The profile of the rich antagonist and the pious protagonist in Psalm 52

Page 1 of 7 Original Research The profile of the rich antagonist and the pious protagonist in Psalm 52 Author: J. Henk Potgieter1 Affiliation: 1 Department of Ancient Languages, University of Pretoria, South Africa Correspondence to: Henk Potgieter Email: Postal address: Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa Dates: Received: 22 Mar. 2013 Accepted: 27 Apr. 2013 Published: 08 July 2013 How to cite this article: Potgieter, J.H., 2013, ‘The profile of the rich antagonist and the pious protagonist in Psalm 52’, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 69(1), Art. #1963, 7 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ hts.v69i1.1963 Copyright: © 2013. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. In this article, a stichometric and poetic analysis of Psalm 52 is offered which forms the basis for a description of the character of the rich but crooked antagonist and the pious protagonist in the psalm. The profile of the pious in the psalm emerges largely as the inverse of the inclination and actions of the arrogant, rich antagonist who is addressed in the greater part of the psalm. The psalm is also read and interpreted against the background of the book of Psalms as a whole to argue that Psalm 52 is actually describing the opposition between the righteous and the wicked as it is typically found in Wisdom psalms. Introduction This article is submitted in recognition of the giftedness and the immense contribution that James Alfred Loader made to the fields of Semitic Languages and Old Testament Science. It was written by a former student and colleague of the honorandus who at least still qualifies as a friend. I hope that it may reflect in some way the treasure of knowledge about Wisdom which Jimmie Loader has unlocked for South African students and give a glimpse of the meticulousness he has always displayed in his work. The article1 aims to give a description of what the author or authors of Psalm 52 saw as the typical profile of an ‘unbeliever’ and the typical (or ideal) profile of a ‘pious’ person (‫) ָח ִסיד‬. As often happens in Wisdom texts from the Hebrew Bible, the conduct and actions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people are contrasted in the psalm.2 In this particular psalm, the purpose seems to be to emphasise the uprightness of the implied suppliant, but the literary purpose of the text should probably be seen as an attempt to criticise the conduct of certain prominent members of society at the time of origin of the psalm and to encourage the in-group of worshippers of Yahweh to persevere in their belief that they are the righteous ones.3 What is said adversely about the antagonist and positively about the protagonist will be used in this article to draw up a profile of what the authors probably saw as the ideal of righteousness. The word ‫חסיד‬, ‘faithful, godly, pious’, is a descriptive noun predominantly found in the Psalter where it occurs 25 of a total of 34 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is also found twice in 1 Samuel, twice in Proverbs and once in each of the books of Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah and Micah. Its presence in 1 Samuel 2:9 and 2 Samuel 22:26 – the poetic ‘frame’ inserted around the books of Samuel by the post-exilic Wisdom editors (in this regard, see Mathys 1994:126–157) – suggests its importance for these authors who probably used this term to distinguish themselves from the arrogant people whom they considered to be ‘wicked’.4 The typical Wisdom description of the antagonist of the pious, namely a ‘wicked’ person (‫)רשׁע‬, is not used in the psalm. Instead, a description of a ‘mighty man’ is given which seems to coincide with that of the wicked in Wisdom psalms and the book of Proverbs. The first-person speaker also does not refer to himself as a ‘righteous’ (‫ )צדיק‬person, but the in-group is indeed referred to as both ‘the righteous’ (‫ )צדיקים‬and the ‘godly’ or ‘pious people’ (‫)חסידים‬. They obviously constitute the protagonists who stand against the evil antagonist described in the psalm as an arrogant, rich and powerful person. It therefore seems justified to inquire also about the characteristics and the profile of the group of ‘pious’ or ‘godly’ people as characterised by the psalm. It is remarkable that the conduct of the wicked is mainly limited to descriptions from the semantic field of words describing arrogant and harmful utterances. In the first four verses of the psalm, 1.The article is part of a joint investigation with my colleague Phil Botha. I concentrated on the ‘intratextual,’ structural aspects of Psalm 52 whilst he focused more on the ‘intertextual’ intricacies in his article entitled ‘“I am like a green olive tree”: The Wisdom context of Psalm 52’ (Botha 2013). Read online: Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online. 2.Such is the description of Gerald H. Wilson (2002:785) of the psalm as well: ‘Like Psalm 49 and the Wisdom literature in general, the present psalm describes the contrasting lives and consequences of wicked and the righteous. As a result, whilst it is not explicitly instructive like Psalm 49, Psalm 52 does offer instructive insights by its comparison of the two ways of righteousness and wickedness.’ 3.I therefore regard the psalm as a late didactic Wisdom psalm rather than a pre-exilic individual lament. 4.Cf. the presence of the ‫ רשׁעים‬and the verb ‫ גבר‬in 1 Samuel 2:9 and the contrast of the ‫ חסידים‬with the ‘perverse, twisted people’ (‫)ִעֵקּשׁ‬ also in 2 Samuel 22:26–27. Haughtiness and impudence are characteristics singled out for criticism in 1 Samuel 2:3. http://www.hts.org.za doi:10.4102/hts.v69i1.1963 Original Research Page 2 of 7 TABLE 1: Stichometric and poetic analysis of Psalm 52. Stanza I Strophe Hebrew English translation ‫שכּיל ְל ָדוד׃‬ ֺ ְ ‫ַלְמ ַנ֗צַּח ַמ‬ 1 For the music director; a Maskil of David ‫ְבּ֤בוֹא׀ דּוֹאג ָהֲאדִׁמ ֘י ַו ַיּגּד ְלָשׁ֥אוּל ַו֥יּׂאֶמר ֑לוֹ בּא ָד ִוד ֶאל־בּית ֲאִחימֶל׃‬ 2 when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’ ‫ַמה־ִתְּתַהלּל ְבּ ָרָעה ַה ִגּ֑בּוֹר‬ 3 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? A ‫חֶסד ֵאל ָכּל־ַה ֽיּוֹם׃‬ ‫ַהוּוֹת ַתְּחׂ ֣שׂב ְלשׁוֹנ‬ ‫עשׂה ְרִמיּה׃‬ ֹ ‫ְכּתַער ְמֻלָטּשׁ‬ B ‫ָאהְבָתּ רּע ִמ֑טּוֹב‬ ‫ֶשֶׁקר׀ ִמ ַדּבּר צ ֶדק סָלה׃‬ ‫ָאהְבָתּ כל־ ִדְּב ֵרי־ָבַלע‬ ‫ְל֣שׁוֹן ִמ ְרמה׃‬ C D Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. 5 You love evil and not good; lying and not speaking what is right. Selah. 6 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. ‫ַגּם־ֵא ֘ל יִָתְּצ֪ ָלנַצח‬ 7 he will snatch and tear you from your tent; ‫ְויִ ְר֖אוּ ַצ ִדּיִ֥קים ְויִי ָראוּ‬ ‫ְוׇעליו יְִשׂחקוּ׃‬ ‫ִה ֵנּ֚ה ַה ֶגֶּבר‬ ‫֤לׂא ָיִ֥שׂים ֱאִהים מ֫עוּ ֥זּוֹ‬ ‫רב ָעְשׁ ֑רוֹ‬ ֹ ֣ ‫וִּיְבַטח ְבּ‬ ‫עז ְבַּה ָוּֽתוֹ׃‬ ֹ ֗ ‫ָ ֝י‬ E 4 ‫אֶהל‬ ֹ ֑ ‫ַיְחְתּ֣ ְויִָסֲּח֣ ֵמ‬ ‫א ֶרץ ַחיּים סָלה׃‬ ֖ ֶ ‫ְושׁ ֶרְשׁ֙ ֶמ‬ II The steadfast love of God endures all day. ‫ַוֲאני׀ ְכּזיִת רֲע ָנן ְבּבית ֱאִ֑הים‬ ‫ָבּטְחִתּי ְבחֶ (...truncated)