The New American Commentary assumes the inerrancy of Scripture, focuses on the intrinsic theological and exegetical concerns of each biblical book, and engages the range of issues raised in contemporary biblical scholarship. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of over forty scholars and encompassing forty volumes, the NAC brings together scholarship and piety to produce a tool that enhances and supports the life of the church.
The New American Commentary assumes the inerrancy of Scripture, focuses on the intrinsic theological and exegetical concerns of each biblical book, and engages the range of issues raised in contemporary biblical scholarship. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of over forty scholars and encompassing forty volumes, the NAC brings together scholarship and piety to produce a tool that enhances and supports the life of the church.
Psalms 73-150: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture
352
Psalms 73-150: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture
352eBook
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Overview
The New American Commentary assumes the inerrancy of Scripture, focuses on the intrinsic theological and exegetical concerns of each biblical book, and engages the range of issues raised in contemporary biblical scholarship. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of over forty scholars and encompassing forty volumes, the NAC brings together scholarship and piety to produce a tool that enhances and supports the life of the church.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781535926058 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | B&H Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 01/31/2019 |
| Series: | The New American Commentary , #31 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 352 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
| Age Range: | 3 Months to 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
BOOK III: PSALMS 73–89
Introduction
It is standard practice in a commentary for the author to present a full introduction to the book, including such topics as its authorship, date, setting, theme, purpose, literary qualities, and history of interpretation. Because this volume on Psalms 73–150 is paired with a companion volume on Psalms 1–72, the full introduction will await the subsequent publication of that book. For the present, I will explain briefly how I have approached the writing of this two-volume commentary on the Psalms.
In recent years the preponderance of academic study of the Psalms has focused almost exclusively either on discussions regarding the canonical ordering of what is considered the final form of the book of Psalms, which is properly a matter of its redaction or reception history, or else on issues of biblical theology and in particular Christological interpretation, without attending sufficiently to a close reading of the individual psalms as they were originally sung, heard, and appropriated. This current preoccupation with canonical ordering and Christological interpretation that focuses on situating the psalms within the overall biblical metanarrative may have the unintended and regrettable consequence of distracting the interpreter away from the primary task of appreciating what each individual psalm is communicating in its own right. Although Grant is a proponent of canonical interpretation of the psalms, he rightly cautions that the approach he takes to the Psalms "should not lead to the neglect of form-critical analyses, close readings of individual psalms or discussion of the historical function of these poetic compositions." For the general reader for whom the NAC is intended, the primary subjects of concern relate to what the biblical text meant in its original context, how the biblical text should be read so as to savor its meaning and to feel its force, how this text correlates with other passages throughout the Bible, what it teaches about God, and how humans are to live in response to it. Leithart calls the approach I have taken in this commentary "ecclesial biblical theology." He argues, "To fill the empty shelves in our theological libraries, however, pastor theologians cannot mimic the idiom of the university. Academic scholarship is written in technical language, makes heavy use of the biblical languages and other relevant ancient languages, and theorizes about history and textual interpretation at a rarefied level. ... Ecclesial biblical theology must be theology for the church."
When studying the psalms it is crucial to read them as poetry, as C. S. Lewis contended memorably: "Most emphatically the Psalms must be read as poems, as lyrics, with all the licenses and all the formalities, the hyperboles, the emotional rather than logical connections, which are proper to lyric poetry. They must be read as poems if they are to be understood; no less than French must be read as French or English as English. Otherwise we shall miss what is in them and think we see what is not." In an article published in 1995 I addressed how to interpret biblical lyric poetry, and then I applied that hermeneutical procedure in my commentary on the Song of Songs. In this commentary on Psalms 73–150 I have endeavored to read these ancient lyrics as poems, as they were originally composed. In particular, I have sought to understand and to elucidate the poetic images and strategies employed by the psalmists.
For nearly a century from the time of Gunkel onward, form criticism has examined the standard structural patterns in the Psalms. In focusing on what is common among the various psalms, form criticism was not as attentive to the rhetorical features that make each psalm distinctive. It is in the differences between psalms of similar form that the poetic artistry of the psalmists is displayed. In writing this commentary I have sought to take up the challenge issued byMuilenburg to go beyond form criticism and to discern how individual psalms creatively adapt the standard patterns of lament and praise by their rhetorical and poetic devices; for as Alter notes, "Every literary tradition converts the formal limitations of its own medium into an occasion for artistic expression: the artist, in fact, might be defined as a person who thrives on realizing new possibilities within formal limitations." Berlin has stated well that "the devices and symmetries that are present in a poem are not merely decorations — esthetically pleasing ornaments surrounding the meaning — but are pointers or signs which indicate what the meaning is. To understand how a poem is constructed is to begin to understand what it expresses."
It is also important to remember that in the OT, in the NT, and throughout Jewish and Christian history the psalms have been sung by the people of God in their personal and corporate worship (cf. 1 Chr 16:8–36; Eph5:19; Col 3:16). As songs, the psalms are performed texts that affect those who sing them. The Psalter, then, is not just a literary or theological document to be analyzed, but it consists of songs that are to be appropriated in various contexts of worship. As poems and songs, they intend to recreate the experience of the psalmist in the one who reads and sings them; and thus the Psalms have transformational force upon those who appropriate them. As Witvliet says, "When they become the words worshippers speak or sing, they often function differently than other scriptural texts. They are not primarily or exclusively used to challenge worshippers to wrestle with a new idea or to tell a biblical story. Rather, they are placed on worshippers' lips as texts to be prayed — texts that worshippers are challenged to embrace as their own."
In this volume I have divided my discussion of each psalm into the following sections:
1. Form, Structure, and Setting — This section provides a brief analysis of the type of psalm, along with the structural parts of the psalm. Many of the psalms follow clear formal patterns that can help the reader understand what the psalmist is doing in the song. Often the standard pattern is altered in some way, which may indicate a special emphasis by the psalmist. Some psalms do not fit well the standard lament and praise forms, so in those cases I have developed approaches that suit the individual psalm, such as using a thematic outline (cf. Psalm 73) or treating it as a mosaic (cf. Psalms 112 and 119).Jacobson has demonstrated that the rhetorical situation or setting of the various psalms is a debated issue that has been approached historically, theologically, and canonically with widely divergent conclusions. He contends, "The results of one's rhetorical analysis will depend on how one frames the rhetorical situation. And no one approach to framing the rhetorical situation can claim absolute primacy over other approaches." In this commentary I have tried to discern hints within the text of the psalm that indicate its original occasion and use, but often the internal evidence is not definitive. Because comparison of the MT, LXX, and DSS readings suggests a good deal of textual fluidity in the superscriptions, in contrast to the relative stability of the actual psalmic texts, I have made very light use of the superscriptions when discussing the settings of the psalms. Unless there is corroborative evidence in OT or NT intertexts to establish the identity of the author, I refer simply to the psalmist rather than assuming that the person indicated in the superscription was the one who composed the psalm.
2. Commentary — The meat of the discussion is devoted to exegetical comments for each verse or small group of verses in the psalm. In this section I try to focus on the most important philological, grammatical, textual, cultural, and poetical insights in the passage. Footnotes are provided when warranted to discuss more technical matters and to direct the reader to additional useful discussions of the psalm in accessible scholarly literature.
3. Theme — After the commentary section, I summarize the psalm's meaning in a brief paragraph of about 100 words, in which the overall theme is stated and its development is traced throughout the psalm.
4. Intertextuality — In a section of 200–300 words I briefly survey some of the ways in which this psalm correlates with other psalms, with other OT passages, and with NT passages in order to give a general sense for how the psalm links with broader biblical content. I realize that canonical interpretation is very prominent in the academic study of the Psalms today, and there are many published commentaries that address that subject extensively (for example, the technical volumes byHossfeld and Zenger, as well as Bullock's commentary directed toward the general reader) so I do not attempt to replicate what they have done. My concern is simply to identify some of the prominent intertextual quotations, allusions, and echoes of the psalm in other biblical passages.
5. Theology — In about one hundred words, I present the main teachings about God in the psalm, because as Grogan contends, "If the book of psalms teaches us anything, it is that the only proper outlook for the people of God is to focus constantly on God himself, on his character, his deeds, his purposes."
6. Response — In the Psalms, theology crashes into experience, and in that collision faith is forged.Ryken contends, "A lyric poem exists to prompt us to meditation and reflection, as well as emotional and affective response. The poet's project is to make us share an experience with him." In addition, because the psalms are songs, Wenham concludes, "Singing or praying the psalms is a performative, typically a commissive, act: saying these solemn words to God alters one's relationship in a way that mere listening does not. ... In singing the Psalms one is actively committing oneself to following the God-approved life." Therefore, in a final section of one to two hundred words I suggest some appropriate responses to the psalm by the individual believer, by the corporate people of God, and by broader audiences when they are in the psalm's purview. It is imperative that the Psalms do more than inform the mind of the reader; they should prompt worship for and obedience to the Lord in all dimensions of life. As we respond properly to them, "the Psalms offer us a way of joining in a chorus of praise and prayer which has been going on for millennia, and across all cultures."
Vanhoozer and Treier have put their fingers on what people in the church want and need from commentaries and yet do not often enough receive from them. They contend,
Saints in the pews — or multipurpose seats — may define what is practical in unhealthy terms, regarding immediately felt needs. Yet many really do want to know what the Bible says, and they want to trust scholarly help in hearing God speak. However, their desire to move from practical concerns through theoretical contemplation back to practical application is thwarted, whether by scholarly jargon or declining cultural literacy or academic refusal to address what matters most.
This desideratum of scholarship serving the church is analogous to the approach taken by Rick Steves in his celebrated travel program on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Steves devotes extensive time to researching various sites in Europe, and then in his telecasts he presents a summary of what he has learned in order to prepare his viewers better to understand and to value the places they may visit. By this means Steves both instructs and inspires his audience, just as a good commentary should both teach the mind and touch the heart of its readers. A biblical commentary, then, must be more than just an academic treatise to study, although it must indeed be informed by careful scholarship. It should also invite readers to respond to the text in worship and obedience to the Lord. This is particularly the case for a commentary on the Psalms, for since OT times these biblical songs have been sung as the expressions of faith by the people of the Lord.
Psalm 73
Form, Structure, and Setting
Psalm 73 has prompted a wide variety of proposals about its genre. In its content, the contrast between the pure in heart (v. 1) and the wicked (v. 3) is reminiscent of wisdom psalms such as Psalms 1, 37, and 49. The final line in v. 28b suggests that in its form this psalm is a declaration of thanksgiving to the Lord; but it does not feature the characteristic language of declarative praise psalms, such as yodâ ("give thanks"). More specifically, Tate describes the psalm as reflective testimony derived from the wisdom literature.
It is clearly structured as a unity. The first verse, which states that God is good (?ôb) to Israel, and the final verse, with its claim that God's presence is my good (?ôb), form an inclusio. The content of Psalm 73 has a fourfold structure:
1. Principle — The just God is good to the godly (v. 1). This is the final position of confidence to which the psalmist comes after a difficult spiritual odyssey.
2. Perception — Injustice makes godliness seem futile (vv. 2–14). The psalmist traces his downward progression as he considers the prosperity of the wicked.
3. Perspective — The just God judges wicked people (vv. 15–26). After considering how his example could negatively affect others, the psalmist develops a renewed confidence in God.
4. Practice — Faith in the just God gives stability in the face of injustice (vv. 27–28). This is the confident stance represented in the opening verse of the psalm and the impetus for the whole psalm.
Taken as a whole, the psalm has a V-shaped, or comedic, structure. The psalmist's slipping steps in the first half of the psalm are balanced in the second half by increasing stability due to his renewed trust in Yahweh. By the psalm's end wisdom has opened the door to worship. Because Psalm 73 is an individual testimony that treats general themes of wisdom, it is difficult to define its precise setting. No doubt there were many righteous people at all times in Israel's history whose perception of the prosperity of the wicked raised serious theological questions, as Psalm 49, Jeremiah 12, and Habakkuk 1 all attest.
Commentary
1. Principle — the Just God Is Good to the Godly (73:1)
A psalm of Asaph.
1 God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart.
73:1 The introductory ?ak, "indeed," which occurs also in vv. 13 (untranslated) and 18, signals a note of certainty or strong affirmation of what the psalmist has learned through experience. Through his personal journey the psalmist has learned that God is indeed good to his pious people. In this psalm he will extrapolate from his own experience to the wider audience for which it is also relevant. Rather than being merely an individual expression of faith, this psalm is a testimony that "exists to build up the community of faith." The current edition of the Hebrew text (BHS) emends yisra'el to yisra'el ("upright of God"), which Alter notes would balance the line and also preserve the psalm's individual perspective. However, there is no textual evidence to substantiate this changed reading of the text.
2. Perspective — Injustice Makes Godliness Seem Futile (73:2–14)
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray.
3 For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well fed.
5 They are not in trouble like others; they are not afflicted like most people.
6 Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8 They mock, and they speak maliciously; they arrogantly threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth.
10 Therefore his people turn to them and drink in their overflowing words.
11 The wicked say, "How can God know? Does the Most High know everything?"
12 Look at them — the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth.
13 Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?
14 For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.
73:2 With v. 2 the psalmist begins to recount the experience that led to his conclusion in v. 1. He admits candidly that in the past he was very close to losing his footing, a metaphor that likely refers to having his faith shaken and his thinking obscured. He nearly lost his traction and fell prostrate, which could have caused major injury for him (cf. Ps 56:13[14]). This was a dangerous predicament that could have become a complete disaster.
73:3 The psalmist now explains why he had come close to stumbling. Life as it is viewed in biblical texts such as Prov 26:27 and frequently elsewhere, especially in the wisdom literature, supposes a general pattern of retribution. That is, those who act wisely and righteously enjoy divine blessing, but God judges those whose lives are characterized by folly and wickedness. The psalmist, however, was agitated when he saw the prosperity of the arrogant wicked. His implicit question, Why do good things happen to bad people?, is the flip side of the problem of evil that is explored in the book of Job. In probing this apparent anomaly the psalmist is in the company of the prophets Jeremiah and Habakkuk (cf. Jeremiah 12; Habakkuk 1).
(Continues…)
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Table of Contents
Editors' Preface,
Author's Preface,
Abbreviations,
Book III: Psalms 73–89,
Book IV: Psalm 90–106,
Book V: Psalms 107– 150,
Bibliography,
Author Index,
Scripture Index,