Marking Heads

The Psalms of Solomon are sometimes called Songs of Shlomo (מזמורי שלמה), a book that should not be confused with the Wisdom of Solomon and the Odes of Solomon. Solomon was popular in antiquity, so a number of ancient books bare his name. Psalms of Solomon is a collection of eighteen Jewish poetic texts from around the first century BCE. Many scholars believe that these poems were originally composed in Hebrew or possibly in Aramaic. However, the oldest manuscripts that have survived to this day are the Greek and Syrian Aramaic translations of the original. Sadly, the original source text was lost, and translations alone have survived. Also, Solomon did not write them; the psalms are independent works, judging by their style, by several different authors, probably. But none of this detracts from the fact that these are ancient texts that allow us a rare look at ideas of the first century BCE.  And that is what we are after, to peek into ancient worldviews.

Amid my trials, I cried out unto the LORD's name. I yearned for the aid of Jacob's God, and I found salvation. For you, O God, a refuge and hope for the destitute. For who, O God, wields strength but to offer You thanks in sincerity. And where does a man's strength reside except in expressing gratitude to Your name? A fresh psalm voiced with a joyful heart, The product of one’s mouth, harmonized by the well-strung instrument of the tongue. The lips' first fruits are born of a devout and just heart. He who proffers these offerings shall never be swayed by malevolence. The searing flame and wrath directed at the wicked shall not graze him. When it emanates from ADONAI’s face against sinners to wipe away the presence of the sinful. For God's mark rests upon the righteous that they may find deliverance. Famine, sword, and plague shall remain distant from the just, for they shall scatter from the devout as men pursued in battle. But they shall chase down sinners and capture them. And those who practice lawlessness shall not evade God's judgment. They shall be caught as by those who are seasoned in war, for the mark of ruin is upon their brow. The legacy of sinners is devastation and obscurity, and their transgressions will hound them to the depths of the underworld. Their inheritance shall elude their offspring, for sins will ravage the dwellings of the sinful. And offenders shall vanish eternally on the day of the LORD’s reckoning when God graces the earth with His judgment. But those who revere ADONAI will encounter mercy and thrive in their God's compassion. Yet sinners will vanish forever. (Psalms of Solomon 15, trans P. Shir)