Property: Background Ideas
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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<ul><li>In ancient Israel, the king was also the judge who decided cases (2 Sam. 15:2; 1 Kgs 3:16-24).</li>
</li>YHWH is King David's "King" (see v. 3), and his heavenly court is the highest court in the land.</li>
<li>The rising of the morning sun was associated with the enactment of justice, and people would bring their cases before the king in the morning (cf. 2 Sam. 15:2).</li>
<li>God's house was the place of worship and God's immediate presence (cf. Pss. 42-43). To be away from God's house was distressing.</li>
<li>When David was away from the temple, he longed to return (cf. 2 Sam. 15:25; Pss. 27).</li>
<li>Since the temple is YHWH's "house" (v. 8), YHWH is a host to those sojourning in, or traveling to, his house.</li>
<li>In the ancient Near East, hosts were obligated to keep their guests safe from enemies (cf. Ps. 23:5-6).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>Israel was meant to be an example, showing others what it looks like to live under YHWH's blessing (cf. Deut 4:6–7; 1 Kgs 8:41–43; Zech 8:20–23; cf. Gen 12:1–3). In this sense, YHWH's blessing on Israel was like a "banner" (נֵס), which is "used to identify a particular group" (SDBH) and point the way to a place of security and rest (cf. Isa 11:10–12; Jer 4:6; Ps 60:6).</li>
<li>In Deut 33, Moses prophesied that Israel would be blessed with abundant harvests in the land (Deut 33:28), and that they would "invite foreigners to their mountain and offer the right sacrifices there" (Deut 33:19, GNT). (On the relationship between Ps 4 and Deut 33, see Poetic Feature 3.)</li>
<li>In the land of Canaan, successful harvests are dependent upon right amounts of rain at the right times (cf. Deut 11:11–12; Lev 26:4). Rain was regarded as the "good" (טוֹב) par excellence (Jer 5:25; Ps 85:13; cf. Dahood 1965, 25).</li>
<li>Rain comes from God (cf. Deut 11:11–12; Lev 26:4; 1 Kgs 17:1), or, in the mind of other nations, from their "gods" (cf. Jer 14:22). People would worship other gods to gain their favor and secure rainfall for their crops (cf. Jer 14:22; Zech 10:1–2; Hos 2:7; 7:14).</li>
<li>YHWH's relationship to the people was, in some ways, mediated by the king (cf. Eaton 1975, 165–168, 172–177), and so the king was held responsible for the land's fertility (cf. Pss 72; 144; 2 Sam 23:3–4; KAI 26 = COS 2.31; cf. Eaton 1975, 30, 165–168). A righteous king meant blessing for the land.</li></ul> +
<ul><li>It was the prerogative of those considered to be upright by the standards of YHWH's law to "assume the privilege of the righteous and pray for vindication" (Craigie 2004, 163; TWOT, 752-753). Moreover, it was expected that those who lived a righteous life would, therefore, be heard by God, especially when they entreated him for justice (Pss 5; 7:4-6, 9-11; 34:16-18; 66:18-19; 84:12; Prov 15:8-9; 29; 2 Chron 7:14) (Delitzsch 1883, 291-293).</li>
<li>Appealing to YHWH to punish one's enemies involved presenting a convincing depiction of one's enemies with regard to egregious nature of the evil they were guilty of (Keel 1997, 85, 96-97). Vivid descriptions of the treacherous ways of the wicked are seen to accompany the imprecations spoken against them (Pss 5:10-11; 28:3-5; 56:2-3, 6-7; 58:3-6; 109:2-5, 16-20) (Keel 1997, 97).</li>
<li>"The experience of God in the temple is described as 'seeing God' or 'the face of God' (Pss 42:2; 63:2; 84:7)" (Keel 1997, 201). However, there is no firm indication in Psalm 17 that David is taking part in an incubation ritual of some sort.</li></ul> +
<ul><li>LIGHT: In the HB the LORD's face is a source of light. Psalm 27 shares key terms with the priestly blessing prescribed in Numbers 6:24, 25, which connects light (shine) with the LORD's face. Numbers 6:24ff: "The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord cause His face to shine on you, and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His face to you, and give you peace."</li><li>
TENT: The tent is a temporary structure, the dwelling place of YHWH symbolising his presence among his people. "The tent spoken of was not the Mosaic tabernacle of the congregation--for that remained at Gibeon until Solomon removed it to the Temple (see 2 Chron. i. 3,4)–but the tent which David erected for the Ark, when he removed it to Zion (2 Sam. vi. 17)" (Perowne, 268).</li><li>
ROCK: a. "The metaphor is used with reference to the temple in Jerusalem as the place where Yahweh reveals himself as protector of his people... Within Jerusalem cult tradition, Yahweh as a ‘Rock’ was primarily a symbol of refuge, and this symbolism had its physiological pole in Mount Zion (Salvador Fernandes, 51); b. "The rock may be the rock of Araunah's threshing floor" (Perowne, 268) [from 2 Sam. 24:18-25].</li><li>
SHOUT: Acclamations often accompanied worship in the HB. The word is used of shouting, as the acclamation of a king (Numbers 23:21), jubilation at moving of the ark of covenant (1 Samuel 4:5-6; 2 Samuel 6:15)... in worship, and in feast days.</li><li>
DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF YHWH: "One of the great themes running throughout Scripture, particularly evident in the Psalms, is the desire of the people of God to dwell with God, to worship him, to know him" (Blackburn, 121) </li></ul> +
<ul><li>People everywhere experience that they cannot completely protect or provide for themselves (including making rain fall or crops grow); they are ultimately dependent on divine intervention.
</li><li>God promised Abraham that he would bless him and bless the families of the earth through him (Genesis 12:1-3); Abraham's descendants became the nation of Israel. Blessings covered many aspects of life (Deuteronomy 28), including the production of crops, which would provide food for people and their animals.
</li><li>Israel was commanded to bring their firstfruits of harvest to YHWH (Leviticus 23:9-14; Exodus 34:22). There they would encounter both the priests of YHWH, who would give his blessing (Numbers 6:22-27), and music (1 Chronicles 16 and 25).
</li><li>Israel was surrounded by nations that did not know YHWH, but they knew that others would be drawn to him when they heard about his care for Israel (e.g., Joshua 4:24; 1 Kings 8:41-43; 1 Kings 10; Psalm 102:16).
</li><ul> +
<ul><li>Sheol is the Biblical denomination for the underworld, the realm of the dead, located under the Earth. (Am 9:2, Ezek 31: 17, Pro 5:5). People who are about to die consider themselves to be in or at the gates of Sheol (Ps 30:4, 2Sam 22:6, Jonah 2:3), but YHWH can always redeem them from there (Hos 13:14, Jonah 2:3, Ps 30:4, 49:16).
</li><li>The "outcasts" (חָפְשִׁי) were a low social class, despised and excommunicated. Cf. Exegetical Issue on v. 6a.
</li><li>The "slain" (חֲלָלִים) are those who die in a violent way, particularly in battle (1Sam 17:52, 31:8, 2Sam 1:19, 1Kings 11:15, Jer 51:4). They were a despised class in the Netherworld, since they were buried in mass graves (שׁׁכְבֵי קֶבֶר), if at all (cf. Ezek 32:20-23).
</li><li>Some common images for death and Sheol are: the Pit (בּוֹר), namely the tomb, entry point to Sheol (Ezek 26:20, Prov 1:12, Ps 30:4, Isa 38:18); darkness (Job 17:13; 3:5, Ps 107:10); deep waters (Lam 3:54-55, Ps 18:5-6 69:2-3, Jonah 2:4,6). Additionally, there are several psalms which share the motif of a judgment by water (Pss 18 [2 Sam 22]; 66; 69; 88; 124; 144 plus the psalm in Jonah 2).
</li><li>YHWH’s policies do not include interfering in Sheol. It is the "land of oblivion", the inhabitants of which are forgotten by YHWH (cf. v. 6b, Ps 31:13, Eccl 9:5), and therefore no voice is raised to praise the wonders of YHWH (see Ps 6:6; 30:10; 115:17; Isa 38:18-19). cf. also Exegetical Issue #1.</li></ul> +
<ul><li>Sickness is a common form of divine punishment (Ps 6:1-2, 102:3-4, 10-11; Keel 1997, 80).</li></li>YHWH is the ultimate judge and so has the right to condemn or acquit David accordingly.</li><li>Sickness is sometimes used metaphorically to describe spiritual or mental suffering.</li><li>Disease could lead to ostracism because it is a result of divine judgment and because of the Levitical laws concerning some diseases that require the sick person to leave camp (Ryken et al. 1982, 2182; Lev 13:46; 14:19-20; see John 9:1).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>Songs in praise of the king (rather than the deity) are common in the ANE, though rare in the biblical psalms. One example is the Egyptian marriage stele of Rameses II, which presents the marriage as as part of a political alliance following a military victory.</li>
<li> Lips of kindness are associated with wisdom and virtue (Prov 22:1, 11; Ecc 10:12); the ideal ANE king spoke with wisdom.</li>
<li> The ideal ANE king was a warrior.</li>
<li> Ancient royal marriages were often political arrangements between one nation and another. The marriage described in this psalm may have been arranged as part of a political alliance between Isreal/Judah and a neighbouring state (such as Tyre). The NET Bible translates Heb. "your people" (v. 11) as "your homeland" to reflect this situation.</li></ul> +
<ul><li>The King is God's son, and, just as a father disciplines his son, so God promised to disciple the king when he disobeyed. "I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him... But my love will never be taken away from him (2 Sam. 7:14-15).</li>
<li>Sickness is a common form of divine punishment, and it was interpreted as a sign of divine rejection.</li>
<li>The king's enemies would always be seeking an opportunity to seize power.</li></ul> +
<ul><li>The appropriate response to YHWH's deliverance is to bless/praise YHWH (cf. Ps. 103).</li>
<li>Lengthening one's days (i.e., living a long time) and seeing "good" is a tremendous blessing (cf. Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16, 33; 6:2; 25:15; 1 Kgs. 3:14; cf. Paul Sanders, "A Long Life as a Blessing in the Old Testament and the Ancient Levant," forthcoming).</li>
<li>Fearing YHWH is the key to a long and peaceful life (cf. Deut. 5:33).</li>
<li>The alphabet is a symbol of completeness (cf. Gottwald 1954:23-32; IVP Dictionary, “Acrostic”, Soll Anchor Bible Dictionary; Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry 2001; Zenger 1993:211). In an acrostic poem, the poet takes a topic (e.g., Torah [Ps. 119], or the virtuous woman [Prov. 31]) and expounds on it completely (from every possible angle), so that the reader walks away with a high-resolution image of the topic (i.e., he/she understands it “from A to Z”).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>The common practice of kings and lords is to accrue glory for themselves, not to bestow it upon others.</li><li>YHWH gave dominion to (i.e., bestowed glory on) the sun, moon, and stars (Gen 1:16-18; Ps 136:8-9), which are associated with heavenly beings (cf. Job 38:7; Rev 1:20; cf. [https://archive.org/details/the-context-of-scripture/page/n309/mode/2up?view=theater COS I:181]).</li><li>YHWH created humans as his image and gave them universal dominion (cf. Gen 1:26ff).</li><li>YHWH promised to give David's dynasty universal dominion (cf. Pss 2; 72; 89; 110).</li><li>"Portrayal of man in his paradisal splendour was especially linked in the ancient world with the royal office" ([https://archive.org/details/the-context-of-scripture/page/n309/mode/2up?view=theater Eaton 1967, 45]).</li><li>Wild animals are sometimes used to depict the enemies of God's people (e.g., Pss 7:3; 10:9; 17:12; 22:13, 17, 22; 80:14; cf. Dan 6-7).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>The evil actions of the "wicked" (רשׁע; vv. 2-5) threaten the lives of those who are "upright in heart" (ישׁרי לב; v. 11) (cf. Ps 11:2).</li>
<li>YHWH's "loyalty" (חֶסֶד) refers to his commitment to fulfill his obligations towards his people — his "covenant partners" — and demonstrate this commitment by his actions (see SDBH).</li>
<li>YHWH's temple is a place of safety and security (cf. Pss 27:5; 61:4-5).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>The question "How long? signals lament. It it not really a question, but rather, in speech act terms, an expressive. Similar expressions are known from ancient Mesopotamia, often in prayers for healing.</li>
<li> Sickness was viewed as just as dire a situation as a battle wound, brought on by men's curses and overcome by YHWH's compassion.</li>
<li> The expression "to hide one's face" is used several times in the Psalms, in the sense of turning a blind eye to the suffering of the innocent (Pss 10:11; 13:2; 22:25; 27:9; 30:8; 44:25; 51:11; 69:18; 88:15; 102:3; 104:29 (obj.: animals); 143:7).</li>
<li> YHWH promised to David that: <ul>
<li> he would one day be king (1 Sam 16:1, 12), </li>
<li> his house and kingdom would be established forever (2 Sam 7:16).</li></ul></li></ul> +
<ul><li>YHWH created everything and shows his authority and sovereignty over all creation</li>
<li> After doing so, YHWH assumes his position of rest in his cosmic temple</li>
<li> Mount Zion represents both the centre of creation and the temple-city of YHWH's special presence</li>
<li> The temple/Ark presence involved 'military' language even in worship and sacrifice</li>
<li> The Israelites had a history of trying to manipulate the ark and to worship according to their own understanding, not recognizing the boundaries of YHWH's holiness</li>
<li> Those who will now accompany the ark's entrance to Jerusalem must do so in right worship and in light of YHWH's holiness</li></ul> +
<ul><li>YHWH disciplines those he loves (Deut 8:5; 2 Sam 7:14; Jer 30:11; 31:18-20; Prov 3:12; Ps 32:3-5; 94:12).</li>
<li>The instrument of his discipline will not go unpunished (Jer 30:11, 16; Hab 3:1-16).</li>
<li>The same authority expressed when YHWH established his creation is the authority expressed when YHWH established his word (Ps 24:1-2; 119:152).</li>
<li>YHWH's enduring faithfulness to his creation implicates his enduring faithfulness to his people (Gen 8:22; Jer 31:36; Ps 96:10).</li>
<li>As a metonymical extension, devotion to YHWH's word amounts to devotion to YHWH himself (Reynolds 2010, 34ff., Procházková 2021, 81; see also Isa 42:21, Ps 97:8).</li>
<li>Obedience to YHWH's word is impossible without YHWH's help (Jer 32:39-40; Ezek 36:24-28).</li>
<li>An ingathering of kings will seek and learn YHWH's word (Isa 2:1-4; 60:3; Ps 2:10-12; Ps 102:19-23; Ps 148:11 and especially Ps 138:1-5).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>YHWH has been faithful in Israel's past and in David's early life.</li>
<li> YHWH's faithful loyalty results in his praise.</li>
<li> Onlookers think that anyone who suffers must deserve it.</li>
<li> If YHWH does not help, there is no one else.</li>
<li> YHWH does not treat the sufferer's affliction as worthless.</li>
<li> The rescued hold a thanksgiving meal and invite the poor.</li>
<li> Those invited join the recovered in songs of praise.</li></ul> +
<ul><li>YHWH is a king (Psa. 10:16).</li>
<li>The king was also the one responsible for maintaining order and therefore functioned as a judge (ABD, s.v. 'King and Kingship). Kings in Israel were also responsible for maintaining the rights of the poor and vulnerable (Psa 72; Miller 2004, 192).</li>
<li>YHWH is also the creator (Gen. 1; Psa 24:1). As creator only he has the power to reverse the social order (1 Sam 2:8; TDOT 15:559).</li>
<li>Innocent blood defiles God's land, which, since he is king over the earth, includes the whole world. The only thing that can cover innocent blood is the blood of the one who spilled it (Num 35:33).</li>
<li>The 'gates' of Sheol symbolised death's inescapable power (Hupfeld 1888, 144; ABD s.v. 'Dead, Abode of the'; Psa 9:13; 107:18; 38:17; Isa 38:10; 3 Macc 5:5; Matthew 16:18)</li>
<li>YHWH makes himself known through his mighty and terrifying acts (v. 17; cf. Isa 19:20–21; 66:13–15).</li>
<li>Sinful man, who came from nothingness, must return to it (see Huppfeld 1888, 147; Ross 2011, 312; Gen 3:19; Job 1:21; 30;23; 90:3; 104:29).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>YHWH is the judge of all the earth who rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked (see Gen 18:25).</li>
<li>The success of the wicked poses a perennial challenge to the idea of YHWH's justice (see Jer 12:1; Mal 3:14-15; Ps 73; Job 20-21; cf. The Babylonian Theodicy VII, XXIII in COS 1.154).</li>
<li>YHWH promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants (see Gen 12:7; 15:7, 18-21), and in the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, YHWH fulfilled his promise (see Josh 21:43-45; Jdg 2:6; 1 Kgs 8:56). But Israel's continued possession of the land depended on their faithfulness to the covenant (see Lev 26; Deut 28; cf. Ezra 9:10-12; 1 Chron 28:8) (cf. [https://repository.sbts.edu/handle/10392/4292 Martin 2013]).</li>
<li>In the end, "all of [YHWH's] people will be righteous, and they [i.e., the righteous] will possess the land forever" (Isa 60:21; cf. Isa 57:13; 65:9; Jer 30:3; Gen 13:15; 17:8; 48:4; Exod 32:13; Josh 14:9).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>YHWH is the just judge of all humankind, and he gives the wicked that which is according to their deeds (Prov 24:12; Rom 2:6; Jer 17:10; Pss 7:8-11; 50:6; 62:12; 67:4).</li>
<li>YHWH does not heed the prayers of the wicked (Isa 59:1-2), but his ears are attentive to the righteous' cry for help (Ps 34:15; Prov 15:29; Micah 3:4).</li>
<li>David is in covenant with YHWH. YHWH has promised to David that he would build him a house (=a dynasty) that would last forever (2 Sam 7:11, 16; Ps 61:5-7).</li>
<li>YHWH chose Israel to be his own people (Exod 19:5). Hence, Israel is regarded as YHWH's possession = "heritage," "inheritance" (SDBH; Pss 33:12; 28:9; 135:4; Deut 4:20, 7:6, 9:29).</li></ul> +
<ul><li>YHWH made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants, promising to give them the land of Canaan (Gen. 12; 15; 17; cf. Ps. 105:8–11).</li>
<li>Because of his covenant with Abraham, YHWH redeemed his people from Egypt and brought them into the promised land (cf. Ex. 2:24; 6:2–8).</li>
<li>YHWH's great deeds and wonderful acts are associated especially with the Exodus story. In the Exodus story, YHWH redeems his people (Ex. 1–15), provides them with food in the desert (Ex. 16), and gives them the law (Ex. 19ff).</li>
<li>YHWH settled his people in the land so that they would keep his commandments (cf. Ps. 105:44–45).</li>
<li>The people did not keep YHWH's commands, and so YHWH removed them from the land (cf. Ps. 106).</li>
<li>Because of his covenant with Abraham, YHWH promised to rescue his people from exile and from the sin that caused the exile, just as he had rescued them from Egypt. He also promised to give them a king, and to give them the nations as their inheritance (cf. Isa. 40–66; Zech. 9–14; Pss. 2; 110; etc.)</li></ul> +