Psalms (2)

Characteristics (general)

• Spare language … poetry in general, but esp. of Hebrew language
• imagery drawn from the world of the audience
• symbolism, allegory, structure, etc.

Characteristics of Hebrew poetry

• parallelism
• for egs. http://www.crivoice.org/parallel.html

Psalm 54

Confident Prayer in Great Peril

1 For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David, 2 when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “David is hiding among us.”

I

3 O God, by your name[b] save me.

By your strength defend my cause.

4 O God, hear my prayer.

Listen to the words of my mouth.

5 Strangers have risen against me;

the ruthless seek my life; they do not keep God before them. Selah

II

6 God is present as my helper;

the Lord sustains my life.

7 Turn back the evil upon my foes;

in your faithfulness, destroy them.

8 Then I will offer you generous sacrifice

and give thanks to your name, Lord, for it is good.

9 Because it has rescued me from every trouble,

and my eyes look down on my foes.

Footnotes:

• Psalm 54 A lament in which the person under attack calls directly upon God for help (Ps 54:3–5). Refusing to despair, the psalmist hopes in God, who is active in history and just (Ps 54:6–7). The Psalm ends with a serene promise to return thanks (Ps 54:8–9).
• 54:3 By your name: one is present in one’s name, hence God as revealed to human beings.

Psalm 84

Prayer of a Pilgrim to Jerusalem

1 For the leader; “upon the gittith.” A psalm of the Korahites.*

I

2 How lovely your dwelling, O Lord of hosts!

3 My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

4 [b]As the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest to settle her young,

My home is by your altars, Lord of hosts, my king and my God!

5 Blessed are those who dwell in your house! They never cease to praise you. Selah

II

6 Blessed the man who finds refuge in you, in their hearts are pilgrim roads.

7 As they pass through the Baca valley,[c] they find spring water to drink. The early rain covers it with blessings.

8 They will go from strength to strength[d] and see the God of gods on Zion.

III

9 Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

listen, God of Jacob.

Selah

10 [e]O God, watch over our shield;

look upon the face of your anointed.

IV

11 Better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Better the threshold of the house of my God than a home in the tents of the wicked. 12 For a sun and shield is the Lord God, bestowing all grace and glory. The Lord withholds no good thing from those who walk without reproach. 13 O Lord of hosts, blessed the man who trusts in you!

Footnotes:

• Psalm 84 Israelites celebrated three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem annually. The Psalm expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.
• 84:4 The desire of a restless bird for a secure home is an image of the desire of a pilgrim for the secure house of God, cf. Ps 42:2–3, where the image for the desire of the pilgrim is the thirst of the deer for water.
• 84:7 Baca valley: Hebrew obscure; probably a valley on the way to Jerusalem.
• 84:8 Strength to strength: pass through outer and inner wall.
• 84:10 Our shield…your anointed: the king had a role in the liturgical celebration. For the king as shield, cf. Ps 89:19.

Dead Sea Scrolls

• http://www.deadseascrolls.org/
• Learn about:

http://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/learn-about-the-scrolls/introduction?locale=en\_US

• http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/project allowing for close up

examination that was impossible in my studies in graduate school – still controlled by handful of scholars, including one at ND

Song of Songs

Dramatic reading

• NAB allows for dramatic reading

How to interpret?

• good overview of the history of the interpretation of the text: oldest love poem: https://www.ancient.eu/article/750/the-worlds-oldest-love-poem/ cf. the explanation for a sacred rite attached to the poem
• cf. also for the same: http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/4000-year-old-sumerian-love-poem-and-sacred-ritual-marriage-001953

Ugaritic discoveries of 20th c.

insight into ancient Canaanite culture,	religion, etc. as well as language (related to Hebrew)

Textual issues

• Blog re. ancient poetry, quite technical but exhaustive: http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient\_hebrew\_poetry/2005/04/how\_ancient\_heb.html
• Ugarit and the BIble: http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/bible\_ugarit.html Gives examples of how the ancient study allows us to understand the Biblical text better.
• A blog explaining one person's view of the relationship of S of S to other literatures: http://arizonaseminarian.blogspot.com/2013/09/ancient-love-songs-and-poetry-compared.html

History of Religions/Anthropology

• re. sexual relations in Ugaritic/Canaanite religion "Canaanite

Religion" https://people.brandonu.ca/nollk/canaanite-religion/

Feminist

translation to liberate from the constrained biblical imagery, from feminist perspective: https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/58719/1/HAR\_v10\_209.pdf

Psalms (2)

Characteristics (general)

• Spare language … poetry in general, but esp. of Hebrew language
• imagery drawn from the world of the audience
• symbolism, allegory, structure, etc.

Characteristics of Hebrew poetry

• parallelism
• for egs. http://www.crivoice.org/parallel.html

Psalm 54

Confident Prayer in Great Peril

1 For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David, 2 when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “David is hiding among us.”

I

3 O God, by your name[b] save me.

By your strength defend my cause.

4 O God, hear my prayer.

Listen to the words of my mouth.

5 Strangers have risen against me;

the ruthless seek my life; they do not keep God before them. Selah

II

6 God is present as my helper;

the Lord sustains my life.

7 Turn back the evil upon my foes;

in your faithfulness, destroy them.

8 Then I will offer you generous sacrifice

and give thanks to your name, Lord, for it is good.

9 Because it has rescued me from every trouble,

and my eyes look down on my foes.

Footnotes:

• Psalm 54 A lament in which the person under attack calls directly upon God for help (Ps 54:3–5). Refusing to despair, the psalmist hopes in God, who is active in history and just (Ps 54:6–7). The Psalm ends with a serene promise to return thanks (Ps 54:8–9).
• 54:3 By your name: one is present in one’s name, hence God as revealed to human beings.

Psalm 84

Prayer of a Pilgrim to Jerusalem

1 For the leader; “upon the gittith.” A psalm of the Korahites.*

I

2 How lovely your dwelling, O Lord of hosts!

3 My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

4 [b]As the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest to settle her young,

My home is by your altars, Lord of hosts, my king and my God!

5 Blessed are those who dwell in your house! They never cease to praise you. Selah

II

6 Blessed the man who finds refuge in you, in their hearts are pilgrim roads.

7 As they pass through the Baca valley,[c] they find spring water to drink. The early rain covers it with blessings.

8 They will go from strength to strength[d] and see the God of gods on Zion.

III

9 Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

listen, God of Jacob.

Selah

10 [e]O God, watch over our shield;

look upon the face of your anointed.

IV

11 Better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Better the threshold of the house of my God than a home in the tents of the wicked. 12 For a sun and shield is the Lord God, bestowing all grace and glory. The Lord withholds no good thing from those who walk without reproach. 13 O Lord of hosts, blessed the man who trusts in you!

Footnotes:

• Psalm 84 Israelites celebrated three pilgrimage feasts in Jerusalem annually. The Psalm expresses the sentiments of the pilgrims eager to enjoy the divine presence.
• 84:4 The desire of a restless bird for a secure home is an image of the desire of a pilgrim for the secure house of God, cf. Ps 42:2–3, where the image for the desire of the pilgrim is the thirst of the deer for water.
• 84:7 Baca valley: Hebrew obscure; probably a valley on the way to Jerusalem.
• 84:8 Strength to strength: pass through outer and inner wall.
• 84:10 Our shield…your anointed: the king had a role in the liturgical celebration. For the king as shield, cf. Ps 89:19.

Dead Sea Scrolls

• http://www.deadseascrolls.org/
• Learn about:

http://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/learn-about-the-scrolls/introduction?locale=en\_US

• http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/project allowing for close up

examination that was impossible in my studies in graduate school – still controlled by handful of scholars, including one at ND

Song of Songs

Dramatic reading

• NAB allows for dramatic reading

How to interpret?

• good overview of the history of the interpretation of the text: oldest love poem: https://www.ancient.eu/article/750/the-worlds-oldest-love-poem/ cf. the explanation for a sacred rite attached to the poem
• cf. also for the same: http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/4000-year-old-sumerian-love-poem-and-sacred-ritual-marriage-001953

Ugaritic discoveries of 20th c.

insight into ancient Canaanite culture,	religion, etc. as well as language (related to Hebrew)

Textual issues

• Blog re. ancient poetry, quite technical but exhaustive: http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient\_hebrew\_poetry/2005/04/how\_ancient\_heb.html
• Ugarit and the BIble: http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/bible\_ugarit.html Gives examples of how the ancient study allows us to understand the Biblical text better.
• A blog explaining one person's view of the relationship of S of S to other literatures: http://arizonaseminarian.blogspot.com/2013/09/ancient-love-songs-and-poetry-compared.html

History of Religions/Anthropology

• re. sexual relations in Ugaritic/Canaanite religion "Canaanite

Religion" https://people.brandonu.ca/nollk/canaanite-religion/

Feminist

translation to liberate from the constrained biblical imagery, from feminist perspective: https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/58719/1/HAR\_v10\_209.pdf