The Lord, the Builder of the House(hold)

The psalm shows affinity to the OT wisdom tradition, as reflected in Proverbs. The unity of verses 1–2 with 3–5 is the major interpretive question. It is impossible to say whether or not these proverbs had a life of their own before their combination here. But whether the psalm is an act of authorship or editing, it has certainly become more than the sum of its parts. A unity is achieved—whether by an author or editor—by several threads. Both sections share the distinctive theme of Yahweh’s hidden, though decisive, involvement in house and home. In the Hebrew text, there is a wordplay between the “builders” (Hb. bônāyw) in the first half and the “sons” (Hb. bānîm) in the second. We also need to recognize the ambiguity building a “house” has in Hebrew…