Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 66:3 (Sep 2023)
Article: Polemicizing The Past: Psalm 115 And Hosea 8
Author: Matthew E. Swale

JETS 66:3 (September 2023) p. 481

Polemicizing The Past: Psalm 115 And Hosea 8

Matthew E. Swale*

^* Matthew Swale is Assistant Professor of Bible and Church Ministry at Warner University, 13895 US Hwy 27, Lake Wales, FL 33859. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Abstract: This essay applies a new inner-biblical allusion methodology that employs two common identification criteria (lexical and contextual analysis) and adds a third (rhetorical analysis). The rhetorical sense-making of a proposed allusion serves to support and verify the findings of the first two criteria. The methodology analyzes a (seemingly) unidentified allusion in Psalm 115:4 to Hosea 8:4. The applied methodology demonstrates that the psalmist polemicizes the false security of the nations (i.e., idols) with words that once indicted Israel’s own false security in the context of Hosea 8–10. Since the psalmist thrice exhorts worshipers to place security in YHWH (vv. 9–11), the psalm deepens the rhetorical force of the exhortations by hinting at Israel’s tragic history of placing security elsewhere. A satirical use of Israel’s past indictment employs past covenantal imbalance to foster the praise necessary for ongoing covenantal balance in the present and future.

Key words: inner-biblical allusion, Psalms, Hosea, anti-idol polemic, rhetoric

What little attention Psalm 115 receives usually stems from its position in the Hallel Psalms (113–118) or its classic opening: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory.”1 By introducing and then applying a composite inner-biblical allusion methodology to Psalm 115:4 and its role in the psalm, this study argues that the psalm alludes to an anti-idol polemic in Hosea for a nuanced theological purpose.

I. Methodology

This study builds on established practices in inner-biblical allusion studies and will therefore have three areas of inquiry. First, lexical connections, which remain the “surest guide” to identifying allusions.2 Second, lexical connections are strengthened when the alluding text and context possess what Richard Schultz calls “contextual awareness” of the source text and context.3 Third, this study will analyze

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