Psalms and the book of consolation

Reading this document from 1888, the height of British Christendom and Empire, one would think that the citation of a few proof-texts would clinch any argument about the overall theme and purpose of the Psalms in their sequence.

Forbes certainly has a unique approach to the Psalter structure, dividing book 5 into three pieces to create a menorah structure. But his stated purpose to read without mention of the New Testament's use of the Psalms (in his opinion) has not been achieved so far. 

He asks us to compare several aspects of the Psalter to prove his association of Book 4 with the exile.

The next. Book IV. (xc.-cvi.), ought therefore to refer to the captivity, and to have as its counterpart, or corresponding prophetical book, Isa. xl—lxvi. with its consolatory purpose...

So he asks us to compare: 

'Ps. xcvi. 1 with Isa. xlii. 10; Ps. xcviii. 4, 8, with Isa. xlix. 13 and lv. 12).' One whole line in Ps. xcviii. 3, "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God," is identical in the Hebrew with Isa. lii. 10.'

(That's what he says. We'll see.) It was common to use Roman numerals. Very hard to read. That's Psalms 96:1 and Isaiah 42:10. 

Fig. 1 Psalms 96:1 (one of 6 instances of  'sing a new song' in the Psalter)

שִׁ֣ירוּ לַ֭יהוָה שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֑שׁ שִׁ֥ירוּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ		1 ♪B Sing to Yahweh a new song. Sing to Yahweh all the earth.
a wiru lihvh wir kdw wiru lihvh cl-harx	7 8	wir\v l/ihvh wir kdw wir\v l/ihvh cl h/arx

Fig. 2 Isaiah 42:10

שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיהוָה֙ שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֔שׁ תְּהִלָּת֖וֹ מִקְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ יוֹרְדֵ֤י הַיָּם֙ וּמְלֹא֔וֹ אִיִּ֖ים וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶֽם		10 ♪C Sing to Yahweh a new song, praise from the extremity of the earth, those descending to the sea and its fullness, coasts and their inhabitants.
i wiru lihvh wir kdw thilto mqxh harx iordi him umloao aiim viowbihm	16 13	wir\v l/ihvh wir kdw t/hl\tv m/qxh h/arx iv/rd\i h/im v/mla\v ai\im v/iwb\ihm

Yes Isaiah knew this Psalm or vice versa and the prophet uses a phrase that is used 6 times in the Psalter. Something to ponder. Many other connections there are in the language as this comparison shows for Isa 42:10-12 and Psalms 96:9-13.

Fig. 3 Comparing Isaiah 42:10-12 with Psalms 96:9-13

Then, he says, look at Isaiah ten before 50 and nine after, 13 (49:13) and fifty and five after fifty, 12 with Psalms ten before 100 and 8 after, 4 and 8 (98 verses 4 and 8). I wish he would point out the similarity he wants us to look at. Maybe he does this later.

Fig. 4 Psalms 98:4

Fig. 5 Psalms 98:8

הָרִ֣יעוּ לַֽ֭יהוָה כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ פִּצְח֖וּ וְרַנְּנ֣וּ וְזַמֵּֽרוּ		4 Raise a shout to Yahweh all the earth. Erupt and shout for joy and sing a psalm.
d hriyu lihvh cl-harx pxku vrnnu vzmru	9 9	h/riy\v l/ihvh cl h/arx pxk\v v/rnn\v v/zmr\v
נְהָר֥וֹת יִמְחֲאוּ־כָ֑ף יַ֝֗חַד הָרִ֥ים יְרַנֵּֽנוּ		8 Rivers clap a lapping palm. Hills as one shout for joy.
k nhrot imkau-cf ikd hrim irnnu	7 8	nhr\vt i/mka\v cp ikd hr\im i/rnn\v

[clap, מחא (mka) once in the Psalter. The clapping of the lapping palm is the high five (Psalm 47) of the rivers, the turbulence of the moment, even from chaos, rejoicing in the judgment.]

Fig. 6 Isaiah 49:13

רָנּ֤וּ שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְגִ֣ילִי אָ֔רֶץ וּפִצְח֥וּ הָרִ֖ים רִנָּ֑ה כִּֽי־נִחַ֤ם יְהוָה֙ עַמּ֔וֹ וַעֲנִיָּ֖ו יְרַחֵֽם ס		13 Shout for joy, heaven, and rejoice, earth, and erupt, hills, with a loud shout, for Yahweh has comforted his people, and his afflicted he will nurture.
ig ronu wmiim vgili arx upxku hrim rinh ci-nikm ihvh ymo vyniiv irkm s	16 14	rn\v wmim v/gil\i arx v/pxk\v hr\im rn\h ci nkm ihvh ym\v v/yn\iv i/rkm

Fig. 7 Isaiah 55:12

כִּֽי בְשִׂמְחָ֣ה תֵצֵ֔אוּ וּבְשָׁל֖וֹם תּֽוּבָל֑וּן הֶהָרִ֣ים וְהַגְּבָע֗וֹת יִפְצְח֤וּ לִפְנֵיכֶם֙ רִנָּ֔ה וְכָל־עֲצֵ֥י הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִמְחֲאוּ־כָֽף		12 For in gladness you will go out and in peace you will be escorted. The hills and the hillocks in your presence will erupt with a shout of joy and all the trees of the field will raise a high five.
ib ci bwmkh txau ubwlom tublun hhrim vhgbyot ipxku lpnicm rinh vcl-yxi hwdh imkau-cf	13 26	ci b/wmk\h t/xa\v vb/wlvm tv/bl\vn h/hr\im vh/gby\vt i/pxk\v l/pn\icm rn\h v/cl yx\i h/wdh i/mka\v cp

Psalms 98:3 = Isaiah 52:10? I wonder what text he is reading. Mine is not exactly the same.

Fig. 8 Psalms 98:3

זָ֘כַ֤ר חַסְדּ֨וֹ ׀ וֶֽאֱֽמוּנָתוֹ֮ לְבֵ֪ית יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל רָא֥וּ כָל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ אֵ֝֗ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ		3 ♪~ He remembered his mercy and his faithfulness for the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth saw, the salvation of our God.
g zcr ksdo vamunto lbit iwral rau cl-apsi-arx at iwuyt alohinu	14 6 8	zcr ksd\v v/amvn\tv l/bit iwral ra\v cl aps\i arx iwvy\t alh\inv

Fig. 9 Isaiah 52:10

חָשַׂ֤ף יְהוָה֙ אֶת־זְר֣וֹעַ קָדְשׁ֔וֹ לְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְרָאוּ֙ כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֔רֶץ אֵ֖ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ ס		10 Yahweh has stripped his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
i kwf ihvh at-zroy qodwo lyini cl-hgoiim vrau cl-apsi-arx at iwuyt alohinu s	17 16	kwp ihvh at zry qdw\v l/yin\i cl h/gvi\m v/ra\v cl aps\i arx at iwvy\t alh\inv

Look closely at the psalm verse. It has two rests, so the first is an ole-veyored and the second an atnah. Or in musical terms, the first is a rest on the supertonic and the second a rest on the subdominant.
Musicians should know this as a tricolon because their Coverdale Psalter will read as a bicolon. 

Coverdale reforms almost every verse as a doublet separated by the ' : ', this representing the atnah most of the time, but below it is clearly on the ole-veyored and the atnah is ignored. The Psalms often have a tricolon marked by the ole-veyored (Fig 8, bar 4-5 above on the word Israel) and atnah. I should have put in a pause in the music because it is not always obvious. When performing Coverdale, it is legitimate to pause on the word seen below. The pause there can be longer than at the colon. There is rest in the seeing. And what have we seen? Both that he hath remembered his mercy and truth and that it is: The salvation of our God.

He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel : and all the ends of the world have seen /// the salvation of our God.

So introduce a bit of musical tension on that word 'have seen'. I used 'saw' to indicate finality. It is perfect - not imperfect. English helping verbs are ambiguous as to their temporal aspect. Time itself is one of those great scientific mysteries - it stops at the speed of light and it is unknown prior to the inflationary period of the origin of the universe. (All this is part of the music of the spheres.)

Isaiah of course does not use an ole veyored since that book uses the prose cantillation marks. So the music differs and you will note that the Hebrew is not the same. There's a vav connecting the two part phrase in Isaiah. The form of the verb differs in mine and traditional translation. That's because mapping verb forms in Hebrew to those in English is subject to all sorts of tensions. Biblical Hebrew does not think in past, present, and future. But neither does English when you give it some thought. And time is non-trivial, non-linear, and probably not to be interpreted as precisely as the power-hungry would like.

Book 4 in my reading is a recall to Moses and the instruction noted in Psalms 1 after the failure of the monarchy. Moses occurs 7 times in Book 4. (Once in Book 3 and a hint in Book 1 with the phrase, he will draw me out (mwh) of many waters - imwni mmim rbim.) I think that the sevenfold reference to Moses is a suggestion that Moses and what he stands for, the good and beneficial instruction of Yahweh, is a key to Book 4. Of course it hearkens back to Psalms 1.

And what does the instruction of Yahweh allow us to do: to become like God, judging with equity, showing mercy to thousands, kind, but not clearing the guilty. This is very hard work. The ten words give us considerable pause.