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Reading Psalm 139 As a Literary Unit: a Bodily Interpretation from the Perspective

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Reading Psalm 139 As a Literary Unit: a Bodily Interpretation from the Perspective 1 READING PSALM 139 AS A LITERARY UNIT: A BODILY INTERPRETATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SPACE by LODEWYK SUTTON A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MA (Semitic Languages) in the Department of Ancient and Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Humanities Supervisor: Prof. G.T.M. Prinsloo January 2019 2 DECLARATION I, Lodewyk Sutton, hereby declare that the dissertation “Reading Psalm 139 as a literary unit: A bodily interpretation from the perspective of space” reflects my own understanding and research on the above title, that all resources used and quoted are referenced to in full, and that appropriate acknowledgements are given. Lodewyk Sutton October 2018 3 DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my Aunt Hermien Swart (1952-2016), a true teacher, a giving heart and a wonderful godmother. I miss you dearly. To my Uncle Adrianus Swart, thank you for demonstrating the meaning of survival. 4 PSALM 139 Could it be that you sit where I sit think what I think dream what I dream With me? I remember a dream in which I was Trying to remove you from my room Forcibly, fruitlessly. You, unmoved, unmovable Would not reveal your face But you looked from behind like I looked as a child. I was in Cluny, I remember, When I had that dream As far from home as I’d ever been and as alone. My pack was heavy and my Boots were soaked with sweat and Cold December rain And a French woman with no English Gave me with no French a warm room A hot meal and good wine that night. Could it be? I come to the end — you are still With me. Timothy M. Slemmons1 1 In 2001, Slemmons (2001:221), an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (United States of America), published this poem on Psalm 139. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A special thank you and word of appreciation to my supervisor, Prof. G.T.M. Prinsloo. Professor, you have inspired me to study the Hebrew Bible and to share what I have learned. To my wife, Melinda and children, Roald and Amelia, thank you! Thank you for your love, time and all the motivational speeches. I love you dearly! 6 ABBREVIATIONS The following abbreviations are used in this dissertation: • Standard Latin abbreviations • The Bible, New International Version (NIV), is used as a reference for biblical abbreviations In addition to these, the following abbreviations are also used: BCE Before Common Era BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia CCL Catalogus Codicum Latinorum Cf. Compare CE Common Era Ed./Eds Editor/Editors Jdt. Judith LXX Septuagint M Meter (a measure of length) Macc. Maccabees NA27 Novum Testamentum Graece NIV New International Version Sir. Sirach V. Verse VV. Verses 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION 2 DEDICATION 3 PSALM 139 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5 ABBREVIATIONS 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 10 1.1 Introduction 10 1.2 Literature Review and Problem Statement 11 1.3 Objectives of the Study 17 1.4 Methodological Considerations 18 1.5 Chapter Division 21 1.6 Some Practical Matters 23 1.6.1 Terminologies 23 1.6.2 Orthography 26 CHAPTER 2: AN INTRA- AND INTERTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF PSALM 139 28 2.1 Introduction 28 2.2 Translation 28 2.3 Position in the Psalter 30 2.3.1 Psalms 138 and 139 32 2.3.2 Relationship to the Books of Job and Jeremiah 32 2.3.3 Davidic Superscriptions 33 2.3.4 Psalm 139 in Book V of the Book of Psalms 34 2.3.4.1 A Proposed Structure of Book V 36 2.4 Morphological Analysis 37 2.5 Syntactical Analysis 38 2.6 Textual Criticism 41 2.7 Poetic Techniques 42 2.8 Genre and Sitz im Leben 42 8 2.9 Dating and Authorship 44 2.10 Detailed Analysis 44 2.11 Words identified for a Bodily Interpretation 55 2.12 Synthesis 58 CHAPTER 3: A BODILY ANALYSIS 60 3.1 Introduction 60 3.2 Old Testament Anthropology 60 3.2.1 Hans Walter Wolff’s Understanding of Old Testament Anthropology 61 3.2.2 Bernd Janowski’s Understanding of Old Testament Anthropology 62 3.2.3 Bruce J. Malina’s Three-Zone Personality 63 3.2.4 Johan Coetzee’s Bodily Interpretation 63 3.2.5 A Bodily Interpretation Method 64 3.3 Bodily Attributes in Psalm 139 65 3.3.1 Eyes 65 3.3.2 Tongue 68 3.3.3 Hand (Including Palm and Right Hand) 70 3.3.4 Kidneys 77 3.3.5 Womb 79 3.3.6 Bones 82 3.3.7 Head 84 3.3.8 Blood 86 3.3.9 Heart 89 3.3.10 Bodily actions and Emotions 91 3.4 Synthesis 92 CHAPTER 4: A LITERARY SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF PSALM 139 94 4.1 Introduction 94 4.2 Understanding Space (and Time) 94 4.2.1 A History of Space (and Time) 95 4.2.2 Literary Space 96 4.2.2.1 Narrative Space 97 4.2.2.2 Social Space 98 4.2.2.3 Ancient Near Eastern Spatial Orientation 100 9 4.3 A Literary Spatial Method 102 4.4 A Bodily Interpretation of Psalm 139 - Literary Spatial Analysis of Psalm 139 103 4.4.1 A Bodily Interpretation of Psalm 139:1-6 from a Perspective of Space 103 4.4.2 A Bodily Interpretation of Psalm 139:7-12 from a Perspective of Space 104 4.4.3 A Bodily Interpretation of Psalm 139:13-18 from a Perspective of Space 107 4.4.4 A Bodily Interpretation of Psalm 139:19-24 from a Perspective of Space 109 4.5 Psalm 139 as a Literary Unit – A Proposed Structure 112 4.6 Synthesis 113 CHAPTER 5: FINAL SYNTHESIS 114 5.1 Introduction 114 5.2 Research Approach and Method 114 5.3 Conclusions 114 5.4 Answering the Research Problem 117 5.5 Final Remarks 119 ADDENDA 120 a. Morphology of Psalm 139 120 b. Text-Critical Notes on Psalm 139 127 c. Poetic Techniques used in Psalm 139 134 d. A Further Exposition on the Eyes 140 e. A Further Exposition on the Tongue 145 f. A Further Exposition on the Hand 147 g. A Further Exposition on the Head 148 h. A Further Exposition on the Blood 155 i. A Further Exposition on the Heart 159 BIBLIOGRAPHY 164 SUMMARY 181 10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction The Book of Psalms is probably one of the books in the Old Testament that is read and quoted the most, not only by scholars, but also by people, in general. One of the key aspects that make the Book of Psalms so popular is that people can identify with the contents of the psalms and their personal character (Burden & Prinsloo, 1987:9). The writers of the psalms convey emotions of, among others, love, hate, joy, happiness, sadness, loneliness, and anxiety. The questions raised thousands of years ago are still relevant in human minds nowadays. This conveyance of true human nature makes the psalms and their content so relevant for contemporary readers that scholars dedicate their lives to studying them. Psalm 139 is one of the psalms that truly represents and expresses all the above statements. It is echoed as a model in many poetical compositions and has, according to Weiser (1962:801), become part of the treasure of Christian hymns.2 Time has shown that, as one of the psalms in the Book of Psalms, the interpretation of Psalm 139 has been the subject of much debate. One of the key problems of Psalm 139 is its structure. Different elements can be used to divide the psalm into stanzas and strophes.3 Traditionally, Psalm 139 is divided into four strophes, the contents of which support the themes of God’s omniscience (vv. 1-6), omnipresence (vv. 7-12), and omnificence (vv. 13-18) (Weiser, 1962:802-807). The immediate problem that arises from this division and interpretation is that verses 19-24 are understood as a separate part and elicit a debate on the unity of the psalm. This prompts the question as to whether the unity of Psalm 139 can be better understood from another perspective? 2 In Jewish worship, Psalm 139 is used on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, indicating that the psalm is not only important in Christian worship. 3 The stanza and strophe reflect a specific line of thought or show a strong unity in their contents. There are different ways to make the divisions. Formal criteria, for example, would be to examine introduction formulas, closing formulas, and a change in the subject. Other criteria would be the content, where one would, for example, examine the change of space or time (Vriezen & Van der Woude, 1980:56-59; Gottwald, 1987:522-523). 11 According to Brueggemann (2003:277), the famous theologian Gerhard von Rad suggested that the Book of Psalms is a “response” to God’s interventions as Creator. These are interventions in human life (not excluding nature).4 Therefore, it is understandable that these “responses” by a man in the Psalms are expressed in several ways. It is important to understand that the Psalms give insight not only into God, but also into humankind on a deep anthropological level. Psalm 139 must be understood not only on a divine (theological) level, but also on an anthropological level. It would seem that, in order to gain a better understanding of God in this psalm, one must observe the nature and function of one’s physical constitution (Wesselschmidt, 2007:383).
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