Psalm 67 Discourse
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Macrosyntax
Notes:
- v.3a: Purpose clause (infinitive construct with lamed).
- v.7a: As thetic, may be taken as grounds for 7b -- that is, because the earth has given its produce, we have good reason to ask him to keep blessing us (and perhaps also that he should keep blessing us, especially if the "produce" is the (praise of) the peoples of the earth)
- v.8b: waw + yiqtol introducing purpose clause
Word Order and Pragmatics:
- 2a: Fronted subject for topic activation
- 3a + b + 5c: notice connection of PP before object
- 3b: Fronted PP = POETIC (defamiliarised WO in line 2 of parallelism) (and true anyway with verb elision)
- 5c: poetic enclosure (The syntax needs to be disentangled from the poetry in v. 5. Even though לאמים is LD and resumed by the suffix on תנחם, we're considering lines b and c a poetic a-bc // bc-a’ mirror structure.)
- 7a: Sentence focus / thetic
- Indications of sentence focus: indefinite and fronted subject
- Function = new "report"
Macrosyntax divisions:
- 2-3: Opening verse but also delineated by topic activation in fronted subject of 2a
- 4-6: Suggested by first vocative of the psalm; introduction of material that will be repeated 4 times in chiastic structure around center; reinforced by movement from subordination to new main clause
- 7-8: Delineated by thetic statement in 7a