Digital Logos Edition
When reading the Psalter, the sequencing of individual psalms is often overlooked or taken for granted, and it is easy to assume that the psalms’ placement results purely from happenstance. The present volume, however, assumes that strategic approaches to juxtaposition, which editors and arrangers apply elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, were similarly adopted in the arrangement of the Psalter. Furthermore, the Intertextual Commentary illuminates the vast array of biblical texts employed by the psalmists. In addition to the commonly recognized literary tool kit available to biblical poets (parallelism, metaphor, anthropomorphism, chiasmus, etc.), the poets relied heavily on inner-biblical allusion and exegesis to construct their compositions. Primarily adopting a diachronic approach, Emanuel isolates literary sources employed by the psalmists, and further postulates how the psalmists wove specific words and phrases into the fabric of their compositions.
Since the psalms may appear to be aimlessly thrown together, many readers correspondingly read the psalms randomly. In this book, Emanuel convincingly demonstrates not only how the psalms were written to refer to other parts of the Old Testament but also are carefully arranged in a particular order, providing a guide to help readers engage the richness of this beautiful book in the Old Testament.
—Charlie Trimm, Biola University
With an eye for the compilers’ careful craftsmanship paired with an ear attuned to intertextual conversations, Emanuel serves as an excellent guide for considering the rich connections of the psalms arranged together as Book 1 of the Psalter. Through its balanced approach and clear style, this investigation of juxtaposition and allusion in Psalms 1–41 will become an invaluable resource for both seasoned scholars and students alike.
—Michelle A. Stinson, Denver Seminary
Students and scholars alike will find an abundance of riches in Emanuel’s attentive work. For anyone wishing to expand their repertoire of means and methods for thoughtful, fresh engagement with the psalms, this commentary is a must-have.
—Kevin Chau, University of the Free State