A delicate balance must be struck, then, when engaging the task of interpreting the psalmic texts. For a long time, that is, a very long time, perhaps nearly a thousand years before the Psalter was received into its final canonical form, and before the principal parts of its contents were written, there existed a tradition of psalmody in ancient Israel. The evidence for this tradition is found in the poetic texts themselves, which are part of a few prose narratives concerning Israel’s earliest era. The body of this ancient poetic material—in the form of ancient books—is actually quite small. It is important to recognize and appreciate that the Psalter is situated within the larger literary context of the Hebrew Bible. Israel’s worship of יהוה only reached its climax in the praises of the Psalter. It is undeniable that some of these poems were broadly influenced by Canaanite literary style and mythical imagery.
By way of example, two ancient books, The Book of Jashar (the Book of the Upright) and The Book of the Wars of Yahweh, had survived from the dawn of Israel’s collective memory. The Hebrew bible offers us little information about these two ancient anthologies.
It is likely that many if not most of the poems . . .appeared in one or the other of two early anthologies which are mentioned in the Bible: The Book of the Wars of Yahweh (Num 21:14), and the Book of Jashar (Josh. 10:13; II Sam. 1:18). The earliest editions of these collections may well go back to the time of the Judges, but the final published form must be dated to the monarchic period. In fact, there is a reference to the Book of Jashar in the LXX of I Kings 8:13, as the source for a poetic utterance attributed to Solomon at the dedication of the temple.56
The applicable historical-political context for these extra-biblical books is the time of the Judges–around the time of the amphictyony where the various clans of Israel coalesced together and remained loosely knit for nearly two centuries in Canaan. The term amphictyony refers to regional worshiping communities that dwelt in close physical proximity around individual shrines and who conducted cultic rituals and celebrations in the worship of ancient Israel’s God. Such observances were conducted in a number of local sanctuaries: Hebron, Shechem, Dan, Bethel, Gilgal, Shiloh, Kadesh, Gibeah, and Sinai. In the major central amphictyonic shrines of Hebron and Shechem—and probably Shiloh—the historical traditions of Israel had been gathered and collected. Whether the northern traditions which had collected around the ark, were brought to Jerusalem during the united monarchy is uncertain, but it is also unlikely.
Whatever the content of these two ancient books may have been—apart from the few scant passages explicitly identified as having been drawn from them—both may indicate the earliest collection and preservation of some of the oral poetry of Israel. They may also have been a part of the earliest collections and served as examples of the rudimentary beginnings of the first psalms of ancient Israel (e.g. Ps 18, 29, 68) which were later incorporated into some final collections of the book of Psalms. Whether there existed any other “books” of Israel’s earliest poetic compositions is unknown and is currently unknowable.
What can be asserted with some degree of confidence is that there existed an early tradition of collecting songs and poetry. It follows then that in all probability there were various traditions and customs—unknown to us–which contributed to and culminated in the formation that resulted in the eventual book of Psalms. These types of poetry were the natural medium through which Israel gave expression to its most profound human feelings, aspirations and insights so obviously apparent in the compositions which comprise the book of Praises. Expressions of joy and celebration were intrinsic to their response to God’s mighty acts on their behalf. Some scholars find in the Song of Deborah and Barak (Judg 5) the original life-setting of theophany in the Hebrew bible.
A theophany is the human experience of a divine self-disclosure initiated solely by the deity. There is no human initiative undertaken nor are any special qualifications or preparation required. In the Bible the human response is always one of fear and awe. There is never a sense of entitlement or privilege in the person’s retrospect. Theophanies are manifested as temporal events; they are not permanent reality. Rather these momentary encounters with the divine occur in a particular place and at a particular time. A theophany is a transient happening. It impacts the totality of the human person who encounters it at a profoundly life-altering level. Nothing thereafter remains the same. This poem of Deborah and Barak, then, is one of a number of representative psalms that lie outside the Psalter; it is a victory song over an oppressive enemy and is regarded as the oldest poetry of ancient Israel. It is the sort of poem that an oppressed people might delight to recite, as it tells about the defeat of a despised enemy. This poem is the earliest extant writing found in the Hebrew Bible!57
Judges 5
Then Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying:
“When locks are long in Israel,
when the people offer themselves willingly -
bless יהוה!
“Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
to יהוה I will sing,
I will make melody to יהוה,
the God of Israel.
“יהוה, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled,
and the heavens opened,
the clouds indeed poured water.
The mountains quaked before יהוה,
the One of Sinai,
before יהוה, the God of Israel.
“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, caravans ceased
and travelers kept to the byways.
The peasantry prospered in Israel,
they grew fat on plunder,
because you arose, Deborah,
arose as a mother in Israel.
When new gods were chosen,
when war was in the gates.
Was shield or spear to be seen
among forty thousand in Israel?
My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
who offered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless יהוה.
“Tell of it, you caravaneers who ride on white donkeys,
you who sit on lush carpets
and you who walk by the way.
To the sound of musicians at the watering places,
there they repeat the triumphs of יהוה,
the triumphs of the people of יהוה in Israel.
Then down to the gates marched the people of יהוה.
“Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, utter a song!
Arise, Barak, lead away your captives,
O son of Abinoam.”
Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
the people of יהוה marched down
for him against the mighty.
From Ephraim they set out into the valley,
following you, Benjamin, with your kin;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
and from Zebulun those who bear the marshal’s staff;
the chiefs of Issachar came with Deborah,
and Issachar faithful to Barak;
into the valley they rushed out at his heels.
Among