Book Notice: Psalms as Christian Lament

Bruce Waltke, James M. Houston, & Erika Moore

The Psalms as Christian Lament: A Historical Commentary
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014.
Available at Amazon.com

Review by Rev. Jill Firth, Adjunct Lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament at Ridley College

The Psalms as Christian Lament (hereafter, PACL) is a companion volume to The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary (Eerdmans, 2010), by the same authors (hereafter, PACW). Both volumes bring detailed exegesis of selected Psalm texts along with a rich heritage of Christian devotion and interpretation. PACW treats thirteen psalms of various genres which are significant in the Christian tradition (Psalms 1-4, 8, 15-16, 19, 22-23, 51, 110, 139). PACL focuses on the genre of lament, as the lament Psalms comprise over a third of the total Psalter, with 42 individual laments and 16 corporate laments.

Within the broad tradition of lament in the Psalter, which frequently focusses on the apparently undeserved suffering of the ‘I’ of the Psalm, PACL considers six of the penitential psalms (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 102, 130, 143. Psalm 51, the seventh of the penitential psalms, was treated in the earlier volume). Four other laments have been chosen to complement the penitential psalms (Psalms 5, 7, 39, 44), including the communal lament, Psalm 44, which addresses innocent suffering within the context of covenant obedience. A helpful distinction is drawn between appropriate punishment of the Psalmist’s sin by God, and his underserved suffering at the hands of his enemies (PACL, 54).

Bruce Waltke brings his skill as a Hebrew exegete (with commentaries on Genesis and Micah) and grammarian (he is the co-author of IBHS) to the text of the Psalms, while James M. Houston brings insights from his expertise in the history of ideas and spiritual theology. Erika Moore, who contributed her knowledge of the Second Temple period in PACW, writes the exegetical material on Psalm 39, and contributes editing, glossary and indices in PACL.

The neglect of the lament Psalms in modern Christian worship is addressed with reference to theology and our Christian heritage. Secular use of complaint may deepen a sense of alienation and meaninglessness, but Old Testament lament is an expression of a disrupted covenant relationship (PACL, 5). The Biblical mindset of the Psalter is characterised by a rich understanding of humanity, responsibility before God, faith in the creator, God as the author of suffering, the reality of sin before God, facing death, and living by God’s word (PACL, 7-14). The authors agree with R. W. L. Moberly, that ‘the experience of anguish and puzzlement… is intrinsic to the very nature of faith’ (R. W. L. Moberly, quoted in PACL, 1). Lament ‘remained formative for the deepening of Christian devotion in early Christianity, and it needs today to be strongly recovered’ (PACL, 7).

Each of the ten Psalms are introduced by a ‘Voice from the Church’ including well-known voices from the Christian tradition such as Jerome, Augustine, Aquinas, Erasmus, Luther and Calvin, and voices less familiar to evangelicals, such as Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Cassiodorus, Richard Rolle, Denys the Carthusian, John Fisher and Miles Coverdale. The reader is led through the history of the development of the church’s understanding of penitence, confession and lament, with inspiring and encouraging insights into the use of the Psalms by Christians through the centuries.

A second segment, ‘Voice of the Psalmist’, gives a fresh translation from the Hebrew original. This is followed by a commentary on each Psalm, replete with scholarly skill and human sympathy. Each Psalm is set in its context within the OT, followed by comments on genre (‘Form Criticism’) and structure, literary characteristics and voices (‘Rhetorical Criticism’). A feast of exegesis in the exegetical section gives a verse by verse theological commentary on the Psalm, followed by a conclusion which summarises the major theological contribution of the Psalm. The volume notes connections between small runs of adjacent psalms (e.g. Psalms 31-33, 42-45, 106-7), but the macrostructure of the Psalter is not a significant aspect of the commentary.

The current scholarly discussion of David as an exemplar of piety is shown to have long historical roots in the Christian tradition. The person of David was seen as a moral exemplar by Chrysostom (PACL, 77) and a model of repentance in the mediaeval period (PACL, 217). Charlemagne modelled himself on David’s kingship (PACL, 77). Augustine’s understanding of the Psalms as ‘the voice of the whole Christ’, vox totius Christi, led himto see the Psalter as the prayers of Christ and of the church, Christ’s body (PACL, 124), thus the sufferings of David can be related to the sufferings of Christ and of the church, and the laments can be appropriated as Christian prayers. Christology and soteriology are anticipated in the Psalter, and ‘the psalmist’s intimacy with God is expressed as union with Christ in the mature theology of the New Testament’ (PACL, 282).

An unusual feature of the book is the choice of ‘slave’ as the translation of ‘ebed (e.g. PACL, 230, 282)and the representation of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, as ‘I AM’ (e.g. PACL, 7, 23, 26, 28). While ‘slave’ is a potent translation of doulos in the NT, and an appropriate translation of ‘ebed in many OT contexts, ‘ebed in the Psalter frequently refers in the singular to the ‘I’ of the Psalm and in the plural to God’s people. Alternative possibilities such as ‘servant’ or ‘liege’, along with a recognition that the word is used in ‘polite self-effacement’ (HALOT), made the choice of ‘slave’ a little distracting to this reader. The authors represent the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, as ‘I AM’ with capital letters and quotation marks (in PACW they used capital letters but not quotation marks, I AM, see e.g. PACW, 27, 168).

A valuable feature of the exegetical sections is footnotes keying the syntactical discussion to the relevant sections in IBHS, standard grammars and lexica. Hebrew vocabulary or transliterations are frequently given in the commentary or footnotes, allowing the reader to follow the very helpful semantic and syntactical observations on the Hebrew text. However, quite frequently, detailed grammatical comments are made without any clue to the Hebrew word in question, so the reader needs to consult the Hebrew text to follow the argument (e.g. PACL, 141n77, 144, 146n88, 183n33, 220n46). There are a few typographical errors in Hebrew transliteration (PACL, 184n43).

The Psalms as Christian Lament places lament within the theology of the incarnation, ‘to have a genuine existence as God intended us to enjoy is to exercise lament before him’ (PACL, xiv). We are invited to gain a distinctively Christian theology of lament through the weaving of careful exegesis, historical theology, and spiritual insight. The Psalms as Christian Lament is a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any pastor, preacher, or theological student.