Property: Discussion
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
P
'''v.7a.''' The words of רַבִּים are quoted in this line. (See above on [[#Speaker change]]) +
'''v.8a.''' Topic focus: ויהוה; Constituent focus: לעולם. The marked word order highlights a contrast: the nations, along with their names and the very memory of their cities are destroyed (vv.4-7), but ''Yahweh'', on the other hand, dwells/reigns ''forever''. +
'''v.9a''' is the thematic peak of the psalm.
:יהוה ידין עמים
This line is marked in a number of ways:
*Center of the psalm's [[#Large-scale structures|large-scale structure]]
*Middle occurrence (4/7) of the [[#References to God|divine name]] (יהוה)
*Marked [[#Lunn on Word order|word order]] (S V O)
*[[#Other observations|Terse rhythmic cadence]] (2.2.2)
*[[#Subject change|3rd person reference]] sandwiched between 2nd person references +
'''v.9abc'''.
:יְהוָ֤ה׀ נְחֵ֬נִי בְצִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ
:לְמַ֥עַן שׁוֹרְרָ֑י
:הַושַׁ֖ר לְפָנַ֣י דַּרְכֶּֽךָ׃
This is in fact the most linguistically marked verse in the psalm. It is the only tricolon (so divided by the [[#Line divisions|pausal forms]]). Other significant features include a direct address to Yahweh, the cluster of imperatives, evocative pathway imagery (cf. Ps.1), alliteration and rhyme (שׁוֹרְרַי –– הַושַׁר לְפָנַי). The content of this tricolon also stands out as the central petition of the psalm. The previous invocation (vv.2-3) and profession (vv.4-8) build up to this point.</br>
The centrality of v.9 is supported by various other recursive features. "As was the case in the previous Psalm, Ps. 5 also has a central knot from which threads run to beginning and end. This is demonstrated by three aspects: God's proper name occurs three [correction: four] times in the vocative: in the first and last verses, and in the middle, v.9 [correction: Fokkelman omits v.4]. This poetic line and the opening v.2 both have a vocative accompanied by two imperatives (2nd person to God). The central verse is linked to the final verse in that they both contain a noun from the root צדק."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000C86-QINU`"' +
'''vv.2-3'''
*alliteration: r + b
*rhyme: ē + m ending
'''vv.2ab.'''
*end rhyme: liquid + /ay/ diphthong (צָרָ֑י // עָלָֽי׃)
'''vv.3-4.'''
*מֵרִים רֹאשִׁי (v. 4b) sounds very much like אֹמרִים לְנַפְשִׁי (v. 3b): nasal (מ) + liquid (ר) + ē + nasal (מ) + liquid (ר/ל) + sibilant (שׁ) + ē.
'''vv.3b-4'''
*מָגֵ֣ן (v.4a), rhymes with אֵ֤ין (v.3b)
'''v.4ab.'''
*גֵ֣ן בַּעֲדִ֑י (v.4a) sounds like כְּ֜בוֹדִ֗י (v.4b) (guttural + dental + ē ending)
'''v.4b-5a.'''
*repetition of ō + ē (כְּ֜בוֹדִ֗י / ק֭וֹלִי)
'''v.5ab
*ק + /o/ vowel (ק֭וֹלִי // קָדְשׁ֣וֹ)
'''vv.5b-6a.'''
*rhyme: נִי
'''v.6ab.'''
*rhyme: נִי
'''v.8abcd.'''
*alternating alliteration: velars (ק/כּ) in lines a and c (ק֨וּמָ֤ה // כִּֽי־הִכִּ֣יתָ אֶת־כָּל); sibilant (שׁ) in lines b and d (הוֹשִׁ֨יעֵ֤נִי // שִׁנֵּ֖י רְשָׁעִ֣ים שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ)
'''vv.8d-9a.'''
*alliteration: guttural + sibilant (רְשָׁעִ֣ים / הַיְשׁוּעָ֑ה) +
'''vv.4-5.''' "Strophe 2 introduces the enemy, but also links up with the first by means of three I-morphemes. These representations of the speaker only occur again in strophe 7, and then disappear completely: the lyrical I disappears from the text fairly soon."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001056-QINU`"'
'''v.7c.''' "The masculine suffixes can have cities as their antecedent. Here the Psalmist establishes a strong contrast between the cities of the enemy whose memory itself will fade and the Lord who reigns forever."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001057-QINU`"'
'''v.15c.''' בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ – "The plural suffix is sometimes found... even with the ordinary feminine ending ''ath'' (Isa. 47:13; Ezek. 35:11; Ps. 19:15; Ezra 9:15)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00001058-QINU`"' The motivation here (בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ) may be phonological: תְּהִלָּ֫תֶ֥יךָ // בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ (similar endings in this ABA' tricolon). +
''Waw'' appears 22 times in the MT of this psalm. This is a large number compared with other nearby psalms of similar length: Ps. 5 (7x); Ps. 9 (9x); Ps 10 (11x); Ps. 17 (x3). ''Waw'' functions consistently in this psalm to mark continuity, grouping lines into bicola (vv.5, 8, 9bc[?], 12, 15, 16, 17, 18), tricola (vv.6, 7), and tetracola (v.10), and grouping units into sections (vv.7-8; 13-14). The absence of ''waw'' (vv.4ab, 7ab, 9ab, 10d-12a) indicates discontinuity and cooccurs with section divisions.
<u>Coordinating Words/Phrases within a Line</u>
*v.9c([[#Line divisions|?]]): כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י
*v.10c: לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת
<u>Coordinating Clauses within a Line</u>
*v.2b: הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי...וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי
*v.3b: פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל
**וְאֵין + participle often indicates "subordinate circumstantial or descriptive clauses."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000E55-QINU`"'
*v.6a: יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף...וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג
*v.13b: דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ
*v.15b: וְהָרָ֥ה...וְיָ֣לַד
*v.16a: כָּ֭רָֽה וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ
<u>Coordinating Lines</u>
*v.5a --(''wayyiqtol'' verb [וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה)--> v.5b
*v.6a --(''weyiqtol'' verb [וְיִרְמֹ֣ס])--> v.6b
*v.6b --(''waw'' + noun [וּכְבוֹדִ֓י])--> v.6c
*v.7b --(''waw'' + impv [וְע֥וּרָה])--> v.7c
**This ''waw'' suggests that v.7c is to be grouped with v.7ab to form a tricolon.
*v.8a --(''waw'' + prepositional phrase [וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ])--> v.8b
*v.9b([[#Line divisions|?]]): --(''waw'' + noun phrase [וּכְתֻמִּ֣י])--> v.9c([[#Line divisions|?]])
*v.10a --(''weyiqtol'' verb [וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן])--> v.10b
*v.10b --(''waw'' + participle [וּבֹחֵ֣ן])--> v.10c
**This ''waw'' is omitted in some manuscripts and versions (see below on [[#Variants|Variants]]). Its presence may suggest that v.10cd be grouped with v.10ab to form a tetracolon. The semantic value of ''waw'' here is ambiguous. Citing this verse as a possible example, ''GKC'' notes that clauses beginning with ''waw'' may sometimes give the reason for a preceding proposition (cf. Ps. 60:13; 108:13).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000E56-QINU`"'
*v.12a --(''waw'' + noun [וְ֝אֵ֗ל])--> v.12b
*v.15a --(''weqatal'' verb [וְהָרָ֥ה)--> v.15b
*v.16a --(''wayyiqtol'' verb [וַ֝יִּפֹּ֗ל)--> v.16b
*v.17a --(''waw'' + prepositional phrase [וְעַ֥ל קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ])--> v.17b
*v.18a --(''waw'' + cohortative [וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה])--> v.18b
<u>Coordinating Units within a Section</u>
*v.7 --(''waw'' + noun phrase [וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים)--> v.8
*v.13 --(''waw'' + prepositional phrase [וְ֭לוֹ)--> v.14
''Waw'' is relatively rare in this psalm, occurring only 4 times. The small cluster in v.4 is notable. Both lines begin with וְ + noun/pronoun, making for a strong contrast "as the two protagonists, divine and human, are syntactically placed into prominent opposition."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000D36-QINU`"'
<u>Coordinating Words/Phrases</u>
*v.11a: verbs יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ ׀ וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ
<u>Coordinating Lines</u>
*v.2a --(וְֽאַל)--> v.2b
*v.4a --(ָּוְאַת)--> v.4b
<u>Coordinating Verses</u>
*v.3 --(וְ֭נַפְשִׁי)--> v.4 +
(This began as Wendland's Expository Outline'"`UNIQ--ref-00000FE0-QINU`"', but may be adapted.)
I. What the psalmist will do. (1-2)
:A. Give thanks to the Lord with all his heart.
:B. Tell of all His wonders.
:C. Be glad and exult in Him.
:D. Sing praises to His name.
II. Why the psalmist will do it. (3-6)
:A. Because his enemies turn back, stumble, and perish.
:B. Because his cause is maintained by God.
:C. Because God is on the throne and judges rightly.
:D. Because He has rebuked the heathen, destroyed the wicked, and put out their name for ever and ever.
:E. Because destructions on the enemy are perpetual, and their cities and memorials are perished with them.
III. The Lord... (7-10)
:A. Shall endure for ever.
:B. Has prepared His throne for judgment.
::1. He will judge the world in righteousness.
::2. He will minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
:C. Will be a refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble.
:D. Will not forsake those who seek Him and put their trust in His name.
IV. Sing praises to the Lord and declare his deeds. (11-12)
:A. He remembers your enemy.
:B. He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
V. An appeal. (13-14)
:A. Have mercy upon me, O Lord.
:B. Consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me.
:C. Lift me up from the gates of death that I may shew forth all Thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion.
:D. Let me rejoice in Thy salvation.
VI. The heathen. (15)
:A. The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made.
:B. Their own foot is taken in the net which they hid.
VII. The wicked. (16-17)
:A. Are snared by the work of his own hands.
:B. Shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
VIII. The needy. (18)
:A. Shall not always be forgotten.
:B. The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
IX. A final appeal. (19-20)
:A. Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail.
:B. Let the heathen be judged in Thy sight.
:C. Put them in fear, O Lord.
:D. Let the nations know themselves to be but men.
(This began as Wendland's Expository Outline'"`UNIQ--ref-0000130B-QINU`"', but may be adapted.)
I. Two vital questions. (1)
:A. Why do You stand far off?
:B. Why do You hide Yourself?
II. The godless. (2-11)
:A. In his pride, persecutes the poor.
:B. Boasts of his heart’s desire.
:C. Blesses the covetous whom Lord abhors.
:D. Through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in his thoughts.
:E. His ways are always grievous.
:F. God’s judgments are far above out of his sight.
:G. He puffs (scorns) at his enemy, thinking he cannot be moved and will never be in adversity.
:H. His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, fraud, mischief, and vanity.
:I. He sits in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places he murders the innocent.
:J. His eyes are set against the poor.
::1. He waits secretly as a lion in his den to catch them.
::2. When he catches them, he draws him into his net.
::3. He crouches and humbles himself to their level so that the poor will fall.
::4. He thinks God has forgotten, hides His face, and does not see it.
III. The response of the godly. (12-13)
:A. They ask God to arise, lift up His hand, and remember the humble.
:B. They point out that the wicked have contempt for God, believing He will not hold them accountable.
IV. The retribution of God. (14-18)
:A. He beholds mischief and spite and requites it.
:B. He is the helper of the fatherless.
:C. He will break the arm of the wicked.
:D. He will seek out wickedness until it is revealed.
:E. He will reign forever as King.
:F. The heathen will perish out of his land.
:G. He has heard the desire of the humble, will prepare their heart, and will hear them.
:H. He will judge the fatherless and oppressed, and eventually oppression on the earth will cease. +
(This began as Wendland's Expository outline'"`UNIQ--ref-00000C4E-QINU`"', but may be adapted.)
I. A prayer focusing on the deliverance of the righteous. (1-3, 7-8, 10)
:A. Prayer.
::1. Who he prays to. (1-2)
:::a. The Lord, His King and God.
::::Relationship is the basis of his prayer.
:::b. God is a hearing God.
:::c. Give ear means to hearken: It is like cupping your hand behind your ear so you can hear better.
::2. When he prays: Morning. (3)
::3. Where he prays. (7)
:::a. In the temple, not at a distance.
:::b. You are a temple: You can pray in the actual temple (church building), but you are also a temple:
::::''1 Cor 3:16''
::::''Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?''
::4. What he prays. (8,10)
:::a. Lead me in the right way.
:::b. Make my way straight.
:::c. Deal with my foes.
::::(1) Hold them accountable.
::::(2) Let them fall by their own devices.
::::(3) Remove them from Your presence because of their rebellion.
::5. How he prays. (1-3)
:::a. Directed prayer: To the Lord.
:::b. With an attitude of eager watching.
:::c. With an ordered prayer.
:B. Praising. (11-12)
II. A prayer focusing on the destruction of the unrighteous. (4-6, 9-10)
:A. Why. (4-5)
::1. God takes no pleasure in wickedness.
::2. No evil dwells with Him.
:B. Who. (5-6, 9-10)
::1. The boastful.
::2. Workers of iniquity.
::3. Liars.
::4. Deceivers.
::5. Those with uncontrolled speech.
::6. The rebellious.
III. Praising God. (11-12)
:A. Rejoice because your trust is in Him.
:B. Shout for joy because He defends.
:C. Be joyful because you love His name.
:D. Rejoice because He will bless you and compass you with favor as a shield. +
(This began as Wendland's Expository outline'"`UNIQ--ref-00000DF0-QINU`"', but may be adapted.)
I. A supplication. (1-9)
:A. Save me. (1-2,6-9)
::1. I have taken refuge in you.
::2. Save me and deliver me from those who pursue me.
::3. Lest, like a lion, he tear my soul, drag me away, and there is none to deliver.
:B. Search me. (3-4)
::1. If I have done this.
::2. If I have acted unjustly.
::3. If I have rewarded my friend with evil.
::4. If I have plundered my adversary without cause.
:C. Stop me, if I am guilty of these things. (5)
::1. Let the enemy pursue and overtake my soul.
::2. Let him trample my life to the ground.
::3. Let him lay my honor in the dust.
II. A strategy in the face of slander. (6-11)
:A. The Lord will arise and act against the rage of the enemy.
:B. He will judge the enemy: He is a righteous, indignant judge.
:C. He will reign over all the congregation.
:D. He will vindicate the righteous man of integrity.
:E. Evil will end and righteousness will be established.
:F. A righteous God will try both hearts and minds.
:G. God will be a shield to the righteous.
:H. He will save the upright.
III. A sad cycle. (12-16)
:If a wicked man does not repent:
:A. God will prepare spiritual artillery to use against him:
::1. A sword (the Word).
::2. A bow.
::3. Deadly weapons.
::4. Fiery shafts (arrows that will never miss the mark).
:B. The cycle of sin:
::1. Like a birth: The evil man will travail in wickedness, conceiving mischief, and birthing falsehood.
::2. Like bait: He will dig a pit, but fall into it himself.
::3. Like a boomerang: His evil and violence will turn on him (cave in on him, since he is in a pit!)
IV. Because of this, the psalmist. (17)
:A. Thanks God for what He does.
:B. Praises Him for Who He is. +
(This began as Wendland's Expository outline'"`UNIQ--ref-00000DB8-QINU`"', but may be adapted.)
I. David’s appeal. (1-7)
:A. What he wants. (1-2,4-5)
::1. Do not:
:::a. Rebuke me in anger.
:::b. Chasten me in Thy wrath.
::2. Do heal my spiritual and physical conditions:
:::a. Have mercy: I am weak.
:::b. Heal me: My bones are vexed.
:::c. Heal me: My soul is greatly vexed.
:::d. Deliver and save me: For thy mercy’s sake.
:B. How long? (3)
:C. Why he wants it. (3,6-7)
::1. Because of God’s loving kindness.
::2. Because he can’t remember or praise God if He is dead.
:::(Remember: This was prior to the death and resurrection of Christ. Death is different now.)
::3. He is weary with sighing, crying, and grieving.
:::Tears are liquid prayers. Weeping is a universal language.
::4. The battle is aging him.
II. David’s assurance. (8-10)
:A. Those who work iniquity will depart.
:B. The Lord has heard his weeping.
:C. The Lord has heard his supplication.
:D. The Lord receives his prayer.
:E. The enemy will:
::1. Be ashamed.
::2. Be vexed.
::3. Turn back from pursuing him. +
(This began as Wendland's Expository outline'"`UNIQ--ref-00000EDD-QINU`"', but may be adapted.)
I. God is great and His name is majestic as evidenced by. (1-3)
:A. The Heavens.
:B. The praise of His children.
:C. His greatest creation, mankind.
II. Man is God’s greatest creation. (3-8)
:A. God thinks on him and cares for him.
:B. Man is just a little lower than the angels.
:C. Man is crowned with glory and majesty.
:D. Man rules over the work of God’s hands.
:E. All things are under his feet–animals, birds, and fish.
III. God is great: The psalm closes by repeating the opening declaration. (9) +
* Verse one has a threefold לֹ֥א : the blessed one does not walk, does not stand, does not sit with the wicked.
* In v. 3, the foliage of the (righteous) tree does not wither.
* "Not so" (like the prospering tree) are the wicked, v. 4.
* Consequently, the wicked will 'not' stand in judgment / or sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
The first occurrences of negative markers are all the righteous either abstaining from wicked behaviour or experiencing the absence of results of wicked behaviour. The last two are the wicked not experiencing the results of righteousness.
*v.2 and v.6 are the only two verses in the poem without the Hebrew negative particle (לא ‘no/not’).
+
* כִּי (v.9b)
+
*"Peter Craigie observes that Psalm 6 'contains a high percentage of formulaic language' in common with other psalms and OT literature. This 'common language gives the psalm a familiar flavor, but at the same time it is distinctive by virtue of the power and pathos of its lamentation.''"`UNIQ--ref-00000D27-QINU`"'"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000D28-QINU`"'
+
*"Wicked"
**רְשָׁעִים – (see above on Repeated words)
**לָצִים – The plural Hebrew noun ִליץ refers to arrogant individuals (Pr. 21:24) who love conflict (Ps. 12:4; Pr. 22:10) and scornfully reject wisdom and correction (Pr. 1:22, 9:7-8, 13:1, 15:12). It has been translated "mockers" (NIV, NLT), "insolent" (NJPS), "sneering" (CEV), "scoffers" (ESV, NRSV, NET), "+at God+" (CEV), "no use +for God+" (TEV).
*Motion Verbs
**ְהָלַך – הלך in BH is normally ‘go’ not ‘walk’, since it takes a location proposition. However, הלך ב seems to be metaphorical for ‘live according to’. In other words, the blessed person has not lived according to the counsel of wicked people.
**עָמַד – To “stand in the pathway of/with sinners” means to closely associate with them in their sinful attitude and behavior. The phrase means something very similar as הלך ב, since עמד can mean to remain.
**יָשָׁב (see above on Repeated Words)
**יָקֻמוּ –
:"Ever since Antiquity, verse 5 of Ps 1 has been interpreted in different ways. Modern translations give us usually three main meanings:
::a) to stand up or to rise,
::b) to stand (to keep standing),
::c) to prevail (in a judgment).
:As for modern commentaries, they tend to develop one of the three former interpretations."'"`UNIQ--ref-000008B9-QINU`"'
:The collocation with קוּם and מִשְׁפָּט seems to have a special meaning, namely to ‘get up to accuse,’ (compare to Isa. 54:17). The idea is that the wicked will not be able to accuse the righteous in judgment in any way. Alternatively, it may refer to being pronounced innocent and acquitted in court, with the sense of “withstand”; “endure,” as in 1 Sam. 13:14 and Job 8:15. In either case, the context suggests a judicial setting in which the wicked lose their case/are judged guilty. It has been translated "stand" (ESV, NRSV, NASB, NIV) > "stand in innocence" (NLT, TEV), "withstand" (NET), "survive" (NJPS), "have an excuse" (CEV).
*Agricultural Terms
**עֵץ – The noun עֵץ, occurring 330 times in the Hebrew Bible and 6 times in the Psalms, may refer to a “tree” (sg) or collectively to “trees” (pl), or to the material that comes from trees, namely, “wood.” When referring to a “tree” or to “trees,” עֵץ “emphasizes only the genus, while individual species of trees (e.g., אֶרָז ‘cedar,’ אֵצֶל ‘tamerisk,’ בְּרוֹשׁ ‘cypress,’ גֶּפֶן ‘grapevine,’ זַיִת ‘olive tree,’ לוּז ‘almond tree,’ שִׁקְמָה ‘sycamore,’ תְּאֵנָה ‘fig tree,’ תָּמָר ‘date palm’) or tree shapes (e.g., סְבַךְ/סְבֹךְ ‘bush’ or the word group אַלָּה/אַלּוֹן אֵלָה/אֵלוֹן ‘large tree,’ usually understood as ‘oak/terebinth’) acquire specific designations.”'"`UNIQ--ref-000008BA-QINU`"' Languages have different words for trees. Not all trees grow well next to the water, and not all have leafs all year, nor fruit.
**שָׁתוּל – see below on Rare Words.
**פַּלְגֵי מַיִם – The phrase refers literally to “channels of water”—as in a well-maintained irrigation system. "In the metaphorical world of the psalm, [the] stream is God’s instruction.”'"`UNIQ--ref-000008BB-QINU`"' The use of the phrase פַּלְגֵי מַיִם together with the attributive participle שָׁתוּל suggest a garden setting for the tree.
**בְּעִתּוֹ – Lit., “in its season/time”—that is, one’s life-“time” as divinely determined.
**מֹץ – The word מֹץ is another agricultural term, referring to the light-weight casks of winnowed wheat that is useless and which is so light that it easily can be taken by the wind, never to be seen again.
*Pathway language
**דֶּרֶךְ – (see above on Repeated Words)
**הלך, עמד – (see above on Motion Verbs)
**תֹּאבֵד – The root אבד is used for the sense of both ‘be destroyed’ and ‘be lost,’ and it may be a play on words here in the context of דֶּרֶך, normally meaning ‘road/way,’ being used as ‘life.’ In English, ‘lost’ can be used with the same two senses, so it may be helpful to translate as ‘lost.’ It has been translated "perish/doom/ruin/(ends in/leads to) destruction" (ESV, NRSV, NASB, NIV, NET, NLT, TEV, CEV, NJPS).
The sequence רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים / חַ֭טָּאִים / לֵ֝צִ֗ים is all introduced in v. 1 as that which the blessed/righteous person shuns. It seems to go from generic to specific, with the mocker being the one who despises wisdom, the polar opposite of the one who seeks wisdom in the Torah. The intensification of their accompanying verbs, הָלַךְ֮ / עָמָ֑ד / יָשָֽׁב, starts with a fairly generic verb and proceeds to a specific semantic notion of 'sitting' and even 'dwelling', given more weight with the cognate noun 'seat/dwelling'. The frame is one of righteousness: 'blessed is the one who does not . . .' but then the next 3 lines are all stepping further into wickedness. The righteous is actively choosing to avoid these, suggesting that the first thing a seeker of blessing must do is:
>> To stop all things leading to wickedness and, then, one can devote oneself to the Torah.
>> The source of wisdom is not in oneself / humans (as the mocker might presume) but rather in the Torah alone.
The negative structure of intensification is a foil for a positive intensification of the tree, which
is planted by water,
bears fruit in season,
has foliage that doesn't wither,
and prospers in all things.
This whole prospering of the tree is contrasted with its semantic opposite, both in terms of agriculture (tree brings food, chaff is inedible and useless) and morality (righteous vs wicked). Interestingly, the agricultural object used as an analogy for the righteous is not grain or the crops we tend to perceive of as regularly sown and harvested, but rather that which is planted once (e.g. olive/fig tree) and carefully tended over the years. If שָׁת֪וּל is to be understood as 'transplanted', then there may be in view a former position/life of the tree/person, such that it needs to be removed from its former context and placed in a new context in order to flourish. This would fit with a sense of rejecting wickedness to devote oneself to the Torah. Note the asymmetry: rejecting walking/standing/sitting among the wicked in order to delight in/meditate on the Torah. There isn't even any 'walking according to the Law of the Lord' but only delighting in it and meditating on it day and night.
>> This psalm is not about our actions but rather our allegiance.
יֹומָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה is the timeframe for meditating on the Torah: a merism indicating 'at all times'. If walking/standing/sitting might refer to different parts of life, each of which requires rejecting wickedness, there is no part of life that excludes the Torah.
The psalm begins with the righteous being declared blessed because he rejects the ways of the wicked, while it ends with the wicked being excluded from the assembly of the righteous. One must choose either to reject or to be rejected; either:
reject wickedness > choose righteousness, or
choose wicked > be rejected from the righteous
(To consider: 'judgment' > 'place of judgment' > courts/city gates, with or without eschatological overtones?)
The metaphor of 'The Way' is used extensively, from walk/stand/sit to explicit uses of 'way', with the culmination of the psalm that Lord 'knowing' the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked perishing. A title for the psalm might be: 'The Way of the Righteous v the Way of the Wicked'.
*"shield" = metaphor of divine protection (can be translated with another cultural metaphor or replaced with direct reference to protection)
*“glory” and “lift up my head” indicate that God will give him “success” in this conflict and that he will be “honored” because of his victory. The phrase מֵרִים רֹאשִׁי could be understood to refer to a general strengthening of the psalmist by God during difficult circumstances. However, if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase “lift the head” could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position (cf. Gen 40:13 where the same phrase is used).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000AD4-QINU`"'
+
*'''2 Sam. 7:14-15a'''</br>
: אֲנִי֙ אֶהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ לְאָ֔ב וְה֖וּא יִהְיֶה־לִּ֣י לְבֵ֑ן אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּהַ֣עֲוֹת֔וֹ''' וְהֹֽכַחְתִּיו֙ '''בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וּבְנִגְעֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃''' וְחַסְדִּ֖י '''לֹא'''־יָס֣וּר מִמֶּ֑נּוּ'''
In 2 Sam. 7, Yahweh promises to be a father to David and his descendants (2 Sam. 7:14a; cf. Ps. 2:7) and to discipline them (וְהוֹכַחְתִּיו) when they sin (7:14b). In Psalm 6, King David (v.1, לדוד) prays that Yahweh's discipline (v.2a, תוֹכִיחֵנִי) would not be carried out in wrath. Presumably, David had committed some iniquity (עֲוֹן, cf. 2 Sam. 7:14), and Yahweh responded with discipline according to the covenant. Yet just as Yahweh promised, "I will discipline him... but my love (חֶסֶד) will not leave him" (2 Sam. 7:14-15), so David appeals to Yahweh's חֶסֶד as the basis for his plea (v.5b). In addition to these connections, note the similarity between Ps. 6:9 [סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי] and 2 Sam. 7:15 [יָסוּר מִמֶּנּוּ].)
+