Salmos 124
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Salmos 124:1-5
124:1-5 This is a liturgical strophe related to the deliverance of national Israel from a foreign invader (i.e., "men rose against us"). The exact historical setting is not stated. The psalmist uses powerful imagery to convey YHWH's deliverance. He is on their side, Ps. 124:2 the enemy would have swallowed Israel, Ps. 124:3a the enemy had their anger kindled against Israel, Ps. 124:3b the enemy, like a flood, would have engulfed Israel, Ps. 124:4-5 124:1 "Let Israel now say" This is a Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense. The response would have been quoted at a national victory celebration (cf. Ps. 129:1). 124:3a This imagery of "swallowing" (BDB 118, KB 134) comes from the personification of the earth (i.e., death, Sheol cf. Exod. 15:12) swallowing the rebellious Levites during the wilderness wandering period (cf. Num. 16:30,32; Deut. 11:6) the attack of a predatory animal (cf. Ps. 35:25; Prov. 1:12; Amos 2:16); this is stated specifically in Ps. 124:6b SPECIAL TOPIC: SHEOL 124:3b The imagery of anger as burning is first used in Gen. 39:19. Fire is used often imagery for judgment anger cleansing SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE 124:4-5 The imagery of water/flood as life problems is recurrent in the OT (i.e., Job 22:11; 38:34; Ps. 32:6; 66:12; 69:2; 144:7; Isa. 43:2; Lam. 3:54). It is used of an invasion in Isa. 8:7-8 and Jer. 51:34, as it is in this Psalm. As flood waters cover the land, so do invading armies. The other common metaphor for this was a locust infestation (i.e., Joel). Whenever water is seen as an enemy of humanity, there may be an allusion to YHWH's defeat of watery chaos (cf. Ps. 29:3,10; 74:12-17; 89:9-10; 93:3-4). This theme is part of YHWH as creator (cf. Ps. 124:8). SPECIAL TOPIC: WATERS
Salmos 124:6-8
124:6-8 YHWH is blessed (BDB 138, KB 159, Qal PASSIVE PARTICIPLE) for His deliverance of national Israel. The deliverance is characterized as escape from a predatory animal (i.e., Ps. 7:2) escape from a bird hunter/trapper (cf. Ps. 91:3; 119:110; Prov. 6:5) 124:7a "soul" See SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH 124:7b One wonders if this line of poetry is meant to convey the destruction of the invading army. 124:8a The name stands for the person. SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" of YHWH. 124:8b This is a set phrase (cf. Ps. 102:25; 121:2; 124:8; 134:3; 146:6) asserting the uniqueness of Israel's God. SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM