Psalm 110 Story behind the Psalm
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. (Click 'Expand' to the right for more information.)
The goal of this layer is to reconstruct and visualise a mental representation of the text as the earliest hearers/readers might have conceptualised 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 analyse 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 visualises the rise and fall of tension within a semantic unit. Although story triangles are traditionally used to analyse stories in the literary sense of the word, we use them at this layer to analyse “stories” in the cognitive sense of the word—i.e., a story as a sequence of propositions and assumptions that has tension.
Story Behind Visuals for Ps. 110
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.
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.
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.
(For more information, click "Expanded Paraphrase Legend" below.)
| 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. |
v. 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 world until 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.”
v. 2
YHWH will extend your strong staff the symbol of your royal rule from Zion the holy city in which you are enthroned. From Zion, your kingdom will spread to the ends of the earth. Then you will Rule among those who are currently your enemies!
v. 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. On the 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.
v. 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: "You David'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 priest just like Melchizedek.”
v. 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.
v. 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.
v. 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] head in victorious triumph over his enemies whose heads have been smashed.
Story Triangles
Assumptions Table
Bibliography
- Hilber, John W. 2005. Cultic Prophecy in the Psalms. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter.
- Kugel, James L. 1990. "David the Prophet." In Poetry and Prophecy: The Beginnings of a Literary Tradition. Edited by James L. Kugel, 45-55. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
- Nissinen, Martti, C. L. Seow, Robert K. Ritner, and H. Craig Melchert. 2019. Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.
- Nordheim, Miriam von. 2008. Geboren von der Morgenröte? Psalm 110 in Tradition, Redaktion und Rezeption. Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener.