Psalms Old and New

Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics

Ben Witherington, III

Fortress Press

Minneapolis

PSALMS OLD AND NEW

Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics

Copyright © 2017 Ben Witherington III, admin. Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Email copyright@1517.media or write to Permissions, Fortress Press, PO Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1209.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations from the translation of the Masoretic Text of Isaiah are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc™. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide (see www.zondervan.com). The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc™.

All translations from the LXX are taken from A New English Translation of the Septuagint, © 2007 by the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies, Inc. Used by permission of Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.

Cover design: Joe Reinke

Print ISBN: 978-1-5064-2057-8

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5064-2058-5

“The Psalter is the prayer book of Jesus Christ in the truest sense of the word. He prayed the Psalter and now it has become his prayer for all time.… We understand how the Psalter can be prayer to God and yet God’s own Word, precisely because here we encounter the praying Christ … because those who pray the psalms are joining in with the prayer of Jesus Christ, their prayer reaches the ears of God. Christ has become their intercessor.”

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer1

“The human heart is like a ship on a stormy sea driven about by winds blowing from all four corners of heaven.… The Book of Psalms is full of heartfelt utterances made during storms of this kind. Where can one find nobler words to express joy than in the Psalms of praise or gratitude? In them you can see into the hearts of saints as if you were looking at a lovely pleasure-garden, or were gazing into heaven. How fair and charming and delightful the flowers you will find there.”

—Martin Luther, Preface to the Psalms

“The Psalms have a unique place in the Bible because most of the Scripture speaks to us while the Psalms speak for us.”

—Athanasius

“Poets exist so that the dead may vote.”

—Elie Wiesel2

“Even though the meaning of the words [of psalmody] be unknown to you, teach your mouth to utter them meanwhile. For the tongue is made holy by the words when they are uttered with a ready and eager mind.… No one in such chanting [with a ready and eager mind] will be blamed if he be weakened by old age, or young, or have a rough voice, or is altogether ignorant of rhythm. What is here sought for is a sober soul, an alert mind, a contrite heart, sound reason, and a clear conscience. If having these you have entered into ...