tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547653347296107692.post7034427018691091468..comments2024-01-09T12:59:32.666+01:00Comments on Narrative and Ontology: Is Ps 15 "softened" by Ps 19?Phil Sumpterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491514886782881340noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547653347296107692.post-16234403824951084372009-10-02T17:03:57.002+02:002009-10-02T17:03:57.002+02:00I see the claim to righteousness in psalm 18:21-23...I see the claim to righteousness in psalm 18:21-23 - I wonder though how I am to read וָאֶשְׁתַּמֵּר מֵעֲוֹנִֽי Is the writer saying he has no guilt? Or is the writer given power to keep himself from his iniquity? Does this king and prophetic sense apply to some righteous psalm writer/king in ancient Israel? No - even verse 28 indicates that darkness can belong to this writer and is in need of light.<br /><br />The theophany (18:7-19) in response to the psalmist's distress (v4-6) anticipates the resurrection, redefining how I understand strength.<br /><br />If there is a significant set of threads in these psalms, it would be fun to colour it.Bob MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11335631079939764763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547653347296107692.post-21481356507667654252009-10-02T16:07:02.447+02:002009-10-02T16:07:02.447+02:00what Barbiero seems to be saying is the those spea...what Barbiero seems to be saying is the those speaking in Ps 15 regard themselves as totally righteous, whereas in Ps 19 an element of self-criticism comes in. Righteousness is something that has to be "granted" by God,in a sense, as we have hidden faults that need purifying. One problem with this might be that in Ps 15 no one is claiming this kind of righteousness for themselves. It's more of a matter of question and answer. Elsewhere, however, others do make these claims for themselves (see the centre of Ps 18).Phil Sumpterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16491514886782881340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547653347296107692.post-4047025076426782872009-10-02T15:36:12.220+02:002009-10-02T15:36:12.220+02:00Thanks Phil - I like the suggestion of centrality ...Thanks Phil - I like the suggestion of centrality - I may have come across this suggestion elsewhere but I haven't followed it up. From a rhetorical point of view, it could be supported by looking at the other psalms in the group and seeing if they reinforce a concentric reading.<br /><br />Now as to 'softened', Psalm 19 words are servant and hidden, complete and great (coloured <a href="http://drmacdonald.blogspot.com/2008/11/psalm-19.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>). The prayer of the last 4 verses is the metaphorical result of the sun shining and warming the servant. If this is soft, then what is hard about psalm 15? Psalm 15 is a foretaste of the lifting up of psalm 24. This is the one who does not lift up a reproach against those near him. This is the righteous one of psalm 1. It is a softness to be desired and to be made known unto all (as Philippians commands). (Now that's English synchronicity - but a connection could be made across the chasm of the years!)Bob MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11335631079939764763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547653347296107692.post-10335659868763567772009-10-02T12:17:01.409+02:002009-10-02T12:17:01.409+02:00Hi Bob,
thanks for the Ps 101 tip; there really a...Hi Bob,<br /><br />thanks for the Ps 101 tip; there really are a lot of connections. And thanks for pointing out the verse numbering system, I forgot to take that into account. <br /><br />As for the connections between Pss 15 and 19, I think their common focus on torah is something. Barbiero isn't making an historical-critical statements, however, about the connections. His approach is purely synchronic (a bit too pure, for my taste), and so he is looking for all kinds of thematic and linguistic connections. Ps 19 stands directly in the middle of the composition 15-24, and thus through it's Torah section has a connection to both (Ps 14 also shares the creation horizon, plus adding some kind of eschatological movement [vv. 7-10]). Barbieor wants to know what happens when we read the Psalms together. He thinks that the confession of sin in Ps 19 and the plea for cleansing adds a note of "grace" to the "law" of Ps 15, and thus relativises its harshness. I'm making another post today with a similar claim for the whole group Pss 15-24.Phil Sumpterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16491514886782881340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6547653347296107692.post-47932539019820606002009-10-01T04:35:02.002+02:002009-10-01T04:35:02.002+02:00Psalm 19 is wholly different from Psalm 15. Three ...Psalm 19 is wholly different from Psalm 15. Three words shared doesn't do much for me. 19:2 kbod is 19:2 in the Hebrew numbering not the English. Now 15 and 24 - they are related. 101 scores the highest in my charts with respect to 15. Still good to read your posts. Hopw all is well.Bob MacDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11335631079939764763noreply@blogger.com