“May My Musings Please Him” (Psalm 104:34): On the Transformation of Inner Self-Awareness in Wisdom Psalms

This article examines the use of the verbs of “meditation” śyḥ and hgh and the corresponding nouns, especially in the Psalms and the Hodayot. Focusing on “meditation” sheds light on the constitution and transformation of an inner self-awareness in Judaism during the Second Temple period. In addition, this article draws on insights from historical and philosophical anthropology to support and deepen the argument. The article examines four Psalms groups from the Hebrew Bible and the Hodayot in order to reveal conceptual and terminological continuity as well as a more precise understanding of reflective literary practices in early Jewish scribal culture.