Author: Nicholas G. Piotrowski

The Themes of Exile and Return Are Seen Throughout the Psalms

Given the theological severity of the historic exile, it is no surprise that emblems of exile and the hope for return would appear throughout the Bible.

March 27, 2025 by: Nicholas G. Piotrowski

The Poetic Exile

Given the theological severity of the historic exile, it is no surprise that emblems of exile and the hope for return would appear throughout the Bible. One thinks of the constant threat of enemies in Judges, the loss and return of the ark in 1 Samuel, Ruth’s departure and return, and David’s flights from danger.1

The same dynamic is powerfully at work in the Psalms. The Bible’s poetic literature “functions to provide a pause in the storyline to reflect on the tragedy of the exile, its causes and significance.”2 This is principally seen in the Psalter’s organization into five parts:

Book 1: Psalms 1–41
Book 2: Psalms 42–72
Book 3: Psalms 73–89
Book 4: Psalms 90–106
Book 5: Psalms 107–150

Gerald Wilson has argued that the psalms that begin and end each book serve as thematic “seams” that stitch the otherwise diverse psalms together.3 Thus a discernable pattern emerges that matches the narratological flow of the entire Old Testament, emphasizing exile and hope for return. The definitive turning points are the rise of David, crowning of Solomon, descent into exile, and rising of Israel out of exile into a new creation.4 For our purposes at this point in our study, books 1 to 4 tell the story of Israel’s exile out of the land.

Book 1 begins in a garden setting (Ps. 1:2–3) and describes the rise of the house of David as a response to the rebellion of the nations against God (Ps. 2). David’s ascension is a difficult one, however. He is a suffering king, often on the verge of death (Pss. 18:4; 22:1, 15; 23:4; 41:5). Yet he always comes out of the figurative grave to rule the nations (Pss. 16:10–11; 18:43; 22:19–21, 27; 23:5; 41:10).5 This brings us to the first “seam,” the climax of book 1. Psalm 41 concludes with these lines:

By this I know that you delight in me:
     my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
     and set me in your presence forever.
Blessed be the LORD. (Ps. 41:11–13)

The triumph over the “enemy” and the enjoyment of the Lord’s “presence forever” shows David’s role in bringing Genesis 3:15 to completion and reopening the door to Eden.

Yet Psalm 42, the first psalm of book 2, appears to have been written from exile, when the temple—that place of God’s presence—is a ruined heap, and the “enemy” taunts by saying, “Where is your God?” (Ps. 42:9–10, cf. Ps. 42:3).6 Thus, the last psalm of book 1 and first psalm of book 2 bring together the end goal of David’s reign—triumph over the enemy and entrance into God’s presence—and the ever-looming threat of exile. In other words, books 1 and 2 are stitched together with a yes-but-more seam. “Hope in God!” comes the cry (Ps. 42:5, 11; cf. Ps. 43:5).

Such expectations build higher by the end of book 2. Psalm 72 is the pinnacle of the Psalter the way 1 Kings 8–10 is the pinnacle of the historical books of the Old Testament, capturing the full vision of Genesis 3:15 and the nations’ return to Eden.7 Solomon is on the throne, ruling with justice and righteousness (Ps. 72:1–2). Sun, moon, and earth are invoked (Ps. 72:5–7) as this son of Judah has “dominion . . . to the ends of the earth” (Ps. 72:8; echo of Gen. 1:28) and victory over his “enemies” (Ps. 72:9; echo of Gen. 3:15), and tribute (particularly gold) and obeisance are brought by the nations (Ps. 72:10–11, 15; allusion to Gen. 49:10). The result, therefore, is that “the whole earth [is] filled with [the Lord’s] glory” (Ps. 72:19). In short, what David saw from afar at the end of book 1, his son Solomon realizes in a climactic way at the end of book 2.

Yet just like 1 Kings 11, book 3 of the Psalms begins with ominous words: “Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped” (Ps. 73:1–2). It would appear that this psalm does not pertain directly to exile, but its placement at the head of book 3, right after the triumphant close to book 2, reminds us of Moses’s warnings concerning the heart, specifically how Solomon’s heart is described in 1 Kings 11. And indeed, book 3 does end with a dirge of exile in Psalm 89. The house of David is “cast off and rejected” (Ps. 89:38; cf. also Ps. 89:39, 44–45, 49). “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?” (Ps. 89:46) is a sad query given what we saw at the end of books 1 and 2. Now the Lord’s and Israel’s “enemies” mock (Ps. 89:51). Thus, the plea at the end of book 3 is “Remember, O Lord” (Ps. 89:50). As the covenant God had once “remembered” Israel in Egypt (Ex. 2:24), this new exile will necessitate a second exodus.

The door back into to our true Edenic home is opened through the great end-times sacrifice of the coming Davidic priest-king.

Book 4 is then the book of exile itself. And right on cue, it opens with the only psalm written by Moses, Israel’s first redeemer (Ps. 90). Throughout, it emphasizes that God constantly “remembers” (Pss. 103:14; 105:8; 106:4) and constantly describes humanity’s end as “dust” (Pss. 103:14; 104:29; cf. Gen. 3:19) as well as Jerusalem’s current condition as “dust” (Ps. 102:13–14). Yet withMoses as the first author, book 4 generates the hope that Israel will return to the Lord and the Lord will return to them (Ps. 90:13). Book 4 also echoes Genesis 3:15 (Ps. 91:11–13), contains a wonderful hymn of creation (Ps. 104), and concludes by recounting the first exodus (Ps. 106). The final words are

Save us, O Lord our God,
     and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
     and glory in your praise. (Ps. 106:47)

That is where book 4 leaves the people of God—calling out to be gathered from among the nations because the house of David and the house of the Lord (in fact, all humanity) are in the dust of death.

To be sure, not every psalm revolves around exilic themes. But an aerial view of the entire Psalter demonstrates this wider topography. Books 1 to 4 of the Psalter are struck in the mold of exile from Eden and exile from the land.

The Poetic Return from Exile

The Psalter has the same glorious vision. When we left off with the Psalms, we heard Israel’s plea at the end of book 4 to “gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks” (Ps. 106:47). Book 5 then begins by repeating the words “gather” and “thanks.” Psalm 107:1–3 exults,

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
     for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
     whom he has redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands
     from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

Thus, book 5 is the book of return from exile. And while psalms attributed to David decreased over books 3 and 4, his psalms are back in force in book 5. Psalms 108–110, 122, 124, 131, 133, and Psalms 138–145 are all ascribed to David. The emphasis that emerges is that “the answer to the problem of exile is David.”8 Having been laid “in the dust” at the end of book 3 (Ps. 89:39), David is now literarily back from the grave.

The most important chapter in this section is Psalm 110. It is a kingly enthronement psalm (“Sit at my right hand”; Ps. 110:1) reminiscent of Genesis 3:15 (“enemies your footstool”; Ps. 110:1).9 And it is also a priestly psalm (“You are a priest forever”; Ps. 110:4).10 The upshot is that through the reinthronement of the house of David and a new sacrifice, Israel comes out of exile.

Finally, at the completion of this return from exile, creation itself breaks out in worship of God. The five psalms that conclude the Psalter, Psalms 146–150, celebrate a renewed earth singing praise to God in the language of return from exile and a new exodus. In Psalm 146:8, the “blind” see. In Psalm 147:2, the Lord “gathers the outcasts.” In Psalm 148:3–11, sun, moon, stars, creatures, mountains, trees, and “creeping things” praise the Lord, as do the “kings of the earth.” In Psalm 149:1, a “new song” echoes Moses’s song after the parting of the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1–2). And in Psalm 150:1, laud is given to God specifically “in his sanctuary . . . in his mighty heavens.” The end is that “everything that has breath praise[s] the Lord” (Ps. 150:6). That term “breath” comes right out of Genesis 2:7. Thus, at the end of the exile, the purposes of Eden are accomplished!

As a whole, the Psalter tells the story from Adam to Solomon and the temple, down into exile, and finally looking forward to a new creation (just like the prophets) and, therefore, the restoration of all humanity. The door back into to our true Edenic home is opened through the great end-times sacrifice of the coming Davidic priest-king.

Notes:

  1. See Stephen G. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible, New Studies in Biblical Theology 15 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003), 191–94; structure of the Hebrew Canon,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 57, no. 3 (2014): 501–12.
  2. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty, 49–50, 196–202.
  3. Gerald H. Wilson, “The Use of Royal Psalms at the ‘Seams’ of the Hebrew Psalter,” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 35 (1986): 85–94; Wilson, “The Shape of the Book of Psalms,” Interpretation 46, no. 2 (1992): 129–42.
  4. Nicholas G. Piotrowski, In All the Scriptures: The Three Contexts of Biblical Hermeneutics (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2021), 137–40.
  5. See Mitchell L. Chase, Resurrection Hope and the Death of Death, Short Studies in Biblical Theology(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022), 61–64.
  6. See Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner, The Book of Psalms, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2014), 401.
  7. James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, Bulletin for Biblical Research (Bellingham, WA: 2021), 1:637.
  8. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty, 201.
  9. James Hamilton, “The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 10, no. 2 (2006): 37–38.
  10. See David S. Schrock, The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God, Short Studies in Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2022), 110–12.

This article is adapted from Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People by Nicholas G. Piotrowski.

Nicholas G. Piotrowski (PhD, Wheaton College) is the president of Indianapolis Theological Seminary where he also teaches hermeneutics and New Testament courses. His other books include In All the Scriptures and Matthew’s New David at the End of Exile.

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10 Things You Should Know About the Exile

The Lord God is truly for his people, and with his people, and saving his people. What then is the exile but a stripping away of all of that?

March 17, 2025 by: Nicholas G. Piotrowski

This article is part of the 10 Things You Should Know series.

1. Israel’s exile is the major theological catastrophe of the Old Testament.

Israel’s exile to Assyria and Babylon occurred over a series of events from 722 BC to 582 BC. You can read about them in 2 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 24. And although forced deportation is awful enough in its own right, these waves of exile were coupled with two other deeply significant events: the toppling of David’s dynasty and the destruction of Solomon’s temple. In 2 Samuel 7 we read of how God had given his people “rest” in the land, and in turn promised to David that he would have a kingdom forever and a son to build God’s temple. Subsequently, Solomon is that first royal heir, and he builds God’s temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 1‒10). Thus marks the pinnacle of God’s saving purposes to date: God’s people in God’s place under God’s king and worshipping in God’s sanctuary. All of that is an affirmation that the Lord God is truly for his people, and with his people, and saving his people. What then is the exile but a stripping away of all of that? Because of the sins of their kings (1 Kings 14:15; 2 Kings 21:9), the people are driven out of the land, deprived of a king, and made to watch their temple crumble—all of which begs the terrible question as to whether God has abandoned his people and/or been defeated by the Assyrian and Babylonian gods. The OT “exile,” therefore, is a collection of disasters that create an unthinkable theological quandary. It must be resolved!

2. The Bible’s theology of exile long predates Israel’s historic exile.

Yet, the OT’s theology of exile does not start in 2 Kings. Rather, Israel’s exile is a microcosm of a much larger exile. In Genesis 3:24, Adam and Eve are ejected “east of the garden of Eden” because of their sin (Gen. 2:17; 3:6). Israel’s experience of exile, therefore, is representative of all humanity’s exile from our original home in God’s glorious presence. This is why Israel’s exile matters to everyone, even if we are not Israelites. For it is only through Israel’s return from exile that we too can return to the true presence of God. We also learn from Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden that there is a critical theological link between exile and death. They are told that they will die the day they eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17). But on the day they eat of that tree, they do not die—strictly speaking. But they are expelled from the garden, and later they do die (Gen. 3:23–24; 5:5). We can conclude, therefore, that exile is a form of death, and death is a condition of being in exile. And such is the state of the world under “the curse” of sin (Gen. 3:17).

3. Return from exile motifs are all over the Old Testament.

The theology of exile and return is subsequently baked into the entire OT. The calling of Abraham demonstrates this in Genesis 11‒12. As he moves westward from Ur to “the land,” he is symbolically coming back to the presence of God. In turn, the language of Eden is used throughout Exodus by Joshua to describe the land promised to Israel (see esp. Ex. 3:8; Lev. 26:11‒12). Thus, Joshua’s entrance into the land is symbolic of a return to the garden of Eden (see esp. Josh. 1:13; 21:43‒45). Equally, insofar as the tabernacle is meant to look like and commemorate the garden of Eden (Ex. 24‒25), the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 comprise a liturgical return from exile—the high priest bearing Israel, and by extension all humanity, back into the presence of God. The point of all this is that Israel’s calling, escape from Egypt, entrance into the land, and worship practices all remember Adam and Eve’s exile from Eden and create the hope for all humanity’s return to the presence of God someday.

4. Return from exile is often associated with resurrection.

Throughout the OT these symbolic returns from exile are often accompanied with resurrection symbolism. Two examples will have to suffice. When Israel escapes from Egypt, it is said that they “go up” or “go out” (Ex. 3:8, 12, 17; 6:6, 11, etc.), which is the same language used of “going up/out” of the grave in other OT texts (cf. Gen. 46:4; Ps. 18:15‒16; Jonah 2:2, 6). Thus, Israel is metaphorically resurrected in their exodus! Also, when the prophets speak of Israel coming out of their Babylonian exile, they describe it as a resurrection of the nation (see Isa. 25 and Ezek. 37). In both of these cases, an atoning sacrifice is necessary to precipitate the return and resurrection (Ex. 12; Isa. 53).

5. Jeremiah says the exile will last 70 years, but Daniel says it will last 70 x 7 years.

The most famous prediction of the duration of Israel’s exile comes in Jeremiah 29:10, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.” I say this is famous not because we know it very well, but because other biblical authors often refer to it. See 2 Chronicles 36:21, Ezra 1:1, and Daniel 9:2. But it is striking that upon seeing that those 70 years are ended, Daniel prays that the Lord will return his people to the land (Dan. 9:3‒19). But then the angel Gabriel appears to Daniel and says, “Seventy weeks [or “Seventy sevens”] are decreed about your people and your holy city . . . . ” That means that while the exile will end in one sense (Ezra does lead many home), it is ordained by the Lord actually to extend the conditions of the exile to seventy times seven years! I don’t think that number is meant to pinpoint a precise date, but to speak of a lengthening of the exile (and all it meant under #1 above) to a further horizon while all still under God’s sovereign timing.

6. With Jesus’s birth, teachings, and miracles the return from exile has begun.

The NT, therefore, opens with this ongoing exile emphasis (cf. Matt. 1:11‒12; 2:15, 18). But Jesus’s ministry is the dawning of the end-of-exile light (compare Matt. 4:12–17 with Isa. 9:1–2)! He heals diseases and raises the dead (compare Matt. 11:2‒6 with Isa. 35:1‒7). He offers “rest” from a heavy “yoke” (compare Matt. 11:28‒30 with Isa. 9:4 and Jer. 6:16). And he feeds his people on the mountains of Israel (compare Matt. 14:13‒21 with Ezek. 34:11‒14). All of these teachings and actions are clear prophetic signs that the exile is about to truly end through Christ.

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7. Jesus’s death and resurrection together are the climactic return-from-exile events.

I commented above that “exile is a form of death” and that “death is a condition of exile.” Conversely, throughout the OT the return from exile is described as a kind of resurrection. With that sort of background in place, Jesus’s death and resurrection can easily be seen as his own personal exile and return. Only his return to the presence of God is not like a resurrection, but a true historical bodily resurrection. Thus, all those images of return and resurrection in the OT were always pointing to Christ’s climactic work. Two NT texts help us understand this. In the context of describing the meaning of Christ’s death, Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” As we saw above, the OT “curse” is that of exile. Then in Hebrews, we learn how Jesus has now gone into the true sanctuary of God (Heb. 8:1‒5). Thus, in Jesus’s death he has become the Christian’s substitutionary victim of exile as he pays the consequence of death on behalf of his people for their sins. And in the resurrection and ascension, he representatively entered into the true sanctuary of God on behalf of his people. Because sin leads to exile and death, Jesus has endured the exile and death due his people on their behalf. And because return from exile means resurrection into the presence of God, Jesus has been raised to minister in the heavenly sanctuary on behalf of his people.

8. Jesus’s ascension, the gift of the Spirit, and the creation of the church are return-from-exile effects today.

But the story of return from exile does not end there. The world continues to feel the effects of Jesus’s return-from-exile mission as his people are born again, evangelize others, and persevere in their faith. Paul tells us that we experience Jesus’s resurrection power when we put our faith in Jesus. Romans 6:4 says, “[J]ust as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (see also Gal. 2: 20). And Peter too says that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Thus, Jesus’s personal return-from-exile resurrection power is extended to his people. We can say, therefore, that Christians participate on Jesus’s return-from-exile experience through our union with him (see also Eph. 1:20; 2:5‒6; Col. 3:1‒3). Related, whenever we evangelize unbelievers, we are extending Jesus’s come-out-of-exile summons to the world (compare my comments in #6 above on Matt. 4:12‒17 with Matt. 28:18‒20). In this way, the rest of the world also experiences Jesus’s end-of-exile ministry. And finally, Romans 8 and Hebrews 3‒4 use a lot of the language of the exodus to describe how Christians persevere in their walk. Insofar as Israel’s exodus and eventual entrance into the land are also return-from-exile motifs (see #3 above), then so too are the struggles of the Christian life. Our head—the Lord Jesus Christ—has gone before us into the glorious presence of God, and in that sense, we can say we too have returned from exile. But it is also true that experientially, in this life, we are returning from exile. And to God’s great praise and our comfort, he is with us in our return-from-exile trek through this life.

9. The Bible’s theology of exile and return is only finally resolved in the last chapters of Revelation.

Our full and final return from exile will only be complete when Jesus returns and resurrects our bodies (1 Thess. 4:13‒16). Then we will enter into the new heavens and the new earth, a cosmic Edenic homecoming (Rev. 21‒22)! This beautiful passage in Revelation 21:1‒4 says it all:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Into this new reality, “the kings of the earth will bring their glory” (Rev. 21:24). And so the Bible’s long exile-and-return drama ends as Christ’s people enter into a geographic location where we will dwell with God forever. All because Christ has “died, and behold [is] alive forevermore” (Rev. 1:18)!

10. A biblical theology of exile is deeply relevant for forming the Christian life.

This biblical theology of exile and return is vital for Christians to understand. For one, it helps us read our Bibles better, and that is always good. Notice all the bits of the biblical narrative that I referenced throughout #1‒9 above: Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, exodus, Sinai, tabernacle, land, David, temple, Solomon, the prophets, Jesus’s birth and teaching and miracles, Jesus’s death and resurrection, regeneration, evangelism, perseverance, and our future hope. The Bible’s drama of exile and return helps us organize and make sense of all that together. Secondly, this biblical understanding of exile and return gives us a theology of history. And that is very important too. It tells us where we are in God’s world and when we are in God’s plans. We are one step out of exile and one step back into Eden! Christ is our “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf” (Heb. 6:19–20; cf. also Heb. 10:20)—and very soon, we are destined to follow him there! In a world profoundly confused about who they are, what is good, what is true, what is beautiful, and what is the meaning of life, this theology of homecoming is beautifully refreshing, inspiring, motivating, hope-giving, grounding, and identifying. Friend, if you’re still reading this, rejoice with me in the return-from-exile salvation Christ has brought, and open up your mouth to call others out of exile with you!

Nicholas G. Piotrowski is the author of Return from Exile and the Renewal of God’s People.

Nicholas G. Piotrowski (PhD, Wheaton College) is the president of Indianapolis Theological Seminary where he also teaches hermeneutics and New Testament courses. His other books include In All the Scriptures and Matthew’s New David at the End of Exile.

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