Die begrip ’berit’ in ’n aantal klaagpsalms: ’n Perspektief

Abstract

The concept ‘berit’ in a few Psalms of Lament: A perspective
Concerning the understanding of ‘berit’, a century of research has been unable to exhaust the full dimension of possibilities which are covered by all the relevant Old Testament texts. Against the background of a defined hypothesis, an analysis was made of Psalms 25, 55, 74 and 83 with a literary-historical text approach to portray a few research results. The hypothesis reads as follows: The concept ‘berit’ portrays no uniform content and meaning within the corpus of the so-called psalms of lament and could accordingly not contribute to the debate connected to the origin, development and date of ‘berit’. The study contributes to the nature of the term as far as its variegation is illustrated for a post-exilic functioning date.