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1. Israelite Monarchies There were various monarchies in ancient Israel (§1). Israel itself was originally made up of tribes, with monarchy not native to it. The monarchy was introduced and adopted only with further developments, dependent in part on the overall political situation in the Middle East. The main source for the history of monarchy in Israel is the OT (Judges; 1-2 Samuel; 1-2 Kings; 1-2 Chronicles; the Prophets). Light is also shed by contemporary annals and inscriptions (see TGI  [3d ed.], ANET , and TUAT  1). We might refer as well to 1 Maccabees and Josephus Ant.  Purel…

1. OT From the time of W. M. L. de Wette and H. Gunkel, the term “hymn” (Gk. hymnos, corresponding in part to Heb. tĕhillâ) has been used in studies of the Psalms for psalms of praise such as Psalms 8, 19, 29, 33, 46–48, 65, 67–68, 76, 84, 87, 93, 96–100, 103–5, 111, 113–14, 117, 135–36, 145–50, as well as Exodus 15, 1 Samuel 2, Deuteronomy 33, Judges 5, Habakkuk 3, and texts from Amos 4–9 and Isaiah 40–66. Insofar as these passages are not just portions of a larger text but independent texts themselves, a threefold structure may be discerned: (1) introduction or intro…

1. OT 1.1. Terms and Place in Canon The term “Psalms” or “Psalter” is used for the OT collection of 150 songs and prayers. It comes from the Greek OT (Bible Manuscripts and Editions; Bible Versions). The Codex Alexandrinus has psaltērion, which denotes a stringed instrument and is a rendering of Heb. nēbel, “lyre.” What is meant, then, is a book of songs to be sung with a stringed instrument. In the Codex Vaticanus we find the title psalmoi, with the subtitle biblos psalmōn (book of psalms), a term appearing also in the NT (Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33). Psalmos corresponds to the Heb.…