Historical reality and mythological metaphor in Psalm 124
For a number of reasons Psalm 124 is an interesting poem. It is one of only three poems in the utilising unambiguous creation terminology and one of only two that compare the experience of being estranged from YHWH as being engulfed by water. The fact that Psalm 124 utilises both 'creation'...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2005
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| In: |
Old Testament essays
Year: 2005, Volume: 18, Issue: 3, Pages: 790-810 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | For a number of reasons Psalm 124 is an interesting poem. It is one of only three poems in the utilising unambiguous creation terminology and one of only two that compare the experience of being estranged from YHWH as being engulfed by water. The fact that Psalm 124 utilises both 'creation' and 'water' motifs leads to the hypothesis posed in this study: Psalm 124 describes the plight of the post-exilic community as an anticreation, a return to the state of chaos prior to YHWH's intervention. This is done by using three images well known in Ancient Near Eastern myths (beast of prey [3a, 6b]; raging water [4a-5b]; trapped bird [7abc]), images that in actual fact refer to a single concept, namely death. By recounting the act of creation the poet emphasizes that YHWH is Israel's only source of hope, the only stable factor amid raging powers of chaos. This hypothesis is tested by means of a careful intra- and intertextual analysis of the poem. |
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| ISSN: | 2312-3621 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Old Testament essays
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| Persistent identifiers: | HDL: 10520/EJC85720 |