The Lord is my light and my salvation …” (Ps 27:1) : Psalm 27 in the literary context of Psalms 25-34

Abstract

Psalm 27 has some unique interpretational difficulties. The article briefly refers to the various ways in which its arrangement of elements has been explained. It then attempts to understand the psalm within its literary context, the cluster Pss 25-34, in two ways: First, in understanding the features and contents of Ps 27 in terms of a linear reading of the sequence from Ps 25 to 27. Second, Ps 27 is considered in relation to Ps 31, the corresponding psalm in the chiastically arranged group running from Ps 25 to Ps 34. The implications of the connections between Ps 25 and Ps 31 are also considered in this phase. It is argued that the structure and contents of Ps 27 become more transparent within this literary context created by the editors of the Psalms.