Gert T.M. Prinsloo, «The Role of Space in the twl(mh yry#$ (Psalms 120–134)», Vol. 86 (2005) 457-477
This study reads the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134) from the perspective of the
concept of "space" and argues that they form as a single, interrelated unit that tells a
meaningful "story". By applying the principles of "critical spatiality" the spatial
orientation of each poem is analysed. The conclusion is reached that the poems can
be grouped together in five triads of three poems each. By mapping "space" and
relating it to the content of the poems in the context of Book V of the Psalter, the
"story" of these poems can be discerned. It is a meaningful story with a sad beginning
but a happy end. The happy end resides especially in the expectation that YHWH
"ascends" with his people towards the eschathological and Messianic future.
476 Gert T.M. Prinsloo
eschatological and Messianic flavour†(70). The twl[mh yryv in particular
existed as a collection prior to the final redaction of Book V(71). In this
context a group of people calling themselves the “servants†(72), the
“poor†(73), people who “fear YHWH†(74), YHWH’s “saints†(75) are met
several times throughout Book V. They have a distinct interest in Zion
(76)/Jerusalem (77)/the house of YHWH (78). This “servants of the Lordâ€
who describe themselves as “poor†and display a distinct interest in
“Zion†indicate a “Motivkonstellation†(79) that occurs only in the Book
of Isaiah (80) and the Psalms (81). They have been identified as a group
of Levites who has been expelled from their privileged position in the
temple by the post-exilic temple aristocracy(82) late in the Persian
period (beginning 4th century BCE)(83). The presence of these terms in
the twl[mh yryv indicates that these are the songs of a political and
religious marginalised community, under constant pressure, not from
enemies from outside, but from the aristocracy in Jerusalem. They
(70) G.T.M. PRINSLOO, “A contextual and intertextual reading of Psalm 118â€,
OTE 16 (2003) 412.
(71) E. ZENGER, Ich will die Morgenröte wecken. Psalmenauslegungen
(Freiburg – Basel – Wien 1991) 128.
(72) µydb[, cf. Pss 113,1; 134,1; 135,1. With suffixes referring to YHWH the
term db[ occurs in Ps 135,9.14.
(73) ˆwyba, cf. Pss 107,41; 109,16.22.31; 112,9; 113,7; 132,15; 140,13.
(74) ary, cf. Pss 115,11.13; 118,4; 135,20.
(75) dsj cf. Pss 106,1.7.45; 107,1.8.15.21.31.43; 108,5; 109,12.16.21.26;
115,1; 116,15; 117,2; 118,1-4 (4x).29; 119,41.64.76.88.124.149.159; 130,7;
132,9.16; 136,1-26 (26x); 138,2.8; 143,8.12; 144,2; 145,5.8.10.17; 147,11;
148,14; 149,1.5.9.
(76) ˆwyc, cf. Pss 125,1; 126,1; 129,5; 133,3; 137,1.3; 146,10; 147,12; 149,2.
(77) µylvwry, cf. Pss 116,19; 122,2.3.6; 125,2; 128,5; 135,21; 137,5.6.7;
147,2.12.
(78) hwhy tyb, cf. Pss 116,19; 122,1.9; 134,1; 135,2.
(79) Cf. U. BERGES, “Die Knechte im Psalter. Ein Beitrag zu seiner Komposi-
tionsgeschichteâ€, Bib 81 (2000) 153.
(80) µydb[ occurs once in Deutero-Isaiah (Is 54,17), but becomes one of the
central themes in Trito-Isaiah (Is 65,8 (3X).9.13.14.15; 66,14). W.A.M. BEUKEN,
“The main theme of Trito-Isaiah ‘the servants of YHWH’“, JSOT 47 (1990) 67
regards them as the “offspring†of the Servant of YHWH mentioned in Is 53,10.
(81) WILLI, “Das twl[mh ryvâ€, 154 emphasises that Zion occurs with regular-
ity only in Isaiah, Zachariah, Micah and the Psalms. In the Psalms it is only in
the Songs of Ascents that it can be regarded as a “Leitmotivâ€.
(82) BERGES, “Die Knechte im Psalterâ€, 153-178; J. BLENKINSOPP, “The ‘ser-
vants of the Lord’ in third Isaiah. Profile of a pietistic group in the Persian pe-
riodâ€, PIBA 7 (1983) 5; J. BLENKINSOPP, “A Jewish sect of the Persian periodâ€,
CBQ 52 (1990) 10.
(83) ZENGER, Morgenröte, 128.