What historical context influenced the writing of Psalm 70:3? Authorship and Dating Psalm 70 bears the superscription “For the choirmaster. Of David. To bring to remembrance.” External manuscript families (Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls 11QPs a) all agree on Davidic authorship. Using the straightforward Ussher‐style chronology, David wrote between c. 1050–1010 BC, squarely within the united monarchy’s formative period. David’s Immediate Circumstances The phrase “make haste” (vv. 1, 5) and the triple plea for Yahweh to “come quickly” indicates a moment of acute danger. Two historical episodes match the crisis tone: 1. Flight from Saul (1 Samuel 19–27). David—anointed yet not enthroned—lived as a fugitive at Keilah, Ziph, and En-gedi. Saul’s agents publicly slandered him (1 Samuel 24:9). The mockers’ cry “Aha, aha!” (Psalm 70:3) parallels the hostile exultation in 1 Samuel 23:7 when Saul hears, “God has delivered him into my hand.” 2. Revolt of Absalom (2 Samuel 15–18). David again flees Jerusalem; Shimei curses and hurls stones (2 Samuel 16:5-8). The taunting language fits the psalm’s emphasis on verbal humiliation. Ancient Jewish tradition (Targum, Midrash Tehillim) assigns Psalm 70 primarily to the Saul period, and the liturgical notation “to bring to remembrance” signals a personal “memorial offering” (cf. Leviticus 2:2), reinforcing the fugitive-in-exile setting before the Temple stood. Ancient Near-Eastern Shame Culture In the honor/shame society of the Late Bronze–Iron Age transition, public derision was often more feared than physical harm. The interjection “הֶאָח הֶאָח” (he’ach, he’ach) in Psalm 70:3 conveyed gloating triumph. Ugaritic texts use a parallel exclamation to mock defeated foes, showing the taunt’s cultural currency. Liturgical Function in Second-Temple Worship The Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q381, 11QPs a) arrange Psalm 70 among “daily petitions,” suggesting that post-exilic communities still identified with David’s original plight. Yet nothing in the text requires a post-exilic authorship; rather, the scrolls attest to its early circulation and unaltered wording. Archaeological Corroboration of David’s Era • Tel Dan Stele (9th century BC) names the “House of David,” confirming a Davidic dynasty that matches the psalm’s royal setting. • Khirbet Qeiyafa city wall inscriptions (c. 1020 BC) reflect a centralized Hebrew administration contemporaneous with David’s rise. • Bullae from the City of David bearing royal officials’ names align with the administrative milieu in which court psalms would be composed and archived. These finds support Scripture’s claim of a literate court capable of producing canonical poetry during David’s lifetime. Theological Motifs 1. Covenant Trust: David’s plea rests on Yahweh’s promise (2 Samuel 7). 2. Divine Reversal: The shame the wicked intend (“Aha, aha!”) rebounds upon themselves (Psalm 70:3b). 3. Messianic Echo: The New Testament records identical taunts at Jesus’ crucifixion (Mark 15:29), revealing typological continuity between David’s sufferings and Christ’s. |
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