{"id":81668,"date":"2020-10-18T15:32:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-18T12:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=81668"},"modified":"2020-10-18T15:32:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-18T12:32:40","slug":"alphabet-psalms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/alphabet-psalms\/","title":{"rendered":"Alphabet Psalms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is our first encounter with a reasonably alphabetic psalm. I say reasonably because its use of the alphabet is not, strictly speaking, acrostic; that is to say, the chapter does not consist of 22 verses, each beginning with a consecutive letter of the <\/span>aleph-beit<\/span><\/em>. On the other hand, even a relatively cursory scan reveals a clear alphabetic pattern. Indeed, Radak already made the point, saying:<\/span><\/p>\n

This psalm utilizes the alphabet, as do other [chapters] in this book. Sometimes each letter starts a verse; in others, a letter serves for two verses, or a single verse is served by two letters\u2026 There is no <\/span>beit<\/span><\/em> starting a verse, nor a <\/span>vav<\/span><\/em> nor a <\/span>qof<\/span><\/em>, and there are two [verses] with <\/span>reish<\/span><\/em>. Some say that the <\/span>beit<\/span><\/em> appears in the word <\/span>b\u2019kha<\/span><\/em> (2) which is proximal to <\/span>elohai<\/span><\/em> [which starts with an <\/span>aleph<\/span><\/em>]. Likewise, the <\/span>vav<\/span><\/em> in <\/span>v\u2019lamdeini<\/span><\/em> (5), but we cannot know for certain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Radak also took the opportunity to remark about alphabetic psalms in general:<\/span><\/p>\n

We do not know why these [chapters use the alphabet] more than others, unless [the psalmist] was, by coincidence, divinely inspired to do so. It is also possible that all alphabetic psalms are such by virtue of their length or their lofty content.<\/span><\/p>\n

As was typical of his exegetical methodology (and as we have illustrated numerous times in previous comments), Radak also felt compelled to cite various rabbinic <\/span>midrashim<\/span><\/em> on the grounds that, while not addressing the essential <\/span>peshat<\/span><\/em>, \u201cthey knew of what they spoke since their knowledge exceeds ours\u201d (Joshua 4:11). Here he cited a homily (<\/span>derash<\/span><\/em>) that points to the word <\/span>b\u2019kha<\/span><\/em> (2) whose numerical value is 22, equaling the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, as though the psalmist was saying: \u201cIn the 22 [letters] do I place my trust.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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