Susan Gillingham - Psalms Through the Centuries, Volume 3

The *Septuagint translates verse 1 (and indeed most of verses 1–6) in the past tense, thus, like Ps. 76:1–3, making it clear that this is a prayer from the past which the psalmist is now reconsidering. Jewish reception again emphasises the long sojourn of exile up to the present time, thus linking together all the psalms in this first collection of Book Three. *Rashi, for example, interprets the reference to ‘night’ in verse 2 (Heb. v. 3) as an allusion to the exile, as in Ps. 74:16. 72Much is made of verses 18–21 (Eng. vv. 17–20) at the end of the psalm, reading this as an incitement to the people to purify themselves (as did Moses and Aaron) if God is to perform the same wonders again. 73

The Christian response in both the eastern and western traditions is more positive, focussing on the hymn rather than the lament. *Eusebius, for example, reads ‘When the waters saw you… they were afraid’ in verse 16 as a reference to Jesus’ baptism. 74*Ambrose uses the same verse to argue that ‘turning back’ of the waters is an allegory for the church, which, gathered together like the waters, has to learn how to fear and obey. 75A similar interpretation is found in *Ephrem the Syrian’s commentary, who sees verse 16 as fulfilled in Mark 14:25 and 32, where both the waters and the disciples testify to the Deity of Christ. 76*Thomasius, again citing *Aquinas, follows *Augustine in taking a broader reading of the hymn and its prologue: both verses 11–12 and the hymn itself (verses 13–20) are the voice of Christ to the Father, who alone works great miracles. 77Verses 18–19 are read as the ‘chariot of Christ’, making its way through the chaotic seas. 78

There is, however, one interesting example of the use of this lament in literature. The focus of the lament is a reproach to God for preventing the psalmist sleeping (verses 2, 4) because of the lack of answered prayer (7–10). A re-reading of this complaint is offered by Shakespeare in his Sonnet 61, which is not so much a prayer to God as the poet’s jealous reflections about his friend’s love which he fears is not as strong as his love is for him. So the initial lines address the friend (referred to later as ‘my love’), not God, but use the language of Ps. 77:1–10: 79

Is it thy will thy image should keep open

My heavy eyelids to the weary night?

Dost thou desire my slumbers should be broken,

While shadows like to thee do mock my sight?

Shakespeare’s attribution of the lack of sleep to his friend’s absent love, rather than to the absence of God, was in part influenced by the annotations made to this psalm in the * Genevan Psalter , which also places the blame on the psalmist’s distress more than on any failure by God. 80

Is it thy spirit that thou send’st from thee

So far from home into my deeds to pry,

To find out shames and idle hours in me,

The scope and tenure of thy jealousy?

O no, thy love, though much, is not so great:

It is my love that keeps mine eyes awake,

Mine own true love that doth my rest defeat,

To play the watchman ever for thy sake.

For thee watch I, whilst thou dost wake elsewhere,

From me far off, with others all too near.

This is perhaps the most radical re-working of the psalm in its reception history. Although there are specific allusions to this psalm in Christian art and music, they usually focus on the hymn rather the lament. One of the few musical examples is Henry *Purcell’s ‘Thy Way, O God, is Holy’, based on verses 13–18, which is sung by alto and bass against a short *SATB chorus of hallelujahs.

More positive (and Christianised) representations are found in Byzantine psalters. For example, the * Khludov Psalter (fol. 75v) and the *Bristol Psalter (fol. 124v) depict Christ, cross-*nimbed, before the personification of two rivers (illustrating verses 16–20): this is not the parting of the Red Sea, but rather Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan, as seen in the hand of God and the dove of the Spirit descending from heaven. The * Theodore Psalter has a similar theme: Christ’s baptism is represented on the first folio next to the hymn, and the second folio is of a full frontispiece, illustrating verses 19–20, with Christ enthroned between the rivers, with sheep, and Moses and Aaron. 81A similar but contemporary reading, also echoing that of Ephrem above, is found in Roger *Wagner’s woodcut accompanying these verse of the psalm: he illustrates verses 18–20 with Christ as a lone figure walking on the crest of a wave, against a dark sky filled with lightening forks; the terrified disciples in their pitching boat form the foreground (Figure 1). 82

Figure 1 Jesus Walking on the Water in a Storm .

Source : Wagner, R. 2020. The Book of Praises. Translations from the Psalms . Norwich: Canterbury Press.

The difference between Christian and Jewish readings is exemplified in Marc *Chagall’s hand etching of verses 19–21 (Eng. vv. 18–20) which is about the experience of Israel not the Church: the interpretive text is Exodus 15 not the Gospel of Mark. The seas are represented, and the pathway through the sea suggests a drowning figure, but the tambourine of Miriam (Exod. 15:20–21) in the foreground intimates that this is, ultimately, a hopeful victory song. 83This compares with *Berger’s equally positive depiction of verse 16 of the psalm: Hebrew letters emerge and unfold from the changing colours of deep red, yellow and white. Of this image Berger writes: ‘My heart meditates and my spirit searches the ancient days of history for a solution to the problem of exile. For, since the fall of Adam, all nations are in exile. Only concerning the Jews is exile evident. But, says David, I find comfort in the study of God’s past wonders.’ 84

Hence although the interpretations of the psalm are again vastly different, both Jewish and Christian reception usually agree that the psalm can be read with hope, but do so by focussing mainly on the hymnic elements at the end of it.

Psalms 78 and 79–83 together form the second *Asaphite sub-group, and like Psalms 73–77 they suggest a similar structure and a number of internal correspondences. As for structure, Psalm 78 is a psalm of instruction, like 73; 79–80 are both laments concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, like 74; 81–82 ask questions about injustice and the permanency of God’s abode in Zion, like 75–76; and 83 is an individual lament, like 77. So this repetitive arrangement uses the two themes of the judgement of God and yet confidence in God’s presence in Zion—themes which were prevalent in the eighth and seventh-century prophets. Even the first and last psalms of the entire twelve-psalm Asaphite collection echo it as well (see 50:2–3 and 83:17–18, where ‘God Most High’ is a familiar name for God in relation to Jerusalem). 85Furthermore, Psalm 78, with its overall theme of the memory of God appealing to the memory of the people, plays a critical part at the heart of the Asaphite psalms, just as Psalm 89, with its similar theme of divine and human remembering and forgetting, plays a critical part at the conclusion to the *Korahite collection. So in this intricately formed collection, the first stage of reception, namely the placing of certain psalms within a particular group of psalms, is clearly evident.

Each psalm in this latter collection is also linked to its neighbour by specific themes and vocabulary. Examples include the shepherding imagery at the end of Psalm 77 and the end of Psalm 78; the concern with David and the Temple at the end of Psalm 78 and the beginning of Psalm 79; the shepherding image, again, at the end of Psalm 79 and the beginning of Psalm 80, with the plaintive cry in each, ‘Why?’ (79:10 and 80:13); the Israel/Joseph references in 81:5,6 echoing 80:2; and the shared concern about gods and mortals in Psalms 82:6 and 83:19 which is also a challenge as to who is the ‘true god’, where in 82:6 the deities fall down as dead and in 83:10–11 the nations fall down, defeated. Yet again, this first stage of reception through compilation does not seem to be accidental.