II. RIGHTEOUSNESS OR 'TSEDEQ'

'Tsedeq' in the OT can be described as the highest value in life. There is absolutely no concept in the OT with so central a significance for all the relationships of human life: it is that upon which all life rests when it is properly ordered. (7) Righteousness does not exist as an abstract concept in Israel; it is always connected with a relationship. It can be said that a msn is righteous when he is faithful to the particular claims which relationships lay upon him. Yahweh is faithful in his covenant to his people, therefore he is righteous. He also wants man to be faithful in his relationship with other men. God started this covenant; only he could nullify it (Ps. 89: 29-38). Within this relationship, a law is given to guide God's covenant people. The purpose of the law is to make Israel holy just as Yahweh is holy. Therefore, Israel loves the Law (Ps. 40: 9); it is her meditation day and night (Ps. 1: 2), and a gift to be desired more than gold and sweeter than honey (Ps. 19: 11).

'Tsedeq' and the Law :

'Tsedeq' as fulfilling the Law is needed to enter the gates and only the 'tsaddiq' shall enter through it. But who is the 'tsaddiq', the righteous one? The essence of 'tsedeq' is first and foremost in keeping the commandments. In the earlier periods, man's faithfulness to his relationship to God had to prove itself in recognising the commandments and in keeping them. (Deut. 27: 15ff). In Ez. 18: 5-9, to be righteous is to observe Yahweh's statutes and ordinances.

In the Psalms, the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord is blessed (1: 2); the joy of the Jew in the Law is reflected in the Torah, which is perfect, reviving the soul (19: 8). "Blessed are those who walk in the Law of the Lord (119: 1). Righteousness is in observing Yahweh's righteous ordinances (119: 62, 164), precepts (119: 40) and testimonies (119: 144). The Law is carried on to the New Testament. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Mt. 5: 17). He expects his disciples to have the kind of righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5: 20). The greatest commandment is "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and secondly, "love your neighbour as yourself" (Mt. 22: 37-39). All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments (v. 40).

'Tsedaqah' and 'mishpat'

In the OT, righteousness (tsedaqah) and justice (mishpat) mean "Justice for the poor and oppressed" or social justice. There are 31 instances in the OT in which this hendiadys occurs. (8) For example:

"Thus says the Lord: 'Do justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tsedaqah) and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed" (Jer. 22: 3).

"He loves righteousness (tsedaqah) and justice (mishpat)" (Ps. 33: 5).

"Righteousness (tsedaqah) and justice (mishpat) are the foundation of his throne" (Ps. 89: 14; 97: 2).

The hendiadys is also used in synonymous parallelism:

"Give the king your justice (mishpat), O God and your righteousness (tsedaqah) to the royal son. May he judge your people with righteousness (tsedaqah) and your poor with justice (mishpat)" (Ps. 72: 1-2).

"Blessed are they who observe justice (mishpat) and do righteousness (tsedaqah) at all times" (Ps. 106: 3).

"He looked for justice (mishpat) but behold, bloodshed (mishpah) for righteousness (tsedaqah) but behold, a cry (tseaqah)" (Isa. 5: 7).(9)

The denotation of 'mishpat' extends to all types of behaviour or attitude in general ; to all attitudes that are the underlying source of our practical actions, i.e. right behaviour. 'Tsedaqah', on the other hand, is the narrower concept, resulting from the larger concept of right behaviour ; it is concrete righteousness, the integral upright single action. (10) Amos uses the hendiadys three times, (cf. note 9), an indication of its importance to him. The similes "like water....like an everflowing stream" (5: 24), for just-ice and righteousness, reflect Amos' rural Palestinian background where water is always very much desired because of the dryness of the desert. "Living streams" that flow throughout the year are what would give LIFE.

Who is the Righteous person?

Ps. 15 describes the kinds of person who deserves to enter the Temple:

"He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right (tsedeq) who speaks truth from his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his friend...

This Psalm uses "righteousness" (tsedeq) within the context of a relationship. The "walking" is done with God, as Micah 6: 8 urges man "to walk humbly with your God". The rhetorical question of Amos 3: 3 "Do two walk together unless they have made an appointment.?" follows the cause-effect style of his argumentation, which ends with "The Lord has spoken; who can but prophesy?" (Amos 3: 8), a clear indication of the relationship between God's previous call and Amos's response. The "walking" in Amos' life is part of a very ordinary day in a shepherd's life. He also describes his prophetical ministry as a "walk at God's side". A southerner from Tekoa near Bethlehem (Amos 1: 1) he was evidently familiar with the Yahwistic spirituality of intimacy with God (cf. Gen 2: 4b - 3: 24). However, it is possible that "walking" for Amos hints back to the ideal time of Israel's covenantal relationship with God. That ideal time was not his own, when the people went to Bethel to worship, but rather the Desert-Period, when there were no religious and political institutions, (cf. Dt. 29: 4f; Num 14; 26ff) (11) In any case, closeness to God is implied in the word "walk"--"I walk in faithfulness to thee" (Ps. 26: 3).

Ps 15: 2 speaks of him who "does what is right". What is "right"? Again, this depends on the relationship being considered or lived. The ( just man does what is best not only to his friend, neighbour, but most especially to the poor around him. Ps. 112: 5-6, 9 specifies this:

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends who conducts his affairs with just- ice (mishpat) For the righteous (tsaddiq) will never be moved ; he will be remembered for ever......

He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor ; his righteousness (tsedaqah) endures forever; his horn is exalted in honour."

The righteous man is generous and gives (Ps. 37: 21), but his generosity is based on the Law which is his guide. He trusts in the Lord and this trust is complete because the Lord is his rock. "Horn" (112: 9) is a common OT figure for strength and dignity. The righteous man is strong and his righteousness will live forever.

Ps. 15: 2 - "speaks truth from his heart." To the Hebrew the heart is the centre of everything in man; it is where Yahweh has written his Law (Jer. 31: 32). The heart is the seat of intelligence: one's plans or purpose lie in the heart (Isa. 10: 7). "Heart" is used to designate the character of a man; a man is what his heart is (Mt. 7: 21). Yahweh therefore examines the heart (Ps. 17: 3); only he can know the heart which is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17: 9). Therefore, to speak truth from the heart means to be free from deceit, to be pure (Ps. 24: 4, 73: 1) and to be single-hearted, that is set only on Yahweh, not double-hearted (Ps. 12: 3). A man is righteous if his heart is righteous, because the heart is the seat of man's actions and decisions.

v.3 - "who does not slander with his tongue..." In the Bible, the tongue is given moral attributes which belong to the person. The tongue is boastful (Ps. 12: 4), deceitful (120: 3), smooth and seductive (Prov. 6: 24), lying (Ps. 109: 2). It is whetted like a sword (64: 4), it is like a serpent's tongue (140: 4), like a sharp sword (57: 5). The "man of wicked tongue" is a "slanderer" (140: 12). Therefore a person -who slanders with his tongue destroys the relationship which would otherwise be good if the person were righteous. A righteous man is not only to be upright in his thoughts, he should be blameless in his speech. He is to use his speech to defend or affirm his neighbour and he ought not be silent in the face of oppression. A righteous man's speech must be true to his thoughts; it must express what the heart desires, believes in, and follows, not simply flatter or say what is not true.

v.3 -"...who does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbour, in whose eyes a reprobate is despised." Here the relationship comes in different degrees', friend, neighbour, reprobate. He is faithful in friendship who does or wishes no evil to his friend. Ps. 55 laments about a bosom friend whose speech is smoother than butter but in whose heart is war, whose words are softer than oil yet are actually drawn swords (v. 22) In contrast we have Jonathan's relationship to David to whom he remains loyal in spite of his father's anger against him (1 Sam. 19-20).

Who is my neighbour?

"Neighbour" in the Bible has a wide extension. The OT portrays much respect for the neighbour because he is Yahweh's extension on earth. The Decalogue spoke against coveting anything that is one's neighbour's (Ex. 20: 17). Even when making loans of any sort, "You shall not go into the neighbour's house to fetch his pledge" (Deut.24; 12-13). Proverbs warns, "Do not plan evil against your neighbour who dwells trustingly beside you" (Prov. 3: 29). The NT goes beyond the extension of the Israelitic community and includes those outside the chosen people. The Good Samaritan goes beyond his national boundaries and helps the man who fell among the robbers on his way to Jericho (Lk. 10; 29ff). Jesus tells us to "love your neighbour as yourself" (Lk 10: 27; Mt. 22: 39) This includes all others and has inter-national and universal implications.

Amos, in his prophetic tirades against the four nations, Damascus, Gaza, Ammon, and Moab, shows that righteousness is not limited to the borders of Israel. The situation of un-righteousness which Amos describes shows all kinds of transgressions against the neighbour. The gap is between those who have pride, plenty, and splendor in the land and costly ivory palaces (3: 15), and those that are sold by the cows of Bashan who oppress the poor and the needy (4: 1); the gap, between those who anoint themselves with precious oils (6: 4), their women addicted to wine (4: 1), and those that are sold for a pair of sandals and for silver (2: 6); the gap is between those who benefit from the whole people being carried into exile and those who are delivered into exile (1: 6, 9). In these cases and in more in Amos, the "neighbour" forgets, ignores, disrepects, and oppresses the "other neighbour".

In effect, what was happening to the other nations was also happening in Israel during this time of Jeroboam II (c. 786-746 B.C.), when Israel extended her dominion, fostered commerce, and accumulated wealth; but what Israel did more than the nations was to pervert the meaning of covenant which Yahweh had made with her. (12) Amos has been called the "Prophet of Social Justice" and came to remind the Northern Kingdom that God, who made men in His image, expected them to treat their poorer and more defenseless neighbours with mercy and loving kindness, with the same righteousness which He had shown to Israel. His social consciousness, therefore, was a corollary of his faith, and he sought to restore the order which was in danger of being overturned by human wickedness. (13)

The Afflicted as Righteous:

In Amos' prophecy of judgment and doom, Yahweh judges those who oppress the poor and the needy and saves those who are being afflicted. One's relationship with one's neighbours should be characterized by righteousness, particularly if one's neighbours belong to the needy trio: the orphan, the widow, and the stranger. Not only is man to be righteous in relation to his neighbour, but the afflicted is also considered righteous because he has had his right taken away from him. The judge intervenes to restore the right to him who has been deprived of it. He is a righteous judge who decides in favour of the deprived one, of him who is needy. That is why Amos condemns those who take bribes and turn aside the needy in the gate. (5: 12) These were supposed to mete out justice but did not. The judge represents Yahweh in declaring the oppressed or afflicted to be the righteous one (tsaddiq).

The cry (sa'aq) of the oppressed is a technical term indicating the anguished cry of the oppressed and the agonized plea of the victim for help in some great injustice. Yahweh's response is inevitable:

"When the righteous (tsaddiq) cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles." (Ps. 34: 18)

"Yahweh does not forget the cry of the afflicted." (Ps. 9: 13)

Yahweh responds with compassion (hesed). The Hebrew word 'hesed' is translated as "Kindness", "grace", or "fidelity". It includes the idea of "strength" (Ps. 62: 12f). God is "my 'hesed' and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield" (144: 2). 'Hesed' is also associated with truth (' emet ), implying the idea of firmness, stability, security. "All the paths of the Lord are 'hesed' and "'emef " (25: 10). There is also a link between 'hesed' and the covenant. (14)

'Hesed' and 'Tsedaqah'

Yahweh's compassion for the poor and the needy (hesed) is spoken of with justice (mishpat) and/or right (tsedaqah) in synonymous parallelism and also in hendiadys. (15) For example, the parallelism is shown in the following verses:

"He leads the humble in what is right (mishpat) and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love (hesed) and faithfulness ('emet) for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies." (Ps. 25: 9-10)

"Your steadfast love (hesed) O Lord,

extends to the heavens,

Your faithfulness ('emunah) to the clouds,

Your righteousness (tsedaqah) is

like the mountains of God

Your judgments are like the great deep." (Ps. 36: 6-7)

In hendiadys:

"I am the Lord who practise steadfast love (hesed), justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tsedeq) in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord." (Jer. 9: 23)

Here corn-passion, kindness, steadfast love or 'hesed' is closely related to a strict sense of justice, according to Miranda. It is compassion for the poor-and-oppressed, which can be identified with the anger of Yahweh at the violation of their rights. (16)

To know Yahweh is to do justice :

Yahweh calls us to a very deep union with him in righteousness (tsedaqah) justice (mishpat) and steadfast love (hesed):

"And I will bethroth you to me forever; I will betroth you to me in righteous- ness (tsedeq) and in justice (mishpat), in steadfast love (hesed) and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord." (Hos. 2: 21 22)

Absence of righteousness, justice, and steadfast love leads to ungodliness; un-righteousness heralds no-knowledge of God (Jer. 22: 13ff), and no-faithfulness or no-kindness is synonymous with no-knowledge of God in the land (Hos. 4: 1-3). Jeremiah expresses Yahweh's will for men:

"Did not your father eat and drink and do justice (mishpat) and righteousness (tsedaqah)? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and the needy ; then it was well. Not to know me is this? says the Lord." (Jer. 22: 15-16).

Absence of any that is godly and faithful from the sons of men is a cause for concern for the psalmist (12: 2).

Just as to know Yahweh is to do justice, so is doing justice the way to know Yahweh. It is in maintaining a righteous relationship with our fellow men that we find out more about the steadfast love and the righteousness of God. Hence, it can be concluded that we cannot know Yahweh without doing justice and we cannot do justice without eventually knowing Yahweh and deepening our knowledge of him.

Who is the righteous God? What does the righteous God do?

The Lord God is righteous because "when the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles" (34: 18). He will never "permit the righteous to be moved" (55: 23). "He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever" (112: 9). The psalmist knows that "the Lord maintains the cause of the afflicted and executes justice for the needy" (140: 13). The Lord made heaven and earth,

"the sea and all that is in them, who

keeps faith forever, who executes justice

(mishpat) for the oppressed

who gives food to the hungry

The Lord sets the prisoners free

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down

The Lord loves the righteous (tsaddiq)

The Lord watches over the sojourners

He upholds the widow and the fatherless

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. (146: 6-9)

In the OT, the righteousness of Yahweh is most often portrayed in forensic terms and it is usually in his function as judge of the earth that he is pictured as righteous (cf. 7: 12; 9: 5, 9 ; 93: 13). He is the righteous judge who vindicates the one who has been wronged (69: 33-34). He rescues the weak and needy and delivers them from the hand of the wicked (82: 4). He does not let the downtrodden be put to shame (74: 21). The Lord hears the groans of prisoners, and sets free those who are doomed to die (102: 21).

The above references and many more show that Yahweh as judge upholds the rights of the poor and oppressed. He helps them to regain the rights taken from them. He does this on behalf of Israel; Yahweh protects and restores her right. This is Yahweh's righteousness: his fulfillment of the demands of the relationship which exists between him and his people Israel, and the purpose of his judgment is the preservation of community, of his covenant with Israel (Pss. 89, 94).

The Righteous King:

Before the establishment of the monarchy, a leader, judge, or prophet led the people of God in the wilderness. With their settling in towns and cities, in permanent houses, competition for land, trade, and wealth grew. Social relationships became more complex and Israel demanded a King. He was to be the head of the people, the guarantor and protector of everything in the land, making for faithfulness in community relationship. He embodied the righteousness of Yahweh and showed Yahweh's people how to live. In Ps.72, the people desire their king to be everything they know Yahweh is for them:

"Give the king thy justice (mishpat), O God, and thy righteousness (tsedeq) to the royal son!

May he judge thy people with righteousness (tsedeq) and thy poor with justice (mishpat)

Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people and the hills, in righteousness (tsedeq)

May he defend (shaphat) the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy and crush the oppressor" (72: 1-4; See also Ps. 45: 6,9 ; 72: l2ff; 89: 16,18)

Here we see how important the ruler of a nation is. If he is righteous then all the peoples will feel his reign of justice. On the other hand, if he is un-righteous, then the people will suffer.

Monarchy was not exactly the best network of relationships for the Israelites, Yahweh warned them. But because they were surrounded by Egypt and the other nations who had monarchs, they besought Samuel to give them a king to govern them (I Sam 8: 6). The Lord knew that the introduction of a king would change social relationships drastically. Classes in society would distinguish people from one another. There would be horsemen, commanders, perfumers, cooks and bakers, officers, servants, and slaves. The king would take the best and employ them in his service. He would take a tenth of their flocks, the best of their cattle and put them to work (1 Sam 7: 10-18). Because social classes resulted from this stratification, the gap between the rich and the poor would become wider.

The king's role was to rule his people with equity so that everybody could enjoy his reign of righteousness. Kingship and the realisation of ideal just conditions belong indissolubly together in the whole ancient East, but the King was only the mediator and trustee and depended on God's giving his judgment and "righteousness".

In the earlier period the individual was bound up with the life of the community, but in the course of time, he clearly achieved independence from it. (17) In the later literature, the individual got the chance to speak for himself and to justify himself before Yahweh. Towards the end of the monarchy, there was a grave crisis in the faith of Israel in Yahweh. Jeremiah, Ezechiel, the author of Job and other writers during and after the exile emphasized personal faith in Yahweh in the absence of a national force such as the monarch to enforce and observe righteousness (Pss. 1, 83, 119).

Ps. 15: 4 describes the righteous man as he "who honours those who fear the Lord."

We have traced how the righteous man fears the righteous God and how he shows this "fear" through love of the Law of Yahweh and through concern for the poor and oppressed. The man who fears the Lord is not only righteous as is affirmed in Ps. 112; he is also endowed with wisdom (Prov. 1: 7). The man who does justice receives an opportunity to know Yahweh more and encourages others to do justice. In this way, he respects and honours those who fear the Lord. He also receives support from them in doing justice to those who are in need.

Ps. 15: 4 also mentions that the righteous man "does not change"

The righteous man does not change because his righteousness flows from Yahweh. He calls upon Yahweh as a source of strength with a confidence that is based on his faith in the righteous God, i.e., God's fidelity to his promises. "He (Yahweh) will never permit the righteous to be moved" (Ps. 55: 23). The psalmist considers God "a rock of refuge", "a strong fortress" (31: 38) and he seeks refuge in him because Yahweh's righteousness will deliver him (Ps. 31: 2) and will vindicate (save) him (26: 1). This vindication comes from the "justice of God" (35: 24)

The just man is also described in Ps. 37: 21 as one who "is generous and gives". He considers everything from Yahweh as gift and therefore he shares with others. That is why there should be no poor if everybody is righteous, as Yahweh tells his people that "there will be no poor among you" (Dt. 15: 4). The generosity of the righteous man overflows to other men; this generosity comes from the righteous God: "for the Lord will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess" (Dt. 15: 4) The righteous man therefore is moved to give praise to Yahweh; the natural response is worship. However, Yahweh discriminates the worship of man; he wants man to observe justice as an expression of his relationship to God.

First Justice, then Cult :

Amos very strongly expressed Yahweh's words towards the feasts and assemblies isolated and divorced from righteousness. Since it is ‘tsedaqah’ which gives us entrance to the tent or the Temple, lack or absence of justice and/or right makes it very hypocritical on our part of celebrate any worship of Yahweh.

"I hate, I despise your feasts and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them,

And the peace offerings of your fatted beasts, I will not look upon.

Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen." (Amos 5: 21-23)

In whatever time these prophets lived, in the 8th or 7th century B.C., or in the post- exilic period, what is very clear is that Yahweh wants cultic worship if interpersonal justice is observed within community, in society. Worship should be the expression of "one's walk with God", not a show, or a put-on celebration such as Yahweh complains about in Amos 4: 4-5; Hos. 5: 1; Mic. 6: 6-8; Jer. 6: 8-21. Worship should be a spontaneous celebration during which the heart exudes with joy at being able and willing to follow Yahweh's demand for righteousness. If to know Yahweh is to do justice, and to have compassion for the needy, then we must seek him where he himself said he is, and not in easy, approachable ways which are the essence of idols. (18)

The dilemma between justice and cult occurs because, while there is injustice among a people, worship and prayer do not have Yahweh as their object even though we have the formal and sincere "intention" of addressing ourselves to the true God. Only when justice characterises the relationship among the members of the community (among themselves and even outside the national boundary, as Yahweh showed his people) can man hope to address and invoke Yahweh, the "lover of Justice". The message is clear: justice first, then cult.

God calls man to union with Him; man responds in diverse ways to be one with God, to please Him, to know Him and to love Him. Worship gives us the opportunity to offer our righteous deeds to God and the strength to carry on being the people of the righteous God. The final reason for righteousness is salvation. Yahweh has taught his people and is still teaching us through contemporary situations that justice is synonymous with salvation.

Justice and salvation:

The climax of the relationship between Yahweh and his people is expressed by Deutero-Isaiah, where 'tsedaqah' is used as a synonym for salvation:

"Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old?

Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Saviour ; there is none besides me." (Isa. 45: 21)

In the psalms, the Lord reveals his righteousness and saving power:

"Sing Yahweh a new song for he has performed marvels, his own right hand, his holy arm gives him the power to save. Yahweh has displayed his power; He has revealed his righteousness to the nations, mindful of his love and faithfulness to the House of Israel." (98: 1-3)

The Psalmist knows that Yahweh is his saviour: (19)

"My mouth will tell of thy righteous acts, of thy deeds of salvation all the day for their mumber is past my knowledge." (71: 15)

Just as Yahweh is the only source of our righteousness, so is he the only source of our salvation. At this point, it can be inferred that the concepts of righteousness, justice, steadfast love (hesed) and salvation (yesha') are said of God, and as such are non-exclusive and can be used synonymously. To know Yahweh is to do justice, to be righteous, to have compassion for the poor-and-oppressed and to be saved. Yahweh says, "Keep justice (mishpat) and do righteousness (tsedeq) for soon my salvation will come and my deliverance be revealed." (Is. 56: 1) Jesus himself said that all the law and the prophets await the promise of salvation which will be fulfilled in us if we love God with our whole being and our neighbour as ourselves. (Mt. 22: 37-39)

Salvation is promised to those who are righteous. This salvation is realized in Jesus who is sent to fulfill righteousness (Mt. 3: 15). The righteousness for which the blessed shall hunger and thirst (Mt. 5: 6) is the way Jesus offers us in the Beatitudes, the blueprint of the Kingdomand its righteousness (Mt. 6: 33) Righteousness or 'tsedaqah' is needed to enter the gates of the Kingdom of God in the NT just as it is needed in the OT spirituality. Jesus leads the way because he is "the righteous one". (Lk. 23: 47)

(7) Von Rad, op. Cit., p. 370.

(8)Jose Porfirio Miranda, Marx and the Bible, (New York : Orbis, 1974) p.93. OT uses these two words twenty-three times in strict synonymic parallelism, and the same parallelism II times with 'tsedeq' instead of ' tsedaqah '

(9)Cf. also 2 Sam. 8 : 15 ; Prov. 1 : 2, 2 : 9, 8 : 20,16 : 8 ; Amos 5 : 7, 24 ; 6 : 12 ; Is. 1 : 21 ; 5 : 7. The terms are used singly in the legal codes : Ex 20 : 22-23 ; Dt. 12-16 ; Lv. 17-26.

(10) Notes on "Exegesis of the Latter Prophetical Books", by Hubert Vogt, O.F.M., p. 20.

(11) Ibid.. p. 3.

(12)Eugene H. Maly, Prophets of Salvation, (New York : Herder & Herder, 1966), p. 67.

(13) Frederick Moriarty, SJ, Introducing the OT, (Milwaukee : Bruce Publishing Co., 1960), p. 109.

(14)Leopold Sabourin, SJ, The Psalms : Their Origin and Meaning, (NY : Alba House, 1974) p. 91

(15)Miranda, op. cit., p. 47. See also Isa 16 : 5 ; Hos 2 : 19-20 ; Zech 7 : 9-10. Sabourin quotes Pss. 36 : 11 ; 143 : llf, op. cit., p.89, n.l5.

(16) Ibid.

(17) Von Rad, op. cit., p.380, 391ff.

(18) Miranda, op. cit., p.57.

(19) See also Pss. 65 : 6 ; 36 : 11 ; 119 : 41 (Steadfast love and salvation in the last two) ; righteousness and salvation in Is. 45 : 21 ; 56 : 1 ; 61 : 10.