S. D. Ellison, "Hope for a New David in the Psalter's Narrative Impulse: Reading the Psalms as Utopian Literature" (Fortress Academic, 2025)

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – S. D. Ellison, "Hope for a New David in the Psalter's Narrative Impulse: Reading the Psalms as Utopian Literature" (Fortress Academic, 2025)
Date: March 25, 2026
Host: Michael Morales
Guest: Davey (S. D.) Ellison

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Episode Overview

This episode of the New Books Network (Biblical Studies channel) features a conversation between host Michael Morales and Davey Ellison, Director of Training and Lecturer in Old Testament at the Irish Baptist College, Northern Ireland. Ellison discusses his recently published book "Hope for a New David in the Psalter’s Narrative Impulse," which explores the Psalter's (Book of Psalms) literary structure, narrative arc, and its forward-looking hope, particularly the vision of a new Davidic king. Ellison argues that the Psalter has been purposefully arranged as a utopian text, projecting hope out of Israel's historical experience and promising a future ideal, rather than focusing chiefly on eschatology.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ellison’s Journey and Motivation

• Background in Old Testament studies and ministry. Ellison credits his undergraduate Old Testament teacher and his desire to preach Christ from the Old Testament as crucial factors.

• Exposure to Gerald Wilson’s work on the Psalter’s editorial shaping convinced Ellison both of the Psalter’s intentional literary structure and the need to supplement Wilson’s treatment with more sustained focus on messianic (Davidic) themes.

  “The big question in my mind was: How do I preach Jesus from the Old Testament?...I was trying to wrestle with finding a Christological interpretation of the Old Testament that didn’t ignore the context of the Old Testament but emerged from it." — Davey Ellison [03:50]

2. The ‘Narrative Approach’ to the Psalter

• Ellison contrasts the typical anthology-like reading (a "box of sweets/candy" [06:48]) with the narrative approach, viewing the Psalms as a "tasting menu," intentionally ordered to create a literary journey.

• Psalms are thus to be understood both as individual poems and as sequential elements in a broader poetic narrative.

  “I’m suggesting that the individual poetic units that we call Psalms have been intentionally divorced from their original historical context and placed in a new literary context...the Book of Psalms is truly a book.” — Davey Ellison [07:31]

3. The Major Narrative Impulse and Structure of the Psalter

Ellison maps the five ‘books’ of the Psalter onto Israel’s historical story, with each section driving forward hope for a new Davidic king.

Book I (Pss 1–41): The Rise of the King

• Two-part introduction (Pss 1 & 2) sets up both the righteous individual ("blessed man") and the Davidic king.
• Focus on David as the ideal king, expecting both righteousness (Psalm 1) and victorious rule (Psalm 2).

Book II (Pss 42–72): The Rise of the Kingdom

• Broader communal and liturgical elements (sons of Korah), with priestly and royal dimensions.
• Culminates in an idealized view of religious and civic Israel (Psalm 68—Levitical zenith; Psalm 72—royal zenith), though more as ‘vision’ than historical reality.

Book III (Pss 73–89): Reflection on Exile

• Marked shift: David is almost absent, and communal laments dominate.
• Psalm 89 ends with deep distress over the apparent loss of Davidic kingship; a "dark cloud" over previous hopes.

Book IV (Pss 90–106): Future Hope in Wilderness

• Begins with a psalm of Moses (Psalm 90); evokes images of exile as a new wilderness.
• Central psalms (Pss 93–100) assert "Yahweh reigns" (Yahweh Malak Psalms).
• Hints of a returning Davidic king re-emerge.

Book V (Pss 107–150): Restoration and Utopian Vision

• Exile is no longer the dominant theme; focus shifts to God’s future promises and praise.

• Renewed hope in a new David, a future flourishing of Zion (Songs of Ascents, Pss 120–134).

• Ends with universal, global praise (Pss 146–150), echoing narrative and thematic connections to opening psalms.

  “The mere fact that David’s name is mentioned in a post-exilic context whenever no Davidic king was enthroned suggests that this is intended to foster hope for a new David.” — Davey Ellison [21:11]

  “Certain hope leads to global praise in Psalm 150.” — Davey Ellison [24:41]

4. Utopian vs. Eschatological Hope

• Key distinction: Utopian hope = a broad, idealized future rooted in Israel’s past with present and forward dimensions; Eschatological hope = specific expectation of end-times fulfillment.

• Ellison argues the Psalter’s hope is “utopian” (ideal, poetic, non-specific) more than strictly eschatological.

• Utopian category helps integrate both the historical reflection and hopeful anticipation that characterizes the Psalter.

  “My suggestion is that utopian hope is a broader, less distinct hope within which eschatological hope is situated… Utopian hope as a literary category holds together both historical and forward-looking material.” — Davey Ellison [28:01]

5. Psalms 110 & 132: Pillars of Renewed Hope

• Divine speech: Both psalms contain direct oracles from Yahweh about a future Davidic king, rare for the Psalms.

• Royal victory, certainty over enemies: Both emphasize an era where the Davidic king triumphs and evil is eradicated.

• Focus on David’s dynasty: Psalm 132 especially anchors hope in a permanent Davidic kingship referencing 2 Samuel 7.

• Centrality of Zion: Both psalms highlight Zion (Jerusalem) as the seat of God’s promise and ordered reign.

• These psalms synthesize the Psalter’s main themes: restoration of Davidic kingship, defeat of evil, and exaltation of Zion as a ‘utopian’ ideal.

  “If the narrative impulse I’ve outlined is compelling, these reports of direct divine speech are monumental. Post-exile, a new Davidic king can be expected.” — Davey Ellison [31:02]

  “The Psalter’s promising that the ordered reign of Yahweh will be manifest in an idealized Davidic king reigning in victory from a utopian Zion.” — Davey Ellison [33:37]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On narrative reading:

  "Most people approach the Book of Psalms like a box of sweets...The narrative approach suggests we read it as a tasting menu, a curated journey."
  — Davey Ellison [06:48]

• On editorial shaping:

  “…Wilson had presented unassailable evidence that the Psalter has been editorially shaped…but I thought Wilson’s explanation of the purpose…was insufficient. In particular, I think he neglected explicit messianic themes.”
  — Davey Ellison [05:25]

• On the transition to utopia:

  "The utopia portrayed in the Psalter is an ideal city, Zion, inhabited by an ideal people…It’s the unique aspect of my work. It’s therefore the most controversial."
  — Davey Ellison [29:35]

• On Psalms 110 & 132:

  “…reports of direct divine speech are monumental. Post-exile, a new Davidic king can be expected.”
  — Davey Ellison [31:02]

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Important Timestamps

• Introduce guest and context: [02:04–03:03]
• Ellison’s background and research motivation: [03:03–06:42]
• Explaining the narrative approach: [06:42–08:08]
• Major theme / five-book narrative structure: [08:17–25:47]
• Utopian vs. eschatological hope: [25:47–30:04]
• Significance of Psalms 110 & 132: [30:04–33:59]
• Closing thanks and reflections: [33:59–34:15]

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Overall Tone & Flow

The conversation is scholarly yet accessible, with a spirit of curiosity and respect. Ellison clearly articulates complex ideas for non-specialist listeners, all while maintaining theological rigor and pastoral sensitivity. The dialogue naturally progresses from the origins of the project to the heart of Ellison's literary-theological argument, ending with practical significance for biblical interpretation and theology.

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For those interested in biblical studies, Ellison’s work offers a compelling framework for reading and preaching the Psalms as a unified, hope-filled, and intentionally curated text—one aimed at nurturing forward-looking faith in the wake of loss and exile.

Transcript

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[Davey Ellison]

Welcome to the New Books Network.

[Michael Morales]

Does the Psalter have a unified theme or message? Davey Ellison says yes in his new book. He argues that the Psalter's narrative impulse sustains expectations of a better future by assuring readers that one day Zion will be glorified, enemies vanquished, and the Davidic dynasty embodied in a new Davidic king. Join us as we speak with Davey Ellison about his book Hope for a New David in the Psalter's Narrative Impulse. You're listening to New Books in Biblical Studies, a channel of the New Books Network, and I'm your host, Michael Morales. Davey Ellison is Director of Training and Lecturer in Old Testament at the Irish Baptist College in Northern Ireland. Davey, welcome to New Books and Biblical Studies.

[Davey Ellison]

Thank you, Michael. It's a pleasure to join you on New Books and Biblical Studies and a privilege to be able to share a little bit of my work.

[Michael Morales]

Tell us about yourself and what led you to explore the Psalter for your thesis.

[Davey Ellison]

Well, as you said, my name is Davy. I've been married to tracy for almost 16 years. We live on the island of Ireland, the Emerald Isle, in the north of the country, Northern Ireland. Specifically, I serve as the Director of Training and Lecture in Biblical Studies at the Irish Baptist College. The Irish Baptist College is the training department for the association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, a network of 123 independent churches who voluntarily work together in the areas of mission, youth work, women's work, and theological education. I've been at the College since late 2019. Prior to that I served in pastoral ministry. My role in the college consists of leadership, responsibilities and teaching Old Testament and heavier. As for exploring Psalter for my thesis, all of it began with my undergraduate studies. My Old Testament teacher, a man called Morris Darling, who sadly passed away about a decade ago. But it was his teaching that elicited a desire in me to know the Old Testament better. At that point I was seeking to enter full time vocational pastoral ministry to be a preacher in a church. And so the big question in my mind was how do I preach Jesus from the Old Testament? So I was trying to wrestle with finding a Christological interpretation of the Old Testament that didn't ignore the context of the Old Testament but emerged from it. I had the opportunity after undergraduate studies to pursue a Master's in theology. And so I devoted my work to exploring Messianic themes in the Old Testament, in particular the Lord's anointed. So this Messianic thrust that culminated in a dissertation on the Royal Messianic Psalms. In the dissertation I exegeted Psalms 289 and 110 and did so with specific reference to their use in the New Testament. The chapters on Psalms 2 and 89 have subsequently been published in Themelios and Old Testament Essays respectively. So if listeners are interested in in that or want to read and some of my thoughts on these things and they can find that there. But it was while writing my master's dissertation that I discovered Gerald Wilson's volume, the editing of the Hebrew Psalter. And I don't think until that point I'd ever considered the possibility of the Psalter being intentionally shaped. But I found Wilson's work compelling. So it was. After reading Wilson's work, I decided that if I ever had the chance to do doctoral work, I would do it on the shape of the salter. And I think there was two reasons that that was in my mind. The first was I thought that Wilson had presented unassailable evidence that the salter has been editorially shaped. It's been redacted purposefully, and I thought the evidence he presented was compelling. The second thing was that I thought Wilson's explanation of the purpose of the shaping of the Psalter was insufficient. In particular, I think he neglected explicit messianic themes. He only talked about this briefly in his work, the editing of the Hebrew Psalter. He expanded on that in subsequent publications. But I just. I wasn't convinced with how he was interpreting the evidence that he presented. All of that was a decade ago. That was the discovery that led me into doctoral studies and to this point where I've had the privilege of being able to publish some of those doctoral studies.

[Michael Morales]

For those who are unfamiliar with the idea, would you explain the narrative approach to the Psalter?

[Davey Ellison]

So, in my experience, most people approach the Book of Psalms like a box of sweets, or as your American friends would say, box of candy. They dip into the sands and they put one out and they enjoy that one in isolation. That's not necessarily wrong. Each Psalm is, after all, an independent poetic unit. But the narrative approach to the Psalter suggests that we should view the Book of Psalms more like a tasting menu in which the chef serves small courses one at a time in a curated, sequential manner. And so, just as a tasting menu is to be enjoyed is a culinary story or journey, so too the 150 Psalms are to be enjoyed as a poetic story or poetic journey. So I think to see that more plainly, I'm suggesting that the individual poetic units that we call Psalms have been intentionally divorced from their original historical context and place in a new literary context, and that the editor of the Psalter intends for us to read each Psalm in its new literary context. And the Book of Psalms is truly a book. In other words, tell us what you

[Michael Morales]

see as the major theme or topic, or as you say, impulse of the Psalter, perhaps offering a general summary of the flow of its five books.

[Davey Ellison]

Yeah, maybe I can start just by saying something about impulse. I must say I believe that I'd coined the phrase narrative impulse with respect to the Psalter. However, Robert Walsh used that phrase in a 2011 journal article on Psalms 84, 89, and I think I've picked that up from him and imbibed that. But in terms of the major theme, I think my contention is that the Psalter holds out hope for a new Davidic King. I am convinced that the 150 Psalms have been placed in a particular order to tell a particular story. And this story traces the history of Israel as presented in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. So I think the five books of the Psalter can be considered five movements, and with each movement serving as a poetic companion to the historical record of that period. And these movements are pressing us on. So there's a narrative impulse that pushes the reader forward, anticipating a new Davidic king. And maybe, yeah, I can walk through a general summary of the flow of these five books and that would maybe help elucidate that a little bit. So for the first book, book one, Psalms 1:41, I entitled that the Rise of the King. Now, before we dive into that, I think the first indication that the solder has been edited or compiled into a particular shape is the presence of a two part introduction. A number of reasons suggest that SAMS 1 and 2 function in this way, that they're set apart from the rest of Book one, to name just a few. Neither Sam possesses a title or superscription that's in stark contrast to the rest of book one, both Psalms 1 and 2. The word blessed forms an inclusio. So Psalm 1:1 blesses the man. Psalm 2:12. Blessed are those who take refuge. And both Psalms begin with the imagery of a group of people plotting or meditating. Psalm 1:2 and 2:1. Both Psalms end with a mention of the way, Psalm 1:6 2:12. So these Psalms seem to be set apart from the rest of book one. I would also argue that Psalms 1 and 2 seem to describe the same individual. So Psalm 1 introduces him as the blessed man who demonstrates his righteousness by meditating on God's Word day and night. And I would say this individual is then named in Psalm 2 as the king enthroned in Zion. I think that link's further strengthened by recalling that Israel's kings were to devote themselves to God's word, Deuteronomy 17, and also comparing Psalm 1 with Joshua 18. There Joshua, who I think is a prototypical king, is instructed to meditate on God's Word Day and night. And so I think there's this righteous king being presented in the introduction to the psalter and book 1. So Psalms 1:41 or even Psalms 3:41 connects that nameless righteous king to David, King David. And it does so by attributing virtually every psalm in book one to the Israelite king par excellence, the ideal king, or so Israel thought. And so it's consistently the voice of David that's heard in book one. And I would say that lots of my argument is based on the superscriptions and I think I take them seriously, which hasn't been the majority consensus in scholarship to date. But related to David's kingship in book one is the battle between the righteous and the wicked. So that's introduced in the two part introduction. There's this division between the righteous and the wicked in Psalm 1, in Psalm 2, I think that's detailed as the king versus rebellious nations. And as a consequence, two expectations are established in book one. First expectation, the righteous will be protected by the Lord. Second expectation, the Lord will establish his king in Zion. And the Psalms of book one are really King David wrestling in righteousness against the wicked. And in reality, those two expectations established go hand in hand. And then David testifies that in Psalm 41 there he says that the Lord has established him in Zion. In fact, let me just open up the Psalm 41. You've set me in your presence forever. And so this idea of the Lord has established his anointed One in Zion. That leads us into book two, which I have entitled the Rise of the Kingdom, Psalms 42, 72. In lots of ways, this book continues the trajectory of book one, but there is a development. A couple of things indicate this. There's a change of authorship. So it's almost exclusively David in book one. In book two we have the introduction of the sons of Korah from and immediately from the beginning of book two, which indicates a change. So there's a Levitical hue here. It's not just royal, there is royal elements there, but there's also priestly elements present. There's also an increase in communal psalms, which I think is probably reflective of a worshipping community. But more significantly, towards the end of book two, we reach some, well, what I've termed zeniths. And we have a levitical zenith, Psalm 68, that traces the journey of the Ark of the Covenant from Sinai to Jerusalem. And God resides with his people, dwelling with them in their capital. And that's matched by a royal zenith in Psalm 72. And so both These psalms come towards the end of book two. In Psalm 72, the Davidic kingship morse into Davidic dynasty and we've both David and Solomon named in the psalm. And the psalm takes the form of a prayer for successive kings dwelling in Zion, praying that they would be righteous kings. So I think the vision of book two is akin to Israelite religion and kingship functioning as they should. However, the vision is more ideal than anything that was ever experienced in Israel's history. But the expectations established in book one are sustained in book two. I believe all of that changes, however, with book three. Book three runs from Psalm 73. 89, and here I think we have a poetic reflection on the exile. I think several features suggest that a decent eruption marks the devastation of the exile. First, there's a Davidic absence. After being the dominant voice in the Psalter thus far, David is described as solitary. Psalm in book 3, Psalm 86, there are communal laments that clearly reference the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple. Psalm 74 and 79 are perfect examples of that. Psalm 74 tells us that the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary. Psalm 79 tells us that the nations have come into your inheritance and have defiled your holy temple, have led Jerusalem in ruins. Added to that, the book then opens with a psalm that addresses the issue of theodicy, Psalm 73. And there was perhaps no greater challenge to Israel's trust in God than the exile. And think about the book of Habakkuk and how he wrestles with that. And then book three ends with Psalm 89, which very clearly echoes some of the promises of 2nd Samuel 7, and yet does so by lamenting the apparent rejection of the Davidic King by God. The David King is cast off and rejected, covered with shame. His crown lies in the dust. So there's this mourning of the disappearance of Davidic kingship. And so Psalm 89, I think is a dark cloud that hangs over the expectations raised earlier in the Psalter in books one and two. And it asks God this provocative question, where is your faithfulness? Book four begins the answer to that question. Big four. I think we have future hope and Susan's Night Data 106.

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[Davey Ellison]

really intriguing thing is that Psalm 90 is ascribed to Moses Prayer of Moses. I think the idea here, I think this is evidence that there's some different ordering going on in the Psalter. It's not chronological, it's not by genre, it's not by author. But I think the impetus here is that just as Moses led the Israelites through their first exile, so he will once more lead them through this second exile, this wilderness experience outside of the Promised Land. God will again be Israel's refuge and fortress. And we see that in these early Psalms in book 4, Psalms 1992, they also carry wilderness imagery, danger in the open, the imagery of a long journey. And these wilderness psalms are then Followed by Psalms 93 through to 100, often called the Yahweh Malak Psalms. So this refrain, the Lord reigns, or the Lord is king. And so the Bible's testimony is that God's reign continues. And indeed the Bible's testimony elsewhere, outside of the Psalter, is that God's reign is experienced through the Davidic king. And the careful reader will notice that David is not absent from book four. He's ascribed authorship of Psalms 101, 103. I think it's striking that after the lament of Psalm 89 for God's rejection of the Davidic dynasty, that the reader now finds David mentioned again. And it's significant. Psalm 101, for example, there's this idealization of the king. He is someone who will maintain justice and righteousness. And such a description matches the royal individual of Psalms 1 and 2, doesn't it? That moves us on to the final book, book five, which runs from Psalm 107 through to the end. The culmination of the storyline is book five, obviously, and the reader cannot miss the plea for restoration at the end of book 4. So at the end of Psalm 106, the Psalmist and pray save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations. And the affirmation of answered prayer comes at the beginning of book 5, Psalm 107, which proclaims he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands. So the exiles are no longer. The exile is no longer the dominant theme. Instead, the reader is encouraged to look beyond circumstances to the future promises of God. There's a number of other themes or elements of hope in book five. I think the primary element of hope is a new David. So Davidic Psalms occur near the beginning, Psalms 108, 109, 110, in the middle, Psalms 131, 133, and again towards the end, there's a series from Psalms 138, 145, which concludes book five before a conclusion. I'll say more about that in a moment, but I think the mere fact that David's name is mentioned in a post exilic context whenever no Davidic king was enthroned suggests that this is intended to foster hope for a new David. Psalm 110 in particular speaks of David's Lord as an enigmatic royal figure who defeats enemies and thus rules. That's matched with Psalm 132's recasting of the promises contained in 2 Samuel 7 and an explicit mention of a Davidic dynasty once more sprouting. So there is hope for a new Davidic king. But alongside that Davidic element in book five, Zion is added. Book three lamented the destruction of Zion. But in book five, Zion is once more depicted as a place of peace and prosperity, the home of the Davidic king. That's achieved particularly by placing the songs of Ascents at the heart of book 5. Psalms 120, 134. In this series of Psalms, worshippers move up to Zion and this place of peace and joy and salvation. And all of that is matched by the atmosphere. The Hebrew word hallelujah, often translated as praise the Lord. In our English translations, it appears repeatedly in book 5. It occurs after the first Davidic collection. So Psalms 108, 110 are followed by Hallelujah themes in Psalms 111, 118, the Egyptian Halal and the celebration of the songs of Ascents is followed by a hallelujah psalm in Psalm 135. And then the entire psalter ends with a hallelujah conclusion. Psalms 1:46, 150 and in each of these Psalms, praise is heard. It's the only series of Psalms that begin with Hallelujah and end with Hallelujah. And what we see in the progression at the end here is that certain hope leads to global praise in Psalm 150. And we don't have time to go into it now, but there are many themes and terms and other elements in Psalms 146, 150 that connect that two part introduction, connect that to the two part introduction at the beginning. And so I would argue that the Psalms 146 to 150 form a five part conclusion. So I think that's the broad movement through those five books. Some and few pieces of evidence for how I read it that way. Now I want to clarify. I do not think that we can read a story from one Psalm to the next psalm to the next psalm. Rather, I think the Psalms of book 1 form an atmosphere of a righteous king battling wickedness to ascend the throne. And the Psalms of book 2 form an atmosphere of a nation functioning well in both the civic and religious spheres. The Psalms of book three burst such a bubble and create an atmosphere of angst by reflecting on the destruction of Jerusalem. In book 4, the Psalms assert that Yahweh's reign remains and they hint at a new David. And in fact it concludes by celebrating Yahweh's faithfulness in Psalms 104, 106, and in the Psalms of Book 5 celebrate David victory of return to Zion. And so I think there's hope that a new Davidic king will appear. This of course is predicated to some degree in dating the canonical Masoretic text saltered in the early post exilic period, at least in its final form as we have it. But that's something of the impetus of the narrative impulse and a kind of summary of the flow through the five books and how that maps on to Israel's history.

[Michael Morales]

You make a distinction urging that the soldier's hope in a new David is utopian rather than eschatological. Would you explain that difference and why it matters?

[Davey Ellison]

Yeah, great question. There is debate among scholars regarding the extent of eschatological hope in the Old Testament. To some degree those issues revolve around one's definition of eschatology. I think most consider eschatological hope as a specific end time hope. And in doing so, lots of scholars conclude that there cannot be eschatological hope in the Old Testament, or at least that hope is limited. There are flashes of eschatological elements in the Old Testament, even within the Psalter, I think particularly Psalm 87, there's other examples, but Psalm 87 and it's promising declaration that the nations will claim citizenship in Zion. I think that's an example of, of an eschatological hope. But I think it's difficult to argue that the Old Testament in its entirety, or indeed the Psalter in its entirety, is eschatological. And given there's a lot of historically orientated material. And so as I wrestled with this, with the Psalter, think of Psalm 78 for example. In the Psalter it recounts the mighty deeds that Yahweh has done for his people and it's reflective of the history. And then that reflection of history has present implication. Lots of scholars would argue that the Old Testament is not eschatological. And they would say that indeed this psalter is not eschatological, but it's retrospective, it's reflecting on what the Lord has done and not what he will do. But I don't think that accounts for all of the material in the Psalms. It's clear that there's hope and that there's a forward looking impetus in the Psalter and indeed in the Old Testament more broadly. So the difference that I'm arguing for, it's subtle and it's nuanced and perhaps I'm still seeking to find a suitable articulation of it. But my suggestion is that utopian hope is a broader, less distinct hope within which eschatological hope is situated. I suppose I'm saying that utopian hope as a literary category holds together both historical and forward looking. Material history and future are interdependent in the Sultan's narrative impulse because it's out of Israel's history that there is a projection forward of a future ideal. The utopia portrayed in the Psalter is an ideal city, Zion, inhabited by an ideal people who reveal an absence of enemies, an absence of the wicked ones, the evil doers. These are two themes that portray a utopia. And indeed I think the kind of broader, less distinct vision of utopian hope also fits the poetic nature of the soldier. So in my book I argue that utopian literary theory is a profitable approach for interpreting the Salter's rhetoric because it offers a grounded reading of the text in light of socio historical circumstances, the exile, if it's a post exilic document, while also remaining attentive to literary and theological currents found in other post exilic texts. So I think one area in which there's further work to be done is how the Psalter and the books of Chronicles interact with one another or complement one another. And I think there's a certain utopian element and to the books of Chronicles as well. So this element of this utopian hope, it's the unique aspect of my work. It's therefore the most controversial. I do however believe that there's wider benefit to Old Testament studies as this utopian literary theory provides a category through which to interpret the forward looking hope of the Old Testament that is not always explicitly askatological.

[Michael Morales]

Psalms 110 and 132 of Book 5 are significant for your thesis. Tell us about their contribution.

[Davey Ellison]

Certainly I think there are four elements and they make Psalms 110132 significant in the Psalter's narrative impulse. The first element is that they both contain direct divine speech. So given the Psalms originated as man's words to God, prayers of praise, and lament to God, the infrequent occurrence of direct divine speech in the Psalms should be noted. And Significantly in book 5, both Psalms 110 and 132 record Yahweh promising a future king and record his direct divine speech. So in Psalm 110 there is an oracle of Yahweh promising to set a Davidic descendant at his right hand. There is also an oath of YHWH appointing this same Davidic descendant as a priest in the order of melchizedek. In Psalm 132, Yahweh promises to make a horn sprout for David and to crown him with a shining crown. If the narrative impulse I've outlined is compelling, these reports of direct divine speech are monumental. Post exile, a new Davidic king can be expected. The second element is that both Psalms 110 and 132 are explicit about the certainty of victory over enemies. Psalm 110, I think, is more explicit and graphic. There's a willing army gathering to go to war with an enigmatic Davidic descendant who will shatter kings across the air. In Psalm 132, Yahweh promises that the king's enemies will be clothed with shame. In other words, there's an era coming in which all wickedness and evil will be vanquished, all enemies of righteousness will one day be gone. So utopian Hobo so I've said already. But this idea of the certainty of victory. The third element is that Psalms 1:10 and 1:32 both focus on David and his descendants. So Psalm 132 or sorry. Psalm 110 carries a Davidic authorship ascription, and Psalm appears to be focused on a coming son of David. Psalm 132 is far more explicit, leaning on the great Davidic promises of 2nd Samuel 7. But Yahweh's sure oath in Psalm 132 is that a son of David will sit on the throne of David forever. And so God speaks. There's a certain day of victory, and that is connected to a Davidic king. And the fourth and final element is that both of these psalms celebrate zion. In Psalm 110 it is from Zion that Yahweh sends his salvation and sovereign victory. In Psalm 132, the divine choice of Zion is reiterated. So God not only promises Davidic kingship, but also promises to remain firm to his choice of Zion. His promises regarding Zion will not remain unfulfilled. And Psalm 132 is found in Songs of Ascents as well, that series that focuses on a celebratory return to Zion. So both Psalms 110 and 132 they assimilate and advance the trajectories of victory over enemies, the renewal of Zion and the return of the Davidic king, and do so by reporting direct divine speech. I think that's significant. The soldiers promising that the ordered reign of Yahweh will be manifest in an idealized Davidic king reigning in victory from a utopian Zion.

[Michael Morales]

Marvelous. You've given us a beautiful and profound view of the Psalter, Davey. Thank you so much for being with us on the New Books Network.

[Davey Ellison]

Well, thank you Michael, again for the opportunity to share every blessing to you and your continued ministry friends, thank you

[Michael Morales]

for listening to New Books in Biblical Studies, a channel of the New Books Network. Until next time. Goodbye.

[Davey Ellison]

Foreign.

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