The Psalms: Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary (review)

Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 422 Reviews What Trotter has undertaken is a difficult task. Reading any biblical text against the background of the Achaemenid period is notoriously difficult. In the past, the era was something of a black hole for biblical scholars because of the paucity of available historical information. While historical and archaeological research in more recent years has changed that situation, there is significant disagreement among scholars about the reconstruction of the early Persian period, and especially in regard to Yehud. As Trotter himself has recognized , the interpretations which it will yield “will always be partial, provisional and speculative” (p. 33). Given the limits of our knowledge of the period, it could be argued that his undertaking might contribute little to biblical scholarship. However, as he very correctly says, the alternative to engaging in this provisional and speculative project is to abandon it altogether (p. 33). So, while it is possible to contest, at nearly every turn, positions which he has taken, I think Trotter has made an important contribution to scholarship . As our understanding of the Persian period increases, it offers scholars the opportunity to further explore the development and reception of both the Torah and the prophetic books. As with Trotter’s work, the results of new research may be plausible rather than conclusive. Nevertheless, it is a necessary undertaking, and I commend him for his innovative work. John Hill Yarra Theological Union Melbourne, Australia j.hill@ytu.edu.au THE PSALMS: STROPHIC STRUCTURE AND THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY. By Samuel Terrien. The Eerdmans Critical Commentary Series. Pp. xix + 971. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2003. Cloth, $95.00. This one-volume commentary on the book of Psalms by the late Samuel Terrien in the Eerdmans Critical Commentary Series can indeed be regarded as the magnum opus of an illustrious Old Testament scholar. After a short Preface (pp. xiii–xv), the work contains an Introduction (pp. 1–65), Notes and Comments on all 150 biblical psalms (pp. 69–930), a short Addendum on Psalm 151 from Qumran (p. 931), an Index of Subjects (pp. 932–947), and an Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources (pp. 948–971). In the Preface, Terrien sets himself three objectives: “to clarify the obscurities and elucidate the theological significance of these poems”; “to analyze their strophic structure”; and “to discover a link between their archaic language and the intellectual demands of modern thinking and spirituality” (p. xiii). He indicates that he is deliberately conservative in his approach to the Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 423 Reviews Masoretic text (p. xiii). He aims the work at “both scholars and general readers ” (p. xiv) and regards the focus on structural analysis as the most prominent feature of his commentary (p. xiv). These remarks contextualize the work. One should expect a literary rather than a historical-critical approach to the book of Psalms. Terrien should be admired for the way he follows these guidelines throughout the commentary. As will be seen later, the commentary only partially fulfills these objectives. The Introduction covers traditional concerns such as the growth of the Psalter, strophic structures and literary genres, the Hebrew text and ancient versions, and the theology of the Psalter. Terrien does, however, present it from a particular perspective. In an introductory paragraph, he discusses the “longevity and ecumenicity of the Psalms” and points to the important role of the psalms in both the Jewish and all Christian traditions. He gives a short overview of the role the book of Psalms played in the development of both traditions. He attributes the popularity of the psalms to the fact that “they respond to the deepest need of the human spirit” (p. 5). He pays attention to the Ancient Near Eastern background of the Psalter and points to parallels with Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Canaanite sources (pp. 6–9). He critically discusses the origins of the psalms and concludes that the “origins of the Psalms are perhaps widely diversified” (p. 14) and sides with Gunkel against Mowinckel that one recognizes in the Psalms “gifted and trained singers who confided with their contemporaries…the memory still burning with pains and joys, terrors and defeats, but also triumphs” (p. 15). His paragraph on the...