The Dialectical Interplay of Seeing and Hearing in Psalm 19 and Its Connection to Wisdom

Abstract The paper attempts to establish through exegetical analysis of the Hebrew text a plausible literary framework for Psalm 19. A careful study of the psalm suggests that the psalmist draws on the basic concepts of seeing and hearing in the construction of this poem. In a skillful reversal of roles, visual terminology conveys verbal ideas while verbal vocabulary describes visual phenomena. As a result, the visual and verbal revelation of Yahweh are at once contrasted and compared in the text. Together they sustain a complementary relationship, comprising one complete revelation of Yahweh. Furthermore, the interplay of seeing and hearing may account for the wisdom features present in the psalm. The Ancient Near East traditionally viewed wisdom as derived from the observation of the natural world. The superior nature of genuine wisdom, appropriated by Israel however, comes from Yahweh's verbal revelation. Wisdom acquired through visual testimony becomes assimilated under the auspices of wisdom as defined by Torah. Yahweh's word provides the only source of wisdom for interpreting the witness of the external world properly. Ultimately, both Yahweh's works and words testify to the glory of the Creator.