The Vocative Lamed and Shifting Address in the Psalms: Reevaluating Dahood’s Proposal
In: Vetus TestamentumSearch for other papers by W. Derek Suderman in
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In light of recent attention to shifting address within the Psalms, Dahood’s proposal that lyhwh, l’lhym, and similar elements sometimes reflect a vocative lamed addressing God or gods directly rather than speaking about the divine in third person should be reconsidered. While Dahood’s proposal seeks to eliminate “jarring” shifts in address within these psalms based on Ugaritic parallels, a close reading of the examples Dahood provides within their broader literary contexts confirms that his proposal should be rejected. Thus, lyhwh and similar elements should not be understood as reflecting direct speech to God but rather speech about the divine, presumably to a social audience.
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Miller, “Vocative Lamed: A Reconsideration”, p. 624. While Miller points to Pss 7:7-9; 13:6; and 20:10 as examples of such shifts, the latter provides a particularly striking parallel to 3:9 given its similar placement at the end of the psalm.
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Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry, p. 35. Alter also sees this as a triadic verse: Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms (New York, London: W.W. Norton & Co., 2007), p. 105.
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W. Derek Suderman, “The Cost of Losing Lament for the Community of Faith”, pp. 204-210.
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The Vocative Lamed and Shifting Address in the Psalms: Reevaluating Dahood’s Proposal
In: Vetus TestamentumSearch for other papers by W. Derek Suderman in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
In light of recent attention to shifting address within the Psalms, Dahood’s proposal that lyhwh, l’lhym, and similar elements sometimes reflect a vocative lamed addressing God or gods directly rather than speaking about the divine in third person should be reconsidered. While Dahood’s proposal seeks to eliminate “jarring” shifts in address within these psalms based on Ugaritic parallels, a close reading of the examples Dahood provides within their broader literary contexts confirms that his proposal should be rejected. Thus, lyhwh and similar elements should not be understood as reflecting direct speech to God but rather speech about the divine, presumably to a social audience.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 198 | 28 | 3 |
| Full Text Views | 171 | 4 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 50 | 15 | 2 |