Psalms Through the Centuries, Volume 3. Susan Gillingham

Psalms Through the Centuries, Volume 3 - Susan Gillingham


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Second Korahite collection corresponds to the royal Psalm 45 in the first: both focus on the king. Throughout the three strophes (verses 1–7, 8–13, 14–17) we find several motifs from other psalms. Examples include its cluster of imperatives (‘cry’; ‘hear’; ‘save’; ‘protect’); its references to ‘your servant’ (verses 2, 4, 16); and its expression ‘poor and needy’ (verse 1). One seminal example is the adaptation, in verses 5 and 15, of an ancient creedal formula found in Exod. 34:6 (‘. the Lord. merciful and gracious… slow to anger…’) and used in other biblical texts (for example, Ps 103:8, 145:8, Neh. 9:17, Joel 2:13 and Jonah 4:2). This rich intertextuality raises questions about which text ‘received’ from another.217 Another issue of reception history is that, given the end of Psalm 72 clearly states that the prayers of David had ended, why did the editors include another Davidic psalm here, and indeed elsewhere in Books Four and Five of the Psalter? It would seem that the ongoing interest in David as the paradigmatic psalmist lived on beyond Books One and Two, even if those books contain by far the most psalms ascribed to David.

      Hence this is a psalm used in similar ways despite the different expressions of faith: despite its title, David is not at the centre of much interpretation. The theme shared in both Jewish and Christian reception is the importance of prayer.

      Psalm 87: God is King in Zion

      Psalm 87 relates to Ps 86:9 in that it amplifies the eschatological idea of all nations acknowledging the rule of God. This psalm is however more specific. Here Zion is described as a mother (verse 5) who gives birth not only to the people of Israel but, seemingly, to other peoples as well (verse 6). This *Korahite psalm, which is very different from the earlier *Asaphite psalms which view the nations in such a negative light, has generated a vast amount of interpretation over the centuries. It raises questions as to whether these ‘peoples’ are the Jews in the Diaspora, who will always be citizens of Zion; or perhaps proselytes in the Diaspora, thus explaining the references to Rahab and Babylon in verse 4; or perhaps a prophecy to be fulfilled by (Gentile) Christians, who are heirs to this hope. Its interests in Zion, and in God as King there, link it to Psalms 46–48 in the first Korahite collection.


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