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An Exegetical Analysis of Psalm 107
Download this chart which explains the structure of Psalm 107. As suggested below, this structure is crucial to understanding the meaning and significance of this wonderful Psalm. Feel free to print for your own use. It is copyright material).
Psalm 107 is a call to worship for every believer. In it, we find not only a wonderful expression of worship, but in its essence we find the pulse of worship which ought to become the pulse of every believer’s own worship experience. In this exegetical analysis, it will be necessary to examine the Psalm’s canonical placement within the Psalter, and then examine the structure of its four stanzas, which will lead into more engagement with the teaching and theology of the stanzas and the Psalm as a whole. To help the reader better see and understand the structure of the Psalm, I have included a chart of the Psalm which expresses its basic structure which the Psalmist has used to teach us the heartbeat of worship as well as teach us how to consider the covenant love of the Lord. The structure is real as a poetic device, but the structure itself is also a theological construction which should not be missed. Finally, using both the form of worship described, as well as the theological implications, this paper will examine the connections which this Psalm has more particularly to Christian teaching.
Canonical Placement
Psalm 107:1 begins with a call to worship: “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His loyal love is everlasting.” This call to praise serves, not only as an introduction to Psalm 107, but also an introduction to Book 5 of the five part Psalms. It is the book of unending praises. As such, it is the call to praise for the entirety of the fifth book, and teaches us the essence of worship and acts as a pattern for worship—almost like training wheels which direct the worshiper until he or she can more freely worship.
This placement at the beginning of Book 5 is not the only canonical point of interest however. One who studies the Psalms will recognize immediately that Psalm 107 is intimately connected with the previous two Psalms. Psalm 106 for example begins with the exact same call to praise, and both Psalm 105 and 106 share the same motifs with slightly different interpretations. As a result of the close associations of these Psalms, it is safe to assume that some, if not all of the Psalms 105-107 are written by the same author. This close connection shows us at least two things. First, Psalm 107 not only serves as the beginning of the fifth book, but its close connection to the end of the Psalms of Book 4 make the section serve as a hinge which must be dealt with more fluidly than Western readers are prone. And second, as Erich Zenger suggests in his analysis of the fifth book of the Psalms, the connection between Psalm 107 with its predecessors suggests that the canonical shapers of the Psalms had in mind that Book 5 would be a “commentary summarizing the previous four books” of Psalms.[1]
One should also recognize the development of thought from Psalm 105 to Psalm 107. Psalm 105 begins with the same call to praise which begins Psalm 106 and 107 and then calls on the people to recall the wonders which the Lord had performed. In particular, Psalm 105 focuses on the covenant promises to Abraham and how they were kept by the Lord through the patriarchs and through Egyptian captivity, and makes brief mention of the Exodus and wilderness wanderings. In Psalm 105, we find an emphasis on the covenant faithfulness of the Lord with the people as passive participants. In Psalm 106 we find development of the faithfulness of the Lord in the midst of open rebellion. It opens with a call to worship, and asks, “Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord?…” which might be better translated in the context of the Psalm: “Who will speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord?…” with the answer found in the rest of the Psalm which suggests that the Israelites did not speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord, but rebelled and “did not understand” His wonders, or “remember [His] great loyal love” (vv 6-7). Nevertheless, the Lord was faithful to His covenant in the midst of incessant rebellion described throughout Psalm 106 and He “redeemed them from the hand of the enemy” (v. 10; cf. Ps. 107:2). Psalm 106 ends with a request that the Lord save them, and gather them to Himself—which is answered in Psalm 107— for the purpose of giving thanks to the character of the Lord and praising Him (v. 47). They had failed to fulfill their purpose, were judged for that in exile, and in Psalm 107 the Psalmist moves us from history to the present, and even to the eschaton, as he gives multiple reasons for praise, and ending with a final convicting punch: “Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, and consider the loyal love of the Lord” (v. 43). The foil with Psalm 106 suggests that one would be wise to worship the Lord to fulfill his or her purpose and not come under judgment.
Therefore the development suggests that just as the Hebrews had been in rebellion, we have also been in rebellion inasmuch as we have failed to give the Lord His proper due in obedience and worship (106:6). Now in Psalm 107, the works of the Lord are called to our remembrance, and we are given a form of appropriate worship and praise, not merely for the covenant love to the patriarch Abraham, but also the covenant love to ourselves as recipients of that covenant love.
It can also be suggested that Psalm 107 is a bookend connected with Psalm 145. They have common vocabulary, motifs and their differences show purposeful development from the Israel-centered work (but still universal demonstration of wonders) of the Lord in Psalm 107, to the more universal expression of the work of God in Psalm 145 with the Hallel Psalms concluding the entire corpus.[2] If this is the case Psalm 107 must be seen as a key which ties together several sections of the Psalter, and should impress on the believer significance within Scripture, but more importantly, significance within the worship of the redeemed of the Lord.
Historical Background
Most of the theories of authorship of this Psalm are speculative, but it is certain that it had particular value for the returned exiles of the 6th century B.C. This can be seen from the almost exact quotation in Jeremiah 33:11, which declares that the land will once again be filled with the promised people who will raise up our opening call to worship, “Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting…” Indeed, not only is there an exact quotation, but it could be argued quite convincingly that the prophet Jeremiah (especially chs. 1-3, 30-33, 50-51) as well as Isaiah and even Job (cf. 10-12) serve as the backdrop for Psalm 107. As the people of God reflect on their return from the exile, it is only fitting that they would incorporate the language and ideas presented in the 8th century or later prophets. This is a Thanksgiving Psalm where the people of God reflect on how the Lord had redeemed and gathered them from exile, and so they proclaim the loyal, covenant love of the Lord.
Call to Praise (1-3)
Psalm 107 begins with a call to praise because of the character of the Lord, and because of the work that He has done for the worshiper in redeeming and in gathering His people to Himself (vv. 1-3). Verse 3 presents us with our first major issue within the Psalm. Most translations have hidden the issue by translating it thus: “And He gathered [the redeemed] from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.” But the Hebrew text has “sea” םימו) instead of the expected, “south” (ןימימו). The issue here is that in Hebrew, the sea directionally would represent the west, which has already been mentioned, and it does not fit the expectation of the reader. Furthermore, it has been suggested that there may have been a scribal lapse in failing to include the final yôd and nûn which is the only difference between “sea” and “south” in Hebrew. Such a change cannot be supported by the manuscript evidence, which unanimously supports the reading of “sea” except for a Syriac redactor who ‘corrected’ the manuscript to “south.”[3] This reading is also supported by Isaiah 49:12, and is also accounted for by the Psalmist’s semantic playfulness throughout the Psalm. Furthermore, Jeremiah 44 makes clear that the exiles in Egypt (the south) will be not be gathered, but destroyed for their idolatry.
The reason this textual issue is significant for this discussion is that the description of East, West, North and “Sea” are not only descriptions of how the Lord is redeeming His people and gathering them from around the four corners of the globe, but it is also a description of how He is delivering people from various metaphorical locations of distress, and these locations—along with their figural meanings—are the themes of the four stanzas in which the Psalmist gives the reasons for praise. The Lord is delivering His people from everywhere, and from everything.
Structure of the Stanzas
Before we examine the individual stanzas, it is necessary to examine the structure of the stanzas in general (see chart), noting some of the difficulties of keeping this structure. The categories I have created are artificial, but still faithful to the structure and intent of the Psalmist. The structure forms a chiasm which is repeated through each of the four stanzas, even while it is not as neat as a modern reader would like in the third and fourth stanzas—the Masoretes themselves marked those sections as possibly out of sequence.[4] While some explanations of the transitions are necessary, there is no reason for us to believe that the Psalm is corrupted. Whatever the case may be, in this structure we find the training wheels the Psalmist has given us for a pattern of worship.
A cursory glance at the structure of the attached chart will show the chiastic structure throughout the Psalm. Each of the four stanzas is structured by its strophes in a chiasm which is a model for praise and thanksgiving. The Psalmist begins each of the four stanzas with a description of the difficult situation of the people of God (A). Then, as has been the pattern since Exodus 2, the people of God cry out for deliverance from their pain (B). This half strophe is the first of two refrains. The first refrain is changed slightly by the Psalmist through the stanzas which appears to be joyful play in worship. In the first colon, there is a play on words with a “dialectical variation”[5] in the stanzas on קעצ and זעצ, “to cry out.” The second colon is the next section of our chiasm and has a similar, though slightly more intense, variation with the use of יצל , ישע and יצא for deliverance. This refrain describes the fact that the Lord delivered the people from their troubles (C), and that is immediately followed by a description of the specific way in which the Lord delivered His people which is unique to each stanza (C’). In Hebrew chiasms, the author usually puts the most significant information at the focal point, and this is the case here. The reader is encouraged to focus on the works of the Lord.
In response to that deliverance, we come to the second refrain which is identical in each stanza, where the people give thanks to the Lord for His covenant love, but also because He demonstrated His ‘wonders’ to the nations (B’). Finally, we return to the situation of the people which has been changed as a result of the deliverance of the Lord (A’). On a cursory reading, this appears impossible in the last two stanzas, but a closer examination of the stanzas and the Hebrew text will show that they fit well into this paradigm.
As has been stated previously, the fact that this Psalm is so structured is impressive in itself. But more than that, its structure trains the worshiper in how to appropriately worship and give thanks to the Lord in response to the work that He has done in His loyal love.
Examination of the Stanzas
Each of the four stanzas in this Psalm is an examination of the metaphorical description of each point on the compass in regard to the Babylonian exile. This structure was made known to me by John Jerrick’s journal article, “The Four Corners of Psalm 107.” [6] His analysis was helpful in pointing out the structure, but his description of the reason for the directions is in some cases wrong, and desperately incomplete in others. Furthermore, I have made sense of the coda section for the chart, but a defense of it will not fit the constraints of this paper—though I desperately want to! Below, I hope to move the dialogue along with the recognition that the Psalmist is in intimate conversation with the pre-exilic prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah. In particular, I will argue that Jerrick misinterpreted the third stanza (North), and got to a good, though incomplete start on interpretation of stanza four (Sea). To his credit, he pointed out a structure which had been ignored by commentators throughout church history who have basically misunderstood this Psalm. Modern critics have raised questions about glosses which do not exist, and have failed to understand the Psalm canonically.[7] Furthermore, because of the misunderstandings (from my own limited research), explication of both the form and theology of this Psalm is new ground.
What is more, it is the argument of this analysis that a better understanding of this Psalm historically and canonically is essential to building a theology of Psalm 107 which Luther, Calvin, Augustine and others have essentially missed. The captivity of the people of God in Babylon is a metaphor for all of humanity held in the clutches of the hand of the great enemy, Satan. Thus this Psalm is a praise, not only of the historical work that the Lord has done, but also the work that He is doing and will bring to completion.
Stanza 1 — East: The Desert Wanderings (4-9)
The East is used throughout the Scriptures as a metonymy to describe what the East contains from the perspective of the Hebrews—the desert. The desert is further a description of deprivation of resources, and often used as a description of spiritual lacking. We find both of these descriptions here in this stanza. The chosen people of God are physically, and spiritually famished.
Some commentators have associated this Psalm with the Exodus because of the description of the wandering in the desert here in verse 4. While there may be comparisons in mind for the Psalmist with the Babylonian captivity to the post-Exodus wanderings of the Hebrews, the Psalmist is using language more in line with the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah in describing the captivity in Babylon. This is especially so with regard to Isaiah 49:10-11. “"They will not hunger or thirst, nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; for He who has compassion on them will lead them and will guide them to springs of water. I will make all My mountains a road, and My highways will be raised up.” This is not the only passage the Psalmist seems to have in mind. Indeed, the Psalmists knowledge and incorporation of Scripture is impressive as its language has become his own (cf. Jer 2:2ff, 31:2-9). Furthermore, the word “wander” (תעה) is a word never used to describe the wilderness experience following the Egyptian captivity, but rather is used often in regard to the Babylonian captivity by Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Even so, the historical associations included in this Psalm are not meant to restrict the worshiper. The ambiguity appears purposeful even while historically connected. The Lord’s loyal love is not only an historical reality, but a reality which endures forever (107:1). He continues to lead His people into the wilderness for reproof and correction, and continues to lead the repentant back by a straight way to fulfillment. The Lord is the redeemer from the depravity of people who trust in Him and He gathers them to Himself in His holy city, Jerusalem—the only habitable city in the end—outside of which there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 8:12, et al ).
Stanza 2 — West: The Darkness of Oppression (10-16)
Just as the East was symbolic of the desert for the Hebrews, so also the West also had its own symbolism. The West represented the place where the sun set, and therefore was a symbol of darkness.[8] Darkness in the Old Testament is often a symbol of wickedness and therefore could be seen in relation to wicked Babylon. But in this case it seems more likely to be a metaphor for gloom and misery[9] associated with the silence of the Lord. Similar language is used in what appear to be influential passages on the Psalmist. Prophesying the exile, Micah compares darkness to the lack of prophetic visions from the Lord as a result of disobedience (Micah 2:6). Perhaps this was on the Psalmist’s mind as he states that the darkness of bondage is a result of spurning the counsel of the Most High (v. 11). Job, one in great gloom and misery, in identical language as the Psalmist, laments that he dwells in the land of “darkness and of the shadow of death” (Job 10:21).
We find a more explicit expression of the exile in the concluding phrase of the stanza (v. 16) which is an almost exact quote of Isaiah 45:2 with the first person changed to third person and a minor poetic change. The significance of this quotation is that in Isaiah, the Lord is describing His use of the Persian king, Cyrus, to break the Israelites free from their bondage. Having been freed by the Lord through Cyrus from their bondage, the people of Israel here are recalling the promise of the Lord to redeem them from their oppression.
The bondage of exile and the darkness which the Israelites experienced is experienced even to this day in-so-far as people walk outside of the counsel of the Lord—believers or unbelievers. The Scriptural images of light and darkness are consistent throughout the Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments. But perhaps there is no greater expression of this than in the description of Him who is called “the light of the world” (John 8:12, et al). Even while the Gospels were not available to the Psalmist, a clear expression is found in Isaiah 42 within the first Servant Song and was likely on the mind of the Psalmist. The Lord declares that “I will appoint [the Messianic Servant] as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison” (Is. 42:6-7). So once again, the praise of the Psalmist is historically connected, but praise continues to this day as the people of God are redeemed from their prisons of darkness, as they are freed from the power of sin, and the hand of the ultimate oppressor and “prince of darkness,” (cf. Eph 2:2, 6:12) Satan, who will be sent into a “pathless waste” (תהו לא-דרך, v. 40) forever[10] (cf. John 12:31).
Stanza 3 — North: The Consequence and Repentance of Idolatry (17-22)
Throughout the history of interpretation of this Psalm, the third stanza—if it is even recognized as such—has been understood as a description of the Lord physically healing those who were sick. In his structural analysis, Jerrick himself follows suit, and suggests that the connection to North is associated with sickness and disease coming from the North and points to I Chronicles 21:14-17, II Kings 19-20, and II Chronicles 21:12-14 to make his case. However, an examination of these texts shows deficiencies in his case.
It seems that this interpretation is a result of an overly physical understanding of the stanza as a whole, but particularly the word, “healing” (רפא, v. 20). רפא is a term used often in regard to physical healing, and can be used even more holistically than merely physical. However, an examination of the 8th century prophets suggests the term is used to refer to a spiritual healing from the idolatries which existed within the covenant community. This is particularly the case in a passage at the forefront of the Psalmist’s mind, Jeremiah 30 and 33. In these passages, Babylon has been given balm for healing, but will not recover; but the repentant people of God and their land will be “healed” from their iniquities.
Furthermore, interpreters have misunderstood the opening lines of the stanza in the description of the people’s plight as being an inferred sickness which leads to the people not being able to eat (vv. 17-18). Such an analysis misunderstands this stanza completely. The people of God here are described as “fools,”[11] who because of their sin are “afflicted”. The term which is rendered “afflicted” is ענה, and is in the hithpael, a form which can be used iteratively, but is often used reflexively as it appears to be the case here. Therefore, in the context it is better rendered, “they afflicted themselves” with the connotation being that they were fasting as in Ezra 8:21where the same construction is used to describe when Ezra leads the people in fasting as they enter into the Promised Land and again in Daniel 10:12. [12] It is also used in Leviticus in the piel in a similar way of self-denial (Lev 16:29, et al).
This is further supported as one looks at the phrase rendered, they “abhorred” (תהב) food, which most often means to be detestable morally or ritually[13] rather than physically as the common interpretations have suggested.
If we are to hold to the structure which Jerrick makes note of and is consistent with the rest of the structure of the Psalm, then the North needs to be better understood. Here are a few options of metaphorical meaning. First, the word North itself is צפון which is literally the name of Mount Saphon, the dwelling place of Baal,[14] though the frequency of the word to denote geological location should cause caution for such interpretations. However, the idea that the North is the location of idolatry is further confirmed in Isaiah 14:13-14 where Israel has said in her heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Furthermore, it is the annihilated Northern Kingdom which becomes symbolically associated with idolatry in the post-Exilic community, and is the primary reason for the 8th century judgment on Israel and Judah.
The North also is the place out of which judgment of the nations comes upon Israel in every invasion—even the Southern kingdom, Egypt is said to conquer Gaza from the North (Jer 47:1). The North is also the direction from which Babylon’s own destruction would come (Jer 50:9). Perhaps both idolatry and conquest are in the mind of the Psalmist. What is clear is that the people of God are in distress because of their iniquity, and as a result are afflicting themselves even to the point of death to regain the favor of God. It is only by His word that they are “healed” from their “destructions” (v. 20).[15]
Most interesting of all, however, is the new condition which the people find themselves in as a result of this healing,[16] which further supports this argument. The result is that the people offer a תודה(Todah) or a thanksgiving offering which is described in Leviticus 3 and 7. The Todah is a peace offering which is a celebration of being at peace with God, and follows the sin or guilt offerings which atone for sin. It celebrates the forgiveness of sin already made, and is a meal in which the community participates. So, the once fasting people of God (vv. 17-18), are healed by God’s word (v. 22), and are now feasting with shouts of rejoicing just as Jeremiah had prophesied (Jer 33:11).[17]
It is not incidental that the institution of the Lord’s Supper is a form of the Todah wherein Jesus inaugurates the Eucharist (thanksgiving), establishing Himself as the ultimate fulfillment of the sacrificial system, and the One in whom we are united as believers to join in a communal meal, celebrating our freedom from the guilt of sin which was washed away in the total sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ. “By His scourging, we are healed” (Is 53:5) as He rendered Himself a Guilt Offering (53:10), and bore our iniquities (53:11). Thanks be to God for His loyal love!
Stanza 4 — Sea: The Lord’s Authority over the Nations (23-32)
The final stanza is concerned with the Sea per the structure which the Psalmist appears to have in mind. Once again, we are presented with difficulties regarding the interpretation of what the Sea symbolizes. Jerrick argues that the Israelites, as a non-seafaring people, found the sea to be the ultimate force to be distrusted because of its unpredictable destruction.[18] This is certainly true, and serves poetically throughout the ancient world as a mysterious danger ready to swallow up its adventurers (cf.Jonah, one who rebelliously “goes down” to the sea in a ship). But there is something richer which exists in light of the prophetic literature.
Isaiah 5:30 suggests that the coming foreign invasion of Judah would be like the roaring of the sea. So the sea is representative of the foreign invasion which is the judgment of God against Israel, for it is the Lord “who stirs up the sea and its waves roar” (Is 51:15, Jer 31:35). But even while the sea is a figure representing the judgment of God by the nations, it is also an object of comfort as a figure of the destruction of the oppressor, Babylon. Jeremiah writes, “The sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves” (Jer 51:42). Finally, in the end, the rivers of Babylon will be “dried up” (Is 44:27, cf. Is 50:2, Jer 51:36) so that the “redeemed” of the Lord can cross over (Is 51:10). So the image is the sea rushing over the land like a tsunami, destroying the nations in its path, and leaving deserts in the land after it accomplishes its purposes.
In Isaiah 42:10, we find a missiological dimension to those who “go down to the sea” as ones who have been released from bondage by the Messianic Servant to “sing a new song” to the ends of the earth. Therefore, the sea is not only the instrument of judgment, but also of hope for the oppressed, and the avenue by which the redeemed will be the bearers of good news to the nations.
There are striking parallels between this stanza and Mark 4 where Jesus calms the sea. Indeed, one cannot help but believe that Mark in 4:35-41, and even Jesus, had in mind Psalm 107 as Jesus commanded the storm and the waves of the sea to “Hush, be still!” (4:39). The disciples asked, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (v. 41). The answer is found in Psalm 107, where it is the Lord who has all authority over the seas. So Jesus is identified as Yahweh, and has not only control over all nature, but also over the nations who will not overpower the twelve tribes of Israel represented by the twelve disciples. It is in His hands and by His word that He raises up (רום v. 25) seas and nations and in whom all authority rests. And in response, we must lift Him up (רום v. 32) as we consider, and make known His wonders to the sons of men as we who were once scattered and wandering are now gathered together in the congregation of those who have been redeemed (107:32). He is indeed all-powerful to fight our fight “against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12), and in the end, “He alone will be exalted” (רום, Is 2:11, 17). Victory is assured for those who put their trust in the loyal, covenant love of the Lord. Indeed, it is the fool who fails to praise His Holy Name (Ps 107:43).
Conclusion
I have scratched the surface of Psalm 107, and I think a little blood has been drawn. Space is too short to contemplate this wonderfully crafted thanksgiving to the Lord. In it, the reader finds an appropriate form of worship, which reflects on the work of the Lord, and is deeply informed by the promises of Scripture. Not only that, but it leads the reader to the recognition of the greatness, and authority of the Lord to confirm and fulfill His covenant love in the redemption of His chosen people from the desert, from oppression, from the guilt of sin, and from the principalities of this world.
[1] Erich Zenger, “The Composition and Theology of the Fifth Book of the Psalms, Psalms 107-105,” in JSOT 80 (1998), 88.
[2] Ibid, 89.
[3] John Jerrick, “The Four Corners of Psalm 107” in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 59, 1997, 272.
[4] The marking is an inverted nûn at the beginning of a verse which William R. Scott in the Simplified Guide to BHS, states has commonly been believed to signify the Masoretes’ doubt of the appropriate sequence of the verses marked. Such marks are included in verses 21-26, and at verse 40. Otherwise, the only place which the marking is used is in Numbers 10:34 and 10:36. Since verse 21 is marked, but fits within what is the clear structure of the Psalm, it seems that either the Masoretes were confused about the structure (and thus made the marking), or the scholars do not really know what the marking means. It is clear that the markings in Numbers 10 are attached to verses which seem out of place, and perhaps scholars have then transferred this to Psalm 107 where doubt is less warranted. Furthermore, the occasions of the inverted nûn in Numbers follows the verse rather than precedes it as is the case in Psalm 107. Analysis of such markings used so infrequently should lead to loosely held conclusions. Whatever the case may be, verses 23-26 do raise significant questions to the structure which exists throughout the Psalm and is one of two major objections to the structure I am arguing for in my analysis.
[5] Willem VanGemeran, ed. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, (Grand Rapids, Mich.: ZondervanPublishingHouse, c1997), צעק.
[6] John Jerrick, “The Four Corners of Psalm 107” in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 59, 1997, 272.
[7] Charles A. Briggs, author of A critical and exegetical commentary on the Book of Psalms (Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1906-1907) for example strips away “glosses” which he feels a post-exilic author made, but fails to see the subtle allusions to the Babylonian exile which are foundational to the Psalm.
[8] NIDOTTE, חשך and Jerrick, 276.
[9] Jerrick, 277.
[10] Verse 40 is a direct quotation of Job 12:21, and is significant to note the exiled community found comfort, not only in the great prophets, but also in Job, who in chapter 12 describes the Lord’s authority of the nations.
[11] The word used here, אויל is in some question.
[12] It may be used in the hithpael in the sense of being afflicted in I Kings 2:26, but even this is uncertain.
[13] NIDOTTE, חהב.
[14] NIDOTTE, צפון.
[15] The word for destruction is used only here and Lamentations 4:20 in describing Judah’s conquest.
[16] It may appear odd to put verse 22 (and 32) in parallel with verses 9 and 16, but a close examination of the Hebrew shows a waw conjunctive attached to the jussive which acts similar to the subjunctive in other languages (see Allen Ross, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew) and so acts in parallel with the two כי clauses in verses 9 and 16. They have been healed “so that they would offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and tell of His works with joyful singing.”
[17] See Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Academic, c2002), 116.
[18] Jerrick, 279.
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