Transcript Chapter 7: Israel’s Sacred Songs Psalms, Song of Songs

Chapter 7: Israel’s Sacred Songs
Psalms, Song of Songs, and Lamentations
(The Writings I)
Ketuvim
in Hebrew
The third section of
the Hebrew canon is
the Writings
• a collection of various types of
poems, most of which were sung
in the context of worship.
------------------------------------------------• an anthology of love poetry from
ancient Israel.
------------------------------------------------• a group of poems of anguish that
were all motivated by the
destruction of Jerusalem in 587
B.C.E.
Types of Psalms
• Lament – the most frequent – a prayer to
God that describes a situation of distress;
cries out to God in anguish, and calls upon
God to act to relieve the situation
(petition).
• Personal Laments – One-third of psalms
describe the situation of a single person.
91:1
• He who dwells in the secret place of the
Most High Shall abide under the shadow
of the Almighty.
Communal Laments – Psalm 79
•
•
•
•
•
Enemies (vss. 1-3)
“us” (vs. 4)
God (vs. 5)
Petition (vss. 6-12)
Promise of Praise (vs. 13)
Other Psalms
• The Song of Praise – a poem that acknowledges and
affirms God, in terms of who God is or what God has
done.
• Songs of Thanksgiving – Give thanks to God for
specific deeds of deliverance.
• The Hymn is referred to praising God in general.
• Human Mortality – 90
• Suffering of the Righteous – 73
• Royal Songs – a concern with the king – 2, 21, 132, etc.
• Liturgical Psalms – Specific use in public worship –
15, 24, 107, etc.
• Zion Psalms – focus on Jerusalem – 46, 76, 87, etc.
Psalm 119
• The longest Psalm, longest chapter in
bible, 176 verses
• The acrostic alphabetic psalm
• The first line or strophe (stanza) begins
with aleph, first letter of the Hebrew
alphabet.
• The second line with the
second letter, beth, and
so on through the twenty-two
Hebrew letters of the alphabet
• God and I – a first person perspective, speaking
to God with two basic patterns: dislocation and
reorientation
• God and other divine beings – the biblical
writers could both attack the other gods, such as
Canaanite Ba’al.
• God and Israel – “deeds you performed in …
the days of old.” Psalm 44:1-3
• God and nature – The earth is admonished to
praise the Lord. Psalms 96:1; 97:1
WASF
• The wasf is a poem that describe the parts of
the human body through metaphors, such as
eyes, breasts, lips, etc.
* Psalms 4:1-5
Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are
fair! You have dove's eyes behind your veil.
…Your lips are like a strand of scarlet, And your
mouth is lovely …Your two breasts are like two
fawns, Twins of a gazelle, Which feed among
the lilies.
Lamentations 3:22-52
• 22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not .23 They are new
every morning; Great is Your the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach. 31 For the Lord will not cast off
forever. 32 Though He causes grief, Yet He will show
compassion According to the multitude of His from the
mouth of the Most High That woe and well-being
proceed? 39 Why should a living man complain, A man
for the punishment of his sins? 40 Let us search out and
examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; 41 Let us
lift our hearts and hands To God in prayer. 45 You have
made us an offscouring and refuse In the midst of the
peoples. 46 All our enemies Have opened their mouths
against us. 48 My eyes overflow with rivers of water For
the destruction of the daughter of my people. 52 My
enemies without cause Hunted me down like a bird.
CLASS ASSIGNMENT
Research Paper Presentation
Be prepared to discuss in class
• RESOURCES:
• Hauer, Christian E., & William A. Young. An Introduction
to the Bible: A Journey into Three Worlds. 8th edition.
Boston: Pearson. 2012. Print.
• The Holy Bible
• Eagle’s Web
• www.ChaplainRon.com/College