John Makujina, «The Interpretation of Ps 144,14: Applying a Pluralistic Approach to a Manifold Difficulty», Vol. 92 (2011) 481-502
The interpretation of Ps 144,14 remains unsettled, due primarily to the difficulty of identifying an overall context for the colon. Of the two major positions dominating the debate, one contends that the topic of the entire verse is bovine fecundity, whereas the other considers part of the colon (v. 14b-c) to be about national security. The author finds both views to be problematic and proposes another solution, which retains attractive elements from each position: Ps 144,14 promises the prosperity of livestock, by assuring that they will not become the spoils of war.
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THE INTERPRETATION OF PS 144,14
of her … †41 (Amos’ preoccupation with deportation insures the ex-
ilic sense of 4,3.) 42 The same combination also surfaces in Mic 2,13,
.
“The one who breaks open (#rePh) goes up before them; they break
;
through (Wcr>P') and pass through the gate and go out through it (Ab
WacYw) ….†Nevertheless, the precise context of this passage has been
.E: .
widely debated 43, and the key terms (Wac.YEw:, Wcr>P', #rePh) may carry
;
positive connotations 44.
Alternatively, it is worth considering whether tacwy (Ps 144,14)
serves as a laconic surrogate for the familiar formula ~xln … acy,
“went forth … and fought†(Exod 17,9; Judg 9,38-39; 1 Sam 8,20;
19,8; 2 Sam 11,17; 2 Kgs 19,9 [= Isa 37,9]; Zech 14,3; Dan 11,11;
2 Chr 26,6) 45. (See also Deut 28,7.25; Judg 9,33; 1 Sam 17,20, and
2 Sam 11,1.23, where acy conveys a military attack, independently.)
In some cases the fighting involves nothing more than self-defense
and sometimes of a fortified city (Exod 17,9; Judg 9,33.38-39; 2
Sam 11,17.23; Zech 14,3). Therefore, in Ps 144,14, tacwy could eas-
ily complement wnytbxrb hxwc and #rp as a reference to a defensive
battle within the context of a siege 46.
41
So ZIEGLER, “Ps 144â€, 194. Consult H. W. Wolff and Ziegler for a de-
fense of the Masoretic reading. H.W. WOLFF, Dodekapropheton 2 Joel und
Amos (BKAT 14; Neukirchen-Vluyn 1969) 242, 245; ZIEGLER, “Ps 144â€, 194.
42
Amos 1,5.6.15; 5,5.27; 6,7; 7,11.17; 9,4.14. For the exilic sense of
hntklvh (Amos 4,3), see wklvh in Jer 22,28.
43
Disagreement remains over the imagery (martial or pastoral), the form
of the oracle (salvation or judgment), the time period (Assyrian or Babylo-
nian), the enclosed city (Jerusalem, Bozrah, or Babylon), the identity of the
#rePo (Cyrus, Sennacherib, Messiah, Yahweh, et al.), and the direction of pas-
sage (bursting out of the city or into it). B.K. WALTKE, A Commentary on
Micah (Grand Rapids, MI 2007) 131-143.
44
Although acy communicates exile in Mic 4,10, this is probably not the
sense of wacyw in 2,13, since it would require an abrupt change of subject from
the previous verbs. Cfr., WALTKE, Micah, 136-137.
45
So BIRD, Psalms, 398; ZIEGLER, “Ps 144â€, 194. H. Herkenne and A. B.
Ehrlich propose something similar but draw comparisons with another passage,
Amos 5,3: ha'me taceAYh;w> … @l,a, taceYh; ry[ih' . H. HERKENNE, Das Buch der Psal-
men. Übersetz und Erklärt (Die Heilige Schrift des Alten Testaments 5; Bonn
1936) 446; A.B. EHRLICH, Die Psalmen. Neu Uebersetzt und Erklaert (Berlin
1905) 382. For similar constructions with acy see Numbers 1 and Deut 3,1.
46
In 2 Chr 26,6, ~xln … acy occurs with #r;P': “And he (Uzziah) went out
and made war against the Philistines and breached the wall of Gath and the
wall of Jabneh and the wall of Ashdod … †If something like this were the
prototype for Ps 144,14b, tacwy and #rp would allude to the enemies of Israel
neither going out to fight against them nor breaking through their walls.
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