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3 - Divine Aggression in Select Royal Psalms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2020

Collin Cornell
Collin Cornell
Affiliation:
University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
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Summary

Chapter 3 tests the claim that the biblical god Yhwh is uniquely aggressive by rereading several biblical royal psalms, including Psalm 2, Psalm 110, Psalm 20, and Psalm 21. The chapter finds that in these psalms, the aggression of the biblical god Yhwh targets external enemies of the king and country; conversely, Yhwh’s favor towards his client king is completely guaranteed. The choral voice of the psalms aligns itself with Yhwh and his king; the community of readers and reciters somehow shares in the king’s own prior and paradigmatic relationship of divine favor. However, the rhetoric of the psalms also places the texts’ own readers and reciters in potential danger of Yhwh’s aggression, if they should refuse the psalms’ rhetorical appeal.

Keywords

divine aggressiondivine wrathdivine judgementJeremiah WrightJulius WellhausenWalther Eichrodtcomparisonroyal psalmsPsalms 2, 110, 20, 21Hebrew Bible theologymessianism
Type
Chapter
Information
Divine Aggression in Psalms and Inscriptions
Vengeful Gods and Loyal Kings
 , pp. 93 - 149
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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