What historical context influenced the writing of Psalm 71:20? Canonical Status And Textual Attestation Psalm 71 is an “orphan psalm” in the Masoretic Text, carrying no superscription, yet early witnesses connect it with David. The Septuagint (LXX) groups it amid Davidic psalms, and the Targum titles it “A Psalm of David.” Fragments from Qumran (4Q85; 11QPsa) preserve the text virtually identical to the medieval Masoretic tradition, anchoring its wording more than a millennium before our earliest complete codices. This stability undercuts the claim that the psalm is late or heavily redacted, and it situates the composition in the United Monarchy rather than the exile. Authorship And Age Of The Psalmist Internal clues point to an elderly David. Verses 5–6 recall lifelong dependence on God “from my mother’s womb,” while verses 9 and 18 plead, “Do not cast me off in my old age… even when I am old and gray.” Such language coheres with the closing years of David’s reign (2 Samuel 21–24; 1 Kings 1–2) when physical frailty and political turmoil converged. Immediate Historical Backdrop: Absalom And Adonija H The aging king endured back-to-back crises: Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 15–18) and Adonijah’s premature bid for the throne (1 Kings 1). Both episodes forced David to flee, face slander, and confront mortality. Psalm 71 repeatedly references “enemies,” “accusers,” and those who say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him” (v. 11). This is a near-verbatim echo of the street talk during Absalom’s coup (cf. 2 Samuel 16:7–8). Additionally, verse 4’s reference to “the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless” mirrors David’s description of Joab-backed conspirators (1 Kings 2:5–6). Personal Affliction, National Stress, And Mortal Threat Psalm 71:20 captures the king’s sense of repeated calamities: “You have allowed me to see many troubles and evils, yet You will revive me again; from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up” . He is speaking as one who has escaped death multiple times—Saul’s spear-throws, Philistine battles, Absalom’s ambush—and who now feels death pressing nearer because of age. Ancient Near Eastern kings typically boasted of their own power; David confesses utter dependence on Yahweh, fitting the covenant model of Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Ancient Israel’S Concept Of Sheol And The Promise Of Revival The phrase “depths of the earth” (tĕhōm ’ereṣ) is idiomatic for the grave (Psalm 88:4-6). Inside Israel, hope had already begun to eclipse the resigned fatalism of surrounding cultures. Job 19:25-27 and 2 Samuel 12:23 show a clear expectation of post-mortem fellowship with God. Against this theological backdrop, David anchors his plea in covenant history: the God who raised a nation out of Egyptian slavery can also “raise” an individual out of Sheol. Thus verse 20 is both retrospective (past rescues) and anticipatory (future resurrection). Archaeological And Historical Corroboration 1. The Tel Dan Stele (9th c. BC) confirms a “House of David,” disproving critical claims that David is merely a mythological figure. 2. Bullae bearing the names “Gemariah son of Shaphan” and “Jeremiah” (City of David excavations) demonstrate the accuracy of court personnel lists in Kings, indirectly supporting the chronicling culture of David’s line. 3. The City of David water tunnel (Hezekiah’s Tunnel) shows that later monarchs took David’s chronicles seriously enough to preserve and expand his citadel, implying the continued circulation of his psalms. Literary Parallels With David’S Last Words (2 Samuel 22–23) Psalm 71 shares vocabulary with David’s farewell hymn (2 Samuel 22/Ps 18): “strength,” “rock,” “refuge,” and “revive.” This linkage suggests the same literary milieu and possibly the same scribe (likely one of “the chroniclers” in 1 Chron 27:24). The overlap argues for composition during David’s lifetime rather than during exile centuries later. Theological Trajectory Toward Messianic Hope David’s confidence that God will “revive me again” is later echoed and fulfilled in Christ’s literal resurrection (Acts 2:29-31). The Septuagint renders “revive” with anistēmi—the very verb the New Testament uses for Jesus’ rising (Mark 9:31). This typological trajectory reveals why early church writers (e.g., Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 72) mined the psalm for messianic hints. New Testament ALLUSIONS AND APOSTOLIC APPLICATION Luke’s infancy narrative quotes Psalm 71 and 72 themes of God’s faithfulness “to our fathers” (Luke 1:54-55), while Paul echoes Psalm 71:20 in 2 Corinthians 1:9–10: “He who raised us from so great a death will yet deliver us.” The apostle interprets David’s prayer as proof that God’s pattern is resurrection after tribulation—a pattern climaxing in Jesus and promised to all believers (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Summary Psalm 71:20 was forged in the furnace of David’s twilight years, amid geopolitical rebellion, personal frailty, and looming death. It integrates Israel’s emerging resurrection hope with concrete historical threats of the United Monarchy era. Manuscript reliability, archaeological verification of David’s existence, and inter-biblical echoes confirm its authenticity and underscore its prophetic arc toward the Messiah’s resurrection. |
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