Psalm 18.
Thanksgiving David’s for his Liberator
Roland Meynet, S.I.
Pontificia Università GregorianaAbstract
Psalm 18 is the third longest in the Psalter. Still, its meaning is owed not so much to its length as mostly to the fact that the psalm fulfils a summarising function: similarly to its doublet that ends the Books of Samuel (2 Sm 22) Psalm 18 concludes the first subsection of the first book of the Psalter (Pss 1–18). It is suggested by its particularly expanded title: “when Yahweh had delivered him from all his enemies and from the clutches of Saul”. The poem includes seven fragments arranged concentrically around the declaration of innocence (vv. 21-30) which does not, however, cease to create problems. The statement that those verses are later does not eliminate the difficulties. In fact, it only indicates the inability to solve the riddle which is always in the centre of this concentric composition. The key is not hidden but offered in the formula that marks the turning point of the text: “You are faithful to the faithful” (v. 26).
Keywords:
Ps 18, 2 Sam 22, rhetorical analysis, conclusive function, concentric composition, fidelityReferences
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