Hebrew Bible: Psalms

The Writings--Psalms

11/14/2011

Psalms--

• 150 canonical psalms
• 73 psalms attributed to David
• many more psalms exist
• more in other locations of the cannon
• more in the Dead Sea Scrolls (e.g. Psalm 150)
• psalm -- Greek; a song to music
• tehillim -- the title in Hebrew; meaning "praise"
• root word for the exclamation "hallelujah!"

Organization

• composed of 5 mini-books, reflecting the 5 books of the Torah
• books organized not by genre, but by their concluding doxology
• doxology -- basically, a standard phrase of praise (e.g. 41:13)
• Books:
• ch. 1-41 
• 42-72
• 73-89
• 90-106
• 107-150
• in the Dead Sea Scrolls (~150 BCE), the final two books are arranged differently
• the first three books, however, appear to be fixed in their current order

Hermann Gunkel and Contexts in Psalms

    Gunkel, creator of form criticism, sought to categorize the Psalms based on their sitz im leben (literally, where they "sat" in cultural/social context).  He thus organizes the Psalms according to what he best understands the context to be.

1. Hymn -- the basic call to praise
1. Sitz im leben -- in the Temple
2. Psalm 29
1. theme:  God is amazing!
2. originally a Canannite psalm?
1. water references
2. voice like fire/flame references
2. YHWH enthronement
1. Sitz im leben -- an old throning ceremony?
2. Psalm 93 
1. God is addressed more personally
2. God described as conqueror and king
3. similar to Enumah Elish
1. the Babylonian festival of the New Year
2. Marduk re-entrhoned each time
3. "is king" could be translated as "has become king"
4. evidence of an old possible Israelite enthronement ceremony
3. Complaints
1. Sitz im leben -- specific complaints of individual or community
2. Psalm 6
1. sickness, particularly the deathbed
2. Sheol -- afterlife implications
1. "no remembrance" of God
2. home of souls
3. an abode of doing nothing
4. Thanksgiving
1. Sitz im leben -- (didn't say) probably specific, just as complaints are 
2. Psalm 138
3. Jesus' "why have you forsaken me?"
4. thankfulness often follows complaints when God acts on behalf of his people
5. thanksgiving psalms applicable in any instance of good happenings
5. Liturgy
1. Sitz im leben -- Temple, spoken by clergy
2. Psalm 24
1. for festival or pilgrimage
2. ascension to the Temple, either:
1. going through the Temple doors, or 
2. going up to the mountain on which the Temple stood
6. Royal Psalms
1. psalms about the kings; some messianic
2. Psalm 45
1. Sitz im leben -- marriage of the king with his wife
2. vs. 6-8 -- the king is addressed as God! (elohim)
7. Wisdom Psalms
1. more recent works that reflect the Torah
2. Psalm 1
1. introduces the Psalms and encourages the reader/listener to look to the Torah

other psalms, like Psalm 23, don't fit in as nicely into Gunkel's categorization.  However, this psalm in particular has a GREAT use of metaphor. :)

NEXT TIME:  READ SONG OF SOLOMON AND THE ARTICLE.  QUIZ NEXT CLASS!!!