Psalms 152 to 155 are additionalPsalms found in twoSyriacbiblical manuscripts and several manuscripts ofElijah of Anbar [fr]'s "Book of Discipline",[1] first identified by the orientalist librarianGiuseppe Simone Assemani in 1759.[2] Together withPsalm 151 they are also called theFiveApocryphal Psalms ofDavid or the "Five Syriac Psalms".[3] In addition to Psalm 151, Psalms 154-155 were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls in11QPsa, though 151-155 all were likely composed in Hebrew.[4]
"Spoken by David when he was contending with the lion and the wolf which took a sheep from his flock."[5] This text has survived only inSyriac[6] although the original language may have beenHebrew. The text has six verses, the tone is non-rabbinical, and it was probably composed in Israel during theHellenistic period[7] (c. 323–31 BC).
"Spoken by David when returning thanks to God, who had delivered him from the lion and the wolf and he had slain both of them."[5] This text has survived only inSyriac.[6] Date and provenance are like Psalm 152. It is listed as the fifth of the apocryphal psalms by Wright.[5]
This Psalm survived in Syriac biblical manuscripts and also was found inHebrew,[6] in theDead Sea scroll 11QPs(a)154 (also known as11Q5 –The Great Psalms Scroll), a first-century AD manuscript.[8] It is listed as the second of the apocryphal psalms by Wright who calls it "The Prayer of Hezekiah when enemies surrounded him".[5] Gurtner suggests that this psalm may have sectarian resonances: the "many ones" (154:1) and the "community" (154:4) may refer to the people and community at Qumran.[4]
This psalm is extant inSyriac and was also found in theDead Sea Scroll 11QPs(a)155 (also called11Q5 –The Great Psalms Scroll), a first-century CEHebrew manuscript.[6] Because the psalm is a generic psalm of repentance it is not possible to suggest date and origin, save that its origin is clearly pre-Christian.[9] The psalm has been compared toPsalms 22 and51 as well as thePrayer of Manasseh.[4]
The original language of this psalm, which is extant only in Syriac, may be Hebrew... It is impossible to date this psalm. The general tone, Jewish but non-rabbinic character, and association with Psalms 151, 154 and 155 indicate that it was probably composed by a Palestinian Jew during the hellenistic period.
Prior to their discovery at Qumran, the additional psalms of David survived primarily through Syriac copies, and scholars referred to them as Syria noncanonical psalms. Of these psalms, Psalms 151A, 151B and 155 are present within the Qumran Psalms Scroll (11QPsa), and are thus clearly pre-Christian in their composition.
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