A Commentary on the Psalms. Volume 3 (90–150)
2018; Eisenbrauns; Volume: 28; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.5325/bullbiblrese.28.1.0107
ISSN2576-0998
Autores ResumoThe resurgence of interest in Psalms in recent decades has led to new interest in biblical exegesis. This commentary is an excellent example of this trend. This volume is much longer than the other two commentaries in the series at more than 1,000 pages. It includes an index of Hebrew word studies (pp. 971–76) and a selected and updated bibliography, which the other two volumes also have (pp. 977–1018). In his discussion of each psalm, Ross follows a three-section structure, which he employed in the previous two volumes. First, Ross orients readers with an overview of each psalm, including an in-depth discussion of textual variants. The author provides his own translation of the Hebrew text. Next, Ross focuses on the historical, theological, biblical, and literary contexts in order to develop a brief exegetical analysis that leads to the message and outline of each psalm. For me, this second section could be considered the most important, because it includes a detailed exegetical structure accompanied by verse-by-verse commentary. Finally, in the last section, the psalm is summarized and a contemporary application given.As examples of Ross’s interpretation of the biblical text, we will consider two psalms. Regarding Ps 104, some scholars have pointed out that it “is a poetic retelling of the Genesis story, and it therefore falls under the rubric of ‘inner biblical interpretation’” [see Adele Berlin, “The Wisdom of Creation in Psalm 104,” in Seeking out the Wisdom of the Ancient: Essays Offered to Honor Michael V. Fox on the Occasion of His Sixty-Fifth Birthday, ed. Ronald L. Troxel et al. [Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2005], 75] and follows the basic order as the days of creation in Gen 1 [cf. Richard M. Davidson, “The Creation Theme in Psalm 104,” in The Genesis Creation Account and Its Reverberations in the Old Testament, ed. Gerald A. Klingbeil (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2015), 154]. However, although Ross seems to recognize this motif (p. 245), he also goes further, stating that “this psalm is not merely about the Lord’s creation, but about his provision for it to sustain life” (p. 246), the “contemplation and meditation on all the marvelous aspects of his care and provision for creation” (p. 255).Concerning the second example, Ps 110, I agree that this psalm “is one of the most fascinating psalms in the entire collection,” and yet “its interpretation has some major difficulties” (p. 339). The reason for this is that modern scholars have generally viewed Ps 110 as a nonprophetic and thus a non-Messianic psalm, suggesting that the referenced king could be any other king of Israel besides David (p. 340). However, Ross prefers to follow the biblical witness to point out that the author of this psalm is David (p. 343).In his exegetical analysis, Ross concludes that v. 1 is focused on Yahweh as the principal speaker, because in Ps 110, יהוה has a relation with the term נְאֻם, which means “utterance, declaration, revelation.” Further, Ross states that נְאֻם “is usually translated with the English verb ‘says’ or ‘said,’ because the noun if followed by a qualifying genitive that gives the source of the oracle.” Thus, “‘an oracle of Yahweh’ is simply another way to say ‘the prophetic word of Yahweh’” (p. 345). Second, Ross believes that the word אדֹנִ֗י (“my lord”) clearly shows the “future coming king, who is the one to whom God is speaking,” and it “means he will be greater than David” (p. 346). God promised to David through covenant language that a seed would come from the lineage of David, who would be the real Davidic king of Israel (cf. 2 Sam 7:8–16). Obviously, this cannot be Solomon, as modern scholars point out, because “sit at the right hand of Yahweh” means that the new king “was to be exalted to the power and dominion and honor of heaven itself—before he establishes dominion in all the earth” (p. 347). Ross, in fact, concludes that Ps 110 “is pure prophecy” (p. 358) that has a fulfillment in the person and work of the Messiah, the Lord (pp. 343, 344, 358).Ross’s volumes will become a masterpiece for the research in Psalms for at least two reasons. First, Ross has written in nontechnical language and effectively utilizes his knowledge of Hebrew to benefit not only academics but also Bible students and pastors. Second, his “message and application” section is particularly helpful, as many commentaries skip this aspect in their research—for example, the three commentaries on Psalms in the Word Biblical Commentary series by Peter Craigie, Marvin Tate, and Leslie Allen (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017) or The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary (New York: Norton, 2009) by Robert Alter. Another advantage of Ross’s volumes is that they go into much more detail on each psalm than single-volume commentaries, such as The Book of Psalms by Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth Laneel Tanner (NICOT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014) or Psalms by Walter Brueggemann and William H. Bellinger Jr. (NCBC; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014). By the way, unlike these commentaries, and even Goldingay’s Psalms, vol. 3: Psalms 90–150 (BCOTWP; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008 [pp. 367–446]), Ross explores Ps 119 over 136 pages (pp. 459–595). This is the longest exegetical analysis of this psalm in modern commentaries.In sum, this volume on Psalms—and the two previous volumes—will serve as an important exegetical, homiletical and devotional resource. I highly recommend that serious Bible students and academic libraries procure a copy of this three-volume set.
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