The Psalter (Forbes 1888) #6

Continuing to read Forbes 1888. I will take Psalms 110 as read. Lest you think we might never get to chapter 1, the final sentence of the Introduction is only a post or three away: 

The short sketch now given of the line of argument pursued in these studies may, it is hoped, prepare the reader to follow with greater ease and interest the details in the book itself, from seeing beforehand their bearing on the whole.

So continuing: 

If this inference as to the place and purpose of Book IV. be correct, the next, Book V., ought to begin with the return from the Babylonish captivity. And that such is the case it bears on its very face. Ps. cvii. begins, " give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good : for His mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary ; and gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south " (vers. 1-3). Book V. consequently must have as its prophetical counterpart the postexilic prophecy of Zechariah. We have thus at once an explanation supplied of the late place assigned in the Psalter to the greatest revelation made to David in Ps. cx. Now, when the denunciation pronounced by Ezekiel had taken full effect, " Take off the crown ; I will overturn, overturn, overturn it ; this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him" (xxi. 26, 27),[31,32]—now was the time that the prediction [sic] of a more spiritual reign would be better appreciated.

 Small typo or alternative verse numbering for Ezekiel. Curious too that Babylon appears to be everywhere north, south, east and west. Limiting this psalm to a return from the east is inadequate.

Ezekiel 21:31-32

כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה הָסִיר֙ הַמִּצְנֶ֔פֶת וְהָרִ֖ים הָֽעֲטָרָ֑ה זֹ֣את לֹא־זֹ֔את הַשָּׁפָ֣לָה הַגְבֵּ֔הַ וְהַגָּבֹ֖הַ הַשְׁפִּֽיל		31 ♪C Thus says my Lord Yahweh, Put aside the head-dress, and lift high the crown. This, not this. To the humble give stature, and the haughty abase.
la ch amr adonii ihvh hsir hmxnpt vhrim hy'trh zat la-zat hwplh hgbh vhgboh hwpil	21 17	ch amr adn\i ihvh h/sr hm/xnp\t vh/rim h/y'tr\h zat la zat h/wpl\h h/gbh vh/gbh h/wpl
עַוָּ֥ה עַוָּ֖ה עַוָּ֣ה אֲשִׂימֶ֑נָּה גַּם־זֹאת֙ לֹ֣א הָיָ֔ה עַד־בֹּ֛א אֲשֶׁר־ל֥וֹ הַמִּשְׁפָּ֖ט וּנְתַתִּֽיו פ		32 Perverse, perverse, perverse, I will set her. Even this is not there, until he comes whose it is to judge, that I will give him.
lb yvvh yvvh yvvh awimnh gm-zat la hih yd-boa awr-lo hmwp't unttiv p	10 17	yvh yvh yvh a/wim\nh gm zat la hih yd ba awr l\v hm/wp't v/nt\tiv

 Ps. cx. accordingly finds its appropriate place in a post-exilic Book of Psalms, and a symbolical act illustrative of its import recorded in the book of a post-exilic prophet. To impress more vividly on the minds of his countrymen the truth and certain fulfilment of the great promise made in Ps cx., the prophet Zechariah is commanded to embody, as it were, its substance in a symbolical act, by making a crown of gold and setting it on the head of Joshua the high priest, and thus to address him, " Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH " (cf iii. 8 and Jer. xxiii. 5) ; " and he shall build the temple of the Lord : even he shall build the temple of the Lord ; and he shall have the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne ; and he shall be a priest upon his throne : and the counsel of peace shall be between them both " (Zech. vi. 12,13).

These connections that Forbes is making require an English translation and interpretive move to create xmk as a Messianic title. My readings take it as growth, or a sprout. I do not vest it with Messianic significance. True it looks forward to a righteous sprout from David. Jeremiah 23:8 is explicit:

הִנֵּ֨ה יָמִ֤ים בָּאִים֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וַהֲקִמֹתִ֥י לְדָוִ֖ד צֶ֣מַח צַדִּ֑יק וּמָ֤לַךְ מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ וְהִשְׂכִּ֔יל וְעָשָׂ֛ה מִשְׁפָּ֥ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה בָּאָֽרֶץ		5 Behold days are coming, an oracle of Yahweh, when I will raise for David a sprout, a righteous one, and a king will reign and give insight, and he will do judgment and righteousness in the land.
h hnh imim baim naum-ihvh vhqimoti ldvid xmk xdiq umlç mlç vhwcil vywh mwp't uxdqh barx	22 19	hnh im\im ba\im nam ihvh vh/qm\ti l/dvd xmk xdiq v/mlc mlc vh/wcl v/ywh m/wp't v/xdq\h b/arx
בְּיָמָיו֙ תִּוָּשַׁ֣ע יְהוּדָ֔ה וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יִשְׁכֹּ֣ן לָבֶ֑טַח וְזֶה־שְּׁמ֥וֹ אֲ‍ֽשֶׁר־יִקְרְא֖וֹ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ צִדְקֵֽנוּ פ		6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in trust, and this is his name that he will be called, Yahweh is our righteousness.
v bimiv tivvwy ihudh viwral iwcon lb'tk vzh-wmo awr-iqrao ihvh xdqnu p	18 15	b/im\iv tv/wy ihvdh v/iwral i/wcn l/b'tk v/zh wm\v awr i/qra\v ihvh xdq\nv
לָכֵ֛ן הִנֵּֽה־יָמִ֥ים בָּאִ֖ים נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹא־יֹ֤אמְרוּ עוֹד֙ חַי־יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר הֶעֱלָ֛ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם		7 Therefore behold, days are coming, an oracle of Yahweh, and they will not say any more, Yahweh lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,
z lcn hnh-imim baim naum-ihvh vla-iamru yod ki-ihvh awr hylh at-bni iwral marx mxriim	12 26	lcn hnh im\im ba\im nam ihvh v/la i/amr\v yvd ki ihvh awr h/ylh at bn\i iwral m/arx m/xr\im
כִּ֣י אִם־חַי־יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֶעֱלָה֩ וַאֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵבִ֜יא אֶת־זֶ֨רַע בֵּ֤ית יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹנָה וּמִכֹּל֙ הָֽאֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִדַּחְתִּ֖ים שָׁ֑ם וְיָשְׁב֖וּ עַל־אַדְמָתָֽם פ		8 ♪B But rather, Yahweh lives who brought up, and who conducted the seed of the house of Israel from the land towards the north, and from all the lands where I banished them, and they will settle on their own ground.
k ci am-ki-ihvh awr hylh vawr hbia at-zry bit iwral marx xponh umcol harxot awr hdktim wm viwbu yl-admtm p	42 8	ci am ki ihvh awr h/ylh v/awr h/bia at zry bit iwral m/arx xpvn\h vm/cl h/arx\vt awr h/dk\tim wm v/iwb\v yl adm\tm

This is forward looking, but not necessarily Messianic. The last two verses give it the context of the return from exile.

The root xmk is used several times - all of them noted here. It is an ordinary word, applied a couple of times as a name in a literary way for the pun of fostering growth and righteousness. Certainly these are desirable and necessary in every generation. I don't think it is an adequate stimulus for a triumphant theology, especially one that ends in catastrophe.

Here is the Zechariah passage from chapter 6:

וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּה־אִ֞ישׁ צֶ֤מַח שְׁמוֹ֙ וּמִתַּחְתָּ֣יו יִצְמָ֔ח וּבָנָ֖ה אֶת־הֵיכַ֥ל יְהוָֽהּ		12 And say to him, saying, Thus says Yahweh of hosts, saying, Behold a man, Growth his name, and from under him, he will grow and build the temple of Yahweh.
ib vamrt aliv lamor ch amr ihvh xbaot lamor hnh-aiw xmk wmo umtktiv ixmk ubnh at-hicl ihvh	18 21	v/amr\t al\iv l/amr ch amr ihvh xba\vt l/amr hnh aiw xmk wm\v vm/tkt\iv i/xmk v/bnh at hicl ihvh
וְ֠הוּא יִבְנֶ֞ה אֶת־הֵיכַ֤ל יְהוָה֙ וְהֽוּא־יִשָּׂ֣א ה֔וֹד וְיָשַׁ֥ב וּמָשַׁ֖ל עַל־כִּסְא֑וֹ וְהָיָ֤ה כֹהֵן֙ עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ וַעֲצַ֣ת שָׁל֔וֹם תִּהְיֶ֖ה בֵּ֥ין שְׁנֵיהֶֽם		13 ♪~ And he will build the temple of Yahweh, and he will bear splendour, and he will sit and govern on his throne, and he will be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace will be between them both.
ig vhua ibnh at-hicl ihvh vhua-iiwa hod viwb umwl yl-cisao vhih cohn yl-cisao vyxt wlom thih bin wnihm	23 19	v/hva i/bnh at hicl ihvh v/hva i/wa hvd v/iwb v/mwl yl csa\v v/hih chn yl csa\v v/yx\t wlvm t/hih bin wnh\m

Here the king predicted is not only to be, as in Ps. cx., a priest also on his throne, but to show how transcendently superior to what any mere man could effect is the spiritual work that he is to accomplish for the Lord, it is added, He it is that " shall build the temple of the Lord "—counting as nothing, not worthy to be called a temple, the building whose " foundation the hands of Zerubbabel had laid, and his hands should also finish it " (Zech. iv. 9). The purport of the act and words of the prophet could not be plainer ; so that from this time forth at least, for the space of nearly 500 years, it seems impossible to deny that the coming of a Messiah must have been the universal belief and expectation of the nation, and the interpretation put upon their Scriptures by the people to whom they were addressed.

יְדֵ֣י זְרֻבָּבֶ֗ל יִסְּד֛וּ הַבַּ֥יִת הַזֶּ֖ה וְיָדָ֣יו תְּבַצַּ֑עְנָה וְיָ֣דַעְתָּ֔ כִּֽי־יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם		9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house so his own hands will gain, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts sent me to you.
't idi zrubbl iisdu hbit hzh vidiv tbxynh vidyt ci-ihvh xbaot wlkni alicm	20 18	id\i zrbbl isd\v h/bit h/zh v/id\iv t/bxy\nh v/idy\t ci ihvh xba\vt wlk\ni al\icm

Zechariah 4:9

You can see the perspective that this divine has on the Scriptures. The knots of interpretation are tightened verse by verse until all thought about the historical inference is focused on only one thing. I have no doubt that the writers of Scripture were wise and perceptive. I delight in finding this without making the puzzle have only one answer. They also wanted things to be right, and for people to be able to live in peace. These same hopes are ours.

As to prophecy being prediction. That's a whole other subject. But first to read accurately and to find supportable suppositions, not necessarily those perceived to be of the New Testament. Note that I do not necessarily agree that the suppositions imposed on the NT are to be trusted either. The one who "reigns and triumphs from the tree" does not act that way. There is great cost and difficulty in following this path. Violence, and coercion whether physical, legal, or psychological are not the way.

You can see from my translation that I have given the gloss grow to xmk, and the gloss branch to m'th. (Check the glossary). I try to avoid overlapping multiple Hebrew roots for one English gloss. Branch does occur in more than one domain as m'th. And there are two other roots that have glosses with a modifier to distinguish them.

There is method here, and translation is acceptable. Most of the world was not taught to reason in Hebrew.