02_Booij_351_351_374 30/10/15 13:01 Pagina 364 364 THIJS BOOIJ 364 the fall of the Judean kingdom (cf. Neh 1,3; 9,32). By enabling this repair, YHWH has “answered” his people (vv. 5.21) and put an end to its extreme vulnerability and shame 58. Now, at the great festival, Israel praises the God who has come to its help and has even set it in a place of honour (vv. 19-23). In the liturgical order of the psalm, praise is followed by prayer. Rejoicing in him whose judgment is righteous (Ps 67,5) 59, Israel prays for prosperity in the coming year (vv. 24-25). It is worth noting that the succession of thankful praise (see v. 21) and joyful anticipation of YHWH’s judgment (v. 24) is not unique. Psalm 98, by its form very different from Psalm 118, has the same elements in the same order. V. Forms of Praise: Formulas Psalm 118, praising YHWH for the goodness he has shown to Israel, may for that reason be called a song of thanksgiving. It could be objected that Biblical Hebrew has no words for thank, thanksgiving, thankfulness. C. Westermann therefore proposed to call the thanksgiving songs “narrative songs of praise” 60. However, besides the awe and joy that caused people to praise YHWH for his greatness and goodness in general, there must have been, in actual life, feelings of thankfulness for benefactions experienced at present and often opposed to former affliction. A grateful disposition is indeed clearly expressed in various psalms of praise 61. There are linguistic facts confirming that Old Testament texts may express thankfulness. It is significant that, while hymnic praise is preferably indicated by llh pi‘el and hlht, the verb hdy hif‘il and the noun hdwt often indicate utterances that may count as thankful praise 62. That hdy hif‘il, “praise”, is semantically different from llh pi‘el, “praise”, is confirmed by its use with respect to confession of guilt. Just as a speaker may praise YHWH (hdy hif‘il) 58 Cf. BERDER, “La pierre rejetée”, 159, referring to Neh 2,19-20; 3,33 – 4,17. 59 This reading of b xmf is supported by many texts, especially in the psalms. See BECKER, “Deutung”, 51. 60 See WESTERMANN, Loben, 20-28. 61 See e.g. Pss 30,12-13; 103,1-5; 124. 62 Cf. C. WESTERMANN, THAT I (München − Zürich 1984) 674-675.