Thijs Booij, «Psalm 118 and Form Criticism», Vol. 96 (2015) 351-374
Psalm 118 was recited in the time of Nehemiah. The speaker in the first person singular passages is Israel's representative. The psalm, a communal song of thankfulness, belongs to a group of texts related to Succoth (Psalms 65; 66; 67; 98; 107; 124; 129; Isaiah 12; 25,1-5). These texts, dating from the later post-exilic period, do not constitute a welldelineated literary genre. Psalm 118 and Isaiah 12; 25,1-5, however, constitute a special category. Psalm 118,24 refers to Succoth as the time when YHWH judges the world and decides on the nation's well-being (v. 25) for the year to come.
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there is a day when sentinels will call on the hills of Ephraim [...]”.
Apparently, in a clause relating to ~wy as the “day” on which
something mentioned is or will certainly be the case, the predicate
may be in perfect. So, in our text, hf[ may be rendered in present
tense: “This is the day on which YHWH acts” — a statement
characterizing the present festal day, or time, as decisive.
Succoth, the great “festival of YHWH”, was indeed felt to be for
Israel and the world a decisive time. Rabbinical tradition has it that
“at the festival” (Succoth) mortals are “judged with regard to water” 40.
This statement is in line with Old Testament texts indicating that
rain and a good harvest are the expressions of YHWH’s beneficial
judgment. When, in the produce of the earth, YHWH has shown his
goodwill towards Israel (Ps 67,2.7.8a) 41, the nations, seeing that
YHWH is gracious and beneficent (v. 3), must praise and revere him
as the one who judges them with equity and gently leads them
(vv. 4-6.8b) 42. In Job 36,31 it is said that by the rain clouds God
“judges the nations and gives food in abundance”. Zechariah 14,
in vv. 16-17, links this notion with the autumnal festival. After
speaking of “the plague with which YHWH will strike all the peoples
that waged war against Jerusalem” (v. 12), it says that those who
remain will have to worship YHWH, the King, in Jerusalem and keep
the Festival of Booths, on pain of being excluded from the blessing
of rain. Succoth, as we saw, was a time of joy because of the
blessings of the past year. Since at Succoth YHWH, the King, was
to judge the earth, this festival was also a proper time to pray for
such a blessing. Thus v. 25: “Please, YHWH, do send help! Please,
YHWH, do send prosperity!” It has been argued that Ps 118,25 (or
25a) is a prayer for rain 43. The yield of the land, in any case, must
have been considered an essential component of the help and
prosperity that was hoped for.
40
See m. Rosh HaShannah 1:2: ~ymh l[ !ynwdn gxbw.
41
I think Crüsemann, following D. Michel, is right in taking the verbal
forms in vv. 2.7b.8a as imperfects describing God’s dealing with the people
generally (CRÜSEMANN, Formgeschichte, 201). For the form ray (v. 2, instead
of ryay) see e.g. JOÜON – MURAOKA, Grammar, § 114l.
42
Cf. hxn, “lead”, in Ps 77,21; Isa 58,11; also hif‘il in e.g. Ps 23,3. See
Ch. BARTH, TWAT V, 341.
43
Thus J.J. PETUCHOWSKI, “‘Hoshi‘ah na’ in Psalm cxviii 25, – a Prayer
for Rain”, VT 5 (1955) 266-271, mentioning m. Rosh HaShannah 1:2 and
Zech 14,16-17 on pp. 268, 270.