{"collection":"Bible & Christianity","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bib/cmt/kad/psa150.htm","path":"bib/cmt/kad/psa150.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/kad/psa150.htm","text":"Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsh, [1857-78]\nThe Final Hallelujah\nThe call to praise Jahve \"with dance and with timbrel\" in Psa 149:3 is put forth here anew in Psa 150:4, but with the introduction of all the instruments; and is addressed not merely to Israel, but to every individual soul.\nThe Synagogue reckons up thirteen divine attributes according to ex. Psa 34:6. (\u05e9\u05c1\u05dc\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e2\u05e9\u05c2\u05e8\u05d4 \u05de\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05ea), to which, according to an observation of Kimchi, correspond the thirteen \u05d4\u05dc\u05bc\u05dc of this Psalm. It is, however, more probable that in the mind of the poet the tenfold halaluw encompassed by Hallelujah's is significative; for ten is the number of rounding off, completeness, exclusiveness, and of the extreme of exhaustibleness. The local definitions in Psa 150:1 are related attributively to God, and designate that which is heavenly, belonging to the other world, as an object of praise. \u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u05d5\u05bc (the possible local meaning of which is proved by the \u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u05c1 and \u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u05c1\u05d9\u05dd of the Tabernacle and of the Temple) is in this passage the heavenly \u05d4\u05d9\u05db\u05dc; and \u05e8\u05e7\u05d9\u05e2 \u05e2\u05d6\u05bc\u05d5 is the firmament spread out by God's omnipotence and testifying of God's omnipotence (Psa 68:35), not according to its front side, which is turned towards the earth, but according to the reverse or inner side, which is turned towards the celestial world, and which marks it off from the earthly world. The third and fourth h\u0103lalu give as the object of the praise that which is at the same time the ground of the praise: the tokens of His \u05d2\u05bc\u05d1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05d4, i.e., of His all-subduing strength, and the plenitude of His greatness (\u05d2\u05bc\u05d3\u05dc\u05d5 = \u05d2\u05bc\u05d3\u05dc\u05d5), i.e., His absolute, infinite greatness. The fifth and sixth h\u0103lalu bring into the concert in praise of God the ram's horn, \u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8, the name of which came to be improperly used as the name also of the metallic \u05d7\u05e6\u05e6\u05e8\u05d4 (vid., on Psa 81:4), and the two kinds of stringed instruments (vid., Psa 33:2), viz., the nabla (i.e., the harp and lyre) and the kinnor (the cithern), the \u03c8\u03b1\u03bb\u03c4\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd and the \u03ba\u03b9\u03b8\u03ac\u03c1\u03b1 (\u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03cd\u03c1\u03b1). The seventh h\u0103lalu invites to the festive dance, of which the chief instrumental accompaniment is the \u05ea\u05bc\u05e3 (Arabic duff, Spanish adufe, derived from the Moorish) or tambourine. The eighth h\u0103lalu brings on the stringed instruments in their widest compass, \u05de\u05e0\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd (cf. Psa 45:9) from \u05de\u05df, Syriac men\u0131\u0302n, and the shepherd's pipe, \u05e2\u05d2\u05d1 (with the Gimel raphe = \u05e2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d2\u05d1); and the ninth and tenth, the two kinds of castanets (\u05e6\u05dc\u05e6\u05dc\u05d9, construct form of \u05e6\u05dc\u05e6\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd, singular \u05e6\u05dc\u05e6\u05dc), viz., the smaller clear-sounding, and the larger deeper-toned, more noisy kinds (cf. \u03ba\u03cd\u03bc\u03b2\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd \u1f00\u03bb\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03b6\u03bf\u03bd, Co1 13:1), as \u05e6\u05dc\u05e6\u05dc\u05d9 \u05e9\u05c1\u05de\u05e2 (pausal form of \u05e9\u05c1\u05de\u05e2 = \u05e9\u05c1\u05de\u05e2, like \u05e1\u05ea\u05e8 in Deu 27:15, and frequently, from \u05e1\u05ea\u05e8 = \u05e1\u05ea\u05e8) and \u05e6\u05dc\u05e6\u05dc\u05d9 \u05ea\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05d4 are, with Schlultens, Pfeifer, Burk, Kster, and others, to be distinguished.\nThe call to praise has thus far been addressed to persons not mentioned by name, but, as the names of instruments thus heaped up show, to Israel especially. It is now generalized to \"the totality of breath,\" i.e., all the beings who are endowed by God with the breath of lie (Heb.: \u05e0\u05e9\u05c1\u05de\u05ea \u05d7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd), i.e., to all mankind.\nWith this full-toned Finale the Psalter closes. Having risen as it were by five steps, in this closing Psalm it hovers over the blissful summit of the end, where, as Gregory of Nyssa says, all creatures, after the disunion and disorder caused by sin have been removed, are harmoniously united for one choral dance (\u03b5\u1f30\u03c2 \u03bc\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u03c7\u03bf\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03bd), and the chorus of mankind concerting with the angel chorus are become one cymbal of divine praise, and the final song of victory shall salute God, the triumphant Conqueror (\u03c4\u1ff7 \u03c4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c0\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u03cd\u03c7\u1ff3), with shouts of joy. There is now no need for any special closing beracha. This whole closing Psalm is such. Nor is there any need even of an Amen (Psa 106:48, cf. Ch1 16:36). The Hallelujah includes it within itself and exceeds it.","title":"Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch: Psalms: Psalms Chapter 150","type":"page"}