On the back end of section 2 sit Psalms 135 and 136. As was the case with the first section of Book V, which had closed by pairing a series of הּ ָי וּל ְל ַה psalms (Pss 111–117) alongside a psalm containing the summons וֹדּ ְס ַח ם ָלוֹע ְל י ִּכ בוֹט־י ִּכ ה ָוהי ַל וּדוֹה (Ps 118), so too here in the second section, Psalms 135 and 136 adhere to that same pattern.
67The former psalm plays a purely concluding role, whereas the latter is a janus, serving the double function of transitioning out of this section and into the next. Thus, I will firstly examine the ways in which Psalm 135 wraps up section 2, before then considering how Psalm 136 joins together with Psalm 135 to supplement this doxological
conclusion.
68exile and the destruction of both the temple and the city of Jerusalem, perhaps finding correspondence with Pss 125–129. And Book V looks ahead to the future Davidic Messiah who will usher in an eschatological restoration, as envisioned by Pss 130–134.
66 In OT texts like Isa 2:1–4 and Mic 4:1–8, we find precisely this sort of eschatological portrait as the prophets envision the nations streaming up Mount Zion to the house of Yahweh—the Temple—in order to receive his Torah and submit under his rule. Furthermore, Timothy Ward observes that the physical features of the tabernacle and Jerusalem temple reflect a connection between Torah and Temple:
At the heart of the tabernacle (and then subsequently at the heart of the more permanent temple in Jerusalem) sat the ark of the covenant, containing the stones inscribed with the summary of the covenant law (Exod. 25:10–22). Moreover it was directly over this ark, containing God’s covenant words, that God promised to meet with Moses and speak to him (Exod. 25:22). This was a powerful illustration of all God’s covenant-based relationships with his people. His words, literally written in stone, represented the place where he met with the leader of his people, at the centre of their encampment (and later at the centre of their city, Jerusalem). This spoke powerfully of the fact that God’s words were in some sense the mode in which he had chosen to be present among his people.
(Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God [Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009], 29)
67 Psalm 135 utilizes the end-marker הָּי וּל ְל ַׁה to form an inclusio in vv. 1 and 21. Psalm 136 begins with the introductory formula, וֹד ְס ַׁחםָלוֹע ְלי ִכבוֹט־י ִכהָוהיַׁלוּדוֹה, in v. 1, and every subsequent verse in the psalm proceeds to echo the latter half of this line (וֹד ְס ַׁחםָלוֹע ְלי ִכ).
68 As I had done in my treatment of Ps 118 in chapter 3, I will only be considering the particular ways in which 136 concludes the second section of Book V here. Discussion regarding how this
In addition to featuring an inclusio of the structural refrain הּ ָי וּל ְל ַה , which signifies the end of a major section within Book V, Psalm 135 contains a number of other textual indicators that clue us in on its concluding function. Most immediately, the
language used in verses 1–2 is quite similar to that found earlier in Psalm 134:1. Both passages address “servants of Yahweh, who stand in the house of Yahweh,”
69and call on them to worship.
70Thus, Psalm 135 functions as a culminating celebration following the ascension up the figurative steps of Psalms 120–134, with its invitation to “Praise
Yahweh” (vv. 1, 3, and 21), providing a direct response to the anticipated establishment of his eschatological dwelling place.
71Furthermore, there are abundant lexical points of contact tying Psalm 135 back to the הּ ָי וּל ְל ַה psalms of Book V’s first section (Pss 111–
117).
72The cumulative presence of these links suggests that “Psalm 135 serves as a
psalm introduces section 3 of Book V (Pss 136–150) will be deferred to the next chapter.
69 Psalm 134:1 reads, הָוה ְי־תי ֵב ְב םי ִד ְמ ֹע ָה הָוה ְי י ֵד ְב ַׁע, while 135:1–2 reads, הָוה ְי תי ֵב ְב םי ִד ְמ ֹע ֶש הָוה ְי י ֵד ְב ַׁע.
The only difference is that Ps 134:1 attaches the article ָה onto the participle (םי ִד ְמ ֹע ָה), whereas 135:1–2 attaches the relative pronoun ֶש onto the participle (םי ִד ְמ ֹע ֶש). However, this distinction is negligible since both phrases essentially mean the same thing.
70 McCann surmises that it is “as if the editors of the psalter intended for Psalms 135–136 to articulate the praise invited by Ps 134:1–2,” observing that some scholars even believe that Pss 135–136
“form an appendix to the Songs of Ascents” (The Book of Psalms, 1219). Note, as well, the repeated use of the word pairing בוֹט (“good”) and םי ִעָנ (“pleasant”) in both Pss 133:1 and 135:3, a pairing which “only occurs in one other place in the Psalter: 147:1.” James M. Todd III, Remember, O Yahweh: The Poetry and Context of Psalms 135–137 (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2015), 102. For additional lexical parallels between Pss 135 and 133–134, see idem, 100–2.
71 In the Pentateuch, shortly after the completion of the tabernacle (Exod 38), Aaron and the Levites are anointed and consecrated to serve as priests in the sanctuary (Exod 40; Lev 8; Num 3–4). This sequence of events appears to find a parallel in Pss 132–134: the temple is established in 132; Aaron is figuratively anointed in 133:2; and those serving Yahweh in the sanctuary (Ps 134:1–2) mirror the ministry of the Levites. In light of this, Ps 135:19–20 summons the houses of Aaron and Levi (along with the house of Israel and all who fear Yahweh) to bless Yahweh. On this point, I have drawn from Ho, The Design of the Psalter, 159.
72 Several of the most significant links include the following: the opening calls to worship in Pss 113:1 and 135:1, which contain all the same words but in a different order; the use of the name ם ִי ָר ְצ ִמ (“Egypt”) in Pss 114:1 and 135:8–9, which has not occurred anywhere else in Book V up to this point; use of the phrase תי ֵבתוֹר ְצ ַׁח ְב (“in the courts of the house”) in Pss 116:19 and 135:2, which is found nowhere else in Book V; and, especially, all of the closely-worded parallels shared between Pss 115 and 135 (115:3 and 135:6; 115:4–8 and 135:15–18; 115:9–13 and 135:19–20). What is more, this psalm features
intracanonical connections that go well beyond the Hebrew Psalter. Derek Kidner goes so far as to assert,
“Every verse of this psalm either echoes, quotes or is quoted by some other part of Scripture” (Psalms 73–
150: A Commentary on Books III–V of the Psalms, TOTC 14b [London: InterVarsity Press, 1973], 455).
For a list of Ps 135’s intracanonical connections, see Hossfeld and Zenger, Psalms 3, 494–95.
concentrated mirror of the initial collection of Hallelu-YAH psalms of Book V,”
essentially doing in micro format what Psalms 111–117 had accomplished on a macro level.
73Situated beside Psalm 135 is Psalm 136. The psalm’s clear usage of the
structural marker וֹדּ ְס ַח ם ָלוֹע ְל י ִּכ בוֹט־י ִּכ ה ָוהי ַל וּדוֹה (v. 1), trailed by partial reverberations of וּדוֹה (vv. 2–3, 26) and וֹדּ ְס ַח ם ָלוֹע ְל י ִּכ (vv. 2–26), notifies us of the composition’s
introductory function as a part of the next major section in Book V (Pss 136–150). At the same time, however, there are a vast multitude of links stitching this psalm together with the previous one, which suggests that Psalm 136 also works in conjunction with Psalm 135 to bring the current section to its proper close.
74Together, this pair of psalms offers a historical overview of Yahweh’s wonderful works—from creation (Pss 135:7; 136:5–9), to the exodus (Pss 135:8–9; 136:10–15), throughout Israel’s wilderness wanderings and warfare (Pss 135:10–11a; 136:16–20), and culminating with Yahweh’s gift of the inheritance of the promised land (Pss 135:11b–12; 136:21–22).
75In so doing, these psalms ground the eschatological portrait of section 2’s body in the tangible
demonstrations of Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness and love throughout Israel’s history.
73 Robertson, The Flow of the Psalms, 221 (emphasis original). Additionally, as I had alluded to earlier in footnote 2, Ps 135 also connects back to the opening psalm of section 2 (Ps 118) by way of its address to the “house of Israel,” the “house of Aaron,” and “those who fear Yahweh” (see Pss 118:2–4;
135:19–20). This link frames the main body of the second section of Book V and reinforces the notion that Pss 118 and 135 are structural bookends.
74 A significant majority of scholars recognizes the numerous connections tying Pss 135 and 136 together. Snearly summarizes the strongest lexical parallels as follows: “The use of הכנ,רוכב, and םירצמ in Pss. 135.8 and 136.10; the repetition of םצראןתנו in Pss. 135.12 and 136.21; the only two references to the Pharaoh are in Pss. 135.9 and 136.15; הכנ,ג ַׁר ָה,םי ִכָל ְמ in Pss. 135.10 and 136.17–18; the exact repetition of ןשבהךלמגועלוירמאה and ךלמןוחיסל in Pss. 135.11 and 136.19–20” (The Return of the King, 144n15). In his doctoral dissertation, James Todd has provided perhaps the most exhaustive treatment and analysis of this subject, examining the way in which these two psalms are linked together on a lexical, structural, and thematic level. James M. Todd III, “A Poetic and Contextual Analysis of Psalms 135–137” (PhD diss., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2010), 175–86. See also Todd, Remember, O Yahweh, 86–93.
75 Todd observes that despite the general parallels between each psalm’s historical overview,
“Ps 135 focuses solely on the beginning (Egypt) and end (Canaan) of Israel’s journey, while Ps 136 includes significant events during the journey from Egypt to Canaan (i.e., the Red Sea and the wilderness).”
Thus, he concludes that “Ps 135 highlights Yahweh’s relationship with Israel more in terms of election (v.
4) and general care (v. 14); in contrast, Ps 136 describes this relationship primarily in terms of historical deliverance (vv. 10–24)” (Remember, O Yahweh, 92).
The messianic hope of Book V, which the second section further develops, is not mere wishful thinking; rather, it is rooted in Yahweh’s past acts of deliverance and
redemption.
76Conclusion
In this chapter, I have examined the second section of Book V (Pss 118–136) within the broader context of the book’s structure and plotline. Along the way, I have maintained that the two main themes of this section correspond to the two halves that comprise section 2’s body—the Torah in Psalm 119, and the Temple in Psalms 120–134.
Together, this thematic pair gives us a clearer understanding of the glorious, future restoration that the coming Messiah will bring about when he accomplishes the new exodus.
77This Davidic Priest-King’s commitment to Torah-righteousness qualifies him to pass through the gate of Yahweh, ascend the mountain of Yahweh, and enter into the house of Yahweh, in order to mediate the rule of Yahweh to all the peoples and nations who will dwell in the eschatological Zion.
76 Michael Fishbane puts it well:
Recollection of the ancient exodus from Egypt serves the speaker as a hedge against despair and a catalyst towards renewed hope.
The simultaneous capacity of the exodus paradigm to elicit memory and expectation, recollection and anticipation, discloses once again its deep embeddedness as a fundamental structure of the biblical historical imagination. . . . the events of history are prismatic openings to the transhistorical. Indeed, the very capacity of a historical event to generate future expectation is dependent on the
transfiguration of that event by the theological intuition that in it and through it the once and future power of the Lord of history is revealed. (Text and Texture: Close Readings of Selected Biblical Texts [New York: Schocken Books, 1979], 140)
77 As N. T. Wright explains, “The Temple and Torah between them point ahead to a new world, God’s new ‘place,’ the renewed creation filled with God’s glory and purpose as the waters cover the sea” (The Case for the Psalms: Why They Are Essential [New York: HarperOne, 2013], 104). See idem, 102–8, for Wright’s full discussion concerning the relationship between the temple and the Torah in the Psalms.