World English Bible · The united kingdom
Psalms 57
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. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." A poem by , when he fled from , in the cave. Be merciful to me, , be merciful to me, for takes refuge in you. Yes, in the , I will take refuge, until disaster has passed. I cry out to , to who accomplishes my requests for me. He will send from , and me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. . will send out his and his truth. is among lions. I lie among those who are set on , even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their a sharp . Be exalted, , above ! Let your be above all the earth! They have prepared a net for my steps. is . They dig a pit before me. They fall into the middle of it themselves. . is steadfast, . is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will sing . Wake up, my ! Wake up, lute and harp! I will wake up the dawn. I will to you, , among the peoples. I will sing to you among the nations. For your great reaches to , and your truth to the skies. Be exalted, , above . Let your be over all the earth.
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The world at this moment · The united kingdom, 1050 BC to 931 BC ›
Saul, David, and Solomon. A rare window when both Egypt and Mesopotamia are weak, which is how a small kingdom in the corridor between them could briefly become a regional power.
- The power vacuum
- This is the whole political explanation for the united kingdom. Egypt is fragmented, Assyria is recovering but still local, the Hittites are gone, and nobody is in a position to object to a strong state in the corridor. It lasts about a century, and Israel's golden age fits exactly inside it.
- Phoenicia
- Tyre under Hiram is the commercial power of the coast, and supplies the cedar, the craftsmen, and the shipping for Solomon's building programme. The alliance is trade, not charity: Israel had grain and a land route, Tyre had timber and ships.
- Egypt
- Weak enough that a pharaoh gives a daughter in marriage to an Israelite king, which is the opposite of Egyptian practice in stronger centuries. Late in the era it recovers under a new house, and Shishak will invade within five years of Solomon's death.
- Further afield
- Greece is still in its dark age but beginning to recover, and will adopt the Phoenician alphabet within a century or two. Carthage is founded by settlers from Tyre by tradition in 814 BC. In the Americas the Olmec centre shifts to La Venta.
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