Wisdom Epistemology in the Psalter by John Kartje

Author:John Kartje [Kartje, John ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: De Gruyter
Published: 2014-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter VII.

Psalm 107: The Epistemology of Salvation

Psalm 107, the opening psalm of Book IV of the Psalter, presents a series of four scenarios in four strophes, each strophe describing an anonymous group of people suffering from a different hardship. In every instance, they cry out to Yhwh for help, and in every instance he provides assistance for them. To that degree, Psalm 107 could rightfully be considered a psalm of thanksgiving (as it is generally classified) in which the psalmist thanks Yhwh for his merciful (vv. 1, 8, 15, 21, 31).

The final verse of the psalm, however, suggests that there may be more to this poem than the above summary indicates. In v. 43, the psalmist exhorts “whoever is wise ()” to carefully observe all that has been recounted, and to not simply thank Yhwh for his דסח, but to “consider it closely ().”

The fundamental question I address in this chapter is: what is it that the wise person should learn from Psalm 107? While it is not considered a “wisdom psalm” by the usual standards used to define that classification, I consider Psalm 107 to contain “wisdom qualities,” particularly in its final exhortation to the wise person. After a translation of the psalm and brief discussion of text-critical and interpretative issues, I present a detailed analysis of Psalm 107, focusing on the manner in which its metaphors structure the worldview represented within the text and how these affect the text’s epistemology. Finally, I apply the results of this analysis to suggest an answer to the question raised by v. 43.

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