The Korahitic and Asaphic psalms are found exclusively in the Second and Third books. There are 12 Asaphic psalms: 1. Lxxiti—Ixxxiii, and also 12 Korahitic: xlii. xliii. x hv—xlix. Ixxxiv. lxxxv. lxxxvii. lxxxviii, assuming that Ps. xliii is to be regarded as an independent twin psalm to xlii and that Ps. Ixxxviii is to be reckoned among the Korahitic psalms. In both of these divisions we find psalms belonging to the time of the Exile and to the time after the Exile (Ixxiv. lxxix. lxxxv). The fact of their being found exclusively in the Second and Third books cannot therefore be explained on purely chrono- logical grounds. Korahitic psalms, followedbyanAsaphic,open the Second book; Asaphic psalms, followed by four Korahitic, open the Third book.
The way in which Davidic psalms are interspersed clearly sets before us the principle by which the arrangement accord- ing to the matter, which the collector has chosen, is gov- erned. It is the principle of homogeneousness, which is the old Semitic mode of arranging things: for in the alphabet, the hand and the hollow of the hand, water and fish, the eye and the mouth, the back and front of the head have been placed together. In like manner also the psalms follow one another according to their relationship as manifested by prominent external and internal marks. The Asaphic psalm, Pa. 1, is followed by the Davidic psalm, li., because they both simi- larly disparage the material animal sacrifice, as compared with that which is personal and spiritual. And the Davidic psalm Ixxxvi is inserted between the Korahitic psalms Ixxxv and Ixxxvii, because it is related both to Ps. Ixxxv. 8 by the prayer: “Shew me Thy way, O Jahve” and “give Thy conquer- ing strength unto Thy servant”, and to Ps. lxxxvii by the prospect of the conversion of the heathen to the God of Is- rael. This phenomenon, fhat psalms with similar prominent thoughts, or even with only markedly similar passages, espe- cially at the beginning and the end, are thus strung together, may be observed throughout the whole collection. Thus e.g. Ps. lvi with the inscription, “after (the melody): the mute dove among strangers”, is placed after Ps. lv on account of the occurrence of the words: “Oh that I had wings like a dove!" &c., in that psalm; thus Ps. xxxiv and xxxv stand together as being the only psalms in which “the Angel of Jahve” oc-
