September 7, 2020 – Next Step Bible Study

Psalm 8

This Psalm is one of the best known, to the average reader at least, due primarily to the famous anthropological question (and declaration) in vv. 5-6 [4-5] that rests at the center of the poem. We also have the memorable refrain that opens and closes the work, and the initial line of v. 3 [2] that Jesus quotes in Matt 21:16. The meaning of the musical instruction tyT!G]-lu^ (±al-gittî¾), like most of these technical terms in the superscriptions, remains unknown (also used in Pss 81 and 84); the syntax and place in the formula suggests that tyT!G] is some sort of musical instrument, but anything more is simply a guess.

The meter of this Psalm is quite inconsistent, with the greatest difficulties surrounding vv. 2b-3a [1b-2a] and how those lines should be divided. Otherwise, however, the structure of the poem is straightforward: it is a hymn of praise, with an opening strophe praising YHWH, followed by a cosmological section dealing with the created order (in two parts), closing with a refrain that repeats the first line of the hymn. It may be outlined as follows:

- A strophe, or trope, praising YHWH the Creator—v. 2-3a [1-2a]
- Cosmological section: YHWH in relation to the created order—vv. 3b-9 [2b-8]
  - The dominion of YHWH over Creation—vv. 3b-5 [2b-4]
  - The dominion of Humankind over Creation vv. 6-9 [5-8]
- Closing refrain praising YHWH—v. 10 [9]

Verse 2-3a [1-2a]

There is considerable uncertainty as to whether the first line of v. 3 [2] belongs with the prior lines or with what follows. Most commentators and translators have opted for the latter, but the former approach seems better to fit both the rhythm and conceptual structure of the Psalm (see the outline above). I divide this initial trope of the Psalm as a 2+2+2 tricolon, which is repeated as a concluding refrain in v. 10, followed by a pair of 3-beat lines. The three components, or parts, of this tricolon are (separated by vertical bars):

Jr#a*-lk*B= | ;m=v! ryD!a^-hm* | Wnyn!d)a& hwhy

- The name of the One (God) who is addressed: “YHWH, our Lord [Wnyn@d)a&]”
- The reason for praising Him: “how lofty [ryD!a^] (is) your Name”
- Relation to Creation: “in all the earth”

This a way of declaring that the presence and power of YHWH is high above the earth, extending over the entirety of it. On the importance of the “name” (<v@) of a person as representing and embodying the person himself in ancient thought, see my earlier Christmas season series “And you shall call his name…” (esp. the articles on the Names of God). The basic significance of the root rda appears to be height—something that is high, either in terms of position or quality (or both). This may connote the idea of excellence, nobility, etc, but also that of power and position over a domain. The latter is certainly what is in view here in the Psalm, with the adjective ryd!a^ characterizing YHWH and His Name. Two aspects are present in this trope: (1) YHWH’s position over Creation (i.e. as Creator), and (2) the praise that is due, and which comes to him, from the Creation itself (esp. humankind). We see this clearly in the first tricolon, and it runs similarly through the following line as well. There is considerably difficulty surrounding the first two words in the Masoretic text: hn`T= rv#a&, which, as vocalized, would be a relative particle (rv#a&, “who, which”) followed by a imperative of the verb /t^n` (“give”). It is hard to make sense of such a reading in context; therefore commentators have been inclined to emend the MT in various ways. Unfortunately no clarity is provided from the Dead Sea Scrolls, since this portion of Psalm 8 in the Psalms MSS has not survived. An interesting line of textual interpretation treats rva as marking a first person imperfect verb form, with the hn` portion of hn`T= being the suffixed indicator of the energic (mood), similar to the jussive, reflecting a person’s ability or willingness to act. Energic verb forms are known in Canaanite (Ugaritic), though only traces of it are preserved in Biblical Hebrew (esp. in early poetry). Dahood (p. 49) suggests that it is an energic form of the root trv (“serve, attend to [in worship, etc]”), which would require no real emendation of the text:

MT hn`T= rv#a& => hN`T^r=v*a&

Another possibility, along the same line, would be to read it as a form of the verb ryv (“sing”):

MT hnT rva => hn hrva

If either proposal is correct, it would increase the likelihood that the first line of verse 3, so problematic in relation to the rest of the verse, belongs as part of v. 2:

“I will sing of your splendor (that is) over the heavens from [i.e. with] the mouth of (little) children and sucking (babe)s”
“I will serve/adore your splendor (that is) over the heavens from [i.e. with] the mouth of (little) children and sucking (babe)s”

However, the immediate parallelism within verse 2, along with the known syntax of beginning a poetic line with the relative particle (rv#a&), suggests that the MT way of dividing the words is essentially correct, with the possibility that the form hn`T= is corrupt, and that originally it was a 2nd person perfect form (hT*t^n`, or shortened hT*T^), as the sense of the line would seem to require, and as generally supported by the Aramaic (Targum) and Syriac versions (Kraus, p. 178). A reasonably close parallel, in both meaning and syntax, also with an initial relative particle, is to be found in Psalm 71:19. With a tentative emendation of the imperative hn`T= in place, verse 2 would then be translated:

YHWH, our Lord, how lofty (is) your name in all the earth,
(you) who gave your splendor (to be) over the heavens

There is unquestionably a parallel between “lofty (is) your name” (;m=v! ryD!a^) and “your splendor” (;d=oh), as also between “in all the earth” and “over the heavens”. The noun doh, of uncertain derivation, refers to greatness and power, akin to the adjective ryD!a^ here, and is also partly synonymous with the more common noun dobK* (“weight, worth, honor”); doh, like dobK*, can be translated “honor, glory, splendor”. This represents the immensity of YHWH’s power as Creator—dwelling high above the heavens, and encompassing the earth. In the Hebrew idiom, “the heavens and the earth” together represent all of Creation (Gen 1:1, etc).

As noted above, the first portion of verse 3 is highly problematic. The customary division of the text has these words beginning a couplet: “From the mouth of (little) children and sucking (babe)s you [i.e. YHWH] established (your) strength…”. This makes little sense (on the Septuagint rendering, cf. below). Much preferable, it seems to me, though not without difficulties, is to relate it back to verse 2 and the trope praising YHWH. In this context, the line serves to characterize the Psalmist—and those worshiping through the singing of the Psalm—as being like speechless, babbling infants before the awesome power and greatness of YHWH. Rhythmically, it would also create two 3-beat cola to complement the 2-beat tricolon, as thus filling out the trope:

YHWH, our Lord, how lofty (is) your name in all the earth,
(you) who gave your splendor (to be) over the heavens
—(this) from the mouth of children and suckling (babe)s!

Verses 3b-5 [2b-4]

The core of the Psalm is a two part treatment of YHWH’s role and work as Creator. It is thus cosmological in nature, dealing with the order of the created world. It draws upon some of the same traditions found in the famous Creation account of Genesis 1, but expresses them very differently, in a more poetic, quasi-mythological manner, such as we see elsewhere in the Psalms, the Prophets, and the book of Job. As indicated in the outline above, the first part (vv. 3b-5) deals specifically with the dominion of YHWH over Creation. Once the initial words of v. 3 have been removed from this section (being included as part of the opening trope, cf. above), the sense of these lines becomes much simpler and clearer. The section is comprised of three bicola (6 lines), with mixed meter:

You established a strong(hold) in response to your hostile (foe)s,
to put an end to (every) enemy and avenging (one),
for I see your heavens, (thing)s made (by) your fingers—
moon and stars which you set firmly there—
(but) what (is) man(kind) that you would remember him,
and (the) son of man, that you would attend to him?

Each couplet represents a distinct aspect of Creation. It is worth considering each of these briefly.

1. First couplet (v.3). This describes Creation in terms of cosmological myth—i.e. traditional stories of the establishment of the created order, often presented as a (military) conflict between persons, Yahweh and his rival opponents/adversaries. This is entirely absent from the Genesis 1 Creation account, but it is found elsewhere in the Old Testament, and is well-attested in other Ancient Near Eastern sources, most notably the Canaanite Baal Epic narratives from Ugarit. Here, in Psalm 8, the “hostile (foe)s” (<yr!r=ox), described also as “enemy” (by@oa) and “(one) seeking vengeance” (<Q@n~t=m!), are unnamed; but, in other places, YHWH is described as being in conflict with beings who represent the dark, primal, chaotic condition of the universe before the order of creation was established (cf. Psalm 74:13-14; 89:10-11 [9-10]; Isa 51:9-10). These figures (i.e. persons or personifications) are associated particularly with water and the sea, being only faintly hinted at or alluded to in Gen 1:2. They are depicted as rebellious, hostile forces, whose chaotic existence and activity is put to an end (vb tb^v*) by YHWH, i.e. by his act of creation, of giving form and order to the formless primeval world.

Above I translate zu) (“strength”) as “strong(hold)”, in line with the Ancient Near Eastern idea of the ordered universe as governed by the Deity in a fortress-palace—the establishment of a palace itself a suitable symbol for God’s dominion and control over the world, as well implying an ordered design which He gives to the universe from the place where he dwells. A significant portion of the Canaanite Baal Epic similarly involves this cosmological motif of the building of a palace, marking the Storm deity’s control over the waters (to be distributed as rain, etc) of the primeval Sea (personified as an opponent defeated by Baal). It is possible that /uml should be pointed as /u)m*l= (“for a dwelling-place”, from /wu), rather than /u^m^l= (“in response to, because of”, from hnu); however, this would distort the parallelism of the couplet.

2. Second couplet (v. 4). Here we have a reference to the actual creation of the physical, material world—specifically the “heavens”, i.e. the upper hemisphere of the universe, the skies, bounded by the hard surface of a ‘firmament’. This corresponds with the Ancient Near Eastern cosmology, and is described succinctly in Gen 1:6-8ff. The stars were often thought of as set/fixed in this firmament (Gen 1:16-18)—here the verb /WK (“set up, set firm”). God’s act of creation is described in more anthropomorphic terms as the work of his fingers (of his hands, v. 7), i.e. as a artisan who shapes and builds with his hands; in the Genesis 1 account, creation takes place entirely through the spoken word.

3. Third couplet (v. 5). Finally, we shift to the creation of humankind (cf. Gen 1:26ff). I understand the question here as contrastive—(but then,) what is man…?—the contrast being between the immensity of the heavens and the apparent smallness and insignificance of humankind. If the ancient Israelites could sense this clearly, how much more so we today, whose conception of the universe is so much vaster in scope? The parallelism in this couplet is precise, using the synonymous words vona& (“[hu]man[kind]”) and <d*a* (“man”). The expression “son of man” (<d*a* /B#, Aramaic vn`a& rB^) is simply another way of referring to humankind, frequently used in poetry, and often meant to contrast human beings with God, i.e. in their mortality. For more on the expression, cf. my article on the “Son of Man” sayings of Jesus, as well as Part 10 in the series “Yeshua the Anointed”.

In the Genesis 1 account, the creation of humankind represents the climax of God’s work, also implied here, and the reference to it serves as a fitting transition to the second section of the Psalm, which deals with the role of human beings in the created order.

Verses 6-9 [5-8]

This section describes the dominion of humankind over creation, just as vv. 3b-5 describe YHWH’s dominion—human beings functioning in a parallel manner, as God’s representatives on earth. Christians today might be uncomfortable with this notion of human beings exercising dominion over the earth, but it is very much part of the ancient Israelite and Old Testament worldview, and is expressed quite clearly in the Genesis Creation account (1:26-30). Psalm 8 draws from precisely the same traditional thought (if not the actual Genesis 1 text), and vv. 6-9 here virtually restate Gen 1:26-30. Here are the four couplets (8 lines):

And (yet) you made him lacking (only) a little from (the) Mighty Ones,
and you encircled him with weight and honor;
you made him rule among [i.e. over] (the thing)s made (by) your hands,
(indeed) you set all (of it) under his feet—
sheep and cattle, all of them,
and even (all) beasts of the field,
(the) chirpers {birds} of the heavens and swarmers {fish} of (the) sea,
(yes, everything) passing over (the) paths of the seas!

The first couplet (v. 6) corresponds with the idea expressed in Gen 1:26-27, of humankind being made in the image/likeness of God (cf. also Gen 3:22). This continues the contrast set up by the question in v. 5—in spite of the apparent insignificance of human beings within the scope of Creation, YHWH made them lacking only a little (fu^m=) from the “Mighty Ones”. This is the same plural word (<yh!ýa$, °§lœhîm) that is typically translated “God” in English; when used of El-YHWH, I believe this plural form is best understood as an intensive plural (i.e. “Mightiest”), as I have discussed numerous times and as I typically translate in the notes and articles on this site. Here, however, it is an ordinary plural, “mighty (one)s”, referring to divine beings generally. It is not entirely clear how far Israelite monotheism had developed by the time Psalms such as this were composed. Later Israelite and Jewish tradition would relegate all such “divine” beings to the status of God’s Messengers (Angels), and such a view, though not nearly so sharply defined, may already be present here. However, it would be inappropriate to translate <yh!ýa$ here as “Angels”. Hebrews (2:6-8) cites vv. 5-6 of the Psalm together, famously giving them a Christological interpretation.

The second couplet (v. 7) touches upon the motif of dominion, corresponding to humanity’s position of honor, over YHWH’s Creation (Gen 1:26, 28). This is expressed by the verb lv^m* (“[give] rule”) and also by the idiom of setting something “under (one’s) feet”. The idea is clear enough: human beings are given the authority to rule over the created world, as God’s representatives on earth. Commentators, theologians, and philosophers (among others) have debated the consequences and implications of this for centuries, while modern-day (Western) sensibilities tend to recoil from the notion entirely.

The third and fourth couplets (vv. 8-9) summarize the animals in the world, over whom human beings exercise rule (Gen 1:28, 30, also 2:19-20). They correspond roughly to the phrasing in Gen 1:28b, and also to the kinds of animals created by God on the fifth and sixth days (1:20-23, 24-5) respectively.

Verse 10 [9]

The Psalm concludes with a refrain, repeating verbatim the initial tricolon (v. 2 [1]) exclaiming praise to YHWH:

YHWH, our Lord, how lofty (is) your name in all the earth!

Appendix: The Quotation in Matt 21:16

In Matthew 21:16, following the triumphal entry of Jesus and the Temple “cleansing” scene, the Gospel writer presents Jesus as quoting the initial words of Psalm 8:3[2], which match precisely the Septuagint [LXX] Greek version:

e)k sto/mato$ nhpi/wn kai\ qhlazo/ntwn kathrti/sw ai@non
“out of (the) mouth of infants and suckling (babe)s you established praise”

This is a fairly accurate rendering of the Hebrew, except for the last word—ai@non (“praise”) for zu) (“strength”). The LXX may be following a different Hebrew reading; unfortunately, the Dead Sea Scrolls give no help on this, since the verse is not among the surviving portions of the Psalm in the only relevant MS (5/6„evPs). It is also possible that the LXX reading is simply an attempt to explain the difficulties surrounding this line in context (see the discussion above). Certainly “praise” yields a somewhat more intelligible line than the Hebrew (when including the first words of v. 3 with what follows), but still ill-fits v. 3 taken as a whole, and in the context of vv. 3-5. My analysis above argues for taking the initial words of v.3 as part of the opening praise-strophe (v. 2).

Many questions surround the use of Psalm 8:3a in the Matthean account, as coming from the words of Jesus, who at the historical level, in the setting of the narrative, would presumably have quoted the Psalms from the Hebrew, not the Greek. Moreover, Christians may well ask whether, or to what extent, New Testament use of the Old Testament Scriptures should play a role in how we analysis the original Hebrew text of the OT. I have touched upon this several times in my series on the Speeches of Acts, since Scriptural citations feature prominently in a number of the sermon-speeches. The textual matter is especially significant when the purported speaker (e.g. Peter, James, Stephen, Paul), at the historical level, would likewise have been speaking, presumably, in Aramaic and would have quoted the Scriptures in Hebrew (or Aramaic). At some point, I may post a more detailed article devoted to this aspect of the use of the Old Testament by the New Testament authors (and speakers), looking at the subject from both the text-critical and historical-critical standpoint.

References above marked “Dahood” are to Mitchell Dahood, S.J., Psalms I: 1-50, Anchor Bible [AB] Vol. 16 (1965). Those marked “Kraus” are to Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalmen 1 Teilband (Psalmen 1-59), Neukirchener Verlag (1978), English edition Psalms 1-59 in the Continental Commentary series (Fortress Press: 1993).

Revelation 1:3

The first two verses of the superscription were discussed in the previous note; today we will be looking at the declaration in verse 3:

“Happy the (one) making (this) known (in the reading of it), and (also) the (one)s hearing the words [lo/goi] of th(is) foretelling [i.e. prophecy] and watching (over) the (thing)s having been written in it, for the time is near.”

This is properly a beatitude (or macarism), much like the famous set of Beatitudes uttered by Jesus in the Gospel Tradition (Matt 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-23). For the background of the beatitude form, see my earlier series on the Beatitudes. At the conclusion of that series, I also provided a brief survey of the other beatitudes which occur in the New Testament.

According to the standard Greek formula, this beatitude begins with the adjective maka/rio$ (“happy”), often rendered as “blessed”, in light of the religious context which is typically involved. On the eschatological aspect of the beatitude form, again cf. the introductory articles of my earlier series.

Often obscured in translation is the fact this beatitude is addressed to two different groups: (1) the person(s) reading the book, and (2) the ones hearing it and guarding its contents. These two groups are marked by parallel participles, which reflect the circumstances of early Christian life and worship:

- o( a)naginw/skwn—”the one [sg.] making (this) known (in the reading of it)”
- oi( a)kou/onte$…kai\ throu=nte$—”the ones [pl.] hearing…and watching (over)”

The verb a)naginw/skw literally means “know again”, though the prefixed particle a)na is perhaps better understood as an intensive, i.e. “know (something) well”—i.e. through the reading of a written text. In the early Christian context, “reading” meant public reading—that is, reading aloud or reciting the text. In the ancient world literacy rates were far lower than in modern societies; moreover, the average Christian would likely not have possessed a copy (of the Scriptures, etc) for private reading, but would have relied upon hearing it read aloud in the congregation. This is precisely the situation envisioned here by the author.

The use of the verbs a)kou/w (“hear”) and thre/w (“[keep] watch [over]”) together reflects standard instruction, which, in the case of early Christians, goes back to Old Testament tradition regarding the Torah (Instruction) as the written word of God (cf. especially the foundational covenant scene in Exodus [19:7-8; 20:19; 24:3-4a, 7, etc]). The parallel use of these verbs, and the twin concepts of hearing and keeping/guarding, is especially prominent in the Johannine writings (Jn 5:24f; 8:47, 51; 12:47; 14:15, 21ff; 15:10, 20; 1 Jn 1:1ff; 2:3-5, 7, 24; 3:22-24; 5:3; 2 Jn 6). It is possible that the similar usage in the book of Revelation stems from a common tradition. The verb a)kou/w occurs 46 times in the book, while thre/w 11 times (including 5 times in the “letters” of chapters 2-3). In the specific context of 1:3, the verb thre/w relates, not so much to idea of obeying God’s instruction, but to guarding and protecting the record of the visions in the book. Most likely, there is a two-fold aspect to this watching/guarding: (a) paying close attention to the account and details of the visions, and (b) protecting it from misuse and misrepresentation. This latter aspect should serve as a caution for all those attempting to interpret the book today.

The content of the book is specifically referred to as “the words/accounts [lo/goi] of the th(is) foretelling”. This is the first of 7 occurrences of the Greek term profhtei/a (proph¢teía), which is typically transliterated in English as “prophecy”. As I discussed in the Introduction to the current series “Prophecy and Eschatology in the New Testament”, there are two basic meanings to the profht- word group, in relation to the prefixed particle pro (“before”): (1) a message presented before (i.e. in front of) an audience by a chosen spokesperson, and (2) a message which tells of (future) events beforehand. Both aspects apply to the use of these words among early Christians, though emphasis in the New Testament, when dealing with early Christian congregations, is decidedly on the former. Here in the book of Revelation, we certainly find both aspects:

- The visions in the book are clearly described as “the word of God” and “the witness of Jesus”—a revelation which was given to the prophet (John) to be communicated to other believers.
- At the same time, the visions primarily refer to future events which would occur “soon”.

The use of lo/go$ (“account, ‘word'”) emphasizes again the unique character of the book—visual experiences (images) being recorded/translated into written language (“the [thing]s having been written in it”).

Special notice must be given to the closing words of the verse:

“…for the time (is) near”
o( ga\r kairo\$ e)ggu/$

This statement must be taken together with the earlier expression e)n ta/xei (“in [all] speed”) in verse 1. As I discussed in the previous note, the expression e)n ta/xei essentially means “quickly”, “right away”. Here, there can be little doubt that we have the same idea, expressed differently:

o( kairo/$—The word kairo/$ differs somewhat from xro/no$, though both may be translated as “time”. The distinction may be summarized as: xro/no$ generally refers to the passage of time, while kairo/$ signifies the point at which something occurs. Understood in a temporal (rather than spatial) sense, kairo/$ refers to the point when an event takes place (or will take place).

e)ggu/$—The modifier e)ggu/$ is related to the verb e)ggi/zw (“come/bring close”), and thus means “close, near”. The word occurs 31 times in the New Testament, but only once more in the book of Revelation (22:10).

Taking these two elements together, the proper sense of the statement should be clear: the point in time when the events described in the visions will occur is very close. This, of course, creates considerable difficulty for Christians today. On the one hand, the most reasonable (and obvious) way of understanding these expressions is that the author is declaring that the events in the visions will occur very soon (presumably, in the lifetime of his [original] audience). Yet, as it would seem that many, if not most, of the visionary details did not then occur—nor have they occurred in the past 2,000 years—it would be hard for many believers to accept the accuracy and/or inspiration of the visions in this light. Thus, the various forms and modes of interpretation (“futurist”, “church-historical”, etc) which have arisen to bridge the gap and explain the apparent discrepancy. Yet, the very words here in vv. 1-3, at the beginning of the book, should serve as a caution against any interpretation which deviates too far from the fundamental meaning of the text.

(Regarding the imminent eschatological expectation among early Christians, and evinced throughout the New Testament, I will be dealing with this sensitive subject at various points in these notes, as well as in the articles of the Study Series “Prophecy and Eschatology in the New Testament”. There will also be a separate, special study upcoming as part of this Series.)

Finally, notice should be taken of the coordinating particle ga/r (“for”)—”…for the time is close”. The concluding declaration explains the importance of reading the book aloud in the congregations, and of believers hearing and guarding its contents. The reason this is so vital is that “the time (when these visions will take place) is very close”.

Day: September 7, 2020

Sunday Psalm Studies: Psalm 8