Introduction to Psalm 73
Psalm 73: The Problem of Theodicy in the Wisdom Tradition
Psalm 73 opens the Third Book of the Psalter (Ps 73–89) with one of the most intense meditations on theodicy in the entire Hebrew Bible (Ps 73:1 MT). Attributed to Asaph (mizmor le-Asaf), the psalm confronts the fundamental paradox of faith: why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? The very opening reveals the argumentative structure of Psalm 73: ak tov le-Yisrael Elohim — «Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart» (Ps 73:1 MT) — an affirmation the psalmist immediately finds contradicted by lived experience. The Wisdom of Solomon offers the same resolution: the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them definitively (Wis 3:1–9).
Ak Tov: The Psalmist's Crisis of Faith in Psalm 73
The structure of Psalm 73 is among the most sophisticated in the entire Psalter: initial confession of faith (v.1), existential crisis (vv.2–16), turning point in the sanctuary (vv.17–20), theological resolution (vv.21–28). The psalmist describes his crisis with clinical precision: ani kivsatot riglay — «my feet had almost stumbled» (Ps 73:2 MT) — a metaphor for the wavering of faith in the face of the spectacle of the wicked. The closest analogy in Scripture is Job, who articulates the same question: «Why do the wicked live and grow old, and even increase in strength?» (Job 21:7–15). The biblical wisdom tradition — Job, Ecclesiastes, Ps 73 — forms a coherent corpus of resistance to simplistic theological answers.
The Mishnah responds to the problem of the suffering of the righteous with a radical theological principle: the obligation to bless God for evil as for good, because love of God must embrace both impulses (bi-shney yetzarecha — with both impulses, the good and the evil, Mishnah Berakhot 9:5). The Sefaria text is explicit: chayav adam levarekh al ha-ra'ah ke-shem she-hu mevarekh al ha-tovah — the blessing over evil is not resignation but recognition of divine sovereignty over the totality of existence.
The Turning Point in the Sanctuary: Ad Avenu l'Elohim
The hermeneutical key of the traditional commentary on Psalm 73 — both Jewish and Christian — is verse 17: ad avenu el mikdeshei El avina le-aharitam — «until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned their end» (Ps 73:17 MT). The turning point is not intellectual but liturgical: the psalmist understands not through rational argument but through entrance into sacred space. The wicked are like «a dream when one awakes» (Ps 73:20 MT) — their prosperity is a temporal phenomenon lacking ultimate substance.
The Mishnah connects this experience to the practice of kavvanah in prayer: the chasidim rishonim (the ancient devout ones) «would wait one hour before praying in order to direct their heart toward the Omnipresent» (Mishnah Berakhot 5:1). The sanctuary of Ps 73:17 is not only physical space but interior disposition — the kovesh rosh (recollection) as a condition for receiving the spiritual understanding that theological crisis alone cannot produce.
The Theological Resolution: Mi Yesh Li Bashamayim
The climax of Psalm 73 is verse 25: mi yesh li bashamayim ve-'imkha lo chafatti va-aretz — «whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you» (Ps 73:25 MT). The resolution is not an explanation of the problem of theodicy but its transcendence: the supreme good is communion with God, not material prosperity. The psalmist affirms in Ps 73:28: va-ani kirovat Elohim li tov — «for me, drawing near to God is good».
The Wisdom of Solomon articulates the same resolution in eschatological terms: «The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them» (Wis 3:1–9). Paul in Rom 8:18 grounds this perspective in christology: the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed, a formula reflecting the argumentative structure of Ps 73 — temporal crisis resolved in eternal perspective.
| Dimension | Ps 73 MT | Job (Job 21) | Wisdom (Wis 3) | Paul (Rom 8) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Problem | Prosperity of the wicked (v.3–12) | Why do the wicked live? (Job 21:7) | Suffering of the righteous | Sufferings of the present time |
| Turning point | Sanctuary (v.17) | Theophany (Job 38–42) | Hands of God (Wis 3:1) | Future glory to be revealed |
| Resolution | Communion with God (v.25–28) | Direct vision of God (Job 42:5) | No final suffering | Incomparable glory |
| Terminology | ak tov / mi yesh li | maddua reshaim yicheyu | dikaiōn psychai | logidzomai/doxa |
Psalm 73 Commentary in the Exegetical Tradition
The commentary on Psalm 73 in the exegetical tradition is organized around three fundamental questions, each with precise theological implications:
- Rhetorical structure: the function of ak (only/certainly) at the opening of v.1 as an affirmation that survives the crisis — the psalmist already knows the answer before even formulating the problem (Ps 73:1 MT: ak tov le-Yisrael Elohim)
- Theological space of the sanctuary: the mikdash as a place of spiritual understanding, not merely of rite — liturgical entry as an epistemology of faith (Ps 73:17 MT)
- Definition of the good: tov in v.28 (kirovat Elohim li tov) redefines the good not as material prosperity but as divine nearness — the answer to the entire theological crisis (Ps 73:28 MT)
Ps 73 opens Book III of the Psalter (Ps 73–89) not by accident: it introduces the theological crisis that the subsequent psalms — including Ps 89, with its question about the failure of the Davidic promise — will elaborate systematically. Asaph's wisdom meditation on the prosperity of the wicked is therefore the hermeneutical key to the entire section, with the resolution of the theodicy that Paul will make explicit in Rom 8:18.