Mizmor 19: Proclaiming God's Glory/2

Mizmor 19: Proclaiming God's Glory

Exegetical Approaches

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Hymn in Praise of God

The psalm

Sources:RashiTehillim 19About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Ibn EzraTehillim Second Commentary 19About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorTehillim 19About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RadakTehillim 19About R. David Kimchi, SfornoTehillim 19About R. Ovadyah Sforno

Anti Pagan Polemic

The psalm is a tacit polemic against sun-worshippers, emphasizing that the sun is not a deity, but rather subservient to Hashem, the God of truth and justice.

Sources:Prof. N. Sarna¹

Centrality of the sun

The heavens proclaim Hashem's praise – The psalm opens by stating that the heavens praise Hashem to make it clear that the heavens, and all therein, are subservient to Hashem.  They are not gods to be worshiped, but rather subjects of the only God, Hashem.

"לַשֶּׁמֶשׁ שָׂם אֹהֶל בָּהֶם" – The verse states that Hashem makes a tent for the sun, highlighting that it is under God's control and subject to His desires and demands..

"וְאֵין נִסְתָּר מֵחַמָּתוֹ" – Prof. Sarna understands "חַמָּתוֹ" to mean: "His sun," with the verse stressing that the sun belongs to God.

Allusions to pagan mythology – Prof. Sarna suggests that several of the images in the psalm were chosen to allude to pagan mythology:

•  כְּחָתָן יֹצֵא מֵחֻפָּתוֹ –

"Like a mighty warrior"

Connection between the two halves

Lesson to Man

¹ See N. Sarna, "The Excellence of Torah: An Anti Pagan Polemic", in: On the Book of Psalms (New York, 1993), 70-96.