Psalm 109 Discourse

Back to Psalm 109

Psalm Overview

• Grammar
• Semantics
• Story behind the Psalm
• Discourse
• Poetics

About the Discourse Layer

Our Discourse layer includes four analyses: macrosyntax, speech act analysis, emotional analysis, and participant analysis. (For more information, click 'Expand' to the right.)

Macrosyntax

The macrosyntax layer rests on the belief that human communicators desire their addressees to receive a coherent picture of their message and will cooperatively provide clues to lead the addressee into a correct understanding. So, in the case of macrosyntax of the Psalms, the psalmist has explicitly left syntactic clues for the reader regarding the discourse structure of the entire psalm. Here we aim to account for the function of these elements, including the identification of conjunctions which either coordinate or subordinate entire clauses (as the analysis of coordinated individual phrases is carried out at the phrase-level semantics layer), vocatives, other discourse markers, direct speech, and clausal word order.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Macrosyntax Creator Guidelines.

Speech Act Analysis

The Speech Act layer presents the text in terms of what it does, following the findings of Speech Act Theory. It builds on the recognition that there is more to communication than the exchange of propositions. Speech act analysis is particularly important when communicating cross-culturally, and lack of understanding can lead to serious misunderstandings, since the ways languages and cultures perform speech acts varies widely.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Speech Act Analysis Creator Guidelines.

Emotional Analysis

This layer explores the emotional dimension of the biblical text and seeks to uncover the clues within the text itself that are part of the communicative intent of its author. The goal of this analysis is to chart the basic emotional tone and/or progression of the psalm.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Emotional Analysis Creator Guidelines.

Participant Analysis

Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? It is often helpful for understanding literary structure, speaker identification, etc.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Participant Analysis Creator Guidelines.

Discourse Visuals for Psalm 109

Macrosyntax

Notes

• **For the emendation קָמַי יֵבֹשׁוּ, see Method:Grammar note (MT: קָ֤מוּ ׀ וַיֵּבֹ֗שׁוּ).
• **For the revocalizations וּתְבוֹאֵהוּ and וְתִרְחַק, see Method:Grammar note (MT: וַתְּבוֹאֵ֑הוּ…וַתִּרְחַ֥ק).
• v. 1:
  • The opening vocative is clause-initial, as often at the beginning of psalms. The initial position of the vocative at the beginning of a psalm—the unmarked position?—might reflect the discourse function of the clause-initial vocative to signal the beginning a conversational turn.
• v. 2:
  • The כִּי in v. 2 grounds the preceding request for YHWH to not be silent. The scope of the כִּי extends through v. 5. In other words, vv. 2-5 give the reasoning for why YHWH should "not be silent >> refrain from action" (v. 1).
  • The unusual word order in v. 2a (O-M-V) is part of a larger poetic pattern (see note below on v. 3).
• v. 3:
  • The adverbial noun phrase "hateful words" (דִבְרֵי שִׂנְאָה) is fronted in v. 3. The word order creates a chiasm in v. 3 that parallels the chiasm in v. 2.

v.2

a. wicked mouths—b. against me—c. they have opened

c. they have spoken—b. with me—a. with lying tongues

v. 3

a. with hateful words. c. they surround me

c. they fight against me. a. for no reason

• v. 4:
  • The prepositional phrase "in exchange for my love" (תַּחַת־אַהֲבָתִי) is fronted for marked focus. It is as though the psalmist says, "Not only are they accusing me for no good reason (vv. 2-3), but they are accusing me in exchange for my love! Not only are their words wholly unwarranted; they are the exact opposite of what I deserve!"
• v. 6:
  • The fronting of שָׂטָן in the b-line creates a chiasm:

a. appoint against him b. a wicked person.

b. an accuser, a. let him stand at his right.

• v. 7:
  • The infinitival phrase "when he is judged" (בְּהִשָּׁפְטוֹ) appears first in the clause as a frame setter, introducing the legal context in which the verse should be understood.
  • The noun phrase (תְפִלָּתוֹ) is fronted for marked topic: "and as for his prayer..." The existence of "his prayer" is inferable from the context, since a person who is found guilty (v. 7a) might be expected to appeal to YHWH for vindication (cf. Ps 17). "And when he is found guilty, he will try to appeal to you for vindication. When he prays, may it be regarded as a sin!"
• v. 8:
  • The noun phrase "his position" (פְּקֻדָּתוֹ) is fronted as the topic of the clause ("and as for his position...").
• v. 13:
  • The adverbial noun phrase "in the next generation" (בְּדוֹר אַחֵר) is fronted for marked focus. The point of this particular request is not just that his posterity would be wiped out (v. 13a), but that they would be wiped out soon—in the next generation (v. 13b).
• v. 14:
  • The fronting of the noun phrase "his mother's sin" (חַטַּאת אִמּוֹ) makes a chiasm with the previous line.

a. may be brought to remembrance b. his ancestors' iniquities.

b. his mother's sin a. may it not be wiped out

• vv. 16-19:
  • The conjunction יַעַן אֲשֶׁר ("because") introduces the rationale for the preceding imprecations (cf. Jer 19:3-5 for a similar long list of events following יַעַן אֲשֶׁר used to justify something in the preceding discourse). As Jenkins writes, "Verses 16-19 are the charge sheet: they tell the history and character of the accused, and end by showing that the sentence being asked for (vv. 8-15 [or, 6-15]) is fitting for him (v. 19)."
• v. 19:
  • The adverb "always" (תָּמִיד) is fronted in the zero relative clause, probably for marked focus. The curse will be something that he carries with him always, every day.
• v. 21:
  • Up to this point, the topic of the discourse has mostly been the psalmist's enemies (vv. 2-20). In v. 21, the topic shifts away from the enemies and their deserved punishment to YHWH and his desired acting on the psalmist's behalf. The (pre-verb, pre-vocative) phrase וְאַתָּה marks the transition (cf. e.g., Pss 3:4; 22:20). There is a strong contrast between the psalmist's enemies who failed to show loyalty (v. 16) and YHWH whose loyalty is "good" (v. 21).
• v. 22:
  • The כִּי in v. 22 introduces a series of clauses (vv. 22-25) in which the psalmist describes his miserable condition as the grounds for his request for help in v. 21.
  • The predicate complement "afflicted and poor" (עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְי֣וֹן) in v. 22 is fronted for marked focus. It "establishes... the... state... of the discourse active subject of a verbless clause."
• vv. 22, 24-25:
  • In vv. 22-25, the psalmist lists different aspects of his being that are suffering: "as for my heart..." (v. 22), "as for my knees..." (v. 24a), "as for my body..." (v. 24b), "as for me (i.e., my whole person, specifically in terms of my existence in relation to others)..." (v. 25). Each of these subjects is marked for topic.
• v. 23:
  • The phrase "like a shadow when it has started to extend" (כְּצֵל־כִּנְטוֹתוֹ) is probably fronted as a frame setter, introducing the controlling image according to which this clause is to be understood (cf. Ps 37:2).
• v. 26:
  • The vocative in v. 26 has a poetic structural function (introducing vv. 26-31 as a section parallel with vv. 21-25). In terms of word order, the vocative is clause-final, probably for the sake of discourse continuity.
• v. 27:
  • The predicate complement in v. 27a ("this is your doing") is fronted for marked focus: "that they may know that this (i.e., my being rescued—cf. v. 26) is your doing." The overt pronoun in v. 27 (אַתָּה, which is not obligatory, but has been added for pragmatic effect, and is fronted before the verb and the vocative) has the same function: "[Let them know that] you, YHWH, (you and no other), are the one who is responsible for helping me." In other words, the psalmist says that YHWH will get the credit for saving him. Implicitly, the psalmist is saying, "if you save me, then people will recognize your power and praise you! (cf. v. 30)."
• v. 28:
  • The three instances of marked word order in v. 28 function to highlight contrasts: "they (non-obligatory pronoun) will curse... but you (fronted non-obligatory pronoun) will bless. My opponents (fronted) will come to shame, but your servant (fronted) will rejoice."
• v. 30:
  • The fronting of the prepositional phrase in v. 30b forms a chiasm (בְתוֹךְ רַבִּים).

a. I will acknowledge b. with (ב) my mouth

b. in (ב) the midst of many a. I will praise

• v. 31:
  • The כִּי in v. 31 introduces the reasoning behind the psalmist's commitment to praise in v. 30.
• Discourse discontinuities
  • vv. 2-5 — determined by scope of כִּי (v. 2a).
  • vv. 6-15 — determined by scope of יַעַן אֲשֶׁר plus the absence of any significant discontinuity.
  • vv. 16-19 — determined by coordination (wayyiqtols) and the scope of יַעַן אֲשֶׁר. Verse 19 belongs to this unit because it assumes the subject (קְלָלָה) from the previous verse.
  • v. 20 — sits alone as a summary of vv. 6-19.
  • vv. 21-25 — opens with וְאַתָּה (v. 21a); boundaries correspond with scope of כִּי (v. 22a).
  • vv. 26-29 — determined in relation to preceding and following paragraphs plus the absence of any significant discontinuity.
  • vv. 30-31 — determined by scope of כִּי (v. 31a).

Speech Act Analysis

Summary Visual

Think-Feel-Do Chart

Emotional Analysis

Summary visual

Affect circumplex

The emotions expressed by the psalmist are mostly negative, though the tone becomes more positive (hopeful and confident) towards the end of the psalm. The following visual maps the emotions in the psalm along two main axes (negative-positive, activation-deactivation):

The psalmist most clearly reveals his emotional/affectual state in vv. 22-25 (cf. v. 16).

• • In v. 22, he says that his "heart" (לֵב), the "seat of feelings and emotions," is "in anguish" (חָלַל), i.e., in a state of "strong fear and distress, compared to the state of mind of a woman in labor; often accompanied by physical side-effects, like writhing, and trembling." Then in v. 23, he uses two images that further convey his anguish.
  • In v. 24, having just described his emotional state, he moves to describe his physical state: he is extremely weak.
  • In v. 25, he describes his social state: he is an object of scorn to his enemies. That is, his enemies seek "to arouse an emotion of shame" in him.
  • In v. 16, he describes himself as "afflicted and poor and disheartened." The last of these terms refers to a "state in which humans lack confidence."
• These same emotions which are explicit later in the psalm are implicit in the preceding verses (vv. 1-21). And, in addition to these emotions, other emotions implicit in the first half of the psalm include:
  • alarm (see the metaphorical description of his enemies as a surrounding army in v. 3; cf. Judg 20:41; 1 Sam 28:21)
  • indignation and perhaps betrayal (see in vv. 2-5 the psalmist's emphasis on the baseless and unjust nature of his enemies' attacks; they accuse him for no reason, even though he has loved them and always prayed for them)
  • hate (cf. the explicit association of hatred with the imprecation in Ps 139:19-22)
• Verse 21, which appeals to YHWH's loyalty and describes it as "good" also introduces a note of hope.
• In vv. 28-31, the emotional tone shifts to one of confidence. Note how the psalmist in these verses, convinced of YHWH's loyalty, describes his future vindication. Note also how these verses begin: "let them curse all they want!" (v. 28a).

Emotional Analysis Chart

Participant analysis

There are 3 participants/characters in Psalm 109:

Participant Relations Diagram

The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:

Participant Analysis Table

Notes

The Speaker of vv. 6-19: The Psalmist or Enemies?

The biggest interpretive issue in this psalm is the question of the speaker in vv. 6-19. In the past, most interpreters have assumed that the speaker in these verses is the psalmist who is cursing his enemies. In recent centuries (and especially in recent decades), it has become increasingly popular to view vv. 6-19 as a quotation in which the psalmist's accusers are speaking and cursing the psalmist. See The Speaker of Ps 109:6-19 for an in-depth discussion. In short, we conclude that the speaker of vv. 6-19 is probably the psalmist (without any quotation of his enemies). The main reasons for this conclusion are as follows:

1. The psalmist is clearly the speaker in vv. 1-5 and vv. 20-31. In the absence of any clear indication of an additional speaker, it is best to assume that he remains the speaker for vv. 6-19 as well.
2. Verse 20, which functions as a kind of postscript to vv. 6-19, makes clear that the psalmist is the one calling on YHWH to bring the curses of vv. 6-19 upon his accusers. See The Meaning of Ps 109:20.
3. Some of the descriptions of the individual in vv. 6-19 (especially vv. 16-19) against whom the prayer is aimed match the descriptions of the enemies in vv. 1-5, 20ff.
4. Psalm 109 closely resembles Psalm 69, and in Psalm 69, which contains a similar curse, the psalmist is clearly the speaker.
5. Peter's quotation of Ps 109 in Acts 1:20 appears to assume that the psalmist is the speaker and that the imprecation in vv. 6-19 is directed against a wicked individual.

The strongest argument for the view that vv. 6-19 are a quotation is the fact that the person being cursed in vv. 6-19 is singular ("he, his him"), whereas, outside of this section, the psalmist consistently refers to his enemies as a plural group (vv. 2-5, 20-21-31). If the psalmist is the speaker, as we have argued, then how can we explain the consistent use of the singular vv. 6-19? Scholars who take our position usually resort to one of two explanations (both of which are proposed, e.g., by Calvin).

1. The use of the singular in vv. 6-19 is a way of referring to each of the them individually.
2. The singular in vv. 6-19 refers to a specific individual among them, perhaps the leader or perhaps one who had been especially close to the psalmist.

Both explanations have parallels elsewhere in the Psalms.

• In Ps 7, the psalmist faces plural enemies (v. 7: צוֹרְרָי), but the description in vv. 15-17 is singular. In light of the reference to "Cush the Benjaminite" in the superscription, the singular in vv. 15-17 probably refers to Cush, the leader, or perhaps the most notorious of the enemies.
• In Ps 35, the psalmist consistently refers to his enemies in the plural (vv. 1-7, 11-16, 19-21, 24-26), but in v. 8, he switches to the singular. The context makes it clear that the singular and plural have the same referent ("they hid their net... the net that he hid"): vv. 7-8—"For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him; let him fall into it—to his destruction!" (ESV).
• Psalm 55 speaks of enemies in the plural (vv. 4, 16) but then focuses on a specific individual who had been the psalmist's close friend (vv. 14-15, 21-22).
• Psalm 69 (which is similar to Ps 109 in many respects) consistently uses plural forms (vv. 5, 15, 19-20, 22-29) without any shift to singular.

The first explanation seems the most likely—the use of the singular in vv. 6-19 is a way of referring to each of the them individually. The three main reasons for this conclusion are as follows:

1. Verse 20 summarizes vv. 6-19 by saying, "This is what my accusers have earned from YHWH..." In other words, according to v. 20, the curse in vv. 6-19 is the payment/wage of the psalmist's accusers (plural)—each and every one of them. See The Meaning of Ps 109:20.
2. Apart from the use of the singular in vv. 6-19, there is no other evidence within the psalm for seeing a specific individual, whether a leader or a friend (cf. Pss 7; 55).
3. The switch from plural to singular as a means of individualizing the imprecation has a clear parallel in Ps 35:8.

Similar examples of number shifting occur frequently in the second person. E.g.,.

• First Samuel 15:6. "Then Saul said to the Kenites (הַקֵּינִי), 'Go, depart; go down (לְכוּ סֻּרוּ רְדוּ) from among the Amalekites (עֲמָלֵקִי), lest I destroy you with them (אֹסִפְךָ עִמּוֹ). For you showed (וְאַתָּה עָשִׂיתָה) kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.' So the Kenites departed (וַיָּסַר קֵינִי) from among the Amalekites" (1 Sam 15:6, ESV).
• Deuteronomy. "In Deuteronomy, it is the people as a whole that is addressed alternately in the singular as well as the plural (thus, in reference to the same participant). This ‘numeruswechsel’ in Deuteronomy has an intensifying effect: Israel is addressed anew at the points where the plural changes to the singular... And... the extent to which the singular or the plural address forms are preferred correlates strongly with the content of the passage. Thus, when Israel is addressed about its history, for example in ch. 1-4 (or is given commands for the immediate future in the new land, for example in 12:1-12), the address forms tend to be plural. But when the subject matter is cultic or ritual (particularly when the commandments are detailed), most of the address forms are singular."

According to de Regt, this kind of number shifting has an "intensifying and personalising effect." The same can be said for the shift in Ps 109. The singular makes the description that much more vivid.

At the same time, the singular is also more natural, given the personal nature of some of the events described in this section: e.g., "may his wife become a widow... may a creditor seize his property... may his mother's sin not be wiped out." These would sound somewhat strange as plurals: "may their wives become widows... may creditors seize their property... may the sins of their mothers not be wiped out", etc.). The punishment is so personal (i.e., having to do with each individual's family and property) that a singular description is most appropriate.

The fourth of the Psalms of Solomon (preserved in Greek, but probably originally written in Hebrew) offers a striking analogy to Ps 109. It is a curse against "hypocrites" that has a long section in which an individual hypocrite is cursed ("he... him"), and this section is bracketed by references to hypocrites in the plural: "May God remove from the devout those who live in hypocrisy... His words are deceitful... He devastated a house... He is satiated with lawless actions... Let his part be disgrace... may his life be in pain and poverty... May his old age be in lonely childlessness... May the flesh of those who try to impress people be scattered by wild animals and the bones of criminals (lie) dishonored in the sun. Let crows peck out the eyes of the hypocrites...They have not remembered God...May he banish them from the earth" (Psalms of Solomon 4:6-22).

Participant Distribution Table

The table below demonstrates the participant distribution throughout Psalm 109.

Bibliography

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. 2011. Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101-150. Edited by Klaus Baltzer. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.

Hupfeld, Hermann. 1871. Die Psalmen. Vol. 4. Gotha: F.A. Perthes.

Jenkins, Steffen G. 2020. “A Quotation in Psalm 109 as Defence Exhibit A.” Tyndale Bulletin 71 (1): 115-135.

Kim, Young Bok. 2023. Hebrew Forms of Address: A Sociolinguistic Analysis. Atlanta: SBL Press.

Locatell, Christian. 2019. “Causal Categories in Biblical Hebrew Discourse: A Cognitive Approach to Causal כי.” Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages 45 (2): 79-102.

Lunn, Nicholas P. 2006. Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics. Paternoster Biblical Monographs. Milton Keynes: Paternoster.

Regt, Lénart J. de. 2019. Linguistic Coherence in Biblical Hebrew Texts: Arrangement of Information, Participant Reference Devices, Verb Forms, and Their Contribution to Textual Segmentation and Coherence. Revised and Extended edition. Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures and Its Contexts 28. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press.

Wright, R. B., trans. 1983. “Psalms of Solomon.” In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Garden City: Doubleday.