ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
PSALM 8 AND NOW BUT NOT YET DOMINION: SUCKERS
AND THE SEA CROSSER
SUBMITTED TO DR. JONATHAN HUDDLESTON IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
MYTHMAKING IN THE WORLD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT BIBL 640
BY MATT FREDRICKSON
MAY 7, 2012
The working relationship between Ps 8 and the creation account in Gen 1 is relatively
clear. Ps 8:4 echoes Gen 1:14-18 in the creation of the moon and stars. Ps 8:9 refers to the fish of
the sea and the birds of the air as the works of YHWH’s hand, a resonance from the creation in
Gen 1:20-22; Ps 8:8 does the same with the land animals created in Gen 1:24-25. Perhaps the
strongest parallel is between Ps 8:6-7 and Gen 1:26 when humans are made to rule over the
aforementioned animals. Because of these connections, there also seems to be a link between
Gen 1:26a, ‫( אדמ בצלמנו כדמותנו‬humanity in our image, according to our likeness), and Ps 8:6a,
‫( ותחסרהו מעט מאלהימ‬you made him lack little of God). Robert Alter explains that while Gen 1 is
the step-by-step account of the creation, “Psalm 8 assumes as a background this narrative process
[and its primordial history], but takes it up after its completion.”1 In two previous papers, 2 I
suggested that Ps 8 expands the mythic tradition of Gen 13 by exploiting its Mesopotamian
background (ie. Marduk slaying Tiamat)4 and Egyptian kingship parallels (ie. the
democratization of the image of God) to illustrate humanity’s desire to participate in YHWH’s
present and future liberative creation power. Least clear in my previous analysis is CAT 1.23’s
1
Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry (rev. and upd. ed.; Park Avenue, Ny.: Basic
Books, 2011), 147.
2
In “The One Who Crosses the Paths of the Seas: Mythic Structure and the Dominion of
Humanity in Psalm 8,” I argued for a mythic translation of these passages and suggested a
corresponding structure. For the sake of clarity, some of the material concerning my translation
choices will be repeated here, in order to bring my translation of Ps 8 into closer conversation
with the myths that form it. In doing so, I will further develop the argument for my translation
and add to the structure I originally proposed. Also, since my last paper, I have altered my
translation slightly. Some of these choices will be explained here, others must wait for a later
assessment. In “Psalm 8 and its Implications for the Image of God,” I outline the
mythic/theological implications of my assessment in “The One Who Crosses.”
3
I assume that the psalmist barrowed material from Genesis; however it is also possible
that the author of Gen 1 was using Ps 8. For this assessment, the arguments over dating are less
important than the connection itself, which seems undisputable. There is not room here to discuss
which text came first.
4
Bernard Batto, Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition (Louisville: John Knox Press,
1992), 2. Whether Mesopotamian or Ugaritic, the source is not always clear. In either case, it is
the combat myth that is utilized.
function in Ps 8 related to the poem’s re-mythologizing of Gen 1. In this assesment, I set out to
introduce what seems to be Ps 8’s Chaoskampf of the goodly gods. In Ps 8, the presence of the
goodly gods reinforces the theme of persistent chaos, and what I call humanity’s “now but not
yet” victory over chaos, within the mythic structure of Ps 8.
Framing Ps 8 in its mythic paradigm,5 especially CAT 1.23, also informs the translation
and interpretation of the text by relieving its major difficulties. The MT’s ‫ ינקים‬in v. 3, verb
pattern in vv. 6-7, and ‫ אשר תנה‬in v. 2 are the primary texts with which commentators labor.
Within a mythic paradigm, initiated by CAT 1.23, these textual issues are more appropriately
resolved. Discussing these translational issues within the context of CAT 1.23 help illustrate
YHWH and humanity’s continual shared fight against chaos.6
Below is my translation of Ps 8 (to which I will refer throughout), in consideration of the
aforementioned proposed mythic relationships and the understanding that “texts from all periods
and of virtually every literary genre reveal that biblical writers borrowed old myths and extended
their meanings in novel ways for the propose of expressing new theological insights.”7
1. To the supervisor over the Gittites, a psalm of David.
2. YHWH our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth!
May I serve your victory8 in the realm of the heavens!
Flip Schutte, “Myth as Paradigm to Read a Text,” Pages 1-8 in Psalms and Mythology.
Edited by Dirk Human (New York: T & T Clark International, 2007), 1-8. Here, I accept
Schutte’s definition of myth and conclusion that spiritual texts cannot be read outside of their
mythic context, or as he calls it, their myth paradigm. See 21-25 for understanding of the
function of myth in the Psalms.
6
John Levenson, Creation and the Persistence of Evil: The Jewish Drama of Divine
Omnipotence (New York: Harper & Row, 1988). See 111-117 for an especially helpful
understanding of this concept in relation to Ps 8, even though my translation choices differ from
his.
7
Batto, Mythmaking, 1.
8
N. Wyatt, in Myths of Power: a Study of Royal Myth and Ideology in Ugaritic and
Biblical Traditions (Munster: Ugaritisch-Bibliche Literatur, 1996), 241. Here, Wyatt argues that
‫“ הוד‬means ‘victory’ rather than ‘glory’, according to the usage of 1 Chron 29:11, Job 40:9-10,
5
3. From the mouths of Sucking Babes,9
you established strength on account of your harassers
to put an end to the avenging enemy.
4. For I see your heavens, the works of your fingers.
(the) moon and stars which you affixed
5. What is mankind that you remember him?
Or a son of humanity that you pay attention to him,
6. that you made him lack little of God?
And you will crown him with glory and majesty.
7. You will make him rule over the works of your hands.
All (of them), you put under his feet.
8. Flocks and cattle, all of them.
And even the beasts of the field.
9. Birds of the sky and the fish of the sea,
the one who crosses the paths of the seas.
10. YHWH our lord
How majestic is your name in all the earth!
Introduction to the Goodly Gods
Before discussing the implications of this parallel, a brief overview of CAT 1.23 is in
order.10 On the tablet, lines 1-29 are characterized by scribal markings, separating this first
section from the second (lines 30-76). Lines 1-7 of the text introduce the goodly gods and an
invitation to a feast, which is repeated in lines 23-27. Lines 13 and 28 make reference to a divine
field. Lines 8-11 contain a reference to Mot (“death-and-ruler”) being pruned like a vine. From
this, “one could infer that the author thought that the powers of death must be magically bound in
some way to permit the fertility that follows”11 in the second section. Lines 12 and 14-15 appear
Isa 30:30 and frequently in the psalms (21:6, 45:4, 96:6 [ = 1Chron 16:26], 104:1, 145:5 and
148:13.”
9
I owe the translation of ‫ ינקים‬and ‫ עוללים‬as hendiadys to Mark Smith, “Psalm 8:2b-3:
New Proposals for Old Problems,” CBQ 59 (1997): 639.
10
All translations of CAT 1.23 come from Mark Smith, The Rituals and Myths of the
Goodly Gods of KTU/CAT 1.23: Royal Constructions of opposition, Intersection, Integration,
and Domination (Atlanta: SBL, 2006), 19-26. While I have made some observations about the
text myself, I owe the general structure suggested here to Smith, and Theoldoe J. Lewis’
translation of the text in The Ritutals, and Simon B. Parker, Ugaritic Narrative Poetry (SBL:
Atlanta, 1997), 205-214.
11
Theodore J. Lewis in Parker, Ugaritic, 207.
to be liturgical instructions.12 Scholars seem to agree that because of the agricultural imagery in
both sections, the text has something to do with a harvest. Smith says that the internal repetitions
above suggest that this section was associated with some kind of ritual. While the first section
seems to introduce a ritual, the second contains a narrative whole. Lines 30-49 discuss El’s
sexual activity with two goddesses. Because of the strong agricultural and strong sexual imagery,
this section has something to do with fertility.13 In 49-52, the wives give birth to Dawn and
Dusk. Lines 52-61 continue to detail the birth, and the offspring are described as the goodly gods
(57-58). There is some debate about whether these gods are among or separate from the goodly
gods; however, the poetry seems to make them synonymous.14 After the birth of this pair, an
offering is made to (perhaps) the celestial gods,15 in line 54. Lines 58-59 and 61 describe the
goodly gods as “Day-old devourers, one-day-old boys, who suck the nipple of the breast.” Lines
62-76 describe the ravenous unchecked appetite of the goodly gods and their banishment to the
wilderness in search of satiation, until they find a “sown place” kept shut by a guard, who
eventually serves them. This introductory outline will help orient the following comparisons.
Identifying the Goodly Gods in Psalm 8
Understanding the ‫ ינקים‬in Ps 8 and the parallels with the goodly gods of CAT 1.23 places
Ps 8 with the other combat/creation psalms (esp. Ps 74 and 89). However, Ps 8’s myth of the
‫ ינקים‬and ‫ עוללים‬is much more opaque, which has caused most interpreters to gloss over the
Canaanite reference. The NRSV translates
12
Ibid., 205.
Ibid., 207.
14
Ibid., 207.
15
Smith, Ritual, 89-101. There may be a connection here with the “stationary stars” of
CAT 1.23. “Ps 8 provides a general analogue for 1.12.54 [Make an offering to Lady Sun, and to
the stationary stars], insofar as it displays the relationship of the astral bodies to the creator
deity” (101). In the context of CAT 1.23, Smith identifies Lady sun and the stationary stars with
El’s astral family (102).
13
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes [‫ ]עוללים‬and infants [‫
]ינקים‬
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger. (NRSV Ps 8:1b-2)
The imagery of nursing infants is continually problematic for translators. Even in the
above translation, “the mouths of babes and infants” seem out of place. According to the NRSV,
the presence of YHWH’s ‫( הוד‬NRSV translates “glory”) “above the heavens” is somehow related
to the mouths of nurslings. Hans-Joachim Kraus says, “The content of this verse is in the OT
without even the remotest parallel passage.”16 Some try and relate the metaphor to God’s
strength in weakness.17 Others have suggested that YHWH’s putting an end to the enemy allows
the babes to be heard praising YHWH.18 The infant imagery, however, is misleading; there is a
more plausible solution. The ‫ ינקים‬and ‫( עוללים‬suckers and babes) refer to the newborn goodly
gods of CAT 1.23. In the Ugaritic myth of “the goodly gods,”
called ‘suckers’ (ynqm) as in Ps 8:3, [are] cosmic foes, known also to be children of the
god El, [who] devour all the beasts of the cosmos and are remanded to the desert for
seven || eight years until they are allowed into the sown region. 19
If the ‫ ינקים‬do refer to enemies of YHWH, then the imagery of human babes and infants
disappears. Instead, vv. 2-3 may actually be evoking the mythic theme of combat and creation, in
which YHWH defeats the cosmic enemies of chaos in order to establish creation, as v. 4
continues by describing the works of YHWH’s hands. This would put Ps 8 in a similar category
as Ps 74, where YHWH is depicted as dividing the sea, breaking the heads of the dragons in the
waters, and crushing the heads of Leviathan in order to establish the luminaries and the sun and
16
Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalms 1-59: A Continental Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 1993), 181.
17
Arthur Weiser, The Psalms (OTL; Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962), 142.
18
Janet Dyk, ed., Give Ear to My Words: Psalms and Other Poetry in and around the
Hebrew Bible (Amsterdam: Societas Hebraica Amstelodamensis, 1996), 13-14.
19
Mark Smith, “Psalm 8:2b-3: New Proposals for Old Problems,” CBQ 59 (1997): 639.
fix all the bounds of the earth (Ps 74:13-14, 16b-17a NRSV). The Hebrew Bible uses this
tradition frequently,20 especially compared to, as mentioned above, the lack of parallels for
nursing infants ordaining praise.
The Chaoskampf of the Goodly Gods and Psalm 8’s intertextuality with Genesis 1
The goodly gods of CAT 1.23 are not depicted as dragons, sea monsters, or Leviathans;
however, they do posses potentially chaotic anti-creation characteristics. In psalm 8, these
characteristics are used to re-mythologize the creation account in Gen 1. The newborn goodly
gods are characterized by a ferocious appetite and appear to consume everything they can get
their lips around. In line 54, after the birth of two goodly gods Dawn and Dusk, an offering is
made.
Make an offering to Lady Sun,
and to the stationary stars.
In his commentary, Smith suggests that this offering is presented as an appropriate meal, in
contrast to the chaotic insatiable appetites that follow in lines 61b-64a.21
They set a lip to earth,
a lip to heaven.
Then enter their mouths
fowl of the sky,
and fish from the sea.
As they move, bite upon <bi>te.
They stuff – on both their right and left –
into their mouths, but they are unsated.
After this display of devouring the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea and quite possibly
everything in between, they are sent out to the desert. If Ps 8 is placing these goodly gods at the
20
Batto, Mythmaking. Nearly the entire work is devoted to showing the pervasiveness of
the Chaoskampf and “slaying the dragon” in the Hebrew Bible. “The Combat Myth, whether in
its Babylonian or Canaanite form, undergirds to some extent virtually every aspect of Israels
supposedly historically based faith” (3).
21
Smith, The Rituals, 100. This “appropriate offering” could serve as a potential parallel
with the opening lines of Ps 8, as the “appropriate ordering” of creation. (See also n. 14 above).
scene of Gen 1, they would certainly pose a threat to God’s creation in Gen 1:20. “And God said,
‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the
dome of the sky’ (NRSV).”
This relationship to the animals of God’s creation in Gen 1 sets apart the newborn goodly
gods (‫ )עוללים ינקים‬combat/creation motif of Ps 8 from Ps 74’s. Whereas Ps 74:12-17 is, in part,
re-mythologizing Gen 1:1-18 by evoking Baal’s defeat over Yam,22 Ps 8:3 appears to remythologize Gen 1:20-25 with the threat of the gaping mouths of the goodly gods. In this way,
Ps 8:3’s ‫ ינקים‬of chaos threaten the created order after the waters have been separated (Gen 1:118)/ Leviathan defeated (Ps 74:12-17). The Chaoskampf of the goodly gods is against God’s
living creatures that fill the waters and the skies after the founding of the heavens and earth. This
suggests that in Ps 8, even after the created order has been established, YHWH must keep the
powers of chaos and death destruction at bay, so that creation can remain fruitful and multiply.23
Making this connection leads to the explanations of my translation choices of the four verbs in
vv. 6-7 and ‫ אשר תנה‬in v. 2.
“Now but Not Yet” Dominion
The four verbs in the MT’s vv. 6-7 have caused problems for commentators. In light of the
continued fight against chaos represented by the ‫ינקים‬, the verbal chiasm that commentators like
Craigie identify becomes more plausible—in the sense that the appointment of humanity is a
past, present, and future phenomenon. The NRSV translates,
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned [‫ ]תעטרהו‬them with glory and honour.
You have given them dominion [‫ ]תמשילהו‬over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet, (NRSV Ps 8:5-6)
22
Batto, Mythmaking, 84, 134.
This is a theme I argue for in “Psalm 8 and its Implications.” Also see Batto,
Mythmaking, 85-88. Here he makes a case for the flood as the persistence of chaos.
23
Some scholars, such as Dahood, use methods of linguistic dating and Ugaritic evidence in
order to attribute a sense of completed time to ‫( תעטרהו‬you will crown him) and ‫( תמשילהו‬you will
make him to rule).24 Some blame, in part, the influence of Heb 2:6b-8a for these strained
efforts.25 Craigie argues that ‫ תעטרהו‬and ‫ תמשילהו‬should be translated intuitively as imperfects
and points out a chiastic structure of the four verbs (past, future, future, past), in order to support
the idea that the human “role is not static, but requires continuous human response and action.”26
I support the verbal chiasm suggested by Craigie and especially the idea of continued action in
relationship to my suggestions above; however, given the theme of persistent chaos (personified
by the goodly gods) in Ps 8, this verbal chiasm points not only to a daily anthropocentric
response to YHWH’s appointment but also to a now but not yet participation in cosmic rule.
While humanity has already received a portion of God likeness in Gen 1:26, giving them
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air,” they have yet to receive the
fullness of their eschatological dominion. However, before the nature of this eschatological
authority can be addressed, humankind’s current authority in the cosmos requires more detailed
explanation in light of the parallels with CAT 1.23 described above.
Putting an End to the Goodly Gods in the Present
If Ps 8:3 is describing God’s continued fight against creation in order to liberate the birds
of the air and the fish of the sea from the threat of the goodly gods, then 8:6-9a may suggest that
YHWH is appointing humanity with more than just the ability to subdue domesticated and
(some) wild animals. If Yahweh has charged humans with the task of ruling over the animals as
24
For an overview of this discussion, see Peter Craigie, Word Biblical commentary:
Psalms 1-50 (WBC 19; Waco: Word books, 1983), 110-113.
25
Dyk, 16-19.
26
Craigie, 105, 108.
God does, should not their king-like dominion (‫ )משל‬over them include defending the birds of the
sky and fish of the sea from harm as a king might defend his people or, as YHWH did in Ps 8:3,
protect them from forces of chaos like the goodly gods? It seems that in the context of Ps 8, in
which YHWH is praised for his putting an end to the ‫ינקים‬, who devour the animals of the
created order, that humanity’s responsibility to rule the animals would include preserving them
from the threat of destruction. This might explain, in part, the awe of the psalmist in Ps 8:5-6.
The significance of “May I Serve” and Eschatological Victory
According to this reading of the text, humanity has received great power and authority to
foster creation by fighting some form of chaos, but if humanity has been made just a little lower
than God (Ps 8:6), if YHWH will make humanity to rule over all the works of his hands, what
future power have they yet to receive? Addressing the last of the three translational issues, ‫תנה‬
‫ אשר‬in v. 2, within the verse’s poetry, as an introduction to v. 3 and the goodly gods, helps
provide an answer. The MT of verse 2b begins with the relative pronoun ‫אשר‬, followed by the
infinitive construct ‫( תנה‬from ‫)נתנ‬. Literally, this reads, “Which put.” The word pair is
problematic, and gives rise to an assortment of emendations.27 The only solution that preserves
all of the consonants in the MT, proposed by Mitchell Dahood, is to move ‫ אשר תנה‬together,
forming the piel imperfect (cohortative with the energic ending28) of ‫שרת‬, to make ‫אשרתנה‬, (may
I serve).29 This explains my translation.
27
Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalms 1-59: A Continental Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 1993), 178. Here he says, “‘Which give’ is possible neither syntactically nor according to
sense.” Some suggest the Ugaritic root tny (to reiterate). The Syr and Targ read ‫נתתה‬, the second
person, singular imperfect of ‫נתנ‬.
28
For an explanation of the energic ‫ נ‬and the cohortative, see: Bruce K. Waltke and M.
O’Connor, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 347.
29
Mitchell Dahood, Psalms 1: 1-50 (AB 16; New York: Doubleday, 1966), 49. Also,
Craigie, Word Biblical commentary: Psalms 1-50, 105. Craigie translates ‫“ אשרתנה‬I will
YHWH our Lord
How majestic is your name in all the earth!
May I serve your victory in the realm of the heavens [‫]על־השמים‬30 (Ps 8:2)!
Translating the psalm this way avoids having to add to or change the consonants of the MT, but
also reinforces a theme already discussed above: humanity’s participation in the divine rule. The
second verset declares God’s majesty and power over the earth. The third verset intensifies and
focuses the second in three ways. First, it moves from an observation of YHWH’s majesty, to a
desire for serving his victory, intensification from witness to participant. Second, it parallels
‫אדיר‬, with ‫( הוד‬victory). The word ‫ אדיר‬is used to describe both the dignity of kings (Ps 136:18)
and the power of nations (Ezek 32:18). In the verb form, it is used to describe YHWH’s power in
the mythic battle against Pharaoh.31
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, [majestic (‫ )נאדרי‬32] in power—
your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy. (NRSV Exod 15:3-6)
In this sense, ‫( אדיר‬and verbal root ‫ )אדר‬describe a majesty that is powerful, a splendor upon the
earth that is both renown and imposing to all who threaten it. This is paralleled with ‫ הוד‬in the
worship.” Another likely solution uses the same method, only with the root ‫“( שיר‬I will sing…”);
however, this does not account for all the consonants of the MT.
30
The phrase ‫ על־השמים‬appears 7 times in the Hebrew bible: Exod: 9:22, 23; 10:21, 22
and Pss 57:6, 113:4. Here, I follow the sense of the preposition ‫ על‬in Exodus. In Exod 9:22-23,
under YHWH’s command, Moses stretches his hand/staff up to the heavens, bringing down
thunder hail and fire upon the land of the Egyptians.
31
Batto, Mythmaking, 102-127.
32
Niphal m. s. participle of ‫ אדר‬in the construct form (‫)נאדרי‬. Here the NRSV translates
‫ נאדרי‬as “glorious.”
third verset, a victory is majestic and glorious and a power of will (Dan 10:8)33 that assumes the
dignity (Num 27:20) of a king (1 Chr 29:25). This pairing emphasizes YHWH’s presence, glory,
power, and resolve to enforce his will and bring about his victory creation. Third, the majesty of
YHWH’s name in all the earth is intensified by humanity’s desire to serve YHWH’s vigor “in
the real of” or “up to the heavens” (‫)על־שמים‬. In v. 2a, the psalmist bears witness to YHWH’s
creation power on the earth (with Gen 1 in mind), and then, in v. 2b, shifts to YHWH’s victory—
not just in the earthy realm, but in the cosmos as well. This intensification suggests not only an
affirmation of God and humankind’s joint rule over the earth (i.e. defending creation from foes
such as the goodly gods), but also a desire to defeat once and for all the beast that is most
pervasive34 in the cosmos and the biblical tradition – not just carnivorous suckers (ynqm) of
Athirat’s breasts, but the one who crosses the paths of the seas. The intensification in v. 2 does
appear to have something to do with the participation of humankind with YHWH’s ‫ אדיר‬and ‫הוד‬,
but what does it mean to serve YHWH’s victory ‫ ?על־שמים‬The combat myth in the exodus from
Egypt35 and Moses’ participation in YHWH’s battle for liberation against Pharaoh and the
powers of Chaos may provide an explanation.
Note the usage of ‫ הוד‬in Dan 10:8b, ‫( והודי נהפך עלי למשחיה ולא עצרתי כח‬And my vigor
was overturned upon me for ruin, and I did not retain strength). Here, the speaker’s ‫ הוד‬has been
overturned upon him, and the deactivation of the speaker’s ‫ הוד‬leads to demise and loss of
strength. In the case of Ps 8, the psalmist wishes to serve YHWH’s ‫הוד‬, up to the heavens (‫שמים‬
‫על‬.) Perhaps the forces of chaos wish to see YHWH’s ‫ הוד‬overtured upon him. In Ps 8:3,
(perhaps) it is YHWH’s ‫( הוד‬vigor) in the heavens that puts an end to the cosmic enemies. This is
the vigor, or force, that humanity wishes to serve, a desire they are both given a promised in vv.
5-9. Also, see Zech 10:3b, ‫( ושם אותם כסוס הודו במלחמה‬And [YHWH] will set them as the horse of
his vigor in the battle.) Here, ‫ הוד‬is used in the context of combat.
34
Batto, Myth Making, 1-3.
35
Batto, Myth Making, (102-127)
33
Future dominion and the Service of YHWH’s Vigor ‫על־שמים‬
The phrase ‫ על־שמים‬appears 7 times36 in the Hebrew Bible: four of them are in Exod 9:2223 and 10:21-22, when Moses is acting as the hand of YHWH against Egypt.
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand towards heaven so that hail may fall on
the whole land of Egypt, on humans and animals and all the plants of the field in the land
of Egypt.’ Then Moses stretched out his staff towards heaven, and the Lord sent thunder
and hail, and fire came down on the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt;
there was hail with fire flashing continually in the midst of it, such heavy hail as had
never fallen in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25The hail struck down
everything that was in the open field throughout all the land of Egypt, both human and
animal; the hail also struck down all the plants of the field, and shattered every tree in the
field. 26Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail. (Exod
9:22-26 NRSV)
Here, YHWH, by the hand of Moses calls down destruction upon Pharaoh’s/Egypt’s plants and
animals. This is the same type of threat that the goodly gods pose in Ps 8. However, here the
violence flows from Yahweh, through moses, and towards YHWH’s enemy Pharaoh/Egypt, who
is mythicized as Chaos itself.37 In Ps 8, when humanity desires to serve the vigor of YHWH
‫על־שמים‬, they may be calling not only for the termination of threats imposed by goodly gods, but
for a reversal of that destructive power to be turned on its head and directed at YHWH’s
enemies.
The Ritual, Psalm 8, and CAT 1.23.
If indeed this were humanity’s desire, in what context would it make sense for someone to
The phrase ‫ על־שמים‬also appears in Ps 57:5, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.” (NRSV) and Ps 113:4, “The Lord is high above all
nations,
and his glory above the heavens.” (NRSV).
37
See Isa 43:1-3 and Isa 51:9-10. Batto, Mythmaking, 111-113. The combat myth is both
read into the creation of the world and the creation of God’s people in the exodus. “P portrays
Egypt as an extension of the chaos dragon. In Egyptian belief pharaoh was the incarnation of
their chief god. Israel’s theologians inverted this Egyptian ‘theology’ by tuning Pharaoh not into
the creator god but the Creator’s ach foe, the chaos dragon who opposed the Creator’s
benevolent design.” Also see Richard Clifford, Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East and
in the Bible (Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association of America, 1994).
36
say, “May I serve your victory in the real of (or up to) the heavens”? Because the verb ‫ שרת‬is so
often used in the context of priests (Num 6-7), attendants (Exod 24:13) or ministers (Exod
28:35), this could be something spoken at a ritual of some kind. I mentioned in “The One Who
Crosses” that the opening line of the Ps 8:1, “To the supervisor over ‫ הגתית‬a psalm of David,”
could possibly refer to the one overseeing the wine presses. If Ps 8 is borrowing imagery from
CAT 1.23, known for connecting myth and ritual in Ugarit, this suggestion begins to seem more
likely. The inclusio “YHWH our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth” (vv. 2 and 10)
also points to the text’s liturgical and perhaps ritual use.
In fact, the first person character portrayed in CAT 1.23, according to Smith, seems to be a
priest-like figure. See below, the introduction and conclusion to the first section, which also
contains the inclusio “Let me invite…”.
Let me invite the Goo[dly] Gods
Indeed, the beautiful ones, sons of…
Those given offerings on high…
In the outback, on the heights
to their heads…
Eat of every food,
and drink of every vintage wine. Peace, O King! Peace, O Queen!
O enterers and gaurds! (lines 1-7).
Let me invite the Goodly Gods,
[Ravenous pair of day old] day-old [boys]
Who suck the nipple(s) of Athirat’s breast(s)
Shapshu braids their branches (?),
[…] and grapes.
Peace, O enterers and guards,
who process with goodly sacrifice.
“The field is {the field} of El/the gods,
Field of Athirat and Rahmay. (lines 23-29)
Smith says,
“the priest behind line 1 who invites the gods to eat and drink wine in line 6 structurally
corresponds to the ‘Guard of the sown’ who allows the goodly gods to enter and partake of
the food and wine produced by the sown.”38
This “Guard of the sown,” is the one who appeases the goodly gods after they are sent out into
the wilderness. This appeasement is depicted in the mythic conclusion. The first person
proclamation in Ps 8, “May I serve,” suggests perhaps a similar priestly ritual. Below are the
concluding lines that correspond to 1-7//23-29.
The two approach the Guard of the sown
And the two cry to the Guard of the sown:
“O Guard, Guard, open!”
And he himself opens a breach for them.
And the two enter:
“If [there is there (?) food, Give that we may eat!
If there is [there (?) wine …],
Give that we may drink!”
And the Guard of the Sown answers them:
“[There is food for the one who … (?)] …,
There is wine for whoever enters …[…]
… he himself approaches,
He serves a measure of his wine …
And his companion fills (it [?]) with wine … (68-76)
These concluding lines portray the satiation of the goodly gods with food and wine. Lines 1-7
and the rest of the first section (1-29) represent a series of ritual actions (i.e. “Let me invite…”).
The example above helps illustrate how lines 68-76 and rest the second section (30-76) illustrate
the myth connected to the ritual.39 The relationship between the first and last sections above
suggests a ritual in Ugarit that involved food and drink offerings to satisfy the destructive forces
that threatened the vitality of produce - plant and animal alike. “The ritual lines of 1-7//23-27 is
focused on the solution to the hungrily destructive gods in lines 30-76, and the various,
additional components comport with this general picture.”40 One of the other components that
support this general theme is the pruning of Mot.
38
Smith, The Rituals, 33.
Smith, The Rituals, 146.
40
Smith, The Rituals, 150.
39
Death-and-Ruler (Death and Ruler) sits,
In his (one) hand a staff of bereavement
In his (other) hand a staff of widowhood.
The pruner prunes him (like) a vine,
The binder binds him (like) a vine,
He is felled to the terrace like a vine. (lines 8-11)
Here, death itself is described as be being cut back of its power. However, this image differs
from that of the goodly gods’ appeasement. It seems that the goodly gods, despite their
destructive power are eventually allowed to partake in a portion of the harvest. Smith suggests
that it is the destruction of death by the ritual act of pruning the vine that allows for a life of
plenty. Although, “destructive forces can enter the realm of life and momentarily be
unthreatening, as the larger celebration of life overshadows the threat of destruction,” and “ we
might say that 1.23 presents the reduction of death and destruction by the overwhelming force of
life.” The tension here is that while the force of chaos is being put in its place, other bits have yet
to be destroyed and must be satisfied in other ways.
The idea that “destructive forces” would be allowed to endure is similar to what Levenson
calls, “the futurity and presence of the cosmogonic victory”41 For example, in the Chaoskampf;
YHWH put an end to the chaos of the cosmic foes in order to establish creation (as in Ps 74).
However, it seems that these enemies have been allowed to endure in Ps 104, benefiting from
YHWH’s creation.
25. Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great. 26. There go the ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. (Ps 104:25-26)
In CAT 1.23 the destructive forces are allowed to endure, but there is no sign of once and for all
victory over these forces. In Isa 24-27 Leviathan’s defeat is characterized as an eschatological
41
Levenson, Creation, 26. This is the title of the chapter (26-46) that outlines this topic.
victory. “On that day the Lord with his cruel and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan
the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea”
(NRSV Isa 27:1). Pss 74, 104, and Isa 24-27 help illustrate the tension of the verbal chiasm in Ps
8:6-7; having received honor but not yet fully crowned, YHWH’s draws humanity into his
cosmic struggle against chaos. This eschatological victory however includes not just Leviathan
but Mot from the Ugaritic Baal cycle.
25. On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow,
of well aged wines strained clear.
26. And he will destroy on this mountain
The shroud that is cast over all peoples,
The sheet that is spread over all the nations;
He will swallow up death [‫ ]מות‬forever. (NRSV Isa 25:6-8.)
This text expects the celebration of the final victory of YHWH over both the forces of chaos and
death itself. It is likely that the swallowing of death in this text represented the defeat of Israel’s
historically oppressive historical figures, but Levenson suggests that, because of the resurrection
that follows in Isa 26:19, “it is much more likely that what is definitively defeated here is the
personification of all the forces that make for misery, enervation, disease, and humiliation.”42
There is no reference to Mot in Ps 8, but if the text is suggesting that humanity is to join
the now but not yet cosmic struggle described above, perhaps humanity’s participation in the
divine rule includes their contribution towards the victory over all the forces of death and Chaos.
In this way, the Psalmist evokes the imagery of the goodly gods both as an acknowledgement of
chaotic powers active in the world, but also as a polemic against the idea that these forces must
simply be appeased. On the contrary, Leviathan may be allowed “to sport” in the sea presently,
but “on that day” (Isa 27:1) YHWH will put an end to Chaos and Death once and for all.
42
Levenson, Creation, 30.
Implications
Perhaps Ps 8 was sung at the feast of booths when ancient Israel would sleep out in the
orchards in the fall, in order to protect their crops.43 In anticipation of the God’s gift of fertility,
they recall God’s creative power of which they know well, from Gen 1. They know that YHWH
“Our Lord” is great in the all the earth, putting an end to fertility’s enemy. They recognize that it
is YHWH who allows for the birds of the air and the fish of the sea to flourish. When threatened
by all consuming forces, they know that YHWH is the God who puts an end to the enemy and
harasser. When chaos rears its ugly head, YHWH is there to smash it. But, because they know
the Genesis account, they realize that they also have been given dominion over the fish of the sea
and the birds of the air, and in this service, they participate in the ritual that welcomes a new
season, acknowledges YHWH as the creator and the people as his fellow creators, as they
cultivate the earth each year. They praise their God not only for being the Creator who continues
to care for the created, but for being the God who is over all, who alone has the power to defeat
death in the end. It is through this YHWH that all of Chaos - not just the goodly gods, but also
the one who crosses the paths of the sea - will be ruled over and defeated by both YHWH and
humanity in the eschaton.
So, in Ps 8, the people praise YHWH and his powerful victory over the earth and in
heaven. They trust that by engaging in both this ritual and the subsequent tending of their land
and flocks with YHWH as partner will bring forth a successful harvest. But, they also look
forward to a time when the toil in the fields will not be burdensome. They look forward to a time
when not just the animals and the smaller bits of creation are under their rule. They wait for a
time when YHWH will crown them with glory and honor, to rule over the complete works of
43
Bruce Chilton, “Booths, Feast of,” IDB 455.
YHWH’s hands, a time when they too will have dominion over both the Suckers and the Sea
Crosser.
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