![]() The connections between Pss 48–50 highlight aspects of Ps 49 that might have gone unnoticed. In some sense, then, Ps 49 is a rebuke given to the people of Israel for their lack of repentance highlighted by David’s own repentance from similar sins in Ps 50. David’s repentance in Ps 50:12–16 also highlights the need for right motives as is expressed in Ps 49:8–13. David’s sins against Uriah are really the same sins in which at least some in Israel are participating (Ps 49:18–21). Otherwise, it would seem odd for Yahweh to continue to accept any sacrifices (Pss 49:8, 14, 23 50:19). Both Pss 49 and 50 critique the sacrificial system, but do so in a way that maintains its validity. What is most important to highlight here is that the critique of sacrifices is more a critique on the motivation and inward orientation of one’s heart regarding the sacrifices rather than on the sacrificial system itself. The declaration of the guilt of the nation made in Ps 49 highlights the proper repentant response of an individual, namely the king, in Ps 50 and the emphasis on Zion makes David’s sin in Ps 50 a national issue, not just an individual one. The final editor(s) of book two of the Psalter seems to have intentionally placed Pss 49 and 50 next to each other to highlight these significant themes. David sleeps with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba (2 Sam 11:4), commands evil against him, thereby murdering him, and then “steals” Bathsheba for himself (2 Sam 11:14–17). It is in Ps 49:18–21 that the “sinner” (ἁμαρτωλῷ) is rebuked for participation with thieves and adulterers and for allowing his mouth to “increase evil” (ἐπλεόνασεν κακίαν) against his fellow Israelites-all of which are sins that David committed against Uriah (2 Sam 11:4, 14–27). In Ps 50:20–21, David asks that Yahweh “do good… to Zion” (ἀγάθυνον… τὴν Σιων) knowing that this will result in acceptable sacrifice (cf. David criticizes the insufficiency of the sacrificial system to please Yahweh and focuses rather on the inward condition of a person in Ps 50:17–19 (cf. Ps 49:16–17), yet still professes his faith in Yahweh as the one who will “deliver” (ρῦσαί) him and bring about his “salvation” (σωτηρίας) in Ps 50:14 (cf. The strongest connections of Ps 49 with the psalms that surround it comes between Ps 49 and Ps 50. In other words, the same problems and lack of understanding by the Israelites expressed in Ps 49 are also true of the broader humanity in Ps 48. The concept in Ps 49:21 that unfaithful Israel thought Yahweh was like them is reminiscent of becoming like the beasts in Ps 48:12–13 as well. The “understanding” (σύνετε) that Ps 49:22 calls for is the basis for the refrain in Ps 48:12–13 namely, that “a person held in honor did not understand” and that he becomes like “senseless beasts” (NETS). Psalm 48 in particular has some commonalities with Ps 49 as it focuses on the immorality of humanity in general, especially the rich against the poor (Ps 48:5–6, 16 cf. Many of these psalms also reference times of “trouble” (θλίψεως) directly or indirectly for Yahweh’s people (Pss 43:24 45:1 48:5) it is Ps 49:15 that requires Israel to look to Yahweh during these times. Several of these psalms have similar themes or words as those used in Ps 49, such as Ps 48:2–3 and 11–14 which highlight the beauty of Zion as Yahweh’s dwelling place (cf. These psalms were possibly recited at certain sacrificial feasts. Prior to this lone psalm of Asaph is a series of psalms attributed to the sons of Korah (Pss 41–48) which comprise the beginning of book two of the Psalter. A discussion of the psalms surrounding Ps 49, namely Pss 48 and 50, will assist in elucidating the significance of the phrase “sacrifice of praise to God.” 1.1 The Psalms of the Sons of Korah: Pss 41–48 Yahweh is described as the judge (κριτής, 49:6) who will rebuke Israel and “lay out a case” against them (49:21). The psalm begins with the declaration of the coming of Yahweh and his impending judgment speech. ![]() ![]() In it, Yahweh judges Israel for violating the covenant he made with them at Sinai. ![]() Psalm 49 is a prophetic lawsuit psalm attributed to Asaph. After analyzing how the psalm’s placement within the Psalter, its structure, and its references to covenant and the sacrifices in Leviticus play a crucial role in understanding the psalmist’s use of the phrase “sacrifice of praise to God” (Ps 49:14), I will show that the “sacrifice of praise” in Ps 49 is both material and typological. They highlight the need for a heart of worship in order to maintain covenant fidelity. The two references to the “sacrifice of praise” in Psalm 49 LXX play a crucial role in understanding the focus of the psalm as a whole.
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