What historical events might Psalm 46:8 be referencing? Psalm 46:8 “Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth.” Literary Snapshot The imperative “come, see” invites eyewitness examination. “Works” (Heb. maʿăseh) and “devastation” (šammōt, plural of šammâ, “ruins, desolations”) frame Yahweh as Warrior-Redeemer: He intervenes, dismantles human aggression, and secures His people. The verbal forms allow reference to past, present, and prophetic acts. Probable Setting of Composition Internal clues (vv. 1–7, 9) match Judah’s deliverance from Assyria in 701 BC under Hezekiah: • Refuge in the “city of God…whose streams make glad” (v. 4) parallels Isaiah 22:11’s mention of Jerusalem’s water system. • Ceasing of “war…to the ends of the earth” (v. 9) echoes God’s unilateral neutralization of Sennacherib’s army (2 Kings 19:35). • The superscription “of the sons of Korah” places the psalm in temple liturgy of the period. Event #1 – The Assyrian Siege Lifted (701 BC) Scriptural Record: 2 Kings 18–19; 2 Chron 32; Isaiah 36–37. The Angel of the LORD struck 185,000 troops overnight. Extra-Biblical Evidence: • Taylor Prism (British Museum, BM 91,032): Sennacherib lists 46 Judean cities conquered but notably claims only to have “shut up Hezekiah…like a bird in a cage,” never mentioning Jerusalem’s capture—a conspicuous omission consistent with sudden disaster. • Lachish Reliefs (Nineveh palace, now in the British Museum) chronicle other victories but none beyond Lachish. • Archaeology at Lachish shows an Assyrian siege ramp and a burn layer dated firmly to this campaign (stratum III, ca. 701 BC). Psalm 46:8 could be a temple hymn celebrating these “desolations” Yahweh wrought against the most feared army on earth. Event #2 – The Plagues and Exodus (c. 1446 BC) Yahweh’s “works” previously shattered Egypt’s gods through ten plagues and the Red Sea judgment (Exodus 7–14). Psalmists often telescope epochs of salvation history (cf. Psalm 105). Corroborative data include: • Ipuwer Papyrus (Papyrus Leiden 344) describing chaos in Egypt that parallels several plague motifs. • Red Sea’s “wall of water” accounts affirmed in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 10:1–2). • Merneptah Stele (13th cent. BC) attests Israel already in Canaan shortly after the Exodus timeframe inferred by 1 Kings 6:1. Event #3 – The Conquest of Canaan (1406–1350 BC) Joshua’s campaigns epitomize Yahweh’s martial “devastations”: • Jericho: Collapsed mud-brick walls forming ramps, burn layer with jars full of grain; dated to late Bronze Age IB (Bryant G. Wood, 1990). • Hazor: Massive conflagration layer (stratum XIII), consistent with Joshua 11:11. These events would be rehearsed in temple worship, giving Psalm 46 historical reach far earlier than Hezekiah. Event #4 – Jehoshaphat’s Deliverance (c. 845 BC) 2 Chron 20:22-30 describes Moab, Ammon, and Edom turning their swords on one another while Judah worshiped. “Desolations” here required no Judean sword, mirroring Psalm 46:9’s motif of God ending war by destroying weaponry. Event #5 – Global Flood (2348 BC, Ussher Chronology) The greatest “desolation” in pre-history: Genesis 6-9. Geological witnesses include ubiquitous marine fossils on lofty strata, extensive sedimentary layering, and polystrate trees. Worldwide flood traditions from over 300 cultures echo the biblical narrative. Event #6 – Anticipatory Glimpse of Final Judgment Hebrew prophets link past deliverances to a climactic day when God will “make an end of wars” universally (Isaiah 2:4). Psalm 46:8 may foreshadow Revelation 19:11-21, coupling historic deeds with eschatological certainty. Why Multiple Referents Are Plausible • Israelite worship regularly recounted salvation history as a single tapestry (Nehemiah 9; Psalm 78). • The Hebrew perfect often expresses past and prophetic certainty alike. • The psalm’s liturgical use allows rolling application—sung initially after 701 BC, yet ever pointing backward and forward. Theological Thread Yahweh alone engineers deliverance, nullifies tyrants, and secures His covenant people. Each historical “desolation” prefigures the ultimate victory achieved and guaranteed by the risen Christ (Colossians 2:15). Believers therefore heed the psalm’s summons to “be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10), trusting the God who has repeatedly acted in space-time history and will do so again. |
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