JBL 113/1 ß994) 37-58

PSALM 145:
THEME, STRUCTURE, AND IMPACT
REUVEN KIMELMAN
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254-9110

This study is a rhetorical analysis of Psalm 145 with a focus on its theme
and structure followed by an inquiry into its communal liturgical use. The aim
is to uncover the poetics that inform and frame the message in order to make
the structural intention and achievement of the psalmist discernible.1
In order to identify the structural profile of the psalm, the analysis high-
lights positional features such as chiasm,2 juxtaposition, and inclnsio. By throw-
ing into relief the discrete components of the psalm, the process of their jelling
into a whole can be elucidated. Through uncovering the poetics that inform
and frame the message, the structural intention and achievement of the psalmist
can be appreciated. The criterion of success "is how well a proposed structure
helps to illuminate the poem's movement, its overall thought, the interaction
of characters, and—to a lesser extent—the light it sheds on interpretational
difficulties."3 Psalm 145, comprising twenty-one bicola, consists of four stanzas,4
introduced by a prelude, intersected by an interlude, and concluded with a
postlude,5 which may be diagramed as follows:

1
I am indebted to my colleague Dr Marc Brettler for help on structure, language, and
bibliography
2
For the literature on chiasmus as a structural device in the Bible, see Meir Weiss, The Bible
From Within The Method of Total Interpretation (Jerusalem Magnes, 1984) 96 η 11
3
Michael L Barré, "Psalm 116 Its Structure and Its Enigmas,"/BL 109 (1990) 61-78, 63 The
advantages of the approach of rhetorical criticism adopted here for psalm analysis have been
presented by Leslie C Allen, "The Value of Rhetorical Criticism m Psalm 69," JBL 105 (1986)
577-98
4
For strophes and stanzas in the Psalms as a whole, see Paul R Raabe, Psalm Structures A
Study of Psalms with Refrain (JSOTSup 104, Sheffield JSOT Press, 1990) 21-28
5
As far as I have been able to ascertain, the first to note both the tnpartite division based
on the key word "blessing" and the extended mclusio of the prelude and interlude was Rokeah
(SiddurHa-TefillahLa-Bokeah[ed M Hershier jerusalem Machon Ha-Rev Hershler, 1992] 159,
163, and 165) Since this twelfth-century commentary was only recently published, it was left
to Leon J Liebreich to rediscover this structure and add the strophic analysis of four stanzas
("Psalms 34 and 145 in the Light of Their Key Words," HUCA 27 [1956] 187) Liebreich's thesis
was adopted and expanded by Meir Weiss ("A Psalm of David" [Hebrew], m Yuval Shay [ed Β
Kurzweil, Ramat Gan Bar Ilan University Press, 1958] 185-209, reprinted in idem, Scriptures
in Their Own Light [Hebrew] [Jerusalem Biahk Institute, 1987]) and accepted by Alfons Deissler

37
38 Journal of Biblical Literature

Prelude: w. 1-2
I: w. 3-6
II: w. 7-9
Interlude: v. 10
III: w. 11-13
IV: w. 14-20
Postlude: v. 21
The wooden translation that follows reflects its structure as well as its
internal connections by adhering, unless too awkward in English, to the
Hebrew order and choice of terms The highlighted print demarcates the four
stanzas and establishes the connections between the three stages, whereas
capitalization highlights the links between the opening and concluding ex­
pressions of praise
PRELUDE
THE PRAISE OF DAVID:
Ν 1. I extol you, my God, the king,
and bless your name forever and ever.
D 2. Every day I bless you
and praise your name forever and ever [saying]:6
Stanza 1
3. "Great is YHWH and exceedingly praised,
and to his greatness there is no limit."
4. Generation to generation lauds your works,
and your mighty acts they declare.
5. The glorious majesty of your splendor,7
and your wondrous things I narrate

(The Psalmen [Dusseldorf Patmos, 1964), by Leopold Sabounn (The Psalms Their Origin and
Meaning [New \ork Alba House, 1974]), by Adele Berlin ("The Rhetoric of Psalm 145," in Biblical
and Related Studies Presented to Samuel Iwry [ed A Kort and S Morschauser, Winona Lake,
IN Eisenbrauns, 1985] 17-22), and by Barnabas Lmdars ("The Structure of Psalm CXLVT VT
29 [1989] 23-30) The strictures of Leslie C Allen (The Psalms 101-150 [WBC 21, Waco Word
Books, 1983] 296) are oblivious to Weiss's contributions and fail to grasp the pattern-making effect
of the inclusio formulation Jacob Bazak overly forces the Psalm into a structure based on the
hexagram (Structures and Contents in the Psalms Geometric Structural Patterns m the Seven
Alphabetic Psalms [Hebrew] [Jerusalem Dvir, 1984] 11-47) Other strophic analyses, such as that
of E Beaucamp, who divides the psalm into two distinct parts and then subdivides the first part
into four sextains of w 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, and the second part into w 13b-14, 15-16, 17-18,
19-20, do little to illuminate the psalm (Le Psautier Ps 73-150 [Pans Gabalda, 1979])
6
The adding of "saying" in brackets will be explained below
7
The MT lacks a verb m the first colon The reading of Qumran and the reading that lies
behind the LXX (HITEW Tnt^DJVfOT γΐΠ ΎΟΩ ITI, "The glorious majesty of your splendor they
will speak and your wonders I narrate") conform to the pattern of the context and parallel precisely
the next line (see below) The difference between "HDTl ("things") and "TOT ("they will speak")
involves a metathesis of ^ and 1 or simply the common misreading of one for the other
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 39

1 6. Of the might of your awesome deeds they talk,

and your greatness I recount.

Stanza II
Ï 7. Recitation8 of your abundant goodness they declaim
and your beneficence they sing aloud [saying]:
Π 8. "Gracious and merciful is YHWH
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
tt 9. Good is YHWH to all,
and his mercies are upon all his creatures."

INTERLUDE
n
10. All your creatures shall praise you, O Lord,
and your faithful bless you.

Stanza III
0 U. The glory of your kingship they intone 9
and of your might they speak—
b 12. to make known to humanity his mighty acts
and the majestic glory of his kingship.1 **— [saying]:
D 13. 'Tour kingship is a kingship for all ages,
and your dominion is for generation and generation."

8
IDT is equivalent to ΓΥΌΪΠ ("make mention"), in the construct, which in the hiphÜ form can
mean "declare out loud" as evidenced by the parallel use of ΤΤΟΤΠ and IJPDtfn (see TDOT 4. 64).
For examples of "IDT in the qal meaning "make mention," see Ps 137:6, and Jer 20:9. For this mean­
ing in liturgical contexts, note rO^DrOTIDTNl ("I shall make mention of you in prayer") of Sir 51:11,
which is paralleled by TDH "|D# Π^ΠΝ ("I shall praise your name regularly") and HDlDb ΎΎΟΤΝ
of llQPs a 22:1,12. Also the Syriac zakkura, from the Akkadian zaharu ("call upon"),and the Arabic
dakar ("make mention") are cognates of IDT. In any case, the meaning of the hiphil and qal
frequently converge, as noted by Elisha Qimron (The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls [Atlanta:
Scholars Press, 1986] 489). Thus, Ps 72:12 records a këtîv of TDTK and a qërê'of TDTtf, whereas
rabbinic literature derives from D^SD pKDT^S DT Π« ΎΟΤΓΙ ]jtò the directive D^SD «TCP ΐ^ΤΟΤΏ
and glossesTOtfΠ DV ΓΊΝ TOT by HDD ÎTVDT. Or the reverse: Midr. Ps 70:1 asks of the term ΊΌΤΠ1?
in 1 Chr 16:4 p-PDTD YTI nub, and answers citing VTYINbDS TIDT (1 Chr 16:12); see Nissan Breggrin,
"TOD IDT N^Tì, -PDTTI = HDT," Leshonnenu 21 (1956-57) 279-82. The translation of the NEB, "They
shall recite the story of thy abounding goodness," is hence right on target.
9
The collocation "HDD "1DK may denote a hymnic praise as in Ps 29:7 TOD ΊΏΊΝ V70 ("all in­
tone 'Glory'"). Shemaryahu Talmon lists several collocations with TQD that he feels indicate "hymns
of praise" (The World of Qumran from Within [Jerusalem: Magnes, 1989] 254).
10
"His" in both cola appears as "your" in the LXX.
40 Journal of Biblical Literature

Stanza IV
YHWH supports all who stumble, 14.
and straightens all who are bent.
The eyes of all look to you expectantly, 15.
11
and you give them their food on time.
12
(You) Open your hand, 16.
and satisfy the desire of all living.
Beneficent 13 is YHWH in all his ways, 17.
and faithful in all his deeds.
Close is YHWH to all who call him — 18.
to all who call upon him truly.14
The desire of those who revere him he does, 19.
and their outcry he hears and delivers them.
YHWH preserves all who love him, 15 20.
and all the wicked he destroys.

POSTLUDE
Π THE PRAISE OF YHWH shall my mouth speak, 21.
and all flesh shall bless his holy name forever and ever.

The Psalm's theme of divine sovereignty is announced in the first line

in the words "my God the king."16 Although there are other psalms that proclaim
"my king and my God" (Ps 5:3; 84:4), only Ps 145:1 uses the definite article
for the apparent purpose of underscoring the exclusivity of divine rule. The
opening with "my God the king," serves as a royal acclamation. It is the
awareness of such sovereignty, according to the psalmist, that engenders the
desire to extend divine sovereignty and share it with others. This desire is
particularly pronounced in psalms that present God as king, as do Psalms 47,
93, 96, and 99.
Psalm 145 has its message of divine sovereignty broadcast in three stages
to successively broader circles. Each stage is marked by the word "bless," which
crops up strategically in the second colon of lines 1,10, and 21, the three lines
that serve as prelude, interlude, and postlude. The prelude starts: "I bless your
name forever"; the interlude continues: "your faithful bless you," whereas the
postlude climaxes: "all flesh shall bless his holy name forever and ever." The

11
The Greek equivalent is missing from the LXX Its presence overloads the line, cf Ps
104 27
12
The Qumran version reads ΠΓΙ** nmD ("y° u open"), as does apparently the LXX
13
For this translation of pTS, and of line 7, see TWAT6 197, see also Ehezer Berkovits, Man
and God Studies m Biblical Theology (Detroit Wayne State University Press, 1969) 305f
14
Qumran reads ΠΠΟΚ ("faithfully")
15
Qumran reads VÍTP ("who fear him")
16
So Abraham Ibn Ezra to Ps 145 1
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 41

correspondence between the psalmist's "I" blessing God's name forever at the
outset and the expectation of all in the end doing so animates the whole psalm
that it sets the initial tone and shapes the final cadence. At midpoint, in the
interlude, the psalmist involves the faithful ("ρΤΟΠ)17 as the intermediate step
to involving all. The drive toward inclusiveness is reinforced by the envelope
structure. By having the end formally echo the beginning, the psalm paves
the way from the "I bless" of the prelude to the "all flesh shall bless" of the
postlude; both "forever and ever."
Stanzas I (lines 3-6) and II (lines 7-9) are also formally framed by an
inclusio that marks out their thematic fields. Stanza I forms a quatrain on the
subject of God's greatness. Line 3 opens with great/greatness as line 6
concludes with greatness. Stanza II forms a triad on God's goodness. Line 7
celebrates God's abundant goodness as line 9 proclaims that God is good to
all. By opening and closing with "great" and "good" the two stanzas converge
to make the point that praise is generated by appreciating the link between
divine greatness and goodness. Indeed, the juxtaposition of the two intimates
what is made explicit in the next stanza, namely, that God's goodness is an
expression of his greatness.18 Stanzas III (lines 11-13) and IV (lines 14-20) serve
to advance the thesis of stanzas I and II through specification and concretiza-
tion, as in much of biblical parallelism.19 What is implicit in stanzas I and II
becomes explicit in III and IV.
Thus the theme of sovereignty, intimated in stanza I through expressions
of divine grandeur, is made graphic in stanza III. All the salient terms such
as n/TiTI ("might"), ΎΙΠ ("splendor"), ΤΤΠ ("glorious"), ΠΊΌ3 ("might"), brìi ("great")
have been shown to indicate divine strength and majesty.20 This indication
is intensified by the compounding of the following terms for such greatness
in an ascending order: (1) ΤΓΟΓΠ ("his greatness"), (2) "|ΓΟΤΙΙΠ ("and your mighty
acts"), (3) -pna^DJ ιηΟΠ> fand your wondrous things"), (4) TTIiTfU ITOTI ("and
of the might of your awesome deeds"), (5) "pn^TDI ("and your greatness [es]").
The order of "greatness" ascends in each stage: First, term 2 exceeds 1 by being

17
Probably Israel; see in the same cluster of psalms Pss 148:14 and 149:1.
18
See Sifre Num 134, ed. Η. Horovitz, p. 180, line 13: "pTO HID IT -fna ΠΝ ("your greatness,
that is the measure of your goodness"). The link between divine greatness and goodness is also
noted in the ancient sabbath morning acrostic hymn |TIK b$ with the words Dbiyfc^DOTtDI iblD
("his greatness and his goodness fill the world") (Seder Rav Amram Gaon, ed. D. Goldschmidt
[Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook, 1971] p. 71, line 12a). This is all the more striking in view of
the fact that the image system of the hymn is structured around synonymy.
19
So Weiss, who applies to the whole psalm the principles of verse parallelism ("A Psalm of
David," 201), about which see James Kugel, The Idea of Biblical Poetry (New Haven: Yale Univer­
sity Press, 1981) 49-51; and Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry (New York: Basic Books, 1985)
15 and 19.
20
See Marc Brettler, God Is King: Understanding an Israelite Metaphor (JSOTSup 76; Sheffield:
JSOT Press, 1989) 57-72. Indeed, as Brettler notes, even bri3 when applied to God approaches
the sense of "most majestic."
42 Journal of Biblical Literature

in the plural form, a form that is applied exclusively to God in the Bible,21
and by the fact that in the next stanza, which itself intensifies the theme of
divine grandeur by focusing on divine kingship, term 2 appears twice (lines
11 and 12) and 1 not at all. Terms 3 and 4, which share the same construction,
continue the process of intensification by exceeding 1 and 2 by one word and
by employing terms used exclusively of God in the Bible— ÎÏIÎOD3 ("wonders")
and ÏTO ("might"). Within the two terms, 4 exceeds 3 as ÎTO exceeds HIK^Dl
T1TV, the intensive form of its homograph TV,22 appears only four other times
in the Bible (Pss 24:8; 78:4; Isa 42:25; 43:17). Since vniÒDJI TO of Ps 78:4
is the closest parallel, term 4 can be alluding to this earlier verse delicately
making the point that its "pnNTtt exceeds -pn*ÒD3 of term 3 by at least one
notch only to be further heightened by ÏTO. This intensified form is most fitting,
for although ÎJ? is a term of strength applied to both human and divine kings,
ÏTO itself is used exclusively of the divine.23 Since the idiom of term 4 occurs
only here, it may have been minted precisely for the intensification effect.
Finally, by recalling 1, term 5 seals the envelope structure. While that alone
would suffice for 5's presence, the fact that it appears orthographically as plural,
albeit vocalized as singular, serves as a subtle way of summing it all up, barring,
that is, any orthographic irregularity.24 Realizing that terms 2 to 4 are exclusively
applied to God, whereas 1 and 5 when applied to God indicate divine majesty,
reinforces the all-pervasive theme of divine sovereignty.
By employing such suggestive terms for sovereignty, the psalmist points
to the boundlessness of the universe to alert his audience to the suggestions
of divine majesty reverberating everywhere. The thematic link between stanza
I and stanza III is furthered by the terminological chiasmus between the two.
Line 4, immediately after the performance line 3 (about which see below)
of stanza I begins ΊΤ"6 ΤΠ ("generation to generation"), whereas stanza III (line
13) ends "ITTI ITI. The other terminological commonality is found in lines 5
and 12, both of which are middle lines in their respective stanzas. Line 5 evolves
25
from the general to the explicit of line 12 in the following chiastic manner:

21
As well as in the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QH 4:29; 6:12; 9:17, and 4Q403 1 i 2-3). The plural
form bears the meaning "wonders"; see Reuven Kimelman, "The Daily Amidah and the Rhetoric
of Redemption," JQR 79 (1988-89) 165-98, esp. 187 n. 74.
22
Matitiahu Tsevat, A Study of the Language of the Biblical Psalms (SBLMS; Philadelphia: Society
of Biblical Literature, 1955) 59.
23
This holds also for the talmudic usage of TO; see Thesaurus Talmudis (ed. C. Kasowsky;
Jerusalem: Jewish Theological Seminary, 1954-82) 28. 314c-315a.
24
See David Kimhi, The Commentary of Rabbi David Kimhi on Psalms CXX-CL (ed. and trans.
J. Baker and E. Nicholson; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973) ad loc.
25
So Weiss, "A Psalm of David," 200-201.
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 43

line 5 ΤΠΠ TOD Ί1Π

line 12 *«VFChO "ΠΠ TOD

Similarly, stanza IV adduces cases of the mercies of God mentioned in stanza
II, except that following in the wake of stanza Ill's emphasis on divine kingship,
these acts of goodness up to and including providing for the righteous and
doing away with the wicked (lines 14-20) now serve to dramatize signs of divine
reign.27 Hoping that perceiving the divine grandeur as refracted through a
caring kingship will trigger the desire to acclaim God king, the psalmist antici­
pates all humanity joining in such an acclamation.
Each of the four stanzas, as we shall see, forms a step in the escalation
of praise. The first stanza (lines 3-6) underscores the inadequacy of only the
psalmist praising every day. Without an unending cross-generational symphony,
perpetual praise cannot be sustained. The sheer magnificence and glory of
God elicit a thesaurus of adulation that seeks to be exhaustive. Not only is
God, according to the psalmist, "extolled, blessed, praised, yea exceedingly
praised"; his works are "lauded, declared, narrated, talked of, and recounted."
Nonetheless, however much "his greatness, mighty, wondrous, and awesome
deeds" are exalted, divine grandeur remains limitless. Such a compounding
of synonyms, found only here in the whole Psalter, indicates a structure of
intensification, not simply a juggling of semantic equivalents. Through such
a structure, the psalmist would have us believe that the loftiest encomium
proves to be an understatement.
The second stanza (lines 7-9) celebrates the extension of divine good­
ness to all. The theme of divine beneficence envelops the whole section with
a liturgical cast reverberating all the more loudly by capturing echoes of similar
earlier verses. Line 8's cluster of epithets of grace resonates with echoes of
the thirteen attributes of Exod 34:6 that was to become, if it had not already,
28
a liturgical staple. This reuse of the divine attribute formulary rings with a
sophisticated play on Num 34:19 and Nah 1:3, highlighting the theme of divine
goodness. Verse 8 reproduces the series of epithets of Exod 34:6, except that
it has "IDPI bv\y) ("abounding in kindness") instead of "ΙΟΠ 3Ί ("abounding in

26
The collocation of "ΠΠ ("splendor") and Τ1Π ("glorious") of Ps 111:3 has become a tripartite
phrase with the addition of TQD and ΠΌ^Ώ to underscore the motif of sovereignty. ΠΤΛθ and 7Π
converge in mfrù ΤΙΠ of Dan 11:21; 1 Chr 29:25; and in 4Q400 2:3 (Carol Newsom, Songs of the
Sabbath Sacrifice: A Critical Edition [Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987] 110). All four appear together
in the phrase TTCbü 7CO) Tim "ΠΠ of the Qumran (?) psalm published by David Flusser and Shmuel
Safrai ("A Fragment of the Songs of David and Qumran" [Hebrew], in Te'udah, Biblical Studies
[Tel Aviv: Ha-Kibbuts Ha-Me'uhad* 1982] 2. 83-105, esp. 86).
27
Biblically, monarchy is ideally expressed in care for the disenfranchised, destruction of the
wicked, and saving of the righteous; see Moshe Weinfeld, Justice and Righteousness in Israel and
the Nations (Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1985) 26-33.
28
Especially on holidays and public fast days. Its repeated use and revision in the Bible likely
point to a liturgical function, about which see below.
44 Journal of Biblical Literature

kindness"), as do Pss 86:15 and 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; and Num 14:18.
Deafness to biblical intertextuality would misleadingly suggest that bll is
employed because 31 is already used up by "pltû 2Ί ("your abundant goodness")
of v. 7. By initially following the standard order of the series of epithets, however,
the reversal of anticipation draws attention to itself. The novel expression
"10Π ^>ΤΠ [D^Dtf "ptf] ("[slow to anger] and abounding in kindness") contains
allusions to JlDn bll of Num 14:19 as well as to ΓΟ bviiï D^DN "P** ("slow to
anger and abounding in strength") of Nah 1:3. By substituting 10Π for ΓΟ the
vengeance context of Nahum is subverted, paving the way for the reintroduction
of the forgiveness context of Numbers only to enhance at the same time the
prominence of the divine ΊΟΠ —the theme of the stanza! 29
Although it is difficult to determine whether "the phrases are self-
conscious references to and quotations of other texts, or the product of a mind
so steeped in searching other texts that they are used in a subliminal way in
composition,"30 the references here have all the hallmarks of compositional
intentionality.31 Moreover, the lack of allusion to any of the punitive attributes
such as found in Nah 1:3 reflects the way ancient material was recast for
liturgical recitation. 32 The interface of divine power and divine goodness
between stanzas I and II was destined to play a dominant role in later liturgical
compositions.33
To return to the structure: the interlude (line 10) performs two functions.
Its first colon links up with the end of stanza II, whereas the second continues
the theme of blessing of the prelude. The former reflects a kind of contra­
puntal hymning invoked by Gods mercies embracing all. Thus, on the heels
of line 9 —"his mercies are upon all his creatures"— line 10 states,34 "All your
creatures praise you.35 The latter reflects an extension of the " I " of blessing
in the prelude to the community of the faithful. The result is that both the
prelude and the previous stanza are recalled in a manner that makes the inter­
lude the bridge between the two halves of the psalm.

29
It is clear from this context that God's care for all displaces the specific covenantal meaning
of ΤΟΠ, see S Romerowshi, "Que Signifie le mot Hesed," VT 60 (1990) 89-103
30
James Luther Mays, "The Place of the Torah-Psalms m the Psalter," JBL 106 (1987) 7
31
See Michael Fishbane, Biblical Interpretation in Ancient Israel (Oxford Clarendon Press,
1985) 13, 335-50, and Weiss, Bible From Within, chapters 2-3
32
See Fishbane, Biblical Interpretation m Ancient Israel, 347 The later liturgical practice of
subverting the import of Exod 34 6-7 by concluding the recitation with Hp3\ thereby excluding
TÇT $b, follows the tradition of late biblical practice, according to Jacob Milgrom, of "quoting
the formula partially in order to appeal exclusively to God's mercy" (Numbers, The JPS Torah
Commentary [Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society, 1990] 393) The various versions of the
formulary of the thirteen attnbutes are charted in Adm Stemzalts, Talmud Bavlt, Rosh Ha-Shannah
(Jerusalem Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications, 1982) 72
33
See Reuven Kimelman, "Adon Olam," CLAL News and Perspectives 2/4 (March 1987) 3
34
So Rokeah, Perushe Siddur, 147-49
35
This understanding of -plPyo follows its use in Pss 8 7 and 103 22 and not its use in line
4, see Kugel, Idea of Biblical Poetry, 7 η 14
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 45

Stanza III is marked by the theme of kingship. As realizing God s kingship

induced the psalmist to bless God and extend his kingship by pointing out
how his acts are to be praised in stanza I, so in stanza III (lines 11-13), the
faithful bless God, realize his kingship, and seek "to make known to humanity
his mighty acts" (line 12). The universal thrust of the line is thrown into relief
by comparing it with the only other biblical witness of the expression "to make
known his might" (Ps 106:8), where there is no mention of the audience "to
humanity." What in the earlier psalm was for the sake of Israel becomes here
for the sake of all. Stanza III thus advances toward the end (in both senses)
of the psalm that all flesh join in such blessing. By bringing about a height­
ened consciousness of God's presence and work in the world, the psalmist
aims to make all "alive to the awesomeness of God articulated in the order
of the world."36
The goal of extending divine sovereignty receives visual support by the
initial letters of lines 11-13 spelling out "|^D (king) in a reverse acrostic.
According to Rokeah, the acrostic literally spells out the theme of the stanza
that God is sovereign, a point made in each of the three lines and reinforced
by the anadiplosis of lines 12 and 13 that links "his kingship" and "your
kingship."37 G. E. Watson adds the observation that "the effect of inverting
the root mlk over the three couplets . . . is to reverse the flow of time and so
depict eternity."38 Based on such phenomena in Babylonian name/sentence
acrostics—which not only identify "the poem's author" or "the purpose of the
composition" but also "the one to whom it is addressed"39— it can be surmised
that the psalmist is applying this technique for dedicating the acrostic to God.
Thus the opening line addresses God as "my God, the king," the sole psalm
to do so.
The theme of divine sovereignty is further emphasized through the
medium of the chiastic structure of lines 11 and 12:

TOT THorn riD«^ irrcho ταα

40
rrpfo ττπ Tom ττντοι οτκπ Ό Λ srnrt
In fact, in the very next line (13) the three letters of "f?Q, and only these three,
appear six times throughout the line.41
36
Walter Brueggemann, The Message of the Psalms (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984) 27.
37
Perushe Siddur, 153, and 164 along with 149.
38
G. E. Watson, "Reversed Rootplay in Ps 145," Bib 62 (1981) 101-2, esp. n. 10. The same idea
results from Rokeah's observation that the three mentions of "kingship" indicate that "He was
king, He is king, and He will be King" (Perushe Siddur, 153).
39
William M. Soil, "Babylonian and Biblical Acrostics," Bib 69 (1981) 302-22, esp. 316.
40
The chiastic structure is strengthened by the LXX's reading of this line in the second person,
i.e., "pmO3 ("your mighty acts") and τρτΛο ("your kingship").
41
A similar, albeit more diffused, observation is made by Watson ("Reversed Rootplay in Ps
145," 102). These types of observations are frequendy disregarded for dealing with units of meaning
too small to be grasped by the hermeneutic net.
46 Journal of Biblical Literature

In the fourth stanza (lines 14-20) the shift from divine reign to divine
regard is as dramatic as it is intentional. The cosmic ruler is also the daily
nourisher. Since the giver of life is unconditionally the sustainer of life, regal
power is mobilized in care of the downtrodden. And although, as line 17
proclaims, God is beneficent to all, there remains a correlation between the
order of intimacy and the intensity of divine providence.42 Progressing on an
axis of increasing closeness, lines 16-20 state:
He feeds —all living (16);
He is close —to all who call him (18);
He does the desire — of those who revere him (19);
and preserves — all who love him (20).
The stanza reaches closure by noting God's special solicitude for his
devotees as well as his doing away with the wicked. This recital of God's
benefactions confirms the faith of hearers in his power and his commitment
to protect those who are loyal to him.
All four stanzas are formally framed by the stylistic device of inclusio with
three full envelope figures and a fourth partial one: 43
stanza I great/greatness w. 3-6 "¡rÒTO/bTD
stanna II good/goodness w. 7-9 DltD/'pitD
stanza III kingship/kingship w. 11-13 "|ΓΓΟ^ΟΛ]ΓΤΟ^£
stanza IV YHWH supports/YHWH preserves w. 14-20 " IftlEV" "p*ID44
This structure also uncovers the alternating pattern of (1) transcendence,
(2) immanence, (3) transcendence, (4) immanence, making the point, accord­
ing to Abraham J. Heschel, that "the dichotomy of transcendence and imma­
nence is an oversimplification." For as Heschel continues, "God remains
transcendent in His immanence, and related in His transcendence." 45
In addition, the stanzas are related by length. Stanza I comprises four
verses (3-6), stanza II three verses (7-9), stanza III three verses (11-13), whereas
stanza IV (w. 14-20) comprises seven verses. By dividing the psalm at the
interlude, the first two stanzas comprise seven verses and the last two comprise
ten. By dividing them by subject matter, stanzas I and III comprise seven verses
and stanzas II and IV comprise ten. Either way, the ratio remains seven to
ten, confirming the original diagram.46

42
So Amos Hakham, Sefer Tehillim (Jerusalem Mossad Harav Kook, 1984) 2 577
43
On the different types of envelope figures, see G E Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry A
Guide to its Techniques (JSOTSup 26, Sheffield JSOT Press, 1984) 284
44
The form "n appears four times in stanza IV The framing terms are the first and last, both
of which are verbal, whereas the middle two are adjectival
45
Abraham J Heschel, The Prophets (Philadelphia Jewish Publication Society, 1962) 486
46
This concern for symmetry and size m the combination of stanzas characterizes the com­
positional nature of several psalms, see Raabe, Psalm Structures, 175-77
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 47

The call of the postlude of line 21 is also the finale. With the realization
that God is a caring king, the praise of God is extended to its fullest, climax­
ing in a crescendo resounding throughout humanity everywhere and forever.
This extension is underscored by the contrast between the postlude and the
prelude, which itself is replayed in the postlude except for the two exceptions
shown below:

Prelude: Ί5Π D^ßft "ptf "pTOW

Postlude: Ί5Π D^ljft TCHp Dtf ΊΕΟ to " p m

In the postlude, the symphony of "allflesh"has joined the soloist of "my mouth"
in blessing, though the soloist retains his voice; and the "name" of the prelude
by virtue of its universal acceptance has become the "holy name." 47
What began as "the praise to/of David" culminates as "the praise of
YHWH." 48 By returning to the motif that was announced at the outset, the whole
composition is ringed together from beginning to end by the theme of praise.
Unmarred by any precatory element, 49 Psalm 145 ends up alone meriting the
superscription "Psalm of David."50
The postlude of the Psalm can also serve as the prelude to the final five
psalms of the Psalter, which conclude with Ps 150:6. The two endings are linked
chiastically in the following manner:

47
Obadiah Sforno makes the case for this use of "holy" by adducing Isa 54:5 (The Writings
ofR. Obadiah Sforno [Hebrew] [ed. Ζ. Gottlieb; Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook, 1987] 253).
Berkovits adduces Isa 12:5-6 to make a similar case (Man and God, 144).
48
The envelope structure was long ago noted by R. Zakkai (cited in Louis Ginzberg, Genizah
Studies [Hebrew] [New York: Hermon Press, 1969] 1. 301, the sixth reason), followed by a host
of medieval and modern commentators. Liebreich noted that about half the psalms are char­
acterized by such structures ("Psalms 34 and 145 in the Light of Their Key Words"). The notion
that the conclusion should recapitulate the openingflmTODpyD ]Π0ΎΙΠ) became a liturgical prin­
ciple; see b. Pesah. 104a, and Tosafot Ha-Rosh to b. Ber. 10a in Sefer Berakhah MesuleSet (reprint,
Jerusalem: Moshe Leib Levine, 1968) 7b.
49
So Siddur ofR. Solomon ben Samson ofGarmaise including the Siddur of the Haside Ashkenas
(Hebrew) (ed. M. Hershler; Jerusalem: Hemed, 1971) 58.
50
The reference TTÒ may simply indicate "in honor of David" (as opposed to the end of Psalm
72—1Π ΓΤΟοη), since David was portrayed by the Chronicler (1 Chr 15:16-24) as a royal patron
of psalms. The lamed would then be one of attribution or classification; see Sabourin, Psalms:
Their Origin and Meaning, 15. David's involvement in psalmody and Temple choral music seems
to be a postexilic tradition found in Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah; see Sara Japhet, The Ideology
of the Book of Chronicles and its Place in Biblical Thought (Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Bialik Institute,
1977) 197, and 396 n. 208, though his musical talents are noted earlier (Amos 6:5; 2 Sam.
1:17-27; 3:33-34). This would support the postexilic dating of the psalm. On the whole issue
of whether biblical psalmody can be traced back to David, see Alan M. Cooper, "The Life and
Times of King David According to the Book of Psalms" in The Poet and the Historian (ed. R. E.
Friedman; Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1983) 117-31, esp. 127.
48 Journal of Biblical Literature

-un nbwb I rchp Dtf / Ί Ε Ο ta TID^I

ι ι
π^π / n*
1
χ
/ bbnr\ no^:n ta
Thus, Psalms 146-150 can "function as an answer to the exhortation" of the
postlude that "all flesh shall bless his holy name forever and ever," by climax­
ing with the crescendo, "Let every breathing thing praise God" (Ps 150:6).51
The following diagram, illustrating the four stanzas along with the prelude,
interlude, and postlude, indicates how the structure of the psalm reflects its
alignment of ideas.

1. individual blessing
2.
3.
4. I greatness
5.
6.
7.
8. II goodness
9.
10. community blessing
11.
12. III kingship
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. IV (caring)
18.
19.
20.
21. humanity blessing

Clearly, "to understand how a poem is constructed is to begin to understand

what it expresses."52
Psalm 145 is unified by both external and internal features. Its most
noticeable external one is its Hebrew acrostic. There have been different posi­
tions on what role this structural device plays in the meaning of the psalm.53

51
See Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 193-94.
52
Berlin, "The Rhetoric of Psalm 145," 18.
53
For a positive assessment of the aesthetic value of acrostics, see Liebreich, "Psalms 34 and
145," 181-84; and Soil, "Babylonian and Biblical Acrostics," 305 n. 1.
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 49

Those who deny it any substantive significance aver that vertical abecedary
poems are by their nature artificial. As evidence in this case, they adduce the
inversion of the word pairs in lines 8 and 21 as forced. In both they err. With
regard to line 21, the error lies in failing to perceive the envelope structure
of the whole psalm. Also those who fault ΏΤΠ) pjn ("gracious and merciful")
in line 8 for being a mechanical inversion of the pjm ΏΤΠ ("merciful and
gracious") of Exod 34:6 in order to conform to the requirements of the acrostic
do not realize that ΏΤΠ) pjn is the standard order of late Biblical Hebrew,54
whether prose or poetry, and as such appears in Pss 111:4; 112:4; Joel 2:13;
Jonah 4:2; Neh 9:17, 31; and 2 Chr 30:9, as well as 1QH 16:7. The exceptions
are Ps 86:15 and 103:8, which either evoke or cite Exod 34:6. Since the order
of line 8 conforms to the type of late Biblical Hebrew that characterizes much
of Psalm 145,55 there is little evidence of any acrostic-imposed artificiality.
On the contrary, once the function of the acrostic is understood, it can
be seen as integral to the message of the psalm. First, however, the role of
the acrostic must be clarified, something that is problematic since there is
little agreement on the function of acrostics in general. Some see the full
alphabet as a metaphor for totality56 or as a reflection of the full range of human
expression 57 Others see it as a memory aid 5 8 or as relating to the "enumerative
character of Semitic poetryT59 The explanation most apposite to its use in Psalm
145 is the métonymie understanding advanced by Berlin. She says, "the entire
alphabet, the source of all words, is marshalled in praise of God. One cannot
actually use all of the words in a language, but by using the alphabet one uses
all potential words. So the form is made to serve the message."60 Thus, she
shows that the ordered poetics have not only not fettered expression but have
been enlisted in the task of assimilating form to content.
The psalmist's sense of what is poetically apt is so acute that the antici-
pated nun verse between lines 13 and 14 has been excluded.61 In fact, all the

54
See John P. Peters, The Psalms as Liturgy (New York: Macmillan, 1922) 488; and Avi Hurvitz,
The Transition Period in Biblical Hebrew (Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Bialik Institute, 1972) 105.
55
See Hurvitz, Transition Period in Biblical Hebrew, 83, 85, 87, 93, 94, and 105; along with
E. Qimron, "Regarding Second Temple Language in the Book of Psalms" (Hebrew), Beit Miqra
23/73 (5738) 139-51, esp. 149; and below, n. 95.
56
See b. Sab. 55a. Similarly, Norman K. Gottwald proposes that the acrostic form represents
the idea of "completeness" (Studies in the Book of Lamentations [London: SCM Press, 1954] 32).
57
David Abudarham, Abudarham Ha-Shalem (Jerusalem: Usha, 1963) 120.
58
Midrash Tadshe, Bet Ha-Midrasch (ed. A. Jellinek; Jerusalem: Wahrmann, 1967) 3. 185.
59
Soll, "Babylonian and Biblical Acrostics," 322.
60
Berlin, "The Rhetoric of Psalm 145," 18. Similarly, Kimhi says, "inasmuch as this psalm in
its entirety is a praise of God, he composed it in the form of an acrostic" (Commentary of Rabbi
David Kimhi on Psalms CXX-CL, 129).
61
On the whole question of partial acrostics, see Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 198-99;
50 Journal of Biblical Literature

other acrostic psalms ascribed to David (i.e., Psalms 25, 34, and 37) are miss­
ing a letter or two, whereas those lacking any ascription (i.e., Ill, 112, and 119)
are all perfect acrostics.62
Not able to leave matters alone, the Septuagint, Vulgate, Peshitta, and
Qumran versions inserted a nun verse. In its Qumran version it reads
YWD *ΤΟΰ TDÏTI ynora DTTOK p « J ("Faithful is God in his words and pious
in all his deeds"). The authenticity of this verse is highly questionable. First,
its second colon is identical to the second colon of line 17 in a psalm that
otherwise lacks any colon duplication. Second, it announces itself as a non-
scriptural insertion by employing DTTl^N, as opposed to the sevenfold use of
the tetragrammaton in the paleo-Hebrew script found throughout the Qumran
version.63 Finally, its first colon is suspiciously like the peroration of the post-
haftarah blessing that reads m a i b^ pwn bm*4 ("the God who is faithful
in all his words") and thus may be a liturgical topos interpolated to complete
the acrostic.
Another suggestion for the nun line appears in an eighteenth-century
manuscript of a text entitled The Words of Gad the Seer. In chapter 10 there
occurs a version of Psalm 145 with a nun verse that goes "pmN bD f?D3
lirto 0ΓΗΟ3 boi) Ti ("All your enemies fell down, O Lord, and all of their might
was swallowed up"). Despite the double mention of b'D and the conjunctive
waw beginning the second colon,65 the verse must be adjudged an interpolation
on two accounts: its mention of the downfall of enemies is inappropriate for
a context of examples of God's care, and the verbs are in the perfect, unlike
any other in the psalm.
Content-wise, there is no indication of anything missing.66 On the contrary,
it has been speculated that the absence of the nun line is part of the message;
namely, as all human praise of God is theologically inadequate, so the psalm
is alphabetically imperfect.67 There are also structural benefits that accrue
by virtue of the absence of a nun line. By preventing stanza III from eliding
into stanza IV, its absence demarcates the thematic distinctiveness of both.
It also makes line 11, with its expression about the intoning of God's majesty—

A R Ceresko/TheABCsofWisdominPsalmxxxiv," VT35 (1985) 99-104, and David Ν Freed-

man, "Acrostic Poems m the Hebrew Bible and Otherwise," CBQ 48 (1986) 408-31
62
So Bazak, Structures and Contents in the Psalms, 10 η 2
63
So Sidney Hoenig, "The Qumran Liturgie Psalms," JQR 57 (1967) 327-32, esp 330
64
Seder Rav Amram Gaon, ρ 77, line 13
65
Meir Bar-Ilan adduces these as evidence for the authenticity of the verse ("The Date of
The Words of Gad the Seer" JBL 109 [1990] 487 η 34)
66
So M Dahood, Psalms III 101-150 (AB 17A, Garden City, NY Doubleday, 1970) 335, and
Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 193
67
So Yafet ben Eh (tenth century), as cited in Uriel Simon, Four Approaches to the Book of
Psalms from Saadya Gaon to Abraham Ibn-Ezra (Hebrew) (Ramat Gan Bar-Ilan University, 1982)
75 η 45
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 51

nDfcT "IHO^D ΤΟΩ ("the majesty of your kingship they intone"), the hinge verse.
The result is that the central idea finds its expression at the center of the
psalm.68
That the absence of a nun line is not an oversight is further evidenced
by the psalmist elsewhere balancing the need for unifying factors against the
precision of expression. Thus, of twenty-one lines only nineteen begin the
second colon with the conjunctive waw?9 Its absence in lines 8 and 18 simply
conforms to the demands of content as does the absence of a nun line.
Consistency is not allowed to straitjacket poetic felicity. As the ancients noticed,
some poets fill out the acrostics totally while others do not (Midr. Qoh.
Bab. 1:13).
One of the most obvious internal unifying features is the presence of b*D,
translated either as "all" or "everyT which threads its way through the psalm
seventeen times. Its virtual ubiquity highlights the unending universal chorus
of praise to a God whose sovereignty and solicitude are not only eternal but
everywhere breaking through both temporal and spatial frontiers.70 So, for
example, God, who is praised every day (line 2) and by all flesh, is good to
all. As Berlin notes, "all should always praise him," since, "there is created
a relationship between God's universal beneficence and the universal praise
of him." 71
A less obvious unifying feature is the phonemic sonority of the psalm.
The pervasive use of alliteration, especially of sibilants, palatals, and labials,72
creates sonant linkages among adjacent words. The sonority is mostly created
through the use of alliteration that is especially pronounced in the aforecited
chiastic sections. Two examples where the psalmist paid a price for such

68
In defense of the presence of the nun line, Lindars rejects the hinge role for line 11, saying,
"As the sense runs on from verse 10, it cannot be taken alone, and so it must be taken as the
centre of a triad ending with verse 12. But this then leaves verse 13 hanging in the air" ("Struc­
ture of Psalm CXLVT 24). The flaw in Lindars's comment is found in his own acceptance of the
organizing principle oiinclusio. He states that "within this frame, verses 11-13 are bound together
by the prominence of malkut. It is the second word in verses 11 and 13" (p. 26). By recognizing
that lines 11-13 form a unit, Lindars should have seen that not only does the sense of line 10
not run on, but it forms an independent unit, namely, an interlude, and that line 13 is not "hang­
ing in the air" but seals the inclusio with line 11.
69
This observation harks back to R. Zakkai, in Ginsberg, Genizah Studies, 1. 301, and reappears
in a host of medieval comments; see Abraham ben Nathan of Lunel, Sefer Ha-Manhig (ed. Y.
Raphael; Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook, 1978) 1. 53 n. 28; and Siddur ofR. Solomon, 59 n. 55.
70
See Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 288. Allen adduces the sixfold occurrence of bD in
each unit, according to his division, as additional evidence of the drive for symmetry that infuses
the psalm (Psalms 101-150, 295). Bazak also underscores the aesthetic-symmetrical considera­
tion (Structures and Contents in the Psalms, 26-29).
71
Berlin, "The Rhetoric of Psalm 145," 19.
72
See the examples cited by Bazak, Structures and Contents in the Psalms, 29; Watson, "Reversed
Rootplay in Ps 145," 102 n. 6; and Gene M. Schramm, "Patterning in Biblical Hebrew? in Michigan
Oriental Studies in Honor of George C. Cameron (ed. Louis Orlin; Ann Arbor: Michigan Univer­
sity Press, 1976) 171.
52 Journal of Biblical Literature

euphony should make the point. The first is an example of final-letter first-
letter alliteration. "pltD 3Ί Ί3Τ of line 7 could have profitably evoked OltD b*D
of Exod 33:19 by replacing TI by its biblical equivalent b*D except that placing
3Ί after "ΌΪ creates a syzygy for euphonious pronunciation while simul­
taneously allowing for easy elision into the bet of "pltD. The second is that of
line 20. The contrast between ΙΌΓΠΝ ("who love him") and D'Wttfl ("wicked")
is notable since D'WEh is normally coupled antonymically with D'ip'HS (righ­
teous"),73 whereas with "Ρ3ΓΠΝ, YWltP ("who hate him") would be in order. The
advantage of D^EH lies in its consonance with the upcoming TDE^ ("he
destroys"), which in turn reverts to the head word "1D1# ("preserves"), thereby
underscoring the contrast between the consonantal "IDttf and IDVÌJ4 Finally,
lines 19-20 contain a cluster of six different words with a # followed by a D,
forming the word UVÏ as a lead into the conclusion that "all flesh will bless
his holy name (D$)."75
Poetically speaking, the perception of unity is compounded through the
acrostic appealing to the eye, the alliterations to the ear, and to combining
both. In this manner, the external and internal linkages converge to produce
a unified sensory experience.
Although the acrostic, the pervasive presence of ^0, and alliterative sound
patterns conspire to engender a sense of the whole, the constant variations
of both the subject and object and the apparent erratic changes in the verb
detract from that sense. Rokeah noted that there are twenty-three cases of
God being referred to in the second person, twelve in the third, and ten without
any personal pronoun,76 but he does not offer any explanation for the variety.
Noting the general change from first person verbs in the beginning to the fluc-
tuation between first and third in the middle and the exclusive use of third
person verbs in the end, Berlin claims that the variations are "not a random
pattern, but one that emphasizes the major purpose of the psalm: through
the psalmist's praise everyone will come to praise God."77
This understanding of the whole structure can resolve the crux of lines
5 and 6. Both, according to the LXX, fluctuate from third person plural to
first person in the same line.78
5. nmtPK ΤΎΛΛΒΤΙ n a T j n n TOD ΊΤΠ
6. nriDDK -pn*?™ mw ιτκττΰ nnn
Since there are no subsequent first person verbs, this parallel strophe plays
the pivotal role of transition from first person to third person. This transitional

73
See the list in Weiss, The Bible From Within, 249 (Hebrew original, 122).
74
Thus ΊΟΊΦ is translated "preserve" in contrast to the "destroy" of T D # \
75
So Allen, Psalms 101-150, 296.
76
Rokeah, Perushe Siddur, 165.
77
Berlin, "The Rhetoric of Psalm 145," 21.
78
This is not comparable to the common shift from first person singular to plural or vice versa;
see Barré, "Psalm 116," 74 n. 50.
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 53

role would be more obvious if the first person verb had preceded the third
person verb. Since there is no syntactical problem in reversing the order of
the verbs, the present order ostensibly makes the point that even though "they"
are expected to join the praise of the psalmist, the psalmist retains his leading
position as in line 21.
With regard to the whole psalm, Weiss notes that while most of the lines
describe human praise of God, what he calls "from below to above," lines 3
and 13 describe only God, whereas lines 8-9 and 14-20 (except for 15a)
describe the relationship between God and humanity, what he calls "from above
to below." He concludes, "There is therefore a special relationship between
stanza I and III, and between II and IV . . . stanza I and III are parallel to
each other chiastically. Common to both, moreover, is the presence of a verse
that is not involved in a movement that rises from man to his God and not
a movement that descends from God to man — rather one that speaks about
God alone."79 A similar observation lies behind the comment of the Harper's
Bible Commentary that sees "the call to praise in w. 1-2, 4-7, 10-12; moti-
vation in w. 3, 8-9, 13-20; and conclusion in v. 21."80
Common to both observations is the recognition that the following four
verses or sets of verses —3, 8-9, 13, and 14-20 —are of a different order from
the rest. Harper's Bible Commentary refers to them as "motivation," whereas
Weiss sees them as talking about God or God's relationship to humanity. In
any event, it is significant that one set appears in each of the four stanzas of
the structure and that the two that are about God alone (3 and 13) are in stanzas
I and III whereas the two that talk about God's relationship to humanity (7-8,
14-20) are in stanzas II and IV.
This division seems to be alluded to also by Berlin when she says, "taken
together, the two halves of the psalm constitute a poetic lesson in how to speak
about God and what to say." She then goes on to say that "the psalm . . . is a
good example of the very kind of thing that it is advocating. It succeeds in
proclaiming praise to God."81 In neither case, however, does she answer the
question how the psalm specifies what to say.
The answer lies in focusing on those lines of a different order in the first
three stanzas. They can be seen as the performance of the previous verbs. In
stanza I, line 2 says, "I will praise Your name" and line 3 performs the praise
saying, "Great is YHWH and exceedingly praised, and to his greatness there
is no limit."82 In stanza II, there are two lines of performance, one for each
of the previous cola following an abb a structure. Line 9, beginning with "good"
is the expression of the "goodness" of 7a, as line 8 is the expression of the

79
Weiss, "A Psalm of David," 191
80
Harpers Bible Commentary (ed James L Mays, San Francisco Harper & Row, 1988) 493
81
Berlin, "The Rhetoric of Psalm 145," 20-21
82
So Rokeah, Perushe Siddur, 145
54 Journal of Biblical Literature

beneficence of 7b. Thus the use of Ί33Ί\ translated as "sing aloud," which in
its nominative form ΠΓΊ is often parallel in use and in meaning to H^DD
("prayer"), especially in the Psalter.83
In stanza III, line 13: "Your kingship is a kingship for all ages, and your
dominion is for generation and generation," is the performance of line 11: "The
majesty of your kingship they intone and of your might they speak." Line 12 —"to
make known to humanity his mighty acts and the majestic glory of his king­
ship"—is parenthetic, as is made clear by the unique subordinate infinitive
construction, the purpose of which is to supply the addressee of line ll. 8 4
Besides noting the addressee, it adds nothing. It simply reformulates the
previous line as seen in the chiastic structure diagrammed above.
These so-called performance lines are characterized not only by similar
function and grammatical structure but also by the fact that they all have
biblical parallels. Line 3a is paralleled by Ps 48:2a 85 and 96:4a. The various
formulations of line 8 were noted above with the closest being Ps 103:7. Line
13 recurs in an Aramaic version in Dan 3:33 and paraphrastically in 4:31. Also
much of stanza IV is paralleled elsewhere in Psalms: line 14 is significantly
paralleled by Ps 146:8b; lines 15-16 are similar in terminology and content
to Ps 104:27-28; and lines 17 and 19 are redolent of Ps 34:18. Although it is
popular to point to this as evidence of the anthological nature of Psalm 145,
the fact that the overlap is precisely of these sections lends credence to the
position that these recyclings through reformulations of earlier material are
not just intertextual allusions, but liturgical topoi?6
A special case is the parallel in Daniel, which may already be a topos
as evidenced by its parallel in Ugaritic literature.87 Its place in Nebuchadnezzar's
mouth is better explained as a liturgical topos than as a citation from Psalm
145.88 A liturgical setting would account for its presence in both the Psalter
and Daniel.

83
Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:12; 1 Kgs 8:28 = 2 Chr 6:19; Pss 17:1; 61:2; 88:3; 119:169; see Ν. E. Wagner,
"Π3Ί in the Psalter," VT 10 (1960) 435-41. Good examples of such liturgical use in postbiblical
literature are Sir 50:19: ΓΟ'ΌΓΌ pan-DJ? *?D "ΟΊΉ ("and all the people of the land sang aloud in
prayer"), and the listings in Yigael Yadin, The Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light Against the
Sons of Darkness (Jerusalem: Bialik Institute, 1957) 341.
84
For a similar use of SPTFlb ("to make known") before a liturgical proclamation, see llQPs a
col. 2:3-4, with Patrick W. Skehan, "A Liturgical Complex in llQPs«;' CBQ 35 (1973) 195-205
esp. 205.
85
Which itself was the levitical song for Monday; see the end of m. Tamid, and the superscription
to Psalm 48 in the LXX.
86
On formulaic language in the Psalter, see Robert C. Culley, Oral Formulaic Language in
the Biblical Psalms (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967) 112-19.
87
CTA 2 iv UT, 68:10; see Avishur, Studies in Hebrew and Ugaritic Psalms, 162. In contrast
to the Ugaritic psalm, where eternal kingship is established by defeat of enemies, it is estab­
lished here by divine greatness and goodness.
88
Apparently perplexed by this, the midrash (Lev. Rob. 13:5, and parallels) adduced it as evidence
of Nebuchadnezzar's affinity for psalmist expressions!
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 55

The performance sections of each stanza also function structurally as do

some refrains in the Psalter by either opening or concluding stanzas.89 Such
commonality in structural role may reflect a similarity of function. The
imperative — albeit formulated in the jussive90 form — call of others to praise
can also be adduced as evidence of having been designed for liturgical use.91
The notion that recognition of divine sovereignty generates the duty to induce
others to do so is especially pronounced in liturgical texts in general,92 and
in the Psalter in particular.93
It has been widely assumed that the theme of universal divine sovereignty
took on an added urgency in the Persian period, and that worship became
less and less cult or Temple-centered.94 A composition of this period95 organized
around the theme of universal sovereignty—which was also timeless, occa-
sionless, and without connection to the cult or Zion —would be ideal for daily
communal recitation. Such use would be facilitated by an easily recallable
acrostic structure that reworked earlier psalmist elements. What better candi-
date than a psalm spelling out the process of universal acknowledgment of
divine sovereignty by beginning with the words "Every day I bless You"—words
that could easily have constituted "liturgical Everyman's" daily offering. Such
a psalm could easily have become so significant that only an attribution to
David would do.96
This evidence for an incipient liturgicality for Psalm 145 goes a long way
toward accounting for its prominence in the communal liturgy of Qumran.97

89
See Raabe, Psalm Structures, 164-65.
90
Determining whether the verbs in the prelude, interlude, and postlude are cohortative or
jussive involves a judgment of the psalm as a whole more than a grammatical assessment of the
verbs alone.
91
See Claus Westermann, Praise and Lament in the Psalms (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981)
130. Allen and others whom he cites have argued for a cultic liturgical setting for Psalm 145 (Psalms
101-150, 297). Bazak goes so far as to chart the liturgical enactment by marking the lines of the
alleged two soloists and antiphonal choirs that he claims operate throughout the psalm (Struc-
tures and Contents in the Psalms, 45-46).
92
See, e.g., Jacob Licht, The Thanksgiving Scroll (Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Bialik Institute, 1957)
44 n. 65; Flusser and Safrai, "A Fragment of the Songs of David and Qumran," 84-85 (2:9-14);
and Kimelman, "The Daily 'Amidah and the Rhetoric of Redemption," 90 n. 83.
93
See especially the refrains of Psalms 67 (w. 4 and 6) and 107 (w. 14, 21, and 31) along with
17. The theme of all recognizing God is also pronounced in the opening of Psalm 105, which
via 1 Chr 16:8, found its way into the beginning of the morning liturgy, and in Psalms 96-100,
which in the sixteenth century along with Psalm 95 achieved prominence as the liturgical welcome
to the sabbath.
94
See E. Beaucamp, "Psaumes, II. Le Psautier: Origine Cultuelle," DBSup, 132-57.
95
The presence of late biblical Hebrew, the acrostic, the ascription to David, the theme of
kingship, the incorporation of earlier biblical literature, especially of earlier psalms, and the affinity
with postbiblical psalmody all point to a late postexilic dating.
96
See Kugel, "Topics in the History of the Spirituality of the Psalms," 113-44.
97
For a summary of the literature and a new proposal for the liturgical function of LLQPsa,
see Ben Zion Wacholder, "David's Eschatological Psalter UQ Psalmsa," HUCA 59 (1988) 23-72.
56 Journal of Biblical Literature

This liturgical prominence is attested to by its three major variations: its

superscription (TTÒ ΓΟΒΓΙ, "a prayer to/of David"), its subscription appended
to line 21 flroò ΓΙΗΤΤ), and the refrain of each line (Ί5Π tí^Vb IDtf TTOI " 7ΓΟ,
"blessed is God and blessed is his name forever").
The change of the superscription from ΓΟΠΠ to ΓΟΟΓΙ underscores the
liturgical role, as does the added subscription.98 Unfortunately, the translation
of the subscription by the editor as "This is for a memorial,"99 is unclear and
clouds this function. A slight improvement is made by Wacholder, who renders
it as "this is for a memory," which he takes to imply "for memorization." 100 He,
however, does not explain why this psalm or even just the refrain is to be
committed to memory. Wacholder was right, however, in seeking linkage
between the two special aspects of the Qumran version, namely, the subscrip­
tion and the refrain. The point, however, is not memorization but recitation.
Since the (choral?) refrain indicates that it was used for communal recitation,101
the subscription should be translated as "This is for recitation," in conformity
with the sometime use of IDT in late biblical Hebrew and postbiblical Hebrew
(as noted above in the translation of Ί2Τ in line 7 as "recitation"). Such
a usage for |ΓΟΪ is subsequently attested to for introducing the recitation of
the Shema*. 102 Thus the subscription is more than editorial, serving as it does
as a liturgical directive 103 for recitation that appears to be an antiphonal
rendition. 104
The recurring refrain "ΒΠ tínvb 1D# "\Π3) ^ yro continues the perform­
ance mode of the psalm itself.105 It implements the colon 13Π D^ûrt* " p # ΓΟ"ΟΝ
("I shall declare your name 'blessed' forever," v. lb), as is made visible in the
following:

98
N o n e of t h e variants of t h e LXX support a Vorlage of ΓΟΟΠ, while t h e ΓΟΠΓΊ motif reappears
in w . 2, 3, and 21; see Eileen M. Schuller, Non-Canonical Psalms from Qumran: A Pseudepigraphic
Collection (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986) 5 3 n. 7.
99
James A. Sanders, The Dead Sea Psalms Scroll (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1967) 67.
100
Wacholder, "David's Eschatological Psalter, 11Q Psalms a ," 50.
101
On the antiquity of organized liturgical music in Israel, see Ν. M. Sarna, "The Psalm
Superscriptions and the Guilds," in Studies in Jewish Religious and Intellectual History Presented
to Alexander Altmann on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday (ed. S. Stein and R. Loewe; Alabama:
University of Alabama Press, 1979) 281-300, esp. 287-95.
102 ^ n f c n yDtf JTOT - p r ò » ΤΙΠ*« ÎN ^ΠΓίΰΊ ("and t h e n begins t h e unification of your G o d [by]
reciting 'shema* Yisrael'"), as cited by Ginzberg, Genizah Studies, 2. 436, from a karaitic work.
See also Hoenig, "The Qumran Liturgie Psalms," 328.
103
See Wilson, Editing of the Hebrew Psalter, 141 n. 3.
104
It may not be insignificant that both Psalm 145 and the Shema* in liturgical contexts are
associated with the term |ΓΟ? and that both were recited antiphonally; see Reuven Kimelman,
"The Shema* and Its Rhetoric: The Case for the Shema* Being More than Creation, Revelation,
and Redemption," Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 2 (1992) 132-33.
ios A variation of this refrain appears in the medieval response ÌD# "p"Q1 Ν1Π yro ("blessed
is he and blessed is his name"); see Naftali Weider, TlDW Ì30T mpD-IDtf T"°P] ^ i n T O , ' " in
Studies in Rabbinic Literature, Bible and Jewish History (ed. Y. Gilat, C. Levine, and Z. M.
Rabinowitz; Ramat Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press, 1982) 283-84.
 Kimelman: Psalm 145: Theme, Structure, and Impact 57

ISTI D^liÒ IDtf ΓΟΊ!)»

ΓΟ"ΌΝ functions not as a denominative but as a delocutive, declaring God and

his name *JHD, as frequently is the case in liturgical texts. 106
A communal liturgical setting for at least parts of Psalm 145, if not all,
helps explain its impact on subsequent liturgical development such as the
hodayot hymns, 107 and the nismat of the sabbath liturgy.108 Its daily recitation,
recommended in the Talmud, may reflect an ancient tradition. 109
There is even some indication that the three movements of Psalm 145
left traces on the opening formulary of the statutory benediction. The prelude
begins with the selfs relation to God; the interlude moves on to that of the
faithful; and the postlude encompasses all of humanity. These three stages
not only contain the word "bless," but they parallel those of the benedic­
tion 110 —as can be seen in the following chart:
"Blessed are you" prelude = self God
Ό Lord our God" interlude = community God
"King of the universe" postlude = humanity God
Noteworthy is the fact that the Talmud traces the kingship requirement
of the benediction to Ps 145:l. m In fact, the four requirements of the bene­
dictory formulary ΓΟ""0 (blessing), DEftl (the divine name), übty (world/
eternity), and £TO^D ΓΤΌΪΠ (kingship) appear together only in this verse.112

106
See José Faur, "Delocutive Expressions in the Hebrew Liturgy" JANES Ancient Studies
in Memory of Elias Bickerman 16-17 (1984-1985) 4-54, and Skehan, "A Liturgical Complex," 197
and 195 η 13
107
In general, see Licht, Thanksgiving Scroll, 44, esp nn 65 and 69 In particular, see Bonnie
Kittel, who says "Stanzas A and Β [oí Hodayot 11], for all their uniqueness in organization, bear
many similarities to Psalm 145, which also stresses divine attributes In fact, of the 48 different
words used in Stanzas A and B, 25 also appear in Psalm 145, a higher proportion of vocabulary
than the hymn shares with other psalms" (The Hymns of Qumran [SBLDS 50, Atlanta Scholars
Press, 1981] 117)
108
See Meir Bar-Ilan, The Mysteries of Jewish Prayer and Hekhalot (Hebrew) (Ramat Gan
Bar-Ilan University Press, 1987) 106
109
B Ber 4b, the requirement of a thrice daily recitation was a gaonic development For a discus-
sion of the verses prefixed and suffixed to Psalm 145 m its rabbinic liturgical context, see Reuven
Kimelman, "Ashre Psalm 145 and the Liturgy," in The Rabbinical Assembly Proceedings 1992, 54
(1993) 114-15
110
How the tripartite benedictory formula came to be by the third century CE still needs
clarification For now, note only that it differs from its closest biblical parallel (1 Chr 2910) precisely
m the shift from "the God of Israel" to "our God" and from "ever to ever" to "king of the world"
111
Y Ber 91, 12d, see Midr Pss 16 8 The Siddur ofR Solomon, 57, offers the interesting
suggestion that the transition from direct to indirect speech of the benedictory formulary denves
from Psalm 145
112
So Gmzberg, Genizah Studies, 1 301, reason 7
58 Journal of Biblical Literature

The six-word, tripartite structure of the benediction corresponds to the

six-word, tripartite structure of the Shema' verse in the following manner:
τικ τι / irrft« τι / Tanten ynw
113
tínyn -f?D / irrft« τι I nna ητα
Thus, it is easy to view the benedictory formulary, the Shema* verse, and Psalm
145 as reflecting the same triple shift from self through community to humanity,
all peaking in the realization and extension of divine sovereignty over
everyone.114
By placing Psalm 145 at the head of the series of psalms that introduce
the recitation of the Shema* and its blessings in the morning rabbinic liturgy,
Psalm 145 serves to adumbrate the Shema* and its theme of the realization
of divine sovereignty. This adumbration was alluded to by S. D. Goitein when
he designated Psalm 145 "the Shema* of the Book of Psalms."115 This desig­
nation marks the degree to which the structure and the content of Psalm 145
converge to promote the idea of the extension of divine sovereignty. In view
of this subsequent role for Psalm 145, it should not be a great surprise to find
the beginning of the liturgical trajectory in the psalm itself.

113
Since, according to m. Ber. 2:2, the recitation of the Shema { verse is an act of realization
of divine sovereignty, the last part of the benedictory formulary and that of the Shema* verse
are functional equivalents, both affirming universal divine sovereignty. Thus Sipre Deut. end of
31, glosses "the Lord is one" with "for all humanity"
114
The same three shifts characterize the upcoming three psalms (146-148) as well as the
last fifteen blessings of the 'Amidah; see Kimelman, "The Daily 'Amidah and the Rhetoric of
Redemption," 191.
115
S. D. Goitein, Biblical Studies (Hebrew) (Tel Aviv: Yavneh Publishing House, 1957) 228.
Note the observations on kingship by Hans-Joachim Kraus, Psalms 60-150: A Commentary
(Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1989) 547, 549.
 ^ s
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