Wyatt A. Graham. <i>The Promised Davidic King: Psalm 108’s Canonical Placement and Use of Earlier Psalms</i>

Wyatt Graham’s new book, The Promised Davidic King: Psalm 108’s Canonical Placement and Use of Earlier Psalms, is a published version of his dissertation completed at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The primary contributions of this book are its development of the eschatological message in the Psalter and its analysis of understudied texts. Additionally, his project is a helpful case study in editorial reuse of material with the Psalter.Chapters 1–3 function as the background to his project. Chapter 1 is a review and summary of canonical Psalms research. Graham positions himself as an ally to approaches that read the Psalter as a coherent book, while also conceding that some canonical projects have claimed too much. Chapter 2 is a review of previous commentary on Ps 108. Graham points out the striking deficiencies of most scholarly literature on the topic. He argues that interpreters rarely approach Ps 108 on its own terms; too many have simply dismissed it with a footnote directing readers to comments on Pss 57 and 60. Chapter 3 is a review of canonical approaches to the Old Testament in general and the Psalter in particular. It also includes a summary of recent work on inner-biblical citations.In chapter 4, Graham begins with a standard, straightforward exegesis of Ps 108. He concludes that David is praying for the glory of God to be revealed to the nations through eschatological warfare. Graham then continues the chapter by discussing Ps 108 in its canonical context. He dips back into book four of the Psalter and traces the movement from history to eschatology in Pss 104–8. Ultimately, he argues that the Psalm describes a future eschatological David.Chapter 5 explores the relationship between Ps 108 and Pss 57 and 60. The thesis of this chapter is that by setting the text of Pss 57 and 60 within the postexilic and futurist context of Pss 107–10, and making notable textual alterations, Ps 108 leads readers to hope for a future Davidic king. One insightful element and an overall strength of the book is Graham’s attention to the superscriptions and the way they shape the reading of their psalms. Pss 57 and 60 identify themselves as מכתמים (Miktam). Graham links the genre to inscriptions of historical events in stone memorials. He additionally notes that Pss 57–59 contain the same phrase in their superscriptions: “do not destroy.” This provides a verbal parallel to 1 Sam 26:9, closely linking the series of psalms to David’s life. Ps 60 likewise begins with a historically specific superscription. In contrast, Ps 108’s superscription lacks any historical links. These observations support Graham’s argument that the movement from book two of the Psalter (57 and 60) to book five (108) is one of history to eschatology.Chapter 6 focuses in on the canonical movement of Pss 108–10. Graham begins the chapter by wrestling with the concept of authorial intentionality. His aim is to understand how the intentionality of Ps 108’s author interfaces with that of the editors who placed it in its current context. Ultimately, he suggests that David, the author of Pss 108–10, intended them eschatologically and that the editors of the Psalter arranged them to further draw out this feature. Graham then shifts to analyzing thematic and verbal parallels between the three psalms. His conclusion is that the “Davidic triptych” flows from the eschatological hope of Ps 107. Ps108 depicts the future conquest of Israel’s enemies and her king who intercedes for her. Ps 109 then describes the difficulties faced by the king during this conquest, and Ps 110 depicts his ultimate victory and vindication.This book fills a narrow but real need. Graham convincingly documents the lack of interaction with Ps 108 and the necessity of a project like his. The best way for the canonical approach to the Psalter to progress is for scholars to publish on how individual Psalms fit into the bigger picture. This is especially true of understudied psalms like 108. Moreover, the reuse of earlier psalms in later portions of the Psalter is itself understudied as a phenomenon and often mystifies readers. Graham’s book thus genuinely advances multiple elements of the field.My primary critique of this book is that the first seventy-two pages are introductory. Even by itself that is a lot, but in terms of total volume it is almost half the book. Chapters 1 and 3 are similar enough in topic that they probably could have been condensed together. It is certainly vital for the author to understand all the material in these chapters, but enough surveys of literature on canonical Psalms scholarship exist. Some of that space could then have been freed up for Graham to develop his biblical-theological reflections more deeply. His project is a good one, and I would have liked to see him press into it further.Additionally, I was surprised he did not interact with David Mitchell’s work more outside of his introductory material. The theme of eschatological warfare is central to Mitchell’s study of the Psalter and thus dialogue could have contributed to Graham’s analysis of that theme. I also would have liked to see more discussion of the formal elements of the psalms he covers. In particular, I think modern studies on poetic parallelism could have enriched his exegesis.Overall, this is a solid work. I am grateful to have a monograph on Ps 108 because it gives future scholars something to work with. I would like to see more research done on individual psalms and how they relate to the macro-structure of the Psalter, as well as its eschatological and christological trajectory.