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Cited by 3Biblical Studies and InterpretationDigital Humanities and ScholarshipClassical Studies and Philology

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Significant Compositional Techniques in the Psalms: Evidence for the Use of Number as an Organizing Principle

Labuschagne, Casper·2009·Vetus Testamentum
DOI 10.1163/004249309x12486564566970
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Abstract

This article directs attention to a largely unobserved, and grossly ignored, aspect of the biblical writings in general and of the Psalms in particular: their numerical features. It shall be demonstrated that in composing their texts, the biblical writers used specific numbers as an organizing principle to shape their texts and as a means of imbuing them with symbolic significance. In doing so, they employed a variety of numerical techniques, in which 7 and 11, symbolizing 'fullness' and 'comprehensiveness', play a crucial role as ordering devices. Evidence is adduced to show that the scribes also used the divine name numbers 17 and 26 in various ways to symbolically express God's presence and to give prominence to their texts. Approaching the book of Psalms from this perspective provides us with a new key to unlock and understand the compositional architecture of the psalms and the five books of the Psalter. These claims are substantiated by a discussion of sufficient examples to illustrate that the psalms are interrelated numerical compositions and that the book of Psalms is a sophisticated, meticulously designed work of art, shaped primarily by numerical considerations.

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Metadata

Authors
Labuschagne, C.
Affiliations
1Haren, the Netherlands
Corresponding author
Labuschagne, Casper
ORCID
Labuschagne, Casper
Venue
Vetus Testamentum
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Published
2009
Volume
59
Issue
4
Pages
583-605
ISSN
  • 0042-4935 (ISSN-L)
  • 1568-5330
DOI
10.1163/004249309x12486564566970
OpenAlex
W2012118497
Cited by
3
References
0
Citations by year
2021: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2012: 1
FWCI
7.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Vetus Testamentum (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Digital Humanities and Scholarship
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Classical Studies and Philology
Keywords
Psalms, number symbolism, compositional techniques, satiety, biblical composition, Hebrew Bible

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