Smith DTh Thesis (final).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

Chapter 4: Analysis of Psalms 3-8image. References to Yahweh as “my glory” בודִ‏ י)‏ ‏,כְ‏ from ‏,כָ‏ בוד 200:51:4; v. 4b)and “the lifter of my head” ‏,שּום ‏:ּומֵ‏ שִ‏ ים ש ‏ֹאשִ‏ י)‏ 193:51:1 and ‏,ש ‏ֹאש 599:33:2; v. 4c)are less clearly military in nature, leading Wilson (2002:132) to suggest “asetting of political conflict [rather] than an actual military engagement”. 29However, the language of the rest of the psalm seems to fit a military settingmore naturally than a political one (e.g., Ross 1985; Bratcher and Reyburn1991; VanGemeren 1991; Motyer 1994; Clifford 2002; Stek 2002; Rawlinson2004) and “in some contexts ‏[כבוד]‏ is an intrinsic quality of the divine warrior”(Brettler 1993:140). 30 Therefore, Knight’s (2001) suggestion that the lifting ofthe king’s head is a symbol of military victory seems preferable to Wilson’snon-military interpretation. Knight suggests the image portrays the psalmist asa vanquished king lying prostrate before his conqueror, but instead of placing29 Wilson (2002:131-132) suggests that the imagery of a king “lifting the head is a publicindication of dignity and honour.” He sees this image pointing to a politic conflict in the king’scourt, in which the psalmist (either the king or a high ranking official) calls upon Yahweh tohonour him in the presence of his enemies.30 Mays (1994a), Broyles (1999) and Wilson (2002) are notable dissenting voices who seemto favour a non-military interpretation of the psalm.100