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Psalms of Solomon

About this book

The Return of Jerusalem’s Scattered Children

Psalm 11

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion to summon (the) saints. Let Jerusalem hear the voice of the one who brings good news; For God has had pity on Israel by attending to them.⁠ 2 Stand on the height, Jerusalem, and look at your children, From the East and the West, gathered together by the Lord;⁠ 3 From the North they come in the gladness of their God, From the faraway islands God has gathered them. 4 He has lowered high mountains into a plain for them; The hills fled at their entrance. 5 The woods gave them shelter as they passed by; God caused every sweet-smelling tree to grow for them, 6 so that Israel might pass by when their God visits them in glory. 7 Put on, Jerusalem, your glorious clothing; Prepare your holy robe; For God has promised good things for Israel, forever and ever.⁠ 8 Let the Lord do what He has spoken concerning Israel and Jerusalem; Let the Lord raise up Israel by His glorious name. 9 The mercy of the Lord be upon Israel forever and ever.

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 52:1 and Psalms of Solomon 11:7

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry

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Summary

The Psalms of Solomon draw on Isaiah 52 and its imagery of Jerusalem awakening and dressing in glory, to frame the return of exiles as divine mercy. The command for Jerusalem to clothe itself and the mention of good news echo Isaiah’s call.

Passages

Isaiah 52:1

Hebrew Bible
1 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city. For uncircumcised and unclean pagans will no longer invade you. 2 Shake off the dirt! Get up, captive Jerusalem. Take off the iron chains around your neck, O captive daughter Zion. 3 For this is what the Lord says: “You were sold for nothing, and you will not be redeemed for money.” 4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt; Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

Psalms of Solomon 11:7

Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
5 The woods gave them shelter as they passed by; God caused every sweet-smelling tree to grow for them, 6 so that Israel might pass by when their God visits them in glory. 7 Put on, Jerusalem, your glorious clothing; Prepare your holy robe; For God has promised good things for Israel, forever and ever. 8 Let the Lord do what He has spoken concerning Israel and Jerusalem; Let the Lord raise up Israel by His glorious name. 9 The mercy of the Lord be upon Israel forever and ever.
65–30 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Psalms of Solomon

References

"... Whereas Isaiah 40:5 emphasizes the glory of God himself as he arrives in person, Psalm of Solomon 11:6 interprets God’s glory as manifest in the return of exiles. The reestablishment of the righteous Diaspora is the fulfillment of salvation from Isaiah 40:5 (Psalms of Solomon 5:7). The Psalm also extracts various other strands of second exodus material from Isaiah, most notably Isaiah 52. In verses 1b-2 of the Psalm, someone commands that people “announce ... the voice of the one bringing good news”, and this good news is modified by a dependent ὅτι clause: “for / that God has been merciful to Israel”.” Though the parallel is not exact, this is probably a reference to the heralding messenger of Isaiah 52:7. In the LXX, Isaiah 52’s herald announces the good news of the saving reign of God “because the Lord has been merciful to her and has rescued Jerusalem” (Isaiah 52:9). Another probable allusion to Isaiah 52 appears at the end of the Psalm. In verse 7, there is a command for Jerusalem to “put on” her “glorious garments”. The correspondence with Isaiah 52:1 here is unmistakable. Later in verse 7, the reason that Jerusalem is to clothe itself is because “God has spoken good things about Israel forever”. The verb ἐλάλησεν and adverbial clause εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα probably derives from Isaiah 40:5 and 8 respectively, yet the mention of “good things” may be another conscious inclusion of Isaiah 52:7 and the proclamation of “good things” from that context. By alluding to Isaiah 52:7-9, Psalm of Solomon 11:1 and 11:7 intimates that God will bring about “good news” and “good things” through the exilic return (Psalms of Solomon 11:5-6) ..."
Chad Reeser, The Use of Isaiah in Psalm of Solomon 11 and Mark 1:1-15 (University of Aberdeen, 2020), 1–11.

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

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Isaiah 52:1 and Psalms of Solomon 11:7

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