THE DATE OF PSALM XXIV

BY

MARCO TREVES
Florence

Psalm xxiv celebrates God's entrance into his Dwelling-Place,

the Temple. Now the Temple was dedicated three times: about
963 B.C. by King Solomon; in 516 by Darius; and in 164 by Judas
Maccabeus. We shall try to prove that this third dedication was the
occasion of our Psalm. At the same time the traditional view which
connects it with King David and the entrance of the Ark into the
city of Jerusalem will also be disproved x). My arguments are the
following :
1. The phrase "the hill of the Lord" (Ps. xxiv 3) as a designation
for Mount Zion presupposes Josiah's reformation of 621 B.C.
(2 Kings xxiii 8). Before that date many hills were sacred to the
Lord and the phrase would have been ambiguous 2 ).
2. Much less could Mount Zion be called "the hill of the Lord"
in David's days, before the Ark was placed there.
3. The word "hill" denotes a hill, not a city.
4. The "ancient doors" (Ps. xxiv 7) cannot be the Temple doors
in Solomon's days, because the doors were new then (1 Kings vi
31-35). After the first Temple was burnt down and destroyed in
586 B.C. (2 Kings xxv 9-17), it lay waste for seventy years and had
to be rebuilt from the foundations up (Ezra iii 10, ν 16, vi 3). Doubt­
less new doors had to be provided. In Judas' days the Temple had
been only partly damaged and had been desecrated for only three
years. The ancient doors may have been preserved and used again.
Therefore the phrase "ancient doors" appears to suit the time of
Judas best. The translation "everlasting doors" is perhaps less
plausible. Why should just the doors be called everlasting? In any
case, Solomon's doors were made of wood (1 Kings vi 34), a perish-
*) It seems unnecessary to list the opinions of all the commentators. K I R K -
PATRICK favors David's time; K E N T the Persian age; D U H M the Maccabean.
Many commentators would split our Psalm into two parts. According to BERRY
the first part is Davidic and the second post-exilic. According t o E W A L D and
BRIGGS the first is post-exilic and the second is Davidic. E t c .
2
) I n early texts the " M o u n t a i n of G o d " is H o r e b , n o t Zion.
 THE DATE OF PSALM XXIV 429

able material. Bronze doors might be called everlasting; but it is

doubtful whether bronze doors were used before the Hellenistic
period, particularly in a poor country such as Judea.
5. Whatever may have been the original meaning of the phrase
"Lord of Hosts", here it appears as an equivalent to "Lord mighty
in battle" and has a warlike connotation. N o w Solomon's reign was
peaceful. Under Darius the Jews did not fight in the name of their
God and that ancient phrase would not have been appropriate.
Judas had fought and won many battles in order t o liberate Jerusalem
and reconsecrate the Temple. The Maccabean wars were wars of
religion and it is natural that a poet should allude to them in a poem
for the reconsecration. The pious poet, however, attributes the victory
not to Judas' valor, but to the favor of the Lord.
6. The apostrophe to the doors with the invitation to open
spontaneously is possibly a reminiscence of CALLIMACHUS {Hymn to
Apollo, 6-7) : αυτοί νυν κατοχήες άνακλίνεσθε πυλάων, αύται δε κληΐδες •
ο γαρ θεός ούκέτι μακρήν.
Such a reminiscence should not cause amazement. The Hasidim
and the Maccabean soldiers were fighting against Greek religious
intolerance, not against Greek poetry. In those days many educated
persons of the Near East knew some Greek and it is likely that some
of those brave warriors, while risking their lives for the defense of
the Torah, did not forget the lines of HOMER and EURIPIDES which
they had learnt at school. I have found reminiscences of Greek poems
in several Jewish works of this period—particularly in Job, Eccle-
siastes, and Ben Sirach, and also in the Trito-Isaiah, Enoch, Daniel,
and a few Psalms. This rhetorical apostrophe is purely Greek, as is
proved by the following parallels from the Greek poets and their
Latin imitators :
a) Apostrophes to inanimate objects are characteristic of Hellenistic
poetry. Thus ASCLEPIADES addresses a lamp {Ant, Pal. V 7), the snow
{ibid. 64), garlands {ibid. 145), the night {ibid. 164); POSEIDIPPUS
addresses a jug {ibid. 134); MOSCHUS addresses the glades, waters,
flowers, and birds {Lament for Bion), etc.
b) Doors that open spontaneously are mentioned by HOMER
{Iliad V 749 and VIII 393), EURIPIDES {Bacchae 448), APOLLONIUS
RHODIUS (IV 41-42), CICERO, who is quoting CALLISTHENES {De
Div.91 xxxiv 74), VIRGIL {AeneidYl 81-82) and OVID {Metarn., I l l 699).
c) Addresses to doors occur in PLAUTUS {Curculio 88 and 147-151),
PROPERTIUS (I xvi), and O V I D {Ars Amandi III 581; Amores I vi
430 M. TREVES

73-74, and II i 17-28). These Latin poets are known to have frequently
imitated Greek models.
So this image is certainly Greek, and it is not unlikely that our
Psalmist's model was precisely CALLIMACHUS' hymn, considering
that this hymn has other similarities with our Psalm: Apollo manifests
himself only to the good (line 9): sinners are excluded from his
dwelling-place (line 2) ; he is called "King" (line 79) ; he approaches
the doors of his Temple and knocks to be admitted (line 3). This
hymn appears to have been well-known to the Jews of that century,
since Ps. ex 1 (which celebrates the high priest Simon) sounds like
a reminiscence of lines 28-29. Now CALLIMACHUS' hymn is dated
258-247 B.C. In any case, no Hebrew poet imitated Greek literature
before the third century B.C.
7. If our Psalm had been composed in the days of Solomon or
Darius, some complimentary reference to the king who had ordered
and financed the building of the Temple would be expected. But here
no king is mentioned. We are in the republican and theocratic days
of Judas.
8. God himself is called King. Now, from the days of Saul to those
of Zedekiah the Hebrews had human kings. They were a monarchy,
not a theocracy. In the Persian and Greek periods, the Achaemenids,
Ptolemies and Seleucids were officially recognized by the priesthood
as the rightful kings of the Jews. They appointed or confirmed the
high priests. Prayers for their lives were regularly offered in the
Temple (Ezra vi 10). The kings contributed to the expenses of the
sacrifices (2 Mace, iii 3). But when the Maccabean insurgents revolted
against Antiochus Epiphanes and ceased to recognize him, they did
not elect a Jewish king to take his place. Instead they appear to have
declared themselves independent of all human princes and to have
chosen God to be their King. This republican and theocratic regime
presumably lasted until Antiochus Eupator reconquered Jerusalem,
or until Simon was elected prince, or until Aristobulus became king x ).
We may compare these events in Jerusalem with similar events in
Florence, Italy. When the Florentines expelled the Medici in 1527,
they resolved to be independent of all mortal princes and elected

*) Actually all the O T passages in which G o d is called King seem to belong

either to the Babylonian or to the Maccabean age. There is another reason why
these passages can hardly be pre-exilic : it would have been blasphemous to con-
found the Lord with Melech (vocalized Molech or Moloch in our Bibles), the
horrible idol to which children were sacrificed.
 THE DATE OF PSALM XXIV 431

Jesus Christ t o be their King. A n inscription was set up over the

doors o f the City Palace, reading : IESUS CHRISTUS R E X FLORENTINI
POPULI s. p. DECRETO ELECTus x ). Centuries later, when the Grand
Dukes were again masters o f the city, in order n o t t o give offense t o
the legitimate sovereigns, the inscription was altered thus: IESUS
CHRISTUS R E X REGUM ET D O M I N U S DOMINANTIUM. In this altered
form it is still visible today. This parallel between Jewish and Floren-
tine usage may be completed with the remark that the phrase "King
of K i n g s " as a title of G o d occurs in 2 Mace, xiii 4, written during
the reign o f the Hasmoneans.
9. T h e phrase "King of Glory" is borrowed from the B o o k o f
Enoch. Certain parts of this b o o k were written about 165 B.C.
during the persecution, w h e n the practice of the Jewish religion
and even the possession of Hebrew religious books were forbidden
under pain of death. T h e B o o k of E n o c h was written t o comfort
the persecuted and, in order t o elude the Greek police, was couched
in cryptic and allegorical language. Contemporary persons and things
are mentioned under names borrowed from the B o o k of Genesis
or invented by the author's fertile imagination. G o d is called "the
Lord of Glory", "the King of Glory", etc. Our Psalmist, writing
after the liberation, did n o t avoid naming the Lord openly. Yet he
also borrowed this poetic phrase from E n o c h 2 ).
10. Psalm xxiv 4 has n o t been understood properly. It is quite
improbable that vain and frivolous persons should have been excluded
from the City or even from the Temple. O n e could n o t post guards
at the gates t o ask visitors and pilgrims "Are y o u vain?" before
letting them in. Our Psalm in m y opinion refers t o something quite
different. Shav "vanity" is an euphemism for pagan deities (Jeremiah
xviii 1 5 ; Psalms xxvi 4 and xxxi 6; hebeI is also used in this sense).
Pagan deities of course could n o t be named openly in a Jewish
liturgical hymn. " T o lift up one's soul" t o a g o d means t o worship
him or pray t o him (Psalms x x v 1 , lxxxvi 4 , cxliii 8) 3 ). Accordingly

x
) Bernardo SEGNI, Storie fiorentine, Book I.
2
) The Book of Enoch xci 13 had predicted: A House shall be built for the
Great King in glory.
3
) This phrase is possibly a spiritualized variant of the phrase "to lift up one's
hands to a deity", which occurs in Greek (HOMER Iliad III 275, 318, X V 3 7 1 ,
Odyssey I X 527; EURIPIDES Electra 592), Latin (VIRGIL Aeneidl 9 3 , II153, 405-406,
688, III 176-177, V 256, 686, X 667; HORACE Odes III xxiii 1; O V I D Metam. II
487, IV 238, VIII 6 8 1 , and IX 702), and late Hebrew (Genesis xiv 22, Lament,
ii 19; Psalm lxiii 4).
432 M. TREVES

the men who lifted up their souls to Shav are, the sinful priests who
had participated in the worship of Zeus in the days of Epiphanes.
Judas deposed them and appointed blameless priests in their stead
(1 Mace, iv 42). This purge of priests in the days of Judas is a docu­
mented historical fact. It explains why the priests before entering
the Temple to begin to perform their duties ("to stand in the Holy
Place", as our Psalm says) had to declare their innocence. Probably
an oath was required by Judas (and is mentioned in the words " w h o
hath not sworn deceitfully").
11. The phrase "clean hands" in the sense of innocence of murder
is Greek and probably comes straight from the tragedians. Cf.
AESCHYLUS, Eumenides 313: τους μεν καθαρας χείρας προνέμοντας οοτις
έφέρπει μήνις άφ' ημών. EURIPIDES, Orestes 1604: άγνος γάρ είμι
χείρας. — άλλ' ού τάς φρένας. Hippolytus 316-317: άγνάς μεν, ώ παΐ,
χείρας αίματος φορείς; — χείρας μεν άγναί, φρήν δ' έχει μίασμα τι *).
This phrase occurs also in the Book of Job, a third-century poem
whose author was well versed in Greek literature and enriched the
Hebrew language with a number of Greek phrases. So it is possible
that the Book of Job was the intermediary between the Greeks and
our Psalmist. However, this conjecture is unnecessary, as it appears
from the imitation of CALLIMACHUS that our Psalmist knew Greek.
12. This phrase probably indicates that some priests implicated
in the murders committed by Menelaus (2 Mace, iv 34 and ν 24)
and Jason (2 Mace, ν 6) were removed from the Temple service by
Judas 2 ). N o purge of priests is recorded in the days of David, Solomon
and Darius.
13. The phrase "pure heart" also sounds Greek. See the lines of
EURIPIDES quoted above 3 ).
14. Psalm xxiv 1 imitates Psalm lxxxix 11. A comparison of the
verses makes it clear that the two poems are related and that Psalm
xxiv is the later one: Psalm lxxxix quotes the statement (found in
Psalm cxv 16 and in Daniel ν 23) that the heavens belong to the Lord
and adds that the earth also belongs to him. Psalm xxiv begins with
the earth. If Psalm lxxxix had imitated Psalm xxiv it would have used
a
) See also AESCHYLUS Eumenides 41, 237, 280-281, 446; EURIPIDES Orestes 429 ;
Medea 864, 1254; HERODOTUS I, 3 5 ; A N T I P H O N , On the Murder of Herodes 11 (130);
A N D O C I D E S On the mysteries 95 (12); PLATO Laws VIII 831 A ; HORACE Epod.
X V I I 49; Sat. I iv 68.
2
) 2 Mace, ν 16 says that Antiochus had "polluted h a n d s " .
3
) F o r the phrase " p u r e heart" see also HORACE, Sat. II iii 213 and PLATO
Laws I X 872 A.
 THE DATE OF PSALM XXIV 433

the reverse order (the earth and also the heavens). Now Psalm lxxxix
is a late poem. In my opinion it is composite : some verses probably
belong to the Babylonian age; others to the age of Epiphanes. Verse
11 belongs to this latter group.
Perhaps these fourteen arguments will not seem all equally decisive
to some readers. However, it will be difficult to refute them all. Their
cumulative weight, in my opinion, makes the date that I suggest
practically certain. No other date will fit all the words of our Psalm
equally well.
I conjecture that our hymn was sung by two alternating choirs
of priests or lévites: one choir standing at the top of the steps
near the entrance of the Temple and acting as guardians of the doors ;
the other choir advancing in procession and slowly ascending the
steps. This second group included the blameless priests appointed
by Judas. I would distribute the lines of Psalm xxiv thus :
Guardians: "The earth" etc. These lines assert God's sovereignty
over the whole earth, the basic theme of the Psalm.
Procession: "Who shall ascend" etc. Notice that "to stand in the
Holy Place" means to reside in the Temple as priests, not merely to
visit it as pilgrims.
Guardians: "He that hath clean hands" etc. The word tsedakah
is translated "righteousness" in the Authorised and Revised Versions.
In late Hebrew it means "alms". K E N T and the Revised Standard
Version translate it "vindication". Possibly it means something like
"acquittal" of the charges or "ratification" of Judas' appointment.
Procession: "This is the generation" etc. It seems best to read
" O God of Jacob" with the Vulgate and the Septuagint. But the
M T omits the word "God".
Guardians: "Who is the King of Glory?"
Procession: "The Lord strong and mighty" etc.
Guardians: "Who is the King of Glory?
Procession : "The Lord of Hosts" etc.
A number of commentators would divide our Psalm into two or
even three separate poems. This conjecture however must be rejected,
because :
a) The style is uniform throughout the Psalm x ).
b) The meter, as far as can be discerned with our very imperfect
understanding of Hebrew meter, appears to be uniform throughout.
x
) Notice verses 3, 8 and 10, all beginning with the interrogative Who.
Vetus Testamentum X 28
434 T R E V E S , D A T E O F PSALM X X I V

c) The dialogic form, which is extremely rare in Hebrew liturgical

poetry, occurs in both parts of the Psalm x ).
d) Allusions to God's rule over the earth occur in both parts.
e) Allusions to the Temple occur in both parts.
f) The arguments for a late date concern both parts. Arguments
for an early date are entirely lacking.
g) The idea of dividing the Psalm arose from the erroneous
assumption that the singers were pilgrims. Once we have recognized
that they were priests, this conjecture loses its raison d'être.
We conclude that Psalm xxiv was composed for the 25th day of
Chisleu, 164 B.C. This was a memorable day in the history of Israel
and is still commemorated yearly with the feast of Hanukkah.
x
) These real questions and answers should not be confused with the rhetorical
questions (equivalent to negations) which occur in Psalms vi 5, lxxi 19, lxxvii 13,
lxxxix 6, evi 2; etc.
 ^ s
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