Psalm 122

The Hebrew text of Psalm 122 on a wall in the Jerusalem City of David

The 122nd Psalm (in the numbering of the Septuagint and Vulgate : Psalm 121) belongs to the series of pilgrimage songs . In the Western Church it is traditional, e.g. B. in musical arrangements, also known by its Latin initial words Laetatus sum .

heading

The assignment to David is missing in some Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. One can translate לדוד instead of “from David” as “with reference to David”, which makes sense in this case: according to biblical tradition, David made Jerusalem the center of all Israel ( Davidic-Solomonic Empire ) and thus became a prototype for later generations of the pilgrim.

Research history

Sigmund Mowinckel (1924) said that the psalms, known as the pilgrimage song, were sung in choir by the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem . For such a practice he could refer to various biblical passages, e.g. B. Isa 30,29  EU : “The song will be for you as it is at night when you sanctify yourself for the feast, and the joy of the heart as when you go along while playing the flute to come to the mountain of the LORD, to the rock of Israel . "

Hermann Gunkel (1929), on the other hand, interpreted Psalm 122 in his classical commentary as a song that reproduces the personal feelings of an individual: "It is composed in the wonderful hour when the singer's feet entered the gate of the holy city."

content

The psalm is often divided into three parts:

• Verses 1–2: Jerusalem as the destination of the journey.
• Verses 3–5: Religious Significance of Jerusalem.
• Verses 6-9: Wishes for this place.

The three parts can be assigned to the present (1–2), past (3–5) and future (6–9).

In the first part, a group of pilgrims is imagined on their departure and arrival at the city gate of Jerusalem. Gates and walls are part of the essence of the city, as opposed to an open settlement.

In part 2, Jerusalem is addressed emotionally as you. The rebuilding of the city walls after the Babylonian exile sounds. Now Jerusalem presents itself to the psalmist as a “total assembled” (יחדו) city, an “architectural cosmos.” Verse 4 recalls in archaic language (“the tribes of Jah”) the importance of Jerusalem as a cult center before exile. In this time, which was long ago for the poet, Jerusalem was the seat of kings and thus also the center of jurisdiction.

The third part continues the speech situation at the gates of Jerusalem. In a playful way, the city name Yerushalaim (יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם) derives the peace shalom (שְׁל֣וֹם), as well as the similar-sounding words shalṿah (שַׁ֜לְוָ֗ה) "contentment" and shalah (שׁלה) "live carefree." This comprehensive wish for peace for the inhabitants of Jerusalem can also can be read as a “critical counter-image” to the social tensions at the time of its creation.

Musical versions

Picture window in the Church of the Holy Family (Vienenburg) : Jesus with his parents on the way to Jerusalem; Inscription Psalm 122, 1st Christian relecture of the Psalm identifies St. Peter's Basilica as the house of the Lord and a pilgrimage destination

The Psalm is part of many snack-musical settings, including in the Vespers of Claudio Monteverdi . Its English version I was Glad is part of the coronation of British monarchs .

literature

• Frank-Lothar Hossfeld , Erich Zenger : Psalms 101–150 (Herder's Theological Commentary on the Old Testament). Herder, Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 2008. ISBN 978-3-451-26827-4 .

Web links

Commons : Psalm 122  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Psalm 122 in the standard translation , the Luther Bible and other translations from bibleserver.com
• Psalm 122 in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) on bibelwissenschaft.de
• Sheet music in the public domain for settings of Psalm 122 in the Choral Public Domain Library - ChoralWiki (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sigmund Mowinckel: Psalm Studies V: Blessing and Curse in Israels Kult and Psalmdichtung , 1924, p. 35.
2. ↑ Hermann Gunkel: The Psalms , p. 542.
3. ↑ Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Erich Zenger: Psalms 101-150 , Freiburg et al. 2008, p. 450, 456.
4. ↑ Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Erich Zenger: Psalms 101-150 , Freiburg et al. 2008, p. 454.
5. ↑ Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Erich Zenger: Psalms 101-150 , Freiburg et al. 2008, p. 458 f.
6. ↑ Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Erich Zenger: Psalms 101-150 , Freiburg et al. 2008, p. 460.
7. ↑ Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Erich Zenger: Psalms 101-150 , Freiburg et al. 2008, p. 461.
8. ↑ Frank-Lothar Hossfeld, Erich Zenger: Psalms 101-150 , Freiburg et al. 2008, p. 462 f.