Page:04.BCOT.KD.PoeticalBooks.vol.4.Writings.djvu/398

 ontempt.

20 How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast reserved

for them that fear Thee, Which Thou dost effect for them that hide in Thee in the presence of the children of men.

21 Thou protectest them in the hiding-place of Thy presence

from the factions of man ; Thou keepest them in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

22 Blessed he Jahve,

That He hath shewed me marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city,

23 Whilst I said in my feehle faith:

"I am cut off from the vision of Thine eyes." — Nevertheless Thou heardest the cry of my supplication when I cried to Thee.

24 love Jahve, all ye His saints; The faithful doth Jahve preserve,

And plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

25 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All ye that wait on Jahve! In Ps 31 the poet also, in ואני אמרתּי (Psa 31:23), looks back upon a previous state of mind, viz., that of conflict, just as in Psa 30:7 upon that of security. And here, also, he makes all the חסידים partakers with him of the healthful fruit of his deliverance (cf. Psa 31:24 with Psa 30:5). But in other respects the situation of the two Psalms is very different. They are both Davidic. Hitzig, however, regards them both as composed by Jeremiah. With reference to Ps 31, which Ewald also ascribes to “Jéremjá,” this view is well worthy of notice. Not only do we find Psa 31:14 recurring in Jeremiah, Jer 20:10, but the whole Psalm, in its language (cf. e.g., Jer 20:10 with Lam 1:20; Psa 31:11 with Jer 20:18; Psa 31:18 with Jer 17:18; Psa 31:23 with Lam 3:54) and its plaintive tenderness, reminds one of Jeremiah. But this relationship does not decide the question. The passage Jer 20:10, like many other passages of this prophet, whose language is so strongly imbued with that of the Psalter, may be just as much a reminiscence as Jon 2:5, Jon 2:9; and as regards its plaintive tenderness there