The Relationship Between Ps. 34 and its Historical Superscription

Back to Psalm 34

Introduction

The traditional Hebrew text of Ps. 34:1 reads as follows:

לְדָוִ֗ד בְּשַׁנּוֹת֣וֹ אֶת־טַ֭עְמוֹ לִפְנֵ֣י אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ וַֽ֝יְגָרֲשֵׁ֗הוּ וַיֵּלַֽךְ׃

Scholars agree that the events described in the superscription of Ps. 34 (i.e., Ps. 34:1) correspond to the events described in 1 Samuel 21:11-22:1. There is one notable difference, however between Ps. 34:1 and the story in 1 Samuel 21. Whereas the king of Gath is called אָכִישׁ in 1 Samuel 21, he is called אֲבִימֶלֶךְ in the superscription of Ps. 34. What is the reason for this discrepancy? Furthermore, what is the relationship between the psalm and its historical superscription? Does the historical superscription convey historical information related to the psalm's origin, or is the connection between the superscription and the psalm the result of an exegetical process, by which a scribe who added the superscription did so on the basis of perceived parallels between Psalm 34 and 1 Samuel 21?

See also the wiki page on Historical Superscriptions.

Argument Maps

Why Abimelech instead of Achish?

Whereas the king of Gath is called אָכִישׁ in 1 Samuel 21, he is called אֲבִימֶלֶךְ in the superscription of Ps. 34. What is the reason for this discrepancy? There are at least three possible answers:

1. The discrepancy is the result of an error.
2. There is no discrepancy; "Abimelech" is a title whereas "Achish" is a personal name.
3. The discrepancy is intentional and meaningful, and the use of "Abimelech" is meant to make a connection to the stories of Abraham (Gen. 20) and Isaac (Gen. 26).

"Abimelech" as Error

Some scholars argued that the use of "Abimelech" in the title of Ps. 34 reflects an error. For example, the NET Bible note says, "the psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point." The arguments for and against this view are as follows.

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[Error]: "Abimelech" is an error for "Achish" (Hupfeld :C:; BDB :L:; HALOT :L:). #dispreferred
 + <"Abimelech" well known>: The name of the Philistine king "Abimelech" is well known because of its appearance in the Abraham and Isaac stories (Gen. 20; Gen. 26). Influenced by these stories, a scribe accidentally wrote "Abimelech" in the title of Ps. 34 instead of "Achish." #dispreferred
 - <Too gross an error>: "It is most unlikely that so fundamental an error would have been committed by a scribe, or that it would have been perpetuated by subsequent scribes and editors" (Craigie 2004:278 :C:; cf. Childs 1971 :A:; Eriksson 1991:32 :M:).

"Abimelech" as Title

Some scholars argue that the Philistine kings were called by the title "Abimelech," just as the kings of Egypt were called by the title "Pharaoh." The arguments for and against this view are as follows.

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[Abimelech as title]: "Abimelech" ("father of a king") is a title, whereas Achish is a personal name (Radak :C:; Rashi :C:; Calvin :C:; Dahood :C:; Craigie :C:).
 + <Analogy>: "The kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh; of Jerusalem, Adonizedeck or Melchizedeck; of the Amalekites, Agag; of Hazor, Jabin; of Jemen, Toba; etc." (Hengstenberg :C:; cf. Calvin :C:). In the same way, "Abimelech" ("father of a king") may be a title for Philistine kings.
 + <Genesis 20; 26>: "We know that many ages before David was born, the kings who reigned in Gerar in the time of Abraham were called Abimelech. It is not, therefore, to be wondered at, that this name should be handed down from age to age among their posterity" (Calvin :C:).
  + [Gen. 20; 26]: In both Genesis 20 (about Abraham) and Genesis 26 (about Isaac), the Philistine king is referred to as "Abimelech."
 - <Not suitable title>: Abimelech ("father of a king") is not a suitable title for a king (Baethgen 1904:94 :C:). #dispreferred
  - <Hereditary descent>: "Abimelech means 'father of a king' and refers to the *hereditary* descent of the crown among the Philistines, in opposition to the practice of *electing* the sovereign, which obtained in the neighboring nation of the Edomites" (Henstenberg :C:).

"Abimelech" as allusion

Some scholars argue that the author of the psalm title used the name "Abimelech" instead of "Achish" in order to drawn attention to the connection between the story of David in 1 Sam. 21 and the stories of Abraham and Isaac in Gen. 20 and Gen. 26 respectively. The argument for this view is as follows.

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[Association with Abraham and Isaac stories]: "The author of the superscriptions makes a deliberate association of Achish (1 Sam. 21) with Abimelech (Gen. 20; 26). By changing Achish’s name to Abimelech in the psalm’s title, he brings stories of the two patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac, into the reading of David’s narrative" (Johnson 2008:72 :M:; cf. Childs 1971 :A:; Zakovitch 1995 :M:).
 + <Parallels between 1 Sam. 21 and Gen. 20>: David, like Abraham and Isaac, is sojourning in the land of a Philistine king (1 Sam. 21:11; cf. Gen. 20:1; 26:6), where he becomes afraid for his life (1 Sam. 21:13; cf. Gen. 20:11; 26:7). Just as Abraham and Isaac each pretended to be their wives' brothers (cf. Gen. 20:2; 26:6), David pretends to be insane (1 Sam. 21:14).

The Nature of the Superscription: Historical Tradition or Exegetical Process?

What is the relationship between the psalm (i.e., Ps. 34:2-23) and its historical superscription (Ps. 34:1). There are two main options:

1. The superscription conveys reliable historical information related to the psalm's origin, i.e., David wrote this psalm in relation to the events recorded in 1 Sam. 21:11-16.
2. The connection between the superscription and the psalm is the result of an exegetical process, i.e., a later scribe-editor has supplied the superscription on the basis of some perceived literary connection between the psalm and the narrative account in 1 Sam. 21.

Historical tradition

Some scholars argue that the superscription of Ps. 34 is (nearly) as ancient as the psalm itself and that it preserves reliable historical knowledge about the composition of the psalm. The arguments for and against this view are as follows.

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[Historical connection]: Psalm 34 has an historical connection to the events described in 1 Sam. 21; the superscription (Ps. 34:1) gives reliable historical information about the psalm's origins (Apple 2018 :A:; Waltke 2010 :C:).
 + <Historical claim>: If לדוד (v. 1) means "written by David," then the following historical note ("when he changed...") is probably meant to specify the circumstances under which David wrote the psalm. The superscription, therefore, makes an historical claim.
 + <Lack of correspondence>: "The lack of correspondence between the psalm as a whole and the title tends to militate against the addition of the title to the psalm at a later date; there is no evidence or strong grounds for adding such a title to the psalm. Hence, it is probable that the title is ancient and is to be associated with the prehistory of the present psalm" (Craigie 2004:278 :C:).
 - <Dependence on 1 Samuel>: The superscription of Ps. 34 is dependent on the text of 1 Sam. 21, which was written long after the death of David and his contemporaries. Therefore, whoever supplied the superscription probably did not have access to a reliable historical tradition. #dispreferred
  + [Dependence on 1 Samuel]: The same unique expression (שנה טעם) occurs in both Ps. 34:1 (בְּשַׁנּוֹתוֹ אֶת־טַעְמוֹ) and 1 Sam. 21:14 (וַיְשַׁנּוֹ אֶת־טַעְמוֹ). #dispreferred
  - <Direction of dependence not clear>: The direction of dependence is not clear; "the author of the books of Samuel may have borrowed that expression from the title before us" (Hengstenberg :C:).
  - <Inconsistencies with Samuel>: "His source is not the Books of Samuel; for there the king is called אכיש ... His source is a different work, viz. the annals of David" (Delitzsch :C:).

Exegetical process

Most modern scholars either argue or assume that the connection between the superscription of Ps. 34 and 1 Sam. 21:11f is the result of an exegetical process. The arguments for and against this view are as follows.

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[Exegetical process]: The superscription of Psalm 34 (Ps. 34:1) has been inserted as the result of an exegetical process, on the basis of perceived connections between Ps. 34 and 1 Sam. 21:10ff (Childs 1971 :A:; Zenger 1993 :C: Botha 2008 :A:). #dispreferred
 + <Linguistic connections>: There are some linguistic connections between Ps. 34 and the story in 1 Sam. 21 which may have inclined a scribe-editor to see a connection between the two texts. #dispreferred
  + [טעמו]: The word טעמו appears in both Ps. 34:9 and 1 Sam. 21:14 (Hitzig :C:; Zenger 1993 :C:; Johnson 2008 :M:). #dispreferred
   - <Different senses>: "But the sense of the terms differs in each context" (Craigie 2004:278).
  + [התהלל]: "The allusion to 1 Sam has been made primarily on the basis that David, the presumed author of the Psalm, uses of himself in the Psalm a hitpa'el form of the root הלל (Ps. 34:3), coinciding in its consonants with the expression applied to David in an utterly divergent meaning in the historical narrative (1 Sam. 21:14)" (Skehan 1952 :A:; cf. Johnson 2008 :M:). #dispreferred
   - <Different senses>
  - <Lack of evidence for mechanical connection>: "This thesis seems unlikely and lacks the needed evidence, both here and elsewhere, of such a mechanical connection" (Childs 1971:144 :A:).
 + <David's "fear">: Ps. 34 mentions rescue "from all my fears" (v. 5), and "the only explicit reference to David's fear in Samuel comes in this incident with Achish, king of Gath (1 Sam. 21:12; cf. 1 Sam. 23:15)" (Childs 1971:144 :A:; cf. Johnson 2008 :M:). #dispreferred
 - <Lack of overall correspondence>: "The lack of correspondence between the psalm as a whole and the title tends to militate against the addition of the title of the psalm at a later date; there are no evident or strong grounds for adding such a title to the psalm" (Craigie 2004:278 :C:; cf. Delitzsch :C:).

Conclusion

The preceding argument maps have covered two distinct issues: (1) the use of Abimelech instead of Achish in Ps. 34:1, and (2) the relationship between Ps. 34 (vv. 2-23) and its historical superscription (v. 1).

With regard to the first issue, it seems likely that "Abimelech" was a title for Philistine kings. This is the best explanation for the fact that Philistine kings in the days of Abraham (Gen. 20), Isaac (Gen. 26), and David (Ps. 34:1) are all referred to as "Abimelech," just as, for example, Egyptian kings of various times are all referred to as "Pharaoh." "Abimelech" ("father of a king") is an appropriate title for dynastic kings who would have passed on the crown to their sons. Even so, the author of the Ps. 34 superscription chose to refer to the king by his title, "Abimelech," rather than by his personal name, "Achish," perhaps to draw attention to the parallels between David's experience with "Abimelech" and Abraham and Isaac's experiences with "Abimelech."

With regard to the second issue, the historical superscription likely preserves reliable historical information regarding the composition of the psalm. If לדוד is an indication of authorship, and if David actually wrote Ps. 34, then there is no good reason to doubt the historical authenticity of the superscription which claims to specify circumstances related to the psalm's composition. If the historical reliability of the superscription is rejected, then it is difficult to explain how the psalm came to be associated with the events of 1 Sam. 21:11ff, since there is little within the psalm itself that would suggest such an association to a scribe-editor.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: Τῷ Δαυιδ, ὁπότε ἠλλοίωσεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐναντίον Αβιμελεχ, καὶ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν
• Aquila & Quinta: του Δαυιδ οτε ηλλοιωσε το γευμα αυτου εις προσωπον Αβιμελεχ και εξεβαλεν αυτον και απηλθεν
• Symmachus: του Δαυιδ οποτε μετεμορφωσε τον τροπον τον εαυτου εμπροσθεν Αβιμελεχ και εκβαλλων αυτον απηλλαγη
• Jerome: David quando commutavit os sum coram Abimelech et eiecit eum et abiit
• Targum: לדוד כד שני ית מדעיה קדם אבימלך ופטריה ואזל׃
  • "Of David. When he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he dismissed him, and he went away."

Modern

• A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. (KJV)
• Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left. (NIV)
• A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away. (NLT)
• Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. (ESV)
• Written by David when he pretended to be crazy in front of Abimelech, so that Abimelech would send him away, and David could leave. (CEV)
• Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. (NET)
• Of David, when he feigned madness in the presence of Abimelech, who turned him out, and he left (JPS1985).
• For David (when he feigned madness in Abimelech's presence; Abimelech then drove him away, and he departed) (REB)
• Of David, when he had feigned insanity before Abimelech, and Abimelech sent him away
• By David, who left the presence of Abimelech after pretending to be crazy and being sent away by him. (GNT footnote)
• Von David, als er sich wahnsinnig stellte vor Abimelech und dieser ihn vertrieb und er wegging. (LUT)
• Von David. Er verfasste dieses Lied, nachdem er sich vor Abimelech wahnsinnig gestellt hatte und darum weggejagt wurde (HFA)
• Von David. Aus der Zeit, als Abimelech ihn fortgetrieben hatte, weil David sich vor ihm wahnsinnig gestellt hatte (NGÜ)
• Von David. Als er sich vor Abimelech wahnsinnig stellte und dieser ihn wegtrieb und er fortging. (ELB)
• Von David. Als er sich vor Abimelech wahnsinnig stellte und dieser ihn wegtrieb und er ging. (EÜ)
• Von David. Er dichtete dieses Lied, als Abimelech ihn fortgejagt hatte, weil David sich vor ihm wahnsinnig gestellt hatte (GNB)
• Von David, als er sich vor Abimelech wahnsinnig stellte und dieser ihn fortjagte und er wegging. (ZÜR)
• ss omitted (NEB)

References

34:1 Approved