Salmo 116 – preghiera di un malato?

Abstract

This article deals with the putative event that gave rise to Psalm 116. The author proposes a serious illness of the devotee as its interpretative matrix. This assumption is developed in three stages. First, the problematic verse 3 is examined along with other expressions. This analysis leads to the conclusion that there are no decisive obstacles to the aforementioned hypothesis. Second, the whole of Psalm 116 is taken into account in order to place the problematic elements within the Psalm into a broader context; and so as to highlight previously overlooked details in favor of the illness interpretation. Third, the vocabulary and the literary motifs of the Psalm are compared and contrasted with other OT texts dealing with illness, to justify the validity of the proposals.