The Book of Psalms

.[אֶת־מַקְדָּשֶׁיהָ The latter part is certainly יְסוֹדֶיהָ enough to read שַׁבְּרוּ שַׁבְּרוּ should, perhaps, be ערו ערו

T ::

11 f. M's text is quite impossible; but Wi.'s restoration of vv. 7 f. is admitted by himself to be prosaic, and only worthy of an interpolator. (Graλainwрos; cp. GQmg, Jer. iv. 30) is perplexing. Kenn., Gr., We., Du. weakly correct (cp. S Σ T). Bi. and Du. omit as a gloss (these glosses are mostly treacherous things!). Barnes has the credit of being the first to see that Edom was still referred to, though he could not correct the text; he explains, 'Thou moral kinswoman of Babylon,' which is impossible. Utilizing all the relics of the true text, we should probably read thus,—

את־גמולך וגו'

It will be seen that there has been some displacement as well as corrup tion; the editor, in his wish to make some sense, may be responsible for

appears אשרי שישלם .יאתו גם לך = את גמולך .the displacement אל .is a dittograin לך ; השללים to consist of two imperfect forms of .בנית בבל a correct gloss on ,ישמעאל is probably a corruption of הסלע

PSALM CXXXVIII.

TRIMETERS. The thanksgivings of the triumphant, and the prophecy of the militant community. To the first part belong stanzas 1-3; to the second, 4-7. Smend rightly sees that the speaker is pious Israel, and that the Messianic future is anticipated (p. 139). Theodore of Mopsuestia, in the Syriac epitome, refers the psalm to the (people) returned from Babylon, which thanks God for its deliverance' (ZATW, 1885, p. 98).

Of 'Arab-ethan.

With my whole heart, O Yahwè! I thank thee;
Before Jerahmeel I chant songs to thee:

And give thanks to thy name, [O Yahwè !]

For thy lovingkindness and for thy truth's sake.

For thou hast made all thy doings great;

In Jerahmeel I called on thee, and thou answeredst me,
Thou didst rescue me from those of Ishmael.

ΙΟ

All those of Jerahmeel shall give thee thanks,
When they have heard the words of thy mouth,
And shall sing of the ways of Yahwè.

For great is the glory of Yahwè,—

For the haughty and the lowly he sees,

And that which is high he fells from afar off.

If I walk in the midst of trouble,

Against mine enemies thou wilt stretch forth thy
hand,

Thou wilt deliver me and bring me to rest.

Yahwe will have compassion upon his servants;
O Yahwè thy lovingkindness is everlasting,
Do not thou abandon the work of thy hands.

Before Jerahmeel. So cxix. 46. It is implied that, impressed by the dealings of Yahwè, the surviving Jerahmeelites will turn to Yahwe, whom they will thank (7. 10) for his compassion to Israel and to themselves. In fact, Jerahmeel will become a member of the great Israelite body (cp. on lxxxvii., Isa. xix. 25). See crit. note.-4. Cp. v. 7.-8. In Jerahmeel. Cp. lxxvii. 2, &c. The idea is that the main body of the captives from Judah were in N. Arabia.-11. The words of thy mouth, i.e. the Law. Cp. cxix. 13, 72, 88.-12. The ways of

Yahwe, i.e. his manner of dealing; cp. Dt. xxxii. 4 ( his work), Ps. ciii. 7 (his doings).--14 f. Yahwè's inspection is equally keen, whether an object be high or low. The high one is a collective term for the enemies of Israel; cp. Isa. x. 33, 'the high of stature shall be felled.'-From afar off, i.e. from the far-off height of heaven. Cp. T, from the distant heaven he throws down the lofty.' The 'stretched out arm' (cxxxvi. 12) is super-terrestrial; cp. xviii. 17. See crit. note.

16-18. Cp. xxiii. 4, 5a. The 'rest' of the Messianic age is meant.

Critical Notes. 1. Insert, with Bi, Che., Du., after G S JT. S, however, reads TIN-2. M DN 7, before (= in defiance of) the gods' (A E' J, Hengst., Hu., Hi., Stade, Du.)? 'Before God'= in the sanctuary'; cp. Ex. xxi. 6, xxii. 8 (Ew., Ol., We.)? 'Before the angels' (G, Calv.)? Observe, against 1, that such a phrase seems a too distinct affirmation of the real existence of the gods of the nations; against 2, that a combination of two senses of 'elōhim in one line is improbable, and that we should at any rate expect? (Josh. xxiv. 1); against 3, that there is no sure example of ", 'angels' (see on lxxxii. 1). It is true, however, that ought to mean 'in defiance of,' and that ought to refer to some conquered enemies of the Jews. Who, then, were the chief enemies of the later Jews? The Jerahmeelites. And, as a fact, we actually find that not unfrequently covers over. The passage is thus brought into accordance with 7. 10 (see below).

3. G inserts ὅτι ἤκουσας τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου. Bi., Du. accept this. But the sense is poor, and we do not expect the cause of the thanksgiving to be mentioned just yet. A line (verse) may have fallen out.-5. Insert

7. At the end of v. 2, M gives

. This is merely a dittogram

of N in 7. 6. The preceding words are most unnatural. Clericus and Dyserinck read T, and Herz pro(cp. Isa. ix. 2). But, as often, by is a corruption of bɔ ;

poses

-.(21 .2 .cp) מַעֲשֶׂיךָ should be שמך ; is a dittograph כל the second

read 2 (lxxvii. 3), ' in Yaman'='in Jerahmeel.'

...

77. Corrupt. 277, 'to rage' is a most

unlikely root to find here.

777, in Cant. vi. 5, is also corrupt.

,ישמעאל עז

Nor can one easily accept y', 'in my soul is strength.' Both W and y are possible corruptions of [by, a word which cer tainly suits in such a context. may come from ", miswritten

. חברהני as

10. M. Hupf. remarks, 'This vague expression is, of course, not to be taken historically of neighbouring kings (as the Rabbis), but ideally.' But the evidence elsewhere is adverse to this view. Except when something in the context dissuades from such a course, it is best to assume that where are referred to, either the neighbouring kings are meant, or is a corruption of . The latter view seems the best. It is the conversion of peoples, not of kings, that we expect. will, in this case, be an editorial insertion.-Omit

.(as elsewhere) ירחמאל=ירח' metre)-perhaps from) יהוה

14 f. Omit 7 (sense and metre), and ready, with Duhm. See exeg. note. König (i. 420 ff.) may be compared.

(if correctly First, Yahwe

16-18. The first two stichi of v. 7 are too long. read) should evidently be at the end of the stanza. stretches out his hand, then he saves and restores to full life. It is true, does not fit in well with . But is correct? We expect a verb, and a verb it is still easy to detect underneath ♪ ; it is, which is no doubt a variant to л. Probably, however, the true reading is, with which the two other forms are easily confounded (cp. on xxiii. 5). In 7. 17 omit N, which has sprung

איב out of a dittographed

do not go together. Read בד and גמר But . יִגְמֹר בַּעֲדִי 11 .19 .note parallelism ; יְרַחֵם עֲבָדָיו

PSALM CXXXIX.

TRIME RIMETERS. No psalm perhaps more clearly shows the liberty taken by the editors of the psalms, and the skill with which they ingrafted new ideas upon the old stock. In the present instance the editor was also a poet, and though traces of the corruptness of the text upon which he worked are abundant, the psalm in its present form (especially stanzas 1-6) has deservedly attracted the admiration of all thoughtful readers. Ibn Ezra calls it very glorious,' and says that in these five books there is nothing like it.' Erskine of Linlathen would wish to have it before him on his deathbed. The drawback to it in the minds of scholars is the debased character of the Hebrew in certain passages. This, however, is solely due to textual corruption, and this corruption can to some extent be healed. The following may represent something like the original form of portions of the psalm.

Which thou hast accomplished in the land of Maacath.

Were I to count them, they would be more than the

Search me out, O God! and know my heart,

Prove me, and know my deeds;

See if there be in me the way of Ishmael,

And hold me guiltless of the way of Jerahmeel.

Now as to the later phase. Taking a hint from 7. 17, 18, the editor appears to have produced the following. Where he did not write out of his own head he had to contend with great difficulties, having to work upon a partly corrupt text, or indeed in some passages on a text that was no text

at all. A still later editor effaced the references to N. Arabia and its people, but it is not a matter of indifference to find out how the editor and poet to whom we are mainly indebted for our 139th psalm, intended it to be read.