Songs of Ascents Lesson 8
Objective: To inspire a greater appreciation of the Psalms, more understanding, an understanding that is far richer, more comforting, more encouraging, and more challenging. We have become a culture that values that which is new and innovative, and this has dramatically affected our usage of the Psalms which are part song book, and part prayer book, and part theological treatise, all at the same time. The Psalms have a way of expressing the deep cries of the soul in powerful and evocative ways that draw us ever more deeply into relationship with God. They are time tested, effective, and God-breathed. The Psalms of Ascents in particular provide some additional challenges and it will be the goal of this study to explore; their usage in both ancient and more modern times. A part of our goal is to demonstrate how they can still be powerfully relevant for us today in our pilgrimage of faith.
Materials: The Bible, textbooks, journal articles, maps, charts and other resources as may be appropriate.
Procedures 1. To examine the ancient usage of these Psalms, and their original context. 2. To seek to understand the meaning and impact that these Psalms had on ancient people.
PAGE 1 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS 3. To endeavor to comprehend how we should understand these Psalms in our modern era while at the same time honoring and respecting the original intent. 4. To allow these ancient Psalms to inspire and challenge our pilgrimage toward greater understanding and deeper relationship with God.
PAGE 2 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS Psalm 126
1 A song of Ascents. When Yahweh restored the fortunes of Zion, we were as those who are dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was illed with laughter, and our tongue with a joyful shout; then it was said among the nations, “Yahweh has accomplished great things with them. 3 Yahweh has accomplished great things with us, we were joyful. 4 Oh,
Yahweh, restore our fortunes like the stream-beds of the
Negev. 5 May those sowing in tears reap in praise. 6 May the one who goes out weeping, carrying the seed bag of seed, return with a shout of joy carrying his sheaves.
In a great many ways this psalm has proven to be the most challenging so far. A large part of that challenge is in stripping away all the baggage that has been attached to this psalm down through the centuries. This along with our drive and determination to ind precision and speci icity even where none may have been intended. One of the sources I have been reading is Augustine’s Expositions of the Psalms and in that source he indicates that there is a connection here in verses 1 and 4 with the
PAGE 3 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS return of the exiles from Babylon.1 He has some very interesting observations from his 4th-5th A. D. century perspective. It is perhaps the case that some of his observations, and those of others of in luence, have radiated down through the years to affect our understanding of this psalm. One of the things that I found to be very prominent is that the initial understanding that people bring with them to this psalm, and to the others in this series, seems to dominate their perception of what a psalm means from the outset. If they believe that this psalm is about the returning exiles then this becomes the theme that is dominant, and if this is not the perception that is the starting point, then the interpretation of this psalm takes a very different path. Whether that path is that this psalm refers to the exodus of Israel from
Egypt, the great hope brought about by the rise of the Davidic kingship, or some other instance, or instances. Needless to say there is a great deal of dispute in this regard, but there is a a good deal of recent scholarship that brings even greater pressure on the more traditional view that this psalm is addressing the situation of the exiles having returned from the Babylonian captivity. We
1 Augustine, Expositions of the Psalms, in Maria Boulding, trans., Boniface Ramsey ed., The Works of Saint Augustine III/20, Vol. 6 (Hyde Park NY: New City Press, 2004), pp. 83-97.
PAGE 4 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS will begin our study with a detailed analysis of the text in order to allow us to move ahead in our understanding based upon available evidence.
As we begin this aspect of our study, it is perhaps prudent to give a warning regarding the numbering of the Psalms: the numbering both of verses and the actual number of the psalms themselves differs often between our English Bibles, the Hebrew text, and the Greek text. Sometimes English Bibles do not number the irst line, which they consider the title of the psalm. This is also, generally the case in the Hebrew text, however, in the Greek text, the numbering includes the title in the irst verse. In this study, as you may have already igured out we are following the
Greek numbering of verses for convenience and logic. To add to the confusion however, if you are looking up the Psalms in the
Septuagint you will ind that Psalm 126 in the Hebrew and English texts is Psalm 125 in the Greek text. The Vulgate and the Old Latin version then follow the Greek numbering for the psalms. We will follow the more traditional chapter numbering that is used in the
Hebrew (Masoretic) text and is followed in the majority of English texts as far as designating the psalm number.
PAGE 5 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS As we begin our interpretation of Psalm 126, we ind the now very familiar prelude “A Song of Ascents.” We then move to a
set then is time The .(בְ) ”“when time, indicates that preposition as when God did this thing that is now going to be described. The designation is very generic and may refer to either a speci ic instance or to something more general such as each time Yahweh may have done something like this (as in seed-time and harvest).
We then have the divine name the Tetragrammaton (Yahweh
Whether action. the performed who of designation the as (יְ֭הוָה the psalm was intended to reference a single instance, or every instance that Yahweh made such a thing to happen is not speci ied in the text. That is the easy part. Then comes the phrase that is used here, and is repeated in a different form in 4a, which has created enormous confusion. Some translations have interpreted this rare word phrase in the sense of Yahweh having “turned again the captivity of Zion” (KJV), or something similar. This has led to interpretations that linked this psalm to a return of Israel from exile. Naturally then, focus goes to a time after the Babylonian captivity. This interpretation then would date this psalm to sometime after the return of the exiles: some ive centuries later
PAGE 6 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS than the time of Solomon and David. Though this is certainly a possibility, there are alternatives offered through careful examination of this phrase, especially in light of modern archaeological inds.
The noun used in this section is found only here in the Old
Testament. For this reason, many scholars prefer to emend the
or shevit),) שְבִית as such form common more a to here used form
of accusatives cognate a as used are which of both shévut);) שְבות
the of meaning the recently, Until 14:7). Ps see shuv;) שוב verb the noun used in Psalm 126:1 was not understood very well at all, but in discoveries of the The Aramaic treaties of Se ire, Fitzmyer
be should shivit) שִיבַ֣ת) 126 Psalm in used word the that indicates
שוב of accusative cognate a as understood be should and retained,
(shuv). This then means that there is no need to change the text that has been passed down to us. The phrase then means literally, something like “turns with a turning [toward] his people.”2 It seems to me that it is always preferable to ind a solution that does not entail us changing the words in the Hebrew text, unless we are compelled to do so by substantive evidence. Leslie Allen
2 Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Se ire, in the Biblica et Orientalia series, 19 (Rome, Italy: Ponti ical Biblical Institute, 1967), pp. 119-120.
PAGE 7 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS also cites the ind of the Aramaic documents from the 8th century
B.C. (Nr. 224, line 24 - “the gods brought about the restoration [of my father’s house]”).3 This same general range of meaning seems to be con irmed in a paper written by Bracke. He concludes that the associated phrase šûb šebût, which is far more common than the one we have in Psalm 126, in the other literary contexts of the
Old Testament, is a technical term referring to a model of restoration that is most frequently characterized by Yahweh’s reversal of his judgment (Jeremiah 30-33; Job 42:10; Psalm
85:1-3; Zephaniah 2:5-7; 3:20; Lamentation 2:13; Amos 9:14-15;
Joel 1-3; Deuteronomy 30:3; Ezekiel 16:53; 39:25).4
In light of all of this, it seems to me preferable to retain the
Hebrew text and therefore, the best translation would be something like that of the NRSV, “restored the fortunes of Zion, ….”
Questions then are still open as to what has been restored, to whom and when. Certainly it is the case that the majority of scholars still go back to the old standard that interprets this psalm as being about restoration from the Babylonian captivity. To be
3 Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101-5, In the Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 21, Revised (Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002), pp. 227-228. 4 John M. Bracke, “šûb šebût: A Reappraisal,” Zeitschrift für Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 97:2 (1985), pp. 233-244.
PAGE 8 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS sure such an interpretation: if this was indeed the impetus for the composition of this psalm has widespread repercussions on our understanding of this psalm, and also the others in this series of
15. Such an understanding of authorship takes the date, for at least this form of the psalm, to a time after the Babylonian exile.
This would certainly change our interpretation of these psalms, and it also presents us with a new set of interpretive problems.
Let us examine some evidence: certainly those that returned to
Jerusalem from Babylon, who had seen the former glory of
Solomon’s temple, were not at all enamored with the restoration of the temple (Ezra 3:12)5 and perhaps would have had dif iculty in sharing the overarching joy and jubilation that appears to be expressed in psalm 126.
As Eugene Peterson understands this psalm it does not give us joy as the result of some sort of formulaic, or mechanical scenario, or routine. Rather, it allows us to see that Yahweh with consistency and regularity brings joy to his children. It does not come as the result of the pursuit of pleasure, or joy, but as the result of discipleship that sees the source of all true joy, following
5 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the irst house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, NRSV
PAGE 9 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS Yahweh in trust and faithfulness. One of the consequences of true discipleship is joy; it cannot help but come. If joy never comes in the walk of discipleship then one must question whether this is indeed discipleship. To be certain, there are periods of deep and abiding darkness and pain, but for the true disciple, Yahweh brings joy through vision, understanding and hope into even the midst of hardship and struggle. Yahweh accompanies his wandering, weeping children, all along their journey until that day when they arrive home to exuberance and the loving arms of a gentle and caring father. We need to be reminded of joy, in part this is the reason for the people of God to gather regularly to remind one another, as they journey, of exuberance and joy that comes and will ultimately culminate in one great assemblage of joy and praise. Whatever happens, we are to be a happy people because we are people that trust and have faith. We know that
Yahweh will deliver us. Peterson therefore interprets this psalm not to apply to merely one situation but to the situation of all pilgrims, all disciples, who seek the face of God faithfully and corporately.6 God seeks to bless all of his children, but it is
6 Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Second Edition (Downers Grove IL: IVP Books, 2000), pp. 95-102.
PAGE 10 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS particularly those who are his disciples that realize the source of their blessings and are able to respond in joy.
Peterson views this psalm as more general in nature, not referring to one single instance, but to the multitude of instances where Yahweh has blessed his people with tremendous joy. He cites the exodus, and the rise of the Davidic kingship as particular instances that can be brought to mind.7 In line with this, surely there are so many times when Yahweh has brought joy to his people through rescue, from the Garden of Eden, to Noah’s ark, to the blessing of Abraham and the patriarchs, to rescue after rescue through the period of the judges, all the way to the great rescue that comes at the cross of Christ. One of the reasons that this psalm is still so popular is because in its generic nature it still applies to our current situation as people that have been richly blessed by God and as a people that continue to hope for even more and fuller blessing in the future. We are illed with joy because of what God has done for us, but we also live in anticipation of more in the future and in this we are able to come together as a community and share our individual joy and turn it
7 Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, pp. 95-102.
PAGE 11 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS into a corporate community celebration as we await what is to come.
One might think that once we were past this dif iculty in the psalm we would be at least on the downhill side of interpreting the meaning of this psalm. One would be wrong. Crow indicates that the word that we translate as “as those who are dreaming” is one of the most dif icult parts of the psalm.8 Some have even put forward the view that this is the crux interpretum in this psalm for being able to interpret its meaning.9 I think that is taking the importance of this phrase far too seriously. It is dif icult to know when the meaning of this phrase became normal in English (“as those who were dreaming”) to be sure, but it does not seem that dif icult to understand what this phrase means if one does not overanalyze. In poetry, surely we do not expect scienti ic accuracy, but something that touches on the emotions as well as the mind in ways that are perhaps not simply straightforward. It seems to me that the meaning here is plain enough and I will not explore all the proposed theories and emendations that have been proposed as
8 Loren D. Crow, The Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134), in the SBL Dissertation series, Number 148 (Atlanta GA: Scholars Press, 1996), p. 59. 9 Walter Beyerlin, We Are Like Dreamers: Studies in Psalm 126, trans. by Dinah Livingstone (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1982).
PAGE 12 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS they weary the mind and test our patience. They are mostly nonsense. The meaning here seems to be that the fortunes of the audience, of this psalm, have changed so dramatically that it is hard to comprehend what has happened as being anything more than a dream. We have all awoken from a dream at one time or another and it has taken us a moment or two to focus on the reality of what is happening. To me this seems to be the most likely meaning of this phrase here. This is not something that is unique among modern people, it is something that is surely shared by all humanity.
In verse 2, the audience is fully awake and they are illed with a joy that fuels the laughter and the shouts of joy that come from their tongue. In the latter part of verse 2, attention is turned to the response of the nations to what Yahweh has done for his people, and even they, must acknowledge that he has done great things. Certainly, we are still left with what it is that Yahweh has done that has brought about such responses on the part of not only the people of God, but also on the part of the nations? To be sure there is very little in the psalm to give us any help in this matter and our preconceived notions will rise to the top and leave
PAGE 13 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS us grasping for them if we are not careful at this point. There is certainty that what God did, when he brought Israel back from captivity in Babylon, is marvelous and great, but so is his bringing the people from Egypt and even the rise of David and his monarchy to power in Zion might be considered likely candidates for what is being spoken of here and perhaps numerous other acts of God. At this point it is perhaps our preconceived notions that will lead us and draw us in one direction or another, but it is perhaps best to recognize that Yahweh has done many marvelous things that continued beyond the time that this psalm was written.
This psalm is indeed timeless.
Some such as Crow and Beyerlin see connections between this psalm, and the book of Joel. Crow cites the similarity between
Joel and this psalm (in Joel it is restoration after a plague) as adding to the general conception of these two works being roughly contemporary. Crow tries very hard to let the evidence speak for itself despite his leanings and does a really good job of carefully sifting through the evidence.10 Verse 3, of this psalm, does not help us to understand the setting, but acts as a pure
10 Loren D. Crow, The Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134), pp. 63-65.
PAGE 14 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS expression of rejoicing at what Yahweh has done. I think it is all too easy here for us to be so engaged in trying to decipher the conundrum that we fail to see the meaning of the poem. This is a song about joy remembered and of joy anticipated as still to come.
In both cases the joy is because of the acts of Yahweh. In the irst instance it is a joy over the restoration of Zion and in the second instance, it is joy expressed in anticipation by those who sing the song of what is still to come.11
At verse 4, the sentence begins with an imperative, “restore”
upon calling petition, a prayer, a is call The fortunes.” our“ (שובָ֣ה)
Yahweh to return those singing this song to prosperity and plenty like that of the Negev after a rain. Today, the Negev is a dry arid region that receives between 3 and 6 inches of rainfall annually.
However, during the Bronze age (3300 - 1200 B.C) and before there was far more water in the wadis than there is today. The dry period likely continued into the Iron age (1200-550 B.C.) and this affected settlement in this area.12 Even today, rain still comes from the sea to the west and when it rains the Wadis ill with
11 James Luther Mays, Psalms, in the Interpretation commentary series (Louisville KY: John Knox Press, 1994), p. 399. 12 Steven A. Rosen, “Negeb (Bronze Age),” in David Noel Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol 4 (New York NY: Doubleday, 1992), pp. 1061-1064.
PAGE 15 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS water and at least for a time their is a greening of the area that brings with it a sudden boon in grass and bountiful and beautiful vegetation. Even though the climate has changed in this region there is still meaning in the words here that when the watercourses low the fortunes of the area are restored. The idea is that there is a radical transformation from one state to the other. Certainly here in West Texas we can relate to this as the rains bring a radical change from the dry drought conditions that we have so often experienced.
Here in this psalm, this natural phenomenon is used to convey the transformation that takes place where the divine favor is poured out on the audience of this psalm. It is here that many commentators see a powerful and clear connection with the return from exile of the captives from Babylon. It is certainly the case that the imagery here its that event very well, but the question is, is that the background and context for this psalm.
Certainly the words here sound very much like an echo of Isaiah
40-55. There are however several questions to be answered. One is what is introduced in verse 4, in what seems to be a future calling for something a different from what Yahweh is praised for
PAGE 16 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS in verse 1, as something that appears to have already happened?
Briggs and Briggs seem to exercise caution on this question.13
Even Crow, who dates this psalm to the post exilic period indicates that he does not do so based upon the situation described (which he admits is agricultural failure), but on what he perceivers as linguistic parallels between this psalm and Joel.14
Bracke also seems to indicate that the poem is referring to a common situation, but sees it as primarily focused upon Yahweh’s reversal of his judgment rather than upon issues of agricultural fertility. He focuses on this text as primarily a model of restoration after a time of judgment.15 Certainly this would it well the context of the return of the captives from Babylonian captivity, but reversal of fortunes need not be isolated to a single, or even a national event. Allen goes on to say that, “Accordingly, the psalm as a whole is to be judged as a communal lament, the central petition of which is bordered by a reminder of Yahweh’s past aid to motivate future intervention and by a strong
13 Charles Augustus Briggs and Emilie Grace Briggs, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms, in The International Critical Commentary series, Vol. II (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1986), pp. 455-456. 14 Loren D. Crow, The Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134), pp. 65-66. 15 John M. Bracke, “šûb šebût: A Reappraisal,” Zeitschrift für Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 97:2 (1985), pp. 233-244.
PAGE 17 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS af irmation of coming blessing.” He would caution us that the cultic setting cannot be precisely de ined as can be seen from the various interpretations that this refers to the return of the
Babylonian captives, refers to a preexilic event that it is impossible for us to precisely de ine in terms of a speci ic restoration point.16
Verse 5 is another agricultural metaphor that brings to mind the act of sowing that is done with hope and expectation, but here it as if the irst drops of water for the irrigation of the seeds are those given in the tears of those sowing. Their sorrow hope to elicit a response from Yahweh. Verse 6 repeats this same type of metaphor, but in all of this there is a con idence expressed in the fact that the sowing and weeping will in the end give way to shouts of joy and a bountiful harvest and a carrying of the sheaves.
The metaphors of this psalm appear to be strongly attached to the agricultural cycles of seed-time and harvest, of weeping and joy.
This poem represents the cycle of God’s people as they sow their hopes of rescue before Yahweh who answers with a bountiful harvest that surprises and shocks. This psalm sets to music the nature of God’s relationship of blessing people beyond what they
16 Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101-5, In the Word Biblical Commentary, pp. 229-230.
PAGE 18 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS can even dream to be possible. Our hope and joy ultimately low from Yahweh and his great blessings upon his children.
PAGE 19 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS Synopsis Much of the discussion found regarding this psalm is more concerned with the exact circumstances that it speaks to rather than understanding its actual message. I realize that understanding the historical setting can so often prove crucial in the interpretation of a text, but in this instance there is just not enough evidence to be absolutely certain about the historical situation to be found in this text. However, if we take this psalm to be a part of the total collection, then there is certainly not enough evidence available to change what we have determined to be the background for this whole set of psalms.
This psalm begins by remarking on something great that
Yahweh had done to restore the fortunes of Zion. The audience is portrayed as so astounded they are in a dreamlike state of astonishment. This state gives way to a state of laughter and joyful shouting. Even the nations recognize the great things that have been accomplished for Israel by Yahweh. The joy continues to spill over into verse 3 because of the great things that Yahweh has accomplished with Zion.
PAGE 20 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS In the midst of the celebration and joy there is a plea for
Yahweh to restore the fortunes of Zion like the stream beds of the dry Negev that becomes green and lush after a life-giving rain..
There is a plea to turn the tears of those that are weeping into praise. With these harvest images the message is put forward in hope as a farmer hopes in the harvest while planting. This is a great psalm of rejoicing expressing a continued expectation in what Yahweh will yet continue to do for the psalm’s audience.
This is a psalm of joy and expectation. It is a psalm of community.
PAGE 21 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS Questions 1. Can you name some times when you have felt particularly blessed by God? What were they?
2. What are some of the things you long for, or dream about?
3. What are some things that make you joyful? Why?
4. How have you seen God bless his people as a group?
5. Do you think joy is the proper response to the acts of God? Why, or why not?
6. What are some things that your church community seeks as blessings from God?
7. What are some things that you hope and pray God will do for your church community that have not yet come into being? Why?
8. What are some struggles that your church community has gone through that have been like going through the desert in recent years?
9. How do you think God responds to the tears of his children?
10. What are some things that your community would see as sheaves that would elicit joy?
11. Why do you think community is so important to God?
PAGE 22 OF 23 DURATION: SERIES 1 - 8 WEEKS 12. Why do you think we so often focus on the individual more than we focus on the community?
13. What are some ways that you see community as important in your own life? Why?
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