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

Chapter 7: ConclusionSimilarly, the analysis of why Psalms 3 and 4 were juxtaposed should bear upunder scrutiny, as should that of Psalms 7 and 8. By contrast, my tentativeproposal that Psalms 3 and 7 were once neighbours in an earlier collectionrests on much flimsier evidence. I believe that the major conclusionsregarding the redactional criteria underlying the arrangement of Psalms 3-8will prove to be well founded on the evidence of the psalms themselves, evenif some of the lesser findings are disputed.7.4 The significance of the conclusionsIt seems appropriate to close by making some suggestions as to thesignificance of the findings of this study. What does this thesis contribute tothe current state of knowledge regarding the Psalter?The most concrete and self-evident contribution lies in the light it sheds on thecompilation of Psalms 3-8 as a small group of psalms in Book I of the Psalter.Negatively, the study undermines the suggestion in some commentaries thatPsalms 3, 4 and 5 were placed at the beginning of the Psalter for culticreasons, namely, as a string of morning and evening prayers. Positively, itoffers a plausible reconstruction of the sorting process the editors may havefollowed in arranging these psalms, giving special attention to verbal andthematic links between adjacent psalms.315