Philip Sumpter, «The Coherence of Psalms 15–24», Vol. 94 (2013) 186-209
This article develops recent arguments that Psalms 15–24 constitute a relatively self-contained sub-collection that is chiastically arranged. It seeks to uncover the logic underlying the arrangement by attending to three points: 1) the manner in which the content of each psalm is 'expanded' and 'brought forward' in its chiastic parallel; 2) the nature of the relation between the framing psalms (15; 19; 24) and those that intervene; 3) the significance of David and Zion. In short, it argues that the editors were concerned to situate David within his true theological context.
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THE COHERENCE OF PSALMS 15–24
with the help of an intervening divine warrior (24,7) who has to
journey with his people through tribulation (Ps 23,4) before bring-
ing them to their final place of rest 64.
V. The Coherence of Psalms 15–24
It remains to relate frame and content. We have seen that for
every parallel pair in the collection there is a consistent move to
embed either a theological theme (e.g. Psalms 15 and 19, ultimately
within Psalm 24) or an existential situation (the remaining psalms)
within a broader theological horizon that reflects the lineaments of
Israel’s eschatological traditions 65. The conditional offer to David
of life in the presence of the Lord is ultimately for the sake of an-
other, namely his faithful people (Psalms 20-21); it is of universal
significance (Psalm 22) and requires an extended period of tribu-
lation in which the Lord himself will guide David to the place of
fulfilment (Psalm 23), and in doing so consummate creation (Psalm
24) 66. In the second half of the chiasm we see that David’s faithful
struggle is a type of the experience of the true Israel, which must
imitate his obedience and share in his journey.
A further dimension is the interplay between the perspective “on
the ground†in the intervening psalms and the perspective “from
aboveâ€, as found in the frame. If the intervening psalms, with their
petitions, praises, and affirmations of confidence, are articulated
within the entangled web of lived experience, Psalms 15, 19, and 24
represent moments of theological orientation, articulated above the
“fray†and providing it with order. They thereby provide the broader
salvation-historical perspective within which the more “existentialâ€
psalms they encompass are to be interpreted. In short, obedience to
the divine will not only grant one access to the fullness of life; it is
to participate within YHWH’s plans for the consummation of creation.
Perhaps the petition at the conclusion of Psalm 19 (vv. 12-15) prepares
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us for the insight that Israel needs the Lord’s help, for it recognizes the in-
evitability of the presence of sin as a threat to the life mediated by Torah.
For a helpful outline that resonates strongly with my thesis, see KRAUS,
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“Schöpfung und Vollendungâ€.
This pattern also reflects the structure of the Books of Samuel, in which
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David, by virtue of his righteousness, is the vehicle by which the Lord brings
his people to the fulfilment of Deuteronomy 12 in 2 Samuel 5–8.
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