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Psalm 136: a national story for Israel
Baxter, Heidi L.
Baxter, Heidi L.
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Fort Worth, Tex. : [Texas Christian University],
Date
2014
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Abstract
Psalm 136 is unique in the Psalter and in the Hebrew Bible because of its most striking feature--the `every-verse refrain.' All twenty-six verses of Ps 136 conclude with an identical refrain: "for the steadfast love of the LORD endures forever." This `every-verse refrain' is another way of designating the `b-colon' or second half of each verse of Ps136:1-26. No other refrain in the Psalter is as regular and unvarying as the every-verse refrain in Ps 136. Its repetitions iterate a promise about the dependability of God and enduring love of YHWH. The psalmist draws upon the distinctively Hebraic concepts of "hesed" (steadfast, persevering love) and "olam" (eternity--both past and future) to convey the message of reliability and faithfulness of this God in this psalm for this time. The a-cola or first halves of the twenty-six verses of Ps 136 are portions of Torah stories, selected to summarize Israel's history and accompany the every-verse refrain. The works credited to YHWH in Israel's history include creation, exodus, wilderness, and heritage of the land stories. The a-cola of Ps 136 are comprised of select and limited pieces of these foundational Torah stories, artfully and purposefully arranged to construct an identity-forming belief statement and a recognizable national story for Israel. Combined with the reliable and eternal faith statements of the every-verse refrain, the first halves of the verses adapt and adopt a particular national history for postexilic Israel, when stability, identity, and history are lacking.
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Subject(s)
Bible. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Bible. Commentaries.
Bible. Commentaries.
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Dissertation
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Brite Divinity School