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.
196 PHILIP SUMPTER
position of Psalm 2 at the head of the Psalter [cf. Jer 23,5; Ezek
34,23]), perhaps as a type of the coming messiah. It would be over-
hasty to set the categories of “historical†and “eschatology†in contrast
to each other, as if they were mutually exclusive (note the presence
of history and eschatology in Psalm 18). Given the complexity of the
issue, however, and the need for further research on the subject, I shall
simply refer to the speaking subject as “David†or the “king†and leave
open the question of a “messianic†referent 31.
The pattern of theological specification is most clear in the framing
psalms, Psalms 15 and 24. Psalm 15 is concerned with the question
of who may access the reality within the sanctuary of the Lord (v. 1).
The bulk of the psalm is “Torah†(vv. 2-5b), leading some of the in-
terpreters discussed above (Miller; Brown) to identify the law as being
the primary concern of our collection. Yet it is important to realize
that in Psalm 15 the revelation of God’s will is placed within a partic-
ular framework. Psalm 15 is not just a “Torah psalmâ€; it is a “Torah
entrance psalmâ€. In other words, the law is subordinated to one of Is-
rael’s key institutions: the sacred sanctuary in Zion. In this context,
“Torah†functions as a means of access to this special place, under-
stood to be the locus of the blessing that obedience may bring. The
law is a means to which the reality in the temple is its end. It is this
reality that is the desired destination of the psalmist, the place where
he can enjoy the “stability†he yearns for (v. 5; cf. Ps 24,1-2) 32.
Whether one believes that Psalm 15 is a fragment of ritual practice (an
“entrance liturgyâ€) or whether it is only an echo of such a practice 33, we
For a detailed attempt at a diachronic reconstruction of this concept in
31
the Psalter, see M. KLEER, Der liebliche Sänger der Psalmen Israels. Unter-
suchungen zu David als Dichter und Beter der Psalmen (BBB 108; Bodenheim
1998). For a more synchronic reading that emphasises David’s messianic iden-
tity, see E. ZENGER, “Das Buch der Psalmenâ€, Einleitung in das Alte Testament
(ed. C. FREVEL) (Stuttgart 2012) 428-463, especially 437-438.
At the outset, then, my interpretation differs strongly from that of Brown
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(see §1), who starts from Psalm 19 and “corrects†the temple imagery in
Psalms 15 and 24 by replacing it with that of the law. Yet I also disagree with
his interpretation that in Psalm 19 the law is the ultimate object of desire. In
Psalm 19 the object of desire is not the law but that to which the law gives us
access. The law is a means to an end, and that end is life—just like the life
that is present within the temple. In this sense, the function of the law in Psalm
19 is analogous to that of Psalms 15 and 24.
It has become commonplace in more recent exegesis to argue that Psalm
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15 only echoes a temple liturgy and that in its present form it is influenced
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