6. The Hallelujah Psalms
It needs only a quick glance to check that the last five
psalms (146 through 150) begin and end with Hallelujah, which — as
everybody knows — means “Praise ye the Lord” (using the
shortened form of the divine Name).
Turning the pages, going back towards the earlier part of the
psalter, another Hallelujah psalm turns up at 135. Then, going past the 15 Songs
of Degrees and the marathon 119, Psalm 117 presents the familiar phenomenon
again, only this time the divine Name appears in full, in the introductory words
of praise: “Hallelu (eth) Y’howah.” That “eth” is
a word never translated; it serves to emphasize the object of the
worship.
Next, Psalm 116 ends with Hallelujah but lacks it at the
beginning. But there it is at the end of 115! And since there is no
superscription (such as “A Psalm of David”) to mark the proper point
of division, it seems quite probable that that Hallelujah properly belongs to
116. Where there is no psalm heading to separate one from the next, there is
nothing in the Hebrew text to indicate where the division comes (see
Introductory Chapter 1).
Psalms 111 and 112 both appear to begin with Hallelujah but to
lack it at their termination. Surely Psalm 112 has a Hallelujah which does not
belong to it. And now 111 is properly equipped with the right start and
finish.
Closer inspection of these two psalms reveals how right is
this relocation of the Hallelujah’s. Both of them are acrostic psalms (see
Introductory Chapter 4). The theme of the first is the gracious character of
God; and of the second, the gracious character of the godly man. Ponder the
details, and you will soon trace a correspondence of ideas between the
corresponding lines of the two psalms. Now it is easy to see how appropriately
Psalm 111 begins and ends with Hallelujah, while 112 stands without
it.
Psalm 106 also has a double Hallelujah. So also has Psalm 105,
that is, if it be allowed to steal one from 104! Is this a valid procedure or
not? Answer: Yes, because this now leaves 104 beginning and ending with
“Bless the Lord, O my soul.” That seems right, especially since
Psalm 103 also begins and ends in just the same way.
This leaves us with twelve Hallelujah psalms, and, for obvious
reasons, that seems right also! (Whittaker, Bible Studies, p.
216)