Chapter II
HEBREW SANCTUARY HYMNS OF PRAISE
The hymn of praise is very similar to the psalm of thanksgiving. Indeed it is sometimes difficult to decide in which category a psalm belongs, as in the case of Psalm 103. The fundamental difference is that the psalm of thanksgiving expresses gratitude while the hymn of praise expresses adoration. The psalm of thanksgiving testifies to that which has actually been experienced, the hymn of praise voices enthusiasm for the wisdom and power and goodness that are in God. The psalm of thanksgiving is thus in its nature subjective, conscious of what the psalmist has experienced, while the genuine hymn is objective, forgetting self in adoration of Deity.
The question of the nature of the hymn of praise is involved with the question of its origin. Praise did not in the beginning burst forth spontaneously from the human heart. Religion arose out of a consciousness of need, and a feeling that there was a power to meet that need. In Babylonia, as in India and elsewhere the hymn of praise is often but little more than an introduction to a petition. The singer tells the Deity that He is wise and then asks for wisdom; or strong and asks for strength, or rich and asks for material blessings. Praise is suspiciously close to flattery and far from disinterested. In Israel also it is believed that the Deity desires praise. There is no profit for Yahwe in the death of the psalmist, since the dead praise not Yahwe. But in Israel praise is not a mere preliminary to a petition. The Old Testament psalmist does not praise God and then ask for favors. Almost no hymns are found in the psalter followed by what can actually be called a petition. The Hebrew hymn of praise has passed beyond that stage of development. As the expression of faith in Deity in the psalm of lamentation developed into the independent psalm of faith, so the words of praise that once introduced the petition for help have developed into the independent hymn of praise. Nor is the Old Testament hymn of praise just an expression of gratitude for the divine favors received; with or without anticipation of favors to come. The hymn of praise is not a mere variant of the psalm of gratitude. The hymn of praise has transcended the human experience of need and deliverance and forgets the self in adoration of Deity. Praise is an end in itself, desired of God, and necessary for the human spirit.
The first home of the hymn of praise, in the light of all that is known of the development of religion, must undoubtedly have been the sanctuary. This judgment is confirmed by the testimony of the Old Testament psalms:
Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion. —Psalm 65:2.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise. —Psalm 100:4.
Praise him ye servants of Yahwe, Ye who stand in the house of Yahwe. —Psalm 135:1, 2.
Sing unto Yahwe a new song, His praise in the congregation of saints. —Psalm 149:1.
Behold bless ye Yahwe, ye servants of Yahwe, Who by night stand in the house of Yahwe. —Psalm 134:1.
I will praise Yahwe with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and the congregation. —Psalm 111:1.
Such pious Hebrews as the authors of Psalms 42-43 and 84 longed for the sanctuary because it was preëminently the place for worship and praise. Typical sanctuary hymns of praise are Psalms 150, 148, 147, 146, 145, 111, 135, 117, 113, 33, 115.
The external form of the hymn of praise is very simple. It is introduced by the call to praise, originally addressed by the priesthood of the sanctuary to the worshippers. The characteristic form of the call was: “Praise ye Yahwe,” “Hallelujah.” So Miriam called upon her Hebrew sisters to praise Yahwe when the victory had been gained at the Sea of Reeds over Pharaoh’s forces:
Praise ye Yahwe, for he hath triumphed; Horse and rider hath he thrown into the sea. —Exodus 15:21.
This call to praise was followed by the body of the hymn setting forth in participial phrases, adjectival clauses, or independent sentences the reasons why men should praise Yahwe. Then the hymn was rounded out in good symmetrical form with the same concluding call to praise:—“Hallelujah.”
While the above is the standard form of the hymn, a few psalms repeat the call to praise at intervals throughout the psalm, creating somewhat the impression of a union of little hymns. Thus Psalm 147 is in three parts each introduced by a call to praise. Part I has the call to praise in verse 1, and the reasons for praise in verses 2-6. Part II has the call to praise in verse 7 and the reasons for praise in verses 8-11.
## Part III has the call to praise in verse 12 and the reasons for praise
in verses 13-20. The whole hymn then concludes with “Hallelujah.” Likewise Psalm 148 is in two parts. Part I has the call to praise in verses 1-5a, and the reasons for praise in verse 5b and verse 6. Part II has the call to praise in verses 7-13a, and the reasons for praise in verses 13bc and 14abc. Again there is a concluding “Hallelujah.”
It is worth observing that in general the Old Testament hymn of praise speaks of Yahwe in the third person. Human being calls upon human being to praise Yahwe, and human being tells human being why Yahwe is worthy to be praised. Hymns which thus use the third person exclusively are Psalms 150, 149, 148, 147, 146, 134, 117, 113, 111, 100, 98, 96, 95, 47, 29, 24, 19:2-5b; 19:5c-7. Yahwe is addressed in the second person in the following verses: Psalm 135:13; Psalm 97:9; Psalm 99:3, 8; Psalm 115:1, 2; Psalm 93:2, 3, 5. The second and third persons are used in about equal degree in Psalm 68, 145, 194, while Psalms 8, 84, 67 use the second person exclusively. Now the use of the second person is of course characteristic of prayer. The fact therefore that in the standard Hebrew hymn of praise the third person is used, because Hebrew is calling upon his fellow Hebrew to Praise Yahwe, testifies rather powerfully to the social and democratic character of worship in Israel.
Taking up now the three divisions of the Hebrew hymn in order, it is to be noticed that the call to praise has undergone certain changes in the wording. While in the great majority of the hymns the call to praise is “Hallelujah” in Psalm 134 the call is: “Bless ye Yahwe”; and in Psalm 100 all the land is bidden: “Shout to Yahwe”; and in Psalm 33 the righteous are called upon to: “Rejoice in Yahwe.” Most impressive perhaps of all the calls to praise is that of Psalm 29, where the summons is addressed to the residents of heaven:
Ascribe to Yahwe, ye gods, Ascribe to Yahwe glory and strength.
Again, when it is an individual who sings his hymn of praise, he must either address deity in the first person, as in Psalm 145:1:
I will extol thee, my God, O King; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever;
or he must call upon himself to praise Yahwe as in Psalm 146:1:
Praise Yahwe, O my soul.
Still further variation from the standard form is found, when the call to praise takes the form of a petition to Yahwe, a petition however which is really an ascription of glory to him. This occurs very beautifully in Psalm 115:1:
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But unto thy name give glory.
So also in Psalms 67 and 68, the petitions of the opening verses are really that God will glorify his own name, and the petitions merge altogether naturally into the calls to praise that follow.
The calls to praise in the various hymns, however they vary, yet bear eloquent testimony to the enthusiasm which animated the Hebrew hymns. They were sung not only to the accompaniment of many musical instruments, but also with dancing. The singing was not limited to sanctuary choirs, but was participated in by the entire concourse of people. The call to praise goes out to those in the sanctuary Psalm 150:1; to priests, Levites, Israelites, proselytes Psalm 135:19ff; to Jerusalem Psalm 147:12; to all nations Psalm 117; to everything that hath breath Psalm 150:6; to all things animate and inanimate in heaven and earth Psalm 148.
The reasons given in the body of the hymns why men should praise Yahwe naturally vary somewhat. However one predominant reason is that God in wisdom and power created the entire physical universe as it was visible to the ancient Hebrew; the firmament with sun, moon and stars, and the waters above the firmament; the earth and everything upon the earth, and the waters beneath the earth. It is Yahwe who causeth the winds to blow, and the lightnings to flash, and hail and snow and rain to fall upon the earth; it is Yahwe who causeth all vegetation to grow, and giveth increase to the flock, and sustaineth life in everything that breatheth. (Psalms 148:5-6; 147:4, 8, 15-18; 146:6; 135:6, 7; 115:15; 104:2-32; 68:10, and 29:3-10.)
A second almost equally prominent reason for praising Yahwe is for his wisdom, might, and goodness revealed in his dealings with Israel. He had chosen the race for his own, had redeemed it from the power of Egypt, had revealed unto it his will in laws, statutes and commandments, had led it safely through the great desert, and had given it possession of the land of Canaan. (Psalms 148:14; 147:2,13,20; 135:4,9-12; 33:12.) It is noteworthy that little attention is given to the return from exile,
## partly, perhaps, because it may have been easier to see the hand of God
in remote history, and partly because the return from Babylon and the subsequent history were not themes to create hymnal enthusiasm. On the other hand Israel did, as it will appear, look toward the future for Yahwe’s final and most glorious participation in human affairs.
A third potent reason for praising Yahwe is because of his merciful help extended to the weak and lowly on the earth, the widow, the orphan and the stranger, the oppressed and the troubled. Especially is he to be praised, because he saves the righteous and destroys the wicked. (Psalms 147:3; 146:7-9; 145:14, 18-20; 113:6-9; 103:13; 33:18-20; 68:6.)
Again the psalmist praises Yahwe for what he is in himself. His greatness is unsearchable. He is high above all Gods. His understanding is infinite. He is gracious and full of compassion. He is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works. He is good, his mercy is everlasting and his faithfulness is extended to generation after generation. His name is holy and to be revered. (Psalms 150:2; 147:5; 146:7-9; 135:3, 5; 113:4; 111:4, 9; 100:5.)
Yet another reason for praising Yahwe is that he stands in such contrast to the gold and silver idols of the nations, which are the work of men’s hands, and powerless to see or hear or help. (Psalms 135:15-17; 115:4-8.) Likewise Yahwe is an infinitely more reliable and potent source of help than the mortal human prince who goeth so soon to the grave and whose thoughts and plans then perish forever. (Psalm 146:3, 4.)
As the hymns in praise of Yahwe quite fittingly begin with Hallelujah “Praise ye Yahwe,” so also the great majority of them come to a conclusion with “Hallelujah.” (Psalms 150, 149, 148, 147, 146, 135, 117, 115, 113, 104.) There are a few hymns which have not the Hallelujah at the close (Psalms 29, 33, 111, 145), but these are not typical hymns. Psalms 29 and 33 do not use “Hallelujah” in the opening call to praise, while 111 and 145 are individual and alphabetical hymns of praise, in which “Hallelujah” could not well be made an integral part of the hymn. On the other hand a number of hymns have a longer and stronger concluding call to praise than the simple “Hallelujah”:
Let everything that breatheth praise Yahwe. Praise ye Yahwe. —Psalm 150:6.
The praise of Yahwe shall my mouth speak; And let all flesh bless his holy name For ever and ever. —Psalm 145:21.
The dead praise not Yahwe, Nor any who go down into silence; But as for us we will praise Yahwe Both now and evermore; Praise ye Yahwe. —Psalm 115:17, 18.
House of Israel, bless ye Yahwe; House of Aaron, bless ye Yahwe; House of Levi, bless ye Yahwe; Worshippers of Yahwe, bless ye Yahwe; Blessed by Yahwe from Zion who inhabits Jerusalem; Praise ye Yahwe. —Psalm 135:19-21.
Such in general is the sanctuary hymn of praise, but each of the hymns in this group (Psalms 150, 148, 147, 135, 113, 145, 111, 146, 115, 33, 117) merits or demands at least brief individual mention. Of all these Psalm 150 deserves to be mentioned first because its position at the end of the psalter may be accepted as strong testimony of the great importance attached to praise in the worship of Israel. The psalm also merits consideration for its own sake because of the clarity and symmetry of its arrangement:
Call to praise Yahwe (verse 1a); where praise Yahwe (verse 1bc); wherefore praise Yahwe (verse 2); wherewith praise Yahwe (verses 3, 4, 5); concluding call to praise Yahwe (verse 6).
Psalm 148 is particularly notable for the universality of its call to praise. Verses 1-5 call upon everybody and everything in the heavens above to praise Yahwe, while verses 7-13 call to his praise everything and everybody on the earth beneath including:
Kings of the earth, and all people; Princes, and all judges of the earth; Both young men and maidens; Old men and children.
After the tremendous universality of this call to praise, the brevity of the body of the hymn, with the reference to Yahwe’s supreme glory on the one hand, and the reference to his goodness to Israel on the other hand, is very effective:
Let them praise the name of Yahwe, For his name alone is supreme. His glory is above earth and heaven, And he hath given victory to his people. The praise is he of all his faithful ones, Even of the Israelites, the people near to him, Praise ye Yahwe.
Psalm 147 is a splendid example of the union of three little hymns in one composition. The absence of a concluding call to praise is surprising; it has doubtless been lost in process of transmission.
Psalm 135 has a number of little variations from the ordinary usage of the hymns. Verses 1 and 2 are a typical call to praise:
Praise ye Yahwe; Praise ye the name of Yahwe; Praise him, ye servants of Yahwe, Ye who stand in the house of Yahwe, In the courts of the house of our God.
But then verses 3 and 4 are two little hymns in themselves:
Praise Yahwe; for Yahwe is good. Sing praises unto him, for he is gracious, For Yahwe hath chosen Jacob for himself, And Israel is his treasure.
With verse 5 one would expect a renewed call to praise, as for example:
Praise Yahwe for Yahwe is great,
but instead of the call to praise there is substituted an affirmation of faith:
For we know that Yahwe is great, And our Lord above all gods.
Verses 6-12 proceed in normal course reciting the greatness of Yahwe in creation and in history, but verse 13 contains its surprise, for the third person is exchanged for the second and Yahwe is directly addressed:
Thy name, O Yahwe, endureth for ever, Thy remembrance, O Yahwe, to all generations.
The second person is the natural usage of prayer, and the subject of verse 14 would have been appropriate for petition:
For Yahwe will deliver his people, And he will show mercy to his servants.
Possibly this very fact accounts for the use of the second person in verse 13. The thought of rescue naturally suggests the idea of the idol worship of the oppressors (verses 15-18), and the contrast between the impotent idols and Yahwe lends enthusiasm to the mighty concluding call to praise (verses 19-21).
In this group of sanctuary hymns, Psalm 113 undoubtedly deserves a unique place. The call to praise is distinctive both for its sublimity of conception and the beauty of the language:
Praise ye Yahwe; Praise, ye servants of Yahwe, Praise the name of Yahwe. Blessed be the name of Yahwe Now and evermore; From the rising of the sun to its going down Yahwe’s name is to be praised. —Verses 1-3.
However the rarest beauty and chiefest charm of this hymn is in the unexpected contrast between the Yahwe exalted high above all nations and Yahwe stooping from on high to the poorest and weakest of the earth. There is here a beautiful illustration of the characteristic Hebrew tendency to make truth concrete, in the case of the childless wife whom Yahwe remembers, and saves from being divorced, causing her to remain at home the joyful mother of children:
High above all nations is Yahwe; Above the heavens his glory. Who is like Yahwe our God, Who dwelling in high heaven, Stoopeth to look upon the earth? He raiseth up poor men from the dust; From the dung hill he lifteth needy men, To seat them beside princes. Even with the princes of his people. He causeth the barren woman to live at home The mother of children joyful. Praise ye Yahwe.
It is safe to say that no greater hymn of praise is to be found in the psalter than Psalm 100. It is great in its originality, clarity, and strength. It is addressed to the congregation entering the temple, and though not sung by the procession might yet be called a processional hymn. It is perhaps a question how wide the application of verse 1 is, whether the call to praise goes out to all the earth and all humanity, or whether the call is intended simply for all the land of Palestine. Verses 3 and 4 seem to make it reasonably clear that the call to praise is here meant not for humanity but for the Jewish people. The psalm is not then an eschatological hymn as the wider application of verse 1 might suggest. The hymn falls into two divisions of almost equal lengths, verses 1-3 and verses 4-5. In the first division verses 1 and 2 constitute the call to praise:
Shout to Yahwe all the land: Serve Yahwe with gladness; Come in before him with singing.
Verse 3 makes up the body of the hymn in this division, and it is to be noted that while the actual content of verse 3 is characteristic reason for praise, yet the introduction of “Know ye” adds another to the succession of imperatives in this psalm, increases its strength, and is reminiscent of the fact that there were requirements for those who would enter Yahwe’s temple as Psalm 24:3-5 makes clear:
Know ye that Yahwe is God: It is He who hath made us, and we are His people and sheep of his pasture.
In the second division verse 4 is the call to praise:
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise; Be thankful to him, bless his name,
and verse 5 the body of the hymn:
For good is Yahwe: unto everlasting his mercy And to all generations his faithfulness.
There is no further conclusion and assuredly none is needed.
Psalm 134 is a simple liturgical hymn of a night service in the Jerusalem temple. Some one representing the congregation standing without calls upon the priests in the sanctuary to lift up hands to the Holy of Holies and bless Yahwe (verses 1-2). The priests from within replying invoke Yahwe’s blessing upon the worshipper.
Another very beautiful liturgical hymn of praise is Psalm 24. Verses 1 and 2 are sung by the congregation approaching the sanctuary, and are hymnal in character. Arrived at the sanctuary the question is asked, who are worthy to enter Yahwe’s sanctuary (verse 3), and the answer is given in verses 4, 5. These three verses belong to the category of the teaching psalms. In verse 6 the congregation announces that it seeks the God of Jacob. However the temple doors are closed and the congregation demands that the gates be lifted up to permit the King of Glory to enter, verse 7. Verse 8 brings the challenge from within the temple: “Who is this king of glory?” and the answer is returned by the company without: “Yahwe strong and mighty, Yahwe mighty in battle.” Again the demand is made that the temple gates be lifted up (verse 9), but again the challenge comes from within: “Who is this king of glory?” And now the company returns the age-old title of the king, “Yahwe of hosts, he is the king of glory,” and we are to understand that the gates did lift up, and that the mighty God passed in.
It is clear that this liturgical hymn is made up of what were once independent literary units. This is sufficiently obvious from the fact that in verse 6 the worshipping company are seeking the deity’s presence, as indeed is presupposed by verses 3-5, while in verses 7-10 the company is seeking entrance for Yahwe himself into the temple or more probably into the city. The whole constitutes a noble liturgical hymn of praise.
Psalms 111 and 145 have little claim to recognition other than that they are alphabetical psalms, the twenty-two lines of 111 beginning with the twenty-two successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet, while the first lines of the twenty-two couplets of Psalm 145 likewise begin with the twenty-two successive letters of the alphabet.
Psalm 146 opens in the characteristic style of an individual hymn of praise:
Praise ye Yahwe: Praise Yahwe, O my soul; While I live I will praise Yahwe; I will sing praises unto my God, while I exist.
Then, however, there are three verses in the manner of wisdom literature, although introduced by verse 3 in the hortatory style of the prophet:
Trust ye not in princes, Nor in man in whom is no help: His breath goeth out, he returneth to his ground; In that day his thoughts perish. Happy is he who has Jacob’s God for his help, Whose hope is in Yahwe his God, Maker of heaven and earth.
Verses 6-9 give the standard reasons why men should praise Yahwe, and verse 10 closes the hymn with that hopeful outlook for the future so significant, and so characteristic of the Hebrew religion and the Hebrew hymn of praise:
Yahwe shall reign forever, Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye Yahwe.
Psalm 115 varies so widely from the standard hymn of praise that it is just a question whether it belongs with the hymns, or with the psalms of petition. As previously pointed out, the introductory call to praise here takes on the form of a petition, fortified moreover as in prayers of petition with reasons why Yahwe should answer it.
Not to us, Yahwe, not to us, But to thy name give glory, For thy mercy’s sake, for thy truth’s sake. Why should the nations say, Where is their God? —Verses 1, 2.
What would ordinarily be the body of the first division of the hymn begins with verse 3 and runs on to verse 8 contrasting the God who is in the heavens and who has power to do whatever he wills with the impotent and useless idols of the nations (verses 3-8).
A new section clearly begins with verse 9. In a hymn proper verses 9-11 would constitute a renewed call to praise, but here they are a summons to Israelites, priests, proselytes to trust Yahwe:
Israel, trust in Yahwe: Their help and their shield is he. House of Aaron, trust in Yahwe; Their help and their shield is he. Worshippers of Yahwe, trust in Yahwe; Their help and their shield is he.
There follows in verses 12-14 not reasons why Yahwe should be trusted, corresponding to the manner in which the body of a hymn gives reasons why Yahwe should be praised, but rather a strong affirmation of confidence, which again is a common feature of the prayer of petition.
Yahwe remembers us and will bless, He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless the worshippers of Yahwe, The small with the great,
Yahwe will increase you, You and your children. Blessed are ye of Yahwe, Maker of heaven and earth.
Finally where in verses 16-18 would ordinarily be expected a renewed call to praise, we have here something that resembles the vow of a prayer of petition, although it is hymnal to the extent that it promises to praise Yahwe for evermore.
It ought also to be observed that the psalm has a number of features that indicate it to be liturgical in character. Verses 1-8, it may be supposed, were sung by the congregation made up of Israelites, and proselytes, led by priests and Levites. Then verses 9-11 constitute an antiphonal response to their petition, one choir singing: “O Israel, trust in Yahwe,” while the second choir responded: “He is their help and their shield.” The whole congregation that first sang verses 1-8 now sings verses 12-13, and in reply to their affirmation of faith, the temple choir gives the comforting assurance of Yahwe’s favor in verses 14-15. Then the congregation sings the hymnal vow of verses 16-18. It remains accordingly a question whether we have in Psalm 115 a liturgical hymn of praise, or a liturgical psalm of petition in which the hymnal spirit and form has a prominent place.
Psalm 33 is also difficult of classification. Verses 1-3 are a typical hymnal call to praise and verses 4-7 give customary reasons for praising Yahwe. Then verse 8 issues a renewed call to worship Yahwe and verses 9-11 again give customary reasons for so doing. But when we arrive at verse 12 we have the characteristic introduction to a wisdom psalm:
Happy the nation whose God is Yahwe, The people he hath chosen for his inheritance.
and there follow in verses 13-19 the sententious utterances, characteristic of the wisdom literature, teaching that neither men nor nations are saved by physical might, but only by the mercy of Yahwe extended to those who fear him. Not inappropriately there follows, in verses 20 and 21, an affirmation of faith in Yahwe, which is followed in turn by the brief petition:
Let thy mercy, O Yahwe, be upon us, According as we have trusted in thee.
The first half of the psalm, verses 1-11 is a hymn of praise; the second half, verses 12-22, despite the petition at the close is perhaps best called a wisdom psalm.
In the very short Psalm 117 the call to praise goes out in verse 1 to “all nations” and to “all peoples.” It is a question however whether the mercy of Yahwe in verse 2 is extended to all peoples or limited to the Hebrews. In any case this little hymn of praise forms a suitable transition to the special group of eschatological hymns of praise.
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