Responses to violence in some lament Psalms of the individual

Abstract

Lament psalms of the individual that reflect a motif of violence are here examined so as to determine whether or not the editors of the Psalter had a pattern of instruction that they wished to inculcate with respect to the experience of violence. An examination of prayers of the accused and prayers of sickness as sub-groups within the Gattung indicates the presence of such a pattern, and suggests that the editors wished to model a pattern that rejects the right of human retribution. This pattern needs to be tested further through an examination of a third sub-group, the prayers for protection.