The Samal Kingdom of Ancient Israel 9 means this for the economic welfare of the people. May there be a wealth5 of grain in the land To the top of the mountains.
23 Here will I dwell, for I have desired it
On the other hand, the second half is so clearly a clear response to the prayer offered in the earlier part of the psalm that it seems more reasonable to conclude that it was uttered by an appropriate member of the Temple staff. See now my discussion of the use of these terms in Interpretationes ad Vetus Testamentum pettinentes (S. Mowinckel Festschrift).
In that case one might think of a priest or, as this seems somewhat unlikely given the somewhat detached attitude to the priesthood suggested by both parts of the psalm, a cultic prophet of the kind we find associated with the musician. side of worship in the Temple.3 For the rest, the wording of the answer is so straightforward that little is required in the way of commentary and can be translated as follows:4. The Sacred Kingdom in Ancient Israel of the Davidic dynasty were quite clear, doubtless, they were created in such a way as to remind the descendants of the responsibilities of their office.
25 and, no
Consequently, the representatives of the people, led by the king himself, gathered in the Temple to beg the divine favor. 1-17 was itself dependent on the cultic tradition of the Jerusalem Temple, of which this poem is a typical product.
The problem really centers, of course, on the disputed question of the date and historical value of passages like Exodus. 152-60; and note, according to the Northern Kingdom in the ninth century B.C. n. n., the meaning of the picture represented by Micah's vision in I Kings xxii.
C.’ Thereafter it figures prominently in the genealogical lists of the Chronicler,2 as also in the books of Ezra3 and
- with the inverted form qkp n:J?v (verse IS), where stress is clearly
DA-WI-DU-&UM (and the like) which occur quite often in the Akkadian texts of the eighteenth century B.C. I (1951), p. so), which rightly rejects the theory that the expression in question means 'the beginning of the year', as for example maintained by G. See further on the general question of Israelite cosmology but with special reference to the Underworld (as discussed below, pp. I 17 ff.), The VitaZity of the Individual in the Thought of Ancient Israel, pp.
The great fall festival of Israel as celebrated in the Jerusalem Temple during the period of the monarchy.5. The Vitality of the Individual in the Thought of Ancient Israel, p. 4; and see how the psalmist carries forward the thought of verse 2, adfin. The writer hopes to develop this point more fully in another connection; see The Vitality of the Individual in Ancient Israelite Thought, p.
The reference seems to refer to the military prowess of the tribe of Benjamin, as exemplified in the use of the bow. Like Thy Name, O God, so Thy praise shall reach to the ends of the earth. In the following lines our attention is drawn to the conclusion to be drawn from Yahweh's triumph over the nations of the world.
And his faithfulness to the house of Israel- all the ends of the earth have seen. In fact, it is almost certain that the consonant text of the form given by. 570 ff., against his use of this psalm (as also Psalms xviii and cxviii) in 'The Role of the King in the Jerusalem Cultus'.
Heaven praises Thy wondrous work, O Yahweh, even Thy faithfulness in the assembly of the saints. However, by the nature of the matter, this would also be an attack on Yahweh's deputy, the Davidic king.
The rest of the psalm then presents us with an explanation of this defense. It is clearly divided into three parts celebrating (a) his deliverance from 'death' through the intervention of Yahweh in the person of the 'Most High'; (b) its consequent justification or, perhaps better, its consequent justification. I Mention is made of the king's role as supreme judge to whom difficult cases can be referred.
Sacred Kingship in Ancient Israel 117 of his righteousness (i?Q); and (c) his triumph over the nations of the earth. For the cosmology underlying this scene, see The Vitality of the Individual in the Thought of Ancient Israel, p. He drew me out of many waters. 5 He saved me from my mighty enemy.
Son, in whom his heavenly Father is well pleased.1 It is therefore fitting to find that the Messiah, as we have already seen in Psalm ci, pleads for his faithfulness to his trust, then goes on to emphasize that by his deliverance from 'Death' he has been vindicated as to his 'righteousness' (i?V); he has been justified or proved 'righteous' (i?'Q). It is up to man, even when called to the highest office in the service of his Creator, to remember his place in the divine economy. The king of David must be taught that he is no more than a deputy in the service of the divine king, for only thus can he be sure of Yahweh's support in the hour of need; and in the scene before us the true Messiah, having been vindicated as to his righteousness, is assured that his lamp will not be extinguished.
Death,” then goes on to praise Yahweh, the one Almighty God, in equally picturesque language for this assurance of victory over his enemies and consequent supremacy among the nations of the earth. For what god is there besides Yahweh, and what rock is there besides our God? Who makes my feet like those of a deer, And sets me firmly on high;2 Who trains my hands for battle.
6, takes the writer to task on the grounds that in his earlier work, "The R61e of the King in the Jerusalem Cultus," p. Even if the phrase could be allowed this meaning, the order in which the groups are mentioned in the case before us must be sufficient to call into question the validity of this view; but the fact is that he reads into a simple description of the devout Israelite a very specialized meaning for which there is no real warrant. In the lines that follow we are able to discern a little more of the ritual background of this psalm; for once more, as in Psalms xxiv and lxviii, we find ourselves in the company of a procession approaching the gates of the Temple, and seeking admission into its precincts.
The Messiah is humbled; he has been "severely chastened" and thereby brought near to the gates of the underworld. Thus the well-being of the community is ensured; and public testimony is given to the fact that the key to "Life" is righteousness (i?Ts), the loyal functioning of the whole of the enterprise, based on firm faith in Yahweh. Accordingly, the procession of the righteous now moves forward through "the gates of righteousness," through.
We come now to what appears to be the last phase of the dramatic ritual under consideration, and to appreciate its significance we must remember that David was promised supremacy over the kings of the earth by virtue of his adoption. Son of God; for we now meet with the thought of the eventual fulfillment of this promise in the person of his ideal successor and successor on the throne, the true Messiah of the House of David.3 We have already seen how God secures the supremacy of the latter over the nations by giving to him the victory in the ritual battle at dawn on this day in which God has acted. The psalm then concludes with an exhortation to the rebellious kings of the earth to restrain their proud spirits and acknowledge God's universal sovereignty.5.
The same association of ideas may be found in Psalm cx, which appears to be an oracle delivered specially for the occasion by one of the cultic prophets, whose part in the formal worship of the temple we have already had occasion to notice . psalm begins with the word a$, which is of course the normal term for a prophetic oracle;4 and the opening lines, which are quite straightforward, may be rendered thus. Nevertheless, there appears to be little, if anything, wrong with the consonant text when read in light of the preceding discussion. The oracle then ends with a reminder of the way in which Yahweh came to the aid of his hard-pressed Messiah; and in the production of this scene we get a x Cf. eg. PS Widengren, Psalm IIO and the Sacred Kingdom in Israel, U.U.A.
132 Samal Kingship in Ancient Israel
His 'vota- ries' (B't'QQ) or the 'righteous' (iF?'Ts), under the guidance of the Messiah. All this, however, is to summarize our conclusions in close adherence to the terminology of the sacred texts. Ultimately, therefore, the justice of the nation is dependent on the justice of the king.
The implications of Yahweh's choice of Hebrew were now unfolded, and the historical episodes of the Exodus, the Wanderings, and the Settlement were seen in a new light. The purpose of the Davidic covenant was to secure justice within Israel and thus make justice safe for the world. In this way, the House of David is reminded that it is the responsibility of the true Messiah to put an end to everything.
In short, this great act of worship looks forward to the day when the crisis will be reached in the ongoing struggle between the powers of light and the powers of darkness, i.e.
INDEX (b) AUTHORS
