In attempting to discover a reason for the division of Psalm cxix. into
twenty-two portions of _eight_ verses each, instead of _seven_ or _ten_,
the more favourite numbers of the Hebrew, I have thought that, as the whole
Psalm is chiefly laudatory of the Thorah, or Law of Moses, and was written
alphabetically for the instruction mainly of the younger people, to be by
them committed to memory, a {122} didactic reason might exist for making up
the total number of 176 verses, peculiar to this Psalm. Adverting then to
the necessity, for the purposes of Jewish worship, of ascertaining the
periods of the new moons, to adjust the year thereby, I find that a mean
lunation, as determined by the latest authorities, is very nearly 29.5306
days (29d. 12h. 44m.) and as the Jewish months were lunar, six of these
would amount to 177d. 4h. 24m., being somewhat more than _one_ over the
number of verses in this Psalm. As lunations, from observation, vary from
29d. 7h. 32m. to 29d. 18h. 50m., the above was a very close approximation
to the half-year. The other half of the year would vary a whole lunation
(_Veadar_) betwixt the ordinary and the intercalary year.[2] This was, at
least, the best possible combination of twenty-two letters for such
purpose. This Psalm might then have answered some of the purposes of an
almanac. It is a very important one in fixing the Hebrew metres, the
initial letter being the same for every eight verses in succession.
The words at the commencement of Psalms cxx. to cxxxiv., rendered "Song of
Degrees," appear to me to signify rather "song of _ascents_," in reference
to the Jewish practice of _ascending_ to the house-top to watch and pray,
as well as to sleep. If it be assumed that these fifteen Psalms were
appropriated for domestic use on the Jew retiring, by ascending the ladder
or stairs, to the upper part or top of the house (Ps. cxxxii. 3.), the
meaning of several passages will be better apprehended, I conceive, than by
supposing that they were composed solely for temple use, or, as Eichhorn
thinks, to be sung on a journey. Standing on the house-top, the praying
Jew, like David and Solomon, would have in view heaven and earth (cxxi. 2.,
cxxiii 1.), the sun and moon (cxxi. 6.), the surrounding hills (cxxi. 1.)
and mountains (cxxv. 2.), the gates and city of Jerusalem (cxxii. 2. 3.
7.), Mount Zion (cxxv. 1.), the watchmen on the walls (cxxvii. 1., cxxx.
6.), his wife and children at home (cxxviii. 3., cxxxi. 2.), the mover
bringing in his sheaves, compared with the grass on the house-tops (cxxix.
6-8.), all subjects especially noted in these fifteen Psalms. The number
_eight_ appears to be a favourite one in these, as well as in Psalm cxix.,
but there is no reason to believe that such number refers to the _octave_
in music. It may refer, however, to the number of stairs or steps of
ascent. I am not aware that the above views have been previously taken,
which is my reason for calling attention to this interesting and
well-debated subject.