The title of this work may seem provocative, as the Psalms containing imprecations have traditionally been labeled "violent." To propose a shift from "violent" to "peaceful" as their defining characteristic is a significant challenge, one that this study seeks to address. Existing scholarship on the Psalms has predominantly examined the portrayal of the psalmist and his enemies, while the depiction of God in these texts has received little attention. Notably, no comprehensive study has yet explored the divine imagery within the imprecatory verses of the Psalter. Thus, the novelty of this study is that it systematically analyzes the images of God in these Psalms, offering a fresh perspective on the long-standing debate surrounding "sacred violence" in the Psalms.
The book systematically analyzes God's images in the imprecatory Psalms, offering a new approach to the debate on "sacred violence". It argues that these verses do not incite destruction or violence but seek to promote justice and peace.
General Introduction
Chapter One: Imprecations in the Old Testament:
An Overview
Chapter Two: General Outline of Imprecatory Verses in the
Psalms
Chapter Three: Imprecations with the Imagery of War: Ps 59 "Destroy
them in your anger, destroy them till they are no more" (Ps 59:14)
Chapter
Four: Imprecations with the Imagery of Hunting or Wildlife: Ps 69 "May their
table before them be a trap, and let their security be a snare" (Ps 69:23) -
Chapter Five: Imprecations with Courtroom Imagery: Ps 109 "May my adversaries
be clothed with insult and wrap themselves as the robe of shame." (Ps 109:29)
Chapter Six: Synthesis: Theological Analysis, and Conclusion - General
Conclusion
Niku M. Ekom is a member of the Catholic Religious Order, the Society of Jesus. He studied at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Berkeley, U.S.A, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, Italy, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy, and at Polis, Jerusalem, Israel. He taught Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Old Testament at Hekima University College, Nairobi, Kenya. He is teaching Sacred Scripture at St. Gregory the Great Provincial Seminary, Parkoso, Kumasi, Ghana.
