Psalm 1/Speech Act/SpeechTable
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources. | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) | Speech Act Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים | Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people, | Fragment | Expressive | Celebrating the righteous person, describing what he has not done | Celebrating the righteous person | The hearer will see that YHWH's instruction leads to true and ultimate flourishing | "The hearer will admire the righteous person who follows YHWH's instruction; The hearer will delight in YHWH's instruction" |
The hearer will imitate the righteous person and commit to following YHWH's instruction | People declare someone to be "happy" (אַשְׁרֵי) when they admire that person's condition and consider it to be desirable (cf. Janzen 1965, 215-226; SDBH). See lexical semantics. |
| וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד | has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people, | |||||||||
| וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃ | and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people! | |||||||||
| 2 | כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ | Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction, | Declarative | Assertive | Describing what the righteous person delights in | |||||
| וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃ | and he meditates on his instruction day and night. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing the righteous person's commitment to YHWH's instruction | ||||||
| 3 | וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם | And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels | Declarative | Assertive | Describing the result of the righteous person's commitment to YHWH's instruction: depicting the righteous person as a fruitful tree in YHWH's garden | |||||
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ | that gives its fruit in its season | |||||||||
| וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל | and whose leaves do not wither. | |||||||||
| וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃ | And he will cause all that he does to flourish. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing the comprehensive flourishing of the righteous person | ||||||
| 4 | לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים | Not so the wicked people! | Declarative | Assertive | Claiming that the wicked do not ultimately flourish and therefore should not be celebrated | Claiming that the wicked, who are going to be destroyed, should not be celebrated | The hearer will see that, although the wicked might seem to flourish in the present, in the end they will be destroyed | The hearer will despise the way of the wicked | The hearer will reject the way of the wicked | "Despise" in the following sense: "to regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful" (Merriam-Webster)
"With what was said above he prompted everyone to the practice of virtue; with his present words he discourages them from vice, and by the comparison with dust [=chaff] he brings out the complete worthlessness of the godless, regarded as they are as undeserving of any esteem..." (Theodore, trans. Hill, 2006, 11)." |
| כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃ | Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing the fate of the wicked: depicting the wicked as chaff to be driven away by the wind | ||||||
| 5 | עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט | Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment, | Declarative | Assertive | Concluding that, because the wicked are like chaff, they will not survive the coming divine judgment | |||||
| וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃ | and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people. | Declarative | Assertive | Concluding that sinners will be condemned in the judgment, distinguished from those who are declared righteous | ||||||
| 6 | כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים | Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people, | Declarative | Assertive | Explaining, in sum, why it is that the righteous flourish and, therefore, are to be celebrated | Explaining, in sum, why the righteous and not the wicked are to be celebrated | The hearer will be fully convinced that the way of the righteous is worth walking | |||
| וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃ | and the way of wicked people will come to an end. | Declarative | Assertive | Explaining, in sum, that wickedness will be dealt with and, therefore, that the wicked are not to be celebrated |