Psalms

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Psalm 33

1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord! It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp. Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument. 3 Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him. 4 For the Lord’s decrees are just, and everything he does is fair. 5 He promotes equity and justice; the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. 6 By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all the starry hosts.⁠ 7 He piles up the water of the sea; he puts the oceans in storehouses.⁠ 8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord. Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spoke, and it came into existence. He issued the decree, and it stood firm.⁠ 10 The Lord frustrates the decisions of the nations; he nullifies the plans of the peoples. 11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever; his plans abide throughout the ages. 12 How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession. 13 The Lord watches from heaven; he sees all people.⁠ 14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully at all the earth’s inhabitants. 15 He is the one who forms every human heart, and takes note of all their actions. 16 No king is delivered by his vast army; a warrior is not saved by his great might. 17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; despite its great strength, it cannot deliver. 18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness 19 by saving their lives from death and sustaining them during times of famine. 20 We wait for the Lord; he is our deliverer and shield. 21 For our hearts rejoice in him, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May we experience your faithfulness, O Lord, for we wait for you.

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.2 IV:25 and Psalm 33:7

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

Summary

Psalm 33 shares Baal's control of Sea in the Baal Cycle, emphasizing God's complete authority by showing that he can arrange its waters with a command.

Passages

KTU 1.2 IV:25

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

You, your name is 'All-Driver' All-Driver, drive Yamm away, drive Yamm from his throne, Nahar from the siege of his dominion! You must leap from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. Strike the skull of Prince Yamm (Ocean), the brow of Ruler Nahar (River)! Let Yamm collapse in a heap, and let him fall to the ground!' Then the mace leapt from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. It struck the skull of Prince Yamm, the brow of Ruler Nahar. Yamm collapsed in a heap; he fell to the ground. His joints trembled, and his visage was discomposed. Baal gathered Up and drank Prince Yamm to the dregs, he exterminated Ruler Nahar. By name Athtart chided him Dry him Up, O Valiant Baal! Dry him up, O Charioteer of the Clouds! For our captive is Prince [Yamm], [for]

1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Psalm 33:7

Hebrew Bible

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp. Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument. 3 Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him. 4 For the Lord’s decrees are just, and everything he does is fair. 5 He promotes equity and justice; the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. 6 By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all the starry hosts. 7 He piles up the water of the sea; he puts the oceans in storehouses. 8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord. Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spoke, and it came into existence. He issued the decree, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord frustrates the decisions of the nations; he nullifies the plans of the peoples.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

“... Ugaritic texts (KTU 1.3 III 38–42; KTU 1.5 I 1–8; and KTU 1.83) refer ence Baʿlu and ʿAnatu defeating Yammu and/or Lōtanu. Within the bibli cal anthology, many texts emphasize Yahweh’s authority over the sea (Ps 93:1–5; Ps 29:3; Ps 65:8; Nah 1:3b–5; Ps 104; Ps 33; Job 7:12 Job 9:8; Job 38:4a, 8–11, 16); some use the conflict motif to promote Yahweh’s royal author ity (Ps 93 and Ps 29); several describe battles against Rahab, Leviathan, dragon/s, Sea, and/or the sea (Ps 89:6–15, Ps 74:12–17, Job 26:10–13), though we also have descriptions of Leviathan as Yahweh’s plaything (Ps 104 and Job 40–41); and many passages interweave the conflict motif with creation themes in order to portray Yahweh’s dominion as universal (Ps 89:6–15, Ps 74:12–17, Ps 104:2–6; Job 38). Ugaritic and biblical literatures promote the prowess of Baʿlu and Yahweh, respectively, through reference to their defeat of Lōtanu/Leviathan, a multi-headed serpent. Judean and Mesopotamian combat traditions share use of the conflict motif to sup port the claim that the victorious warrior deity is incomparable. Mari letter A.1968 preserves reference to Adad defeating the sea as well. Though we have no full narratives of Yahweh or Adad defeating divine enemies, these victorious warrior deities, along with Baʿlu, Ninurta, Marduk, and Aššur, attained their kingship and dominion through combat with their enemies. I describe examples of the conflict motif that focus primarily on the status of the victorious deity as primary application of the motif. ...”

Debra Scoggins Ballentine, The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), 124.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Psalms150 psalms

Compare KTU 1.2 IV:25 and Psalm 33:7

Summary

Passages

KTU 1.2 IV:25

Psalm 33:7

References

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