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

Chapter 6: Composition of Psalms 3-8pattern. Psalms 2 and 8 form a frame (inclusio) around the collection; Psalm 2“sets the Davidic psalms in a messianic perspective” while Psalm 8 “sets themin a universal perspective” (p. 16). Between the borders of this frame are fivepsalms, Psalms 3-7, which “all deal with the speaker’s firm belief in theunfailing deliverance, protection, and blessing of YHWH” (p. 16). They focus on“Psalm 5 at their centre, a prayer for deliverance in which YHWH is explicitlycalled ‘my King and my God’ (v. 3)” (p. 16). He concludes that “[t]his group of7 psalms form a menorah pattern, with Psalm 5 at the centre” (p. 14). InLabuschagne’s view, carefully crafted chiastic collections are more thanpossible. He (Labuschagne 2006e:10) believes “the menorah pattern”, whichconsists of “7 items symmetrically or asymmetrically arranged around adistinct centre, . . . occurs frequently throughout the biblical writings.” 129 So itgroup that ends the Book (Pss 66-72). In Book V, there is a sub-group of seven psalms (Pss107-113) within a larger corpus of eleven (Pss 107-117).129 In a series of articles published in the 1970s, Robert Alden (1974; 1976; 1978) sought todemonstrate “that consciously or unconsciously many of the Psalms were written in a chiasticpattern” (Alden 1978:210). Although Alden was uncertain whether chiasmus was being usedintentionally as an ordering mechanism, he claimed to find chiastic patterns in 54 psalms, afrequency hardly consistent with accidental use of the device. His studies make plausible thetheory that the authors and/or editors of the psalms were predisposed to chiasticarrangements.241