design to redeem Israel are eternal; he will certainly redeem Israel from Jerahmeelite oppression.'-M i, e. from all his iniquities'; 'punishments' would be arbitrary. In xxv. 22 (parallel), ; 7 .lxxxvii כל מעיני .Cp .מִירַחְמְאֵלִים,Read, however מִכֹּל צָרוֹתָיו .4 .cxxx ,למענותם has dropped מ . ירחמאלים Both these represent out before y, or rather has become. PENTAME PSALM CXXXI. ENTAMETERS. The speaker professes his humility and self-abasement. According to S (also Gratz and Haupt), the psalm refers to the high-priest Jeshua. The central portion probably contained some reference to Jerahmeelite oppression. The editor received it in a corrupt form, but succeeded in making out of this an edifying substitute for the true text. Cp. Smend, p. 138. Marked. Of the Ishmaelites. Of 'Arab-ethan. I I Not haughty! O Yahwè, is my heart, not lofty are mine eyes, Neither move I amidst great matters, | and things too arduous for me. But I bowed down and quieted (?) | my soul ** Hope, O Israel, for Yahwè | both now and for evermore. 2 Critical Notes. 3. M. This may be right (see Kön., $3538; $ 3911). But Herz's suggestion of N is plausible.— .is אוּלָם M', 'I have levelled,' i.e. 'composed'? Surely not. G, éraπeivoOpórovv=nny; cp. '', from ', cxix. 30. What follows looks like a series of attempts to read an ill-written e.g. in Judg. viii. 21, 26). corrupt, as TRI RIMETERS. PSALM CXXXII. Two scenes from the history of the temple, both psychologically treated, i.e. with regard to what might be the feelings and sentiments of the persons concerned. The scenes are:-1. David's zealous preparations for the building of the temple, and 2. the dedication, or rather (since there is no mention of David's son, and v. 11 is plainly the reminiscense of a later, Scripture-loving age) the re-dedication of Yahwè's sanctuary. But what sanctuary? The temple at Jerusalem, or that which many passages compel us to suppose to have existed at Beth-jerahmeel in the Negeb? The analogy of Pss. cxxii., cxxv., and cxxxiii. permit, and the critical necessities of v. 6 require, a decision in favour of the latter. See notes on . 3 ff., 11, and Introduction. Duhm denies the genuineness of vv. 9 f., which he holds to be interpolated from 2 Chr. vi. 41 f., only with a slight alteration in accordance with v. 16. Surely this is not the most natural view. We need not, however, suppose that the Chronicler himself borrowed from our psalm. It seems probable that it was a late redactor of Chronicles who introduced the passage referred to. For Dr. J. P. Peters' view on Pss. cxxxii.-cxxxiv. (to which he assigns a different origin from the preceding 'pilgrim-psalms '), see JBL, 1894, p. 39. On Zenner's view on Ps. cxxxii., see König, Stylistik, pp. 352 ff.; D. H. Müller, Strophenbau, p. 7. I ΙΟ 20 May thy priests be arrayed with +thy+ righteousness, 9 And thy pious ones sing aloud! For the sake of thy servant David, ΙΟ Do not thou repulse thy pious ones. Yahwè has sworn 3 in his faithfulness, If thy sons observe mine ordinance, 1 Ashhur-jerahmeel (v. 1). 2 Gibeath-ishmael (v. 1). 3 To David. II 12 Her priests I will array with +my+ deliverance, 16 Her pious ones shall sing aloud. 40 There will I make a horn to shoot forth for David, 17 18 6 I f. The received text has, Remember, O Yahwè! to David all the trouble that he took,' though the last word (ii) is difficult, and it is not easy to see how David can be personally rewarded at a future time for his longpast exertions. May we then suppose that David is to be recompensed in the person of his descendant (vv. 17 f.), according to the later doctrine of the merits of the fathers (Weber, Jüdische Theologie,(2) 292)? If the received text is right, there is no better solution, but אשר נשבע how does this agree with 'he who swore'? Clearly the text is wrong. See crit. note. 3 ff. Swore to Yahwè, &c. Duhm (p. 279) and Sellin (Serubbabel, p. 185) lay great stress on the discrepancy between the language of the ' vow' here ascribed to David and the statements in 2 S. vi.-vii. 2; the pas sage commonly adduced as an illustration (2 S. vii. 2) is rather fitted to stir up doubts as to the Biblical basis of the psalmist's words. To explain this difficulty, Sellin supposes that the 'David' spoken of is really Zerubbabel, who was regarded for a time as the Messianic king; Duhm, that the psalmist draws from a legend unknown to us, perhaps in a life of David, which has not come down to us, at least in the part with which we are concerned.' The latter view seems the nearer to the truth. In Crit. Bib., pp. 268 ff., reason is given for holding that the place to which David brought So Isa. i. 34, xlix. 26, and especially Gen. xlix. 24. In . 10 the deity thus designated is represented as dwelling in the temple. This agrees with the view that is more properly pointed Tax (cp. Enc. Bib., ' Names,' § 121) and is to be rendered 'Steer' (cp. 1728), and that this is connected with the worship of Yahwe under the symbolic form of a steer overlaid with gold, which was specially practised in the Negeb (see Crit. Bib. on 1 K. xii. 25 ff.); also with the view that the sanctuary obtained' by David was not at Jerusalem, but at Bethjerahmeel. The tent. In 2 S. vii. 2 David speaks of dwelling in a 'house of cedar.' Here, he may speak as one who leads the tent-life of a warrior (2 S. xi. 11). ་ II. The critics have rightly seen that this is the fundamental passage. The text of M runs, Lo, we heard o. it in Ephrathah, we found it in the fields (or, field) of Jaar,' which most explain, We heard that the ark was at Ephrathah, and (or, but) found it at Kirjath T jearim.' Some think Ephrathah means Ephraim, and that Shiloh is referred to; others, reminding us (see Del.) that in 1 Chr. ii. 50 Kirjath-jearim is in the family of Ephrathah, suppose that Ephrathah was the name of the district round Kirjath-jearim. The latter place, it is true, is prominent in the story of the ark (see i S. vi. 21, vii. I f. ; cp. 2 S. vi. 2), but this does not justify the theory that Kirjath-jearim also bore the name of Jaar or S'de Jaar. And how can the fem. suffix - be made to refer to 8, which does not occur till v. 8, and which is only exceptionally (1 S. iv. 17, 2 Chr. viii. 11) fem.? Hence Bäthgen has struck out a peculiar view of his own-' We have heard of it (i.e. of David's doings) in Ephrathah (Bethlehem), and spread the news (3) in the region of woods' (='in Wald und Feld'). If, however, we use our experience of recurrent types of corruption, there cannot be much doubt as to the true reading and rendering. The names Ishmael' and 'Jerahmeel' cannot be mistaken, underlying three of the words in M's text, and with this the undeniable reference to Ephrathah' is in perfect harmony, Ephrath' or 'Ephrathah,' not less than 'Beth-lehem,' being a Negeb name (see Crit. Bib. on Gen. XXXV. 16, I S. i. 1). We might, of course, suppose v. 6 to be a gloss, stating where the place for Yahwè' was, viz. in the Ephrathite or Jerahmeelite Ishmael. But some link between v. 5 and v. 7 is indispensable, and this link is obtained by reading as proposed in crit. note. Accepting this, the speaker of v. 6 is some prominent Israelite who dwelt in the Negeb in the post-exilic period, and who, like the author of Pss. cxxii. and cxxv., was devoted to the temple of Yahwè in the Negeb-such a one as the writer of Isa. xix. 18 (see Crit. Bib. ad loc). He summons his fellow-Israelites-whom, in accordance with an archaic usage, he calls 'Ishmaelites,' because they dwelt in Ishmael or Jerahmeel (ie. the Negeb)-to enter the newly restored temple, and unite in prayer to Yahwe to take up his abode in the sanctuary. Archaizing again, he couples with the divine name a mention of the ark. As a consequence of the presence of the numen he expects perfect prosperity alike for the priestly aristocracy and the 'pious' la cy. (Righteousness' in v. 9a means Yahwè's righteous gift of prosperity not 'moral innocence,' or even ' ritual correctness.' The latter interpretation would imply that the psalmist made a side-hit at the priests as deficient in 'righteousness,' which is highly improbable). Lastly, the speaker-as the spokesman of the community - beseeches Yahwè not to repulse the hasīdim (see crit. note), out of regard to the merits of David. So, then, the psalmist looks forward to a Messianic age, when the central spot in the estimation of true Israelites shall be the temple in the Negeb. See Crit. Bib. on Isa. lxvi. 1 f., Ezek. xl. 1 f., xlvii. 13. 21-30. The psalmist summarizes 2 S. vii. 12 ff. No fresh divine oracle is needed, for 'hath he said, and shall he not do it?' But how does the psalmist understand the promise in v. 12? Surely his idea is that there will be, not a single Messiah, but a line of Messianic kings. And the reason which he offers for this expectation is that Yahwè has chosen Zion for his perpetual abode; a king is the earthly guardian of the divine mansion. Cp. lxxviii. 68, where the choice of Zion precedes the choice of David. 31-40. Yahwè is the speaker. Is there, then, a fresh oracle after all? No; the passage does but restate the chief particulars in the Messianic promise. Abundant food for the poor (Joel ii. 26); prosperity and warlike power of the Davidic house (for phraseology, cp. lxxxix. 18, 25, Ezek. xxix. 21). may allude to אצמים Jer. xxiii. 5, xxxiii. 15, Zech. iii. 8, vi. 12 (see Del.). yu (v. 16) defines the meaning of PS in 2. 9. Cp. Isa. lxi. 10.-38. I have prepared a lamp. Cp. 1 K. xi. 36, xv. 4, 2 K. viii. 19, 2 Chr. xxi. 7, Prov. xx. 20. As long as the lamp shines, the family survives. An Egyptian funerary text says, 'When this flame is prepared for him, he will escape perishing for ever; his spirit will live on perpetually' (Dümichen, ZÄ, 1883, p. 11-15; cp. Erman, ZÄ, 1882, p. 12). Cp. the Jewish custom of keeping a lighted lamp in the deathchamber for seven days after the funeral, and the festival of lamps in the Punjab, at which the souls of ancestors visit the houses (Frazer, Golden Bough ii. 176. 18. -The difi זְכוֹר־יהוה לְדָוִד אֵת כָּל־עַנּוֹתוֹ Critical Notes. It. M culty of this passage as a whole has been already pointed out (see exeg. note). It has now to be remarked that this is the only example of an infin. Pual with suffix. And what a poor sense it gives-all his being bowed down' (or 'afflicted') ! Perles (after G S) reads y, 'his humility''his piety.' But this is surely too rare a word, and the general difficulty remains. Very probably the editor recast a marginal .c. אשחור ירחמאל גבעת ישמעאל gloss consisting of the words ; ירחמאל = יהוה לאש' = זכור ;Ashur-jerahmeel, Gibeath-ishmael ישמעאל=את כל ; גבעת = ענותו ;(1 .cp. on Judg. x) אשור = דוד (cp.)—the two last words are transposed. The whole is a double gloss on . 11, 12. Ephrathah' is explained by 'Ashhur-jerahmeel,' 'the highland of Jair' by 'Gibeath-ishmael'; i.e.' Ephrath' was equivalent to 'Ashhur' and 'Jair' to 'Ishmael.'-2. YAW] TN, 'he who swore'? or because he swore'? Not improbably comes from אַשְׁחוּר = אַשׁוּר , a dittogram (see on l. 1 f.).—4, 10.-M 7; see exeg. n. 11 f. Admit that the influence which on the whole dominated both in the early and in the later history was N. Arabian, and all becomes clear., of course, represents Ty, i. e. 8 (cp. Crit. Bib. on 1 S. xxii. 5); MEN = MEN in the Negeb (cp. 1 Chr. ii. 19); comes (שמעון Isa. xxviii. 1, 4 ; and ,שמנים ; 5 .cxli ,,שמן .cp) שמענוה from you, and MNY (cp. 183, lxxvii. 21, and ¡y, lxxviii. 12) also from this word. Read For the second we should perhaps read ; such a repetition is most probably often due to scribes. 16. For G erroneously presupposes (cp. on lxxxix. 20).— 20. M. An editor of Chronicles (2 Chr. vii. 42a; see introd.) understood v. 10 as a petition for Solomon. Olsh. and Del. accept this view. Hitzig and Hupfeld, however, think that (strange as it may seem) David is meant, and Wellhausen holds that the "Anointed," originally referring to Solomon, is applied here to Israel (cp. xxviii. 8),' and the present writer thought in 1891 that here and in xxviii. 8, lxxxiv. 10, the 'Anointed' was probably a high priest in Persian times (OP, 199, 338, 350). The three passages referred to must be taken together, and in .חסיד but משיח all of them the best sense is obtained by reading, not 21. Omit (gloss), and read . N cannot be accus. |