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Actuality and relevance
Because of their ostensibly unfitting nature in the Bible, Imprecatory Psalms have been capturing scholars’ academic attention for a long time. Imprecatory Psalms are perhaps the “most perplexing” psalms (Bullock 1985:144), or “a stumbling-block” to many readers of the psalms (Peels 2003:87). Why do imprecatory psalms matter? Imprecation is a synonym for the word curse. This term suggests that the psalmists curse their enemies, that they might be judged and destroyed (Bullock 2001:228). In the psalms (many of them are Individual Laments “of David”), the psalmist asks God to annihilate his enemies, “Let destruction come on him unaware” (Ps 35:8), “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living” (Ps 69:29), “Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow” (Ps 109:9).1 Imprecatory Prayer, which is “not a marginal phenomenon” in the Old Testament, is uttered by the psalmist for “revenge on the enemy” (Peels 2003:90).
Certainly the psalmist’s imprecations do not seem to be in conformity with the whole message of the Psalter. Psalm 1 which sets the “interpretative agenda” for the entire Psalter, encourages its readers to pay attention to the Torah (which means “instruction”) and live in it because God’s Torah is the source of “genuine happiness” (McCann 2008:159): “Blessed ( אשרי ) is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the ways of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of YHWH” (vv. 1-2). Psalm 84:5 [Eng. 84:4] reads, “Blessed ( אשרי ) are those who dwell in your house! They are ever singing praise you! Selah.”
However, when we happen to read Imprecatory Prayers, we cannot help but wonder how we should understand them. Psalm 137, the passage of this study, describes the blessed one in a totally different way, “Blessed ( אשרי ) will be the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the Rock!” (v. 9). How should any reader of the psalms understand the seemingly two 1 Unless otherwise indicated, (as literal as possible) translations are mine. extreme opposite teachings/messages of the Psalter? On the one hand, the Psalter states that blessed is anyone who lives in Torah and praises God. On the other hand, the Psalter states that blessed is anyone who dashes his/her enemies’ children. Imprecatory Psalms are indeed troublesome because of the harsh prayers against enemies that God may judge and punish them. The problem is that the imprecation is in the psalms, the Word of God, which teaches believers the proper way of praising God and of doing good to others. Cursing others cannot be thought of as the teaching of the Bible. What can be certain is that cursing others is not, should not, ought not be proper behavior intended by God for His worshippers.
Moreover, not taking revenge is a permanent commandment from God as Leviticus 19:18 clearly indicates, “You shall not take revenge or take a grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am YHWH.” Here the imperfect with the negative particle לא has the syntactical meaning of “permanent command”2 (Arnold & Choi 2003:62, §63).
Moreover, in Deuteronomy 10:19 God commands Israel to love even the foreigners. Imprecatory Psalms certainly seem incompatible with the unchangeable commandment of God. Psalm 137 seems to promote taking revenge and calls those who does so blessed, “Blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have done to us!” (v. 8).
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Actuality and relevance
1.3 Aims and objectives
1.4 Research methodology
1.5 Hypothesis
1.6 Chapter division
1.7 Orthographical remarks
Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Literature review of Imprecatory Psalms
2.3 Move beyond unsatisfactory solutions
Chapter 3 PSALM 137 IN ITS DISCRETE UNIT
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Translation and textual-critical concern
3.2.1 Text and translation
3.2.2 Textual and translation notes
3.3 Form criticism – classification of genre
3.3.1 Introduction
3.3.2 Genre of Psalm 137
3.4 Historical background studies
3.5 Curses in the ancient near eastern contex
3.6 Close reading of Psalm 137
Chapter 4 PSALM 137 IN THE CANONICAL CONTEXT OF THE PSALTER
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Psalm 137 in the nearer context
4.2.1 Imprecation in the context of Psalms 135-138
4.2.2 Imprecation in the context of Psalms 120-145
4.3 Psalm 137 in the broader context
4.4 Psalm 137 in light of the canonical context of the whole Psalter
4.5 Synthesis
Chapter 5 PSALM 137 IN THE CANONICAL CONTEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Imprecation in Deuteronomy 32:25
5.3 Theological themes of Deuteronomy
5.4 Imprecation in the nearer context of Deuteronomy 32:25
5.5 Imprecation in the broader context of Deuteronomy 32:25
5.6 Imprecation in the canonical context of the Pentateuch
5.7 Psalm 137 in light of Deuteronomy 32:25 and the Pentateuc
5.8 Imprecation in 2 Kings 8:12
5.9 Theological themes of 1-2 Kings
5.10 Imprecation in the nearer context of 2 Kings 8:12
5.11 Imprecation in the broader context of 2 Kings 8:12
5.12 Imprecation in the canonical context of the Former Prophets
5.13 Psalm 137 in light of 2 Kings 8:12 and the Former Prophets
5.14 Imprecation in Isaiah 13:15-18 and Jeremiah 51:20-24
5.15 Theological themes of Isaiah
5.16 Theological themes of Jeremiah
5.17 Imprecation in the nearer context of Isaiah 13:15-18
5.18 Imprecation in the nearer context of Jeremiah 51:20-24
5.19 Imprecation in the broader context of Isaiah 13:15-18
5.20 Imprecation in the broader context of Jeremiah 51:20-24
5.21 Imprecation in the canonical context of the Latter Prophets
5.22 Psalm 137 in light of Isaiah 13:15-18, Jeremiah 51:20-24 and the Latter Prophets
5.23 Imprecation in Hosea 14:1
5.24 Theological themes of Hosea
5.25 Imprecation in the nearer context of Hosea 14:1
5.26 Imprecation in the broader context of Hosea 14:1
5.27 Imprecation in Nahum 3:10
5.28 Theological themes of Nahum
5.28.1 The destruction of Assyria
5.29 Imprecation in the nearer context of Nahum 3:10 …
5.30 Imprecation in the broader context of Nahum 3:10
5.31 Imprecation in the canonical context of the Twelve
5.32 Psalm 137 in light of Hosea 14:1, Nahum 3:10 and the Twelve
Chapter 6 SYNTHESIS
Bibliography
