Psalm 89/Notes/Lexical.v. 13.388041

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  • Hermon is a "mountain and mountain range stretching from southern Syria to northern Palestine" (DCH; cf. Röllig 1999, 411-412), also called שִׂיאֹן (Deut 4:48), שִׂרְיֹן (Deut 3:9), and שְׂנִיר (Deut 3:9). It was associated with divine activity (cf. 1 Enoch 6:5; 2 Enoch 18:4) and with the storm god Baal in particular (cf. "Baal of Hermon" in Jdg 3:3; 1 Chr 5:23).
  • "Tabor is the name of a mountain in Lower Galilee" (Mussies 1999, 827; cf. Jdg 4:6, 12, 14; 8:18; Josh 19:22; Jer 46:18; Hos 5:1). Mount Tabor, like Hermon, might have also been associated with the worship of foreign gods (cf. Hos 5:1; Frankel 1992, 305).
  • Whereas people worshiped gods other than YHWH on Hermon and Tabor, Ps 89:13b says that these mountains "rejoice in your name," i.e., the mountains recognize YHWH as their creator and Lord and gladly accept his rule.
  • In light of the mythological mountains mentioned in the b-line, it is tempting to understand the words צפון and ימין in the a-line as referring to mountains as well (rather than simply "north and south," so most English translations). Zaphon (צפון), the Hebrew word for "north," is also the name of a mountain north of Israel, "the sacred mountain of the storm god Baal" (Roth 1992, 1040; cf. COS 1.98: "Temple of Baal-Zaphon"). In fact, it was "the cosmic mountain par excellence in Northwest-Semitic religions" (Niehr 1999, 152). Thus, "the name 'Baal-zaphon' was even transferred to further Baal-sanctuaries outside Ugarit," such as in Egypt (Niehr 1999, 152; cf. "Baal-Zaphon" in Exod 14:2; Num 33:7).
  • Some have identified "Yamin" (ימין) in Ps 89:13 with the mountain "Amana" (אמנה) mentioned in Song 4:8 where it is associated with Mt. Hermon (so e.g., Dahood 314)—"Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana (אֲמָנָה), from the peak of Senir and Hermon" (Song 4:8). Dahood argues that ימן in Ps 89 is an alternative spelling for אמן. The NEB translators emend וְיָמִין to וַאֲמָנָה (see Brockington 1971, 144): "Thou didst create Zaphon and Amanus; Tabor and Hermon echo thy name" (cf. NAB).
  • Even if we follow the MT and read "north and south" in v. 13a, it is likely that there is also an allusion to the mountains of Zaphon and Amanus: "Behind the compass directions, especially in connection with Tabor and Hermon, lie the traditional Ugaritic mountains of the gods, Zaphon and Amanus, near the city of Ugarit" (Hossfeld and Zenger 2005, 409).