The Psalter as Witness: Theology, Poetry, and Genre

By W. Dennis Tucker, Jr. and W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

The Psalter as Witness considers the complexity of the Psalms as well as their role in bearing witness to the theological claims that comprise Israel’s traditions. While no single volume can readily capture the full range of the Psalter’s theology, these chapters provide rich reflection on significant themes in selected psalms, in collections of psalms, and even across the structure of the Psalter itself. The result of the Baylor-Bonn symposium, The Psalter as Witness employs the full array of methodological approaches to the Psalms practiced in both Germany and North America. The Psalter as Witness thus effectively mirrors the theological, thematic, and generic intricacies of the Psalms in the myriad ways interpreters read the Psalter. The Psalms here become a window into the central, life-giving commitments of Israel in its call to justice and mercy, its practice of ethics and politics, and its worship and life with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baylor University Press
• Release date: Mar 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781481305587

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The Psalter as Witness

Theology, Poetry, and Genre

Proceedings from the Baylor University–University of Bonn Symposium on the Psalter

W. Dennis Tucker Jr.

W. H. Bellinger Jr.

Editors

© 2017 by Baylor University Press

Waco, Texas 76798

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Baylor University Press.

Cover Design by Rebecca Lown

Cover image: Page from the Book of Psalms, Aleppo Codex, 10th c.

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In memory of Dr. Frank-Lothar Hossfeld (1942–2015)

Contents

Preface

W. DENNIS TUCKER JR.

Abbreviations

Theological Approaches to the Psalms

Chapter 1. Poetry and Theology in the Psalms

Psalm 133

W. H. BELLINGER JR.

Chapter 2. Feminine Imagery and Theology in the Psalter

Psalms 90, 91, and 92

NANCY DECLAISSÉ-WALFORD

Chapter 3. Who Is Like the LORD Our God?

Theology and Ethics in the Psalms

HARRY P. NASUTI

Chapter 4. David and the Political Theology of the Psalter

STEPHEN BRECK REID

Chapter 5. Spatial Theory and Theology in Psalms 46–48

TILL MAGNUS STEINER

Theological Themes in the Psalms

Chapter 6. Human Transience, Justice, and Mercy

Psalm 103

JOHANNES SCHNOCKS

Chapter 7. The God of Heaven in Book 5 of the Psalter

W. DENNIS TUCKER JR.

Chapter 8. The Theology of the Poor in the Psalter

JOHANNES BREMER

Chapter 9. The Elohistic Psalter

Formation and Purpose

FRANK-LOTHAR HOSSFELD

Chapter 10. The Elohistic Psalter

History and Theology

JOEL S. BURNETT

Genre and Theology

Chapter 11. The Psalter as a Book

Genre as Key to Its Theology

EGBERT BALLHORN

Chapter 12. Genre, Theology, and the God of the Psalms

ROLF JACOBSON

Contributors

Scripture Index

Notes

Preface

In the opening lines of his Introduction to the Psalms, Hermann Gunkel compares the complexity of Israel’s poetry to that of a glockenspiel. He explains that

the individual tones resound powerfully and magnificently, but each reverberates by itself so that only the one who is knowledgeable is able to hear the melody which the tones form. . . . Understanding these creations may not have been as difficult in the time they were composed, when so much of what was not explicitly expressed by the poet could be easily supplemented. But to those of us born later, their internal connection is not immediately clear.¹

To understand these creations and to hear the melody present in and across the Psalter, the reader must be attentive to the theological claims embedded in these poetic texts. These theological claims bear witness to how the Israelites thought of God and the world around them, and their interaction with both. But even further, the psalms, when considered carefully, bear witness to how theological traditions were appropriated and adapted to preserve fundamental theological claims while addressing new theological, historical, and social challenges that threatened the identity of the community that prayed these psalms. To assume these theological reflections can be easily reduced to a single theme, or even to a handful of themes, is to miss the complexity of the Psalter’s theology and, even further, the richness of its depths.

The title of the present volume, The Psalter as Witness: Theology, Poetry, and Genre, reflects both the complexity of the Psalter’s theology and its performative role in bearing witness to the theological claims that comprise Israel’s traditions.² No single chapter can capture the full range of theological claims made in the Psalter. Consequently, the chapters in this volume offer examples of theological reflection on significant themes in selected psalms, in collections of psalms, and even across the structure of the Psalter itself.³ These chapters reflect a full array of methodological approaches, some employing a more diachronic approach to the biblical text, and others a more synchronic approach.⁴

The chapters contained in the first section of the book offer examples of varying approaches to the book of Psalms. Such diverse methodological approaches can aid the interpreter in discovering the theological claims asserted in the biblical text. Bill Bellinger (Poetry and Theology in the Psalms) offers a careful reading of Ps 133, with particular attention to the poetics of the text and its significance for a theological rendering of the psalm. Nancy deClaissé-Walford (Feminine Imagery and Theology in the Psalter) considers the metaphorical force of feminine language imagery in the first three psalms of Book 4 (90, 91, and 92) and the implications of such imagery for theological reflection on the psalms. Harry Nasuti (Who Is Like the Lord Our God?) explores Ps 113 in light of its larger literary and canonical location (Pss 113–118) and suggests that attention to its present literary context actually adds an ethical dimension to its theological claims. Steve Reid (David and the Political Theology of the Psalter) explores the cipher of David in the Psalter and contends that the figure of David is central to political theology present in the larger collection. The final chapter in this section by Till Magnus Steiner (Spatial Theory and Theology in Psalms 46–48) draws heavily from recent work in spatial theory in his assessment of the theological claims asserted in selected Zion psalms (46–48).

The chapters in the second section of the book consider various theological themes found in the Psalter. The first chapter, by Johannes Schnocks (Human Transience, Justice, and Mercy), explores the depths of YHWH’s mercy in light of the ephemerality of human life. Schnocks considers how these themes intersect with other psalms in Book 4 of the Psalter. Dennis Tucker (The God of Heaven in Book 5 of the Psalter) focuses on the Psalter’s confession of YHWH as the God of heaven in the final book of the Psalter and considers its implications for both diachronic and synchronic features in the Psalter’s theology. Johannes Bremer (The Theology of the Poor in the Psalter) tracks the language and imagery of the poor throughout the Psalter and concludes that the shifts in the theology of the poor tradition can be explained by the growth of the Psalter as a collection. The final two chapters, by Frank-Lothar Hossfeld (The Elohistic Psalter: Formation and Purpose) and Joel Burnett (The Elohistic Psalter: History and Theology), employ both a diachronic and a synchronic analysis in identifying the key theological themes that likely drove the development of the Elohistic Psalter.

The final section of the book explores the role of genre in the construction of theology in the psalms. Egbert Ballhorn (The Psalter as a Book) moves beyond traditional categories of genre (e.g., lament, praise, thanksgiving) and asks whether the Psalter as a book is a genre unto itself and, if so, what its implications are for constructing the theology of the Psalter. Rolf Jacobson (Genre, Theology, and the God of the Psalms) examines two genres, the prayers for help and the royal psalms, and considers what these psalms confess concerning the God to whom they bear witness.

In May 2013 Baylor University hosted the inaugural Baylor University–University of Bonn Symposium on the Book of Psalms. Scholars from Baylor University and those associated with the University of Bonn, along with several other North American psalms scholars, gathered in Waco, Texas, for the three-day symposium. Two primary goals were set forth for the symposium. The first, and perhaps most obvious, was to engage in scholarly deliberations on the book of Psalms. The quality of the papers presented and the subsequent conversations held proved to be profitable for those in attendance. The second goal was to provide a venue for increased interaction between North American psalms scholars and their counterparts in Germany. Despite advances in technology, such scholarly gatherings remain rare, and the opportunities to share research and develop collegial relationships rarer still. The relationships forged from this inaugural meeting hold promise for a long and fruitful relationship between our universities.

There are several persons who deserve a word of appreciation. The Department of Religion and the George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University provided the necessary funding to cover the costs associated with the symposium. I want to thank Dr. Bill Bellinger, chair of the Department of Religion, and Dr. David Garland, then dean of Truett Seminary, for the financial support they provided for this meeting. I would also like to thank Mrs. Nancy Floyd, assistant to the associate dean, for her kind assistance with the planning of the meeting. I also want to thank Kim Bodenhamer and Rebecca Poe Hayes, graduate students in the Department of Religion, for their careful work in helping to prepare this manuscript. In addition to these, I want to thank Dr. Carey Newman, director of Baylor University Press, who graciously agreed to publish the proceedings from this symposium.

The volume is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Frank-Lothar Hossfeld. Professor Hossfeld died on November 2, 2015, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Professor Hossfeld and I first began discussions about a partnership between Baylor University and the University of Bonn at a gathering of psalms scholars in 2010 at Oxford University. His enthusiasm for the partnership proved critical in bringing the 2013 meeting to fruition. We lament his passing, and his absence in subsequent meetings will be acutely felt. He was an accomplished scholar, a generous colleague, and a committed servant of the church. We will remember him with gratitude.

W. Dennis Tucker Jr.

Waco, Texas

Abbreviations

ÄAT Ägypten und Altes Testament

ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary

AIL Ancient Israel and Its Literature

ANES Ancient Near Eastern Studies

AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament

AOTC Abingdon Old Testament Commentary

ATANT Abhandlungen zur Theologie des Alten und Neuen Testaments

BBB Bonn biblische Beiträger

BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium

BKAT Biblischer Kommentar, Altes Testament

Bib Biblica

BN Biblische Notizen

BSac Bibliotheca Sacra

BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CC Continental Commentaries

CThM.BW Calwer Theologische Mongraphien. A: Bibelwissenschaft

ET Expository Times

ETL Ephemerides theologicae lovaniense

FAT Forschungen zum Alten Testament

FOTL Forms of Old Testament Literature

FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments

GKC Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar

HAT Handbuch zum Alten Testament

HBS Herder Biblische Studien

HBT Horizons in Biblical Theology

HKAT Handkommentar zum Alten Testament

HThKAT Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament

JBL Journal of Biblical Literature

JBTh Jahrbuch für biblische Theologie

JHS Journal of Hebrew Scriptures

JNSL Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages

JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement

JSS Journal of Semitic Studies

JTS Journal of Theological Studies

LHB/OTS The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies

LNTS Library of New Testament Studies

MLBS Mercer Library of Biblical Studies

NEB Neue Echter Bibel

NIB New Interpreter’s Bible

NTAbh Neutestamentliche Abhandulngen

OBO Orbis biblicus et orientalis

ÖBS Österreichische biblische Studien

OTE Old Testament Essa

OTL Old Testament Library

OtSt Oudtestamentische Studien

QD Quaestiones disputatae

RB Revue Biblique

SBB Stuttgarter biblische Beiträger

SBLABS Society of Biblical Literature Archaeology and Biblical Studies

SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series

SBLWAW Society of Biblical Literature Writings from the Ancient World

SBS Stuttgarter Bibelstudien

SJOT Scandanavian Journal of the Old Testament

SOTI Studies in Old Testament Interpretation

SubBi Subsidia Biblica

TDOT Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament

ThSt Theologische Studiën

ThWAT Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament

TRE Theologische Realenzyklopädie

VT Vetus Testamentum

VTS Supplements to Vetus Testamentum

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

WMANT Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament

ZAW Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

ZTK Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche

Theological Approaches to the Psalms

1

Poetry and Theology in the Psalms

Psalm 133

W. H. Bellinger Jr.

The Text

Work on the brief Ps 133¹ illustrates the scholarly truism that there is no end to the making of many words. The history of interpretation of these three verses belies any hope of interpretation characterized by lucid brevity or even easy resolution of the issues. None other than Hermann Gunkel notes the initial delight of the psalm’s imagery but then notes the difficulty of understanding it, characterizing the history of scholarship on the psalm as a story of suffering.² Staerk even suggests that the true meaning of this little song will remain closed to us.³ Perhaps that judgment is a bit hyperbolic, but there are several problematic issues: the meaning of the psalm’s opening saying, the import of the psalm’s imagery, the psalm’s poetic structure, and the question of Sitz im Leben, among others. My purpose is to introduce the text and poetry of Ps 133 along with interpretive issues the text raises in the context of the symposium’s conversation.

First a translation:

¹ A Song of Ascents. Of David.⁴

Look! How good and how lovely

when kindred live together in unity.

² Like (the) good oil on the head,

running down on the beard,

the beard of Aaron,

which runs down on the collar of his robes.

³ Like the dew of Hermon

which runs down on the mountains of Zion.⁵

For there YHWH has commanded the blessing,

life forevermore!⁶

Poetic Features

One of the noticeable features of the psalm is repetition, a style of repetition that will be familiar to readers of the Psalms of Ascents (Pss 120–134). is repeated in the opening line. The good of verse 1 is repeated in verse 2 with reference to the oil. Verses 2 and 3 begin with the comparative preposition . The verb is used three times (vv. 2-3), the second and third times with the prefixed . Each appearance of the verb is followed with the preposition . Beard is repeated in verse 2, with the second use applying the term specifically to Aaron’s beard and thus giving an example of anadiplosis, or a word terrace.⁷ Zenger suggests that this poetic technique is central to the psalm’s poetic structure.⁸ While the psalm does not employ traditional categories of parallelism (such as synonymous or antithetic), parallel terms and structures are central to the poem. Verses 2 and 3 employ assonance with the frequent repetition of a-class vowels (such as in the fourfold repetition of , three times in v. 2) and of o-class vowels (such as in the threefold use of the participial form of ). Alliteration is also part of how the poem works, especially with the repetition of . These repeating poetic features show the simple but important artistic quality of the poem and have interpretive import, as we will see.

The structure of the poem has been a matter of some debate, but the best articulation of it comes from Zenger.⁹

I. Thematic Statement: Effectiveness and Beauty of Sibling Unity

1 Wisdom macarism functioning as an inviting appellative

II. Two Comparisons

2 First comparison: like downward-streaming (festive and consecratory) oil of anointing

3ab Second comparison: like falling (life-giving) dew

III. Thematic Statement: YHWH’s Blessing on/for the Community of Zion

3cd Summary reason/affirmation

The poetry provides clues to this structure. The opening saying and the concluding statement both begin with particles that serve as structuring devices. The opening and concluding statements also end in ways that echo each other in sound and structure.¹⁰ The two comparisons or similes in verses 2 and 3 each also begin with the preposition .¹¹ Following this structure, we will consider the sense of each part of the brief psalm.

Exegesis

The interpretation of the opening statement has brought forth a number of options centered on . The first option takes the phrase of brothers living together to refer to physical brothers living together in the same family locale. Deuteronomy 25:5 uses the same phrase in the context of levirate marriage. The initial sense of the phrase has to do with the custom of siblings staying together on the family property. The phrase has to do with the period of time after the father’s death but before the division of property, when the brothers would have continued to live together on the undivided family estate. It is precisely the ideal of the multigenerational joint family that most commentators privilege in their reading of the phrase as it appears in Ps 133.¹²

Some would expand the sense to members of the community living on the same land. Another possibility takes the verb to refer to sitting together in family or cultic festivals. Brothers thus takes on a religious sense of friends in a festival context. The celebratory event could be a cultic one or a secular one.¹³ A third possibility is to understand the unity in the opening saying in terms of political or national unity. The key is that undivided land holdings function as a metaphor for an undivided kingdom. Adele Berlin presses this view toward the reunification of the north and south.¹⁴ The priestly community is now to flow together as a united kingdom. A final interpretive option takes the unity to refer to clan unity, and because the psalm refers to the figure of Aaron, the unity being stressed is unity in the priestly clans. The psalm may reflect efforts to achieve such unity when there was discord among priestly groups, as there was, for example, with the return from exile.¹⁵ The first option appears to be the more likely interpretation for brothers living together in unity, but the opening of the psalm provides a fuller context. While the saying begins with rather than , the statement has the feel of a beatitude, and the movement of Ps 133 has similarities to Pss 1 and 128. The terms good and lovely (or pleasant, charming) appear in wisdom texts in commending the ways of wisdom: Prov 15:23; 16:16; Job 34:4; Eccl 6:12 for ; Prov 2:10; 3:17; 16:24; 22:18; 24:4 for the root word of ; and Prov 24:25 and Job 36:11 for both terms. Clifford also notes the vocabulary connections between Ps 133 and the Song of Songs.¹⁶ So the psalm opens with a wisdom saying that has the function of commending a way of life; it has the sense of an exclamation to begin the poem: How appropriate and delightful is the ideal of brothers living together in unity! It is likely that it calls on an ancient custom (Gen 13:6; 36:7; Deut 25:5) to shape this saying commending siblings living together on the family property and enjoying unity. is a unique phrase, but the use of in terms of togetherness in Deut 33:5; Ezra 4:3; and Mic 2:12 supports the translation above.¹⁷

Let me pause at this point to say that I have followed the current English convention of using the more inclusive kindred rather than brothers in the translation of verse 1. I have little doubt that the opening saying and the practice behind it reflect a patriarchal society, but we will see that my read of the psalm finally comes to a more inclusive notion of community. I also understand the task of translating and interpreting the psalm to include the shift to such a fuller sense of community.

Beginning in verse 2, the opening saying is illustrated with two similes. The first comparison is to the good oil of anointing on the head and flowing down to the beard. The beard is then tied to the beard of Aaron, and the oil even flows to the priestly garments. Perfumed oil was apparently used to greet guests at banquets (Pss 23:5; 92:11; Amos 6:6; Eccl 9:7-8; Song 1:3). The oil and the smells add to the joy of the occasion. Zenger points to Egyptian backgrounds for such a comparison in which anointing oils were central to the delight and appeal of the occasion as a celebration of the joy of life in the feast.¹⁸ The delight is not only the joy of the celebration and of the feast but also the sense that those who are anointed with the oil are now included in the banquet family. With the repetition of the word beard, the comparison shifts to the anointing of Aaron as the high priest (Exod 29:7; 30:30-33; Lev 8:12, 30). This anointing is tied to the festivals of the cult and has to do with the power to bless. The priest can then bless the community with life. The sacred oil drips onto the beard and onto the priestly garments.¹⁹ The priestly garments are thus also consecrated. The garments included the ephod and breastpiece with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel (Exod 28:9-12; 39:14).²⁰ The blessing for life Aaron can bestow drips onto the symbol of the twelve tribes and so to the cultic community.

The repetition of the word beard weaves the two types of anointing oils together into one image in Ps 133. The oil flows from the head to the beard and to the community, and thus the simile compares siblings living together in unity in the opening saying to the anointing joy and celebration of banquet and festival. In both settings the oil symbolizes the blessing of life and the constitution of the festival family. The oil is good and lovely, celebrating and bestowing fullness of life, and so illustrates the life-giving power of the community commended in the opening statement.

The second simile in the first part of verse 3 repeats the flowing down, but here the image is of the dew of Hermon flowing down upon the mountains of Zion. Some interpreters have taken the view that the dew of Hermon in the far north could never reach the mountains of Zion, and thus there have been attempts to emend the text (see BHS). The psalm seems to move in a different direction, however. Zenger calls the simile theological topography.²¹ Hunter suggests that Hermon could represent Zaphon, the mountain in the north that was the abode of the high God.²² The text works more in the arena of mythology than of the geography of agricultural possibilities. The comparison is to dew that falls or flows down, and dew nurtures fertility for life. This dew is of divine origin (Gen 27:28, 39; Isa 26:19; Hos 14:6; Mic 5:6; Prov 19:12). The contrast in Hosea is relevant where changing and faithless Israel is like dew that evaporates, in contrast to the divine dew that brings life. The dew flows down upon the community of Zion to renew and bring fertility and prosperity. The brothers and sisters of Zion are like life-giving dew to one another and beyond. The images of oil and dew speak of the joy and fertility in the community.

The second simile leads to the concluding statement on the divine blessing on the community. The identification of is significant. The location is often named as Zion, the concluding word of the previous line. Schaefer takes the term in a more encompassing way as referring to Zion, the community, and the priestly vestments.²³ Both views are viable. YHWH has placed the blessing, the vitality for growth and full living, there for the community. That life endures. This blessing is a divine gift.

Psalm 133 in the Psalter

Psalm 133 fits well in the Psalms of Ascents (Pss 120–134) noted in the superscription. Zion or Jerusalem is a central theme of this collection of psalms. The pilgrimage to Zion is central to Ps 122 (vv. 1-3, 6, 9). Other references to the theme include Pss 125:1-2; 126:1; 128:5; 129:5; 132:5, 7-8, 13-14; and 134. The blessing of YHWH comes from Zion in Pss 128 and 134 as it does in the conclusion of Ps 133. Family imagery is also important in this psalm collection (Pss 122:4, 8; 127:3-5; 128:3-4, 6; 131:2; 132:12), and family is put in the broader context of the community of God’s people.²⁴ Psalm 133 fits well near the end of the collection with themes of community, blessing, and Zion.

Psalm 133 relates specifically by vocabulary to the preceding psalm. The opening particle of our psalm also occurs in Ps 132:6. The verb occurs in Ps 132:12-14 and Ps 133:1. Also, occurs in Ps 132:17 and Ps 133:3; bless in Ps 132:15 and the concluding verse of Ps 133; and Zion in Ps 132:13 and the concluding verse of Ps 133. In addition, the image of the anointing oil running down the beard and priestly robes of Aaron will remind alert readers of the clothing of priests (with righteousness and salvation) in Ps 132:9, 16 and the royal anointed one in Ps 132:10, 17. The psalm also relates to Ps 134, which begins with the same particle, . Bless and Zion are central to the concluding psalm of the collection. Psalm 134 concludes the collection with the hope of the divine blessing articulated in Pss 132–133 and tied to Zion. The collection ties the blessing to both peace and righteousness.²⁵

Interpretive Issues

Having articulated the basic data of the psalm text, what interpretive conclusions may we draw? In terms of composition, the psalm draws on a wisdom saying for its beginning acclamation, a saying about the appropriateness and delight of brothers dwelling together on the family land. It then illustrates that saying with two similes, both of which tie the family of the opening statement to the sphere of the life-giving Zion cult from which comes the divine blessing. This poem is fittingly found near the end of the pilgrimage collection, Pss 120–134. The psalms includes the themes of family and of Zion, interpreting the family in terms of the community centered on Zion.²⁶ The threefold use of the participle speaks of the blessing flowing down upon the community from Zion. The song