AIM Commentary
ANCIENT LENS
What’s the historical context?
Historical Background
The Songs of Ascents celebrate the journey from Babylonian captivity to freedom in the homeland of Judah, and ultimately celebration in the temple. Psalm 130 is not a traveling psalm as such, certainly very different in that respect from Psalm 126. Rather it is contemplative, generally identified as a psalm of trust.
That means that on the way home, these travelers meditate on God, which was most appropriate for this company of exiles released by Cyrus the Great’s decree (Ezra 1-2). Cyrus issued his decree in 538 BC, and we approximate the return date as 536 BC. The result of this movement was the rebuilding of the altar in Jerusalem (Ezra…
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