Psalm 87 is generally interpreted as a song of pilgrimage praising Jerusalem as the ‘mother of nations’. This theme is, however, unknown in the Bible. Furthermore, both the structure and meaning of psalm 87 remain very obscure in this thematic context of interpretation. Alternatively, the present analysis suggests that psalm 87 evokes the diffusion abroad of the musical worship of yhwh by Korahite singers, its contribution to the fame of Zion, and of this congregation of singers. It also deals with the mutual commitment between the Jerusalemite singers and their peers living far away. A coherent articulation of these meanings emerges after setting the psalm in cross responsa fashion, a mode of complex antiphony in which distant cola are combined through the intertwinement of voices during performance. This interpretation is supported by biblical sources evoking the presence of Jerusalemite singers in foreign lands and their involvement in local musical worship of yhwh. The esoteric character of Psalm 87 and its complex mode of performance suggest that this song was specifically composed for the small congregation of Jerusalemite singers, and not for public cult.
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Allen R.B. “Psalm 87—A Song Rarely Sung” BibSac 1996 153 131 140
Amzallag N. “Was yhwh Worshipped in the Aegean?” JSOT 2011 35 387 415
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See Beaucamp, pp. 74-75; Rautenbach, p. 422. Van der Lugt (p. 447) identified it as “one of the most difficult compositions in the Psalter.”
See for example Booij, p. 16; Allen, p. 131; Zenger, p. 124 (and ref therein). According to Goldingay (p. 63), this short psalm is paradoxically, “. . . one of the most particularistic and one of the most universalistic psalms.”
See Beaucamp, p. 77; Goldingay, p. 62.
Weiser, p. 580.
See Kraus, p. 184; Zenger, pp. 134-135; Rautenbach, p. 423.
Hossfeld and Zenger, p. 387.
See Booij, p. 23.
See Zenger, p. 134.
See Clifford, p. 63; Allen, p. 138.
See Hakham, p. 127; Tate, p. 389; Goldingay, p. 66.
See Kraus, p. 187. Such transportation is related in 1 Kgs 22:19-22.
See Leslie, p. 35.
See Emerton, p. 188.
See Gestenberger, p. 139.
See for example Gordon, p. 104; Beaucamp, p. 77; Clifford, p. 84; Goldingay, p. 635; Allen, p. 136; Goulder, p. 176; Rautenbach, p. 425; Kraus, p. 187.
See Gestenberger, p. 139.
See Parisot, p. 379.
See Booij, p. 18.
See Maillot and Lelièvre, p. 217; Emerton, p. 184; Maier, p. 475; Goulder, p. 173; Goldingay, p. 64.
See Meynet, pp. 310-311; Van der Lugt, pp. 537-542.
See Gordon, p. 105; Weiser, p. 580; Zenger, p. 126.
See Amzallag and Avriel, 2010a, 2011, 2012a.
See Crickmore, p. 6; Kilmer, pp. 81-82; Michalowski, pp. 122-123.
See Michalowski, pp. 117-124; Franklin, 2007.
See Kristiansen and Larsson, pp. 32-61. These authors noticed (p. 54) that, at the Bronze Age, “Skilled craftsmen are often long-distance travelers and traders, thereby adding outside mystique and power to their craft. Thus, travel as a distinctive ritualized activity is comparable to skilled crafting. In this way, travel and skilled crafting become a specialist activity for certain members of the elite.”
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Psalm 87 is generally interpreted as a song of pilgrimage praising Jerusalem as the ‘mother of nations’. This theme is, however, unknown in the Bible. Furthermore, both the structure and meaning of psalm 87 remain very obscure in this thematic context of interpretation. Alternatively, the present analysis suggests that psalm 87 evokes the diffusion abroad of the musical worship of yhwh by Korahite singers, its contribution to the fame of Zion, and of this congregation of singers. It also deals with the mutual commitment between the Jerusalemite singers and their peers living far away. A coherent articulation of these meanings emerges after setting the psalm in cross responsa fashion, a mode of complex antiphony in which distant cola are combined through the intertwinement of voices during performance. This interpretation is supported by biblical sources evoking the presence of Jerusalemite singers in foreign lands and their involvement in local musical worship of yhwh. The esoteric character of Psalm 87 and its complex mode of performance suggest that this song was specifically composed for the small congregation of Jerusalemite singers, and not for public cult.
All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 324 | 48 | 7 |
Full Text Views | 248 | 3 | 1 |
PDF Views & Downloads | 56 | 8 | 2 |