Restoration Quarterly 17.3 (1974) 162-184.
Copyright © 1974 by
Restoration Quarterly, cited with permission.
A
Crisis in Faith:
An
Exegesis of Psalm 73
TERRY
L. SMITH
Introduction
Psalm 73 is a striking witness to
the vitality of the individual life of
faith in
Testament
faith had to pass. The psalm, a powerful testimony to a
battle that is fought within one's soul, reminds one
of the book of
Job.1
Experiencing serious threat to his assurance of God in
a desperate
struggle with the Jewish doctrine of retribution,
the poet of Psalm 73
raised the question, "How is Yahweh's help to and
blessing of those
who are loyal to him realized in face of the
prosperity of the
godless?"2 His consolation is
the fact that God holds fast to the
righteous one and "remains his God in every
situation in life," and even
death cannot remove the communion between them.3
He finds a
"solution" not in a new or revised interpretation of the
old retribution
doctrine, but in a "more profound vision of
that in which human life is
truly grounded, and from which it derives its
value."4 But Weiser
argues, and rightly so, that what is at stake here is
more than a mere
theological or intellectual problem; it is a matter
of life or death—the
question of the survival of faith generally.5
The poem represents an
1. A. Weiser,
The Psalms, Old Testament Library (
Press,
1962), p. 507; cf. Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament, Vol. 2, Old
Testament
Library (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1967), p. 259.
2. Eichrodt,
op. cit., p. 520; von Rad, Old Testament
Theology Vol. 1
(Edinburgh:
Oliver and Boyd, 1962), p. 406.
3. von Rad, op. cit., p.
406; but cf. Dahood, Psalms 51-100, Anchor Bible
(New
York: Doubleday and Co., 1968), p. 187.
4. Eichrodt,
op. cit., p. 521.
5. Weiser,
op. cit., p. 507.
162
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 163
inquiry into the nature of man's communion with
God, and the
problem of suffering is really only the occasion
of departure for this.
The
psalm is a confession revealing a man's struggle for a living
communion with his God, a struggle that presents a
crisis for his faith.6
In order to properly interpret this
psalm, several form-critical matters
must be considered.
1. Structure. Psalm 73 may be
outlined as follows, on the basis of
content.7
1-2—the problem
3-12—the offence at the prosperity
of the wicked
13-16—the poet's own calamity and
doubts
17-26—everything seen in a nevv light in regards to the wicked
(17-22) and God (23-26)
27-28—conclusion
2. Classification, Setting in Life, Purpose. Scholarship is divided
over
the type (Gattung) of Psalm 73. Gunkei spoke
of 'wisdom poetry'
(Weisheitsgedichten)
and placed Psalm 73 in this category.8 Bentzen
agrees with this, since he thinks the whole book may
be regarded as a
wisdom book created "in order to have an
authoritative expression of
another "place in life" than that of
most of its single small units. It is a
book to be read for edification. The Sages have
taken it over from the
cultic life; "from the temple it has been
transferred to the school."10
Eissfeldt
includes it among genuine wisdom poems but argues that,
while they were used in the cultus,
they actually were derived from the
circles of the wise (hakhamim). They go beyond the
form of the
6. Ibid.
7. Suggested by Weiser,
op. cit., p. 508; cf. Donald Macleod,
"Faith beyond
the Forms of Faith: An Exposition of Psalm
73," Interpretation, 12
(October,
1958), 418.
8. Along with Pss.
49, 1, 112, 128, 37. Roland E. Murphy, "A Consideration
of the Classification 'Wisdom Psalms,' " SVT, 9 (1963), 157.
9. A. Bentzen,
Introduction to the Old Testament, Vol.
1 (
C. Gad Co., 1952), pp. 170, 254. He argues that the
introductory poem (Ps. 1)
seems to be a motto taken from the wisdom school and
reveals the admonition of
the collectors to the readers: they are invited to
choose the right path to glory,
study the law, and obey God's word. So the book is not
only a ritual song book
but a book of wisdom showing the way to a righteous
life.
10. Ibid., p. 254.
164 Restoration
Quarterly
wisdom saying and make use of the song form for the
expression of
their feelings, reflections, admonitions, etc.11
Oesterley,
Leslie, and Dahood argue that Psalm 73 has a didactic
purpose and belongs among the "wisdom
psalms."12 This is supported
by the wisdom trends that are prominent in this
psalm, viz., contrast of
'wicked' and 'righteous,' preoccupation with the problem of
retribution, practical advice in regards to conduct
(diligence,
responsibility, etc.).13
Murphy argues that Psalm 73 fails to
qualify as a wisdom psalm on
the basis of style and characteristics. While its content is a wisdom
theme, its literary style resembles a thanksgiving
song. It begins with a
proposition that explains the poet's grateful
prayer.14
Mowinckel
considers it a psalm of thanksgiving which has arisen out
of the author's visit to the sanctuary where he
submitted himself to the
usual purification rites for sickness and where he
was miraculously
healed and spiritually refreshed.15
Buttenweiser
says the psalm is an epitome of the drama. It is a lyric,
not a didactic poem, and so presents the problem by
the same indirect
method of description as the drama does.16
It must be admitted that there are
some features of several psalm
classifications in Psalm 73. This would
especially be true if the psalms
11. Along with 1, 37, 49, 78, 91,
112, 128, 133. He says 105, 106, 90, 139
contain "wisdom" thoughts, but since
they also have hymnic features they are
reckoned as hymns. Otto Eissfeldt,
The Old Testament: An Introduction
(Oxford:
Basil Blackwell, 1965), p. 124; cf. pp. 126, 127, 86.
12. W. O. E. Oesterley,
The Psalms (London: S. P. C. K., 1955), p.
341; E. A.
Leslie,
The Psalms (Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1949), p. 411. He says they would
be rendered in the temple service of postexilic
Judaism where instruction in the
good life was common. "The most appropriate
setting for them would be in
connection with the great pilgrimage festivals, and
more particularly the (Festival
of Tabernacles and the New Year," p. 412. Dahood, op. cit.,
p. 187, says the
Psalmist
addresses the religious assembly.
13. Cf. Murphy's brief survey, op. cit., p. 160, as well as the works
of scholars
cited there.
14. Murphy, op. cit., p. 164. He assigns 1, 32, 34, 49, 112, 128 to the
Weisheitsgedichten, p. 160.
15. Psalmstudien, I, pp. 127, 128;
cited by W. Stewart McCullough, "The
Book of Psalms," The Interpreter's Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1955), p.
386.
16. Moses Buttenweiser,
Psalms (Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1938),
p. 526.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 165
did derive from a wisdom source and were adapted to
the cult, or vice
versa.
Westermann
says Pslam 73 (along with 130,123) represents a
transition from an individual lament: to a psalm of
confidence.17
McCullough
admits a possible double classification for Psalm 73 and
argues that it is clearly a psalm of trust, but he
says it also contains
some of the issues which exercised the minds of the
more reflective, so
that it could be a didactic or wisdom psalm.18
Barth classifies the
psalm as an individual lament "characterized by
the appearance of the
individual simply as the wise, pious, and righteous
man," which at one
moment appears to contain words spoken by one man to
another and
then in a moment becomes a prayer to God.19
Buss argues that Psalm
73
is a wisdom psalm with a strong personal note which might have
been composed for the singer's own presentation
rather than for general
use by the laity.20 This personal note
has also impressed Fohrer, who
regards the psalm as a personal statement (as
Ps. 51). Psalm 73 might be
a thanksgiving song that is practically a
didactic poem. Since the
worshipper seeks to express his thanksgiving by
attempting to bring
others to the same experience, he has penetrated the
psalm with forms
17. Claus Westermann,
The Praise of God in the Psalms (
Knox
Press, 1961), p. 80. Westermann argues that a change
in speaker takes place
in many psalms. The moment of change may be
indicated by a "now," "but
now," "nevertheless" (cf. Pss. 27:6; 12:5; 20:6), or the change may not be so
obvious. Usually at the place where the charge
occurs, the psalm contains a 'waw'
adversative
(cf. 55:16; 22:3; 102:12; 13:5; 31:14, 26, 27; 86:15; etc.), pp. 70,
71.
These clauses indicate a transition from lamentation to another mode of
speech (either confession of trust or assurance of
being heard), and the transition
occurs in a happening between God and man. These
transitions are not
schematically bound to any particular
place in the psalm itself, pp. 7-72; cf. table
on pp. 66-69. Praise of God and confession of
trust are very intimately related to
each other in clauses with "but," p. 74.
18. McCullough, op. cit., p. 386.
19. C. Barth,
Introduction to the Psalms (New York:
Charles Scribners, 1966),
p. 18.
20. He suggests that it might
reflect the tension between Zadokites and poorer
Levites
and in any case has affinity with the complaints of Jeremiah and
Habakkuk. Martin J. Buss, "The Psalms of Asaph and Korah," JBL, 82
(December, 1963), 383, 386.
166 Restoration
Quarterly
of wisdom instruction.21 But, Fohrer adds, wisdom poetry and didactic
poetry must be considered forms of wisdom instruction
rather than a
psalm type.22
Of the 150 psalms, 140 were composed
and used for cultic purposes.
A
problem arises, then, when one finds some poems which do not seem
to have been composed for this reason.23
Mowinckel
argues that this suggests a learned psalmography
which
derived, not from temple singers, but from
private men of wisdom with
no direct relation to the cult.24 These
psalms have wisdom subjects, are
didactic, and have the form of a proverb or wise
saying. They are most
prominent in psalms dealing with suffering and
justice, and especially in
thanksgiving psalms. Psalm 73
belongs to this group.25
However, the psalm writer may use
the form of wisdom poetry for
his personal expression of the praise of God, or
thanksgiving of a
blessing received, without his psalm actually
being a wisdom poem.26
Psalm 73 is a thanksgiving psalm but
with so much personal
experience and departures from and variations with
psalm patterns that
one wonders whether it was composed by and for the
individual or for
use on cultic occasions.27 Mowinckel argues that it was common
among the righteous to compose, after their
salvation, a thanksgiving
psalm which was to be recited at the sacrificial
feast. It would be both a
natural expression of their feelings and
evidence of piety to honor
Yahweh
in such a way.28
21. Georg Fohrer, Introduction
to the Old Testament (
Press,
1968), p. 269. Cf. von Rad, op. cit., p. 406, where he says Ps. 73 (and 49) is
not just a psalm of lament or thanksgiving for it
contains no description of actual
need, etc. Pss. 73 and 49
"are rather pervaded by a strong striving after a principle
which does not stop short at a single calamity, but
presses forward to the basis of
the problem."
22. Ibid., p. 262:
23. Sigmund Mowinckel, "Psalms and Wisdon,"
SVT, 3 (1955), 205.
24. Ibid., p. 211.
25. Ibid.
26. Sigmund Mowinckel,
The Psalms in
Blackwell,
1967), p. 31.
27. "The psalms of protection
and thanksgiving have at times moved so far
away from their particular style type that it has
been suggested that we ought to
separate some of them into a special group of
'psalms of confidence.' To these
belong some of the highest ranking ones, regarded from
both the religious and the
poetic aspect, in the whole collection; for instance Pss. 23; 73; 103," ibid.,
p. 132.
Cf.
Mowinckel, "Psalms and Wisdom," p. 211.
28. Ibid., p. 110.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 167
There is evidence for a custom of
writing a thanksgiving psalm on
leather or a votive stela
and placing it in the temple "before
Yahweh."29 So Psalm 73 (along with 34, 43, 37) may have been
deposited as a votive and memorial gift to Yahweh
and on a later
occasion included by temple singers and poets in
the treasury of psalms.
This
might explain how some of them may have come to be used
ritually in the cult.30 Yet it must be
pointed out, with Mowinckel, that
the personal element does not exclude the
possibility that temple
personnel composed it. Like everyone else, they
could experience
suffering and hardship.31
3. Date. Psalms dealing with human life in general go back to the
monarchical period, and retribution dogma could
begin as early as
Jeremiah's
time (cf. 12:1-3).32 The poem could
very-well be placed in
the exilic period of Jeremiah's day, perhaps
598-587 B.C.33 Mowinckel
and Oesterley argue for a
comparatively late date on the basis of
language and theological attitude.34
4. Superscription. Psalm 73 bears the ascription mizmor le'saph.
Mizmor (psalmos in the LXX) has something
of the meaning "to
pluck." It has come to be used of the plucking
of stringed instruments
(which is also the case with psalmos). A mizmor, then, is a song which
is sung to a stringed instrument.35
'Asaph'
may be the father or ancestor of Joah, King
Hezekiah's
recorder (2 Kings 18:18, 37; Isa.
36:3, 22) or the ancestor or founder
of one of the three chief families of guilds of
Levite temple musicians
known as the "sons of Asaph"
(1 Chron. 25:1, 2, 6, 9). According to
29. Found in Syrian and Egyptian
practices; cited on p. 41, ibid.
30. Ibid., p. 114.
31. Ibid., p. 142; Mowinckel gives no
explanation for the inclusion of Ps. 73 in
the Asaphite collection,
unless that ascription indicates collectors.
32. Fleming James, Thirty Psalmists (New York: Seabury Press, 1965), p. 189,
but he admits that Ps. 73 could be a late psalm
coming from a period when faith
in a blessed hereafter was emerging in some Judaistic circles; cf. S. R. Driver, An
Introduction to the
Literature of the Old Testament (
1913),
p. 385. 1
33. Cf. McCullough, op. cit., p. 386.
34. Oesterley,
op. cit., p. 341; Mowinckel,
op. cit., p. 95. The collectors of
the
psalm could have been active at either suggested
date, as well as the enemies
depicted in the psalm. Scholars seem evenly
divided on the issue.
35. N. H. Snaith,
The Psalms: A Short Introduction (
1945),
p. 31. Snaith adds that E. G. Hirsch says the meaning
is 'paragraph' and
indicates a new beginning. But this explanation is
not generally accepted.
168 Restoration
Quarterly
the Chronicler, Asaph was
a Gershonite Levite, who, along with Heman
and Jeduthan (Ethan), was
given charge by David of the song service in
the tabernacle (1Chron. 6:39). While full
information is lacking, most
likely he was a contemporary of David.36
The Chronicler's history has
the "sons of Asaph"
participating in nearly every major temple
celebration before and after the Exile. They are
occasionally
represented as cymbalists, but mostly as singers (1 Chron. 15:17, 19;
16:5,
7, 37; 2 Chron. 5:12; 29:13; 35:15; Ezra 3:10; Neh. 12:35).37
The Asaph
superscriptions probably indicate a tradition of his
authorship of the psalms, a style peculiar to them
which was originated
by him, or perhaps simply a reference to the Asaphite guild.38 The
name is always introduced with the particle / (lamedh) which may
mean
"by," "for," or "concerning." Ugaritic literature uses/ before the name
of a hero in a poem (as Ba'al
or Aqhat) rather than the author. This
could be the case in the psalms, but the view that it
denotes the
compiler or performing guild cannot be abandoned,
for this was chiefly
the way composition took place.39
Twelve psalms are attributed to Asaph (50, 73-83). These psalms
have certain characteristics:
1) Psalms 73-83 use 'Elohim' 36 times (compared to 13 times for
'Jehovah').40
2) God is Judge (50, 73, 78, 81).
3) God is frequently introduced as
the speaker (50, 75, 81, 82).
4) God is shepherd to his flock
(74:1, 77:20; 78:52, etc.).
36. B. T. Dahlberg, "Asaph," IDB,
Vol. 1 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962),
p. 244.
37. I Esdras
1:15 calls them temple singers; ibid., p. 245. The guild is also
prominent in postexilic name lists (1 Chron. 9:15; Ezra 2:41; Neh.
7:44; 11:17,
22).
38. Ibid.; cf. Dahood, op. cit., p. 188.
39. Eissfeldt,
op. cit., pp. 451-453; cf. S. R.
Driver, op. cit., p. 381, and
Kirkpatrick,
op. cit., p. 428, the latter adding
that David's chief musician could
not have written all the psalms attributed to him
since some of them are clearly
exilic or later. The New English Bible omits all of
the psalm headings, regarding
them as "almost certainly not original."
Cf. "Introduction to the Old Testament"
by G. R. Driver in the
40. But S. R. Driver, op. cit., pp. 371, 372, argues that this
is not due to a
preference for that name by the authors. "It
must be due to the fact that they
have passed through the hands of a compiler who
changed 'Jehovah' of the
original authors into 'Elohim'
. . . because . . . at the time when this compiler lived
there was a current preference for the latter
name."
Smith: A
Crisis in Faith 169
5)
There is didactic use of history (74:12ff.; 77:10ff.;
80:8ff.;
etc.). 41
6) The singer uses personal
expressions in relation to the sanctuary
(42/43;
73:84).
7) There are communal laments of
personal expression.42
Most
scholars agree that at one time all the Asaph psalms
were
together. There seems to be much to favor the
proposed original order
as 1-41; 51-72; 42-49; 50, 73-83; 84-150.43
5.
Exegesis.
Truly God is good to the upright,
to
those who are pure in heart. (RSV)
The particle 'ak combines an
affirmative and restrictive, or even an
adversative, and has something of an element of
contradiction in it. It is
used when the writer deliberately intends to deny
some proposition and
expresses the idea "Nay, but after all."44
Here it means, "Nay, in spite
of all that people say, and in spite of all that I
have seen, I still do
earnestly maintain that God is good to the upright
man."45
leyisra'el
presents some translation problems. le
could be the vocative
participle.
vocative le in Ugaritic
is particularly frequent with personal names, and
its presence here "enhances the likelihood
that this is the particle
preceding personified
im Leben: The psalmist is
addressing a religious assembly of
Israelites.47
41. A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Book of Psalms, The
and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1951), p.
429.
42. Buss, op. cit., p. 383.
43. Snaith,
op. cit., p. 9; S. R. Driver, op. cit., p. 367; and Kirkpatrick, op. cit.,
p. 427. The latter says Ps. 50 probably is in
its present position due to a similarity
of subject matter with 49 and 51, intentionally
placed there for this reason by the
compiler.
44. Cf. Franz Delitzsch,
Biblical Commentary on the Psalms,
Vol. 2 (Grand
Rapids:
William Eerdmans Company, 1949), p. 311; Kirkpatrick,
op. cit., p. 432;
N.
Snaith,
Hymns of the
45. Snaith,
Hymns, p.102.
46. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 188; Vocative lamedh occurs
frequently in Ugaritic
myths with divine names: "0 Baal," "0
El," etc. Dahood argues for its
occurrence in Pss. 3:7;
16:1; 31:1; 92:1; 73:1; 81:5; 122:4; "Vocative 'Lamedh'
in the Psalter," Vetus Testamentum, 16 (July, 1966), 299-311.
47. Dahood,
Psalms, p. 188. Delitzsch
says "
Gal.
6:16) as those who have put away all impurity and uncleanness from their
lives and strive after sanctification, p. 311.
170 Restoration
Quarterly
Scholars generally agree that it is
better to divide leyis'rael
into two
words, Layyaar and 'el,
giving the translation "Truly God is good to
the upright."48 This enables the
word elohim
to be transferred to the
second line of the couplet, improving the rhythm and
sense. It produces
a true, elegant couplet and the verse agrees with
the rest of the psalm
where the psalmist discusses, not God's goodness to
attitude to the upright man within
Nay:
Good to the upright (is) El,
God (is good) to the pure of heart.49
lebhabhe lebhabh describes
the man who loves good and despises
evil; it is the condition of admission to God's
presence.50 The psalmist
is thus reassuring his audience of the
unmistakable goodness of God
toward the righteous man. This is the conclusion to
which the whole
struggle, depicted in verses 3-26, has brought
him, and like in many of
the psalms, he begins with this comprehensive evaluation.51
vs. 2:
But as for me, my feet had almost
stumbled,
my
steps had well nigh slipped.
suppekah
('were nearly gone') reads literally "poured out,"52 or as
unstable as water." The slipping of the foot
is a metaphor to denote
48. A. R. Huist,
Old Testament Translation Problems (
1960),
p. 108. So read RSV and NEB.
49. Snaith,
Hymns, pp. 102, 103; Edward J. Kissane, The Book of Psalms,
Vol.
2
(Dublin: Browne and Noland, 1954), p. 5, says it is more probable that the first
word for God ('el') is due to dittography and that
the parallel to 'upright' has
been dropped. But this seems most unlikely, as is
Briggs' suggestion that vs. 1 is
simply an introductory liturgical gloss which
generalizes the psalm and makes iit
applicable to
142.
50. McCullough, op. cit., p. 387; Kirkpatrick, op.
cit., p. 432; cf. Ps. 24:14fF.
and Matt. 5:8.
51. Cf. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 188; Leslie, op. cit., p. 419; and Pss. 23, 121.
52. Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and
C. A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English
Lexicon of the Old
Testament (Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1907), p. 1049. Briggs
says wa'ani was added by a
glossator, op. cit., p. 142.
53. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 188. He says the pual vocalization
'suppekah'
can
scarcely be correct since this frequent root
nowhere exhibits a piel
form. He
suggests that it be pointed as qal passive, a
conjugation unknown to the
Massoretes. The ending represents
the archaic 3rd pers. fem. dual ending.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 171
calamity or even loss of faith.54 The
psalmist confesses that he had
almost given up his faith. Verses 3-12 show how it was
possible to arrive
at such a state of mind.55
vs. 3:
For I was envious of the arrogant,
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Hilel as a participle
indicates "boastful ones, boasters."56 Dahood
thinks this term refers to pagan Canaanites.57
The terms 'righteous' and
'wicked' (resha'im) have often been taken to indicate two
"parties"
among the Jews, the righteous being obedient to the
law, and the
wicked being the ungodly or worldly-minded. But as a
rule, the terms
point to national antagonists (Gentiles). The resha'im in the
psalms do
not signify any group of men, but all those who act
as enemies of the
worshipper. They could be national enemies of the
worshipper. They
could be national enemies or treacherous countrymen,
but usually they
are national enemies of
helpers within
or even fellow apostate Jews.59
So the psalmist's distress is made
even more bitter because of the
resentment he has at seeing the ungodly prosper
while the righteous are
plagued. He has come to doubt any sense of
righteousness in God's
sovereignty of the world and even any use in trying
to live a godly
life.60
54. A. R. Johnson, The Vitality of the Individual in the Thought
of Ancient
12:5;
Pss. 38:16; 56:13; 66:9; 94:18; 116:8; 121:3; Jer. 13:16.
55. Weiser,
op. cit., p. 308; Dahood,
op. cit., p. 188.
56. Brown, Driver, Briggs, p. 238.
Hereafter cited as BDB.
57. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 188.,
58. Mowinckel,
op. cit., pp. 207, 208. This is
especially evident in Ps. 125. In
Ps.
58 the wicked are "estranged from the womb", i.e., they stand outside
the
fellowship of the covenant. The evildoers are then
Gentile enemies and oppressors
of
University
Press, 1926), p. 446, who says they are not necessarily a homogeneous
party or certain order of society. In Pss. 35, 55, 109 they are former friends who
proved faithless. In different psalms, the enemies are
different.
59. Mowinckel,
Vol. 2, p. 36.
60. Mowinckel
also regards the "I" of these and the following verses a case in
which the psalmist identifies with the worshipper in
his sorrow and joy. " . . . he
reaches the height of his artistic ability when
he feels that now it is the soul of
praise," ibid.,
p. 140.
172 Restoration
Quarterly
vs. 4:
For they have no pangs;
their
bodies are sound and sleek.
The Masoretic
text reads lemotam
('in their death'). But this does not
fit the context. The RSV and
lemotam; lamo (parallel form of lahem), "to
them," which is read
with the first half of the verse, and tam, "sound" or "whole,"
which is
taken with the second strophe. The RSV reads as above
and the
reads "No pain, no suffering is theirs; they are
sleek and sound in
limb."61
vss. 5-7:
They are not in trouble as other men
are;
they
are not stricken like other men.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence
covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out with fatness,
their
hearts overflow with follies.
'im ("like") has a closely related meaning in
the Ras Shamra texts.62
They
are not smitten like some men, so they strut around in arrogance,
displaying their pride as if it were a necklace.63
According to the MT, the first line
of verse 7 describes the insolent
look of the sleek-faced enernies.
But the LXX and Syriac represent a
different reading which, according to Kirkpatrick,
Snaith, and
Buttenweiser, suits the probable
sense of the next line better and gets
rid of a grammatical anomaly. So Kirkpatrick reads:
"Their iniquity
comes forth from the heart: the imaginations of their
mind
overflow."64
61. Hulst,
op. cit., p. 108. Cf.
Snaith, Hymns,
p. 104, and Dahood, op. cit., p.
189.
Delitzsch proposes to omit lemotam and suggests
the reading "they have no
pangs, vigorous and well-nourished is their
body." (p. 312).
62. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 180; BDB, p. 767.
63. BDB, p. 742; Chains were worn on
the neck by men and women in Eastern
countries for ornament and badges of office (Gen.
41:42; Dan. 5:7). Kirkpatrick,
op. cit., p. 433. Dahood says 'anaq is a
denominative verb form from 'anaq'
(neck) and the Ugaritic 'nq', op. cit., p. 189. Cf. Snaith, Hymns, p.
104; Weiser,
op. cit., p. 509.
64. Kirkpatrick, op. cit., p. 433; Cf. Snaith, Hymns; p.
104 and Buttenweiser,
op. cit., p. 532.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 173
The RSV and
adherence to the
with Genesis 48:12 and reads "than milk."65
But this is not necessary,
for fat or the midriff of the human body is used of
the grossness of the
wicked in Job 15:27 and is figurative of an
unreceptive heart (17:10;
119:70).66 lebab
requires no possessive suffix because it is a part of the
body or because it balances the suffixed 'enemo.'67 The idea, then, is
that their gaze is greedy, and vain thoughts pass
through their minds.
vs. 8:
They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily
they threaten oppression.
yedabberu
("speak against") occurs again in 75:5.68 Dahood
suggests that bera’ be read as "Evil One" and, in parallel to 75:5, be
interpreted as a reference to God, who in the minds
of the unbelievers
is the cause of evil upon the earth and hence the
evil one. Then
mimmarom is taken as parallel to
bera’ and rendered "Exalted,"
being
a divine appellation. Since oppression comes from
on high, the scoffers
protest against heaven.69 This is
possible, but the psalmist's protest
seemingly indicates that the people suffer from
this talk as well.70
vs. 9.
They have set their mouths against
the heavens,
and
their tongues strut through the earth.
"Heaven" could mean God,
and "earth" could refer to man and
institutions, if these phrases were
to be separated. But the words seem
to form a single idea (as they do in Gen. 1:1; Job
20:27).71
In several prophetic and poetic
lines, "heaven" and "earth" indicate
the world as a whole, the universe, all the
inhabitants of the earth,
65. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 189.
66. BDB, p. 316; cf. Ezra 24:16;
20:7.
67. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 189.
68. Ibid. Gunkel thinks the repetition of daber offends the Hebrew style but
does not emend the text. Dahood
says the Ugaritic exhibits a number of texts
employing identical words in parallel cola.
69. Ibid.
70. As vs.
9 indicates.
71. D. A. H. deBoer,
"The Meaning of Psalm 73:9," VT,
18 (1968), 261.
174 Restoration
Quarterly
everything on earth or in the sky.72
Psalm 73:9 is not at variance with
the meaning of these texts. The same figure of
speech is in mind.
"Mouth"
and "tongue" can have a metaphorical meaning of "word" or
"command."73 The poet, then, is not speaking
of blasphemy, but of
mighty words coming from speakers who know how to
enforce
obedience far and wide. He points not to their
behavior toward God,
but toward men: they are arrogant, proud, violent,
oppressing,
dictating. The poet doubts because they prosper in
spite of this.74
Tihalak frequently means "to
go," "proceed," "move" (in a
territory). So the phrase would read "the
commanding tongue of the
wicked is proceeding over the earth," with the
idea that nowhere does
there seem to be a limit to their strength; the power
of the wicked
appears to be established.75
vs. 10.
Therefore the people turn and praise
them;
and
find no fault in them.
This is a difficult verse, almost
unintelligible, and emendations are
mostly conjectural.76 The RSV margin reads
"abundant waters are
drained by them." This reading understands yimmasu as a form
of the
verb masas ("sip") and translates lamo "by them." The
rendering
"and abundant waters are found for them" takes yimmasu as a form
of
masa ("to find").
But in neither case does the verse take on meaning.
The
RSV translation "and find no fault in them" rests upon a modified
Hebrew
text in which consonants are rearranged to form other
words.77 The Ugaritic
'mss' ("to suck") may be a kindred word. So if
72. Cf. Isa.
13:13; 51:6; Jer. 4:28; Joel 2:10; Pss. 57:6; 108:6; deBoer, op.
cit., p. 262. Dahood, op. cit.,
p. 190, notes a connection between 'eres: and
Ugaritic 'ars' which denotes a region beneath the sea, and
between samayim
and
Ugaritic 'smm'
(heaven).
73. Ibid.
74. Even vs. 11 does not speak of
blasphemy, ibid.,
p. 264.
75. Ibid.; cf. BDB, p. 229; Helmer Ringgren, The Faith of the
Psalmists
(Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1963), pp. 44, 45, feels vss. 4-9 describe God's
enemies as beasts. He says vs. 9 has an almost
literal parallel in a Ras Shamra
text
which states that some mythological beings, who
obviously have some connection
with chaos and death, put one lip to the sky and the
other to the earth and
drained the water in abundance.
76. Cf. Snaith,
Hymns, p.104.
77. Hulst,
op. cit., p. 108; BDB, p. 534.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 175
yamossu were read for the MT yimmasu, then the
text could be saying
that, like the mythical monsters, the rich swallow
the ocean (speaking
metaphorically of greed), leaving
nothing for others.'' Kirkpatrick
suggests that the LXX and Syriac
may preserve the true reading "my
people," so that the psalmist is speaking with
sorrow of his deluded
countrymen. "Waters of fulness
are drained by them" may be a
metaphor for the enjoyment of pleasure; or
possibly for "imbibing
pernicious principles" (cf. Job 15:16).79
vs. 11:
And they say, "How can God
know?
Is there knowledge in
the Most High?"
The brief quotation "How can
God know? Is there knowledge in the
Most
High?" is from the lips of the wicked.80 They
are not denying the
omniscience of God but his practical knowledge or
interest in the
conduct and welfare of the individual. This
reveals the dissolution of
man's personal relationship with God.81
vs. 12:
Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
These words are the psalmist's, not
those of the wicked or their
followers, as in verse 11. The form of the
sentence, hineh
("behold"),
indicates a summation.82 The
description is one the psalmist would use
for the wicked rather than vice versa (cf. vss. 3-9) The LXX inserts
"And
I said" at the beginning of the verse, indicating that the Greek
78. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 190.
79. Kirkpatrick, op. cit., p. 434;
Leslie, op. cit., p. 419. Another problem is
the meaning of halom ("hither"). Is it
an infinitive of the verb halam ("to strike")
and thus related to the action of Num. 20:7? If so,
it is difficult to see how the
verse has any relation to the psalm as a whole, Hulst, op. cit.,
p. 108. Oesterley,
op. cit., p. 341, argues that vs. 10 interrupts the connection
between vss. 9 and 11
and would follow well after vs. 5. Briggs says the
entire verse was probably
originally a note of consolation which eventually
crept into the text, op. cit., p.
144.
It is from Maccabean times and looks to the
restoration of God's people to
their own land, ibid., p. 142.
80. But one cannot lightly dismiss
Kirkpatrick's suggestion that the wicked are
not the speakers, but rather they are the deluded
mass of their followers of vs. 10,
op. cit., p. 434.
81. Weiser,
op. cit., p. 510; Briggs, op. cit.,
p. 144.
82. Kirkpatrick, op. cit., p. 435; cf. Job 5:27; 18:21.
176 Restoration
Quarterly
translator thought the psalmist was speaking.83
The verse continues the
description of the good fortune of the wicked.
vss. 13,
14:
All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and
washed my hands in innocence.
For all the day long I have been
stricken,
and
chastened every morning.
zikithi lebhabhi
and va'e rehas benigayon kappay ("pure in heart"
and "washed my hands") may be a reference
to a ritualistic act: (cf.
26:6;
Deut. 21:6,7) but is probably used figuratively here
to indicate
the psalmist did not sin in thought or deed.
Cleanness of hands is a
means of denoting one's innocence or positive
righteousness.84 He has
kept his palms clean from bribery and violence which
the wicked have
employed to gain their wealth.85 If
the wicked prosper, then his efforts
after holiness have been wasted.86
vs. 15:
If I had said, "I will speak
thus,"
I would have been untrue
to the generation of thy children.
bhaghadheti
("I would have betrayed") indicates that the psalmist
was on the point of renouncing his personal
relationship with God. He
had considered speaking up and endorsing the
thoughts of the wicked,
but he refrains lest he should make faith more
difficult for God's
children.87 So his loyalty to the
community has kept him from going
this far. Though at the moment he is no longer able
to see God, at least
he perceives the fellowship of the believers.88
83. Ibid., cf. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 191, where he suggests
that salwe 'olam
("always") may be a divine title. In the Targumic Aramaic s/ is used of neglecting
God. If this is true, the wicked neglect God in
their pursuit of riches, and vss. 11,
12
have three names for God: 'el, "elyon, 'olam.
84. Cf. Job 17:9; 22:30; Pss. 18:24; 24:24; 26:6. Johnson, op. cit., p. 63.
BDB,
p. 934; Kissane, op.
cit., p. 7; McCullough, op. cit.,
p. 389. Johnson, op.
cit., p. 77, says
"heart" is used with a force which approximates what we call
"mind" or "intellect" (cf. Job 8:10; 12:3; Pss. 77:6; 78:18; 83:5, etc.).
85. Briggs, op. cit., p. 145, but cf. Loren R. Fisher, "An Amarna Age Prodigal"
JJS,
3 (1958), 116, who compares this phrase with the symbolic act of
"clearing"
oneself. Through this action he becomes free and
clear of his previous
relationship. Cf. Matt. 27:24 and
Pilate's action.
86. Cf. Kirkpatrick, op. cit., p. 435.
87. Weiser,
op. cit., p. 511; Dahood,
op. cit., p. 191.
88. Weiser,
op. cit., p.511.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 177
dor baneka
("generation of thy sons")89 is a direct address to God
rather than the congregation that is present.90
Baneka ("your
sons")
refers to the Israelites. "Children" is used
in the OT to express
intimate relationship with God.91
vs. 16:
But when I thought how to understand
this,
it
seemed to me a wearisome task,
hu’ ("this") refers to the
question of why the wicked prosper and
the just suffer. Be'enay means,
literally, "for my eyes" and is similar in
thought to Ecclesiastes 8:17.92 The
existence of the cult community has
been a signpost pointing him to God and keeping him
from betrayal.93
vs. 17:
until I
went into the sanctuary of God;
then
I perceived their end.
migdese 'el (God's sanctuary) probably refers
to the temple.
Maybe
during one of the annual festivals," memories of God's great
89. BDB, op. cit., p. 190; Frank J. Neuberg,
"An Unrecognized Meaning of
Hebrew
DOR," JNES, 9 (1950) 215-217, admits that the OT usually translates
dbr as
"generation," but he argues that in three Ugaritic
passages it means
"assembly." He thinks "generation of thy sons"
is unlikely since the combination
of dbr baneka is exactly the same as Ugaritic
dr. bn. Neuberg feels the
meaning of
dbr as "assembly"
must have fallen into disuse at a rather early date. The LXX
translators are ignorant of it.
90. Dahood,
op. cit., p.191.
91. Cf. Ex. 4:22, 23; Deut. 14:1; Isa. 1:2; McCullough, op.
cit., p. 390.
92. Dahood,
op. cit., p.192.
93. Weiser,
op. cit., p.511.
94. The reference may be to the
symbolic representation of God's triumph
over the powers of chaos in creation as
characterized in the New Year's festival.
But
it could refer to the dramatizations of the deliverance from
psalmist experiences the reality of these
redemptive events through the cult and
there receives the solution to his problem, Ringgren, op. cit.,
p. 72. Eichrodt, op.
cit., p. 489, says " . . . it is by direct illumination that the poet's
eyes are opened
to the miracle of true fellowship with God." Weiser, op. cit.,
p. 511, says this
probably refers to an experience in the temple,
to an encounter with his God that
was brought about by the theophany
which took place in the cult of the
Covenant
Festival.
178 Restoration
Quarterly
acts in the past are revived and the psalmist
regains his spiritual
balance.95
le'aharit ("final
lot")96 refers to the end of the
wicked. He begins
to see life and destiny within the context of
God's wisdom rather than
his own.97 Life looks different when
viewed against the background of
judgment and death.98 He begins to see
life more under the aspect of
eternity. Appearance is not reality.99
vs. 18:
Truly thou dost set them in slippery
places;
thou
dost make them fall to ruin.
wehalaqat
("slippery places") is in the plural to denote intensity. It
is sure to come about. The term itself is
figurative and refers to the
situation of the wicked.100
lemassu'ot (from nasa,
"lift up") probably should read mesho’oth.
95. McCullough, op. cit., p. 390. Harris Birkelancl,
"The Chief Problem of
Psalm
73:17ff.," ZAW,
67 (1955), 100f., argues that the sanctuary mentioned is
an illegitimate one, the remnant of a pagan
sanctuary. He insists that mo'ade 'el
(Ps.
74:8) expresses a legitimate sanctuary, while midqesel 'el signifies the
illegitimate one. When the psalmist
came to the remnants of these pagan places
that had been destroyed, they demonstrated to him
the fate of paganism and
pagans: they flourish for a time, but then are
demolished by Yahweh. Thus vss.
18,
19 also refer to these sanctuaries rather than to wicked human beings. The
devastated sanctuaries have made him realize the
uselessness of idols and the
eternal value of communion with God. The temple
at
for God protects his people.
BDB, op. cit., p. 874, think miqdash refers to "many sacred places in and about
the temple." Eichrodt,
op. cit., p. 532n, says they are
clearly holy places where
the profane cannot enter. They are areas of God's
dealing with men who seek
refuge in him.
Dahood, op. cit., p. 192, says the plural
conforms to the frequent Canaanite
practice of employing plural forms for names of
dwellings. He argues that
"sanctuary" refers to heaven and that the psalmist is
stating his belief in a blessed
existence after death where the glaring
inconsistencies of this life will become
intelligible.
Pedersen, op. cit., p. 448, says the poet's action is like that of the
Babylonian,
who after being stricken with evil turns to God in
his temple.
Briggs
regards 17-20 as the addition of a later editor who was not content with
the solution given in vss.
21-26, op. cit., pp. 145, 146.
96. BDB, op. cit., p. 31; cf. Deut. 32:20, 29; Jer.
12:4; 31:17.
97. Macleod, op. cit., p. 420.
98. Weiser,
op. cit., pp. 511, 512.
99. Leslie, op. cit., p. 420.
100. Snaith,
Hymns, p. 105; BDB, op. cit., p. 325. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 192,
prefers "transplant them," reading tistelemo
as from satal;
cf. Ps. 1:3.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 179
This
would make its root sho’ ("ruins").101
The outward appearance of the life
of the wicked is not final. Their
security in life is not based on a firm foundation.
God has set them in a
position in which they are continually exposed to
ruin.102
vs. 19:
How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept
away utterly by terrors'!
kheragha' ("suddenly," "in a
moment")103 actually does not mean
that the wicked have fallen down suddenly. They are
still strutting
about in pride. The use of the perfect tense is
idiomatic, describing an
action which has so nearly come about that it can
practically be
regarded as already having taken place. Thus,
despite appearances, the
fate of the wicked is disastrous.104
While Snaith
says sapu
("come to an end") is in the plural to indicate
the fulness and
completeness of the disaster,105 the RSV seems to
repoint the MT sapu to read supu, the qal passive of sapah ("sweep or
snatch away"). The idea is that the wicked will
leave no trace upon the
earth.
vs. 20:
They are like a dream when one
awakes,
on
awaking you despise their phantoms.
alam
("image," "dream") is well documented in the Ugaritic 'hlm'
("dream"), but it occurs only here in the Psalter.106
tibzeh
("despise") denotes here "to slight, treat as of slight
importance," as one regards a dream when
awaking.107 The wicked,
who now seem so secure in prosperity, are as
unsubstantial as a dream.
101. BDB, op. cit., p. 996; cf. Snaith, op. cit., p. 105. Dahood
thinks this is a
poetic name for the underworld, op. cit., p. 192.
102. Weiser,
op. cit., p.512.
103. BDB, p. 921; cf. Job 21 :13.
104. Snaith,
Hymns, p. 105.
105. Ibid., p. 106; cf. BDOB, op.
cit., p. 692. Dahood, op. cit., p. 193, thinks
the devastation is intended to be a metaphor for Sheol with "terrors" as its
parallel.
106. Cf. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 193, who says "terrors" is another poetic
designation for the abode of the dead (cf. Job
18:14).
107. Ibid.; cf. Gen. 25:34.
180 Restoration
Quarterly
When
God intervenes and judges them, he will regard them as a
phantom, illusions, or a dream.108
This
... signifies
a radical change in man's attitude of mind when he
abandons
the ground of visible data as the starting-point of his
thinking
and relies on the invisible reality of God to such a
degree that
it becomes by faith the unshakable foundation of his
seeing and
thinking.109
vs. 21:
When my soul was embittered,
when
I was pricked in heart,
yithammes
("soured, embittered") indicates; that the sight of the
wicked's prosperity and the
righteous' adversity soured the
psalmist.110 Kilyotay ("kidneys") are considered the seat
of emotion
and affection.111 'Estonan
means he was pierced through and through
with envy.112
vs. 22:
I was stupid and ignorant,
I was like a beast
toward thee.
behemot
("beast, animal") may have behemoth in mind.113 The
Hebrew
phrase here reads "a beast I was toward thee," which implies
the fundamental difference between human and divine
ways of
thinking. He sees all things, and above all
himself, in a dimension which
had previously escaped his perception.114
vs. 23:
Nevertheless I am continually with
thee;
thou
dost hold my right hand.
108. Kissane,
op. cit., p. 7.
109. Weiser,
op. cit., p. 512.
110. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 194.
111. BDB, op. cit., p. 480; cf. Job 19:27.
112. Ibid., p. 1042; Snaith, op. cit., p. 106. Dahood
reads "had dried up" and
adds that just as milk, when it begins to sour,
hardens, so the psalmist has
hardened through his soured mind, op. cit., p. 194. Oesterley,
with Kittel, feels vs.
21
should be placed between vss. 16 and 17, op. cit., p. 341.
113. Ibid., p. 97; cf. Job 40:15. Terrien says
this might refer to the
hippopotamus, the colossus of flesh
and the symbol of stupidity, The Psalms
and
Their Meaning for Today (New York: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1952), p. 258.
114. Weiser, op. cit., p. 513.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 181
wa'ani ("but I") opens
the final strophe with this certainty of God's
final victory, giving the psalmist the courage to
remain with his God in
spite of everything. The pious man cannot help seeing
God as his only
refuge, even if his plight leads him to doubt God's
goodness and
power.115
"To be at someone's right
hand" (beyadh yemini)
is to be in the
place of honor (cf.1 Kgs.
2:19; Pss. 45:9; 80:17) and "to have someone
at one's right hand" is normally to enjoy his
protection or support (Pss.
16:8;
109:31; 110:5; 121:5).116
In his view, to believe means to
hold on to a permanent
relationship
of his life with God in the assurance that God will
sustain him
when man is no longer able to walk in his own
strength.117
vs. 24:
Thou dost guide me with thy counsel
and
afterward thou wilt receive me to glory.
ve'ahar ("after
these things"), an adverb, normally signifies "at a
later time," but its precise meaning is debated.118
kabhodh tiqqaheni
("take me to honor") could be a reference to something
like the
'translation' of Enoch (Gen. 5:24). But one cannot be certain
if the
phrase refers to life beyond death. A great number of
scholars do not
think so. Mowinckel says
the belief in the resurrection came as a result
of Persian ideas119 and that
expressions like this point out the
assurance that Yahweh will never fail his pious
ones in times of mortal
peril but will deliver them from evil and sudden
death till they die "old
and full of days." This faith deepened in
later Judaism. "Psalm 73
shows how near even ancient
communion with God becomes the highest value,
going on beyond life
and death."120 He adds,121
115. Ringgren, op. cit., pp. 72, 29; see note 19.
116. Johnson, op. cit., p. 52, 52n; but in the law courts, apparently, it was
customary for the accuser to stand at the right
hand of the defendant (Ps. 109:6;
Zech.
3:1).
117. Weiser, op. cit., p.513.
118. McCullough, op. cit., p. 1391.
119. Mowinckel,
op. cit., p. 241.
120. Ibid.
121. Ibid.
182 Restoration
Quarterly
But if the word ('translation') were
to have this sense in Psalms
49 and 73, then 73:24, at any rate
it would imply the doctrine
that the
pious person--or just the suppliant himself?—was carried
away
directly when dying, or without dying, and that would be
something
quite different from the Jewish faith in resurrection.
Snaith
denies any resurrection faith here and argues that ve'ahar
means "after these temporary distresses"
and that kabod
means glory
or honor in the things of this, life.122
Gunkel and
Schmidt emend the text so that it refers to the present
life only. Gunkel would
read "and in the path thou dost make me
strong in heart," while Schmidt regroups certain
consonants so as to
read "thou drawest me
by the hand after thee." Their emendations rest
simply on their belief that the idea of the future
life was incompatible
with the thought world of the psalmists.123
It may be that the LXX, followed by
the Vulgate, sees no reference
to a future life, for it renders "in thy counsel
didst thou guide me, and
with glory didst thou receive me."124
Dahood
thinks the psalmist does refer to his belief in eternal union
with God in a future life.125 Rowley admits that if 23ff. refer only to
this life, then the poet has an odd way of
expressing it, for he speaks of
God receiving him, rather than giving him some
material blessing.
He
first declares he enjoys fellowship with God now, and
then he says God
will receive him; so it must be of future fellowship
that he speaks. This
may be an incipient faith that God will continue to
be a source of
well-being after death. But this future life is a
hope, not a doctrine.126
Eternal
life does not seem to be the real issue of the verse but is rather a
description of the psalmist's joy at God's nearness.
Regardless of how
one interprets the verse, the psalmist has received
the faith to overcome
his present difficulties.
vs. 25:
Whom have I
in heaven but thee?
And there is nothing
upon earth that I desire besides thee.
122. Norman H. Snaith,
The Distinctive Ideas of the Old Testament
(
Epworth
Press, 1950), p. 89n; cf. Eichrodt, op. cit., p. 522.
123. James, op. cit., p. 210.
124. Kirkpatrick, op. cit., p. 439.
125. Dahood,
op. cit., p. 194.
126. H. H. Rowley, The Faith of
1956),
p. 173.
Smith: A Crisis in Faith 183
His joy is in his communion with God
now. God is the prize
possession. When one has God, he has all he needs.127
vs. 26:
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but
God is the strength of my heart and my portion for
ever.
she'eri ulbhabhi ("my
flesh and nay heart") describe the whole man
(body and soul) in his earthy corporeity.128 Flesh
is often associated
with psychical functions (Pss.
84:11f.; 16:9; 99:120; .lob 4:15).129
Though
his body and mind fail, God remains his certain possession.130
vs. 27:
For lo, those who are far from thee
shall perish;
thou
dost put an end to those who are false to thee.
zoneh
("commit whoredom, play the harlot") refers to all Israelites
who are faithless to the covenant. The figure of
marriage is used to
express the closeness of God and his people (cf.
Hos. 2:2ff.; Isa.
54:5,
6), and apostasy is regarded as infidelity to the marriage vow.
(cf.
Hos. 4:15; Isa. 57:3; Ps.
106:39).131
vs. 28:
But for me it is good to be near
God;
I made the Lord God my
refuge,
that I may
tell of all thy works.
qirbat ‘elohim
("nearness of God") is a final declaration by the
127. Cf. Sheldon H. Blank, "The Nearness of
God and Psalm Seventy-Three,"
To Do and to Teach:
Essays in Honor of Charles Lynn Pyatt. (
of the Bible, 1953), pp. 9-13, where he points out
that the nearness of God may
be regarded as a threat (Gen. 11:5-9; Judg. 5:4; Isa. 8:9-10) or as a boon
(Isa.
50:8; Job 31:35; Ps. 23). There are three
categories of people who enjoy God's
presence as a boon: God's people,
Moses,
Gideon, Jeremiah; and the "crushed," "lowly," or
"broken-hearted," like
Job and the author of Ps. 73.
128. Eichrodt,
op. cit., p. 522; cf. Dahood, op. cit.,
p. 196, for the idea of a
new heart and body.
129. Johnson, op. cit., p. 38. von Rad,
op. cit., p. 404, says 23ff. is a
spiritual
exegesis of the ancient phrase "I am thy
portion."
130. McCullough, op. cit., p. 391.
131. Kirkpatrick, op. cit., p. 439; Briggs, op. cit., p. 147. The latter thinks 27
&
28 are Maccabean glosses.
184 Restoration
Quarterly
psalmist that he has great confidence in God and
is relieved of his
doubts as to his goodness.
mal'akhotheykha
unexpectedly shifts from the third person in the
preceding colon to the second person. A similar
phenomenon occurs
in Pss. 22:26, 28;
102:16. These may be examples of Hofstil (court
style) which in a Phoenician inscription shifts from
a first-person
reference to the king to a third-person reference.132
The LXX reads "that I may
declare all thy praises in the gates of
the daughter of
preserve the original sense, the present text
sounds incomplete.133
Conclusions
Psalm 73 is a deeply personal psalm
of thanksgiving that contains
some aspects of wisdom poetry perhaps due to some
adoption from
the cult in wisdom circles. It appears to be
post-exilic in origin,
though this is debatable. The psalm is a forceful
testimony to a man
who has learned to commit himself to God despite
terrific struggles
and doubts as to God's goodness.
He begins the psalm with the
conclusion he has reached in his
struggle. God is indeed upright and just to his
pious ones. But the
psalmist admits that he had come to a crisis in
his faith when he saw
the wicked prospering while God's righteous ones
suffered. The
wicked live polluted lives, yet feel no pain. God's
people live pure
lives and are stricken with oppression. The psalmist
was at the point
of voicing his remorse publicly but remained
silent out of consideration
of his people's faith. After the psalmist's vision
has been
illumined in God's sanctuary, he comes to see that
appearances do
not tell the whole story. The wicked have no real
security. God has
exposed them to ruin. Their fate is disastrous.
The psalmist realizes
that he enjoys-the blessed presence of God in his
life. This is of more
value than any earthly possession. When a man has
God, he has
everything he needs. This is the gospel he can
share with others.
132. Dahood,
op. cit., pp. 196, 84.
133. Op. cit., p. 439.
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