY ENEMIES and destroy ALL THE OPPRESSORS of my soul, because I am your servant.

The psalmist faces his enemies: “Babylon” (137:1), “our captors”, “our jailers” (137:3), “the sons of Edom” (137:7), “daughter of Babylon” (137:8); “enemy/s” (143:3, 9, 12), “all the oppressors” (143:12). “Happy the one who will seize and dash your infants against the rock” (137:9; what the enemies of Jerusalem had done to her) is matched by “the enemy pursues my soul, he crushes my life to the ground” (143:3). In final terms, the demands for punishment against the enemy (137:9 & 143:12). The psalmist “remembers” (137:1, 5[2x], 6, 7; 143:5). It is also possible to note that “my right hand” in 137:5 is taken over by “hand” in 143:5, 6.

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE THREE CENTRAL PSALMS (PS 137; PS 140; PS 143) Enemies are massively present in these three psalms. At the top of the list the only ones who are identified, “Babylon” (137:1, 8), accompanied by “the sons of Edom” (137:7); they are “our captors”, “our jailers” (137:3). They are particularly abundant in the central psalm of the whole sequence: “violent man” (140:2, 5, 12), “evil man” (140:2), “who meditate evil things”, “foment wars” (140:3), “serpent” and “viper” (140:4), “the wicked” (140:5, 9), “those who surround me” (140:10), “a man of tongues” (140:12). In Ps 143 they are called three times “enemy/enemies” (143:3, 9, 12) and also, as if to conclude the series, “all the oppressors of my soul” (143:12). The evil that the psalmist must face is the exile in Babylon in the first of the three psalms, but he does not forget “the sons of Edom” who helped the invader to take Jerusalem (Ps 137). In the final psalm (Ps 143) it is death that is present in many forms: “the enemy [...] crushes my life to the ground”, “he makes me dwell in darkness like the dead forever” (143:3), “my breath faints within me” (143:4), “my breath is worn out” (143:7), “I will be like those who go down to the pit” (143:7), “give me life” (143:11). As for the central psalm of the whole sequence (Ps 140), it is the only one where the “serpent” and the “viper” and their “venom” appear (140:4). Not only do they bring death, but they have in common with the “trap” (140:5–6) that they hide themselves in order to better strike. In this psalm “tongue” (140:4, 12; already in 137:6) and “lips” (140:4, 10) appear twice. The death of the enemies is what the psalmist requests of the Lord at the end of each psalm (137:8–9; 140:11–12; 143:12) as a just punishment for what the enemies have done to their victim. Note that in the last two psalms it is the psalmist who speaks in the first person singular, while in Ps 137 the plural of the exiles intones, before giving way to the singular in 137:5. The first psalm contains only one imperative (137:7), but the two final macarisms can be also considered as requests. In contrast, the last two psalms are full of volitive, imperative and jussive forms, thirteen in Ps 140: “liberate me”, “defend me” (140:2), “keep me”, “defend me” (140:5), “give ear” (140:7), “do not grant”, “is not fulfilled” (140:9), “it covers” (140:10), “let descend”, “let him cast them”, “no more to rise” (140:11), “do not let be established”, “let chase” (140:12). As for the last psalm, there are sixteen of them (143:1[3x], 2, 7[3x], 8[2x], 9, 10[2x], 11[2x], 12[2x]). The central psalm is the only one that ends with thanksgiving that the righteous will pronounce because of God’s salvation (140:13).

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Ps 137 1 By the rivers of BABYLON there we sat down and wept, we remembered Zion; 2 on the poplars in the midst of it we had hung our harps. 3 Because there they asked us, OUR CAPTORS, for words of song, and OUR JAILERS for joy: “Sing for us a song of Zion.” 4 How

could we sing a song of Yhwh in a foreign land?

5 If

I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget itself! 6 Let my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, if I do not bring Jerusalem up to the summit of my joy! 7 REMEMBER, O Yhwh, against THE SONS OF EDOM, the Day of Jerusalem, when they said, “Strip it! Strip it to the foundations in it!” 8 DAUGHTER OF BABYLON, the devastated one, happy the one who will pay to you the works that you made to us! 9 Happy the one who will seize and dash your infants against the rock!

[…] Ps 140

1 For

the music director, a psalm, of David. 2 LIBERATE ME, O Yhwh, from EVIL MAN, from VIOLENT MAN DEFEND ME, 3 WHO MEDITATE EVIL THINGS in the heart; all the day they FOMENT WARS , 4 they sharpen their tongue like a SERPENT, the venom of VIPER under their lips. Selâ 5 KEEP ME, O Yhwh, FROM THE HANDS of THE WICKED, from VIOLENT MAN DEFEND ME, who meditate to overthrow my steps; 6 the ARROGANT hide a trap for me, and with cords they spread a net, by the side of the way they set snares for me. Selâ 7 I said to Yhwh: “You are My God! GIVE EAR, O Yhwh, to the voice of MY SUPPLICATIONS. 8 O Yhwh Adonai, strength of my salvation, you cover my head in the day of battle. 9 DO NOT GRANT, O Yhwh, the desires of THE WICKED, his design IS NOT FULFILLED, lest they exalt themselves. Selâ 10 The head of THOSE WHO SURROUND ME, IT COVERS the pain of their lips. 11 LET DESCEND on them coals of fire, and LET HIM CAST THEM into the abyss, and NO MORE TO RISE. 12 DO NOT LET A MAN OF TONGUE BE ESTABLISHED in the earth, LET evil CHASE THE VIOLENT MAN with double blows!” 13 I know that YHWH WILL MAKE the cause of the afflicted, the judgment of the poor. 14 Yes, THE RIGHTEOUS shall give thanks to your name, the saints shall dwell before YOUR FACE.

[…] Ps 143 1 A psalm, of David. O Yhwh, HEAR my prayer, GIVE EAR to MY SUPPLICATIONS, in your truth ANSWER ME in YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS; 2 and DO NOT COME into judgment with your servant, because no one living IS RIGHTEOUS before you. 3 Yes, THE ENEMY pursues my soul, he crushes my life to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like the dead forever: 4 My breath faints within me, my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old, I recall all your deeds, I meditate on THE WORKS of YOUR HANDS: 6 I stretch out MY HANDS to you, my soul like a thirsty land for you. Sela 7 MAKE HASTE, ANSWER ME, O Yhwh, my breath is worn out; DO NOT HIDE YOUR FACE from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 LET ME HEAR your faithfulness in the morning, because in you I trust. LET ME KNOW the way I should go, because to you I lift up my soul; 9 DELIVER ME from MY ENEMIES, O Yhwh, in you I take refuge; 10 TEACH ME to MAKE your will, because you are my God. Your good breath LEADS ME on level ground. 11 For the sake of your name, O Yhwh, GIVE ME LIFE in YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, BRING my soul OUT of anguish, 12 and in your faithfulness ANNIHILATE MY ENEMIES and DESTROY ALL THE OPPRESSORS of my soul, because I am your servant.

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THE WHOLE OF THE FIFTH SECTION The semantic field of speech – “Mouth” occurs 7 times: 135:16, 17; 138:4; 141:3, 7; 144:8, 11; 145:21; – “Tongue” 4 times: 137:6; 139:4; 140:4, 12; – “Lips” 3 times: 140:4, 10; 141:3; – “Word/s” 6 times: dābār (137:3; 141:4; 145:13b); ’imrâ (138:2, 4); millâ (139:4). The most remarkable fact is that the following terms occur 10 times: – “To praise/praise” (135:1[3x], 3, 21; 142:8; 145:1, 2, 3, 21); – “To give thanks” (136:1, 2, 3, 26; 138:1, 2, 4; 139:14; 140:14; 145:10); – “To bless” (135:19[2x], 20[2x], 21; 144:1; 145:1, 2, 10, 21). CONTEXT THE SERPENT’S VENOM (GEN 3) The central psalm of the section (140:4, “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent, the venom of viper under their lips”) reminds us of the serpent of Gen 3 whose word, like a venom, poisoned the relationship between man and God. THE TONGUE (JAS 3) The whole central sequence of the Letter of James (Jas 3:1–4:3) is devoted to the word that can bring life but can also kill. From the same “mouth” comes blessing and cursing. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6 The tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species. 8 but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. (Jas 3:5–10)1

1

See T. KOT, La lettre de Jacques, 121–152.

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INTERPRETATION THE FASCINATION WITH THE SERPENT WHOSE VENOM KILLS The section focuses on the figure of the serpent, the venom of the viper (Ps 140:4). This seems to be the key to the reading of the whole. In any case, the serpent fascinates the reader who might tend, like the psalmist, to see only him. In the central psalm, enemies of all kinds abound, forming a truly terrible knot of vipers (140:1–6), and that is the reason why the supplication is so dramatic (140:7–12). The enemies, however, are not all coiled up at the heart of the section. They are present in each of the eleven psalms it contains. First of all, at the two extremities of the way of the exodus, Egypt, “Pharaoh” and “all his servants” (135:9; 136:10, 15) with the kings of the Amorites and of Bashan, great kings, “valiant” and “illustrious” ones and “all the kingdoms of Canaan” (135:10–11 & 136:17–20). This is followed by “Babylon”, its “captors” and “jailers”, with “the sons of Edom” (137:1, 3, 7), and then all the anonymous “enemies” of the psalmist (138:7), who are also “adversaries” and “enemies” of God himself (139:19–22). The same is true in the second part of the section. They are “the wicked”, the “doers of iniquity” who set “traps” to catch the psalmist in their “nets” (141:4, 9–10), they are “persecutors” who, like Saul, pursue the righteous to kill him (142:7). They are those who, at the centre of the second side (143), are again numerous and are after his life, those against whom David will have to fight in order to be delivered, with God’s help, from the “sword of evil” (144:10); they are those whom the last psalm gathers together in the final expression “all the wicked” (145:20). THE PRAISE OF THE LORD WHOSE NAME GIVES LIFE The omnipresence of the enemies who surround the righteous and threaten him with death could result in the main character of the story being forgotten. The serpent will not have the last word. The central psalm, full of violence and evil, does not stop at supplication. It ends with a profession of faith that could not be firmer: “I know that Yhwh will make the cause of the afflicted […] Yes, the righteous shall give thanks to your name, the saints shall dwell before your face” (140:13–14). Therefore, thanksgiving for deliverance resonates at the heart of the section, not just as a promise, but as an unshakeable certainty. The serpent will not have the last word, nor the first one, either. It begins with a solemn call to praise and blessing (135:1–3, 19–21), to thanksgiving (136:1–3, 26). And the psalmist will set the example, so to speak (138:1–2; 139:14), which will not fail to involve “all the kings of the earth”, because, like him, they have “heard the words of his mouth” and seen his ways (138:4–6). Only in the central psalm of the first side (137) there is no call to praise or thanksgiving. The reason is that in the Babylonian exile no song could be sung, especially when it was requested by those who had kidnapped the children of Zion and held them in their prison. The same is true of the second side, where in the central psalm (143) only the

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supplication is heard. This was already the case in the first psalm (141), which only takes up the complaint of the central psalm (140). And we have to wait until the end of the next psalm (142:8) to hear again a promise of praise: “Bring my soul out of prison that I may give thanks to your name”, immediately extended to others: “the righteous shall make a circled around me”. The penultimate psalm is still largely a psalm of supplication, although the psalmist begins with a blessing of the Lord, his “Rock” (144:1), and promises at its centre to sing for him “a new song” and to play for him (144:9). The final psalm is one long praise, built on the alphabetical acrostic that closes the whole section by referring to the two initial psalms of praise. THE RISK OF SPEECH On the one hand, there is the word that kills, the word of perjured enemies, and on the other hand, the word that pleads for deliverance and gives thanks for the salvation received. However, if the praise is communicative, if the righteous unite with the psalmist in thanksgiving (140:14; 142:8), if they will even be joined by “all the kings of the earth” (138:4–5), the venom of the evil word is contagious: it risks contaminating the persecuted righteous himself. For this reason, immediately after the paroxysmal threat of the central psalm, the psalmist implores the Lord to “set a guard” over his “mouth”, to “keep watch over the door” of his “lips”, not to “incline” his “heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of iniquity” (141:3–4). No collusion with the wicked is possible. Even the songs of Zion, which are the songs of Yhwh, cannot be sung for the mere pleasure of jailers (137:3–6). The word is sacred and cannot suffer any sacrilege, neither to be abused nor to be perverted.

THE GREAT DOXOLOGY The Final Section Ps 146–150

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

The last five psalms of the Psalter have a double function. At the same time, they constitute the doxological conclusion of the Fifth Book and of the whole Psalter. It is as if a final doxology of five psalms had been necessary for the five books of the Psalter. The section consists of five psalms organised into three sequences. The first sequence is formed of two psalms, and similarly the last one, while the central sequence has only one psalm. JACOB IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD, THE WHOLE CREATION

IS INVITED

ISRAEL IS INVITED TO DANCE AND TO PLAY

CREATOR AND SAVIOUR

TO PRAISE THE LORD FOR THE LORD

Ps 146–147 Ps 148 Ps 149–150

I. JACOB IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD, CREATOR AND SAVIOUR The First Sequence: Ps 146–147 1. PSALM 146 TEXT Praise Yah! Praise, O my soul, Yhwh! I will praise Yhwh in (all) my life, I will play to my God in (all) my duration. 3 Do not trust in princes, in a son of Adam in whom there is no salvation: 4 His breath goes out, he returns to his adamah. On that day his plans perish. 5 Happy who has the God of Jacob for his help, his hope in Yhwh his God: 6 He makes heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He is the one who keeps faithfulness forever. 7 He makes justice to the oppressed, he gives bread to the hungry, Yhwh liberates prisoners. 8 Yhwh opens (the eyes) of the blind, Yhwh makes straight those who are bowed down, Yhwh loves the righteous. 9 Yhwh keeps the strangers, the orphan and the widow he will restore, but the way of the wicked he will twist. 10 Yhwh reigns forever, your God, O Zion, from generation to generation! Praise Yah! 1 2

THE PARTICIPLES From verse 6 to 9a there are nine participles (in italics above). The first one (6a) belongs to the canonical phrase, “he makes heaven and earth”, which qualifies the name “Yhwh” (see Ps 115:15; 121:2; 124:8; 134:2). The second one, having the article, is understood as a nominal phrase: “(He is) the keeper of faithfulness forever” (6c).1 The subsequent participles mark the first seven of a list of nine divine actions (7–9), the last two of which are in the incomplete form. These are nominal phrases where the participle is translated into the present tense (usually). To indicate the difference between the first seven and the last two, the latter are rendered, for lack of anything better, as future tenses. THE ORDER OF VERSES 7–9 Many thought that the order of this long enumeration of the nine actions of God is not logical and thought to improve it by bringing 8c closer to 9c, that is, the member that deals with “the righteous” and the member that speaks of “the wicked”. The Septuagint did not consider it necessary to change the order of the Masoretic text.

1

In this way Vesco, 1346, who translates: “He is the one who keeps truth forever”.

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

6C: “LOYALTY” The meaning of ’ĕmet depends on the context. In Gen 42:16 it means “truth”: “How often shall I adjure you to tell me nothing but the truth, in the name of Yhwh?” (1 Kgs 22:16; see also Gen 42:16; Zech 8:16). Elsewhere it means “loyalty”. The term is often used in the canonical couple ḥesed we’ĕmet. This expression belongs to the vocabulary of the covenant. In Gen 47:29, at the moment of death, Jacob makes his son Joseph promise to respect his last wish: “If I have found favour in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and be faithful and loyal to me: do not bury me in Egypt” (see also Josh 2:14). The commitment is obviously reciprocal: “All the paths of Yhwh are faithfulness and loyalty to those who keep his covenant and his orders” (Ps 25:10; see also Ps 40:11–12; 86:15; 98:3; 138:2). This is the only time that ’ĕmet is the complement of “to keep”. However, “to keep” often governs ḥesed, “faithfulness” (1 Kgs 3:6; Hos 12:7; Ps 89:29) or berît, “covenant” (Exod 19:5; Deut 7:12; 1 Kgs 11:11; etc.); it also happens that the verb has several almost synonymous complements, such as berît and ḥesed (Deut 7:9; Neh 1:5; 9:32; Dan 9:4; etc.). Rashi comments: “He fulfils, he keeps the truth of his promise.”2 COMPOSITION Some do not even venture to propose an outline of the psalm;3 because it is far from being obvious. However, most agree that verses 1–2 are an introductory invitatory 4 and 10 the conclusion;5 similarly, the antithesis between the warning not to trust in the human being of 3–4 and the exhortation-benediction of the one who trusts in the Lord is noted by almost all. However, the final limit of this unit is not unanimous: some place it in 5b,6 others in 6a,7 in 6c,8 in 7a,9 and even in 8b.10 Thus, the beginning of the hymnal part that follows varies greatly; as for its final limit, many place it in 9, but others also include verse 10, just before the final Alleluia.11

2 M.I. GRUBER, Rashi’s Commentary on Psalms, 755. The editor comments in a note: “Here Rashi tries to draw attention both to the meaning of ’ĕmet in its present context, i.e., that of “promise”, and to the usual meaning of ’ĕmet in late Hebrew, i.e., that of “truth”. 3 Thus Kraus and Dahood. 4 Mannati (IV, 271) in contrast, extends the invitation to verse 5. 5 Thus Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 612. 6 Girard, III, 508–511. 7 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 849–850. 8 Weiser, 830. 9 Lorenzin, 536–537. 10 J.S. KSELMAN, “Psalm 146 in its Context”. This author sees a concentric composition of the psalm around 5–8b. 11 Ravasi, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, Girard followed by Vesco.

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The psalm comprises seven parts. At the extremities two Hallelujahs are considered the extreme parts. The second and penultimate parts are brief, with only one segment: invitatory (1b–2) and final acclamation (10ab). The third and fifth parts are the most extensive (3–6b & 7–9). At the centre (6c), a part the size of a single segment. THE SECOND PART (1B–2) + 1b PRAISE, = 2 I WILL PRAISE = I will play

O my soul, YHWH TO MY GOD

YHWH: in (all) my life, in (all) my duration.

The trimember is of ABB’ type: after inviting himself to praise the Lord, the psalmist promises to do so in two completely parallel members. THE THIRD PART (3–6B) – 3 DO NOT TRUST – in A SON 4

= It goes out, = he returns

IN PRINCES, OF ADAM

in who there is no SALVATION:

his breath, to his ADAMAH.

··········································································································

ON THE DAY,

THAT ONE,

WILL PERISH

HIS PLANS!

·········································································································· 5

+ Happy + HIS HOPE = 6 He makes = the sea

who (has) GOD IN YHWH

OF JACOB

heaven and all

and EARTH, that (is) in them.

HIS

for HIS HELP,

GOD:

The extreme pieces (3–4b & 6–6b) are parallel. Their first members oppose each other: While in 3 the psalmist invites those he addresses not to put their trust in “princes” who are only “sons of Adam”, in 5 he declares “happy” the one who trusts in God. “Salvation” and “help” found at the end of the members (3b & 5a) are synonymous. The second members are complementary: 4 speaks of the end of the “son of Adam”, his return to his “Adamah”, that is to say his death, 6 on the contrary refers to the origin by recalling the creation. “Earth” (6a) refers to “adamah” (4b; which could be rendered by “humus”, which would correspond to “human”, “Adam”). At the centre (4c), a unimember that gives the definitive reason why it would be futile to put one's trust in the powerful.

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

THE FIFTH PART (7–9) : 7 HE MAKES : HE GIVES - YHWH : 8 YHWH : YHWH : YHWH - 9 YHWH : the orphan : but the way

justice bread LIBERATES

to the oppressed, to the hungry, prisoners;

OPENS (the eyes) MAKES STRAIGHT LOVES

of the blind, those who are bowed down, the righteous;

KEEPS

the strangers,

and the widow of the wicked

HE WILL RESTORE, HE WILL TWIST.

The composition of this part is not so evident. It would be possible to group together in one piece the five members that begin with the name “Yhwh”, especially since in this group all the participles occupy the second place, whereas in the first two members (7ab) they are at the beginning and in the last two members (9bc) the verbs are at the end. However, it seems reasonable to follow the division of the Masoretic text, which organizes these nine members into three trimembers. In fact, the last three members include “the strangers” and “the widow and the orphan”, who are often mentioned together (Exod 22:20–21; Jer 7:6; 22:3; Ezek 22:7; Ps 94:6). “The blind” and “those who are bowed down” are physically disabled; in Ps 38 they are mentioned together among the psalmist’s physical afflictions: “I am bend, I bowed down, excessively” (38:7), “and the light of my eyes, they also are not with me” (38:11). At the end of the last two segments (146:8c, 9c) “the righteous” and “the wicked” are opposed. THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM At the extremities, the same Hallelujah translated as “Praise God”. The second and penultimate parts (1b–2 & 10ab) are related. The first one is addressed to “my soul” (1b), the last one to “Zion” (10b); that is, at the beginning to the first person of the psalmist, then to the whole community; the two vocatives are in initial position. The names “Yhwh” and “my/your God” are taken up, and the complements with which the two members of 2 and 10 end are synonymous: “in all my life”, “in all my duration” and “forever”, “from generation to generation”. The first two apply to man in the person of the psalmist, the last two to the Lord. It is possible to understand that the penultimate part gives the reason for the praise to which the psalmist invites in the second part.

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PRAISE YAH! O my soul, YHWH MY GOD

PRAISE, 2 I WILL PRAISE I will play to

YHWH! IN ALL MY LIFE, IN ALL MY DURATION.

3

Do not trust in princes, in a son of Adam in whom there is no salvation: 4

His breath goes out, he returns to his adamah. ···················································

ON THAT DAY

his plans perish.

··················································· THE GOD OF JACOB for his help, YHWH HIS GOD:

5

Happy who has his hope in

6

HE MAKES heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He is the one who KEEPS

loyalty

FOREVER.

7

HE MAKES justice to the oppressed, he gives bread to the hungry, YHWH liberates prisoners. 8

YHWH opens (the eyes) of the blind, YHWH makes straight those who are bowed down, YHWH love the righteous.

9

YHWH KEEPS the strangers, the orphan and the widow he will restore, but the way of the wicked he will twist. 10

Reigns

YOUR GOD,

YHWH O Zion,

FOREVER, FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION!

PRAISE YAH!

The third and fifth parts (3–6b & 7–9), each of them has nine members. One opposes those who would put their trust in “the princes” who are only “sons of Adam” (3) and those who put their hope in “the God of Jacob”, “Yhwh his God” (5), the other part opposes “the righteous” (8c) and “the wicked” (9c), that is, the oppressors and their victims. The two parts are complementary: One describes the conduct of the person who puts his or her trust in the powerful or in God, the other lists at length God’s actions towards one another. The “salvation” and

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“help” of the third part (3b & 5a) are detailed at length in each of the nine members of the fifth part. The two occurrences of “he makes” (6a & 7a) act as median terms at a distance. 1

PRAISE YAH! O my soul, YHWH MY GOD

PRAISE, 2 I WILL PRAISE I will play to

YHWH! IN ALL MY LIFE, IN ALL MY DURATION.

3

Do not trust in princes, in a son of Adam in whom there is no salvation: 4

His breath goes out, he returns to his adamah. ····················································

ON THAT DAY

his plans perish.

···················································· THE GOD OF JACOB for his help, YHWH HIS GOD:

5

Happy who has his hope in

6

HE MAKES heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He is the one who KEEPS

loyalty

FOREVER.

7

HE MAKES justice to the oppressed, he gives bread to the hungry, YHWH liberates prisoners. 8

YHWH opens (the eyes) of the blind, YHWH makes straight those who are bowed down, YHWH love the righteous.

9

YHWH KEEPS the strangers, the orphan and the widow he will restore, but the way of the wicked he will twist. 10

Reigns

YOUR GOD,

YHWH O Zion,

FOREVER, FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION!

PRAISE YAH!

At the centre (6c), there is the only participle with the article which states a kind of “definition” of the Lord in his relationship to those to whom he has made a covenant. The word “to keep” is repeated in the next part (9a); “forever”,

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repeated in the penultimate part (10a), enters the list of four complements of time in the second and penultimate part (2ab & 10ab). These complements oppose the one found at the centre of the third part, “On that day” (4c), which is linked to death. CONTEXT “The psalm has a striking number of similarities with other biblical texts, especially the neighbouring psalms, Psalms 103–104 and the book of Isaiah.”12 The relationship with the subsequent Psalms (147–150) as well as with Psalms 103–104 will be studied at the higher level, that of the entire Fifth Book (Ps 107–150). TRUSTING IN GOD, NOT IN MAN The Testament of Mattathias (1 Macc 2:49–68) seems to focus on these words which are very similar to the third part of Ps 146: 61

Know then that, generation after generation, no one who hopes in him will be overcome. 62 Do not fear the threats of the sinner, all his brave show must come to the dunghill and the worms; 63 Exalted today, tomorrow he is nowhere to be found, for he has returned to the dust he came from and his plans perish. 64 My children, be resolute and courageous for the Law, for it will bring you glory (1 Macc 2:61–64).

“THE GOD WHO KEEPS HIS COVENANT” (DEUT 7:9) The reminder of the election and liberation from the land of Egypt is followed by the appropriate conclusion: 9

Know therefore that Yhwh your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps his covenant and his love to a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments, 10 but who punishes in their own persons those that hate him. [...] 12 If you heed these ordinances, by diligently observing them, Yhwh your God will keep with you the covenant and the love that he swore to your ancestors (Deut 7:9–12).

He will keep his covenant with David: “I will keep my faithfulness (ḥesed) for him forever, and my covenant will be truthful for him” (Ps 89:29).

12

Hossfeld – Zenger (III, 610), who make a long list (610–611).

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

INTERPRETATION PRAISING THE GOD OF THE COVENANT After the invitatory part (Ps 146:1–2) one might logically expect a part that, as in many other psalms, gives reasons why the Lord should be praised. However, what follows is a sapiential advice that invites the listener to know in whom to put his or her trust. The basic motivation for praise is delayed, so to speak, and is provided at the centre of the composition: “He is the one who keeps the loyalty forever” (146:6c). The long preceding part (146:3–6b) merely prepares the central statement, in a way, by opposing the decay of the mighty to the “forever” of the God of the covenant, whose “plans” do not perish like those of people “on that day” (146:4c), the day of their death. The rest of the text only elaborates on and details the Lord’s “loyalty”. THE KING WHO EXERCISE JUSTICE By making “justice for the oppressed” (146:7a), the Lord behaves as a “king” who takes care to restore righteousness, in favour of “the righteous”, namely those who are faithful to the covenant and for this reason are persecuted by “the wicked”, that is, the ungodly who starve them (146:7b), imprison them (146:7c) in dungeons where they will no longer see the light and will be crushed (146:8ab), who exploit “the strangers”, “the widow and the orphan” without defence (146:9ab). These are the “princes”, the powerful ones from whom salvation is not to be expected (146:3), but quite the opposite. “INVITATION TO WISDOM” The psalm is not only an invitation to praise, it is also an invitation to wisdom. The Lord is not only the one who heals the blind and the bowed down, he is also and above all the one who invites his faithful to open their eyes, who gives them the grace to look reality in the face and to understand where their “salvation” lies, where they can find “help” (146:3, 5). Human wisdom, the wisdom of the “world”, is to turn to those in power: the psalmist says this from the start and soon shows how the balloon of the “son of Adam” that inflates itself eventually bursts: “On that day his plans perish” (146:6c). True wisdom is that which is based on the “loyalty”, on the “truth” of “Yhwh”, not simply of “God”, but of the one who is said to be the God of the psalmist (“I will play to my God”, 146:2b), the God of the one who puts his hope in him (“his hope in Yhwh his God”, 146:5), the God of Zion (“your God, O Zion”, 146:10b). “FOREVER” (146:6, 10) The transience of princes and wicked people is opposed radically by the eternity of the Lord, who “makes heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in

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them” (146:6ab), “the God of Jacob” who from the beginning of the patriarchal era has never ceased to help his people. “He keeps his loyalty forever” (146:6c), he rules “forever”, “from generation to generation”. The permanence of God’s faithfulness is matched by the permanence of the psalmist’s faithfulness in praising his Lord “in all his life”, “in all his duration” (146:2). It is true that his life is short, his duration is limited, and he will soon have to die. However, the succession of generations, “from generation to generation”, will be able to respond to the faithfulness of the one who reigns “forever” (146:10). With its author, the whole psalm breathes a fragrance of eternity.

2. PSALM 147 TEXT Praise Yah! Yes, it is good to sing psalms to our God, yes, it is sweet, praise (is) charming! 2 Yhwh builds up Jerusalem, he gathers the exiles of Israel; 3 he heals the broken of heart and binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of stars, he calls names of all of them; 5 great is our Lord, and all powerful, to his understanding, there is no number. 6 Yhwh sustains the humiliated, he brings the wicked down to the ground. 7 Sing to Yhwh with thanksgiving, play to our God on the harp! 8 He covers the heavens with clouds, he prepares rain for the earth, he makes grass grow on the mountains [and plants for people to use]; 9 He gives to the beasts their food, to the young of the ravens what they cry. 10 He does not take pleasure in the vigour of the horse, nor is he pleased in the hock of a man; 11 Yhwh is pleased with those who fear him, with those who hope in his faithfulness. 12 Extol Yhwh, O Jerusalem, praise your God, O Zion! 13 Because he has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed your children within you; 14 he sets your border in peace, he satisfies you with the finest of wheat; 15 he sends his saying to the earth, his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool, he scatters frost like ashes; 17 he casts forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold? 18 he sends his word and melts them, he makes his wind blow, the waters flow. 19 He reveals his word to Jacob, his precepts and his judgments to Israel; 20 He did not do so to any people, and they did not know his judgments. Praise Yah! 1

1: “YES, IT IS GOOD TO SING...” No other psalm begins with kî, nor after an initial Hallelujah. Therefore, the Septuagint, followed by many modern translations (BJ, Osty, Dhorme), adds “Praise Ywhwh” after the Hallelujah and before the first kî. Kî does not always have a causal meaning and can also be a fashion to reinforce the affirmation: It is then rendered as “yes”, “certainly”, “surely”. “Yes” is retained here because of its monosyllabic brevity. The first verb, zammerâ, is a piel infinitive with a feminine ending;1 from the same root as mizmôr, “psalm”, it is translated as “to sing psalms”. Some think that in the second member, nā’wâ is also a verbal form similar to that of the first verb and translate it as “to beautify” (“it is nice to embellish with praise”).2 The parallelism would support this position, but it seems preferable to follow the Masoretic text more closely.

1 2

Joüon, 52c. See Hakham, II, 586; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 619.

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

8D: “AND PLANTS FOR PEOPLE TO USE” The Septuagint adds this member at the end of verse 8, taking it from Ps 103:14, thus transforming a trimember into two bimember segments. COMPOSITION The composition of the psalm into three parts is accepted by all. The Septuagint makes the third part (12–20) a psalm in its own right (Ps 147 LXX), thus catching up shortly before the end of the Psalter, and finally arriving at a total of 150 psalms at the same time as the Masoretic text. Between two Alleluia, the psalm unfolds in three long parts (1–6; 7–11; 12– 20b), each comprising two subparts. THE FIRST PART (1B–6) • 1b Yes, it is good • yes, it is sweet, + 2 He BUILDS UP + the exiles 3

– he HEALS – and he BINDS UP

to sing psalms (is) charming,

to OUR GOD, praise.

Jerusalem, of Israel

YHWH,

the broken their wounds.

of heart

HE GATHERS;

······························································································

. 4 He COUNTS . of all of them

the number names

5

- great is OUR LORD, - to his understanding there is no number.

of stars, HE CALLS;

and all powerful,

······························································································ 6

– He SUSTAINS – he BRINGS DOWN

the humiliated, the wicked

YHWH, to the ground.

The brief invitatory of the first subpart is followed by a long list of God’s actions that provide the grounds for praise. The first piece (2–3) concerns the Lord’s help for his people, “Jerusalem” and all “Israel”, whose deportees he “heals”. The second piece (4–5) concerns “the stars”; “number” (4a) and “there is no number” (5b) form an inclusion. The third piece (6) corresponds to the first one, “the humiliated” recall “Jerusalem” that is destroyed and the deported of “Israel”; moreover, their first members have the same syntactic construction: verb, object complement, identical subject, “Yhwh”. The last member of the subpart (6b) finally names the enemies of Israel, “the wicked” who have “humiliated” her.

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All the participles are at the beginning of the members (2a, 3a, 3b, 4a, 6a, 6b), while the only two conjugated verbs are in a symmetrical position, at the end of the second members of the first two pieces (2b & 4b). The two names of God from the first subpart are taken up in the second subpart by the two occurrences of “Yhwh” at the end of the first members of the extreme pieces (2a & 6a) and by “our Lord” in the central piece (5a). THE SECOND PART (7–11) • 7 Sing • play

to YHWH to OUR GOD

with thanksgiving, on the harp.

- 8 He COVERS - he PREPARES - he MAKES GROW

the heavens for the earth on the mountains

with clouds, rain, grass;

.. 9 he GIVES .. to the young

to the beasts of the ravens

their food, what

they cry.

···············································································································

– 10 Not in the vigour – nor in the hock

of the horse of a man

HE TAKES PLEASURE, HE IS PLEASED;

+ 11 He IS PLEASED, + with those who hope

YHWH, in his faithfulness.

with those who fear him,

After the invitatory part of the first subpart (7), the second subpart lists the reasons at length (8–11). The two members of the first subpart are strictly parallel. In the first piece of the second subpart (8–9) the Lord first causes the rain to fall so that the earth may produce (8) all that is needed for the animals (9). After the animals, it is the peoples’ turn, but this time it is no longer about what they receive from God, but about their attitude towards him. The first segment (10) parallels the physical strength of man and that of the animal, in which he could take pleasure instead of putting his trust in God alone (11). The verbs at the beginning of the members are in the participle, while those at the end are in the conjugated form (10a & 10b). The two occurrences of the name “Yhwh”, which are in a symmetrical position, play the role of extreme terms (7a & 11a).

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THE THIRD PART (12–20) • 12 Extol, • praise

O JERUSALEM, YOUR GOD,

YHWH, O ZION!

+ 13 For HE HAS STRENGTHENED + HE HAS BLESSED

the bars your children

of your gates, within you;

+ 14 he SETS + with the finest

your border of the wheat

in peace,

his saying runs

to the earth,

. 17 he CASTS FORTH . before

his ice his cold

like morsels: who can stand?

:: 18 HE SENDS :: HE MAKES BLOW

HIS WORD

his wind,

and MELTS THEM, the waters flow.

and his judgments

to ISRAEL;

so they did not know.

to any people,

15

:: he SENDS :: swiftly

HE SATISFIES YOU;

HIS WORD. ·········································································································· . 16 He GIVES snow like wool, . frost like ashes HE SCATTERS;

·········································································································· HIS WORD to JACOB,

:: 19 He REVEALS :: his precepts 20

– HE DID NOT DO – and his judgments

After a short invitatory (12), the motivation unfolds in a long second subpart (13–20). Its extreme pieces are about “Jacob” – “Israel”, while the central piece (16–18) is about the colder elements, “snow”, “frost” and “ice”. The first piece (13–15) describes first what the Lord did for Jerusalem, its “gates” and “within” it (13), then for the whole cultivated land within its “borders” (14); the piece ends with the gift of the “word” of God (15). The second piece (16–18), also consisting of three bimembers, deals with the gift of the cold elements (16–17a) which no one can bear (17b), but which the Lord soon melts away with the breath of his word (18). The third piece (19–20) returns to the Lord’s gift of “the word” to Israel (19), which he did not give to any other people (20). The first two pieces culminate in the sending (the same verb is used at the beginning of the final segments) of the word of God, to his people, to the frozen nature afterwards; the last piece deals only with this divine “word”, described twice as “judgements” (19b & 20b), but also as “precepts” (19b) and “wind” (18b). The couple “Jerusalem” – “Zion” in the invitatory (12) is matched by the couple “Jacob” – “Israel” at the beginning of the last piece of the second subpart (19), forming an inclusion for the whole part.

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THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM 1

PRAISE YAH! • Yes, it is good to SING PSALMS to OUR GOD, 2

: HE BUILDS UP JERUSALEM, Yhwh, : 3 HE HEALS the broken of heart

yes, it is sweet, PRAISE is charming! the exiles of ISRAEL, HE GATHERS; and HE BINDS UP their wounds.

···························································································································· 4 5

HE COUNTS the number of stars, great is our Lord, and all powerful,

names of all of them, HE CALLS; to his understanding, there is no number.

····························································································································

+ 6 HE SUSTAINS the humiliated, Yhwh, • 7 SING to YHWH with THANKSGIVING, 8

: HE COVERS the heavens with clouds, : HE MAKES grass GROW on the mountains; : 9 HE GIVES to the beasts their food,

HE BRINGS

the wicked DOWN to the EARTH.

SING PSALMS to OUR GOD on the harp! HE PREPARES

rain for the EARTH,

to the YOUNG of the ravens what THEY CRY.

····························································································································

+ 10 Not in the vigour of the horse HE TAKES PLEASURE, nor in the hock of a man HE IS PLEASED; + 11 HE IS PLEASED, Yhwh, with those who fear him, with those who hope in his faithfulness. • 12 EXTOL, O JERUSALEM, YHWH, 13

: For HE HAS STRENGTHENED the bars of your gates, : 14 HE SETS your border in peace, : 15 HE SENDS his saying to the EARTH,

PRAISE YOUR GOD, O ZION! HE HAS BLESSED your CHILDREN within you; with the finest of wheat HE SATISFIES YOU; his word runs swiftly.

···························································································································· 16

HE GIVES snow like wool, HE CASTS FORTH his ice like morsels: 18 HE SENDS his word and MELTS THEM, 17

frost like ashes HE SCATTERS; who can stand before his cold? HE MAKES his wind BLOW, the waters flow.

····························································································································

+ 19 HE REVEALS his word to JACOB, + 20 HE DID NOT DO so to any people,

his precepts and his judgments to ISRAEL; and they did not know his judgments.

• PRAISE YAH!

The three parts run parallel to each other. In each of the first subparts, which are the size of a bimember segment (1, 7, 12), the psalmist invites us to praise the Lord; the second subparts, which are much more extensive, give the reasons for this. In the second subparts the same alternation between divine actions on behalf of his people and on the elements of nature occurs. Furthermore, the three parts have in common, in the first subparts the names “Yhwh” and “our/your God”, and in the second subparts “the earth” (6, 8, 15), to which we should add “he builds up” and “your children”, which are found in the same position in the first segment of the second subparts of the extreme parts (2 & 13), as well as at

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the end of the first piece of the second subpart of the central part (9), these terms are of the same root (bānâ and bēn).3 The relationship between the first two parts is limited to the repetition of “to sing psalms” (1b & 7) and “to call” (4 & 9). In the last two parts the construction of the first subparts is similar, with an imperative at the beginning of each of its two members, followed by “Yhwh”, then “our/your God”; otherwise only the verb “to give” (9 & 16) and the same term translated a “young” and “children” (9 & 13) are repeated. On the contrary, the relationships between the extreme parts are more numerous: – “To praise” in 12 recalls “praise” in 1b; – “Jerusalem” and “Israel” are mentioned (2, 12, 19, to which the synonyms can be added, “Zion” in 12 and “Jacob” in 19); – In the second subparts, which are of the same concentric construction, the extreme pieces mention the divine actions in favour of his people (2–3 & 6, then 13–15 & 19–20); – The first part is different from the other two because its first subpart does not include any imperative, thus depending in some way on the initial “Praise God” (1a); the last part is different from the two preceding ones because it is in the singular, addressing “Jerusalem” – “Zion”; the second person singular continues in the next two segments (13–14); and especially because of the insistent presence of the “word” (15, 18, 19); – Finally, these are the most extensive parts: ten members in the first part, sixteen in the last one, compared to nine in the central part. It is therefore possible to say that the composition of the psalm is concentric, the central part is in many aspects different from the other two. CONTEXT THE YOUNG ONES OF THE RAVEN WHO CRY Verse 9 of the psalm closely recalls Job 38:41, Who makes to the raven its provision, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food?

There is a widespread legend that ravens do not care about feeding their young and that the young cry out to God who takes care of them. 4 The theme is taken up again in the Gospel: “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them” (Luke 12:24).

3 4

See Ps 127 where the psalmist plays on the two words (see p. 396). See, e.g., Vesco, 1355–1356.

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RAIN AND SNOW, AND THE WORD Isa 55:10–11 compares “rain and snow” with “the word” of God: + 10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, – and do not return there until they have watered the earth, :: making it bring forth and sprout, .. giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, + 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; – it shall not return to me empty, :: but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, .. and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

In Psalm 147, “rain and snow” are mentioned symmetrically (147:8, 16) and “word” is the subject of almost the entire last subpart (147:15–20). The function of rain is the same in both texts, that of providing food, for people in Isaiah, for animals in the psalm. “WHO CAN STAND?” (147:17) The expression implies divine punishment: “Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger?” (Nah 1:6); “You are Terrible, yes you, and who will stand before your face because of your anger?” (Ps 76:8; also Ps 130:3). Thus “snow”, “frost” and “ice” are the manifestation of God’s punishment (147:16–17), while “his word” and “his wind” symbolise his “repentance” and forgiveness (147:18). PS 33 There are many points of contact between Ps 147 and Ps 33. Ps 33:16–18 recalls especially Ps 147:10–11: 16

No king is saved by much vigour, a valiant is not rescued by much strength; 17 false is the horse for salvation, and by much of its vigour it does not escape. 18 Behold, the eye of Yhwh on those who fear him, on those who hope in his faithfulness.

According to Ps 147:5, the Lord is “great” and “all powerful” (rab-kōaḥ, lit. “abundant in strength”); the same expression is translated as “much strength” in Ps 33:16b.

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INTERPRETATION GOD MAKES ALL The long and practically uninterrupted litany of divine actions, more than twenty for twenty verses, leaves no doubt about the omnipotence of the Lord. Everything that happens in the cosmos, from the stars to the rain, snow and frost, everything that happens on earth to all living things, from the cattle and the young of the raven to the people of Israel and all other peoples, is the work of the Lord God. He is the one and only one who brings his people back from exile, who rebuilds Jerusalem and reconstitutes Israel within safe borders, he is the one and only one who feeds the animals and satisfies his people, he is the one and only one who gives a name to the countless stars, who sends the beneficial rain, who imprisons all beings in coldness and frees them with his breath, he is the one and only one who finally reveals his word to Israel and decides to give it to them alone. The conclusion of the central part deals with the omnipotence of God in its own imaginative fashion (147:10–11). It is not human “hock”, ironically compared with “the vigour of the horse”, that can save him. The fear of the Lord, “the trembling certainty of love”,5 is the manifestation of the conviction that all is grace. The only hope for the person lies in the “faithfulness” that his Lord has sworn to him/her. GOD AND HIS CHILDREN At the centre of the psalm, the Lord is presented as the one who puts the elements of the world, “clouds”, “rain”, “mountains”, “grass” at the service of the animals. He thus gives them their “food”. He not only treats the young ravens as a father, but he also takes care of their subsistence, since they have been abandoned by their parents (147:8–9). If God feeds the ravens in this way, how much more will he take fatherly care and “bless” the children of Israel whom he gathers in Jerusalem (147:13), as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Luke 13:34)! If he feeds the young of the raven, how much more will he satisfy the children of Israel “with the finest of wheat” (147:14)? Rebuilding Jerusalem, like a father he builds for his children a house to gather the exiles (147:2). GOD GIVES THE WORD The last part may leave the impression that the whole psalm is oriented towards the gift of the word of God. Certainly, such insistent of mentioning the word, defined at the very end as the Law, its “precepts” and “judgments” (147:19–20), creates an effect of newness and therefore of surprise. However, this is not the first time that God speaks: at the heart of the divine actions of the 5

P. BEAUCHAMP, L’Un et l’Autre Testament. I, 272.

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first part, the Lord has not been satisfied with counting the “stars”, he gave a name to each of them, he “called” them all by name (147:4). And we should not forget the one who composed the psalm, nor those who sing it after him, to whom the All-Powerful gives the word as he gives food, and who call all those who hear them to “praise” the Lord, “sing psalms”, “give thanks” and “extol” him (147:1, 7, 12).

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

3. JACOB IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD, CREATOR AND SAVIOUR (PS 146–147) COMPOSITION OF THE FIRST SEQUENCE Ps 146 2

1

PRAISE Yah!

PRAISE, O my soul, Yhwh!

I WILL PRAISE Yhwh in all my life,

I WILL PLAY FOR MY GOD in all my duration.

Do not trust in princes, in a son of Adam in whom there is no salvation: HIS BREATH goes out, he returns to his adamah. On that day his plans perish. 5 Happy who has the God of JACOB for his help, his hope in Yhwh his God: 6 He makes HEAVEN and EARTH, the sea and all that is in them. 3 4

He is the one who keeps faithfulness forever. He makes justice to the oppressed, HE GIVES bread to the hungry, Yhwh liberates prisoners. Yhwh opens (the eyes) of the blind, Yhwh makes straight those who are bowed down, Yhwh loves the righteous. 9 Yhwh keeps the strangers, the orphan and the widow he will restore, but the way of THE WICKED he will twist. 7 8

10

Yhwh reigns forever,

your God, O ZION, from generation to generation!

PRAISE Yah! Ps 147

1

PRAISE Yah!

Yes, it is good TO PLAY FOR OUR GOD, yes, it is sweet, PRAISE is charming! 2 Yhwh builds up Jerusalem, he gathers the exiles of Israel; 3 he heals the broken of heart and binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of stars, he calls names of all of them; 5 great is our Lord, and all powerful, to his understanding, there is no number. 6 Yhwh sustains the humiliated, he brings THE WICKED down to the ground. 7

Sing to Yhwh with thanksgiving, PLAY TO OUR GOD on the harp! 8 He covers the HEAVENS with clouds, he prepares rain for the EARTH, he makes grass grow on the mountains [and plants for people to use]; 9 HE GIVES to the beasts their food, to the young of the ravens what they cry. 10 He does not take pleasure in the vigour of the horse, nor is he pleased in the hock of a man; 11 Yhwh is pleased with those who fear him, with those who hope in his faithfulness.

12

Extol Yhwh, O Jerusalem, PRAISE your God, O ZION! Because he has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed your children within you; 14 he sets your border in peace, he satisfies you with the finest of wheat; 15 he sends his saying to the earth, his word runs swiftly. 16 HE GIVES snow like wool, he scatters frost like ashes; 17 he casts forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold? 18 he sends his word and melts them, he makes HIS BREATH blow, the waters flow. 19 He reveals his word to JACOB, his precepts and his judgments to Israel; 20 He did not do so to any people, and they did not know his judgments. 13

PRAISE Yah!

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“Praise Yah” forms an inclusion for each of the two psalm (146:1, 10b; 147:1a, 20b). The two occurrences of the syntagma “play for my/our God” (146:2; 147:1b) act as initial terms. In the first psalm it is a singular individual who invites others to praise God (146:1–2), and in the second psalm it is a plural that does the same (147:1b, 7, 12). In Ps 146 the four occurrences of “to praise” (146:1[2x], 2, 10b) are accompanied by the synonym “to play” (146:2); in the subsequent psalm the four occurrences of “to praise” are accompanied by five synonyms: “to play” (147:1b, 7), “to sing” (147:7), “thanksgiving” (147:7), “to extol” (147:12). The Lord is presented as the creator (146:6; 147:4, 8–9, 15–18); “heavens” and “earth” are repeated in 146:6 and 147:8. The list of the Lord’s saving actions in the second side of Ps 146 (vv. 7–9a) are echoed in the following psalm (147:2–3, 6). God “gives” food to people (147:7) and animals (147:9; the same verb is used in 147:16). The first psalm invites us not to put our hope “in princes”, “in a son of Adam” (146:3–4), and the second psalm affirms that God is not pleased with “the vigour of the horse” or “the hock of a man” (147:10); on the contrary, it is in the Lord that we must put our hope (146:5; 147:11).6 “Jacob” is mentioned in 146:5 and 147:19, “Zion” in 146:10 and 147:12; the same expression “your God, O Zion” in 146:10 and 147:12. It should be noted, however, that “Jerusalem” is mentioned twice in the second psalm (147:2, 12) and likewise “Israel” (147:2, 19). “The wicked” are found in 146:9b and 147:6. The same Hebrew term rûaḥ, is translated as “breath” in 146:4 and 147:18; in the first case it is the breath of mortal human beings, in the second one the breath of God. INTERPRETATION ONE PERSON LEADS ALL ISRAEL TO PRAISE The speaker at the beginning of the sequence is not identified. One may recognise the king, or the prophet, or even the priest. It is “the psalmist”, that is to say, in the final analysis, the “I” of all those who, throughout the centuries, take up and make his word their own. His first word is “Praise Yah”, which is repeated four times, as a kind of refrain. In the end, he addresses “Zion” (146:10). And she immediately responds to his invitation, joining her praise to his (147:1) and taking up his call twice: “Sing to Yhwh with thanksgiving, play

6

Although the terms “hope” (146:5) and “those who hope” (147:11) have different roots, they express the same attitude of trust in God.

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to our God on the harp! (147:7), “Extol Yhwh, O Jerusalem, praise your God, O Zion” (147:12). GOD THE CREATOR The first psalm presents the Lord as the one who “makes heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them” (146:6); by speaking of the “son of Adam” who “returns to his Adamah” (146:3–4), he was already alluding to the creation story (Gen 3:19). The next psalm takes up and develops the description of God the creator: He is the one who counts and names all the stars (Ps 147:4), who makes it rain to cause the grass to sprout and who feeds the animals (147:8–9), who sends snow and hail (147:16–17). GOD THE SAVIOUR While the Lord is mentioned as the creator of heaven and earth, more space is given to him as the saviour. First, there is the long list of seven divine actions in favour of “the oppressed”, “the hungry”, the “prisoners”, “the blind”, “those who are bowed down”, “the strangers”, “the orphan and the widow” (146:7–9). In the second psalm, we move from the general to the singular of Israel. At the outset, the reconstruction of Jerusalem and the return of the exiles are mentioned (147:2), when the wounded and “broken” hearts are bonded and healed (147:3) and “the humiliated” are sustained (147:6). Then comes “peace” and prosperity granted to the city and its children (147:13–14), and finally the revelation reserved for the chosen people (147:19–20). THE JUDGE “The oppressed” can only be raised up if “the wicked” are brought low. The Lord is thus described as the judge who “sustains the humiliated and brings the wicked down to the ground” (147:6). He is the one who “loves the righteous” and “twists the way of the wicked” (146:8–9). He thus continues his work of creation, when he separated light and darkness, heaven and earth, land and sea. The election, on which the sequence ends, obeys the same logic: To separate in order to give a chance to the exchange of the word and thus to the covenant.

II. THE WHOLE CREATION IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD The Second Sequence: Ps 148

PSALM 148 TEXT Praise Yah! Praise Yhwh from the heavens, praise him in the hights; 2 praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host, 3 praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all shining stars; 4 praise him heavens of heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of Yhwh, because it was he who commanded and they were created, 6 and he established them forever and ever; he gave a law and he will not transgress it. 7 Praise Yhwh from the earth, you dragons and all the depths; 8 fire and hail, snow and mist, storm wind that makes his word, 9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, reptiles and winged birds; 11 kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all judges of the earth, 12 young men and also virgins, elderly people with children. 13 Let them praise the name of Yhwh, because his name alone is sublime, his splendour is above earth and heaven; 14 and he heightens the horn of his people, the praise of all his faithful, of the children of Israel, the people close to him. Praise Yah! 1

2B: “HIS HOST” The ketib is singular, the qeré is plural. Usually “the host of heaven” refers to all the stars (Deut 4:19: “And when you look up to the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, do not be led astray and bow down to them and serve them”; see also, among others, 2 Kgs 23:4–5; Isa 40:6). Since the stars are the subject of the following verse (3) and since verse 2 parallels “his angels” and “his host”, we can think that the “host” of heaven is the one formed of “his angels” (see Ps 103:20–21 which also parallels “his angels” and “his hosts”). 6C: “AND WILL NOT TRANSGRESS IT” This member is understood and translated in various ways. The problem is to identify the subject of the verb. For most, it is “the law”: “a law that will never pass” (BJ). For others, on the contrary, it would be the whole of the creatures

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just mentioned: “he set up a law that they would not transgress” (Osty).1 Others are of the opinion that the subject is the same as that of the preceding verb: “He set a law and he will not transgress it”.2 In support of this interpretation, the following are referred to Ps 89:31–38; Gen 9:9–17; Jer 33:20–25. 14A: “AND HE RAISES UP” The Septuagint translates this wayyiqtol as a future tense, others as a present tense.3 It was even taken as jussive, since “a wish or request is a typical element of the conclusion of a hymn; see, for example, Ps 29:11; 104:31.”4 The parallelism between 148:5b–6 (“he commanded”, “he established”, “he gave”) and verses 13b–14 may recommend following the Masoretic text and translating it as a past tense. However, since 14a is preceded by two nominal phrases, thus without temporal value, the wayyiqtol will be interpreted as having the same value as the present tense.5 The verb is translated as “to heighten”, to respect the inclusion forming with “the hights” (1b). 14B: “THE PRAISE OF ALL HIS FAITHFUL” The meaning of this member is discussed. Some interpret it in the light of all that precedes and make “all his faithful” the subject of “praise”: it is the people who praise their Lord because he has raised his horn6. Others, on the contrary, are of the opinion that the Lord’s “faithful” are the object of praise:7 Seeing the salvation that God has granted them, the other nations will praise the people of Israel. In other words, either the last verse is in line with the preceding ones, or it represents a newness and a final surprise. The two interpretations are probably not exclusive, and the ambiguity, as is often the case, is perhaps deliberate, the function of which would be to stimulate the reader’s curiosity in order to incite him or her to reflect.

1

See also Weiser, 836; Kraus (561) writes: “MT: ‘which he will not transgress.’ Depending on the meaning the plural or a passive form would be more natural”. Similarly, Mannati (IV, 283) which translates: “he imposes an order that no one transgresses”. 2 P. BEAUCHAMP, Création et séparation, 349. 3 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 864; BJ. 4 D.R. HILLERS, “A Study of Psalm 148”, 327. 5 Joüon, 118r. 6 Joüon, 130b. 7 Joüon, 125k.

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COMPOSITION Many recognise the bipartition of the psalm: praise “from heaven” (1b–6), and “from the earth” (7–14).8 However, the subdivision of these two parts is not unanimous: Some consider that 5a and 13a (“Let them praise the name of Yhwh” are the final terms of the first subparts, forming an inclusion with “Praise Yhwh from heaven/the earth” (1b & 7a),9 others consider 5a and 13a to be the initial terms of the second subparts (5–6 & 13–14).10 There are, however, those who organise the psalm into three parts. Dahood distinguishes between the heavens (1–6), the depths (7) and finally the earthly creatures (8–13).11 Some detach verse 14, which deals with Israel, to make it a concluding part,12 or even a colophon, equivalent to a post-posed title,13 or even the title of the subsequent psalm.14 The extreme parts which comprise only one term, “Hallelujah”, are very short (1a & 14d). The other two parts (1b–6 & 7–14c), each formed of two subparts (1b–4 & 5–6; 7–12 & 13–14c), are parallel to each other. THE FIRST PART (1B–6) 1b

+ +

PRAISE PRAISE HIM

YHWH

from THE HEAVENS, in the heights;

··································································································

:: 2 PRAISE HIM, :: PRAISE HIM, :: 3 PRAISE HIM, :: PRAISE HIM,

ALL ALL

his angels, his host,

sun the stars

ALL

and moon, of light;

··································································································

– 4 PRAISE HIM, – and the waters + 5 LET THEM PRAISE

that are

of HEAVENS, above THE HEAVENS!

the name

of YHWH,

HEAVENS

– because it was he who commanded ·· 6 and he established them FOREVER – a law ·· and he will not

8

and they were created, AND EVER;

he gave transgress it.

Among others, Kraus, II, 561; Hakham, II, 595. But already in 1825, Th. BOYS, A Key, 117–

122.

9

Vesco, 1361, who follows Girard, E.g., Mannati, IV, 283, 285. 11 Dahood, III, 352. 12 Thus Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 635. 13 L. ALONSO SCHOEKEL, Trenta salmi, 492 (followed by Ravasi, III, 967–968). 14 A.F. MCKENZIE, “Ps 148:14be: Conclusion or Title?”. 10

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

All members of the first subpart except the last one (4b) begin with a second person plural imperative; the second subpart begins with a third person plural jussive of the same verb (5a). The first piece of the first subpart names the object of praise, “Yhwh” (1b). The second piece (2–3) lists in two bimember segments its subjects, the supernatural beings, the “angels” and their “host” in the first segment (2), the luminous stars in the second one (3). Finally, the third piece (4), which, like the first piece, comprises a single bimember segment, completes the picture, adding to the “heavens” of the first piece what is “above the heavens”, which it calls at the beginning “heavens of the heavens” (4a). + +

1b

PRAISE PRAISE HIM

YHWH

from THE HEAVENS, in the heights;

·································································································

:: 2 PRAISE HIM, :: PRAISE HIM, :: 3 PRAISE HIM, :: PRAISE HIM,

ALL ALL

his angels, his host,

sun the stars

ALL

and moon, of light;

·································································································

– 4 PRAISE HIM, – and the waters + 5 LET THEM PRAISE

that are

of HEAVENS, above THE HEAVENS!

the name

of YHWH,

HEAVENS

– because it was he who commanded ·· 6 and he established them FOREVER – a law ·· and he will not

and they were created, AND EVER;

he gave transgress it.

The second subpart (5–6) comprises a unimember segment motivated by two bimember segments beginning with “because” (5b). These last two segments, whose members are coordinated by “and”, are parallel: the “law” which the Lord “gave” (6b) is what he “commanded” (5b), “he will not transgress it” (6c) is equivalent to “he established them forever and ever” (6a). Both subparts also begin with segments that mention “Yhwh” as the object of praise (1b & 5a). All the volitive, imperative and jussive forms are of the same verb “to praise” and are found at the start of the members. The three occurrences of “all” at the centre of the first subpart (2–3) are echoed by two terms “forever and ever” at the centre of the second subpart (6a). THE SECOND PART (7–14) The first piece of the first subpart (7) is devoted to the marine beings who live in “the depths”; the second subpart (8–10) to the other creatures, from the atmospheric elements (8) to the animals (10), passing through the landforms and the trees that grow there (9); the third subpart to the human beings, rulers and

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their peoples in the first segment (11), as well as to the men and women (12a), the young and the old (12b) in the second segment. The first piece of the second subpart (13a) is an invitation to praise. Beginning with “because”, the second piece provides the reasons: first the greatness of the Lord in himself (13bc), then his action on behalf of the “people” of Israel (14). The two occurrences of “name” act as median terms for the two pieces (13a & 13b); “praise” in 14b corresponds to “let them praise” at the beginning (13a). + 7 PRAISE + you dragons

YHWH and ALL

from THE EARTH, the depths;

··············································································································

. 8 fire and hail, . wind of storm

snow that makes

and mist, his word,

- 9 mountains - trees of fruit

and ALL and ALL

hills, cedars,

.. 10 wild animals .. reptiles

and ALL and birds

cattle, that fly;

·······························································································

= 11 kings of THE EARTH and ALL = princes and ALL judges

NATIONS, of THE EARTH,

:: 12 young men :: elderly people

virgins, children.

and also with

+ 13 LET THEM PRAISE

the name of YHWH, ········································································································ ·· because sublime (is) ·· his splendour (is)

his name above EARTH

= 14 and he heightens the horn = THE PRAISE of ALL = of the children = the PEOPLE

alone, and heaven; of his PEOPLE: his faithful, of Israel, close to him.

Both subparts begin with an invitation to praise, in the second person (7a) and then in the third person (13a). In the first subpart the invitation is followed by a long enumeration of those who are invited to praise the Lord (7b–12b); in the second subpart it is followed by the reasons given for it, which list the qualities and actions of the one they are invited to praise. The two subparts are thus complementary, one presenting the subjects of the praise, the other one its object, their Creator (13bc) and also the Saviour of Israel (14). The word “earth” occurs four times (7a, 11a, 11b, 13c), but in the fourth instance it is coordinated with the “heaven”. “All” (kol) is repeated seven times, the figure of totality. Finally, “all nations” at the end of the first subpart (11a) is matched by “the people” of Israel at the end of the second subpart (14a & 14d). In this way, the movement is concentrated at the end of the first subpart on all the peoples

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

(11–12) and at the end of the second on the people of Israel alone (14). While the verb “to praise” occurs twice, at the beginning of each of the two subparts (7a & 13a), the noun of the same root is taken up in the conclusion (14b). THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM At the extremities are two parts each comprising a single term, halelû-yāh, translated as “Praise Yah!” (1a & 14e). The two main parts (1b–6 & 7–14d) are parallel: their first subparts are in the imperative, second person plural (1b–4 & 7–12) while their second subparts are in the jussive, third person plural (5–6 & 13–14d). While the first subparts (1b–4 & 7–12) are addressed to all the subjects of praise, the second subparts (5–6 & 13–14d) set out the actions and qualities of Yhwh who is the object of praise. The first pieces of the first subparts (1bc & 7ab) serve as initial terms. These are complementary: At the end of the members, “the heavens” and “the earth”, “the heights” and “the depths” are two merisms that speak of the totality of creation. The second pieces (2–3 & 8–10) enumerate the creatures, first celestial and then terrestrial. The third pieces (4 & 11–12) deal with creatures that are above the others, first the “heavens of heavens and the waters that are above the heavens” and then human beings. The second subparts (5–6 & 13–14d) begin with the same unimember segment followed by “because” which introduces the reason for the invitation to praise, namely the actions of Yhwh. These subparts have no common vocabulary; however, a similar logical movement brings them together. On the one hand, it is creation, but it is also “the law” that keeps governing it (5b–6). On the other hand, as a kind of reiteration of the whole of what precedes, it is the statement of the qualities of the God who governs “earth and heaven” (13bc), but it is also the salvation that the Lord has given and does not cease to give to his people (14). The first part ends with the word of Yhwh who “commanded” and “gave a law” (5–6); obeyed by the elements of weather, “his word” returns at the beginning of the second part (8b, “that makes his word”). Both terms have the function of median terms. The word of God is matched by the long list of calls to praise that articulates the whole psalm: thirteen instances of the verb “to praise” and at the end the noun (14b), that makes two times seven. The totality is marked above all by the long litany of all those who are called to praise, and also by the ten occurrences of “all”, to which we should add “forever and ever” (6a). The beings mentioned in the first subpart of the first part (2–4) are seven, the number of the totality; those listed in the symmetrical subpart (7–12) are twenty-two (not counting “the depths”), the number of the totality of the letters of the alphabet.

Psalm 148 = + +

1

PRAISE

YAH!

PRAISE praise him

YHWH

671

FROM THE HEAVENS, in THE HIGHTS;

···········································································································

:: 2 praise him :: praise him

his angels, his host,

ALL ALL

:: 3 praise him :: praise him

sun ALL

the stars

and moon, of light;

···········································································································

= 4 praise him = and the waters

that are

of HEAVENS, above THE HEAVENS.

THE NAME

OF YHWH,

HEAVENS

+ 5 LET THEM PRAISE

···········································································································

– because it was he ·· 6 and he established them

who commanded

– a law ·· and he will not

he gave transgress it.

+7 PRAISE + you dragons

FOREVER

YHWH and ALL

and they were created, and EVER;

FROM THE EARTH, the depths;

···········································································································

. 8 fire and hail, . wind of storm

snow that makes

and mist, his word,

- 9 mountains - trees of fruit

and ALL and ALL

hills, cedars,

.. 10 wild animals .. reptiles

and ALL and birds

cattle, that fly;

···········································································································

= 11 kings of THE EARTH = princes

and ALL and ALL the judges

nations, of THE EARTH,

:: 12 young men :: elderly people

and also with

virgins, children.

THE NAME

OF YHWH,

+ 13 LET THEM PRAISE

·····································································································

– –

because sublime is his splendour is

his name above EARTH

alone, and HEAVEN;

·· 14 and HE HEIGHTENS ·· THE PRAISE

the horn of ALL

of his people, his faithful,

·· of the children ·· the people =

PRAISE

YAH!

of Israel, close to him.

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

CONTEXT GEN 1: THE FIRST CREATION STORY The psalm closely follows the order of creation according to Gen 1. The systematic invitation to praise makes this song a liturgical version of the creation story.15 GEN 1 AND EXOD 1: TWO STORIES OF ORIGIN The lexical and thematic repetitions of these two beginnings suggest that the first chapter of Genesis relates the birth of humanity, the “sons of Adam”, while the first chapter of Exodus inaugurates the narrative of the birth of the chosen people, the “sons of Israel”.16 Psalm 148 places the creation of all nations and the salvation of the covenant people at the end of each of the two main parts. THE SONG OF THE THREE YOUNG MEN IN THE FURNACE (DAN 3:51–90) After an introduction in which Ananias, Azariah, Misael bless God (52–56), these young men invite all the works of the Lord, especially his angels (57–58) to do the same. First, “the heavens” (59) and, in fourteen segments, everything found in them, are called to bless God (60–73), then “the earth” (74) and, in eight segments, everything that it contains (75–83), finally “Israel” (83) and the different categories that constitute it (83–88) and even all those who fear God (89–90). “THE PEOPLE CLOSE TO HIM” (PS 148:14) The pagan nations will praise Israel for the wisdom they receive from the Law of the God who is close to them: Once they know what all these laws are, they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation!” 7 And indeed, what great nation has its gods as near as Yhwh our God is to us whenever we call to him? 8 And what great nation has laws and customs as upright as the entirety of this Law which I am laying down for you today? (Deut 4:6–8).

15 16

P. BEAUCHAMP, Création et séparation, 346–351. See R. MEYNET, “Selon les Écritures”, 22–23.

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INTERPRETATION A LITANY OF LOVE The litanic character of the psalm is marked first by the haunting repetition of the verb “to praise” and then by the accumulation of a long list that takes pleasure in calling by name all the inanimate and animate beings that populate “heaven” and “earth”, even “above the heavens” in the hights and “in the depths” below. All are called to the same praise. The enjoyment aspect of the litany is reminiscent of the enumerations of love in the Song of Songs, where the two lovers enjoy praising all the parts of their partner's body one after the other (Song 4:1–5; 5:10–16; 6:4–7; 7:2–10). The whole of creation also forms a body which is beautiful to sing about in detail. THE CREATION COVENANT The Lord creates by His word: “He commanded and they were created” (Ps 148:5b). The first Torah enunciated the one through whom the Creator commits himself to all his creatures: “He gave a law and he will not transgress it” (148:6bc). God remains faithful to the word he gave once and for all and will never take it back. The word of God is answered by the raging elements of the storm that “make his word” (148:8). These represent all the other creatures who punctually and without failure obey the Torah that their Lord has decreed. ISRAEL SPEAKS OUT There is a great temptation to consider that the last verse concerning Israel is secondary, a late addition, an adventitious element. The colophon that some want to see in it would be a kind of signature that would authenticate all that precedes, but all in all it is external to the body of the psalm. Yet the chosen people are an integral part of the body of creation: they are its mouth. Are they not the ones who speak from the beginning to the end, inviting all creatures to praise their Lord and themselves? All the words of the psalm are the same words that the people of the covenant pronounce without tiring. “THE PEOPLE CLOSE TO HIM” (148:14) The Israelites are the people close to the Lord. This is because the Lord has approached this particular people and has made them “his people” among “all the nations” of the earth. He has committed himself to them by a covenant that he will remain faithful to, by a law that he will never transgress. That is why they never cease to raise their foreheads, which their enemies had brought low. That is why the nations will be called to praise this people through whom wisdom is given to join with them in praise of the Lord of the universe.

III. ISRAEL IS INVITED TO DANCE AND TO PLAY FOR THE LORD The Third Sequence: Ps 149–150

1. Psalm 149 TEXT 1 Praise Yah! Sing to Yhwh a new song: his praise in the assembly of his faithful! 2 Let Israel rejoice in the one who made him, let the children of Zion exult in their king. 3 Let them praise his name with dancing, with the tambourine and the harp let them exalt him, 4 because Yhwh is pleased with his people, he adorns the humiliated with salvation. 5 Let the faithful jubilate in glory, let them acclaim on their couches, 6 the eulogies of God in their throat, and two-edged sword in their hand, 7 to execute vengeance on the nations, punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with chains and their glorious ones with fetters of iron, 9 to execute on them the written judgment. He (is) the splendour for all his faithful! Praise Yah!

2A: “THE ONE WHO MADE HIM” The participle ‘ōśāyw is in the plural; it is simply a plural of majesty.1 5B: “THEIR COUCHES” The meaning of this term is discussed. It can be the bed, that is to say the place where one thinks, preparing for the next day, and where one also prays. It can also mean the military camp where soldiers rejoice and dance after victory. Others see a liturgical connotation, that of prostration. Finally, there are those who interpret these layers as the tombs from which the soldiers will rise after the resurrection.2 6B: “AND THE SWORD” The coordinating particle has been interpreted, not without good reason, as a comparative: “The eulogies of God, in full voice, like a two-edged sword in the hand”.3 It is indeed grammatically possible.4 Such a position attenuates the violent character of the verse and thus of the whole text, perceived as a psalm of vengeance; that was already the position of the Targum. However, the three final 1

Joüon, 136d. See Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 642–643. 3 R.J. TOURNAY, “Le psaume 149 et la ‘vengeance’ des Pauvres de Yhwh”. 4 Joüon, 174h which gives as an example: “The door turns on its hinges and (= likewise) the sluggard on his bed” (Prov 26:14). 2

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

clauses that follow verse 6 would be difficult to comprehend if the judgment of the nations were not “done” by the sword.5 8B: “THEIR GLORIOUS ONES” Nikbedêhem is of the same root as kābôd in 5a, so to respect the play on words, the term usually translated as “their notables” (BJ), “their nobles” (Osty) or “their elites” (TOB), is rendered as “their glorious ones”. 9B: “THAT” OR “HE”? In the liturgical translation the psalm ends as follows: 7

To bring vengeance on the nations, To put chains on the kings, 9 to apply to them the written sentence, 8

to inflict punishment on the peoples, to throw the princes in fetters, this is the pride of his faithful.

“This is the pride of his faithful” to perform the execution of the kings and princes of the defeated nations, and even to exterminate their peoples. Such words certainly interfere with the prayers of Christians who are asked by Jesus to forgive their enemies. Can we accept such words, which may have been understandable at the time they were written, but are difficult to accept today? It is hardly possible to avoid this question. Before considering the meaning of the last verse, and more precisely the last member, it is necessary to examine whether the barely quoted translation is the only one possible.6 The liturgical translation in fact only follows the opinion of a large number of commentators, who do not even point out that another translation is equally legitimate.7 On the contrary, other more recent commentaries8 opt for another interpretation: in the phrase hādār hû’ lekol-ḥăsîdāyw (9b), the pronoun hû’ is not understood as a neutral9 that would refer to the whole of the preceding actions (“that”), but, more naturally, as the personal pronoun “He” whose referent is God: literally, “The splendour He for all his faithful”. Such is the opinion of the Jewish commentator Amos Hakham who does not even point out the other interpretation.10 The most recent French translation, the so-called Bayard Bible, follows the “new” interpretation: “He is the honour of all who are faithful”. Both interpretations are possible, as the phrase is ambiguous. Ideally, a translation should be found that respects the ambiguity. 5 “A decision on this question depends on one's interpretation of the whole psalm” (Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 643). 6 The liturgical translation follows many other translations: Dhorme, BJ, Osty, TOB, to mention only the most common. 7 Among others, Weiser, Kraus, Dahood, Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, Mannati, Ravasi. 8 Girard, Vesco, Hossfeld – Zenger, Lorenzin. 9 See Gesenius, 136b; e.g., Gen 43:12. 10 Hakham, II, 604.

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COMPOSITION Those who want to find regular stanzas in Hebrew poetry organise the psalm into three parts of three bimember segments each (1–3, 4–6, 7–9).11 Some consider verse 5 as the “pivot” of the text,12 or verse 6 as the “bridging verse” that links the two stanzas 1–5 and 7–9.13 Others favour a concentric composition, this time focussed on verse 4.14 For the majority, however, the psalm comprises two parallel parts: “(invitation to) praise the Lord (1–3) for the salvation granted to his people (4); (invitation to) rejoice (5–6) for the victory of his faithful over the Gentiles (7–9).”15 Framed by two “Hallelujahs”, which are considered as the extreme parts, the body of the psalm is organised in two parallel parts. THE FIRST PART (1B–4) + 1b Sing + his praise

to YHWH in THE ASSEMBLY

a song,

+ 2 Let him rejoice, + THE CHILDREN OF ZION,

ISRAEL let them exult

in THE ONE WHO MADE HIM, in THEIR KING.

+ 3 Let them praise + with the tambourine

HIS NAME

with dancing, let them exalt him,

and the harp

a new one:

OF HIS FAITHFUL!

··········································································································

= 4 because he is pleased, = he honours

YHWH, THE HUMILIATED

in HIS PEOPLE, with salvation.

The first piece (1–3) is a long invitation to praise addressed to “Israel” (2a); the much shorter second piece (4), which begins with “because”, gives the reason. The first segment begins with an imperative, “sing”, which is echoed in the next two segments, each member of which contains an optative. Note that each segment begins with one of these verbs (1b, 2a, 3a) and that in the second members of the last two segments the verbs gradually move towards the end, so that the extreme verbs can be considered as forming an inclusion (1b & 3b). In the second segment (2) “Yhwh” is presented as the creator of Israel and as “king”, the one who governs his people. 11 See Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 644. This is how the BJ distributes the text and so does R.J. TOURNAY, “Le psaume 149”. 12 A.R. CERESKO, “Psalm 149”. 13 Thus Lorenzin, 540, who follows W.S. PRINSLOO, “Psalm 149”. 14 Girard, III, 542, followed by Vesco, II, 1366–1367. 15 Hakham, II, 601; similarly, among many others; Ravasi, III, 988 (who like Prinsloo, entitles his commentary on the psalm with verse 6: III, 979). For a bibliography of the different positions, see W.S. PRINSLOO, “Psalm 149”, 396, note 7, 8.

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

+ 1b Sing + his praise

to YHWH in THE ASSEMBLY

a song,

+ 2 Let him rejoice, + THE CHILDREN OF ZION,

ISRAEL, let them exult

in THE ONE WHO MADE HIM, in THEIR KING.

+ 3 Let them praise + with the tambourine

HIS NAME

and the harp

with dancing, let them exalt him,

a new one:

OF HIS FAITHFUL!

··········································································································

= 4 because he is pleased, = he honours

YHWH, THE HUMILIATED

in HIS PEOPLE, with salvation.

In the second piece the subject is no longer the people of Israel but “Yhwh”. The name “Yhwh” is found in the same position in both pieces (1b & 4a). The two correlated terms “his people” (4a) and “the humiliated” (4b) refer to the series, “the assembly of his faithful” (1c), “Israel” (2a), “the children of Zion” (2b). The same preposition be, translated as “in” and “with”, introduces first those who are invited to sing (1c), then the one in whom they will exult (2), and finally the means they will use, “dancing” and the musical instruments (3); in the second piece the same preposition introduces the beneficiary, “his people” (4a), then the benefit, “salvation” (4b). THE SECOND PART (5–9B) The first piece is an invitation to praise God (5–6), followed in the second piece by the purpose of praise (7–9). In the first piece, after the double invitation (5), the two manifestations of praise are specified (6). Since “to acclaim” is a verb of speech, unlike “to jubilate”, the composition of the piece can be seen as mirrored: The jubilation “in glory” is done by day with “the sword” (5a & 6b), while at night, “on their couches”, the combatants do not cease to acclaim God, no longer with their weapons but with their words (5b–6a). The three segments of the second piece begin with the conjunction le, translated as “to” (7a, 8a, 9a). This refers first to the enemies (7), then to their rulers (8). The “vengeance” and “punishment” of the first segment (7) are made explicit in two successive actions: chaining the “kings” and the “nobles” (8), and then carrying out the sentence foreseen by Scripture (9). The extreme segments correspond to each other and begin with the same verb “to make” (7a & 9a, which could be rendered, because of the context, as “to execute”); it is therefore possible to think that the pronoun “them” (9a) refers to “the nations” and “the peoples” in 7.

Psalm 149 + 5 Let them jubilate, :: let them acclaim

on their couches,

:: 6 the eulogies + and the sword

of God two-edged

THE FAITHFUL

679 in glory, in their throat, in their hand,

······································································································

= 7 to make =

vengeance punishment

on THE NATIONS, on THE PEOPLES,

= 8 to bind = and THEIR GLORIOUS ONES

THEIR KINGS with fetters

with chains of iron,

= 9 to make = the splendour (is)

on THEM He

the judgment written; for all HIS FAITHFUL!

However, another organization of the last piece is possible and probably preferable. Indeed, while the parallelism of bimembers 7 and 8ab is strongly marked, the same is not true for the last verse: 9a has much more in common with the preceding than with the last member. One can therefore think of the following composition: = 7 to make =

vengeance punishment

on THE NATIONS, on THE PEOPLES,

:: 8 to bind :: and THEIR NOBLES :: 9 to make

THEIR KINGS with fetters on THEM

with chains, of iron, the judgment

+ The splendour (is)

He

for all HIS FAITHFUL!

written.

The first member of 9 would be a part of the second segment, a trimember, and the pronoun “them” would then refer only to those in charge, “their king” and “their nobles”, the only ones who would undergo “the written judgment”. As for the last member, which is very different from the preceding segments, it would be a unimember. The two occurrences of the “faithful” form an inclusion for the whole part (5a & 9b); in addition, the term “their glorious ones” in 8b echoes “glory” in 5a.

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The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

THE WHOLE OF THE PSALM • 1 PRAISE YAH! + SING + his praise

to YHWH in THE ASSEMBLY

a song, OF HIS FAITHFUL!

+ 2 LET HIM REJOICE, + THE CHILDREN OF ZION,

ISRAEL, LET THEM EXULT

in THE ONE WHO MADE HIM, in THEIR KING.

+ 3 LET THEM PRAISE + with the tambourine

HIS NAME

with dancing,

and the harp

LET THEM EXALT HIM,

a new one:

···········································································································

:: 4 because he is pleased, :: he honours

YHWH THE HUMILIATED

in HIS PEOPLE, with salvation.

+ 5 LET THEM JUBILATE, + LET THEM ACCLAIM

THE FAITHFUL on their couches,

in glory,

+ 6 the eulogies + and the sword

of GOD two-edged

in their throat, in their hand,

···········································································································

= 7 to MAKE =

vengeance punishment

on THE NATIONS, on THE PEOPLES,

= 8 to bind = and THEIR GLORIOUS ONES = 9 to MAKE

THEIR KINGS with fetters on THEM

with chains, of iron, the judgment

:: The splendour is

HE

for all HIS FAITHFUL!

written.

• PRAISE YAH! The two acclamations “Praise Yah” form an inclusion (1a & 9c). The other two parts are parallel to each other: The invitatory (1b–3 & 5–6) is followed by its cause in the first instance (4), by its consequence or conclusion in the other instance (7–9). While in the second part the invitatory is extensive (three segments) and the cause brief (one segment), the reverse is true in the third part (two segments for the invitatory and three for the conclusion). “He honours” (p’r, piel) in 4b and “glory” in 5a can be considered as median terms linking the second and third parts: indeed tip’eret (“honour”) and kābôd (“glory”) are synonymous,16 and sometimes used together (“as a sign of glory and splendour”, Exod 28:2, 40; see also Isa 4:2). “Splendour” (hādār) in 9b is another synonym for “glory”. 16

The first term is most often translated as “glory” (Osty: 71:8; 78:61; Isa 62:3; 63:14.

Psalm 149

681

The extreme acclamations are echoed by the same verb “to praise” in 3a (taken up by the noun “praise” in 1c). The two occurrences of “faithful” in 1c and 9b form an inclusion for the whole psalm; those in 1c and 5a serve as initial terms for the central parts. “Their king” at the centre of the first piece of the second part (2b) is opposed to “their kings” at the centre of the last piece of the third part (8a). Just as “Yhwh” is the subject of the verbs at the end of the second part (4), so “He” is at the end of the third part, which supports the interpretation that sees the referent of the pronoun in 9b as Yhwh himself: Therefore, the Lord adorns his people with “salvation” (4b) and “splendour” (9b). In the second part the verb “to make” indicates the creation of Israel (2a) and in the third part the judgment of the nations for the salvation of his people (7a & 9a). As the second and third parts are very similar, the differences should be sought, as they will be relevant.17 It has already been noted that in the second part the invitatory to praise (1b–3) is followed by its cause (introduced by “because”, 4) while in the next part the invitatory (5–6) is followed by its consequence (introduced by “to”, 7a, 8a, 9a). It should be added that in the second part the praise is expressed by “dancing”, “the tambourine and the harp” (3), while in the third part, in a symmetrical position at the end of the first piece (6), it is “the sword” that accompanies “the praise”; in fact, by it “the punishment” and “the judgement” will be done. Note the prevalence of the same preposition translated as “in” and “with”, seven times in the first part, eight in the second one. There are also nine mentions of God: “Yah” (1a & 9c), “Yhwh” (1b & 4a), “their creator” (“the one who made him”, 2a), “their king” (2b), “his name” (3a), “God” (6a), “He” (9b). There are also nine verbs of praise, in the imperative or jussive: “to praise” (1a, 3a, 9c), “to sing” (1b), “to rejoice” (2a), “to exult” (2b), “to exalt” (3b), “to jubilate” (5a), “to acclaim” (5b) The names of Israel are seven: “the assembly of his followers” (1c), “Israel” (2a), “the children of Zion” (2b), “his people” (4a), “his faithful” (5a & 9b). CONTEXT SAVING THE HUMILIATED Given the context of the psalm, rather than “the poor” or “the humble”, a term that connotes an inner personal attitude, it seems better to translate ‘ănāwîm (4b) as “the oppressed”, “the humiliated”, precisely those in need of “salvation” (4b), because they are crushed by “the nations” (7). Ps 76 expresses well how God’s judgment, his “vengeance”, is aimed at saving the oppressed:

17

See the first of the “five hermeneutical rules” (Traité 2007.2013: 551–561; 2021: 477–487 = Treatise, 338–345).

682

The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

8

You are terrible, yes you! and who will stand before your face because of your anger? 9 You made the sentence to be heard from heaven, the earth feared and was silent, 10 when God rose up in judgment to save all the humiliated of the earth. 11 because the fury of man gives you thanks, with the rest of the furies you gird yourself.

“THE WRITTEN SENTENCE” (PS 149:9A) One of the most explicit texts is Deut 7:24: “He [the Lord] will hand their kings over to you and you shall blot out their name from under heaven; no one will be able to stand against you, until you have destroyed them.” Note that here there are only “their kings” whose names are to be blotted out, not their peoples. “SPLENDOUR” (PS 149:9B) Coordinated with “glory” (kābôd, Ps 8:6; Isa 35:2), more often with “splendour” (hôd, Ps 21:6; 96:6; 104:1), the “splendour” (hādār) is an attribute of God (Job 40:10; Ps 104:1; 111:3), but the latter clothes not only the king (Ps 21:6), but every human being with it: “You make him little less than God, with glory and splendour you crown him” (Ps 8:6). PS 1–2 The penultimate psalm of the Psalter reminds us of the first one, where God’s judgement will fall on the ungodly (Ps 1:4–6), while he “knows the way of the righteous”. But Ps 149 has much in common with Ps 2: From the beginning it speaks of “the nations” and “the peoples”, “the kings of the earth” and “the princes” who” conspire “against the Lord and against his Messiah” (2:1–2); they will be broken “with a sceptre of iron” (2:9) and will be invited to correct themselves and to serve the Lord (2:10). This is the purpose of the punishment they will suffer. INTERPRETATION AN OUTRAGEOUS PSALM? All attention is likely to be polarised by “vengeance” (Ps 149:7) and by the execution of kings and nobles (149:9a). And this would be the “honour” of God’s “faithful”! It is all right that “kings” and “nobles” are bound by “chains” and “iron fetters”, but the killing of the rulers seems unbearable. And one would forget their victims, “the humiliated” (149:4b)! It is hard to argue that such oldfashioned behaviour could not be happening today. One only has to think of the hanging of ten Nazi leaders at Nuremberg, and closer to our own time, the execution of several modern dictators.

Psalm 149

683

THE SAVIOUR’S HONOUR The Lord has “made vengeance on the nations” (149:7). He did not satisfy his hatred against the peoples, as the word “vengeance” might suggest, but he administered “punishment” on them, so that they would “comprehend” (Ps 2:10), repent and correct themselves. Thus he “avenged” the humiliated, saving them from the hands of their oppressors. He could only raise up the lowly by bringing down those who crushed them. This was what happened to the Egyptians who did not want their slaves to go on the road to freedom. And that is not just an ancient story. ROYALTY The “kings” who are punished (149:8) are those who, by attacking Israel, opposed their “King”, their Creator (149:2). The defeat of these kings gives the opportunity to those who have been saved from their clutches to “praise” the one they recognise as their King, the one without whom they could not have been freed, who gave victory to their weapons. Not content with “adorning” his faithful with “salvation” (149:4b), the Lord clothes them with the royal “splendour” that is his (149:9b); he makes them share in his glory and royalty: “The kingship and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High” (Dan 7:27).

2. Psalm 150 TEXT Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his power, 2 praise him in his prowess, praise him in all his greatness! 3 Praise him with the blast of the horn, praise him with the harp and cithara, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with strings and flutes, 5 praise him with loud cymbals, praise him with triumphant cymbals! 6 Let all breath praise Yah! Praise Yah! 1

1B: “HIS SANCTUARY” The term qōdeš is ambiguous. It means “holiness”1 but also “sanctuary”, as most commentaries and modern translations think. Unfortunately, it is not possible to respect the ambiguity of the Hebrew. The Septuagint, for its part, has translated “his saints”. For the sanctuary, the problem would be to know whether it is the earthly temple of Jerusalem or the heavenly sanctuary, as the “firmament” of the second member might suggest. Here again, ambiguity must be respected. 1C: “HIS POWER” Insofar as the first segment would evoke the divine power in its heavenly sanctuary, one could think that “its prowess” refers to what the Lord does on earth, especially for Israel: “these acts of valour, we know, are all the saving events accomplished by Yhwh in favour of his people, mainly the marvels of the exodus and the conquest.”2 This is indeed the case in Deut 3:24; Ps 20:7; 71:16; 106:2. However, Job 26:14c (“the thunder of his prowess, who shall comprise it?”) comes at the end of a discourse in which the works of God in creation are enumerated. Again, it is not appropriate to limit the term to one or another aspect of its meaning. 5: “LOUD CYMBALS, TRIUMPHANT CYMBALS” Both adjectives translate nouns. The first one, šema‘, is a hapax, from the root šm‘, “to hear”; the second one means, in this context of joy, “acclamation” or “ovation”, like the one that accompanied the procession of the ark to Jerusalem: “And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Yhwh with acclamation and with the sound of the horn” (2 Sam 6:15). In the psalm “the 1

For example, in Exod 15:11; thus understood by Hakham, II, 607. Mannati, IV, 293; see also Ravasi, III, 1003, who somewhat tempers the distinction between “cosmos and history”. 2

686

The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

horn” is the first in the list of instruments (Ps 150:3a), which ends with “triumphant cymbals” (150:5b). 6: “all breath” The term nešāmâ means “respiration”, the “breath” of life, that which God breathed into Adam’s nostrils (Gen 2:7), and it designates by metonymy the living being. Therefore, because of the flood, everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, human beings and animals and creeping things and birds of the air. (Gen 7:22–23)

Some are of the opinion that the term refers only to humans, for the reason that they alone are capable, by the word with which they are endowed among all that breathe, of praising the Lord.3 If this were the case, Ps 148 would not invite all the living and even inanimate beings to join together in praise of God. Others think that, as the term comes at the end of the long series of musical instruments, it would indicate the “breath” necessary for wind instruments, such as horns and flutes, or the human voice, whose singing would surpass all musical instruments. “It is very likely that the author deliberately took advantage of this ambivalence to express both fullness and universality in a single phrase.”4 COMPOSITION Many commentators do not bother themselves to give an outline of the psalm.5 Some organize the body of the text into two parts, the praise motif (1–2) and then the orchestra for the rest.6 Others divide it into three parts, making verse 6 a part in itself.7 The psalm is organised into three parts. The extreme parts are very short, while the central part is composed of three pieces.

3

See Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 663–664. Mannati, IV, 292; see also, e.g., Vesco, 1376. 5 Thus Dahood, III, 359; Hakham, II, 607; Kraus, II, 569–570. 6 Alonso Schoekel – Carniti, II, 883; Girard, III, 546–549. 7 Thus, Ravasi, III, 1001; Lorenzin, 542; Hossfeld – Zenger, III, 658. 4

Psalm 150

687

1

PRAISE

Yah!

+ +

PRAISE God PRAISE HIM

in his sanctuary, in the firmament

of his power,

+ 2 PRAISE HIM + PRAISE HIM

in his prowess, in the abundance

of his greatness!

········································································································ 3 PRAISE HIM in the blast of the horn,

: : PRAISE HIM

with the harp

and cithara,

: 4 PRAISE HIM : PRAISE HIM

with tambourin with strings

and the dancing, and flutes,

: 5 PRAISE HIM : PRAISE HIM

with cymbals, with cymbals,

loud ones, triumphant ones!

········································································································

+ 6 Let all + PRAISE PRAISE

breath Yah! Yah!

The body of the psalm is framed by the two Alleluia. It comprises three pieces, arranged in a concentric fashion. The first one deals with the object of the praise (“God”, 1b–2), the last with its subject (“all breath”, 6ab); this is the only mention of the subject of the thirteen occurrences of the verb “to praise”. In other words, the first piece is about the one who is to be praised, the last about the one who is called to praise him. The two divine names form an inclusion and are, so to speak, complementary: “God” (’ēl, 1b) is the common name of the deity, “Yah” (1a, 6bc) is its proper name, that of the God of Israel. The central piece (3–5) is the most extensive, listing the manifestations of praise through music and dance. The first segment of the first piece contemplates God himself in “his holiness” or heavenly “sanctuary”, in “the firmament” where “his power” is revealed (1bc), while the second segment celebrates his deeds, “the prowess” he has shown not only in the creation but also in the history (2). In the second piece (3–5), the instruments seem to surround and drive “the dancing” (4a). While in the first piece the rhythm is 2 + 3, in the second one it is 3 + 3, in the third one 2 + 2.8 The four members of the first piece might remind us of the four winds, or points of the compass; the instruments of the second piece are seven, the number of totality. The whole of the central part has ten imperatives of the verb “to praise”, another figure of totality, like that of the “ten words” (Exod 20; Deut 6), like the ten words of the first account of creation (Gen 1). 8

The translation of 6ab into two members attempts to respect the rhythm of the Hebrew text.

688

The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

CONTEXT THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS In Ps 98 the musical instruments accompany the song of the Israelites, which is joined by the whole earth, the sea, the rivers and the mountains: 4

Acclaim Yhwh, all the earth, sing psalms to Yhwh with the harp, 6 with the trumpet and the horn acclaim 7 Let the sea and its fullness thunder, 8 let the rivers clap the hands 5

break forth and shout for joy! with the sound of the instruments; before the king Yhwh. the world and its population; let the mountains shout for joy...

MUSIC AND DANCE When the ark of God was brought to Jerusalem, David and the whole House of Israel danced before Yahweh with all their might, singing to the accompaniment of harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals (2 Sam 6:5).

THE PRAISE OF ALL THE BEINGS Praise is not reserved for human beings, who are endowed with speech, and who alone are capable of pronouncing it. In addition to the text of Gen 7:22–23 quoted above (p. 686), the text of Rev 5:13 is even more explicit, which makes the words of all creatures heard: Then I heard all the living things in creation – everything that lives in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, crying: “To the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever.”

INTERPRETATION ALL IS SAID At the end of the book of Psalms, everything has been said. And, as if to conclude by taking up the whole, the final chorus insists in every fashion on the totality. It is first of all an invitation to praise God for all that he is, in “his holiness” and “his greatness”, in the “firmament” of heaven and through “his prowess” in the creation and in the history of salvation, in the four corners of the universe. Then it is the totality of musical instruments that are summoned with the dancing to praise the Lord; there are also the ten calls to praise that recall the ten words of the creation and of the Decalogue. Finally, “all breath” is invited to join Israel in giving praise to its Lord and Lord of the universe.

Psalm 150

689

TIME FOR THE MUSIC Even more than a conclusion, the last psalm sounds like an overture. It is an invitation to move on to another language, the language beyond words, the language of the heart, which can only be expressed through music and the exuberance of all its instruments. It is this symphony that is called to resound when the last word, the last Hallelujah, is pronounced. It is as if, with its one hundred and fifty psalms, the Psalter were merely an introduction to the silence of the word, to make way for the music of love. To say nothing... To let my heart sing in its own language, To say nothing, but simply to sing because my heart is too full, Like the blackbird which repeats its idea in that species of swift couplets. 9

INVITATION TO THE DANCING The throats do not speak any word, all their breath are busy making horns and flutes resound. The hands touch the strings of the harp and the cithara, shake the tambourine, make the cymbals sound. And the feet take off for the dance where the whole body speaks of the love that carries it. Those who pray the psalms are drawn to join David and all Israel in dancing before the ark of God. You have turned my grief into dancing for me, you have untied my sackcloth and you girded me with joy; so that the glory will make music to you and will not be silent, Yhwh my God, forever I will give you thanks. (Ps 30:12–13)

9

P. CLAUDEL, “The Virgin at Noon”.

690

The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150) 3. ISRAEL INVITED TO DANCE AND TO PLAY FOR THE LORD (PS 149–150)

COMPOSITION OF THE THIRD SEQUENCE Ps 149

1

PRAISE Yah!

SING to Yhwh a new SONG: his PRAISE IN THE ASSEMBLY OF HIS FAITHFUL! 2 LET Israel REJOICE in the one who made him, let the children of Zion EXULT in their king. 3 Let them praise his name with DANCING, with THE TAMBOURINE and THE HARP LET THEM EXALT HIM, 4 because Yhwh is pleased with his people, he adorns the humiliated with salvation. 5 6

LET the faithful JUBILATE in glory, LET THEM ACCLAIM on their couches, the eulogies of God in their throat, and two-edged sword in their hand, 7 to execute vengeance on the nations, punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with chains and their glorious ones with fetters of iron, 9 to execute on them the written judgment. He is the splendour for all his faithful!

PRAISE Yah! Ps 150

1

PRAISE Yah!

PRAISE God IN HIS SANCTUARY, PRAISE him in the firmament of his power, 2 PRAISE him in his prowess, PRAISE him in all his greatness! PRAISE him with the blast of the horn, PRAISE him with THE HARP and cithara, PRAISE him with TAMBOURINE and DANCING, PRAISE him with strings and flutes, 5 PRAISE him with loud cymbals, PRAISE him with triumphant cymbals! 3 4

6

Let all breath

PRAISE Yah!

PRAISE Yah!

“Praise Yah” forms an inclusion for each of the two psalms (149:1a, 9b; 150:1a, 6b). While the first psalm calls to praise “Yhwh”, the proper name of the God of Israel (149:1b), the second psalm calls to praise “God”, El, which is his generic name (150:1b; however, already used in 149:6). The three occurrences of “to praise” – “praise” in the first psalm (149:1a, 1b, 9b) are matched by thirteen occurrences of the verb “to praise” in the last psalm (150:1a, 1b[2x], 2[2x], 3[2x], 4[2x], 5[2x], 6a, 6b, namely, two or three times in each verse). In the first psalm the three occurrences of “to praise” and “praise” are accompanied by seven terms that belong to the same semantic field: “to sing”, “song” (149:1b), “to rejoice”, “to exult” (149:2), “to exalt” (149:3), “to jubilate”, “to acclaim” (149:5). “In the assembly of his faithful” and “in his sanctuary” (149:1b; 150:1b) have the function of initial terms. “Dancing”, “the tambourine” and “the harp” are repeated in 148:3 and 150:3–4).

Psalm 150

691

INTERPRETATION ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS In the first psalm it is Israel who is called to praise her Lord, the God who has chosen her out of all “the nations” and “the peoples” of the earth to bear his name. The bellicose tone of the psalm, with “the two-edged sword”, “vengeance” and “punishment”, “chains” and “fetters”, right up to the execution of the “written judgement”, makes the penultimate psalm of the psalter a song of victory that may shock. It would indeed be shocking if we forgot that this victory is of those who have been “humiliated” (149:4). Anyone who has never known defeat, exile, humiliation and injustice will find it difficult to comprehend the joy of “salvation”. Israel can speak of it, knowingly, and therefore “sings”, “exults” and is “dancing” to the sound of “the tambourine” and “the harp”. FROM ISRAEL TO ALL BREATH The “good souls”, those who have never known humiliation, will obviously have less difficulty in intoning the last psalm. The whole thing is musical, and it remains general about the divine “sanctuary”, preferably seen in the highest heavens, “in the firmament of his power”; “his prowess” and “his greatness”, without any further specification, are hardly likely to bother anyone. The cymbals can resound without the slightest restraint. Finally, all breathing beings are invited to praise the Lord of the universe. Fortunately, this is a far cry from Jewish particularism. However, it should not be forgotten that the one who speaks and invites to praise every creature, including the peoples and the nations who had humiliated him, is none other than Israel, the chosen people, so that in him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3).

IV. THE GREAT DOXOLOGY The Final Section: Ps 146–150 1. COMPOSITION OF THE SECTION The first two psalms (146–147) form a sequence, as last two psalms (149– 150) do, and the central psalm (148) links the whole, calling for praise together with Israel: JACOB IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD, THE WHOLE CREATION

IS INVITED

ISRAEL IS INVITED TO DANCE AND TO PLAY

CREATOR AND SAVIOUR

TO PRAISE THE LORD FOR THE LORD

Ps 146–147 Ps 148 Ps 149–150

694

The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE MEDIAN PSALMS (PS 147 & PS 149) Ps 147

1

PRAISE Yah!

Yes, it is good to PLAY to our God, yes, it is sweet, PRAISE is charming! 2 Yhwh builds up Jerusalem, he gathers the exiles of ISRAEL; 3 he heals the broken of heart and binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of stars, he calls names of all of them; 5 great is our Lord, and all powerful, to his understanding, there is no number. 6 Yhwh sustains THE HUMILIATED, he brings the wicked down to the ground. 7

SING to Yhwh with THANKSGIVING, PLAY to our God on THE HARP! 8 He covers the heavens with clouds, he prepares rain for the earth, he makes grass grow on the mountains [and plants for people to use]; 9 He gives to the beasts their food, to the young of the ravens what they cry. 10 He does not take pleasure in the vigour of the horse, nor IS HE PLEASED in the hock of a man; 11 Yhwh IS PLEASED with those who fear him, with those who hope in HIS FAITHFULNESS.

12

EXTOL Yhwh, O Jerusalem, PRAISE your God, O ZION! Because he has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed your children within you; 14 he sets your border in peace, he satisfies you with the finest of wheat; 15 he sends his saying to the earth, his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool, he scatters frost like ashes; 17 he casts forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold? 18 he sends his word and melts them, he makes his wind blow, the waters flow. 19 He reveals his word to Jacob, his precepts and his judgments to ISRAEL; 20 He did not do so to any people, and they did not know his judgments. 13

PRAISE Yah! […]

Ps 149

1

PRAISE Yah!

SING to Yhwh a new SONG: his PRAISE in the assembly of HIS FAITHFUL! 2 LET ISRAEL REJOICE in the one who made him, let the children of ZION EXULT in their king. 3 LET THEM PRAISE his name with dancing, with the tambourine and THE HARP LET THEM PLAY TO HIM, 4 because Yhwh IS PLEASED with his people, he adorns THE HUMILIATED with salvation. 5 6

LET THE FAITHFUL JUBILATE in glory, LET THEM ACCLAIM on their couches, the eulogies of God in their throat, and two-edged sword in their hand, 7 to execute vengeance on the nations, punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with chains and their glorious ones with fetters of iron, 9 to execute on them the written judgment. He is the splendour for all HIS FAITHFUL!

PRAISE Yah!

The Whole of the Final Section (Ps 146–150)

695

“Praise Yah” forms an inclusion for each of the two psalms (147:1a, 20b; 150:1a, 9b). The four occurrences of “to praise” are accompanied by several terms belonging to the same semantic field, “to play”, “to sing”, “to extol”, “to rejoice”, “to exult”, “to jubilate”, “to acclaim” (147:1b, 7[3x], 15; 149:1b[2x], 2[2x], 3, 5[2x]). “Israel” and “Zion” occur in 147:2, 12, 19 and 149:2. There are also repeated terms, “the humiliated” (147:6 & 149:4), “the harp” (147:7 & 149:3), he “is pleased” (147:10–11; 149:4), “people” (147:20; 149:4, 7).

696

The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

THE WHOLE OF THE SEQUENCE (PS 146–150) Ps 146 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE, O my soul, Yhwh! 2 I WILL PRAISE Yhwh in all my life, I WILL PLAY to my God in all my duration. 3 Do not trust in princes, in a son of Adam in whom there is no salvation: 4 His breath goes out, he returns to his adamah. On that day his plans perish. 5 Happy who has the God of Jacob for his help, his hope in Yhwh his God: 6 He makes HEAVEN and EARTH, the sea and all that is in them. He is the one who keeps faithfulness forever. 7 He makes justice to the oppressed, he gives bread to the hungry, Yhwh liberates prisoners. 8 Yhwh opens the eyes of the blind, Yhwh makes straight those who are bowed down, Yhwh loves the righteous. 9 Yhwh keeps the strangers, the orphan and the widow he will restore, but the way of the wicked he will twist. 10 Yhwh reigns forever, your God, O Zion, from generation to generation! PRAISE Yah! Ps 147 1 PRAISE Yah! Yes, it is good to PLAY to our God, yes, it is sweet, PRAISE is charming! 2 Yhwh builds up Jerusalem, he gathers the exiles of Israel; 3 he heals the broken of heart and binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of STARS, he calls names of all of them; 5 great is our Lord, and all powerful, to his understanding, there is no number. 6 Yhwh sustains the humiliated, he brings the wicked down to the ground. 7 SING to Yhwh with THANKSGIVING, PLAY to our God on the harp! 8 He covers THE HEAVENS with clouds, he prepares rain for THE EARTH, he makes grass grow on the mountains [and plants for people to use]; 9 He gives to the beasts their food, to the young of the ravens what they cry. 10 He does not take pleasure in the vigour of the horse, nor is he pleased in the hock of a man; 11 Yhwh is pleased with those who fear him, with those who hope in his faithfulness. 12 EXTOL Yhwh, O Jerusalem, PRAISE your God, O Zion! 13 Because he has strengthened the bars of your gates, he has blessed your children within you; 14 he sets your border in peace, he satisfies you with the finest of wheat; 15 he sends his saying to the earth, his word runs swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool, he scatters frost like ashes; 17 he casts forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold? 18 he sends his word and melts them, he makes his wind blow, the waters flow. 19 He reveals his word to Jacob, his precepts and his judgments to Israel; 20 He did not do so to ANY PEOPLE, and they did not know his judgments. PRAISE Yah!

“Praise Yah” frames each of the five psalms. The density of “to praise” – “praise” gradually increases: 8 times in the first sequence (4 + 4), 13 times in the second one (Ps 148) and 17 times in the last one (4 + 13). The “heaven and earth” of the beginning (146:6) are taken up again at the centre where they structure the psalm (148:1b, 4, 7, 13b); the couple also returns in 147:8. The “stars” of 148:3 are already appearing in 147:4. “The name” of Yhwh mentioned twice in 148:13a is repeated in 149:3. The word “people” found twice at the end of the central psalm (148:14) is already present in the preceding psalm (147:20) and returns twice in the subsequent psalm (149:4, 7). The two occurrences of “his faithful” in 148:14 and 149:1 act as median terms; those in 148:14 and 149:9 as final terms.

The Whole of the Final Section (Ps 146–150)

697

Ps 148 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE Yhwh from THE HEAVENS, PRAISE him in the hights; 2 PRAISE him, all his angels, PRAISE him, all his host, 3 PRAISE him, sun and moon, PRAISE him, all shining STARS; 4 PRAISE him HEAVENS OF HEAVENS, and the waters that are above THE HEAVENS. 5 LET THEM PRAISE the name of Yhwh, because it was he who commanded and they were created, 6 and he established them forever and ever; he gave a law and he will not transgress it. 7 PRAISE Yhwh from THE EARTH, you dragons and all the depths; 8 fire and hail, snow and mist, storm wind that makes his word, 9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, reptiles and winged birds; 11 kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all judges of the earth, 12 young men and also virgins, elderly people with children. 13 LET THEM PRAISE the name of Yhwh, because his name alone is sublime, his splendour is above EARTH and HEAVEN; 14 and he heightens the horn of HIS PEOPLE, THE PRAISE of all his faithful, of the children of Israel, THE PEOPLE close to him. PRAISE Yah!

Ps 149 1 PRAISE Yah! SING to Yhwh a new SONG: his PRAISE in the assembly of his faithful! 2 LET Israel REJOICE in the one who made him, let the children of Zion EXULT in their king. 3 LET THEM PRAISE his name with dancing, with the tambourine and the harp LET THEM PLAY TO HIM, 4 because Yhwh is pleased with HIS PEOPLE, he adorns the humiliated with salvation. 5 LET the faithful JUBILATE in glory, LET THEM ACCLAIM on their couches, 6 the eulogies of God in their throat, and two-edged sword in their hand, 7 to execute vengeance on the nations, punishment on THE PEOPLES, 8 to bind their kings with chains and their glorious ones with fetters of iron, 9 to execute on them the written judgment. He is the splendour for all his faithful! PRAISE Yah! Ps 150 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE God in his sanctuary, PRAISE him in the firmament of his power, 2 PRAISE him in his prowess, PRAISE him in all his greatness! 3 PRAISE him with the blast of the horn, PRAISE him with the harp and cithara, 4 PRAISE him with tambourine and dancing, PRAISE him with strings and flutes, 5 PRAISE him with loud cymbals, PRAISE him with triumphant cymbals! 6 Let all breath PRAISE Yah! PRAISE Yah!

2. INTERPRETATION “DO NOT TRUST IN PRINCES” (146:3) As soon as the psalmist has invited to praise the Lord, he warns against the mighty whom it is impossible to trust (146:3–4). Not only are they mere mortals who cannot save, but they are also the ones who oppress, starve and imprison the righteous (146:7–9). The next psalm begins with a reference to “the exiles of Israel” (147:2–3) and then alludes to those who put their trust in their own strength, “the vigour of the horse” and “the hock of a man” (147:10). On the one hand, “the humiliated” whom the Lord “sustains”, on the other hand, “the

698

The Great Doxology (Ps 146–150)

wicked” whom he “brings down” (147:6). The inevitable opposition and conflict explodes in the penultimate psalm between God’s “people” and “the nations” and their “kings” (149:5–9). “LET ALL THAT BREATHES PRAISE THE LORD” (150:6) Ps 148 dominates the great doxology from the height of heaven and the “heavens of heavens”. It invites a long litanic descent to earth, summoning and involving all creatures in praise. From the beginning, the Lord is celebrated not only as the saviour of his oppressed people, but as the one who “makes heaven and earth” (146:6), as the one who “counts the number of stars” (147:4), who “covers the heavens with clouds” and feeds even “the young of the ravens” (147:8–9). The novelty that emerges at the centre is that the “kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all judges of the earth” (148:11) are also called to praise Yhwh, the God of “the children of Israel” who “heightens the horn of his people”, of “the people close to him” (148:14), “because his name alone is sublime” (148:13). Therefore, the definitive reconciliation between all the peoples is prophesied, the end of the jealousy that animated those who could not bear the election, the restoration between Cain and Abel. And, echoing the central psalm, the last psalm ends with these four words: “Let all breath praise the Lord” (150:6). TIME FOR DANCING AND MUSIC Right at the beginning of the first psalm, the psalmist announces that he will “play” for his God (146:2). “The harp” which begins to be plucked in the second psalm: “play to our God on the harp” (147:7), returns, along with “the tambourine” to accompany the “dancing” in the penultimate psalm (149:3). Finally, the acclamation resounds with all the other instruments, bursting forth with “the loud cymbals”, “triumphant cymbals” (150:5). Now it is time for singing, music and dancing. David has put on the linen loincloth and dances eagerly before the ark as it enters Jerusalem. But David is not alone: all Israel dances and sings with him. David and the whole House of Israel danced before the Lord with all their might, singing to the accompaniment of harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. (2 Sam 6:5). And David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth. Thus with war cries and blasts on the horn, David and the entire House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord. (2 Sam 6:14–15)

THE WHOLE OF THE FIFTH BOOK Ps 107–150

A. COMPOSITION The five sections that constitute the Fifth Book are arranged in a concentric fashion, with the sixth section being outside the system, which serves as a conclusion not only for the Fifth Book but for the entire psalter: FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT TO THE THANKSGIVING OF THE RIGHTEOUS Ps 107–112 FROM THE EXODUS IN EGYPT

MEDITATION

FROM THE EXODUS IN BABYLON

TO THE TEMPLE

IN JERUSALEM

ON THE WORD THAT GIVES LIFE

TO THE TEMPLE

IN JERUSALEM

Ps 113–118

Ps 119

Ps 120–134

FROM THE VENOM OF THE SERPENT TO THE PRAISE OF THE RIGHTEOUS Ps 135–145

The great doxology

Ps 146–150

At the centre is the very long Ps 119 which chants the Torah. It is preceded by the “Egyptian Hallel” which celebrates the exodus from Egypt and is followed by the “Psalms of Ascents” which celebrate the new exodus from Babylon. The extreme sections are marked by thanksgiving and praise in contrast to the word that lies and kills. At the end of the extreme sections the twin psalms (Ps 111–112 and Ps 145) are alphabetical acrostics; they act as the final terms for these two sections. Ps 119, at the centre of the book, is also an alphabetical acrostic.

702

The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150) 1. SOME NUMERICAL VALUES

107–112 113–118 119 120–134 135–145

6 psalms

5,874

6 psalms

3,861

1 single psalm

7,894

15 psalms

5,533

11 psalms

8,290

9,735

13,823

The count is made in the number of signs of the transliterated Hebrew text, spaces included, without the verse numbers. The second side of the section (Ps 120–145) is more extensive than the first one (Ps 107–118). On the first side, the first section (Ps 107–112) is longer than the second one (113–118); conversely, on the other side, the last section (Ps 135–145) is longer than the preceding one (Ps 120–134). The length ratio between the total of the two sections of the first side (Ps 107– 118) and the longer one of the two (Ps 107–112) is equal to the length ratio between the total of the two sections of the last side (Ps 120–145) and the longer one of the two (Ps 135–145): 9,735 : 5,874 = 1.657 13,823 : 8,290 = 1.667

2. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SECTIONS (PS 107–112 & 135–145) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRES OF THE SECTIONS (PS 109 & PS 140) – The titles are identical, apart from the inversion of the last two terms; – “Tongue” occurs in 109:2 and 140:4; – “Deceit” and “lying” of 109:2 are matched by “hide a trap” in 140:6; – The term “wicked” is repeated in 109:2, 6, 7 and 140:5, 9; – “Evil” in 109:5, 20 and 140:2, 3; – The couple “afflicted”1 – “poor” is repeated in 109:16, 22 and 140:13 (“poor” is also taken up in 109:31); – The call to punishment is found in 109:17–20 and 140:10–12; – “Yhwh Adonai” occurs in 109:21 and 140:8 (and not elsewhere in the two sections); – “Your name” in 109:21 and 140:14; – “My God” in 109:26 and 140:7; – “Deliver me” in 109:21 and “liberate me” in 140:2; 1

“Afflicted” is not used in the rest of the two sections; “affliction” is found in 107:41.

The Whole of the Fifth Book

703

– “To save” in 109:26, 31 and “salvation” in 140:8; – “Hand/s” in 109:27 and 140:5; – “To give thanks” occurs in the endings: 109:30 and 140:14. Ps 109 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O God of my praise, do not be silent, 2 because the mouth of the WICKED and the mouth of DECEIT are opened against me; they speak to me with a LYING TONGUE, 3 and with words of hatred they surround me, and they attack me without reason. 4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, and as for me, I am in prayer; 5 and they set against me EVIL in return for good, and hatred in return for my friendship. 6 “Position a WICKED against him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand; 7 when he is judged let him be found WICKED, and let his prayer be counted as sin. 8 Let his days be few, let another take his position; 9 let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow; 10 and let his children wander continually, and let them beg and seek far of their ruins. 11 Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; 12 let there be no one for him who keeps faithfulness, and let there be no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the posterior generation; 14 let the wrong of his fathers be remembered by Yhwh, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before Yhwh forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” 16 For the reason that he does not remember to do faithfulness, he pursues the AFFLICTED and the POOR, and the broken of heart to put him to death. 17 And he loves cursing, and it comes to him, and he does not

desire blessing, and it is far from him; 18 and he cloths himself with cursing as his coat: and it comes into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment that wraps him, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. 20 This is the salary of my accusers from Yhwh, and of those who speak EVIL against my soul.

21 And as for you, O YHWH ADONAI, deal with me for the sake of YOUR NAME, because your faithfulness is good, DELIVER ME. 22 Because I am AFFLICTED and POOR, and my heart is wounded within me; 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, I am shaken off like a locust; 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, and my flesh is lean for lack of oil. 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them, when they see me, they shake their head. 26 Help me, O Yhwh MY GOD, save me according to your faithfulness; 27 and let them know that this is your hand, that you, O Yhwh, have done it. 28 As for them, they curse, and as for you, you bless, they attack and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; 29 let my accusers be clothed with infamy, and wrapped as in a mantle of their shame. 30 I WILL GIVE THANKS to Yhwh greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I will praise him; 31 because he stands at the right hand of the POOR to save his soul from his judges.

[…]

Ps 140 1 For the music director, a psalm, of David. 2 LIBERATE ME, O Yhwh, from EVIL man, from violent man defend me, 3 who meditate EVIL THINGS in the heart; all the day they foment wars, 4 they sharpen THEIR TONGUE like a serpent, the venom of viper under their lips. Selâ 5 Keep me, O Yhwh, from the hands of the WICKED, from violent man defend me, who meditate to overthrow my steps; 6 the arrogant ones HIDE a trap for me, and with cords they spread a net, by the side of the way they set snares for me. Selâ 7 I said to Yhwh: “You are MY GOD! Give ear, O Yhwh, to the voice of my supplications. 8 O YHWH ADONAI, strength of my salvation, you cover my head in the day of battle. 9 Do not grant, O Yhwh, the desires of the WICKED, his design is not fulfilled, lest they exalt themselves. Selâ 10 The head of those who

surround me, it covers the pain of their lips. 11 Let descend on them coals of fire, and let him cast them into the abyss, and no more to rise. 12 Do not let a man of tongue be established in the earth, let EVIL chase the violent man with double blows!” 13 I know that Yhwh will make the cause of the AFFLICTED, the judgment of the POOR. 14 Yes, the righteous SHALL GIVE THANKS to YOUR NAME, the saints shall dwell before your face.

704

The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150)

OTHER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EXTREME SECTIONS The most noticeable feature is that “to give thanks” occurs eighteen times (107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31; 108:4; 109:30; 111:1 // 136:1, 2, 3, 26; 138:1, 2, 4; 139:14; 140:14; 145:10) and “thanksgiving” once (107:22), making a total of nineteen occurrences. In the second section the verb does not appear until 116:17 (“thanksgiving”) and then, in a tight fashion, at the end of the section (118:1, 19, 21, 28[2x], 29). In the very long third section it is used only twice (119:7, 62) and in the fourth one only once (122:4). All synonyms or terms belonging to the same semantic field should be added: – “To praise” and “praise” (107:32; 109:1, 30; 111:1, 10; 112:1 // 135:1[3x], 3, 21; 142:8; 145:1, 2[2x], 3, 21); – “To bless” and “blessing” (107:38; 109:17, 28; 112:2 // 135:19[2x], 20[2x], 21; 144:1; 145:1, 2, 10, 21); – “To play” (108:1, 4 // 135:3; 144:9); – “To sing” and “song” (108:2 // 137:3[2x], 4[2x]; 144:9[2x]). The motivation for the thanksgiving, introduced most often by kî (translated as “because” or “yes”), is: – essentially the “faithfulness” of the Lord (once in the plural in 107:43); together with the “faithful” the term occurs 48 times (including 26 times in Ps 136 alone); – but also together with “wonders” (10 times); – his “goodness/good” (7 times). The Lord’s faithfulness, his wonders and his goodness are manifested in the “salvation” from the hands of enemies: “because he stands at the right hand of the poor to save his soul from his judges” (109:31). The emblematic situation of salvation in the past is that of the exodus (111:4–9; 135:8–12; 136:10–24), but it is also the work of creation, preceding that of the exodus in 111:2–3; 135:5–7; 136:4–9; also creation of the person of the psalmist (139:13–16). It is also the new exodus from exile, as suggested in Ps 111 (see p. 79) and Ps 136 (see p. 514). Finally, it is the personal salvation of the psalmist which the Lord “answers” (108:7; 138:3; 143:1, 7). The psalmist’s word of supplication and thanksgiving—also God’s word (108:8–10; 110:1, 4–5a)—is opposed by that of his enemies and oppressors, who are present everywhere. This word, as we have seen in the central psalms of the two sections (Ps 109 & Ps 140), consists not only of mortal hatred and curse, but also of lies and dissimulation (see also 144:8, 11).

The Whole of the Fifth Book

705

First Section 107 1 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, because he is good, because his FAITHFULNESS endures forever! 2 Let the redeemed of Yhwh say so, whom he redeemed from the hand of the oppressor, 3 and from the lands he gathered them, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea. 4 They wandered in the desert, in the wilderness, finding no way to an inhabited city; 5 they were hungry and they were thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he delivered them, 7 and he made them move on a right way, that they might go to an inhabited city. 8 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS and for his WONDERS to the children of Adam! 9 because he has satisfied the longing soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with good. 10 Inhabitants of darkness and of shadow, captives of affliction and of iron, 11 because they defied the orders of God, and spurned the plan of the Most High, 12 and he brought down their hearts with labour, they succumbed, and there was no one to help. 13 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he saved them, 14 he brought them out of darkness and of shadow, and he broke apart their bonds. 15 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS, and for his WONDERS to the children of Adam! 16 because he broke the gates of bronze, and smashed the bars of iron. 17 Fools, for their sinful ways and for their faults, were tormented, 18 their soul loathed all food, and they drew near the gates of death. 19 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he saved them. 20 He sent his word and healed them, and rescued them from their pits. 21 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS, and for his WONDERS to the children of Adam! 22 Let them offer SACRIFICES OF THANKSGIVING, and let them recount his works in songs of joy! 23 Those going down to the sea in ships, doing business on great waters, 24 they have seen the works of Yhwh, and his WONDERS in the deep. 25 And he said and raised a storm wind, and he lifted up the waves; 26 they went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths, their soul melted in evil; 27 they whirled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their wisdom was swallowed up. 28 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he brought them out. 29 He reduced the storm to a calm, and the waves were hushed. 30 And they rejoiced that they were quiet, and he led them to the harbour they desired. 31 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS, and for his WONDERS to the children of Adam! 32 And let them exalt him in the assembly of the people, in the council of the elders LET THEM PRAISE HIM! 33 He turns rivers into a desert, and springs of water into a thirsty ground, 34 and a land of fruit into a salty waste, for the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns the desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into a spring of water; 36 and he makes the hungry dwell there, and they establish an inhabited city, 37 and they sow fields and plant vines, and make fruit to be harvested. 38 And he BLESSES them, and they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle diminish. 39 And they are diminished and brought low under pressure of evil and sorrow. 40 He pours contempt upon princes, and he makes them wander in a chaos with no way, 41 and he lifts up the poor from affliction, and sets the families like a flock; 42 the upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth. 43 Who is wise, let him keep these things, let them understand the FAITHFULNESS of Yhwh. Ps 108 1 A song, a psalm of David. 2 My heart is ready, O God, I WILL SING and I WILL PLAY, O my glory; 3 awake, harp and cithara, that I may awake the dawn. 4 I WILL GIVE YOU THANKS among the peoples, O Yhwh, I WILL PLAY to you in the countries; 5 because your FAITHFULNESS is great above the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. 6 Rise up above the heavens, O God, and above all the earth, your glory! 7 So that your beloved ones may be liberated, save with your right hand and answer me. 8 God has spoken in his sanctuary: “I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and the Valley of Sukkot I will survey. 9 Mine is Gilead, mine Manasseh, Ephraim, the protection of my head, Judah, my sceptre, 10 Moab, a basin for me to wash in, on Edom, I throw my sandal; over Philistia, I shout victory.” 11 Who will bring me to a city of fortification, who will lead me to Edom? 12 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us, and you do not go out, O God, with our armies? 13 Grant us help in oppression, and nothingness is the salvation of the adam; 14 with God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our oppressors. Ps 109 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O God of my PRAISE, do not be silent, 2 because the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me; they speak to me with a lying tongue, 3 and with words of hatred they surround me, and they attack me without reason. 4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, and as for me, I am in prayer; 5 and they set against me evil in return for good, and hatred in return for my friendship. 6 “Position a wicked against him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand; 7 when he is judged let him be found wicked, and let his prayer be counted as sin. 8 Let his days be few, let another take his position; 9 let his children be orphans, and his wife a widow; 10 and let his children wander continually, and let them beg and seek far of their ruins. 11 Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; 12 let there be no one for him who keeps FAITHFULNESS and let there be no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the posterior generation; 14 let the wrong of his fathers be remembered by Yhwh, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before Yhwh forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” 16 For the reason that he does not remember to do FAITHFULNESS , he pursues the afflicted and the poor, and the broken of heart to put him to death. 17 And he loves cursing, and it comes to him, and he does not desire BLESSING, and it is far from him; 18 and he cloths himself with cursing as his coat: and it comes into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment that wraps him, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. 20 This is the salary of my accusers from Yhwh, and of those who speak evil against my soul. 21 And as for you, O Yhwh Adonai, deal with me for the sake of your name, because your FAITHFULNESS is good, deliver me. 22 because I am afflicted and poor, and my heart is wounded within me; 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, I am shaken off like a locust; 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, and my flesh is lean for lack of oil. 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them, when they see me, they shake their head. 26 Help me, O Yhwh my God, save me according to your FAITHFULNESS; 27 and let them know that this is your hand, that you, O Yhwh, have done it. 28 As for them, they curse, and as for you, you BLESS, they attack and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; 29 let my accusers be clothed with infamy, and wrapped as in a mantle of their shame. 30 I WILL GIVE THANKS to Yhwh greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I WILL PRAISE HIM; 31 because he stands at the right hand of the poor to save his soul from his judges.

706

The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150)

Ps 110 1 Of David, a psalm. An oracle of Yhwh to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 2 The rod of your strength, Yhwh extends it from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies. 3 Your people are generosity on the day of your power, in the splendours of holiness, from the bosom of the dawn; for you they are the dew of your youth. 4 Yhwh has sworn it and does not repent: “You are a priest forever after the pattern of Melchizedek; 5 the Lord is at your right hand!” He shatters kings on the day of his anger; 6 he judges the nations, heaping up corpses. He shatters heads over a broad land; 7 he drinks from a stream on the way; therefore he lifts up his head. 111 1 PRAISE Yah! I GIVE THANKS to Yhwh with all heart, in the circle of the upright and the assembly. 2 Great are the deeds of Yhwh, searched for by all who delight in them. 3 His work is majesty and splendour and his righteousness remains forever. 4 He has done a memorial of his WONDERS, Yhwh is tender and merciful. 5 He has given food to those who fear him, he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown to his people the power of his deeds, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The deeds of his hands are truth and judgment, all his precepts are FAITHFUL, 8 they are established forever and ever, they are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people, he has commanded his covenant forever, holy and fearsome is his Name. 10 The principle of wisdom is the fear of Yhwh, a good understanding to all who do them, his PRAISE remains forever. 112 1 PRAISE Yah! Happy the man who fears Yhwh, he greatly delights in his commandments. 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, the generation of the upright WILL BE BLESSED. 3 Wealth and riches in his house, and his righteousness remains forever; 4 light shines in the darkness for the upright. Tender, and merciful, and righteous, 5 good is the man who has mercy and shares; he conducts his affairs with judgment. 6 Yes, he will never be shaken, the righteous will be in an everlasting remembrance. 7 He does not fear an evil reputation, his heart is firm, trusting in Yhwh; 8 his heart is assured, he does not fear, till he may see the end of his oppressors. 9 He distributes, he gives to the poor, his righteousness remains forever; his horn rises in glory. 10 The wicked sees and is irritated, he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; the hope of the wicked is lost.

[…] Fifth Section Ps 135 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE the name of Yhwh, PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, 2 who stand in the house of Yhwh, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 PRAISE Yah, yes he is good, Yhwh, PLAY to his name, yes he is sweet. 4 Yes, Yhwh has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his treasured possession. 5 Yes, as for me, I know that Yhwh is great, and our Master is above all gods. 6 All that Yhwh pleases he makes, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all depths, 7 causing the clouds go up from the ends of the earth, he makes lightning for the rain, making the wind come out from his storehouses. 8 He struck down the first-born of Egypt from man to beast; 9 he sent signs and miracles into your midst, O Egypt, on Pharaoh and on all his servants. 10 He struck down many nations and killed valiant kings, 11 Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. 12 And he gave their land as an inheritance, as an inheritance to Israel his people. 13 Yhwh, your name forever! Yhwh, your memory from age to age! 14 Yes, Yhwh judges his people and he is moved for his servants. 15 The idols of the nations, gold and silver, made by the hands of man! 16 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 17 they have ears and do not hear, there is not even wind in their mouth. 18 Like them are those who make them, all those who trust in them. 19 O house of Israel, BLESS Yhwh, O house of Aaron, BLESS Yhwh, 20 O house of Levi, BLESS Yhwh, you who fear Yhwh, BLESS Yhwh. 21 BLESSED be Yhwh from Zion, he who dwells in Jerusalem! PRAISE Yah! Ps 136 1 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes he is good, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 2 GIVE THANKS to the God of gods, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 3 GIVE THANKS to the Lord of lords, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 4 To him who made great WONDERS by himself alone, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 5 To him who made the heavens with wisdom, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 6 To him who established the earth upon the waters, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 7 To him who made the great lights, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 8 The sun to rule by day, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 10 To him who struck down Egypt in their firstborn, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 11 And brought Israel out from the midst of them, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 13 To him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 15 And overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Sea of Reeds, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 16 To him who led his people through the desert, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 17 To him who struck down great kings, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 18 And killed illustrious kings, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 20 And Og, king of Bashan, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 21 And he gave their land as an inheritance, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 22 An inheritance to Israel his servant, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 23 He who in our lowliness has remembered us, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 24 And snatched us away from our oppressors, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 25 He gives bread to all flesh, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS! 26 GIVE THANKS to the God of the heavens, yes forever his FAITHFULNESS!

The Whole of the Fifth Book

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Ps 137 1 By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down and wept, we remembered Zion; 2 on the poplars in the midst of it we had hung our harps. 3 Because there they asked us, our captors, for words of song, and our jailers for joy: “SING for us a CHANT of Zion.” 4 How COULD WE SING a SONG of Yhwh in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget itself! 6 Let my tongue stick to my palate if I do not remember you, if I do not bring Jerusalem up to the summit of my joy! 7 Remember, O Yhwh, against the sons of Edom, the Day of Jerusalem, when they said, “Strip it! Strip it to the foundations in it!” 8 Daughter of Babylon, the devastated one, happy the one who will pay to you the works that you made to us! 9 Happy the one who will seize and dash your infants against the rock! Ps 138 1 Of David. I GIVE THANKS TO YOU with all my heart, in front of the gods I sing psalms to you; 2 I bow down toward the temple of your holiness and I GIVE THANKS to your name, for your FAITHFULNESS and your loyalty, because you have made great above all your name your word. 3 On the day I called, you answered me, you awakened strength in my soul. 4 THEY GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O Yhwh, all the kings of the earth, because they have heard the words of your mouth; 5 and they celebrate the ways of Yhwh, because great is the glory of Yhwh, 6 because Yhwh is exalted and he sees the lowly and the proud he knows from far away. 7 If I walk in the midst of anguish, you will give me life to the fury of my enemies; you will send your hand, and will save me with your right hand. 8 Yhwh will go to the end for me; Yhwh, your FAITHFULNESS forever. The works of your hands do not abandon. Ps 139 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O Yhwh, you examine me and you know; 2 it is you, you know my laying down and my rising up. You understand my thought from afar. 3 You sense my walking and my resting, and you are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Because there is not yet a word on my tongue, behold, O Yhwh, you know it all; 5 you hem me in, behind and before, and you have laid your palm upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, incomprehensible, I am not able for it. 7 Where shall I go from your spirit, and where shall I flee from your face? 8 If I ascend the heavens, there you are, and I stretch out in Sheol, behold you. 9 Let me take the wings of the dawn, and let me dwell in the uttermost part of the sea 10 even there your hand leads me and your right hand holds me. 11 And I said, “Oh, let the darkness cover me!” but the night becomes light around me. 12 Even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night shines as the day. Like the darkness so the light! 13 Because it was you, you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb; 14 I GIVE YOU THANKS because terribly, I am wonderfully made, wonderful are your works, and my soul knows them well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you, when I was fashioned in secret, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 My embryo, your eyes saw it—and in your book all of them are written, the days that were fixed—and to him one of them. 17 And to me, how difficult are your thoughts, O El, how immense are their substances! 18 I count them, they are more than sand; I come to an end, and I am still with you. 19 If you would slay, O Eloah, the wicked, men of blood would turn aside from me! 20 They who speak of you with intrigue, your adversaries take you for nothing. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Yhwh, and abhor those who oppose you? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred, they have become my enemies. 23 Examine me, O El, and know my heart, test me and know my concerns; 24 and see if there is a way of affliction for me and lead me in the way of eternity. Ps 140 1 For the music director, a psalm, of David. 2 Liberate me, O Yhwh, from evil man, from violent man defend me, 3 who meditate evil things in the heart; all the day they foment wars, 4 they sharpen their tongue like a serpent, the venom of viper under their lips. Selâ 5 Keep me, O Yhwh, from the hands of the wicked, from violent man defend me, who meditate to overthrow my steps, 6 the arrogant ones hide a trap for me, and with cords they spread a net, by the side of the way they set snares for me. Selâ 7 I said to Yhwh: “You are My God! Give ear, O Yhwh, to the voice of my supplications. 8 O Yhwh Adonai, strength of my salvation, you cover my head in the day of battle. 9 Do not grant, O Yhwh, the desires of the wicked, his design is not fulfilled, lest they exalt themselves. Selâ 10 The head of those who surround me, it covers the pain of their lips. 11 Let descend on them coals of fire, and let him cast them into the abyss, and no more to rise. 12 Do not let a man of tongue be established in the earth, let evil chase the violent man with double blows!” 13 I know that Yhwh will make the cause of the afflicted, the judgment of the poor. 14 Yes, the righteous SHALL GIVE THANKS to your name, the saints shall dwell before your face. Ps 141 1 A psalm, of David. O Yhwh, I call you, hasten to me, give ear to my voice when I call to you; 2 let my prayer be established, incense before your face, lifting up of my palms, evening offering! 3 Set, O Yhwh, a guard for my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! 5 Let the righteous strike me that is FAITHFULNESS and let him correct me, that is an oil of head, and do not let my head refuse, because my prayer is still among their wickedness. 6 They are cast down into the hands of the Rock, their judges, and they have heard my sayings because they were delicious: 7 “As one who ploughs and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” 8 Yes, toward you, O Yhwh Adonai, my eyes, in you I take refuge, do not strip my soul. 9 Keep me from the hands of the trap that they set for me and from the snares of doers of iniquity; 10 let the wicked together fall into their nets, as for me, till I pass over. Ps 142 1 A poem, of David, when he was in the cave, a prayer. 2 With my voice to Yhwh, I cry out, with my voice to Yhwh, I implore. 3 I pour out my complaint before him, I declare my anguish before him. 4 When my breath faints within me, and it is you who know my way; in this path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 5 Look on the right hand and see, and there is no one for me who recognizes me. Shelter disappeared from me, there is no one who cares for my soul. 6 I cried out to you, O Yhwh, I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living! 7 Be attentive to my cry, because I am greatly debased. Deliver me from my persecutors, because they are stronger than I! 8 Bring my soul out from prison, that I may PRAISE your name; the righteous shall make a circled around me, because you will do good to me.

708

The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150) Ps 143 1 A psalm, of David. O Yhwh, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications, in your truth answer me in your righteousness; 2 and do not come into judgment with your servant, because no one living is righteous before you. 3 Yes, the enemy pursues my soul, he crushes my life to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like the dead forever: 4 My breath faints within me, my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old, I recall all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands: 6 I stretch out my hands to you, my soul like a thirsty land for you. Sela 7 Make haste, answer me, O Yhwh, my breath is worn out; do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear your FAITHFULNESS in the morning, because in you I trust. Let me know the way I should go, because to you I lift up my soul; 9 deliver me from my enemies, O Yhwh, in you I take refuge; 10 teach me to do your will, because you are my God. Your good breath leads me on level ground. 11 For the sake of your name, O Yhwh, give me life in your righteousness, bring my soul out of anguish, 12 and in your FAITHFULNESS annihilate my enemies and destroy all the oppressors of my soul, because I am your servant.

Ps 144 1 Of David. BLESSED be Yhwh my rock, who teaches my hand to fight, my fingers to battle. 2 My FAITHFULNESS and my fortress, my citadel and liberator for me, my shield and in him I take refuge, who subdues my people under me. 3 O Yhwh, what is the adam that you care for him, the son of man, that you think of him? 4 The adam resembles a breath, his days like a shadow that is passing by. 5 O Yhwh, incline your heavens and come down, touch the mountains and they smoke; 6 flash forth lightning and scatter them, send forth your arrows and rout them, 7 send forth your hands from on high. Rescue me, and deliver me from great waters, from the hand of the sons of strangers 8 whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 9 O God, I WILL SING a new SONG to you, on a ten-stringed lyre I WILL PLAY to you. 10 who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David from the sword of evil. 11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of the sons of strangers whose mouth speaks of nothing and the right hand is a right hand of perjury. 12 That our sons are like plants, grown in their youth, our daughters like cornerfigures, carved model of a temple; 13 our granaries filled with good on good, our flocks of thousands, innumerable in our fields; 14 our solid leaders, there is no breaching and there is no going out, and there is no crying in our broad places. 15 Happy the people where thus it happens to him, happy the people where Yhwh is their God! Ps 145 1 PRAISE of David. I will exalt you, my God the king, and I WILL BLESS your name forever and ever; 2 all the days I WILL BLESS your and I WILL PRAISE your name forever and ever. 3 Great is Yhwh and highly to be PRAISED, and to his greatness there is no limit. 4 Generation after generation extols your works and they declare your prowess. 5 The honour, the glory of your majesty and the story of your wonders I want to meditate. 6 and they tell of your formidable power, and I recount to them your greatness. 7 They proclaim the memory of your immense goodness, and they acclaim your righteousness. 8 Yhwh is tender and compassionate, slow to anger and great in FAITHFULNESS. 9 Yhwh is good to all and his compassion over all his works. 10 All your works GIVE THANKS TO YOU, O Yhwh, and your faithful bless you. 11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom, and they speak of your prowess, 12 to make known to the sons of Adam his prowess, and the glory and honour of his kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all times and your empire for all generations of generations. 13b [God is trustworthy in his words and faithful in all his works.] 14 Yhwh supports all who are falling and makes straight all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all hope in you, and it is you who give them their food in its time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy all the living at will. 17 Yhwh is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his works. 18 Yhwh is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He does the will of those who fear him, and he hears their cry and saves them. 20 Yhwh keeps all who love him and all the wicked he will exterminate. 21 My mouth will speak the PRAISE of Yhwh and all flesh WILL BLESS his holy name forever and ever.

While the psalmist asks to be freed from the prison where his enemies want to lock him up, and he demands their punishment (Ps 109 & Ps 140 see also 108:13– 14; 110:5b–6; 112:8. 10; 137:7–9; 139:19–22; 141:10; 143:12), he also foresees a possibility of their conversion: “They give thanks to you, O Yhwh, all the kings of the earth, because they have heard the words of your mouth; and they celebrate the ways of Yhwh, because great is the glory of Yhwh!” (138:4–5) Finally, he pleads with the Lord not to imitate the treacherous conduct of the wicked: “Do not incline my heart to an evil word to practice deeds of wickedness, with men, the doers of iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies! (141:4) 3. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE SECOND SECTION AND THE FOURTH SECTION (PS 113–118 & PS 120–145) Both sections are about an “ascent” to the land of Israel: ascent from the land of Egypt, the house of slaves, in the first case (see p. 185), ascent from Babylon, the land of exile, in the second case (see p. 483).

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RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRES (PS 115–116, PS 123, PS 127, PS 131) Ps 115 1 Not to us, O Yhwh, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your faithfulness, for your loyalty. 2 Why should THE NATIONS say: “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens, all that he desires, he makes. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of man. 5 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 6 they have ears and do not hear; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have feet and do not walk; they do not murmur in their throat. 8 Like them will be those who make them, all those who trust in them. 9 O ISRAEL, TRUST IN YHWH: He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 11 O fearful of Yhwh, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 12 Yhwh remembers us, he will bless; he will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, 13 he will bless the fearful of Yhwh, the small with the great. 14 May Yhwh increase you, you and your CHILDREN; 15 blessed be you by Yhwh who made the heavens and the earth. 16 The heavens are the heavens of Yhwh, but the earth he has given to the CHILDREN of Adam. 17 It is not the dead who praise Yah, nor all those who go down into silence, 18 but as for us, we bless Yah, from now and forever. Praise Yah! Ps 116 1 I love because Yhwh hears the voice of my supplications, 2 because he inclined his ear to me, and during my days I will call. 3 The cords of DEATH encompassed me, and the anguishes of SHEOL found me; I found anguish and sorrow, 4 and I called on the name of Yhwh: “Please, O Yhwh, rescue my soul!” 5 Yhwh is tender and righteous, and our God has mercy; 6 Yhwh preserves the simple: I was deprived and he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, because Yhwh has done good to you. 8 Because you have liberated my soul from DEATH, my eyes from TEARS, my feet from FALSE STEP: 9 I will walk in the face of Yhwh in the lands of the living. 10 I believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” 11 As for me, I said in my trouble: “Every man is a deceiver!” 12 What shall I return to Yhwh for all the good he has done to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and I will call on the name of Yhwh. 14 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his people! 15 Precious in the eyes of Yhwh is the death of his faithful. 16 Please, O Yhwh, because I am your SERVANT, I am your SERVANT, THE SON of your HANDMAID, you have loosened my chains. 17 For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call on the name of Yhwh. 18 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of Yhwh, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem! Praise Yah! […] 123 1 A song of ascents. Toward you I lift up my eyes, who sit in the heavens. 2 They are here as the eyes of SERVANTS toward the hand of their master, as the eyes of a MAID toward the hand of her mistress. Yes, our eyes toward Yhwh our God until he has mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Yhwh, have mercy on us, because we are greatly filled with contempt; 4 our soul is greatly filled with the scorn of the SATISFIED, the contempt of the PROUD. 127 1 A song of ascents, of Solomon. If Yhwh does not build the house, in vain its builders labour in it; if Yhwh does not keep the city, in vain the keeper watches. 2 In vain for you, anticipating rising up, delaying lying down, eating a bread of sufferings. Yes, he gives to his Beloved in sleep. 3 Behold, SONS are the inheritance of Yhwh, THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB is a reward: 4 Like arrows in the hand of a hero, so are the SONS of youth. 5 Happy the man who has filled his quiver with them: they shall not blush, when they shall deal with THE ENEMIES at the gate. 131 1 A song of ascents, of David. Yhwh, Yhwh, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised up, and I do not walk in great things, and in wonders beyond me. 2 But not that, I hold equal and hold my soul silent like A CHILD rests against its mother, like THE CHILD against me is my soul. 3 HOPE, O ISRAEL, IN YHWH from now and forever!

Enemies are present in 115:2 (“the nations”), in 116 indirectly with “death” (116:3, 8), accompanied by “Sheol” (116:3), “tears” and “false step” (116:8), in 123:4 with “the satisfied” and “the proud”, in 127:5 with “the enemies”. “From now and forever” occurs at the end of the first psalm (115:18) and at the end of the last one (131:3). “O Israel, trust in Yhwh” in the first psalm (115:9) is matched in the last psalm by “Hope, O Israel, in Yhwh” (131:3). The theme of sonship is found in the five central psalms: “children” (115:14, 16; 116:16 // 127:3, 4 with “the fruit of the womb”), “child” (131:2[2x]), “servant” – “handmaid/maid” (116:16; 123:2).

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OTHER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE TWO SECTIONS – “You Servants of Yhwh” (113:1) and “all you servants of Yhwh” (134:1) act as extreme terms (not found elsewhere in the two sections). These phrases are accompanied by “to bless” (113:2; 134:1, 2, 3). – “To bless” and “blessing” occur frequently (113:1; 115:12[3x], 13, 15, 18; 118:28[2x] // 124:6; 128:4, 5; 129:8[2x]; 132:15[2x]; 133:3; 134:1, 2, 3. – The two occurrences of “sanctuary” are at the beginning of the second section (114:2) and at the end of the fourth one (134:2) also forming an inclusion. – “Who made the heavens and the earth” is found in 115:15 // 121:2; 124:8; 134:3); to which can be added “in the heavens and on the earth” (113:6) and the pair “the heavens” and “the earth” (115:16). – “Israel” is often mentioned, especially in the fourth section (114:1; 115:9; 118:2 // 121:4; 122:4; 124:1; 125:5; 128:6; 129:1; 130:7, 8; 131:3). Terms from the same semantic field, “house of Jacob” (114:1), “Judah” (114:2), “house of Aaron” (115:10, 12; 118:3), “Jerusalem” (116:19 // 122:2, 3, 6; 125:2; 128:5), “Zion” (125:1; 126:1; 128:5; 132:13; 133:3; 134:3). – Israel and Jerusalem – Zion are opposed by their various enemies: “nations” (113:4), “Egypt”, “barbarian people” (114:1), “all you nations”, “all you countries” (117:1), “adam” (118:6, 8), “my enemies” (118:7), “all the nations” (118:10) // “Meshech” and Kedar” (120:5), “the satisfied” and “the proud” (123:4), “an adam” (124:2), “fowlers” (124:7); “the doers of iniquity” (125:5), “the nations” (126:2), “the enemies” (127:5), “greatly” (129:1, 2), “the wicked” (129:4), “all who hate Zion” (129:5), “his enemies” (132:18). It should be noted, however, that in 117:1 and in 126:2 the traditional enemies join Israel in confessing God’s wonders on her behalf. – “From now and forever” (113:2, 3; 115:18 // 121:8; 125:2; 131:3). – In the second section, Israel was saved from the waters of “the sea” and “the Jordan” (114:3–5); in the fourth section “the waters” and “the river” overflowed Israel (124:4–5). – The same term translated as “son/s” and “young” occurs often (113:9; 114:4, 6; 115:14, 16; 116:16 // 127:3, 4 with “the fruit of the womb” in 127:11; 128:3 with “the sons of your sons”; 132:12[2x], with “the fruit of your womb” in 132:6; likewise “child” (131:2[2x]), to which can be added “servants” and “maid” (123:2). – “The house of Yhwh” occurs at the end of the second and third sequences of the first subsection (116:19; 118:26) with the “sanctuary” in the second passage of the first subsequence (114:2). Also in the fourth section, “the house of Yhwh (our God)” appears at the end of the first subsequence (122:1, 9) and at the end of the last subsequence (134:1 together with the “sanctuary” in 134:2), to which should be added all the terms that qualify the temple in the penultimate psalm: “a place” (132:5), “dwelling places” (132:5, 7), “rest” (132:8, 14), “seat” (132:13), and even “the house” at the centre of the section (127:1).

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Second Section Ps 113 1 Praise Yah! Praise, YOU SERVANTS OF YHWH, praise the name of Yhwh. 2 Let the name of Yhwh be BLESSED from now and forever; 3 from the rising of the sun to its setting the name of Yhwh be praised. 4 Yhwh is exalted above all THE NATIONS, above the heavens his glory. 5 Who is like Yhwh our God? He lifts himself up to sit, 6 he lowers himself to see in the heavens and on the earth. 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, from the dunghill he exalts the poor, 8 to make him sit with princes, with the princes of his people; 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the house, a happy mother of SONS. Praise Yah! Ps 114 1 When ISRAEL came out from EGYPT, THE HOUSE OF JACOB from A BARBARIAN PEOPLE, 2 JUDAH became his SANCTUARY, ISRAEL his domain. 3 THE SEA saw and fled, THE JORDAN ran backwards, 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the SMALL of the sheep. 5 What happened to you, O SEA, that you flee, O JORDAN, to run backwards, 6 O mountains, to leap like rams, O hills, like the SMALL of the sheep? 7 Before the Master, tremble, O earth, before the God of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water. Ps 115 1 Not to us, O Yhwh, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your faithfulness, for your loyalty. 2 Why should THE NATIONS say: “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens, all that he desires, he makes. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of man. 5 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 6 they have ears and do not hear; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have feet and do not walk; they do not murmur in their throat. 8 Like them will be those who make them, all those who trust in them. 9 O ISRAEL, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 10 O HOUSE OF AARON, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 11 O fearful of Yhwh, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 12 Yhwh remembers us, HE WILL BLESS; HE WILL BLESS the house of ISRAEL, HE WILL BLESS THE HOUSE OF AARON, 13 HE WILL BLESS the fearful of Yhwh, the small with the great. 14 May Yhwh increase you, you and your SONS; 15 BLESSED be you by Yhwh who made the heavens and the earth. 16 The heavens are the heavens of Yhwh, but the earth he has given to the SONS of Adam. 17 It is not the dead who praise Yah, nor all those who go down into silence, 18 but as for us, we BLESS Yah, from now and forever. Praise Yah! Ps 116 1 I love because Yhwh hears the voice of my supplications, 2 because he inclined his ear to me, and during my days I will call. 3 The cords of death encompassed me, and the anguishes of Sheol found me; I found anguish and sorrow, 4 and I called on the name of Yhwh: “Please, O Yhwh, rescue my soul!” 5 Yhwh is tender and righteous, and our God has mercy; 6 Yhwh preserves the simple: I was deprived and he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, because Yhwh has done good to you. 8 Because you have liberated my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling: 9 I will walk in the face of Yhwh in the lands of the living. 10 I believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” 11 As for me, I said in my trouble: “Every man is a deceiver!” 12 What shall I return to Yhwh for all the good he has done to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and I will call on the name of Yhwh. 14 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his people! 15 Precious in the eyes of Yhwh is the death of his faithful. 16 Please, O Yhwh, because I am your servant, I am your servant, the SON of your handmaid, you have loosened my chains. 17 For you I will sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving and I will call on the name of Yhwh. 18 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his people, 19 in the courts of THE HOUSE OF YHWH, in the midst of you, O JERUSALEM! Praise Yah! Ps 117 1 Praise Yhwh, ALL YOU NATIONS, glorify him, ALL YOU COUNTRIES; 2 because strong is his faithfulness toward us, and the loyalty of Yahweh endures forever. Praise Yah! Ps 118 1 Give thanks to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 2 Let ISRAEL say it: yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 3 Let THE HOUSE OF AARON say: yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 4 Let the fearful of Yhwh say: yes, his faithfulness endures forever! 5 In my anguish I called to Yah; Yah answered me in a broad place. 6 Yhwh is for me, I fear not; what can AN ADAM do to me? 7 Yhwh is for me, among my helpers; and as for me, I will see MY ENEMIES. 8 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in ADAM! 9 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in princes! 10 ALL THE NATIONS encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 11 They surrounded me and encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 12 They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 13 You pushed me, you pushed to make me fall, but Yhwh helped me. 14 Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become for me salvation. 15 Shout of joy and of salvation in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds! 16 The right hand of Yhwh exalts! The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live and I will recount the deeds of Yah. 18 He punished me, punished me Yah, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will come there and I will give thanks to Yah. 20 This is the gate of Yhwh; the righteous will come there. 21 “I give you thanks because you have answered me, and you have become for me salvation.” 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. 23 This has been from Yhwh; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day that Yhwh has made; let us exult and rejoice in it: 25 “Please, O Yhwh, save us! Please, O Yhwh, make us victorious!” 26 BLESSED is he who comes in the name of Yhwh; we BLESS you from THE HOUSE OF YHWH. 27 God is Yhwh and he gives us light. Bind the victim with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my God and I give you thanks, my God, I exalt you. [I give you thanks because you have answered me and you have become for me salvation.”] 29 Give thanks to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his faithfulness endures forever!

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Fourth Section 120 1 A song of ascents. To Yhwh in my anguish I called, and he answered me. 2 Yhwh, deliver my soul from the lips of falsehood, from the tongue of deceit! 3 What shall he give to you, and what shall he add to you, you tongue of deceit? 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, with the embers of juniper. 5 Woe to me that I sojourn in MESHECH, that I dwell with the tents of KEDAR! 6 Too long has my soul dwelt with those who hate peace. 7 I am peace, and when I speak, they are for war. 121 1 A song for ascents. I lift up my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come? 2 My help from Yhwh who made heaven and earth. 3 May he not let your foot to stumble, may your keeper not slumber! 4 Behold, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the keeper of ISRAEL. 5 Yhwh is your keeper! Yhwh is your shade at your right hand. 6 By day the sun shall not strike you, nor the moon by night! 7 Yhwh will keep you from all evil, he will keep your soul; 8 Yhwh will keep your going and your coming, from now and forever. 122 1 A song of ascents, of David. I rejoiced among them saying to me: “We are arriving to THE HOUSE OF YHWH!” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, O JERUSALEM! 3 JERUSALEM, built as a city that is compact together, 4 that there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yah. It is the precept for ISRAEL to give thanks to the name of Yhwh, 5 because there are set the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Ask for the peace of JERUSALEM, may those who love you have tranquillity! 7 Let it be peace within your walls, tranquillity in your palaces! 8 For the sake of my brothers and my companions, I will say, "Peace upon you!”! 9 For the sake of THE HOUSE OF YHWH OUR GOD, I will implore good for you! 123 1 A song of ascents. Toward you I lift up my eyes, who sit in the heavens. 2 They are here as the eyes of SERVANTS toward the hand of their master, as the eyes of a MAID toward the hand of her mistress. Yes, our eyes toward Yhwh our God until he has mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Yhwh, have mercy on us, because we are greatly filled with contempt; 4 our soul is greatly filled with the scorn of the SATISFIED, the contempt of the PROUD. 124 1 A song of ascents, of David. Without Yhwh who was for us, let ISRAEL say now! 2 without Yhwh who was for us, when AN ADAM rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was burning on us. 4 Then THE WATERS would have overflowed us, A RIVER would have passed over our soul, 5 then over our soul would have passed the arrogant WATERS. 6 BLESSED be Yhwh who has not given us as a prey to their teeth! 7 Our soul has escaped like a bird from the net of FOWLERS; The net broke, and as for us, we escaped. 8 Our help in the name of Yhwh, who made heaven and earth. 125 1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in Yhwh are like Mount ZION: it cannot be shaken, forever it endures. 2 JERUSALEM, the mountains surround it, and Yhwh surrounds his people, from now and forever. 3 Because the sceptre of WICKEDNESS shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, so that the righteous might not set their hands to perversity. 4 Do good, O Yhwh, to the good, and to the upright in their hearts. 5 And those who deviate in their crookedness, may Yhwh lead them with THE DOERS OF INIQUITY! Peace on ISRAEL! 126 1 A song of ascents. When Yhwh brought back the fortunes of ZION, we were like dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with jubilation. Then they said among THE NATIONS: “Yhwh has done great things for them!”! 3 Yhwh has done great things for us, we were glad. 4 Bring back, O Yhwh, our captivity, like torrents in the Negeb! 5 Those who saw in tears shall reap in jubilation: 6 He goes away, he goes away weeping, carrying the bag of seed; he comes, he comes in jubilation, carrying his sheaves.

127 1 A song of ascents, of Solomon. If Yhwh does not build THE HOUSE, in vain its builders labour in it; if Yhwh does not keep the city, in vain the keeper watches. 2 In vain for you, anticipating rising up, delaying lying down, eating a bread of sufferings. Yes, he gives to his Beloved in sleep. 3 Behold, SONS are the inheritance of Yhwh, THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB is a reward: 4 Like arrows in the hand of a hero, so are the SONS of youth. 5 Happy the man who has filled his quiver with them: they shall not blush, when they shall deal with THE ENEMIES at the gate. …/…

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128 1 A song of ascents. Happy everyone who fears Yhwh and walks in his ways! 2 From the labour of your hands, yes, you shall eat, happy you and good to you; 3 your wife like a fruitful vine on the flanks of your house, your SONS like shoots of olive trees around your table. 4 Behold, that surely WILL BE BLESSED the man who fears Yhwh. 5 May Yhwh BLESS your from ZION and may you see the good of JERUSALEM all the days of your life, 6 and may you see THE SONS OF YOUR SONS! Peace on ISRAEL! 129 1 A song of ascents. GREATLY have they oppressed me from my youth, let ISRAEL say now! 2 GREATLY have they oppressed me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 Ploughmen ploughed on my back, they made long their furrows; 4 Yhwh is righteous, he has shattered the yoke strap of the WICKED. 5 Let them blush and be turned backward, ALL WHO HATE Zion! 6 Let them be like grass of the roofs which dried up before one pulls it up, 7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand, or the binder his lap, 8 and the passers-by do not say: “The BLESSING of Yhwh upon you!” We BLESS you in the name of Yhwh. 130 1 A song of ascents. From the depths I call you, O Yhwh: 2 Adonai, hear my voice; let your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayer! 3 If you watch faults, O Yah, Adonai, who could stand? 4 Because with you forgiveness, so that you may be feared. 5 I wait for Yhwh, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. 6 My soul for the Lord more than watchmen for the dawn; like watchmen for the dawn, 7 hope, O ISRAEL, in Yhwh! Because with Yhwh is grace, and with him abundance of redemption; 8 and it is he who will redeem ISRAEL from all his faults. 131 1 A song of ascents, of David. Yhwh, my heart is not exalted, and my eyes are not raised up, and I do not walk in great things, and in wonders beyond me. 2 But not that, I hold equal and hold my soul silent; like A CHILD rests against its mother, like THE CHILD against me is my soul. 3 Hope, O ISRAEL, in Yhwh from now and forever! 132 1 A song of ascents. Remember, O Yhwh, for David, all his humility, 2 who has sworn to Yhwh, he has vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3 “I will not come into the tent of my house, I will not go up on the couch of my bed, 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes, to my eyelids—respite, 5 until I find A PLACE for Yhwh, DWELLING PLACES for the Mighty One of Jacob!” 6 Behold, we have heard it in Ephrata, we have found it in the Fields of Yaar! 7 Let us come into HIS DWELLING PLACES, let us bow down to the footstool of his feet. 8 Rise up, O Yhwh, to YOUR REST, you and the ark of your strength. 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful jubilate. 10 For the sake of David your servant do not turn back the face of your Messiah.” 11 Yhwh has sworn to David, the truth, he will not turn back from it: “From THE FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB, I will set on the throne made for you. 12 If your SONS will keep my covenant and my precept which I have taught them, also their SONS forever will sit on the throne made for you.” 13 Yes Yhwh has chosen ZION, he has desired her as a SEAT for himself: 14 “This is MY REST forever, here I will sit, because I have desired her. 15 With food, with BLESSING, I WILL BLESS, her poor I will satisfy with bread, 16 and her priests I will clothe with salvation and her faithful will jubilate with jubilation. 17 There I will cause a horn to sprout for David, I will prepare a lamp for my Messiah; 18 HIS ENEMIES I will clothe with shame and upon him his diadem will flourish.” 133 1 A song of ascents, of David. Behold, how it is good and how it is sweet to dwell all together as brothers! 2 Like fine oil on the head coming down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, that comes down on the collar of his tunics. 3 Like the dew of Hermon that comes down on the mountains of ZION. Yes, there Yhwh has commanded the BLESSING, life forever. 134 1 A song of ascents. Behold, BLESS Yhwh, ALL YOU SERVANTS OF YHWH who are standing in THE HOUSE OF YHWH by night. 2 Lift up your hands to the SANCTUARY and BLESS Yhwh. 3 May Yhwh BLESS you from ZION, who made heaven and earth!

714

The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150)

4. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE INITIAL SECTIONS (PS 107–112 & 113–118) The concentric construction and the correspondence between the symmetrical sections do not prevent each of the two sides of the Fifth Book from presenting a certain unity, indicated by rhetorical relationships. – The beginnings of the extreme psalms are almost identical (107:1 & 118:1), thus acting as initial terms for these psalms, but as extreme terms for the entire first side of the section. – The last part of Ps 107 (v. 35) and the end of Ps 114 (v. 8) correspond closely, even though the two verbs translated as “to turn” are synonyms and so are the nouns translated as “spring”; since these repetitions are found in the first psalm of the first section and in the second psalm of the second section, they can be considered as fulfilling the function of initial terms for both sections. – “To give thanks” and “thanksgiving”2 occur nine times in the first section (107:1, 8, 15, 21, 22, 31; 108:4; 109:30; 111:1) and seven times in the second section (116:17; 118:1, 19, 21, 28[2x], 29); “to praise” and “praise” six times in the first section (107:32; 109:1, 30; 111:1, 10; 112:1) and ten times in the second one (113:1[3x], 3, 9; 115:17, 18; 116:19; 117:1, 2), which makes a total of sixteen occurrences for each of the two roots. – “Faithfulness” and “faithful” are used twelve times in the first section (107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43; 108:5; 109:12, 16, 21, 26; 111:7) and eight times in the second section (115:1; 116:15; 117:2; 118:1, 2, 3, 4, 29). – The same word translated as “son” and “small” is repeated six times in each section (107:8, 15, 21, 31; 109:9, 10 // 113:9; 114:4, 6; 115:14, 16; 116:16). – The centres of the two sections match, for the theme of death is found there (109:16; 115:17; 116:3, 8, 15); the noun “death” also occurs once in the extreme psalms (107:18 & 118:18).

2

“To sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving” occurs once in each section (107:22 & 116:17).

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First Section 107 1 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, because he is good, because his FAITHFULNESS endures forever! 2 Let them say so, the redeemed of Yhwh, whom he redeemed from the hand of the oppressor, 3 and from the lands he gathered them, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea. 4 They wandered in the desert, in the wilderness, finding no way to an inhabited city; 5 they were hungry and they were thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 6 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he delivered them, 7 and he made them move on a right way, that they might go to an inhabited city. 8 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS, and for his wonders to the SONS of Adam! 9 Because he has satisfied the longing soul, and the hungry soul he has filled with good. 10 Inhabitants of darkness and of shadow, captives of affliction and of iron, 11 because they defied the orders of God, and spurned the plan of the Most High, 12 and he brought down their hearts with labour, they succumbed, and there was no one to help. 13 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he saved them, 14 he brought them out of darkness and of shadow, and he broke apart their bonds. 15 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS, and for his wonders to the SONS of Adam! 16 Because he broke the gates of bronze, and smashed the bars of iron. 17 Fools, for their sinful ways and for their faults, were tormented, 18 their soul loathed all food, and they drew near the gates of DEATH. 19 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he saved them. 20 He sent his word and healed them, and rescued them from their pits. 21 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS, and for his wonders to the SONS of Adam! 22 Let them offer SACRIFICES OF THANKSGIVING, and let them recount his works in songs of joy! 23 Those going down to the sea in ships, doing business on great waters, 24 they have seen the works of Yhwh, and his wonders in the deep. 25 And he said and raised a storm wind, and he lifted up the waves; 26 they went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths, their soul melted in evil; 27 they whirled and staggered like a drunkard, and all their wisdom was swallowed up. 28 And they cried out to Yhwh in their oppression, from their distress he brought them out. 29 He reduced the storm to a calm, and the waves were hushed. 30 And they rejoiced that they were quiet, and he led them to the harbour they desired. 31 LET THEM GIVE THANKS to Yhwh for his FAITHFULNESS, and for his wonders to the SONS of Adam! 32 And let them exalt him in the assembly of the people, in the council of the elders LET THEM PRAISE HIM! 33 He turns rivers into a desert, and springs of water into a thirsty ground, 34 and a land of fruit into a salty waste, for the evil of its inhabitants. 35 He turns the desert into a pool of water, and a dry land into a spring of water; 36 and he makes the hungry dwell there, and they establish an inhabited city, 37 and they sow fields and plant vines, and make fruit to be harvested. 38 And he blesses them, and they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle diminish. 39 And they are diminished and brought low under pressure of evil and sorrow. 40 He pours contempt upon princes, and he makes them wander in a chaos with no way, 41 and he lifts up the poor from affliction, and sets the families like a flock; 42 the upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth. 43 Who is wise, let him keep these things, let them understand the FAITHFULNESS of Yhwh.

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The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150)

Ps 108 1 A song, a psalm of David. 2 My heart is ready, O God, I will sing and I will play, O my glory; 3 awake, harp and cithara, that I may awake the dawn. 4 I WILL GIVE YOU THANKS among the peoples, O Yhwh, and I will play to you in the countries; 5 because your FAITHFULNESS is great above the heavens, and your truth to the clouds. 6 Rise up above the heavens, O God, and above all the earth, your glory! 7 So that your beloved ones may be liberated, save with your right hand and answer me. 8 God has spoken in his sanctuary: “I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and the Valley of Sukkot I will survey. 9 Mine is Gilead, mine Manasseh, Ephraim, the protection of my head, Judah, my sceptre, 10 Moab, a basin for me to wash in, on Edom, I throw my sandal; over Philistia, I shout victory.” 11 Who will bring me to a city of fortification, who will lead me to Edom?? 12 Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us, and you do not go out, O God, with our armies 13 Grant us help in oppression, and nothingness is the salvation of the adam; 14 with God we will do powerful deeds, and as for him, he will trample down our oppressors. Ps 109 1 For the music director, of David, a psalm. O God of my PRAISE, do not be silent, 2 because the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit are opened against me; they speak to me with a lying tongue, 3 and with words of hatred they surround me, and they attack me without reason. 4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, and as for me, I am in prayer; 5 and they set against me evil in return for good, and hatred in return for my friendship. 6 “Position a wicked against him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand; 7 “Position a wicked against him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand. 8 Let his days be few, let another take his position; 9 let his SONS be orphans, and his wife a widow; 10 and let his SONS wander continually, and let them beg and seek far of their ruins. 11 Let the creditor seize all that belongs to him, let strangers plunder his earnings; 12 let there be no one for him who keeps FAITHFULNESS, and let there be no one who has mercy on his orphans. 13 Let his posterity be destroyed, and let their name be blotted out in the posterior generation; 14 let the wrong of his fathers be remembered by Yhwh, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out; 15 let them be before Yhwh forever, and let him destroy their memory from the earth.” 16 For the reason that he does not remember to do FAITHFULNESS, he pursues the afflicted and the poor, and the broken of heart TO PUT HIM TO DEATH. 17 And he loves cursing, and it comes to him, and he does not desire blessing, and it is far from him; 18 and he cloths himself with cursing as his coat: and it comes into his inward parts like water, and like oil into his bones; 19 let it be to him as a garment that wraps him, and for a girdle that it girds him continually. 20 This is the salary of my accusers from Yhwh, and of those who speak evil against my soul. 21 And as for you, O Yhwh Adonai, deal with me for the sake of your name, because your FAITHFULNESS is good, deliver me. 22 Because I am afflicted and poor, and my heart is wounded within me; 23 like the fading shadow I am passing away, I am shaken off like a locust; 24 my knees are weakened for fasting, and my flesh is lean for lack of oil. 25 And as for me, I have become an insult to them, when they see me, they shake their head.. 26 Help me, O Yhwh my God, save me according to your FAITHFULNESS; 27 and let them know that this is your hand, that you, O Yhwh, have done it. 28 As for them, they curse, and as for you, you bless, they attack and are ashamed, and your servant rejoices; 29 let my accusers be clothed with infamy, and wrapped as in a mantle of their shame. 30 I WILL GIVE THANKS to Yhwh greatly with my mouth, and in the midst of many I will PRAISE him; 31 because he stands at the right hand of the poor to save his soul from his judges. Ps 110 1 Of David, a psalm. An oracle of Yhwh to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 2 The rod of your strength, Yhwh extends it from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies. 3 Your people are generosity on the day of your power, in the splendours of holiness, from the bosom of the dawn; for you they are the dew of your youth. 4 Yhwh has sworn it and does not repent: “You are a priest forever after the pattern of Melchizedek; 5 the Lord is at your right hand!” He shatters kings on the day of his anger; 6 he judges the nations, heaping up corpses. He shatters heads over a broad land; 7 he drinks from a stream on the way; therefore he lifts up his head. 111 1 PRAISE Yah! I GIVE THANKS to Yhwh with all heart, in the circle of the upright and the assembly. 2 Great are the deeds of Yhwh, searched for by all who delight in them. 3 His work is majesty and splendour, and his righteousness remains forever. 4 He has done a memorial of his wonders, Yhwh is tender and merciful. 5 He has given food to those who fear him, he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown to his people the power of his deeds, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The deeds of his hands are truth and judgment, all his precepts are FAITHFUL, 8 they are established forever and ever, they are done in truth and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people, he has commanded his covenant forever, holy and fearsome is his Name. 10 The principle of wisdom is the fear of Yhwh, a good understanding to all who do them; his PRAISE remains forever. 112 1 PRAISE Yah! Happy is the man who fears Yhwh, he greatly delights in his commandments. 2 His offspring will be mighty on earth, the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches in his house, and his righteousness remains forever; 4 light shines in the darkness for the upright. Tender, and merciful, and righteous, 5 good is the man who has mercy and shares; he conducts his affairs with judgment. 6 Yes, he will never be shaken, the righteous will be in an everlasting remembrance. 7 He does not fear an evil reputation, his heart is firm, trusting in Yhwh; 8 his heart is assured, he does not fear, till he may see the end of his oppressors. 9 He distributes, he gives to the poor, his righteousness remains forever; his horn rises in glory. 10 The wicked sees and is irritated, he gnashes his teeth and he melts away; the hope of the wicked is lost.

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Second Section Ps 113 1 PRAISE Yah! PRAISE, you servants of Yhwh, PRAISE the name of Yhwh. 2 Let the name of Yhwh be blessed from now and forever; 3 from the rising of the sun to its setting the name of Yhwh be PRAISED. 4 Yhwh is exalted above all the nations, above the heavens his glory. 5 Who is like Yhwh our God? He lifts himself up to sit, 6 he lowers himself to see in the heavens and on the earth. 7 He raises up the deprived from the dust, from the dunghill he exalts the poor, 8 to make him sit with princes, with the princes of his people; 9 he makes sit the barren woman of the house, a happy mother of SONS. PRAISE Yah! Ps 114 1 When Israel came out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarian people, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his domain. 3 The sea saw and fled, the Jordan ran backwards, 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the SMALL of the sheep. 5 What happened to you, O sea, that you flee, O Jordan, to run backwards, 6 O mountains, to leap like rams, O hills, like the SMALL of the sheep? 7 Before the Master, tremble, O earth, before the God of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water. Ps 115 1 Not to us, O Yhwh, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your FAITHFULNESS, for your loyalty. 2 Why should the nations say: “Where (is) their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens, all that he desires, he makes. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of man. 5 They have a mouth and do not speak, they have eyes and do not see, 6 they have ears and do not hear; they have a nose and do not smell; 7 they have hands and do not touch, they have feet and do not walk; they do not murmur in their throat. 8 Like them will be those who make them, all those who trust in them. 9 O Israel, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 11 O fearful of Yhwh, trust in Yhwh: He is their help and their shield. 12 Yhwh remembers us, he will bless; he will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, 13 he will bless the fearful of Yhwh, the small with the great. 14 May Yhwh increase you, you and your SONS; 15 blessed be you by Yhwh who made the heavens and the earth. 16 The heavens are the heavens of Yhwh, but the earth he has given to the SONS of Adam. 17 It is not THE DEAD who PRAISE Yah, nor all those who go down into silence, 18 but as for us, we bless Yah, from now and forever. PRAISE Yah! Ps 116 1 I love because Yhwh hears the voice of my supplications, 2 because he inclined his ear to me, and during my days I will call. 3 The cords of DEATH encompassed me, and the anguishes of Sheol found me; I found anguish and sorrow, 4 and I called on the name of Yhwh: “Please, O Yhwh, rescue my soul!” 5 Yhwh is tender and righteous, and our God has mercy; 6 Yhwh preserves the simple: I was deprived and he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, because Yhwh has done good to you. 8 Because you have liberated my soul from DEATH, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling: 9 I will walk in the face of Yhwh in the lands of the living. 10 I believe when I declare: “As for me, I am greatly afflicted!” 11 As for me, I said in my trouble: “Every man is a deceiver!” 12 What shall I return to Yhwh for all the good he has done to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and I will call on the name of Yhwh. 14 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his people! 15 Precious in the eyes of Yhwh is THE DEATH of his FAITHFUL 16 Please, O Yhwh, because I am your servant, I am your servant, the SON of your handmaid, you have loosened my chains. 17 For you I will sacrifice THE SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING and I will call on the name of Yhwh. 18 I will fulfil my vows to Yhwh, yes, before all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of Yhwh, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem! PRAISE Yah! Ps 117 1 PRAISE Yhwh, all you nations, glorify him, all you countries; 2 because strong is his FAITHFULNESS toward us, and the loyalty of Yahweh endures forever. PRAISE Yah! Ps 118 1 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures forever! 2 let Israel say it: yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures forever! 3 Let the House of Aaron say: yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures forever! 4 Let the fearful of Yhwh say: yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures forever! 5 In my anguish I called to Yah; Yah answered me in a broad place. 6 Yhwh is for me, I fear not; what can the adam do to me? 7 Yhwh is for me, among my helpers; and as for me, I will see my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in adam! 9 It is better to take refuge in Yhwh than to trust in princes! 10 All the nations encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 11 They surrounded me and encircled me; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 12 They surrounded me like bees, they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of Yhwh, yes, I will circumcise them! 13 You pushed me, you pushed to make me fall, but Yhwh helped me. 14 Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become for me salvation. 15 Shout of joy and of salvation in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds! 16 The right hand of Yhwh exalts! The right hand of Yhwh has done powerful deeds!” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live and I will recount the deeds of Yah. 18 He punished me, punished me Yah, but he did not give me over to DEATH. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will come there and I WILL GIVE THANKS to Yah. 20 This is the gate of Yhwh; the righteous will come there. 21 “I GIVE YOU THANKS because you have answered me, and you have become for me salvation.” 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. 23 This has been from Yhwh; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day that Yhwh has made; let us exult and rejoice in it: 25 “Please, O Yhwh, save us! Please, O Yhwh, make us victorious!” 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yhwh; we bless you from the house of Yhwh. 27 God is Yhwh and he gives us light. Bind the victim with ropes to the horns of the altar. 28 “You are my God and I GIVE YOU THANKS, my God, I exalt you. [I GIVE YOU THANKS because you have answered me and you have become for me salvation.”] 29 GIVE THANKS to Yhwh, yes, he is good; yes, his FAITHFULNESS endures forever!

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The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150)

5. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE FINAL SECTIONS (PS 120–134 & 135–145) The first psalm of the fourth section (Ps 120; see p. 712–713) is closely related to the central psalm of the fifth section (Ps 140; see p. 706–708): 120 1 A song of ascents. To Yhwh in my anguish I called, and he answered me. 2 Yhwh, deliver my soul from the false LIPS, from a deceitful TONGUE! 3 What shall he give to you, and what shall he add to you, you deceitful TONGUE? 4 Sharp arrows of a hero, with the embers of juniper. 5 Woe to me that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell with the tents of Kedar! 6 Too long has my soul dwelt with those who hate peace. 7 I am peace, and when I speak, they are for WAR. […] Ps 140 1 For the music director, a psalm, of David. 2 Liberate me, O Yhwh, from evil man, from violent man defend me, 3 who meditate evil things in the heart; all the day they foment WARS, 4 they sharpen their TONGUE like a serpent, the venom of viper under their LIPS. Selâ 5 Keep me, O Yhwh, from the hands of the wicked, from violent man defend me, who meditate to overthrow my steps, 6 the arrogant ones hide a trap for me, and with cords they spread a net, by the side of the way they set snares for me. Selâ 7 I said to Yhwh: “You are My God! Give ear, O Yhwh, to the voice of my supplications. 8 O Yhwh Adonai, strength of my salvation, you cover my head in the day of battle. 9 Do not grant, O Yhwh, the desires of the wicked, his design is not fulfilled, lest they exalt themselves. Selâ 10 The head of those who surround me, it covers the pain of their lips. 11 Let descend on them coals of fire, and let him cast them into the abyss, and no more to rise. 12 Do not let a man of TONGUE be established in the earth, let evil chase the violent man with double blows!” 13 I know that Yhwh will make the cause of the afflicted, the judgment of the poor. 14 Yes, the righteous shall give thanks to your name, the saints shall dwell before your face.

The terms “tongue” and “lip/s” (120:2; 140:4, 12) as well as “war/s” (120:7; 140:3) are found in the same context of evil and violence.3 The name “David” appears nine times in the fourth section (122:1, 5; 124:1; 131:1; 132:1, 10, 11, 17; 133:1) and nine times in the fifth section (138:1; 139:1; 140:1; 141:1; 142:1; 143:1; 144:1, 10; 145:1), while it is used only three times in the first section (108:1; 109:1, 110:1) and not even once in the second section. The name of his son and successor, “Solomon”, at the centre of the fourth section (127:1), should be added. The two sections are distinctive in the density of occurrences of “Zion”, “Jerusalem” and “Israel”: – The name “Zion” appears ten times in both sections (125:1; 126:1; 128:5; 129:5; 132:13; 133:3; 134:3 // 135:21; 137:1, 3) instead of just once in the first two sections (110:2); – That of “Jerusalem” nine times (122:2, 3, 6; 125:2; 128:5 // 135:21; 137:5, 6, 7) instead of just once in the first two sections (116:19); – That of “'Israel” fifteen times (121:4; 122:4; 124:1; 125:5; 128:6; 129:1; 130:7, 8; 131:3 // 135:4, 12, 19; 136:11, 14, 22) instead of five times in the first two sections (114:1, 2; 115:9, 12; 118:2).

3

In this way, the fourth law of Lund, which states that the centre of one system and the extremities of another correspond to each other, is once again verified (see Traité 2007.2013: 98 = Treatise, 42).

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– We should add the mentions of the temple: “the temple of your holiness” (138:2), “the sanctuary” (134:2), called “the house of Yhwh” (122:1; 134:1; 135:2), “the house of (Yhwh) our God” (122:9; 135:2). The central psalm of the fourth section speaks of “the house” that cannot be built without Yhwh’s help, and many see it as an allusion to the temple built by Solomon (127:1; see p. 400). Ps 132 speaks at length of the temple: David wanted to build “a place for Yhwh, dwelling places for the Mighty One of Jacob” (132:5), which is also called “my rest” (132:8, 14) and “a seat for himself” (132:13). It is there that the Lord “dwells” (135:21). 6. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL SECTION (PS 119) AND THE TWO SIDES OF THE COMPOSITION (PS 107–118 & 120–145) DIFFERENCES The literary genre of the central psalm is quite different from that of all the other psalms.4 It is a meditation on the Law, in which the eight terms that belong to the same list are accumulated (see p. 321). However, the term “law” (tôrâ) does not appear even once elsewhere in the book, nor does the term “decrees” (ḥōq). The following terms occur only once elsewhere: “commandment” (miṣwâ, 112:1), “precepts” (piqqûdîm, 111:7), “saying” (’imra, 138:2). On the contrary, “orders” (‘ēdût) is used twice (122:4; 132:12) and “judgement” (mišpaṭ) five times (111:7; 112:5 // 122:5; 140:13; 143:2). As for the noun “word” (dābār), it is used five times, twice in the first side (word of God in 107:20; evil words of man in 109:3) and three in the second side (word of God in 130:5; words of songs of the exiles in 137:3; evil word in 141:4), to which, however, we should add the numerous occurrences of the verb “to speak” (108:8, 109:2, 20; 115:5; 116:10 // 120:7; 112:8; 127:5; 135:16; 144:8, 11; 145:11, 21).5 The occurrences of the synonyms “to observe” (nṣr) and “to keep” (šmr) are very frequent in Ps 119: “to keep” (vv. 4, 5, 8, 9, 17, 34, 44, 55, 57, 60, 63, 88, 101, 106, 134, 136, 146, 158, 167, 168, twenty occurrences); “to observe” (vv. 2, 22, 33, 34, 56, 69, 100, 115, 129, 145, ten occurrences). The object complement of these two verbs is always the law (or its synonyms) and the subject is the man who fears the Lord. In other places, the root šmr has been rendered as “to keep” – “keeper”. Most of the time it is the Lord who is the subject of the verb “to keep” or who is “the keeper” of Israel (116:6; 121:3, 4, 5, 7[2x], 8; 127:1).6 As for the root nṣr, the verb has been translated as “defend me” with God as the subject in 140:2, 5; in 141:3 it is still God who acts: “set, O Yhwh, a guard for my mouth”. 4

The five psalms of “The Great Doxology” are not included here. Twice the verb has a negative meaning: although they have a mouth, the idols “do not speak” (115:5; 135:16). 6 There is only one time when man is asked to “keep my covenant” (132:12) and in 130:6 it is also the psalmist who keeps: “my soul for Adonai more than keeper for the dawn...”. 5

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While references or allusions to the exodus from the land of Egypt (second section) and the return from exile in Babylon (fourth section) are numerous in the extreme sections (exodus: 107:33; 111:4–8; 135:8–12; 136:10–22; return from exile: 107:2; 108; 137), Ps 119 does not contain any. In Ps 119 there is no mention of “Jerusalem” or “Zion” or “the temple” nor its “courts” or “the sanctuary”. The vocabulary of praise is rare in Ps 119, in contrast to the other sections, especially the extreme sections (see p. 704):7 “To give thanks” occurs only twice (vv. 7, 62), “to praise” and “praise” three times (vv. 164, 175, 171). Note that these terms are essentially at the extremities of the psalm, forming an inclusion and also providing a link to what precedes and follows. The word “son” is not used even once in Ps 119, whereas it is frequent in the other sections (see p. 709, 710); on the contrary, “servant” (always with the pronoun “your”) occurs thirteen times (119:17, 23, 38, 49, 65, 76, 84, 122, 124, 125, 135, 140, 176). However, the term “son” is not the only one used to express filiation. “Inheritance” and “portion” belong to the same semantic field, but they each occur only once in the central section: “Your orders are my inheritance forever” (119:111), “Yhwh is my portion, I have said, to keep your words” (119:57). The central section is marked by the frequency of the verb “to give life” (119:25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 107, 116, 149, 154, 156, 158), to which should be added “and I shall live” (119:17, 77, 116, 144), making a total of sixteen occurrences. “To give live” does not occur in the first two sections nor in the fourth one, but only twice in the last one (138:7 & 143:11), to which should be added “I will live” (118:17), together only three occurrences. SIMILARITIES It was noted above that the terms “word” and “to speak” occur throughout the book. We should also add “falsehood”, which 119:29 is opposed to the law: “Turn aside from me the way of falsehood, and graciously give me your law”. The word “falsehood” returns seven times in Ps 119: It is the work of those who stray from the law (119:69, 86, 118), and the psalmist asks to be protected from it (119:29) and says that he hates it (119:104, 128, 163). Lying is also mentioned in the other sections (109:2; 120:2, 3). Still on the theme of speech, four related terms are used in Ps 119: “tongue” (119:172), “lip/s” (119:13, 171), “palate” (119:103) and especially “mouth”, of God (119:13, 72, 88) and of the psalmist (119:43, 103, 108, 131). These terms are also found elsewhere: – Evil “tongue” (109:2 // 120:2, 3; 140:4, 12), the psalmist’s “tongue” (126:2; 137:6; 139:4), 7

In the second and fourth sections, “to give thanks” and “thanksgiving” occur 8 times (116:17; 118:1, 19, 21, 28[2x], 29 // 122:4), “to praise” and “praise” 10 times (113:1[3x], 3, 9; 115:17, 18; 116:19; 117:1, 2).

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– Evil “lip/s” (120:2, 140:4, 10), the psalmist’s “lips” (141:3), – Wicked “mouth” (107:42; 109:2 // 141:7; 144:8, 11), the psalmist’s (109:30 // 126:2; 141:3; 151:21), of the converted kings (138:4), to which we should add the mouths of the idols that do not speak (115:5; 135:16, 17). Enemies are present in the central psalm as in the rest of the composition, causing the psalmist’s “affliction” (119:28), “cry” (119:169), “supplication” (119:170). These are “the wicked” (six times: 119:53, 61, 95, 110, 119, 155), “the arrogant” (six times: 119:21, 51, 69, 78, 85, 122), those who “persecute” the psalmist (five times: 119:84, 86, 150, 157, 161); terms of the same root “to humiliate” occur six times (119:67, 71, 75, 92, 107, 153); there are also “enemies” (119:98), “evildoers” (119:115), “rulers” (119:23, 161), “traitors” (119:158), those who “insult” the psalmist (119:42), “despise” him (119:22, 141), cover him with “disgrace” (119:22, 39), who “humiliate” him (119:67, 92, 107, 153), who, at the centre of the psalm, “finish him off” (119:87, 96). These are not only the psalmist’s opponents but also the Lord’s, who “stray from his commandments” (119:21), “forsake his law” (119:53), do not keep it (119:136, 158). The wicked and arrogant seek to kill the righteous. The terms “death” and “to die” do not appear even once in Ps 119, although they are used elsewhere, especially in the first side (107:18; 109:16; 115:17; 116:3, 8, 15; 118:17, 18) but also once in the second side (143:3), making a total of nine occurrences. However, death is present in Ps 119, especially in its central subsequence (119:81–96), with “to finish off”, the “pit” and “to perish” (see p. 250). In 118:17, death is opposed to life: “I shall not die, but I shall live”. The fact that in Ps 119 the psalmist repeats so often “give me life” is a fashion to say that he is in danger of death. 7. CROSSING The second section is devoted to the exodus from Egypt and the fourth section to the exodus from Babylon. Since the first psalm of the first section refers to the return from exile (107:2), the first two psalms of the last section sing of the exodus from Egypt (135:8–14 & 136:10–22), it is a fashionable way of relating the two exoduses and, without doubt, of relativising the historical framework of the composition.

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The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150) B. CONTEXT

THE EXODUS AND THE NEW EXODUS The connection between the exodus from Egypt and the return from exile is established in particular by Jeremiah: 7

Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, “As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt,” 8 but “As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them.” Then they shall live in their own land. (Jer 23:7–8; see also Hos 2, in particular verses 16–17)

THE DRY BONES (EZEK 37:1–10) It is through the word of the Lord, transmitted by the prophet, that the dry bones come back to life. “TO GIVE LIFE” This verb means to save from death but also to give life, to bring forth and to rebirth. In Job 33:4 it is used in parallel with “to make”, that is, to create: “It was the spirit of God who made me, the breath of Shaddai who gave me life”. In Gen 19:32 it means “to beget”: “Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father” (see also Gen 7:3). Opposed to “to cause death”, “to give life” means to give birth: “It is the Lord who brings death and gives life, who brings down to Sheol and rises up” (1 Sam 2:6; see also Deut 32:39; 2 Kgs 5:7). It is by his word that God gives life to the psalmist: “your saying gives me life” (Ps 119:50), “by them (your precepts) you give me life” (119:93). C. INTERPRETATION 8

No one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. (Jas 3:8–10)

THE WORD THAT KILLS The enemies of the psalmist and of God are everywhere, constantly threatening and cultivating “hatred”, doing “evil”, exercising “violence”, fomenting “wars”. Their favourite weapon is “the tongue”, which distils “falsehood” and lies (109:2–3; 119:69, 86, 118; 120:2). The “trap”, “snare” and “net” (119:110; 140:6; 141:9–10) only work if they are concealed; they therefore obey the logic

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of lies. They are not content to harm, “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent, the venom of viper under their lips” (140:4). They conceal “snares” to catch the righteous as one hunts game animals. The venom of the viper brings death, just as the false accusation in the court (109:6–15) aims at “killing” (109:16) and the curse extends to the children of the condemned to “destroy their memory from the earth” (109:15). Therefore, this kind of adversary is called a “man of tongue” (140:2). But the evil word not only destroys the persecuted righteous person, but also eventually reaches those who pronounce it and leads them into destruction (108:14; 109:17–20; 112:10; 120:4; 143:12; 145:20). Then, like their mute idols, “all iniquity shuts its mouth” (107:42). THE WORD THAT GIVES LIFE “Turn aside from me the way of falsehood, and graciously give me your law” (119:29). This way is opposed by the way of truth: “I have chosen the way of truth, I have aligned myself with your judgments” (119:30). It is the word of God that puts away the lie and brings out the truth. The lie that the psalmist hates (119:104, 128, 163) because he experiences that it leads to death, the Lord responds to it with the word of his mouth that “gives life”. Like a refrain, “give me life” chants the central Psalm of the book, but it also finds echoes elsewhere (138:7 & 143:11). The Lord is the only one who can remove the powers of death that surround the psalmist on all sides by the word of his law (107:12, 18; 115:17; 116:3, 8, 15; 118:18; 124:3; 143:3). THE GREAT HISTORICAL FRESCO The composition of the literary corpus of the book paints an immense fresco of the history of Israel. On either side of the long meditation on the Law of God, the ancient exodus from the land of Egypt and the present exodus from the land of Babylon are paralleled. Therefore, the narrative extends from the birth of Israel as a people, expelled from the bosom of the house of slavery, to the present time when the long work of rebirth of God’s people has begun, which is obviously still far from being completed (Ps 126). THE GREAT THEOLOGICAL FRESCO More than being historical, the fresco is essentially theological. Indeed, it is not completely governed by narrative logic, since the psalmist evokes the return from exile at the beginning of the book, long before the Egyptian Hallel, and returns to the celebration of the first exodus after the Psalms of the Ascents. The key to interpretation lies, as usual, at the heart of the whole, in the long “meditation” (119:97–99) on the Law of the Lord. One might think that Ps 119 was composed in the midst of the exile, when Israel had no land, no king, no temple, no liturgy, all destroyed, with little hope of return. All that the Law was what remained for the Lord’s faithful as the only rock on which they could rely.

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The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150)

For this reason, neither Zion, nor Jerusalem, nor the temple are mentioned in the immense flow of the psalm. Afterwards Israel returned to Jerusalem, at least in part, the temple was rebuilt, and thanksgiving and praise could once again resound in its courts. But the psalm of the Law was not discarded: it remained and will remain forever the central pillar of the faith of the chosen people, enabling them to stand against all odds after the fall of the second temple in 70 CE, for almost two thousand years. “I WILL EXALT YOU, MY GOD THE KING” (145:1) The name “David” appears twenty-one times in the Fifth Book. Fifteen psalms are attributed to him, three on the first side (Ps 108; 109; 110), and twelve on the second side (Ps 120; 124; 131; 133; 138; 139; 140; 141; 142; 143; 144; 145). The impression is that his figure dominates and imposes itself more and more, until it occupies all the space in the last eight psalms. Moreover, does not the name of his son and successor take the throne at the centre of the psalms of Ascents (Ps 127)? However, we must first consider that David’s name does not appear in the Egyptian Hallel, nor in the central psalm 119, nor in the great final doxology. It is also important to note that he is never called “king”. Ps 132, which is entirely dedicated to him, calls him twice “Messiah” (132:10, 17), but seems to avoid giving him the title of king. Already in the first section, while David is invited to sit at the right hand of the Lord, the throne on which he sits is that of God (Ps 110). And the body of the book ends with a hymn entirely devoted to the kingdom of God, the only one who receives the title of king: “I will exalt you, my God the King” (145:1).8 That again is a fashion to give the Lord the only proper place, the first place.

8

See A. WÉNIN, “Le psautier comme livre. Quelques signes d’unification”.

CONCLUSION The analysis of each of the forty-four psalms of the Fifth Book has been carried out, just as in all classical commentaries, independently. Of the four usual headings, “Text”, “Composition”, “Context” and “Interpretation”, more attention has been given to the second one, following the usual practice of the series in which the volume is published. The study of composition following the laws of biblical and Semitic rhetoric allows us to better perceive the logic of the texts and, consequently, to interpret them within their own culture. The intertextual relationships, identified under the heading of “Context”, are also of great help in this respect. Such an approach, carried out in a rigorous and systematic fashion, certainly represents a certain novelty. Ps 119, with its one hundred and seventy-six verses—making it the longest chapter in the entire Bible—represents a special case. The application of biblical rhetorical analysis has made it possible to discover its architecture, which is skilfully constructed and leads to a renewed interpretation. However, the most decisive novelty consists in the fact of reading together the psalms which have been organised in a composition that goes beyond the simple psalm. Indeed, it is increasingly recognised by a growing number of scholars that the psalter is not an inorganic compilation of simply juxtaposed pieces. To repeat once again a formula that has become a classic, it is not “composite” but “composed”. It has been known for a long time, for example for certain pairs of psalms, such as the twin Psalms 111 and 112. It was assumed that the fifteen contiguous psalms entitled “Psalm of Ascents” (Ps 120–134) had a certain unity. But it was still necessary to demonstrate it in a precise fashion. With regard to the latter collection, the analysis of the relationships between the units, at the successive levels of their organisation—from the subsequences most often formed of three psalms, then of the two sequences represented by the two septenaries (Ps 120–126 and Ps 128–134), up to the “section” formed of the two septenaries which frame the single “Psalm of Solomon” (Ps 127) —has made it possible to propose as many interpretations—of the subsequences, of the sequences, and finally of the section as a whole. The interpretation of each group of psalms leads, of course, to a greater meaning than the sum of the interpretations of each element. The same is true of each of the five sections that form the Fifth Book, not to mention what has been called the “final doxology” (Ps 146–150), which concludes not only the last book but the entire Psalter. For the book as a whole, the results far exceeded anything that could have been expected. At the centre, dominating the whole landscape with its imposing bulk, is the long meditation on the Law in Ps 119. It is surrounded by two welldefined sets: on the one hand, the “Egyptian Hallel” (Ps 113–118), which celebrates the first exodus from Egypt, and on the other hand, the “Psalms of

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The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150)

Ascents” (Ps 120–134), which hopes and sings of the return from exile in Babylon. As for the relationship and function of the extreme sets (Ps 107–112 & 135– 145), it is not obvious at first sight, which is normal in terms of biblical rhetoric, insofar as it is up to the reader to do his or her part in order to try to understand, to solve the enigma. In fact, the link between the extreme sections is more easily discovered if we examine it in relation to the central psalm of the composition: indeed, Ps 119 celebrates the Law, which is the Word of life, often opposed to the deadly word of the ungodly. In the first section, the psalmist is confronted with the lying word of his enemies who accuse him in order to kill him. And the same applies to the last section, where the venom that lurks under the tongue of the wicked endangers the life of the righteous. For this reason, these two sections have been entitled, in the words of the psalmist: “From the mouth of deceit to the thanksgiving of the righteous” (Ps 107–112), “From the venom of the serpent to the praise of the righteous” (Ps 135–145). On the contrary, the evil and deadly word of the enemy does not succeed in suffocating the voice of thanksgiving and praise that the psalmist, saved by his God, makes resound. The psalm of the Law, at the centre of the book, functions as the keystone of the construction, as the key to reading the whole. What might appear to be a simple eulogy of the Law is in fact a meditation in which the psalmist gradually discovers that he is incapable of observing the Law, that only the Lord can give him the ability to walk in the way of the commandments, in short that “all is grace”. Regarding each psalm, I have benefited from the invaluable and indispensable contribution of the classical commentaries, especially for the heading “Text”, where issues of textual criticism, grammar and lexicography are tackled,1 without forgetting, of course, a certain number of specialized articles. For the higher levels, however, it was hardly possible to draw on the work of earlier scholars. It is true that many had undertaken for a long time to study the composition of the collection of the Psalms of Ascents.2 For the other sections, very little research had been done, including the Egyptian Hallel (Ps 113–118), and even less on the whole Fifth Book. That is because few are really convinced, apart from some exceptions, that the psalter is composed and indeed well composed; it is also because, in order to undertake such a work, it is necessary to be well equipped. The methodology used here, which has already been tried and tested on more than one book of the Bible,3 was intended to achieve more

1

As I do not intend to be a compiler, I have generally limited myself to a small number of commentaries, mainly those by M. Mannati, M. Dahood, A. Weiser, H.-J. Kraus, G. Ravasi, A. Hakham, T. Lorenzin, L. Alonso Schoekel – C. Carniti, F.-L. Hossfeld – E. Zenger and J.-L. Vesco. 2 See the long status quaestionis in my publication, Les psaumes des montées, 7–17. 3 R. MEYNET, L’évangile de Luc; P. BOVATI – R. MEYNET, Le livre du prophète Amos; T. KOT, La lettre de Jacques; R. MEYNET, La lettre aux Galates; J. ONISZCZUK, La première lettre de Jean;

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reliable results because they were better founded. It will be up to the reader to assess the extent of the achievement of this goal. The results obtained on the Fifth Book are more than encouraging and invite to further work on the rest of the Psalter. Obviously, there is no guarantee that each of the other four books is as well composed as the fifth book. This can only be ascertained when the work of analysis has been carried out in a systematic fashion to the end. Until such time, may be put forward a hypothesis which is not entirely without conviction.

R. MEYNET, L’évangile de Marc. Without counting the numerous partial studies (see www.retoricabiblicaesemitica.org: “Publications”).

BIBLIOGRAPHY of the works referred to ALETTI, J.-N. – TRUBLET, J., Approche poétique et théologique des Psaumes: analyses et méthodes, Initiations, Paris 1982. ALONSO SCHOEKEL, L., Trenta salmi. Poesia e preghiera, CSB biblici 8, Bologna 1982. ——, Dov'è tuo fratello? Pagine di fraternità nel libro della Genesi, Biblioteca di cultura religiosa 50, Brescia 1987. ALONSO SCHOEKEL, L. – CARNITI, C., Salmos, Traducción, introducciones y comentario, Nueva Biblia española, Estella (Navarra) 1994; Italian trans., I salmi, Commenti biblici, Roma 1992. ALONSO SCHOEKEL, L.: see STRUS, A. ASSIS, E., “Psalm 127 and the Polemic of the Rebuilding of the Temple in the Post Exilic Period”, ZAW 121 (2009) 256–272. AUFFRET, P., “Essai sur la structure du psaume 137”, ZAW 92 (1980) 346–377. ——, Hymnes d’Égypte et d’Israël: études de structures littéraires, OBO 34, Fribourg – Göttingen 1981. ——, La sagesse a bâti sa maison: études de structures littéraires dans l’Ancien Testament et spécialement dans les Psaumes, OBO 49, Fribourg – Göttingen 1982. ——, “Hymne à l’incomparable: étude structurelle du Psaume 113”, Studi epigrafici e linguistici sul vicino oriente antico 9 (1992) 35–52. ——, Voyez de vos yeux: Étude structurelle de vingt Psaumes dont le Psaume 119, VT.S 48, Leiden 1993. ——, “Souviens-toi Yhwh. Étude structurelle du Psaume 137. Réponses et complements”, BZ 41 (1997) 250–252. ——, Mais tu élargiras mon cœur: nouvelle étude structurelle du psaume 119, BZAW 359, Berlin – New York 2006. AUWERS, J.-M., “Le Psaume 132 parmi les Graduels”, RB 103 (1996) 546–560. ——, La composition littéraire du Psautier. Un état de la question, CRB 46, Paris 2000. ——, “Le psautier comme livre biblique: Édition, rédaction, function”, in E. ZENGER, ed., The Composition of the Book of Psalms, Leuven – Paris – Walpole (MA) 2010, 67–89. ——, – AL., Psaumes de la Bible, psaumes d’aujourd’hui, LiBi 170, Paris 2011.

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BALMARY, M., Abel ou la traversée de l’Éden, Paris 1999. BARBIERO, G., “Psalm 132: A Prayer of ‘Solomon’”, CBQ 75 (2013) 239–258. BARKER, D.G., “‘The Lord Watches over You’: A Pilgrimage Reading of Psalm 121”, Bibliotheca sacra 152 (1995) 163–181. BARNES, W.E., The Psalms, with introduction and notes, Westminster Commentaries, London 1931. BEAUCAMP, É., Le Psautier, SBi, I–II, Paris 1979. BEAUCHAMP, P., Création et séparation: étude exégétique du chapitre premier de la Genèse, Bibliothèque de sciences religieuses, Paris 1969; LeDiv 201, Paris 20052. ——, L’Un et l’Autre Testament. I. Essai de lecture, Parole de Dieu, Paris 1976. ——, Psaumes nuit et jour, Paris 1980. BENGEL, J.A., Gnomon Novi Testamenti, Tübingen 1742. BERLIN, A., “The Rhetoric of Psalm 145”, in A. KORT – S. MORSCHAUSER, ed., Biblical and Related Studies Presented to Samuel Iwry, Winona Lake (IN) 1985, 17–22. BOER, P.A.H. de, “Psalm 131:2”, VT 16 (1966) 287–292. BOOIJ, Th., “Psalm CXXII 4: Text and Meaning”, VT 51 (2001) 262–266. ——, “Psalm 133: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant’”, Bib 83 (2002) 258– 267. ——, “Psalm 141: A Prayer for Discipline and Protection”, Bib 86 (2005) 97– 106. ——, “Psalm 144: Hope of Davidic Welfare”, VT 59 (2009) 173–180. BOVATI, P., Ristabilire la giustizia. Procedure, vocabolario, orientamenti, AnBib 110, Roma 1986. BOVATI, P. – MEYNET, R., Le livre du prophète Amos, RhBib 2, Paris 1994. BOYS, Th., A Key to the Book of the Psalms, London 1925 (available at http://www.retoricabiblicaesemitica.org). BRENNAN, J.P., “Some Hidden Harmonies in the Fifth Book of Psalms”, in R.F. MCNAMARA, ed., Essays in Honor of J.P. Brennan, Rochester 1976, 126– 158. BRIGGS, Ch.A., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms, ICC, Edinburgh 1907–1909. CALÈS, L., “Le psautier des montées”, RSR 17 (1927) 288–313, 435–444, 532– 537; RSR 18 (1928) 326–344, 489–499; RSR 19 (1929) 49–55. CAQUOT, A., “Remarques sur le Psaume CX”, Semitica 6 (1956) 33–52. CARNITI, C.: see ALONSO SCHOEKEL, L.

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KOCH, K., “Der Psalter und seine Redaktionsgeschichte”, in K. SEYBOLD – E. ZENGER, ed., Neue Wege der Psalmenforschung, HBS 1, Freiburg – Basel – Wien 19952, 243–277. KOT, T. La Lettre de Jacques. La foi, chemin de la vie, RhSem 2, Paris 2006. KRATZ, R.G., “Die Torah Davids: Psalm 1 und die doxologische Fünfteilung des Psalters”, ZTK 93 (1996) 1–34. KRAUS, H.-J., Psalmen, 2 vol., Neukirchen 1960; English trans., Psalms 1–59; Psalms 60–150, Minneapolis (MN) 1993. KSELMAN, J.S., “Psalm 146 in Its Context”, CBQ 50 (1988) 587–599. LAUTERBACH, J.Z., “Substitutes for the Tetragrammaton”, in Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research [1930–31] New York 1931, 39–67. LE DÉAUT, R., La Nuit pascale. Essai sur la signification de la Pâque juive à partir du Targum d’Exode XII 42, AnBib 22, Rome 1963. LEVENSON, J.D., “The Sources of Torah: Psalm 119 and the Modes of Revelation in Second Temple Judaism”, in P.D MILLER – P.D. HANSON – S.D. MCBRIDE, ed., Ancient Israelite Religion: Essays in Honor of Frank Moore Cross, Philadelphia 1987, 559–574. LICHERT, Cl., “La prière de Jonas (Jon 2)”, StRBS 15 (10.03.2003). LIEBREICH, L.J., “Psalms 34 and 145 in the Light of Their Key Words», HUCA 27 (1956) 181–192. LIMBURG, J., “Psalm 121: A Psalm for Sojourners”, Word and Word 5 (1985) 180–187. LINDARS, B., “The Structure of Psalm CXLV”, VT 39 (1989) 23–30. LORENZIN, T., I salmi. Nuova versione, introduzione e commento, I libri biblici. Primo Testamento 14, Milano 2001. LOWTH, R., De sacra poesi Hebraeorum praelectiones academicae Oxonii habitae, Oxford 1753. LUND, N.W., Chiasmus in the New Testament. A Study in Formgeschichte, Chapel Hill 1942; reprinted. Chiasmus in the New Testament. A Study in the Form and Function of Chiastic Structures, Peabody (MA) 1992. MCCANN, J.C., ed., The Shape and the Shaping of the Psalter, JSOT.S 159, Sheffield 1993. MCCARTHY, J.J.: see HALLE, M. MCKENZIE, A.F., “Ps 148,14be: Conclusion or Title?”, Bib 51 (1970) 221–224. MCNAMARA, R.F., ed., Essays in Honor of J.P. Brennan, The Sheaf, Bicentennial Issue (part one), Rochester 1976. MAGNE, J., “Répétitions de mots et exégèse dans quelques psaumes et le pater”, Bib 39 (1958) 177–197.

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MAGONET, J., “Some Concentric Structures in Psalms”, HeyJ 23 (1982) 365– 376. MAKUJINA, A.F.J., “The Interpretation of Ps 144,14: Applying a Pluralistic Approach to a Manifold Difficulty”, Bib 92 (2011) 481–502. MANNATI, M., Les psaumes, Cahiers de la Pierre-qui-vire 26, I, 1966–68. MARRS, R.R., “Psalm 122:3-4: A New Reading”, Bib 68 (1987) 106–109. MEYNET, R., “L’enfant de l’amour (Ps 85)”, NRTh 112 (1990) 843–858. ——, “Le psaume 145”, Annales du Département des lettres arabes (Institut de lettres orientales), Fs Maurice Fyet, 6B (1991–92) 213–225; mis à jour dans StRBS 1 (01.02.2002; 31.03.2004); reprinted in Les huit psaumes acrostiches alphabétiques, ReBibSem 6, Roma 2015, 275–290. ——, “Le cantique de Moïse et le cantique de l’Agneau (Ap 15 et Ex 15)”, Gr. 73 (1992) 19–55 [reprinted in Appelés à la liberté, 51–85]. ——, “Analyse rhétorique du Psaume 51. Hommage critique à Marc Girard”, RivBib 45 (1997) 187–226. ——, “La composition du Notre Père”, Liturgie 119 (2002) 158–191; reprinted and corrected in StRBS 18 (04.05.2005; 07.03.2015). ——, L’Évangile selon saint Luc. Analyse rhétorique, RhBib 1, I. Planches; II. Commentaire, Paris 1988. ——, L’Évangile de Luc, RhSem 1, Paris 2005; RhSem 8, Pendé 2011. ——, Traité de rhétorique sémitique, RhSem 7, Paris 2007; RhSem 11, Pendé 20132 ; Traité de rhétorique sémitique. Troisième édition revue et amplifiée, RBSem 28, Leuven 20213. ——, Appelés à la liberté, RhSem 5, Paris 2008. ——, “La rhétorique biblique et sémitique. État de la question”, Rhetorica 28 (2010) 290–312. ——, “Harmonie biblique. Les psaumes 111 et 112”, in P CAYE – F. MALHOMME – G.M. RISPOLI – A.G. WERSINGER, ed., L’Harmonie, entre philosophie, science et arts, de l’Antiquité à l’âge moderne, Atti della Accademia Pontaniana – Suppl., NS LIX (2010), Napoli 2011, 219–234. ——, “Selon les Écritures”. Lecture typologique des récits de la Pâque du Seigneur, Theologia 7, Rome 2012. ——, La Lettre aux Galates, Gabalda, Pendé 2012. ——, Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric, International Studies in the History of Rhetoric 3, Leyden – Boston 2012 ——, “Le leggi della retorica biblica. A proposito della ‘legge dell’intreccio al centro’”, in ID. – J. ONISZCZUK, ed., Studi del terzo convegno RBS.

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International Studies on Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric, ReBibSem 2, Roma 2013, 349–364. MEYNET, R., L’évangile de Marc, Pendé 2014. ——, Les huit psaumes acrostiches alphabétiques, ReBibSem 6, Roma 2015. ——, Le fait synoptique reconsidéré, ReBibSem 7, Rome 2015. ——, Luke: The Gospel of the Children of Israel, Roma 2015. ——, “John Jebb, le premier fondateur de l’analyse rhétorique biblique”, Édition, traduction et commentaires de Roland Meynet: John Jebb, “Sacred Literature comprising a review of the principles of composition, 1820 [extracts]”, Exercices de rhétorique [online], 8 (2017), put online 25 janvier 2017. URL: http://rhetorique.revues.org/508. ——, Les psaumes des montées, RBSem 9, Leuven 2017. ——, “Analyse rhétorique du psaume 90. Hommage critique à Pierre Auffret”, in M. STASZAK – M. LEROY, ed., Perceptions du temps dans la Bible, EtBib.NS Leuven, forthcoming. MEYNET, R.: see BOVATI, P. MILLER, P.D. Jr, “Psalm 127 – The House that Yahweh Builds”, JSOT 22 (1982) 119–132. —— : see FLINT, P.W. MINELLA, M.J., “A Christian Looks at Psalm 113”, BiTod 72 (1974) 1613–1618. MORGENSTERN, J., “Psalm 121”, JBL 58 (1939) 311–323. NEL, P.J., “Psalm 110 and the Melchizedek Tradition”, JNWSL 22 (1996) 1–14. NODDER, M., “What is the relationship between the different stanzas of Psalm 119?”, Churchman 119 (2005), 323–342. ONISZCZUK, J., La première lettre de Jean, Pendé 2013. OSTY, É., La Bible, Paris 1973. PEARL, Ch., “The Theology of Psalm 145, Part I”, JBQ 20 (1991) 3–9; “The Theology of Psalm 145, Part I”, JBQ 20 (1991–92) 73–78. PISANO, S.: see GILBERT, M. POLLOCK, P.H., “Psalm 121”, JBL 59 (1940) 411–412. PRINSLOO, G.T.M. “Yahweh and the Poor in Psalm 113: Literary Motif and/or Theological Reality?”, OTE 9 (1996) 465–485. PRINSLOO, W.S., “Psalm 116: Disconnected Text or Symmetrical Whole?”, Bib 74 (1993) 71–82. ——, “Psalm 149: Praise Yahweh with Tambourine and Two-Edged Sword”, ZAW 109 (1997) 395–407. RATZINGER, J. – BENOÎT XVI, Jésus de Nazareth, Paris 2007.

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INDEX OF QUOTED AUTHORS

Aletti; 7 Alonso Schoekel; 22; 44; 51; 58; 74; 79; 81; 90; 101; 109; 124; 132; 158; 192; 331; 348; 350; 361; 366; 378; 381; 394; 395; 405; 413; 438; 451; 453; 454; 506; 514; 526; 538; 542; 560; 593; 594; 644; 666; 667; 676; 686; 726 Assis; 394 Auffret; 7; 8; 101; 190; 191; 318; 526 Auwers; 7; 8; 10; 449 Balmary; 133 Barbiero; 438; 449 Barker; 338 Barnes; 594 Beaucamp; 114; 118; 130; 131; 359; 509; 513; 517; 569 Beauchamp; 40; 262; 333; 335; 426; 509; 510; 518; 519; 520; 600; 660; 666; 672 Bengel; 7 Benoît xvi; 135 Berlin; 613 Booij; 349; 454; 569; 570; 593 Bovati; 13; 46; 564; 609; 727 Boys; 7; 406; 493; 666 Brennan; 9 Briggs; 127 Calès; 359 Caquot; 58 Carniti; 22; 44; 51; 58; 74; 79; 81; 90; 101; 109; 124; 132; 158; 192; 331; 348; 361; 366; 378; 381; 394; 395; 405; 413; 438; 451; 453; 454; 506; 514; 526; 538;

542; 560; 593; 594; 644; 666; 676; 686; 726 Ceresko; 342; 677 Chinitz; 603 Costa; 175 Costacurta; 365; 366 Cruze; 438 Dahood; 22; 33; 44; 58; 61; 81; 82; 101; 117; 337; 338; 347; 348; 360; 366; 375; 378; 399; 405; 413; 414; 422; 438; 499; 506; 534; 538; 570; 593; 594; 644; 667; 676; 686; 726 de Boer; 433 De Mello; 366 DeClaissé-Walford; 604 Deissler; 111; 117; 171; 514 Dhorme; 51; 123; 337; 338; 377; 393; 405; 603; 653; 676 Doyle; 451 Emerton; 394 Emmanuel; 44; 163 Estes; 396 Faure; 11 Fishbane; 613 Fleming; 394 Flint; 8 Fokkelman; 7; 101 Freedman; 7; 61; 101; 106; 108; 190; 526 Fretheim; 438 Gameleira Soares; 366 Gerstenberger; 74; 117; 126; 131; 378; 509; 516 Gesenius; 340; 676 Gilbert; 58 Gillingham; 8

740

The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150)

Girard; 7; 22; 74; 101; 153; 158; 191; 331; 348; 366; 374; 378; 414; 422; 434; 438; 451; 493; 526; 534; 542; 543; 560; 570; 577; 585; 594; 604; 644; 667; 676; 677; 686 Gottwald; 618 Graziano; 205 Grévisse; 337 Grohmann; 434 Grossberg; 366 Gruber; 644 Guillet; 599 Hakham; 21; 22; 33; 44; 58; 73; 74; 82; 90; 101; 111; 173; 175; 331; 335; 340; 360; 399; 414; 421; 422; 433; 438; 451; 493; 506; 542; 570; 577; 585; 593; 594; 653; 666; 676; 677; 685; 686; 726 Halle; 526 Harmon; 378 Hays; 590 Hilaire de Poitiers; 190 Hillers; 666 Holman; 543; 548 Hossefeld; 338 Hossfeld; 14; 22; 33; 44; 51; 57; 58; 74; 81; 101; 111; 124; 153; 158; 175; 191; 318; 320; 322; 331; 337; 339; 347; 348; 360; 365; 366; 373; 374; 377; 378; 405; 406; 410; 414; 415; 422; 434; 438; 451; 455; 457; 506; 533; 534; 538; 542; 561; 570; 577; 585; 594; 644; 649; 653; 667; 675; 676; 677; 686 Hurvitz; 106 Jacquet; 127; 131; 164; 323; 359; 516 Jebb; 7 Joüon; 159; 332; 337; 349; 359; 360; 405; 407; 421; 433; 437; 438; 525; 559; 653; 666; 675

Kimelman; 604 Kirkpatrick; 594 Knowles; 433 Koch; 9; 10 Kot; 565; 638; 727 Kratz; 10 Kraus; 22; 33; 44; 51; 57; 58; 74; 81; 82; 108; 111; 113; 124; 153; 158; 322; 338; 348; 360; 366; 378; 400; 405; 406; 413; 414; 421; 422; 438; 506; 533; 542; 570; 577; 585; 593; 594; 644; 666; 676; 686; 726 Kselman; 644 Lauterbach; 613 Le Déaut; 520 Levenson; 190 Lichtert; 141; 425 Liebreich; 604 Limburg; 338 Lindars; 604 Lorenzin; 22; 33; 34; 44; 51; 58; 74; 81; 82; 101; 111; 124; 153; 158; 322; 338; 343; 360; 366; 374; 378; 406; 433; 434; 451; 452; 506; 538; 542; 569; 570; 585; 593; 594; 644; 676; 677; 686; 726 Lowth; 7 Lund; 7; 111; 124; 234; 338; 345; 378; 548; 718 Magne; 526 Magonet; 526 Makujina; 594 Mannati; 34; 58; 82; 338; 360; 366; 378; 393; 394; 406; 414; 422; 433; 438; 506; 542; 585; 593; 594; 644; 666; 667; 676; 685; 686; 726 Marrs; 349 McCann; 8 McCarthy; 526 McKenzie; 667

Index of Quoted Authors Meynet; 7; 13; 14; 17; 75; 105; 328; 382; 398; 401; 409; 483; 564; 565; 603; 672; 727 Miller; 8; 394; 400 Minella; 109 Morgenstern; 337 Nel; 58 Nodder; 191 Oniszczuk; 727 Osty; 51; 123; 133; 157; 243; 333; 347; 365; 366; 377; 393; 405; 433; 499; 533; 538; 541; 603; 607; 653; 666; 676; 680 Pearl; 617 Pisano; 58 Pollock; 337 Prinsloo, G.T.M.; 7; 101; 108 Prinsloo, W.S.; 137; 677 Ratzinger; 135 Ravasi; 8; 9; 22; 33; 44; 57; 58; 61; 74; 79; 82; 90; 101; 108; 109; 111; 124; 158; 161; 163; 190; 331; 338; 339; 343; 348; 360; 366; 367; 374; 377; 378; 405; 406; 413; 414; 421; 422; 434; 438; 451; 506; 509; 511; 526; 533; 538; 542; 560; 561; 569; 570; 577; 585; 593; 594; 604; 644; 667; 676; 677; 685; 686; 726 Renaud; 113 Robinson, A.; 440 Robinson, B.P.; 433 Sanders; 603 Scaiola; 7 Schreiner; 366 Sellier; 192 Soll; 191; 318 Strus; 350 Tournay; 40; 58; 675; 677 Tromp; 422

741

Trublet; 7 VanGemeren; 433 Vanhoye; 11 Vattioni; 517 Vesco; 7; 9; 33; 58; 74; 81; 82; 111; 175; 331; 348; 360; 366; 374; 378; 405; 406; 413; 416; 421; 422; 433; 434; 451; 506; 533; 538; 542; 543; 560; 569; 570; 581; 593; 643; 644; 658; 667; 676; 677; 686; 726 Von Nordheim; 58 Wal; 406 Watson; 451; 613 Weiser; 14; 22; 33; 44; 51; 58; 74; 82; 101; 111; 124; 338; 347; 348; 366; 394; 406; 413; 414; 421; 433; 438; 538; 542; 569; 593; 644; 666; 676; 726 Wénin; 185; 454; 531; 549; 724 Westerman; 366; 378 Whybray; 8; 191 Willis; 337 Wilson; 8; 9; 10 Zakovitch; 10 Zenger; 8; 9; 10; 14; 22; 33; 44; 51; 57; 58; 74; 81; 101; 111; 124; 153; 158; 175; 191; 318; 320; 322; 331; 337; 338; 339; 347; 348; 360; 365; 366; 373; 374; 377; 378; 405; 406; 410; 414; 415; 422; 434; 438; 439; 451; 455; 457; 506; 533; 534; 538; 542; 561; 570; 577; 585; 594; 644; 649; 653; 667; 675; 676; 677; 686; 726

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................. Acronyms and Abbreviations ..................................................................... Glossary of Technical Terms ......................................................................

7 13 15

FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT TO THE THANKSGIVING OF THE RIGHTEOUS First Section: Ps 107–112 ..................................

19

I. THANKSGIVING OF THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD The First Sequence: Ps 107 .......................................................................

21

II. DELIVER ME FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT LA BOUCHE The Second Sequence: Ps 108–110 ........................................................... 1. Psalm 108 ........................................................................................... 2. Psalm 109 ........................................................................................... 3. Psalm 110 ........................................................................................... 4. DELIVER ME FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT (Ps 108–110) ...................

33 33 43 57 68

III. THANKSGIVING OF THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD The Third Sequence: Ps 111–112 .............................................................. 1. Psalm 111 ........................................................................................... 2. Psalm 112 ........................................................................................... 3. THANKSGIVING OF THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD (Ps 111–112) ............

73 73 81 89

IV. FROM THE MOUTH OF DECEIT TO THE THANKSGIVING OF THE RIGHTEOUS (Ps

107–112) .......................

93

FROM THE EXODUS IN EGYPT TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM Second Section: Ps 113–118 ............................. 99 I. PRAISE THE LORD, YOU SERVANTS OF THE LORD The First Sequence: Ps 113–114 ............................................................... 1. Psalm 113 ........................................................................................... 2. Psalm 114 ........................................................................................... 3. PRAISE THE LORD, YOU SERVANTS OF THE LORD ..................................

101 101 111 121

II. TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY! The Second Sequence: Ps 115–116 .......................................................... 1. Psalm 115 ........................................................................................... 2. Psalm 116 ........................................................................................... 3. TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY! ...............................................................

123 123 137 150

744

The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150)

III. PRAISE THE LORD, ALL YOU NATIONS The Third Sequence: Ps 117–118 ............................................................. 1. Psalm 117 ........................................................................................... 2. Psalm 118 ........................................................................................... 3. PRAISE THE LORD, ALL YOU NATIONS ...................................................

153 153 157 172

IV. FROM THE EXODUS IN EGYPT TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM (Ps 113–118) ..........................................

175

MEDITATION ON THE LAW Third Section: Ps 119 ..................................

189

I. WITH THOSE WHO WALK IN YOUR WAYS, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES The First Subsequence: 119:1–40 .............................................................

193

II. I DELIGHT IN YOUR LAW, BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME The Second Subsequence: 119:41–80 .......................................................

217

III. YOUR LOVE SAVES ME FROM DEATH The Third Subsequence: 119:81–96 ..........................................................

243

IV. FAR FROM THOSE WHO STRAY FROM YOUR WAYS, TEACH ME YOUR DECREES

The Fourth Subsequence: 119:97–136 ......................................................

253

V. YOUR LAW IS MY DELIGHT, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU The Fifth Subsequence: 119:137–176 .......................................................

275

VI. MEDITATION ON THE LAW (Ps 119) ........................................................

301

FROM THE EXODUS IN BABYLON TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM Fourth Section: Ps 120–134 .............................. 327 I. ON THE WAY TOWARD JERUSALEM The First Sequence: Ps 120–126 ............................................................... A. From Meshech & Kedar to the house of the Lord in the city of David The First Subsequence: Ps 120–122 .................................................... 1. Psalm 120 ...................................................................................... 2. Psalm 121 ...................................................................................... 3. Psalm 122 ...................................................................................... 4. From Meshech & Kedar to the house of the Lord in the city of David (Ps 120–122) ................................................ B. Like servants towards their master The Second Subsequence: Ps 123 ........................................................

329 330 330 337 347 355 359

Table of Contents

745

C. Jubilation for the liberation of Jerusalem The Third Subsequence: Ps 124–126 ................................................... 1. Psalm 124 ...................................................................................... 2. Psalm 125 ...................................................................................... 3. Psalm 126 ...................................................................................... 4. Jubilation for the liberation of Jerusalem ....................................

365 365 373 377 385

D. ON THE WAY TOWARD JERUSALEM (Ps 120–126) ...............................

389

II. SALOMON, THE BELOVED OF THE LORD The Second Sequence: Ps 127 ..................................................................

393

III. IN PEACE TOWARD JERUSALEM The Third Sequence: Ps 128–134 ............................................................ A. Happiness for the redemption of Israel The First Subsequence: Ps 128–130 ..................................................... 1. Psalm 128 ...................................................................................... 2. Psalm 129 ...................................................................................... 3. Psalm 130 ...................................................................................... 4. Happiness for the redemption of Israel (Ps 128–134) .................. B. Like a child rests against its mother The Second Subsequence: Ps 131 ........................................................

403 405 405 413 421 429 433

C. From the fields of Yaar to the house of the Lord in the city of David The Third Subsequence: Ps 132–134 ................................................... 1. Psalm 132 ...................................................................................... 2. Psalm 133 ...................................................................................... 3. Psalm 134 ...................................................................................... 4. From the fields of Yaar to the house of the Lord in the city of David (Ps 132–134) ...................................................

459

D. IN PEACE TOWARD JERUSALEM (Ps 128–134) ....................................

463

IV. FROM THE EXODUS IN BABYLON TO THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM (Ps 120–134) ..........................................

469

FROM THE VENOM OF THE SERPENT TO THE PRAISE OF THE RIGHTEOUS Fifth Section: Ps 135–145 .................................

489

I. THANKSGIVING AFTER THE EXILE The First Sequence: Ps 135–139 ...............................................................

491

A. Give thanks to the Lord for he saved us The First Subsequence: Ps 135–136 .................................................... 1. Psalm 135 ......................................................................................

491 493

437 437 451 455

746

The Psalter. Book Five (Ps 107–150)

2. Psalm 136 ...................................................................................... 3. Give thanks to the Lord for he saved us (Ps 135–136) ................. B. How to sing in exile? The Second Subsequence: Ps 137 ........................................................

525

C. I give thanks to you, O Lord, for you will save me The Third Subsequence: Ps 138–139 .................................................. 1. Psalm 138 ...................................................................................... 2. Psalm 139 ...................................................................................... 3. I give thanks to you, O Lord, for you will save me (Ps 138–139) ... D. THANKSGIVING AFTER THE EXILE (Ps 135–139) ..................................

533 533 541 550 553

II. KEEP ME FROM THE VENOM OF THE VIPER The Second Sequence: Ps 140 ..................................................................

559

III. PRAISE BEYOND DEATH The Third Sequence: Ps 141–145 ............................................................. A. O Lord, I pray to you and I implore you The First Subsequence: Ps 141–142 .................................................... 1. Psalm 141 ...................................................................................... 2. Psalm 142 ...................................................................................... 3. O Lord, I pray to you and I implore you (Ps 141–142) ................

505 522

567 569 569 577 583

B. Deliver me from death The Second Subsequence: Ps 143 ........................................................

585

C. O Lord, I bless you and I praise you The Third Subsequence: Ps 144–145 ................................................... 1. Psalm 144 ...................................................................................... 2. Psalm 145 ...................................................................................... 3. O Lord, I bless you and I praise you (Ps 144–145) ......................

593 593 603 620

D. PRAISE BEYOND DEATH (Ps 141–145) ................................................

623

IV. FROM THE VENOM OF THE SERPENT TO THE PRAISE OF THE RIGHTEOUS (Ps 135–145) ...................................

631

THE GREAT DOXOLOGY The Final Section (Ps 146–150) ..........................

641

I. JACOB IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD, CREATOR AND SAVIOUR The First Sequence: Ps 146–147 ............................................................... 1. Psalm 146 ........................................................................................... 2. Psalm 147 ........................................................................................... 3. JACOB IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD, CREATOR AND SAVIOUR .........

643 643 653 662

Table of Contents

747

II. THE WHOLE CREATION IS INVITED TO PRAISE THE LORD The Second Sequence: Ps 148 ...................................................................

665

III. ISRAEL IS INVITED TO DANCE AND PLAY FOR THE LORD The Third Sequence: Ps 149–150 .............................................................. 1. Psalm 149 ........................................................................................... 2. Psalm 150 ........................................................................................... 3. ISRAEL IS INVITED TO DANCE AND PLAY FOR THE LORD ........................

675 675 685 690

IV. THE GREAT DOXOLOGY (Ps 146–150) .....................................................

693

THE WHOLE OF THE FIFTH BOOK (Ps 107–150) ..........................................

699

A. Composition ........................................................................................... B. Context ................................................................................................... C. Interpretation ..........................................................................................

701 722 722

Conclusion ................................................................................................... Bibliography ................................................................................................ Index of Quoted Authors .............................................................................

725 729 739

RHÉTORIQUE BIBLIQUE Collection dirigée par Roland Meynet et Pietro Bovati 1.

ROLAND MEYNET, L’Évangile selon saint Luc. Analyse rhétorique, Éd. du Cerf, Paris 1988.

2.

PIETRO BOVATI – ROLAND MEYNET, Le Livre du prophète Amos, Éd. du Cerf, Paris 1994.

3.

ROLAND MEYNET, Jésus passe. Testament, jugement, exécution et résurrection du Seigneur Jésus dans les évangiles synoptiques, PUG Editrice – Éd. du Cerf, Rome – Paris 1999.

RHÉTORIQUE SÉMITIQUE Collection dirigée par Roland Meynet avec Jacek Oniszczuk 1.

ROLAND MEYNET, L’Évangile de Luc, Lethielleux, Paris 2005.

2.

TOMASZ KOT, La Lettre de Jacques. La foi, chemin de la vie, Lethielleux, Paris 2006.

3.

MICHEL CUYPERS, Le Festin. Une lecture de la sourate al-Mâ’ida, Lethielleux, Paris 2007.

4.

ROLAND MEYNET, Traité de rhétorique biblique, Lethielleux, Paris 2007.

5.

ROLAND MEYNET, Appelés à la liberté, Lethielleux, Paris 2008.

6.

ROLAND MEYNET, Une nouvelle introduction aux évangiles synoptiques, Lethielleux, Paris 2009.

7.

ALBERT VANHOYE, L’Épitre aux Hébreux. «Un prêtre différent», Gabalda, Pendé 2010.

8.

ROLAND MEYNET, L’Évangile de Luc, Gabalda, Pendé 20113.

9.

MICHEL CUYPERS, La Composition du Coran, Gabalda, Pendé 2012.

10. ROLAND MEYNET, La Lettre aux Galates, Gabalda, Pendé 2012. 11. ROLAND MEYNET, Traité de rhétorique biblique, Gabalda, Pendé 20132. 12. ROLAND MEYNET – J. ONISZCZUK, Exercices d’analyse rhétorique, Gabalda, Pendé 2013. 13. JACEK ONISZCZUK, La première lettre de Jean, Gabalda, Pendé 2013. 14. ROLAND MEYNET, La Pâque du Seigneur. Passion et résurrection de Jésus dans les évangiles synoptiques, Gabalda, Pendé 2013. 15. MICHEL CUYPERS, Apocalypse coranique. Lecture des trente-trois sourates du Coran, Gabalda, Pendé 2014. 16. ROLAND MEYNET, L’Évangile de Marc, Gabalda, Pendé 2014.

RETORICA BIBLICA collana diretta da Roland Meynet, Pietro Bovati e Jacek Oniszczuk EDIZIONI DEHONIANE ROMA 1.

ROLAND MEYNET, Il vangelo secondo Luca. Analisi retorica, ED, Roma 1994.

2.

PIETRO BOVATI – ROLAND MEYNET, Il libro del profeta Amos, ED, Roma 1995.

3.

ROLAND MEYNET, «E ora, scrivete per voi questo cantico». Introduzione pratica all’analisi retorica. 1. Detti e proverbi, ED, Roma 1996. EDIZIONI DEHONIANE BOLOGNA

4.

ROLAND MEYNET, Una nuova introduzione ai vangeli sinottici, EDB, Bologna 2001.

5.

ROLAND MEYNET, La Pasqua del Signore. Testamento, processo, esecuzione e risurrezione di Gesù nei vangeli sinottici, EDB, Bologna 2002.

6.

TOMASZ KOT, La fede, via della vita. Composizione e interpretazione della Lettera di Giacomo, EDB, Bologna 2003.

7.

ROLAND MEYNET, Il vangelo secondo Luca. Analisi retorica, seconda edizione, EDB, Bologna 2003.

8.

GIORGIO PAXIMADI, E io dimorerò in mezzo a loro. Composizione e interpretazione di Es 25–31, EDB, Bologna 2004.

9.

ROLAND MEYNET, Una nuova introduzione ai Vangeli Sinottici, seconda edizione rivista e ampliata, EDB, Bologna 2006.

10. ROLAND MEYNET, Trattato di retorica biblica, EDB, Bologna 2008. 11. JACEK ONISZCZUK, La Prima Lettera di Giovanni, EDB, Bologna 2008. 12. ROLAND MEYNET – JACEK ONISZCZUK, ed., Retorica biblica e Semitica 1. Atti del primo convegno RBS, EDB, Bologna 2009. 13. ROLAND MEYNET, Chiamati alla libertà, EDB, Bologna 2010. 14. ALBERT VANHOYE, L’epistola agli Ebrei. «Un sacerdote differente», EDB, Bologna 2010. 15. JACEK ONISZCZUK, La passione del Signore secondo Giovanni (Gv 18–19), EDB, Bologna 2011. 16. ROLAND MEYNET – JACEK ONISZCZUK, ed., Retorica biblica e Semitica 2. Atti del secondo convegno RBS, EDB, Bologna 2011. 17. ROLAND MEYNET, La lettera ai Galati, EDB, Bologna 2012. 18. GERMANO LORI, Il Discorso della Montagna, dono del Padre (Mt 5,1–8,1), EDB, Bologna 2013.

RHETORICA SEMITICA Series directed by Roland Meynet ESPAÑOL 1. R. MEYNET, Llamados a la libertad, Convivium Press – G&B Press, Miami – Rome 2008. 2. A. VANHOYE, Un sacerdote diferente. La epístola a los Hebreos, Convivium Press – G&B Press, Miami – Rome 2011. 3. R. MEYNET, Una nueva introducción a los Evangelios Sinópticos, Convivium Press – G&B Press, Miami – Rome 2012. ENGLISH 1. R. MEYNET, Called to Freedom, Convivium Press – G&B Press, Miami – Rome 2009. 2. M. CUYPERS, The Banquet. A Reading of the Fifth Sura of the Qur’an, Convivium Press – G&B Press, Miami – Rome 2009. 3. R. MEYNET, A New Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels, Convivium Press – G&B Press, Miami – Rome 2010. 4. A. VANHOYE, A Different Priest. The Epistle to the Hebrews, Convivium Press – G&B Press, Miami – Rome 2011 (Association of Catholic Publishers Finalist for 2012: «Excellence in Publishing Awards»).

RETORICA BIBLICA E SEMITICA Collection dirigée par Roland Meynet et Jacek Oniszczuk 1.

JACEK ONISZCZUK, Incontri con il Risorto in Giovanni (Gv 20–21), G&B Press, Roma 2013.

2.

ROLAND MEYNET – JACEK ONISZCZUK, Esercizi di analisi retorica, G&B Press, Roma 2013.

3.

ROLAND MEYNET – JACEK ONISZCZUK, ed., Studi del terzo convegno RBS. International Studies on Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric, G&B Press, Roma 2013.

4.

ROLAND MEYNET, Luke: the Gospel of the Children of Israel, G&B Press, Roma 2015.

5.

ROLAND MEYNET – JACEK ONISZCZUK, ed., Studi del quarto convegno RBS. International Studies on Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric, G&B Press, Roma 2015.

6.

ROLAND MEYNET, Les huit psaumes acrostiches alphabétiques, G&B Press, Roma 2015.

7.

ROLAND MEYNET, Le fait synoptique reconsidéré, G&B Press, Roma 2015.

8.

ROLAND MEYNET, Il vangelo di Marco, G&B Press, Roma 2016.

RHETORICA BIBLICA ET SEMITICA Collection dirigée par Roland Meynet, Jacek Oniszczuk († 2017) et Francesco Graziano 9.

ROLAND MEYNET, Les psaumes des montées, Peeters, Leuven 2017.

10. MICHEL CUYPERS, Le Festin. Une lecture de la sourate al-Mâ’ida, deuxième édition, Peeters, Leuven 2017. 11. ROLAND MEYNET – JACEK ONISZCZUK, ed., Studi del quinto convegno RBS. International Studies on Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric, Peeters, Leuven 2017. 12. ROLAND MEYNET, Le Psautier. Cinquième livre (Ps 107–150), Peeters, Leuven 2017. 13. JACEK ONISZCZUK, Incontri con il Risorto in Giovanni (Gv 20–21), 2° edizione, Peeters, Leuven 2018. 14. ROLAND MEYNET, Il vangelo di Marco, Peeters, Leuven 2018. 15. JACEK ONISZCZUK (†), «Se il chicco di grano caduto in terra non muore...» (Gv 11– 12), Peeters, Leuven 2018. 16. ROLAND MEYNET, Le Psautier. Premier livre (Ps 1–41), Peeters, Leuven 2018. 17. MASSIMO GRILLI – † JACEK ONISZCZUK – ANDRÉ WÉNIN, ed., Filiation, entre Bible et cultures. Hommage à Roland Meynet, Peeters, Leuven 2019. 18. FRANCESCO GRAZIANO – ROLAND MEYNET, ed., Studi del sesto convegno RBS. International Studies on Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric, Peeters, Leuven 2019. 19. ROLAND MEYNET, Le Psautier. Troisième livre (Ps 73–89), Peeters, Leuven 2019. 20. ROLAND MEYNET, Le Psautier. Deuxième livre (Ps 42/43–72), Peeters, Leuven 2019. 21. PIETRO BOVATI – ROLAND MEYNET, Il libro del profeta Amos. Seconda edizione rivista, Peeters, Leuven 2019. 22. FRANCESCO GRAZIANO, La composizione letteraria del Vangelo di Matteo, Peeters, Leuven 2020. 23. ROLAND MEYNET, Le Psautier. Quatrième livre (Ps 90–106), Peeters, Leuven 2020. 24. ROLAND MEYNET, Le Psautier. L’ensemble du Livre des Louanges, Peeters, Leuven 2020. 25. ROLAND MEYNET, Le Cantique des cantiques, Peeters, Leuven 2020. 26. ROLAND MEYNET, La Lettre aux Galates. Deuxième édition revue, Peeters, Leuven 2021. 27. ROLAND MEYNET, La Pâque du Seigneur. Passion et résurrection de Jésus dans les évangiles synoptiques. Troisième édition revue, Peeters, Leuven 2021. 28. ROLAND MEYNET, Traité de rhétorique biblique. Troisième édition revue et amplifiée, Peeters, Leuven 2021. 29. ROLAND MEYNET – JACEK ONISZCZUK, Exercices d’analyse rhétorique biblique. Deuxième édition revue, Peeters, Leuven 2021. 30. FRANCESCO GRAZIANO – ROLAND MEYNET – BERNARD WITEK, ed., Studi del settimo convegno RBS. International Studies on Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric, Peeters, Leuven 2021.

31. ROLAND MEYNET, Qohélet, Peeters, Leuven 2021. 32. ROLAND MEYNET, The Psalter: Book One (Ps 1–41), Peeters, Leuven 2021. 33. ROLAND MEYNET, The Psalter: Book Two (Ps 42/43–72), Peeters, Leuven 2021. 34. ROLAND MEYNET, Comment ? Les Lamentations de Jérémie, Peeters, Leuven 2021. 35. ROLAND MEYNET, The Psalter: Book Three (Ps 73–89), Peeters, Leuven 2021. 36. ROLAND MEYNET, Ruth, Peeters, Leuven 2022. 37. ROLAND MEYNET, The Psalter: Book Four (Ps 90–106), Peeters, Leuven 2022. 38. ROLAND MEYNET, The Psalter: Book Five (Ps 107–150), Peeters, Leuven 2022.