Abstract
The supplicant of Psalm 31 bemoans the fact that his neighbours and companions treat him like an outcast. What is even more disturbing is the fact that one would expect this from the enemies, as is the case in so many laments. The friends and family who were supposed to provide the necessary support in times of affliction, however, deserted the psalmist. The line between friend and foe became blurred. The plaintiff faces rejection on two fronts: attacked by his enemies and ostracised by his friends. Through the marginalisation the poet no longer feature as a member of the social group that embodies his identity. Instead of being in the centre, he now operates on the periphery, thus bearing the full brunt of social rejection in ancient Israel. This form of rejection is tantamount to life on the “outskirts” of society. Focusing on the notion of spatiality, this paper aims at illustrating that the image-schema of centre-periphery underlies the behaviour of the companions in Psalm 31. The neighbours and companions reside in the centre (important and honourable), whereas the psalmist exists on the periphery (unimportant and disgraced).
Highlights
References to the enemies abound in the biblical Hebrew Psalms of Lamentation, bearing testimony to their role as antagonists in these poems
In the light of the aforementioned, the current investigation endeavours to explicate the link between the aspects of social rejection, kinship and social death
Since the ancient Israelites emphasised corporate responsibility, every person had to act in accordance with the norms and rules, which ensured the survival of the group
Summary
References to the enemies abound in the biblical Hebrew Psalms of Lamentation, bearing testimony to their role as antagonists in these poems (cf. Dhanaraj 1992). The neighbours, friends and family on whom the psalmist relies for help and protection in times of affliction act like the enemies. It is argued that the situation in Psalm 31 is a case in point. In this individual lament, the supplicant bemoans the fact that his neighbours and companions consider him an outcast. The inner circle abandons the psalmist and avoids any contact with him. He has become like the living dead so to speak. He is being attacked by his enemies and on the other hand rejected by his neighbours and companions. It will be shown that such a schema affords the reader insight into the actions of the neighbours and companions
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