Bible 110 Old Testament
Psalms
A. Psalm means praise; a Psalter in an anthology, a collection of collections.
There is no particular sense of arrangement; some duplication.
B. Five divisions of Psalms: a doxology completes each division:
1. Psalm 1-41 - name “Yahweh” predominates and is attributed to David.
2. Psalm 42-72 – name “Elohim” used for God and is attributed to David.
3. Psalm 73-89 – Elohistic name; miscellaneous attributions – many songs
attributed to the Temple singer guilds
4. Psalm 90-106 are Davidic and orphan (no titles) psalms. Ps 90 attributed to
Moses. Name “Yahweh” predominates.
5. Psalm 107-150 “Yahweh” name predominates collections with the croup:
a)
111-118; 146-150 Hallelujah psalms
b)
120-134 Pilgrim psalms
C. All psalms in the Old Testament are not in the Psalter. Others are scattered
out in other books.
D. Titles are late additions which give some direction for their use. Musical
notations are also made. “Psalm of David” – David may have and probably did
write some Psalms. But this title does not necessarily mean Davidic authorship.
It could mean a psalm belonging to David or a psalm belonging to the king (royal
psalm).
E. Form Criticism – old approach to Psalms was that they were all post-exilic
(hymnbook of second temple). More modern research suggests that the
influences of the cultus and of psalmody of Israel’s neighbor were also major.
Some see the psalms as directly related to the Israelite cultus. A few psalms (1,
19, 34, 37, 49, 78, 105, 106, 111, 112, and 127) may be non-cultic or didactic,
teaching, or wisdom psalms. Some psalms may be pre-exilic in origin. Psalter
appears to have affected the prophets (i.e. Jeremiah).
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Bible 110 Old Testament
Forms of Psalms
1. Hymns – songs of praise to God used in communal worship. 113, 117, 99, 47,
98
2. Communal lament – expression of a whole community in lament over a
calamity and / or appeal for help from God. Prophetic oracle fits here. 12, 74,
80
3. Individual lament – same as communal lament with the insertion of “I” for king
or cultic official. 59, 7, 22, 56, 142
4. Individual psalm of thanksgiving – usually accompanying a vow. 30, 32, 41,
138
5. Minor categories – communal psalms of thanksgiving, songs of pilgrimage,
wisdom psalms, liturgy, prophetic liturgies
6. Royal psalms – In Jerusalem the cultus included a festival extolling Yahweh’s
kingship, Davidic kingship, creation, and covenant (enthronement festival).
Pentateuch and psalm do not contain this festival, for they were collected
after the Davidic monarchy ended. Similar to a new year’s festival in Babylon,
it is a covenant festival and specifically a Royal Zion Festival (character is
royal and purpose is to support the Zion tradition). This festival probably was
celebrated with feast of tabernacles (booths) in the autumn.
Royal festival as celebrated at the sacred spring Gihon in Jerusalem.
There is a permanence of divine order; regularity of the seasons and fertility. Ark
was present at Gihon (to anoint the king). Ps 130 and processional songs (24) –
“king of glory” may refer to the ark in the ceremony. Ps 68 is anthology of hymns
for the Royal Zion festival.
When the procession enters the temple, there is a drama, a mimic battle.
Enemies come up against the king, put him to death, and God raises him up from
Sheol (Ps 46). God dwells and acts in Jerusalem. Death is all that thwarts
covenant of God in the world. When God raises the king, death is overthrown
(68:11 ff) defeat of enemy; 68:19-20 escape from death; Ps 27, 23 – shepherd is
royal image. He is readying to undergo mimic battle – death. Perpetuity of
Davidic house assured.
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Bible 110 Old Testament
Death – humiliation factor is seen often in the psalms. King is a suffering
servant, 89:38 ff, 46 ff, 47 ff. Yahweh intervenes at a crucial point. Ps 18:16-19
for salvation. There is the same order of battle and redemption throughout the
psalm. Jerusalem cultus juxtaposes creation and redemption.
Elements of Royal festival
1. Celebration of Yahweh’s triumph over chaos
2. As result of this victory Yahweh is King
3. Creation is a demonstration of the power of God
4. Emphasis on Davidic covenant
5. Call to worshippers to renew their faith. Ps 95
Content of Davidic covenant expressed in 81:3-4. Ps 2 is description of mimic
battle: king thwarted and raised up again. King is not divine but may be adopted
by God (same decree used at baptism of Jesus). Ps 21 anointing and coronation
of king. This is the point at which the king was raised from the mimic battle.
Ps 110 – form of prophetic oracle. It refers to king in Judah as having a priestly
function. Melchizedik is a figure from the Jebusite tradition; it was the name of
God worshipped in Jerusalem before David made it his capital. So David is
natural descendant of Melchizedekian priesthood and kingship.
Ps 101- King takes his vows and then gives a state of the union address.
Royal enthronement festival deals with the goal of history. It determines
history in a way. This is the hope of universal sovereignty of God, hope that
justice will be established (96,98). None of the kings ever lived up to the high
hopes of the covenant. The concept of the king is pushed far into the future and
becomes Messianic. This is Christian expectation and hope in Jesus. The
psalms testify to and foreshadow Jesus.
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