Introduction to Psalms
and the Prophetic Message of Jeremiah: Volume Two

The Present Volume and Its Relation to Volume One

In the first volume of this work, we analyzed Book 1 of Psalms (Psalms 1–41). In addition to the careful study of a number of individual psalms, we presented the organizational  logic of Book 1 as a whole, studied in sequence and with special attention to the intertextual  connections between the psalms and elsewhere in prophetic literature. In addition to the main  thematic concerns of the book, there emerged a vibrant portrayal of the psalmist and his own  personal experiences, worries, hopes, prayers, and moments of profound joy and wonder.  We found that many of these psalms reflect and draw heavily upon the life experiences of the  prophet Jeremiah, and many employ intertextuality with the Torah in a manner linking Jeremiah and his concerns to those of Moses, the patriarchs, and other past leaders of the nation.  The voice of the psalmist, Jeremiah, is highly personal and relatable, expressing the individual  prophet’s own thoughts and prayers.
Also in the first volume, we laid out in detail the intellectual background of this commentary as a whole, as well as its principal methodologies, including structural analysis based  on word counts of psalms and their subsections, the use of covenantal number symbolism,  the phenomenon of psalm centers, i.e., the psalmist’s use of center words and phrases to  emphasize or otherwise draw attention to ideas, and the uncovering of intricate webs of intertextual allusions and wordplay. While such tools will not be explained anew in this volume,  they continue to serve as a foundation for much of the analysis presented here, and they will  be referred to often. 
The present volume turns to Book 2 (Psalms 42–72) and Book 3 (Psalms 73–89), focusing especially on the Sons of Qoraḥ and Asaph psalms. These two balanced collections of twelve  psalms each form chiastic bookends around Books 2 and 3.  As we shall see, in contrast to Book  1, a more national perspective pervades these books.  The psalmist addresses the state of the nation and examines the failings that have led it to the brink of destruction in Jeremiah’s own  time. The Sons of Qoraḥ and Asaph collections in particular center on the failed leadership  of the political and religious establishments respectively, namely the decadent monarchy of  Judah and the corrupt priesthood of the Jerusalem temple. These groups of psalms portray the  significant role that corrupt leadership played in causing the exile, while contrasting its failures  with the glorious past and hoped-for future under divine guidance.  Ultimately, the psalmist’s  reflections serve to reiterate the correct path and inspire hope in the future by illustrating that  wondrous covenantal blessings are predicated on steadfast loyalty to the covenant, patient faith  in God, and courageous real world strategic choices, not in the power of human kings or the  manipulative promises of a religious leadership gone astray.

Plan of This Volume

This volume is divided into two parts. Part 1 focuses on the Sons of Qoraḥ (henceforth  BQ [= Bene Qoraḥ]) psalms while Part 2 is devoted to the Asaph psalms. Each of those parts  begins with a section generally introducing the respective psalms collection and addressing  the question of the identity of the “sons of Qoraḥ” and “Asaph” mentioned in their respective  superscriptions. One of the key, innovative arguments of this study is that the former term  refers to the corrupt political leaders of the kingdom of Judah (the figurative offspring of the  paradigmatic political manipulator and power-chaser, Qoraḥ), while the latter denotes the  corrupted religious leadership embodied primarily by the priests of the Jerusalem temple.
Part 1 is comprised of four chapters which explore Psalms 42-49, the Book 2 BQ collection. While each of these eight psalms represents a distinct literary unit with its own self-contained message, as a larger unified sequence they form a logically flowing narrative.  Chapter  1 provides a commentary on Psalms 42-44, a group that expresses a complex response to the  calamitous destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple. Psalms 42-43 reflect the psalmist’s  own personal emotional journey from despair and grief to humiliation and complaint, and  finally to a state of hope and joy in recognizing future salvation. Psalm 44 reacts to the very  same tragic circumstances from a national perspective, developing the psalmist’s previous  thoughts with nostalgic reference to better days when God actively interceded to save His  people from disaster. The psalmist invokes the precedent of divine intervention in the past in  his elaborate attempt to provoke God’s intercession in the present, culminating with a sharp  call for Him to “wake up” and redeem His people. The intertextual links between Psalms 42-44 and the prophecies of Jeremiah illustrate that these psalms are best understood within the  framework of the prophet’s broader reaction to the tragic circumstances of 586 BCE.
Chapter 2 offers an innovative analysis of Psalm 45, a biblical text that has long puzzled  commentators. In the light of the somber and urgent context of the previous three psalms,  the tone of Psalm 45 seems incongruent and jarring. We find ourselves at an opulent royal  wedding, enjoying a “love song” and praising the king’s tremendous wealth, power, and glory.   However, the commentary shows that what appears on the surface as words of praise actually  serves to accomplish the opposite, exposing the moral depravity of the royal house with veiled,  sharp criticism. In particular, we find that the juxtaposition of this critique with the situation  of divine abandonment following the destruction and national exile lamented in Psalms 42-44  has the effect of laying blame upon the misguided royal leadership. 
In chapter 3 we observe how the structure, literary patterns, and intertwined references  of Psalms 46-48 serve to bind together this triad as a distinct literary unit in a manner similar  to Psalms 42-44. Appreciation of this unity is essential to understanding the group’s meaning  in relation to the immediately preceding psalms and the unfolding message of the BQ collection. We argue that the overall message of the unit, expressed most succinctly and powerfully  at its exact midpoint (in Ps. 47:7), centers on the acknowledgment of God’s identity as true  King over the world, and the complete rejection of the decadent royal behavior of Psalm 45. 
Chapter 4 concludes the analysis of the Book 2 BQ collection with a commentary on  Psalm 49. On the surface level this psalm reads as an isolated teaching about the nature of  mortality and the folly of envying wealth. However, through the appreciation of its place as  the eighth and final psalm of the collection and its extensive intertextual references to the  biblical Qoraḥ and Solomon narratives, a deeper dimension of the psalm’s teaching emerges.  Especially from its extensive contrasting references with Psalm 45, it is shown that Psalm 49  serves as a harsh critique of the famed wisdom of Solomon, which inflated his ego and ultimately failed him. In contrast, the wisdom of Psalm 49 is not meant to cultivate personal glory;  it is a dependable and enduring wisdom about the vanity of wealth and power, a teaching of  profound humility based on faith in God. Similarly, it is argued that the psalmist’s allusions to  the Qoraḥ narrative illustrate his conviction in the inevitable disappearance of the misguided  and corrupt leaders of his own day. In this way Psalm 49 brings full circle the message about  the archetypal king of Psalm 45, who is directly responsible for the “hiding of God’s face,” the  divine abandonment following the destruction and national exile lamented in Psalms 42-44.   At the same time Psalm 49 represents a natural outflow of the message of the Psalms 46-48  triad, which focuses on God’s role as true King. An excursus following chapter 4 lends critical support to the understanding of the superscription לבני קֹֹרֵח  as referring to the figurative  offspring of the archetypal political manipulator and power-chaser of Numbers 16 by means  of an analysis of the unique way that three passages in the Torah (Genesis 36, Exodus 6 and  Numbers 26) refer to this name. 
Part 2 of this book is devoted to the Asaph collection, a group of twelve psalms that  forms a balanced counterpart to the complete group of twelve BQ psalms. However, while the latter collection presents a scathing critique of the monarchy and the political establishment,  the Asaph psalms turn to focus on the religious establishment, primarily the Jerusalem priesthood. After a general introduction to the Asaph collection and a study of the identification  of the Asaph mentioned in the superscriptions, the first chapter of part 2, chapter 5, offers a  commentary on Psalm 50, the first psalm of the collection. The dense concentration of priestly  and sacrificial terminology in this psalm signals a fundamental shift in concern vis-à-vis the  preceding ones. With its critique of egregious priestly misconduct and its revolutionary stance  concerning the institution of sacrifice, Psalm 50 is a fitting introduction to the themes of the  entire Asaph collection. While the psalm itself never explicitly refers to kohanim , the subtle  word choice and intertextual allusions leave little doubt as to the intended direction of the  psalmist’s criticism. In addition, these same features illustrate that Psalm 50 is best interpreted  within the historical context of the prophet Jeremiah and his criticism of the pervasive immorality at the Jerusalem temple, as well as his broader struggle within a declining Judahite society  permeated by lies and deceit. 
The placement of Psalm 50 joins it to the first set of BQ psalms that open Book 2  (Psalms 42-49), shifting the focus from the corrupt monarchy to the priestly establishment.  However, Psalm 50 remains separated from the main group of Asaph psalms at the beginning of  Book 3 (Psalms 73-83), which powerfully resumes the storyline revolving around the drama of  priestly corruption and the resulting defilement and destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.  This anomaly is intentional and will be explained in Chapter 6. 
Chapter 6 serves as a bridge to the Asaph psalms of Book 3 by considering the remainder of Book 2. After analyzing how the ensuing psalms (Psalms 51-67) return to the subject of  the failed monarchy and its agents, the chapter provides a detailed study of Psalm 68. Within  the narrative framework of Book 2, this psalm’s portrait of faithful prophetic, military and  political leadership serves to contrast with the bleak message concerning the monarchs in the  earlier psalms. While Psalm 68’s ideal portrait of the nation and its leadership guided by the  divine presence marks an important turning point in Book 2, the larger discussion regarding  the nature of royal leadership initiated in the BQ Psalms finds completion only in Psalm 72,  the very last psalm of Book 2. This psalm, “concerning Solomon” ( הָלִשְׁלֹמֹֹ  ,)constitutes the final  word in the Book 2 narrative trajectory concerning the issue of political leadership. In light  of an extensive analysis of the prophetic account of King Solomon’s reign in 1 Kings 1-11, it  emerges that the primary message of Psalm 72 is not to praise the institution of monarchy, but  rather to completely reframe our understanding of it by presenting the ideal to which monarchs should aspire. Psalm 72 thereby brings the initial Book 2 statement about monarchy in  the BQ Psalms full circle.
Chapter 7 offers an analysis of Psalm 73, the first of Book 3. While this Asaph psalm is  typically viewed as a “wisdom” teaching dealing with the problem of theodicy, a closer reading  reveals that it actually represents Jeremiah’s own reflections on his encounters with the powerful priestly elites in Jerusalem. Employing an abundance of priestly language, familiar literary  techniques, and revealing allusions to the prophecy of Jeremiah, the psalm documents the extent of the corruption of the priesthood and portrays the prophet’s personal crisis of faith at  the sight of their ongoing prosperity. Ultimately, his questions about God’s justice give way to  an understanding that the end of the priesthood is imminent. Chapter 7’s excursus examines  historical examples of priestly misconduct, primarily, that of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas.  This excursus includes an examination of divine punishment for such priestly misconduct. 
The focus of chapter 8 is Psalm 74, a lament for the destruction of the Jerusalem temple  and an intense plea for God to act on behalf of the covenant and spare His people from the  harsh punishments they have endured. Coming on the heels of the indictment of the Jerusalem  priests for the litany of their misdeeds alluded to throughout Psalm 73 (and first introduced  in Psalm 50), the psalm’s vivid description of the outrageous violence of the invaders and the  sanctuary going up in flames represents an eyewitness account of the consequences of Israel’s  failed religious leadership: the destruction of the temple, from which the abuse of power emanated and was most egregious.  It reveals the unfolding of the psalmist’s terrible vision, even  while serving as a prayer for relief from the ravages of the enemy. 
The next two chapters (9–10), provide commentaries on Psalms 75 and 76 respectively.  This pair of Asaph psalms occupies the center of the entire book of 150 Psalms. They are also  the twelfth and thirteenth (that is, the center) of the 24 total Asaph and BQ psalms.  In light  of the psalmist’s widespread practice of utilizing structural center points to communicate key  concepts, illustrated time and again in this research, it is argued that these two psalms were  positioned in this manner in order to emphasize the central significance of their messages for  the entire book.  
In response to Psalm 74’s intense plea for God to act mercifully in the chaotic aftermath  of the temple’s destruction, Psalm 75 speaks to an eventual reversal of fortunes that will occur  at the time appointed by God. Chapter 9 illustrates how this psalm employs a careful, multi-layered structural system that emphasizes covenantal numbers, numbers signifying God’s name,  and divine names themselves, causing them to emanate from the psalm in an amazing manner.  Moreover, it is discovered that the phrase “I am YHWH,” the weighty divine declaration that  recurs often in Scripture,  particularly in connection with the theme of the eternal guarantee of  God’s covenantal care for His people, is enmeshed within the fiber of Psalm 75 to an astounding  degree. It is argued that the psalmist’s intention was to draw attention to the profound meaning  of this declaration in order to inspire deep faith in the continued vitality of the covenant, the  balancing of the scales of justice, and the future redemption of the nation. At the same time,  however, Psalm 75 makes clear that mature understanding, patience and endurance are essential, as divine works of covenantal fidelity and redemption are executed according to the eternal  God’s righteous plans, not human expectations and timeframes ( כִִּי אִֶקַַּח מֹוֹעֵֵד אֲִנִי מֵֹישָׁרִֵים אִֶשְׁפֹֹּט   [Ps. 75:3]).  Moreover, especially amidst the painful circumstances of the exile, it will be difficult to recognize God’s hand in redemption until after it has materialized. It is demonstrated  that these key teachings of Psalm 75 are in line with and rooted in the teachings concerning theodicy and the eternality of the covenant expressed throughout prophetic literature, such as  in the narratives of Moses at Sinai and Elijah at Horeb, Psalm 25, the Covenant of the Parts,  and Jeremiah’s 70 years prophecy. By embedding this message at the heart of the entire book  of Psalms, the psalmist makes it a kind of culminating, climactic point of focus as a way of  emphasizing the supreme importance of these issues in the unfolding of the national destiny. 
The chapter is capped with an excursus related to the psalmist’s remarkable technique  of utilizing the numerical total of the Tetragrammaton (26) in the precise multi-layered structuring of the psalm. This is by no means a unique phenomenon in prophetic literature, and  the excursus offers an analysis of what is perhaps the most striking example of the use of this  technique within the Torah, namely the priestly blessing (Num. 6:24-27). Detailed analysis  of this wondrous passage not only illustrates a significant precedent for the very same system  of Tetragrammaton symbolism employed in Psalm 75, but also sheds important light on the  goal and message of the priestly blessing itself.
Chapter 10 analyzes Psalm 76, a hymn of praise recalling a time when the nation was  attacked by powerful invaders who came with overwhelming military superiority. Israel’s situation seemed hopeless, but God, portrayed as both divine Warrior and Judge, made the nation  prevail and completely routed the enemy. Close attention to the structure and intertextual  allusions in the psalm reveals that God’s intervention was intimately tied to shrewd, righteous,  and God-fearing leadership. In particular, we demonstrate that Psalm 76 is replete with textual  allusions to the Elisha narratives in 2 Kings. In fact, some of the psalm’s most obscure phrases  become understandable only once their roots in the Elisha narratives are recognized. Analysis  shows that at this crucial point at the center of Psalms, the psalmist is engaging with God  regarding the weighty questions of the nature of the covenant, Israel’s suffering, and divine  justice. After the psalmist’s desperate plea for God to put an end to the suffering of His people  after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the arrogant and mocking enemy in Psalm 74,  God responds in Psalm 75, assuring the psalmist that justice will be served, but only at God’s  appointed time. Psalm 76 proceeds with a hymn in praise of God, wondrously constructed  out of allusions to the narratives in Kings concerning Elisha, the man of God (and his master  Elijah). The result is both a powerful contrast to the corrupt priestly leadership that led to the  destruction, and an elaboration on the fundamental covenantal message of God’s revelation  to Elijah, and to Moses before him, at Horeb. The psalm teaches that God will effect justice  at His appointed time, through patient evolutionary designs, as He did in the times of Elisha,  who provides an ideal model of national leadership. God will indeed intervene on behalf of the  covenantal bond with His people in due time. But God’s intervention will only be discernable  in historical retrospect. This is the divine promise so central to the psalmist, both a witness  to the catastrophic ascendancy of evil forces in his own time and a model for participating in  the covenant for future generations. 
The chapter concludes with several excursuses offering analysis of a variety of issues  emerging from our study of Psalm 76. The first excursus examines the relationship between  Elijah and Moses, specifically their contrasting experiences at Mount Horeb. The second, is a fresh analysis of the perplexing story about Elisha’s interaction with the “little boys” and the  two bears in 2 Kgs. 2:23-25. The third is a study of the intertextual resonance of the phrase  “to save all the humble of the earth, Selah ” (הָלְהָוֹשִׁיעַַ כִָּל עֵַנְוֵֵי אִֶרֵֶץ סֶֶלָ  )in Ps. 76:10. The fourth  excursus examines the word שלם as it occurs in Ps. 76:3 and Gen. 14:18. The fifth excursus  focuses on the complex web of relationships between Psalm 76, Genesis 14, Numbers 18, and  2 Kings 11-12, which serves to deepen our understanding of the allusive background of the  psalm. The final excursus relates the many biblical narratives that connect צרֵעת  and denial of  the prophetic word.
The volume is capped with a summary of our key findings and some concluding reflections on the innovative methods of Tanakh study employed herein and the broader implications for understanding the legacy of prophecy and prophetic literature.
Before proceeding, let us join the psalmist in proclaiming, “happy is the man” ( אִַשְׁרֵֵי   הָָאִָישׁ  )who occupies his thoughts with God’s Torah (Ps. 1:1–2). I pray that this work begins to  impress upon its readers the magnificence of prophetic writing, helping to fulfill the psalmist’s  ultimate vision: to unite “every living thing with breath” (Ps. 150:6) in celebratory praise of God. 
כל הנשמה תהלל יה הללויה