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.
The Role of Space in the twl[mh 459
yryv
used… to create a situation where something happens to someone†(10),
as such it defines the “climate†of the narrative. Space becomes an
important aspect of the narrative’s focalization (11) or point of view.
Space contributes to the “perception†created by the narrative, and that
perception is “a psychological process, strongly dependent on the
position of the perceiving body†(12).
2. Classification of space
If the definition above is accepted, space is a complex concept (13).
Studies on narrative techniques in Biblical Hebrew pay very little
attention to the intricate nuances of the concept (14). No single source
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cal stories: the socio-historical milieu from which the work arose, the world of
the reader or hearer, and the world created in the work itself. The “createdâ€
world of the ancient narrative is not identical to the ancient world in which it
arose. The “created†world of Biblical stories has its own time and space and
action is limited in different ways from the “real†world.
(10) BRINK, Vertelkunde, 108.
(11) M. BAL, “Focalizationâ€, Narratology. An introduction (Eds. S. ONEGA –
J.A.G. LANDA) (Longman Critical Readers; London – New York 1996) 118 de-
fines focalization as “the relationship between the ‘vision,’ the agent that sees
and that which is seenâ€.
(12) BAL, “Focalizationâ€, 116. In the field of social-scientific studies on spa-
tiality (so-called critical spatiality) there is a growing awareness that space and
perceptions of spatiality are critical factors in understanding and analysing soci-
eties. Cf. in this regard J.W. FLANAGAN, “Ancient perceptions of space/ percep-
tions of ancient spaceâ€, Semeia 87 (1999) 16; V.H. MATTHEWS, “Physical space,
imagined space, and “lived space†in Ancient Israelâ€, Biblical Theology Bulletin
33 (2003) 12.
(13) According to J.L. BERQUIST, “Theories of space and construction of
the ancient worldâ€, AAR/SBL Annual Meeting, Constructs of the Social and
Cultural Worlds of Antiquity Group, November 20, 1999 (Hyperlink:
http://www.guildzone.org) 1-20 space includes concepts such as distance,
height, width, breadth, orientation, and direction, and human perceptions, con-
structions, and uses of these aspects. So-called “critical spatiality†recognises
that all aspects of space are human constructions that are socially contested.
There are three different “types†of space present in a narrative: the narrator’s
space (i.e. the social-historical milieu of the narrator), the narrating space (i.e.
the world of the reader or hearer) and the narrated space (i.e. the world created
by the work itself). Cf. BRINK, Vertelkunde, 109. This study focuses on the nar-
rated space created by Psalms 120–134.
(14) A case in point is the study of S. BAR-EFRAT, Narrative art in the Bible
(JSOTSS 70; Sheffield 1989) 184-195. He acknowledges the importance of
space in Biblical narratives but also indicates that it is difficult to grasp the exact
impact of reference to places for the simple fact that modern readers are unfamil-