Mizmor 50 and the 2nd David collection D2 (51-72) – its Structure and Story
Why would the mizmorim of David be presented in separate collections from the 1st David collection (D1) in Book I? Wouldn’t it make more sense to just compile all of David’s mizmorim together in the book of Tehillim?
The analysis and context of Mizmor 50, the first mizmor of the Asaf Collection (50; 73-83), offer meaningful insights into the structure of Book II. Mizmorim 51-72 comprise the 2nd “for David” collection (D2). Insights from intertextual comparison with II Samuel 11-12 and contextual reading of D2 will reveal the overall structure and narrative, beginning with the moral foundation required for royalty (51) and continuing with events that occurred during David’s reign, including David’s old age (71, 9) when he passed his kingdom on to his son Shlomo (72). Differences between the D1 (3-41) and D2 collections are discussed.