Psalm 110 Story Behind

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About the Story Behind Layer

The Story Behind the Psalm shows how each part of the psalm fits together into a single coherent whole. Whereas most semantic analysis focuses on discrete parts of a text such as the meaning of a word or phrase, Story Behind the Psalm considers the meaning of larger units of discourse, including the entire psalm.

The goal of this layer is to reconstruct and visualize a mental representation of the text as the earliest hearers/readers might have conceptualized it. We start by identifying the propositional content of each clause in the psalm, and then we identify relevant assumptions implied by each of the propositions. During this process, we also identify and analyze metaphorical language (“imagery”). Finally, we try to see how all of the propositions and assumptions fit together to form a coherent mental representation. The main tool we use for structuring the propositions and assumptions is a story triangle, which visualizes the rise and fall of tension within a semantic unit. Although story triangles are traditionally used to analyze stories in the literary sense of the word, we use them at this layer to analyze “stories” in the cognitive sense of the word—i.e., a story as a sequence of propositions and assumptions that has tension.

  Story Behind Explainer

Summary Triangle

The story triangle below summarises the story of the whole psalm. We use the same colour scheme as in Participant Analysis. The star icon along the edge of the story-triangle indicates the point of the story in which the psalm itself (as a speech event) takes place. We also include a theme at the bottom of the story. The theme is the main message conveyed by the story-behind.

  Legend

Story Triangles legend
Propositional content (verse number) Propositional content, the base meaning of the clause, is indicated by bold black text. The verse number immediately follows the correlating proposition in black text inside parentheses.
Common-ground assumption Common-ground assumptions[1] are indicated by gray text.
Local-ground assumption Local-ground assumptions[2] are indicated by dark blue text.
Playground assumption Playground assumptions[3] are indicated by light blue text.
Story Behind legend - star 1.jpg
 The point of the story at which the psalm takes place (as a speech event) is indicated by a gray star.
Story Behind legend - star 2.jpg
 If applicable, the point of the story at which the psalm BEGINS to take place (as a speech event) is indicated with a light gray star. A gray arrow will travel from this star to the point at which the psalm ends, indicated by the darker gray star.
Story Behind legend - repeat.jpg
 A story that repeats is indicated by a circular arrow. This indicates a sequence of either habitual or iterative events.
Story Behind legend - red x.jpg
 A story or event that does not happen or the psalmist does not wish to happen is indicated with a red X over the story triangle.
Story Behind legend - arrow.jpg
 Connections between propositions and/or assumptions are indicated by black arrows with small text indicating how the ideas are connected.
Note: In the Summary triangle, highlight color scheme follows the colors of participant analysis.

Story Behind legend - sample triangle.jpg

Psalm 110 - Story Behind Triangle.jpg

Background ideas

Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.

  • David is a prophet (cf. 2 Sam. 23:1–7; Acts 2:29–30; David's Compositions; cf. Kugel "David the Prophet" 1990).
  • To sit at YHWH's right side implies access to YHWH's presence as a priest.
  • Melchizedek was both the king of the ancient city of Jerusalem/Zion and a priest of El-Elyon (see Gen. 14:18ff).
  • Drinking foreign water is a gesture of dominance (cf. 2 Kgs. 19:24 // Isa. 37:25; cf. von Nordheim 108).
  • A king's conquest is ultimately the work of the king's god (cf. 1 Kgs. 5:3; cf. Neo-Assyrian royal prophecies in Hilber 2005 and Nissinen 2019).

Background situation

The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon. Psalm 110 - Background situation.jpg

Expanded Paraphrase

The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.

  Legend

Expanded paraphrase legend
Close but Clear (CBC) translation The CBC, our close but clear translation of the Hebrew, is represented in bold text.
Assumptions Assumptions which provide background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences are represented in italics.
Text (Hebrew) Verse Expanded Paraphrase
לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃ 1 A psalm by David to whom YHWH promised an everlasting dynasty, who is also a prophet. This psalm is YHWH’s prophetic oracle which he revealed to me in a vision. In this oracle, YHWH speaks to my lord who is my descendant and yet who is also my superior. He says to him, “ Sit with me on my throne at my right side the place of supreme honor and so share in my rule over the worlduntil I give you victory over your enemies and make your enemies a footstool for your feet such that your enemies are brought under your authority and control. You need not take matters into your own hands; I will subdue your enemies for you.”
מַטֵּֽה־עֻזְּךָ֗ יִשְׁלַ֣ח יְ֭הוָה מִצִּיּ֑וֹן רְ֝דֵ֗ה בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֹיְבֶֽיךָ׃ 2 YHWH will extend your strong staff the symbol of your royal rule from Zionthe holy city in which you are enthroned. From Zion, your kingdom will spread to the ends of the earth. Then you willRule among those who are currently your enemies!
עַמְּךָ֣ נְדָבֹת֮ בְּי֪וֹם חֵ֫ילֶ֥ךָ בְּֽהַדְרֵי־קֹ֭דֶשׁ מֵרֶ֣חֶם מִשְׁחָ֑ר לְ֝ךָ֗ טַ֣ל יַלְדֻתֶֽיךָ׃ 3 In order for your royal rule to extend from Zion, you will need an army, and so YHWH will give you an army. Your people will be willing to fight for you and join your army on the day you manifest your power and gather an army for war. Onthe holy mountains which surround Zion, from the womb of dawn early in the morning as a sign of their willingness, your army, which might be compared to the morning dew, which falls on the mountains of Zion, that is, your young men, [will come] into your possession.Like dew, which falls from the sky as a gift from God, so your willing army is a gift from YHWH. And just as dew consists of innumerable drops and covers the ground, so your army will consist of innumerable people and overwhelm your enemies.
נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָ֨ה ׀ וְלֹ֥א יִנָּחֵ֗ם אַתָּֽה־כֹהֵ֥ן לְעוֹלָ֑ם עַל־דִּ֝בְרָתִ֗י מַלְכִּי־צֶֽדֶק׃ 4 Because you are seated on YHWH's throne, in YHWH's throne-room, a place only priests are permitted to enter, you are, therefore, a priest, and your priesthood is confirmed with an oath. YHWH has sworn an oath, and he will not change his mind: YouDavid's descendant and lord are forever a priest and, therefore you will forever sit enthroned in my presence. Although you are not from the tribe of Levi, the tribe to which Israel's priests belong, one of the first kings in Zion, who was called "Melchizedek," who was not a Levite, was both king and priest. You, therefore, are king and priestjust like Melchizedek.”
אֲדֹנָ֥י עַל־יְמִֽינְךָ֑ מָחַ֖ץ בְּיוֹם־אַפּ֣וֹ מְלָכִֽים׃ 5 This is what I, David, saw in my vision: The Lord (=YHWH) who stands in battle at your (=my lord, the king's) right side to protect you and to fight on your behalf) (because you have served him as a faithful priest smashed rebellious kings on the day his anger was unleashed just as he defeated wicked kings in Melchizedek's day.
יָדִ֣ין בַּ֭גּוֹיִם מָלֵ֣א גְוִיּ֑וֹת מָ֥חַץ רֹ֝֗אשׁ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ רַבָּֽה׃ 6 When YHWH has slain all of the rebellious kings, He himself will become king in their place, and will rule with justice among the nations whom he filled with corpses. Because the lord shares YHWH's throne, the lord also will rule among the nations whom YHWH filled with corpses. In my vision,He that is, YHWH, smashed the heads of the rebellious kings across the wide world and so he has extended the lord's scepter from Zion and made his enemies a footstool for his feet.
מִ֭נַּחַל בַּדֶּ֣רֶךְ יִשְׁתֶּ֑ה עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן יָרִ֥ים רֹֽאשׁ׃ 7 After smashing the heads of enemy kings, like a warrior who is weary from battle He that is, YHWH, will drink from a wadi on the campaign. The fact that he is able to pause to refresh himself with water in enemy territory is a sign that he has successfully conquered his enemy. Therefore refreshed from his drink and confident in his victory, he will lift [his] headin victorious triumph over his enemies whose heads have been smashed.

Story Triangles

(Click diagram to enlarge)

Psalm 110 - SB.jpg


There are currently no Imagery Tables available for this psalm.


Bibliography

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Footnotes

  1. ↑ Common-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/ANE background - beliefs and practices that were widespread at this time and place. This is the background information necessary for understanding propositions that do not readily make sense to those who are so far removed from the culture in which the proposition was originally expressed.
  2. ↑ Local-ground assumptions are those propositions which are necessarily true if the text is true. They include both presuppositions and entailments. Presuppositions are those implicit propositions which are assumed to be true by an explicit proposition. Entailments are those propositions which are necessarily true if a proposition is true.
  3. ↑ Whereas local-ground assumptions are inferences which are necessarily true if the text is true, play-ground assumptions are those inferences which might be true if the text is true.