Abstract:
The meaning of the word ‘Torah’ in Psalm 1:2 is investigated in the light of
the intratextual context of Psalm 1 itself and in the light of intertextual
connections of this psalm with Joshua 1, Jeremiah 17, Psalms 52 and 92,
Job 8, Ezekiel 47, and 1 Chronicles 22. It is contended that ‘Torah’ in Psalm
1:2 refers to the Mosaic Torah rather than to the Psalter itself. The Torah of
Moses is depicted in Psalm 1 as a guide on the road of life to the presence
of Yahweh, symbolised by a paradise-like temple garden. The mutual connections
of Psalm 1 and 1 Chronicles 22 with Joshua 1 might suggest that
Psalm 1 was intended as an introduction to the first three books of the Psalter
in the first place.
