Psalms: Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary, The

Trinity Journal, Fall 2004 by VanGemeren, Willem A

Samuel Terrien. The Psalms: Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary. The Eerdmans Critical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. xix 971 pp. $95.00.

Samuel Terrien (19Ι10 -2002) was the Davenport Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Cognate Languages at Union Theological Seminary in New York. His commentary was published posthumously.

This volume reflects many years of study in the Psalter. The author demonstrates familiarity with more recent trends in the study of the Psalms, such as the canonical approach and the reading of the Psalter as a book. He critically engages a recent postulate that looks at Psalm 73 as the central pivot in the Psalter by suggesting that Psalms 73 and 90 qualify as two poles in the Psalter. He is equally critical of the assumption concerning a canonical reading of the Psalter as a manual of instruction in which the psalms are associated with sages. Terrien connects the psalms with scribes connected to the temple (p. 419). He sees their task consisting of the composition of hymns for the temple worship. The Psalter is a hymnal which reflects a long history of use primarily in, but also outside, the temple. The thoughts and wisdom of the Psalms "indicate an osmosis of thought with adoration" (p. 24). Similarly, he argues in favor of an osmosis between the creation of the poems and their being accompanied by instruments (p. 33).

Terrien also suggests that the poets of Israel were like prophets, if not disciples of the prophets. He argues that both the subject matter and the occasion of the composition of many psalms arose out of historical moments in Israel's life (cf. 1 Chr 25:1). The psalmists function as prophets in their citing divine oracles and in their engagement of the oracles of the "great prophets" (p. 34). For Terrien, the poets of Israel introduce an element of subversion by challenging divine immutability: "God is enthroned, but he is not immutable" (p. 87). While he opposes any semi-pelagianism in the Psalter, he appears to be open to process theology when he states, "The psalmist relies on the notion of divine omnipotence, but the future agony of Judah may reveal a God of weakness and vulnerability that may promote a more brilliant form of divine splendor" (p. 557).

The psalmists' perspective of the future encourages Terrien to read the Psalter eschatologically. He sees the psalmists/prophets as placing before Israel an eschatological vision of the new covenant; "The music, the dance, and the psalmody of the 'New Song' looked at the future of the universe and of humanity, toward the new covenant" (p. 36).

Terrien reads the Psalter as a Christian, arguing that the new covenant is "partly accomplished in the advent of Jesus" (p. 36). Again and again he links the two Testaments, but all too often by an appeal to the beliefs of "early Christians" (pp. 133, 752). Further, he sees hints at an afterlife in the OT (p. 813).

The treatment of each psalm contains a translation (with no notes, textcritical or otherwise), a bibliography, a discussion of the form (analysis of the strophes), a commentary, and a section on the date and theology of the psalm.

Under Form we find a treatment of strophic analysis, literary considerations, thematic connections, etc. Terrien rarely interacts with suggestions of the genre of the psalm or on the Sitz-im-Leben. At times he is decidedly against a cultic interpretation (p. 650). Under Form the author particularly covers the literary form of the psalm by consideration of the meter and the strophic structure. The strophic analysis is both a strength and a weakness. As the title indicates, the goal of the commentary is to contribute to a strophic analysis. The strophic divisions of the text create an interesting reading, but Terrien generally does not justify his analysis. He declares that Psalm 2 "contains four strophes" (p. 80). When he gives some justification, he may write "analysis reveals" (p. 309), but fails to give reasons for his analysis. At other times, his justification is theological rather than linguistic or literary. For example, on Psalm 36 he comments, "While some scholars divide Strophes I and II according to topical considerations (vv. 2-5 and 6-7), . . . they ignore the theological raison d'être of the entire psalm" (p. 313).

The Bibliography is representative of a great variety of approaches. It is not up-to-date as few entries come from the 1990s. There is an apparent incongruity between the bibliography and the commentary on the text, because Terrien rarely cites secondary literature or interacts with the history of interpretation of the Psalter.

The Commentary section develops the strophic analysis introduced under Form. Terrien's commentary is always stimulating, but his comments are very selective. He clearly aims at helping the reader engage with the "spirit" of the psalm. However, the reader has to be cautious, as Terrien's views are markedly critical. Some of the distinctions that appear repeatedly are: the northern and southern traditions (pp. 445, 484), the theology of glory and of the name (pp. 109, 132, 757, 772), and the Sinai and Zion traditions (p. 481). Other favorite views are the ompholos myth and Zion (p. 779), the name of Yahweh, and the hiddenness of God. The last theme was the subject of his contribution to OT theology (The Elusive Presence). He also assumes that the psalmist's perspective on Israel's history is legendary; "the poet recites, with proximity and redundancy, a legendary history of Israel, from the exodus to David" (p. 564).