An exciting development within recent scholarship is to read the Psalter as a book, with a structure and even a story. This approach opens the text in new ways; however, not all are in agreement as to how the story plays out. For many, in light of Psalm 89, the Psalter encourages its readers not to place their trust in the Davidic kings but in YHWH alone. However, this is not the only way to read. In his lightly revised PhD dissertation entitled Return of the King: Messianic Expectation in Book V of the Psalter, Michael Snearly argues that Book V (Psalms 107-150) reveals a “purposeful arrangement” that “signals a renewed hope in the royal/Davidic promises” (p1). The 44 Psalms in Book V are structured around key word-themes related to the central Psalms 1-2 and 89, and climax with a series of Hallelujah Psalms. In this way, Book V finds the Psalter’s main themes picked up and carried to fulfillment.
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