| ........Book 1......... | .........Book 2......... | .........Book 3......... | .........Book 4......... | .........Book 5......... |
| 1-2 no genre 3-6 psalm 7 reel 8-9 (10) psalm 11 no genre 12-13 psalm 14 no genre 15 psalm 16 miktam 17 prayer 18 no genre 19-24 psalm 25-28 no genre 29 psalm 30 song, psalm 31 psalm 32 insight 33,34,35 no genre 36 oracle 37 no genre 38-41 psalm | 42 (43) 44-45 insight 46 song 47 psalm 48 song, psalm 49-51 psalm 52-55 insight 56-60 miktam 61 no genre 62-64 psalm 65 psalm, song 66 song, psalm 67 no genre 68 psalm 69-72 no genre | 73 psalm 74 insight 75-76 psalm, song 77 psalm 78 insight 79 psalm 80 testimony, psalm 81 no genre 82-85 psalm 86 prayer 87 psalm, song 88 song, psalm, insight 89 insight | 90 prayer 91 no genre 92 psalm, song 93-97 no genre 98 psalm 99 no genre 100-101 psalm 102 prayer 103-106 no genre | 107 no genre 108 song, psalm 109 psalm 110 oracle, psalm 111,112,113-119 no genre 120-134 song 135-138 no genre 139-141 psalm 142 insight 143 psalm 144 no genre 145 praise 146-150 no genre |
several have double even triple genre
No prayer in Book 2
The prayers of Book 4 are a significant frame for that book.
No insight (maskil, Kimhi : a poem requiring an interpreter) in Book 4
psalm 14 the double of psalm 53 - one is an insight but the other is not
Miktamim (gold, inscribed, atonement ?) only in Books 1 and 2
Analysis could be impacted by the placement of acrostics (in bold)
A side note re inscriptions: Kimhi cites the tradition that ‘of David : a Psalm signifies that the Holy Spirit rested upon him, and (then) afterwards he uttered a Psalm while a Psalm of David signifies that he uttered a Psalm and (then) afterwards the Holy Spirit rested upon him’. See Psalms 24, 40, 68, 101, 109, 110, 139. That these are the 7 psalms that are marked in this way is an argument in favour of Kimhi’s comment.
Bob this is so way over my head it doesn't know which way to spin... but good on you.
ReplyDeleteHi David - I have been working on the psalms in detail for 6 years. I was wondering why the psalms as a whole called psalms when there are so many different types. The name for them in Hebrew is Tehillim - praises. The word occurs in Psalm 22: But you are holy, seated on the praises of Israel. You will remember that psalm which begins "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
ReplyDeleteMy use of the word 'genre' has a bit of a hook in it. Genre criticism is a branch of scholarship that assigns a type to many of them: lament, penitential, royal etc. It could be useful but it hasn't helped me see the wholeness of the Psalter.
I think the Psalter - the 150 collected psalms that we have, is a story of exile and a hope of restoration as well as a set of poems designed to create a merciful people.
Hey, Bob. I was a student of John Walton many moons ago. He called the collection of Psalms as a whole a "canticle" (using a modern term to communicate something very like what you are saying about there being a story in the order of the whole thing).
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Radak (Kimhi) consistently gets my vote as the best of the medievals.
Hi Derek, thanks for the note. I once tried to imagine the characters of 6th or 5th century redactors and their conversations - but it is too difficult for me to be realistic and the book I have nearly completed would be many more pages long and years in the making.
ReplyDeleteMy experience with the medievals is quite limited - that too would be a fascinating story to research. I have enjoyed a little of Saadya Gaon, RaDaK and more of Rashi - with the help of an interpreter.
The key for me to the exilic era redaction is the presence of the 8 acrostics, 4 imperfect in Book 1 and 4 perfect in Book 2. These seem to me to reflect the 4 acrostics of Lamentations. Also there is a singular-plural dynamic in both Psalms and Lamentations, confirmed by Rashi. I develop these thoughts in the book (described here) as we read through the whole in sequence.