Psalm 6/Assumptions# 517477d54d1d8dfe56888802c7fe0f45
Psalm 6/Assumptions# ccaf1c73ec28a4a89d16ef56e656a4ae
David is a prophet (2 Sam. 23:1f; cf. Acts 2:30)
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 868ffa87b05978b295c91348bb8d2fbd
As a song of David, this has the imprimatur of the king.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 72c40fab8775ee56a0f146d5741bebc3
This song is to be interpreted as from David's perspective.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# d14e2187b5a8fca290cad9c2de5b7353
This psalm is not tied to a particular event in the life of David.
This psalm is to be performed/prayed by Israelites other than David.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# b4667afd4e360980ad1c2aa722d433b3
YHWH is the creator of heaven and earth (Gen. 1-2).
YHWH is the covenant God of Israel and of David, Israel's king.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 22722d8e2e84b70dbf2607aefe646875
Good fathers discipline their sons (Prov. 13:24; 23:13-14; cf. 2 Sam. 7:14).
Discipline is a necessary response to disobedience.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# bb5b589cd34ad5f04b3116687ead2573
The purpose for discipline is correction and/or retribution (''SDBH'').
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 9e88c0086ad8265fa9470ce93a35da9c
It is possible to discipline without anger.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 186e5aaed78011d9c62a61dfab7435d7
Discipline itself is to be desired, just not discipline animated by anger.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# e6d5f1390b7e328669c92de0caa332cc
Discipline in anger could lead to death and destruction.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 23fccb8f40e2abb95e86d86499de9f57
Discipline in mercy could lead to restoration.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# c47fd99ec16521eec509a48017fcfa4f
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 40ade846fafbb70fec1dfc077a1130f8
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 9947afcae71426290478b12db0c525ec
Sickness may come from YHWH and is perceived to be more directly connected to divine activity than are other distressing situations, such as enemies (2 Sam. 24:13-15), though these too ultimately come from YHWH.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# e6a82dfc3c79d88432c56409d512230b
Sickness may be a form of divine punishment (2 Sam. 24:13-15; see ''SDBH'' on נֶגַע).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# e7a6f5d12a87753901c00e7c39449f4a
David's illness is the manifestation of YHWH's discipline.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# d8606a0d87c852eaa23098d2fa9a6e69
Humans are a psychosomatic unity, having both a body and a soul (an animating life-principle) (Gen. 2:7; cf. 1 Kgs. 17:21-22; Isa. 10:18).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# d11a6f859c67cfbf128c08e5cad12446
David's suffering has gone on for some time (confirmed, v. 7b).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 284dd7d5f9840503bbea17253bf578a3
YHWH is able to end the suffering at any time.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 3889122691f9b7a4d6d5b15f6efae9b8
YHWH is in covenant with David (2 Sam. 7; Ps. 89:4).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 71e6ed0e2fc02718733e62f5963d422a
חסד (loyalty) is a characteristic of covenant relationships.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 84afdacb5798a569c24179c05ea858c3
Psalm 6/Assumptions# e2900c25df16d7653301e3d33ce883f5
Even when David sins, YHWH's HESED will not leave חסד (1 Sam. 7:14-15).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 50e0617e6c34f3139ce843de624a3a64
YHWH's rescuing David would be a fulfillment of covenant obligations.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 64902b6d2d137305bf02d7b2fcbfaa77
David's not being rescued would mean a failure for YHWH to uphold his end of the covenant relationship.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 7baf9e1348dd312f88419c2ca1d8f94b
The covenant relationship is still intact, even after David's disobedience (cf. 2 Sam. 7:14-15, "I will discipline him..., but my loyalty will not depart from him...")
If David dies, he will be unable to mention YHWH's name.
If David goes to Sheol, he will be unable to praise/thank YHWH.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 5da83fe7cbdf863e45b0add7e9614cd0
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 3a3ed1458a807b036fed14b7d294bfd8
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 95f20d7dbf7c3f67bef7b38f564707e4
Beds were sometimes associated with sickness (2 Kgs. 1:4; Ps. 41:4).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 5e69e0bd255537f72ce4bc41e8c03b7d
It was commonly (though not always correctly) assumed that sickness is the result of sin (cf. Pss. 41:4; 107:17-20; Job 4:7-11, 8:1-22, 11:13-20; cf. John 9:2).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 83ed5364d10b1dcf836750b44c035e7b
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 6d7e3aab3b505eaca151084750c679de
David's enemies are (indirectly) part of the disciplinary process.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# dadc70b4cab4edd9265d5a352bed4c19
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 061caae6de5478de7c44baae278cd253
David's enemies are near him in some sense.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# e45e7a3b18fcfdb0fece9c1aa17592e2
In opposing David, the enemies have opposed YHWH and thereby committed "wickedness."
Psalm 6/Assumptions# dadd064a1ccb7deb8bba36b380be9045
The enemies did not expect YHWH to hear David's prayer.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# d4469ce56a7acfe46efb78d70a7af709
Psalm 6/Assumptions# a89b51d9b1f77ded72820bebe4046963
David petitioned YHWH's favor (cf. v. 3a)
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 7940a7b0c69756ca63572b0f8f9f083e
''Lex talionis'' (Lev. 24:20); imprecatory prayers in the psalms are rooted in the law of just retribution (cf. Crisis,_Cursing,_and_the_Christian)
Psalm 6/Assumptions# ef4d6c38942b3e09fc585903aecb8549
Psalm 6/Assumptions# ad500f59b67f19f44f857c8ff71a5eb0
The doings of wicked people come back on their own heads (e.g., Ps. 7:17).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 9b34e13921ec12a91285cdee5dab809a
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 91e2cb8a13640852157abcd2cf24aeed
The enemies are publicly humiliated for having opposed God's chosen one.
David had experienced public shame during his suffering.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 6798526a16f0a7b33ee223b75d49e2a5
It is normal for songs to have superscriptions.'"`UNIQ--ref-000019E3-QINU`"' E.g., "the superscripts to Egyptian hymns mention genre classification and/or authorship."'"`UNIQ--ref-000019E4-QINU`"'
It is normal for songs to have superscriptions. E.g., "the superscripts to Egyptian hymns mention genre classification and/or authorship."
The consistent structure of biblical psalm superscriptions is (1) +/- address (2) +/- musical notation (3) +/- genre/author (4) +/- liturgical notation (5) +/- historical superscription'"`UNIQ--ref-000019E6-QINU`"'
The consistent structure of biblical psalm superscriptions is (1) +/- address (2) +/- musical notation (3) +/- genre/author (4) +/- liturgical notation (5) +/- historical superscription
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 125a5ebc6cad827acc80959afa03d316
In Israel, the king "both incorporates and represents the people."'"`UNIQ--ref-000019E9-QINU`"'
In Israel, the king "both incorporates and represents the people."
Psalm 6/Assumptions# c4a12c3668b5f70b94efe7b030196ac1
"Music is an accomplishment that kings - Shulgi, king of Ur, or David, king of Israel - needed to master in order to become model rulers. Therefore, music was part of the education of rulers and the elite.'"`UNIQ--ref-000019EC-QINU`"'
"Music is an accomplishment that kings - Shulgi, king of Ur, or David, king of Israel - needed to master in order to become model rulers. Therefore, music was part of the education of rulers and the elite.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 1805f2aab81d9daaca726d09679619c3
In the psalms, as elsewhere in the ANE, "the king is privileged in prayer," and he is "prominent in leading prayers."'"`UNIQ--ref-000019EE-QINU`"'
In the psalms, as elsewhere in the ANE, "the king is privileged in prayer," and he is "prominent in leading prayers."
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 24475e0fabb244e61b880a07c702f0fd
The king is God's son. "The Canaanite and ANE culture shows that the notion of the king as a son of god was well established."'"`UNIQ--ref-000019F7-QINU`"' (Cf. Ps. 2:7; 2 Sam. 7:14).
The king is God's son. "The Canaanite and ANE culture shows that the notion of the king as a son of god was well established." (Cf. Ps. 2:7; 2 Sam. 7:14).
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 231618f775fdf1c8357eecc62acd159d
Deities may be said to experience emotions such as anger. "The overwhelming majority of instances of anger in the OT speak of God's anger"'"`UNIQ--ref-000019FC-QINU`"'
Deities may be said to experience emotions such as anger. "The overwhelming majority of instances of anger in the OT speak of God's anger"
Psalm 6/Assumptions# f79fff1ef9f9b29883d1f8fa9524f304
In the Psalms, sickness is closely linked with sin" (Pss. 41:4; 107:17-20)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001A09-QINU`"'
In the Psalms, sickness is closely linked with sin" (Pss. 41:4; 107:17-20)."
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 8ba59fbc23930a12d5931b571fa49ab9
Dead people go to a place called "Sheol," a proper name for "the underworld" (BDB, HALOT). Sheol is a place of great depth (e.g., Deut. 32:22), guarded by gates (e.g., Isa. 38:10), associated with darkness (e.g., Job 17:13), dust (e.g., Job 17:16), and silence (e.g., Ps. 31:18). '"`UNIQ--ref-00001A17-QINU`"' R.L. Harris has argued that Sheol is a poetic synonym for קֶבֶר, referring merely to the grave. "Its usage does not give us a picture of the state of the dead in gloom, darkness, chaos, or silence, unremembered, unable to praise God, knowing nothing... Rather, this view gives us a picture of a typical Palestinian tomb, dark, dusty, with mingled bones and where 'this poor lisping stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.'"'"`UNIQ--ref-00001A18-QINU`"'
Dead people go to a place called "Sheol," a proper name for "the underworld" (BDB, HALOT). Sheol is a place of great depth (e.g., Deut. 32:22), guarded by gates (e.g., Isa. 38:10), associated with darkness (e.g., Job 17:13), dust (e.g., Job 17:16), and silence (e.g., Ps. 31:18). R.L. Harris has argued that Sheol is a poetic synonym for קֶבֶר, referring merely to the grave. "Its usage does not give us a picture of the state of the dead in gloom, darkness, chaos, or silence, unremembered, unable to praise God, knowing nothing... Rather, this view gives us a picture of a typical Palestinian tomb, dark, dusty, with mingled bones and where 'this poor lisping stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.'"
“The Semites from Canaan did not usually sleep on raised beds, but rather on skins spread on the floor. When the bed was a piece of raised furniture, it took a form similar to beds used in most cultures today.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00001A20-QINU`"' The wealthy (e.g., kings) slept on raised beds.
“The Semites from Canaan did not usually sleep on raised beds, but rather on skins spread on the floor. When the bed was a piece of raised furniture, it took a form similar to beds used in most cultures today.” The wealthy (e.g., kings) slept on raised beds.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 11eb9ffae0c71d2e6673a257a465ce54
"The reference to enemies may be the result of a common experience of the sick in ancient Israel; many persons believed that the sick were sinners, being judged by God, so that even a sick man's friends might become his enemies."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001A23-QINU`"' See e.g., Ps. 38:12.
"The reference to enemies may be the result of a common experience of the sick in ancient Israel; many persons believed that the sick were sinners, being judged by God, so that even a sick man's friends might become his enemies." See e.g., Ps. 38:12.
Psalm 6/Assumptions# b6313dd51d31a4e733314d51f82c91e2
The sickness of a king would give opportunity to his enemies, whether domestic or foreign (cf. Pss. 38:13, 17; 41:6-11). In Psalm 41, for example, the king's "lament centres not on his ailment but on the opportunity it gives to his enemies, those perpetual accompaniments of a king's life. Respectful visitors to the sickbed secretly plot his overthrow."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001A25-QINU`"'
The sickness of a king would give opportunity to his enemies, whether domestic or foreign (cf. Pss. 38:13, 17; 41:6-11). In Psalm 41, for example, the king's "lament centres not on his ailment but on the opportunity it gives to his enemies, those perpetual accompaniments of a king's life. Respectful visitors to the sickbed secretly plot his overthrow."
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 1e6e8fd06a1e9e42bbd38135ece207a7
The enemies of the king are the enemies of his God and vice-versa. "The Israelite king's view of his enemies can be compared with that of other sacred kings. The Assyrian king, for example, considered his enemies as enemies of his gods, guilty of impious rebellion."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001A29-QINU`"'
The enemies of the king are the enemies of his God and vice-versa. "The Israelite king's view of his enemies can be compared with that of other sacred kings. The Assyrian king, for example, considered his enemies as enemies of his gods, guilty of impious rebellion."
YHWH forgives David's sin. "The fact that God heard has heard the supplication means that the suppliant has been forgiven."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001A30-QINU`"'
YHWH forgives David's sin. "The fact that God heard has heard the supplication means that the suppliant has been forgiven."
Psalm 6/Assumptions# 0a3032dcb6d42bf1b1747e6ea0d6b6a3