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

Chapter 4: Analysis of Psalms 3-8the more common verb ב ‏,יָשַ‏ which denotes a more permanent residence (seeStigers 1999:155; cf. HALOT 1999:185, s.v. I ‏.(גוש “The psalmist’s point is thatGod is so incompatible with evil that even the most temporary coexistence is‏,יָקַ‏ ב)‏ “stand” utterly impossible” (Wilson 2002:166). (b) The arrogant cannot48:4:1; v. 6a) before his eyes. One connotation is that they cannot resist hisall-seeing gaze. “The expression fits well with the idea of God as king (verse2), who does not allow criminals and lawbreakers to come into his presence”(Bratcher and Reyburn 1991:51). They cannot stand before him because he“hates” ‏,שָ‏ נֵ‏ א)‏ 146:41:1, v. 6b) evildoers. Such strong language, depicting Godhas hating the wicked, is rare in the Old Testament (Erickson 53 1998:620-621;184:26:1, ‏,אָ‏ בַ‏ ד)‏ “destroy” cf. Ps 11:5, Jer 12:8 and Hos 9:15). (c) Yahweh willv. 7a) 54 liars and villains because he “abhors” , ָ ףַ‏ ב)‏ 22:6:1, v. 7b) them. Bothverbs express his intense dislike of the wicked, one pointing to his attitudeand the other to his action response.53 According to Erickson (1998:620-621), while the Bible often portrays the wicked as thosewho hate God, only three times is God said to hate them (Pss 5:5, 11:5 and Jer 12:8).Similarly, whereas the wicked are often called enemies of God, only three times is he calledtheir enemy (Exod 23:22, Lam 2:4-5 and Isa 63:10). These chapter-and-verse numbers allcome from the English Bible.9. occurs in Psalms 1, 2, 9 and 10, including four times in Psalm אָ‏ בַ‏ ד 54131