CORNERSTONE UNIVERSITY

PSALMIC PRAYER

A LITERATURE REVIEW

WRITTEN FOR

CMI 462: SENIOR SEMINAR

DR. PHILIP BUSTRUM

BY

BRIAN TICE / BOX 3594

21 TEVET 5767

Psalmic Prayer

Introduction

The portion of the Kethuvim occupied by the psalms serves and

has served both church and synagogue as a manual on prayer for

several millennia. Though the psalms included therein take a variety

of forms, all of them have found a role in the prayer life of Jewish and

Christian followers of Adonai. Some are offered up as praises to El

Shaddai in uninflected form, while others are pieced into prayer books

or used to instruct believers on how to communicate with their

Creator. The same psalms which provided the framework for the

prayer life of ancient Israel still guide and direct the prayer life of the

modern Church. The majority of the psalms – whether praises,

laments, or maskils – though primarily the words of the original

authors to their G-d, but can also express the cries of the hearts of all

worshipers to come after them.

Body

The etymological root of the word “psalm” is actually the Greek

word for “songs” (psalmoς) the English word being a cognate from the

Septuagint (LXX). The Hebrew canon calls the Psalter “~yiLyih<t”

(tehillim), which means “praises.” Arnold and Beyer write that the

psalms are a window into the expression of faith of Adonai’s people in

the early days of the Jewish monarchy, even predating the

establishment of the first Jerusalem Temple. The psalms are a

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representation of the words which the Israelites used to sing praises

to their G-d.1

The Book of Psalms is actually five books, each of the first four

concluding with a doxology and the fifth ending with a joyous praise

hymn. The divisions do not reveal any kind of major thematic

differences between the books (though some have made mediocre

attempts to manufacture themes to fit each book), but were

apparently separate compilations at one time, combined into a single

collection some time later.2

The superscriptions are numbered as “verse one” in the Jewish

canon, but are not considered part of the actual text (and therefore

are unnumbered) in Christian versification. Arnold and Beyer write,

“Psalm titles [superscriptions] have an ancient origin and may go back

as far as the original manuscripts. All ancient copies of the psalms

contain these headings.”3 These writings, some dating back to the

early monarchy, are still just as relevant to the modern worshiper as

they were to the original audience. Arnold and Beyer conclude, “The

Holy Spirit uses their words to draw us closer to the Lord.”4

The question remains, however, “Why did the psalms take on

such a prominent role in worship of Adonai?” Klein’s discussion of

Jewish prayer differentiates the prayers of Israel from those of the

1 Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer, “Psalms: Songbook of Ancient Israel,” Encountering the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse, 1998), 304-305.2 Arnold and Beyer, 306.3 Ibid.4 Ibid., 312.

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cultures surrounding her, arguing that Judaism focused on

communication with the Deity as opposed to the manipulation of the

Deity. Klein contrasts Israel’s style of prayer to that of the rest of the

cultures of the Ancient Near East thus: “Although there may have

been elements of incantation [spells or conjurations] in the worship of

some Jewish sects, biblical and mainstream Judaism were free from

those influences.”5

The prayer form of Israel, particularly the psalms, came into

being as a result of a history of both individual and national

persecution against Israelites, causing them to “place particular

emphasis on worship as a pouring out of the heart and a crying for

help.”6 Psalms 5 and 28 aid his argument. Psalm 5 reads, “Give ear

to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice

of my cry, my King and my G-d, for unto Thee I do pray” (Ps. 5:2-3);

and Psalm 28:2 echoes, “Hear the voice of my supplications, when I

cry unto Thee.”

Psalms not only records the prayers of others, but also gives

instruction on prayer. Psalm 120:1 tells the reader, “In my distress I

called unto the L-rd, and He answered me.” The psalms also

demonstrate, however, that psalmic prayer “is not only

communication in times of distress, it is also expression of praise and

5 Earl Klein, Jewish Prayer: Concepts and Customs (Columbus, Ohio: Alpha Publishing Company, 1986), 1.6 Klein, 1.

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thanksgiving in times of joy.”7 Psalm 92:1-3 gives instruction as to

praying praise psalms: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the L-rd

and to sing praises unto Thy Name, O Most High; to declare Thy

lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.”

Klein states that the major categories of prayer fall in line, in large

part, with the breakdown of psalm categories: supplication,

thanksgiving, confession, benediction, study, affirmation, and praise.8

Klein observes, “The foremost Hebrew term for the verb to pray is

lehitpalel, which is the reflexive form of the verb meaning ‘to judge.’”9

He cites Maimonides as saying that “repentance and confession are

important elements of prayer.”10

Klein observes, “Recitation of the psalms was instituted to

establish a proper frame of mind for prayer, a feeling of simcha shel

mitzva, joy associated with the performance of a mitzva [command].”11

The traditional Jewish prayer Pesukei de-Zimra (Verses of Song)

concludes with the recitation of the Hallel (149th and 150th Psalms).12

In the Ashkenazi weekday services, Psalms 100 and 145-150 are

included in the litany of prayers traditionally offered up, and Psalm 92

is used on Shabbat.13 The Amida, or Standing Prayer, since Talmudic

7 Ibid., 3.8 Ibid., 1.9 Ibid., 3-4.10 Ibid., 4. (cf. Maimonides, The Guide for the Perplexed, 332).11 Klein, 47.12 Ibid., 46.13 Klein, 48-49.

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times, has been concluded by the recitation of Psalm 19:15, “Let the

words of my mouth be acceptable to Thee.”14

Martin adds to the discussion of the practice of prayer in

Judaism with his examination of ten psalms to illustrate the use of the

Psalter as “the basic source of the Jewish Prayer Book.” He observes,

“More than a third of the psalms were taken in their entirety into the

Siddur and hundreds of verses were included in other prayers.” The

psalms thus play an integral role in the prayer life of the adherent to

Judaism dating back at least as far as the Second Century CE (40th

Century CY). 15

In his discussion of Psalm 8, Martin observes, “That its central

purpose is to glorify God is made clear in its identical prelude and

postlude (verses 2 and 10).”16 Those verses both read, “O YHWH, our

L-rd, How glorious is Your Name in all the earth,” with a litany of

praises situated between these verses, creating an inclusio format.

Martin calls this psalm “not only a great hymn of praise to God but

also an eloquent statement of Judaism’s understanding of the true

relationship between God and man.”17

The Twenty-seventh Psalm serves a different purpose than the

Eighth. Martin divides it into two sections, each offering a unique

voice in the petitioner’s communication with his G-d. He writes, “In

14 Ibid., 87.15 Martin, Bernard. Prayer in Judaism (New York: Basic Books, 1968), 27.16 Ibid., 29.17 Ibid., 30.

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Psalm 27 we find both a hymn of confidence (verses 1-6) and a prayer

of supplication (verses 7-14).”18 The petitioner begins this prayer

looking back at his past experience with Adonai, and then segues into

praise of the G-d who has provided victory against Israel’s foes and

His own presence among her in the Temple in the third person. The

prayer’s final eight verses are offered in the second person as direct

address to Adonai. This is among the psalms recited daily in the

synagogues during Elul, leading up to and carrying through the Days

of Awe.19

Another type of psalmic prayer is what Martin calls a cri du

couer, or “cry of the heart.”20 Psalm 51, the lament offered up by

David after his great transgression against Bath-sheba and Uriah the

Hittite, is so classified. In it, David pleads with his G-d for mercy and

extension of grace: “Create in me a clean heart, O G-d; and renew a

right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:12), confessing that he has sinned

and is repentant. Part of this is a psalm which is still sung

congregationally in the worship services of churches practicing the

faith in the 21st Century CE (58th Century CY).

Greenberg’s siddur (worship order) reflects the ancient

traditions followed by many of the world’s synagogues from all four

mainstream Jewish denominations (Orthodox, Reform, Conservative,

and Hasidic), adapted for those Jewish worship communities which 18 Ibid., 43.19 Martin, 43.20 Ibid., 54.

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have accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as the Jewish Messiah. In his 140-page

worship siddur, in addition to the 3500 year-old blessings chanted

from the Torah, are a number of psalms traditionally chanted in

Jewish worship services, a tradition going back to at least the second

century CE (40th century CY).21

On Erev Shabbat, Friday night as the Sabbath officially opens,

the L’choo n’ra-n’na l’Adonai (Psalm 95:1-2) is chanted either in the

home or at synagogue, whichever location the believer is at when

sunset occurs. This is a joyous expression of faith – “O come let us

sing unto the L-rd, let us joyfully acclaim the rock of our salvation.

Let us approach Him with thanksgiving, and acclaim Him with songs

of praise” – chanted following the lively singing and dancing of the

Ooshavtem Mayeem (Isaiah 12:2). This prayer instructs the worshiper

on what the attitude of the rest of his or her worship time should be.

This is omitted from the order on national days of mourning, such as

Holocaust remembrance and Yom Kippur.22 Also on Erev Shabbat,

another longstanding tradition is observed: the chanting of the

Meesmore L’Daveed, or 23rd Psalm, in a call and response format,

alternating between the aliyah (Torah teacher) and the congregation,

and the Hodoo l’Adonai (Psalm 136:1), given in answer to the Me

Chamoecha (Exodus 15:11).23 Both of these are directed to Adonai as

prayers.21 Greenberg, Jeremiah, Messianic Shabbat Siddur (Tampa: Messianic Liturgical Resources, 2004), ii.22 Greenberg., 1-4.23 Ibid., 17-20.

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The Shabbat Day service also incorporates a number of prayers

quoted from the psalter. The 23rd Psalm and the Hodoo l’Adonai are

again chanted to open the services on Shabbat Day, in the same

format as on Erev Shabbat.24 Other psalmic prayers are also offered

variously throughout the year, whether as part of the ancient order of

parshah25 teachings or as liturgical elements of worship. Those

prayed as liturgy are included in Greenberg’s siddur: Psalms 40

(rejoice and be glad), 116 (the cup of salvation), 131 (my heart is not

proud), 119:11-13 (in my heart I’ve hidden Your Word), 36:11-13

(continue Your grace), 143:8-10 (let me hear), and 103 (bless my

soul).26 Others are used as call and response liturgy, including Psalms

92, 111, and 121, and are more instructional in their liturgical use.27

Psalmic prayer is also an integral element of family worship in

the home, as noted in the familial portion of Greenberg’s siddur.

Immediately following the opening blessing of the family worship time

each day is the recitation of the 112th Psalm, the opening prayer. This

is recited by the wife to honor her husband before the L-rd. The

blessing given (sung) after meals in Jewish homes is a direct quotation

of Psalm 126, in its entirety, commonly called the Birchat Hamazone.28

24 Ibid., 49-52.25 Parshah is Hebrew for “portion” and refers to the ancient schedule by which each Sabbath is assigned a portion of the Torah to be taught in that week’s services in order that the entire Torah will be completed in the span of a Jewish year, the final reading (Moses’ obitiuary) being read on Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah). Each Torah portion is followed by a related passage from the Haftarah (the Prophets and the Writings). 26 Greenberg, 93-104.27 Ibid., 106-111.28 Greenberg, 119-140.

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Greenberg publishes this in Masoretic Hebrew on odd-numbered

pages with the transliterated Hebrew and the English translation on

the facing page as a worship aid to Jews of the Diaspora who may not

be situated in Hebrew-speaking climates.

Fee and Stuart follow the ancient tradition of regarding the

book of Psalms as Judaism’s official prayer book, but also argue for its

use in the same manner for the Church. They state, “Because the

Bible is God’s Word, most Christians automatically assume that all it

contains are words from God to people. Many fail to recognize that

the Bible also contains words spoken to God or about God, and that

these words, too, are God’s Word.” Working from that thesis, the

authors identify the book of Psalms as the primary corpus of “prayers

and hymns… addressed to God.”29

Fee and Stuart suggest that the psalms serve a different

purpose than the rest of Scripture in that they are not primarily

instructive or illustrative in nature. Their purpose is to give voice to

the cries of the human heart and soul in the light of God’s truth. They

help the believer to know how to appropriately approach God with his

or her “joys and sorrows, successes and failures, hopes and regrets.”

They note that some psalms are easily adapted to Christian prayer

life, e.g. the 23rd Psalm, however, many of them are not largely

29 Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, “The Psalms: Israel’s Prayers and Ours,” How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993), 187.

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understood as they were intended to be: as a people’s prayers offered

up to their G-d, rendered in song.30

Much of the language of the psalms is emotive, whether

intentionally or as a naturally-occurring effect of the author speaking

from his or her heart. As poetry, literary devices which may not allow

for literal interpretation are often employed, such as metaphors. The

psalms span the spectrum of human emotion and thus serve “the

crucial function of making connection between the worshiper and

God.”31

Psalms take several forms as they become the voice to several

different emotional states. Fee and Stuart observe, “Laments

constitute the largest group of psalms in the Psalter.” These,

including both individual and corporate laments, are “expressions of

struggles, suffering, or disappointment to the Lord,” and there are

about sixty psalms of this type in the psalmic canon. Any person or

group which is faced with trying times can find words to express their

discouragement in the lament psalms.32

Thanksgiving psalms are just what the name implies,

expressions of gratitude to G-d for blessings which He has bestowed

upon the author. These also occur both as individual and corporate

expressions. The authors identify six psalms of community

thanksgiving (65, 67, 75, 107, 124, and 136) and ten individual 30 Ibid., 188-189.31 Fee & Stuart, 189-193.32 Ibid., 194.

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thanksgiving psalms (18, 30, 32, 34, 40, 66, 92, 116, 118, and 138).

Hymns of praise, celebration, affirmation, and trust are also common

elements of the psalter which are easily adaptable to worship.33

Those forms which are more difficult to apply to modern

worship are the imprecatory psalms, which call for the destruction of

Israel’s enemies. The authors suggest that the application of these

psalms is to illustrate to the worshipers of Adonai that “It should be

God, and God alone, who hears our angry words.” Prayers of this type

help a person to process his anger, so that what is felt does not result

in commission of angry acts against another person.34

Cunningham’s premise is that the psalms are the ideal language

for a theologian. He goes to Aquinas for support, noting, “Aquinas

says that all of the works of G-d recorded in the Old Testament and

everything that pertains to Christ in the New Testament are contained

in the Psalter in the form of praise (per modum laudis).” He indicates,

also, that Jerome advised that education begin with the Psalter.35 The

Psalms from which he quotes are in the second person – vertical

praises, or prayers directly speaking to Adonai (4:8; 130:6-7; 74; et

al).

Cunningham alludes to the monastic singing of the psalms as an

act of prayer unto Adonai. He does concede, however, that “the

‘ascent’ psalms are perfect when recited as one leaves Tel Aviv to ‘go 33 Ibid., 194-197.34 Ibid., 203.35 Lawrence S. Cunningham, “Praying the Psalms: Some Notes,” America 177 (Aug. 2-9, 1997): 7.

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up’ to Jerusalem, but they are only a literary conceit when recited in

the flatlands of Indiana.”36 He states that the Christian is not to read

the psalms to search for allusions to Yeshua so much as to pray them

“because Jesus prayed them.”37 He is alluding to the commonly held

misconception that the Aramaic words Yeshua spoke on the cross

were from Psalm 22 (based on the Greek mistranslation of them).38

Cunningham suggests reading through the entire Psalter can be

completed every month, but then recommends that “a slower, more

ruminative approach” be taken.39 He calls the collection of Psalms in

the Hebrew canon “a complete prayer book.”40 He points out that not

all of the psalms are suitable for prayer in a congregational setting,

i.e. those which call upon Adonai to destroy other nations, e.g. Psalm

109.41 He concludes, “It is not easy… to read with the reflective

slowness that permits the sacred text to speak back to us,” giving

suggestions as to how one ought to read/pray them. His suggestions

include avoiding the modern habit of reading them from a computer

screen, and emphasizes that “we must eschew speed and efficiency”

and read them in Hebrew!42

36 Ibid.37 Cunningham, 8.38 See the commentaries of Lamsa, Younan, Alexander, and Roth for discussion on the proper translation of “Eloi, Eloi, Lm’nah Shavaktani” as “My Lord, My Lord, for this moment I was destined.” Note that the Psalm (in the Aramaic Peshito) does not say “shavaktani” (destined), but “nasatani” (forsaken). Yeshua is obviously not quoting the Psalm on the Cross. 39 Cunningham, 8.40 Ibid.41 Ibid., 9.42 Ibid, 10.

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Brueggemann speaks of the Psalms as prayer, not only as acts of

prayer in their rote recitation, but in that they are “invitations to other

prayers beyond these words.” They demonstrate how prayer was

historically done among Adonai’s people of faith, and move the

worshiper to speak words in prose to G-d in addition to the words in

the Psalms.43

He defines psalms as prayers “to, and conversation and

communion with, an agent known from a shared, treasured past”

which “distinguishes Israel’s prayer from other forms of spiritual

activity, such as meditation and religious speculation.”44 The more

emphatic, stand-apart form of the pronoun “You” (aa) often occurs in

these texts in the original Hebrew, rather than the pronominal suffix,

to accentuate the addressee.45 Though poetic in form, Brueggemann

notes that the prayer language of the psalms is unpretentious and

aimed only at G-d, not fashioned to win the praise of any third-parties

who may be within earshot.46

Brueggemann states that Israel’s prayers are “rarely safe,

seldom conventional, and never routine.” They are defined by her

covenant relationship with a G-d who performs wonders on her

behalf.47 Within that covenant, these psalmic prayers can take the

43 Walter Brueggemann, The Psalms: The Life of Faith (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 33.44 Ibid., 34.45 Ibid., 36.46 Ibid., 35.47 Ibid., 50.

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form of praises or laments, “words that live close to our deepest hurt

and our most intimate groan.”48

Psalm 22 is often (incorrectly) associated with Yeshua’s last

words on the Cross, “Eloi Eloi lm’nah shavakthani” (properly

translated, “My God, My God! For this moment, I have come!”).49

Though Menn does not address the error in the Greek text’s

translation of the Aramaic utterance, she does address the error of

associating the Psalm with Yeshua’s words as recorded by Matthew

and Mark. Her reasoning, however, focuses instead on literary voice

(grammatical person).

With regard to the addition of superscriptions to many of the

psalms to identify their authors, Menn writes, “The historicizing

movement evident in these superscriptions involves a reinterpretation

of the first-person voice, the ‘I’ featured so prominently in many of the

Psalms.” The “I” in about half of the psalms is then David, rather

than the modern reader. 50 In the post-modern world, “reader

response” interpretation has allowed us to personalize the message to

suit ourselves. Though the psalms are compiled in the Biblical canon

48 Brueggemann, 34.49 Charles Weber wrote in his article “A New Look at an Old Book,” published in Rays from the Rose Cross Magazine (March/April 1996), “A passage that has caused considerable difficulty is resolved by the Peshitta Bible. Christ Jesus on the cross (Mark l5:34) does not say ‘My God, why hast thou forsaken me,’ but ‘this was my destiny.’” Cf. Victor Alexander. Aramaic Bible. Available from <http://www.v-a.com/bible/matthew-27.html> (1998), footnote on Mark 15:34; and George M. Lamsa. Idioms in the Bible Explained and A Key to the Original Gospels. (Harper Collins Publishers: New York, NY, 1985), p. 102-3 for additional statements supporting to this interpretation of the passage.50 Esther M. “Menn, No Ordinary Lament: Relecture and the Identity of the Distressed in Psalm 22,” Harvard Theological Review 93, no 4 (October 2000): 302.

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for us, and have applications to our lives; they may not necessarily

have been written to us.

Psalm 22 has been indicated by the author of Midrash Tehillim

as the voice of Queen Esther by Jewish commentators, and as Yeshua

by Christian exegetes.51 If it is, indeed, inappropriate to divorce the

writings from their authorial intent, making them the voice of a later

figure in history from the same culture, it calls into question the

appropriateness of making them a personal voice for a generation

from a different culture even further removed from the author’s

context. What implication does this observation have upon how the

psalms have come to be used by the corpus of believers in the

generations since their compilation? Is it inappropriate to use them

as our personal voice to Adonai?

Menn suggests that there may be more to the psalm than an

initial reading might convey, particularly with regard to grammatical

person. She writes, “Despite its prominent display of first-person

expression, Psalm 22 includes suggestive indications of a surrounding

community presence.” While “I” generally denotes a singular

speaker, Menn suggests that it seems to sway back and forth between

a personal usage and representative usage, where the author is

speaking on behalf of a collective body of people. The shifts in voice

between personal and representative have afforded scholars the

ability to play with the facts and push their own agendas in assigning 51 Ibid, 303.

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the words to alternative speakers, such as Esther and Yeshua. Menn

laments that such misuse of this psalm “may discourage ordinary

individuals from directly adopting the psalm’s poignant expression of

abandonment and exuberant cry of vindication as their own.”52

The seemingly representative voice in the psalm has been used

to argue that “the psalm must have been composed specifically for an

individual with a special relationship to the community, such as a

royal figure who represents the entire people through his prayer.”

Menn counters, “There is nothing in Psalm 22 itself to necessitate this

view,” suggesting that to read it as having been authored by a

commoner actually gives it more relevance. She reasons that reading

the psalm this way presents “a more commonplace dynamic between

the ordinary individual and the community.”53

That “commonplace dynamic” legitimizes the application of the

Psalm to the common believer, and calls into question the tradition,

originating in the Second Temple Era, that David authored as many of

the psalms as are credited to him, if any.54 The crux of her

presentation is that the psalms are written first as the personal voice

of the author, and secondarily as the voice of all future readers in

their dialogue with Adonai. To force the progression to end with a

particular figure – whether King David, Queen Esther, or Yeshua the

52 Menn, 303-304.53 Menn., 309-310.54 Ibid., 313-314.

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Messiah – is to deprive all subsequent and future generations of the

opportunity to pray those words to G-d.

Wagner’s thesis is that “the unity and power of Psalm 19 lie in

its progressive narrowing of focus from the heavens’ praise of El as

creator to the petition of the human heart addressed to YHWH as rock

and redeemer.”55 He argues effectively that this particular Psalm is a

prayer from the author’s heart, and can also be a prayer from the

reader’s heart.

He suggests that this psalm is written in a three-part formula.

The first seven verses, he argues, praise the Creator G-d El as a

prelude to the servant’s petition to YHWH in verses 12-15. Between

these two sections lies a statement of recognition of the Torah of

YHWH (verses 8-11), serving to bridge the praise to the petition.56

This narrows the focus from the whole of creation to the “inestimable

value of the Torah of YHWH,” the word Torah used here not simply as

the five (or seven57) books of Moses, but as the “teaching and

instruction” of G-d, generally.58

The Torah’s use of “cosmic speech: speech, light, and joy” is

what links the act of creation to the act of petition.59 The Psalmist

55 J. Ross Wagner, “From the Heavens to the Heart: The Dynamics of Psalm 19 as Prayer,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no. 2 (April 1999): 245.56 Ibid., 246-247.57 Rabbinical discussions of the inverted nuns found in the text of the Scroll of Numbers sometimes suggest that this phenomenon offsets a section of the Torah which is yet to be written, another book of Moses, which would divide the book of Numbers at that point into three books: the section preceding the first inverted nun, the section between the two inverted nuns, and the section following the second inverted nun.58 Wagner, 250.59 Wagner, 251.

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focuses on these aspects of Torah in this middle section of the psalm

to lay out the sense of awe with which he approaches Adonai with the

petition he makes in the closing verses. It narrows the focus from the

creation of the cosmos to the heart of the petitioner crying out to the

Omnipotent Deity.

The petition is further broken down into two sub-sections: a plea

for forgiveness and a closing prayer “seeking YHWH’s acceptance of

the words and meditation… presented as an offering.”60 The plea

communicates the desire to be kept from the human propensity to sin,

coming from a sense of utter humility on the part of the sinful

petitioning servant.61 The phrase “Your servant” appears at either

end of the petition defining the inclusio pattern which is so common in

the Biblical canon. The idea of becoming “blameless” as a result of

Adonai’s response to this prayer, according to Wagner, is an

invocation of the perfection of the Torah being visited upon the

psalmist Himself.62

The formula of this prayer, then, moves the petitioner through

the phases of Praise, Reasoning (through the Torah) to support the

request Scripturally, and Petition. Wagner quotes C. S. Lewis in his

argument, who wrote, “Psalm 19 is the greatest poem in the Psalter

and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”63

60 Wagner, 252.61 Ibid.62 Ibid., 253.63 Ibid., 245.

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Knowles suggests that though the authorship of Psalm 131 is

attributed to David,64 the text seems to reflect the possibility of female

authorship, therefore constituting an early record of a woman’s

prayer to Adonai. She focuses primarily on the latter portion of the

second verse, which reads: lUm'g.K yiv.p;n yiT.m;mw{d.w yityi.Wiv

a{l-mia yiv.p;n y;l'[ lUm'G;K w{Mia yel][ (Surely I have restrained and

composed my soul, like a weaned child with its mother: my soul within

me is as a weaned child). The case she makes is that the author may

have been a woman.65

This prayer does seem to communicate with Adonai from a

woman’s point of view and experience, as Knowles argues. Her

premise depends upon alterations made to the vowel pointing of the

text in the Leningrad Codex, which “obfuscated the female voice in

the text.”66 She indicates that her position is backed by Quell in

Struktur und Sinn and Seybold and Miller in “Things Too Wonderful,”

quoting Miller as saying, “The quiet voice of a woman… [who] has

learned from the child who sought security and trust on her breast” is

reflected in the text of this psalm’s second verse.67

If it is, in fact, the case that the author was a woman; Psalm 131

testifies that the psalms can represent prayers offered to Adonai

which are not merely formulaic, but which draw personal experience

64 Melody D. Knowles, “A Woman at Prayer: A Critical Note on Psalm 131:2b,” Journal of Biblical Literature 125, no 2 (Summer 2006): 386.65 Ibid., 387.66 Knowles, 386.67 Ibid., 389 fn. 14.

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of the petitioner into the composition. Knowles does concede,

however, “In its valorization of humility, docility, and childlikeness,

the text could have been written by someone (either a man or a

woman) intent on teaching women such behavior.”68 Regardless of

whether the author was male or female, Knowles argues that what the

text of Psalm 131 does indicate is that “the experience of a woman

and her child (authentic or stereotyped) was not out of place in

psalmic piety.”69

Conclusion

The psalms were composed as emotional responses to life

occurrences, directed at Adonai in His various roles as Rafa (Healer),

Nissi (Banner), Yireh (Provider), and El Shaddai (the Almighty). Just

as they were the voices of other believers to the one G-d who could

genuinely be responsible for the circumstances moving the author to

prayer, so also can they be the voice of modern believers in similar

straights. Though the word “psalms” simply means “songs,” and the

Hebrew word it was meant to connote means “praise,” the psalms

have always been much more than either or even both of those labels

can communicate. They are the prayers of a thousand generations of

believers, and every time a psalm is prayed, sung, or meditated upon;

it draws the performer of the act one step nearer to his or her G-d.

68 Ibid., 336.69 Ibid., 337.

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Psalmic Prayer

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arnold, Bill T. and Bryan E. Beyer, “Psalms: Songbook of Ancient Israel,” Encountering the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse, 1998), 303-312.

Brueggemann, Walter. The Psalms: The Life of Faith (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 33-66.

Cunningham, Lawrence. “Praying the Psalms: Some Notes,” America v. 177 (Aug. 2-9 1997): 7-10.

Fee, Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart, “The Psalms: Israel’s Prayers and Ours,” How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993), 187-205.

Greenberg, Jeremiah, Messianic Shabbat Siddur (Tampa: Messianic Liturgical Resources, 2004).

Klein, Earl. Jewish Prayer: Concepts and Customs (Columbus, Ohio: Alpha Publishing Company, 1986).

Knowles, Melody D. “A Woman at Prayer: A Critical Note on Psalm 131:2b,” Journal of Biblical Literature 125, no 2 (Summer 2006): 385-9.

Maimonides, The Guide for the Perplexed.

Martin, Bernard. Prayer in Judaism (New York: Basic Books, 1968).

Menn, Esther M. “No Ordinary Lament: Relecture and the Identity of the Distressed in Psalm 22,” Harvard Theological Review 93, no 4 (October 2000): 301-341.

Wagner, J. Ross. “From the Heavens to the Heart: The Dynamics of Psalm 19 as Prayer,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 61, no 2 (Apr. 1999): 245-261.

Weber, Charles. “A New Look at an Old Book,” Rays from the Rose Cross Magazine (March/April 1996).

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