Ps. 76.1 (local renown)

The Renowned One / in Judah / is God
in Israel / his name / is great. 

There are two aspects to this opening verse that deserve attention. The first in regard to the content, the second in regard to how it relates to the closing verses. As to its content, “renown” and the “great name” are descriptions of public acknowledgment of authority. They both focus on how God is perceived by others. It is an important note to strike in this psalm, as it will continue, without interruption, until the end. This is no hidden god; but a fully public and manifest god. The mode of this manifestation is in ‘renown’ and ‘greatness’. His publicity is, in other words, that of authority. He does not merely ‘shine’ in the world, but commands respect by and through that shining. Second, and just as importantly, this ‘renowned one’ is specifically identified as being geographically located in Judah and Israel. This geographical focus is crucial for the psalm as a whole. From the northern tribes to the southern, all the land of Israel is where God dwells. This totality of dwelling in the land is, however, further localized. His ‘name’ is in Israel—the Temple. The important thing to point out here is that in Israel there is this incredible potency of God’s presence, localized in the land and further concentrated in the Temple. This covers the first point. As to how this verse relates to the closing, what we find is intriguing. We saw ‘the name’ in the opening verse. That name is actually used in the closing: “Make vows to Yhwh and fulfill them…” To fulfill one’s vows is, presumably, to sacrifice at the Temple. Hence, what we saw in the first verse is now brought out explicitly here with the Name and the Temple. Further, the concluding line refers to God as the “Awesome One” to the kings of the earth, who “mortifies the spirit of princes”. What was only impliedly worldwide in the opening verse is here made explicit: God’s publicity in Israel/Judah, although geographically located, is world-wide in its scope. What was “Judah/Israel” is now the “kings of the earth”. The intervening verses reveal how we make that move from local renown to worldwide renown. The widow and Decedent’s fiduciaries settled all claims the widow had against the estate, the Trust, or her husband.