Psalm 119 Discourse
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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.)
Discourse Visuals for Psalm 119
Macrosyntax
General observations
- The patterns of כִּי subordination seem to be significant, particularly the clusters in vv. 42-45; 74-78; 91-94; 98-102; 168-173. The only instances they are not causal are in vv. 50, 71, 75, 152 and 159 (all complementisers). Nevertheless, they do not seem to determine major discourse discontinuities in any clear pattern. There are a number of instances where discourse markers are significant in this regard (see, e.g., vv. 23-24, 40-41, 104, 108, 119, 127-129), while the A-line vocative seems to most systematically determine discontinuities. These are never line-initial, in light of the acrostic.
- The common two-constituent fronted clauses in verse-final (or at least non-initial) lines seem to consistently morphosyntactically enclose the couplet (vv. 22b, 37b, 40b, 51b, 61b, 64b, 66b, 67c, 74b, 81b, 83b, 86b, 93b, 94c, 95c, 100b, 108b, 109b, 110b, 114b, 120b, 124b, 131c, 141b, 145c, 147c, 149b, 150b, 153c, 154c, 155b, 156b, 157b, 158c, v. 161b, 166b, 169b, 170b, 173b, 176b) or individual line (vv. 78b, 159b).
- From v. 89 onwards, there is a steady increase in narrow focus constituents in comparison to previous discourse, until their presence dies down again around v. 120.
Constituent order
- v. 2b: בְּכָל־לֵ֥ב is fronted for scalar focus: יִדְרְשֽׁוּהוּ is somewhat given since these happy people walking in the law of YHWH implies that they seek him. However, it's with a whole heart that they do so (see the continuity of this theme through vv. 7, 10, 11).
- v. 3b: While בִּדְרָכָ֥יו could be understood as fronted for replacing focus: rather than carry out injustice (v. 3a), it's in YHWH's ways that they walk, it is more likely simply the first of many fronted B-lines for poetic binding of the couplet (see the notes below). Furthermore, the symmetrical word order indicates a discourse discontinuity.
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 3-4: The discontinuity is signalled by the topic shift and the conclusive manner in which אַ֭ף wraps up the third-person description of the happy people.
Constituent order
- v. 4a: Though satisfying the א-acrostic, and creating poetic cohesion with v. 12's בָּר֖וּךְ אַתָּ֥ה יְהוָ֗ה (both the fourth verse of their respective stanzas), אַ֭תָּה also serves as a topic shift after discussion of the happy people in vv. 1-3. Indeed, the direct address continues until v. 115.
Discourse marker
- v. 6: Although אָ֥ז is clausally separated from v. 5, its scope does not go beyond v. 5, only providing the logical result of v. 5's wish, so does not provide enough discontinuity to warrant a paragraph break.
Constituent order
- v. 8a: The fronting of אֶת־חֻקֶּ֥יךָ fulfills the א-acrostic. While I am hesitant to claim a narrow focus reading, semantically it may be significant that this is the second instance of חֹק in the stanza, so while אַ֭חֲלַי יִכֹּ֥נוּ דְרָכָ֗י לִשְׁמֹ֥ר חֻקֶּֽיךָ was the psalmist's wish in v. 5, the final verse of the stanza represents the resolution to carry it out.
- v. 10a: See note on v. 2, though now applied to the psalmist, counting himself among the happy people (vv. 1-3).
- v. 11a: The motivation for the fronting of בְּ֭לִבִּי seems to be purely to fulfill the ב-acrostic, though also to create good continuity with בְּכָל־לִבִּ֥י of the previous verse (see poetic structure).
Discourse discontinuity & vocative
- vv.11-12: The לְ֝מַ֗עַן subordination concludes a pattern of subordinate B-lines quite consistently from vv. 4-11 (broken only by two אַל jussives in vv. 8, 10). Furthermore, the repetition of the pronoun אַתָּ֥ה (cf. v. 4), the unique instance (in the Psalter) of בָּר֖וּךְ אַתָּ֥ה, and the clause-final vocative, probably function primarily to delimit the line (Miller 2010, 360-363), but perhaps also because ברוך אתה יהוה was becoming a stereotypical expression (cf. 1 Chr. 29.10 and later Rabbinic literature – Hurvitz 1972, 144-145). In any case, יְהוָה always follows בָּרוּךְ even when the pronoun is absent (see Pss 28.6; 31.22; 41.14; 72.18; 89.53; 106.48; 124.6; 135.21).
Constituent order
- v. 13a: The fronting of בִּשְׂפָתַ֥י is poetic for two reasons: (1) the ב-acrostic, and (2) to create a body-part inclusio with פִֽיךָ at the end of the verse.
- vv. 14-16: The fronting of these three PPs with one of the "Torah words" in each case may perhaps be more than simply fulfilling the ב-acrostic, but rather, forming a topic chain may leave the following verbs in a symmetrical pattern of focal intensity: 'rejoice', followed by 'meditate', and back (to completion of the figure) to the semantically (and phonetically) similar 'delight'. This fronting (and resultant verb-focus pattern) also creates the fairly rare situation of having two "Torah words" in the same verse (חֹק and דָּבָר in v. 16). See also the phonetic symmetric pattern in v. 15's בְּפִקֻּדֶ֥יךָ אָשִׂ֑יחָה // וְ֝אַבִּ֗יטָה אֹרְחֹתֶֽיךָ.
- v. 19a: The fronting of the predicational complement גֵּ֣ר seems only to be motivated by the acrostic.
- v. 22b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 22-23: The subordination in v. 22 for the first time since the last discontinuity (v. 11) and the discourse particle גַּם in v. 23 (repeated, morphologically, though not discourse-pragmatically, in v. 24) provide the criteria for this discontinuity.
Constituent order
- v. 23aβ: The PP, בִּ֣י, provides completive focus of who they were going to adjudicate against, as a typical action of שָׂרִים sitting (usually at the gate-house; see Ruth 4:1-2 and lexical notes).
- v. 23b: The fronting of עַ֝בְדְּךָ֗ is topic shifted from the שָׂרִים (as in contrast; Ḥakham 1979, 375).
- v. 24a: The additive verbal focus reading is much more plausible for שַׁעֲשֻׁעָ֗י (since the "Torah words" חֻקֶּֽיךָ and עֵ֭דֹתֶיךָ are near-synonyms, the focus would escalate from 'meditation' to 'delight' (see also the pattern already established in vv. 14-16). Since it is distanced from גַּם, however, this is quite unlikely. So גַּם should again be read as a proposition-level discourse particle, as in *v. 23: For the interpretation in this verse as sentence-level "affirmation", see van der Merwe (2009, 328).
- v. 25a: The post-verbal לֶעָפָ֣ר נַפְשִׁ֑י is either caused by the semantic dependency of the דבק plus עָפָר construction, or priming the poetic structure with the inclusio דָּלְפָ֣ה נַ֭פְשִׁי מִתּוּגָ֑ה (v. 28).
- vv. 26-27, 32: The fronting of דְּרָכַ֣י and דֶּֽרֶךְ־פִּקּוּדֶ֥יךָ and דֶּֽרֶךְ־מִצְוֺתֶ֥יךָ, while plausibly topical (as דֶּרֶךְ is in most of the psalm), are most simply read as fulfilling the acrostic.
- vv. 29-30: While the fronting of דֶּֽרֶךְ־שֶׁ֭קֶר could be read as poetic, as in vv. 26-27, its topical status quickly becomes clear in contrast to the following verse's דֶּֽרֶךְ־אֱמוּנָ֥ה. The waw, uniquely additive in this stanza and discourse unit (see the discussion of v. 26's wayyiqtol and v. 27's result in verbal semantics), allows for further binding between these two verses, in which דֶּֽרֶךְ־אֱמוּנָ֥ה is confirmed as that which the psalmist has chosen, implicitly rejecting the possibility that he had chosen דֶּֽרֶךְ־שֶׁ֭קֶר.
Vocative
- v. 31: The vocative in דָּבַ֥קְתִּי בְעֵֽדְוֺתֶ֑יךָ יְ֝הוָ֗ה אַל־תְּבִישֵֽׁנִי׃ undoubtedly separates the lines of the couplet, placed in the B-line to maintain the 2-2 pattern of prosodic words (cf. v. 27, 30, etc.).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 32-33: The subordination in v. 32 for the first time since the last discontinuity (v. 22) and the vocatives both preceding the following this verse provide the criteria for this discontinuity.
Vocative
- v. 33: Note that clause-initial vocatives are not possible within the constrains of the acrostic, so second position is the next natural (if not clause-final). The pragmatic analyses could involve (a) focusing the "detached element" (Miller 2010, 357; Kim 2022, 227-233), though here that focus only amounts to the beginning of the ה–stanza (notwithstanding the importance of the root ירה in the psalm and this being one of only two occurrences of the verbal form – see v. 102) or (b) preferably as post-verbal, drawing attention to what follows (Kim 2022, 233-235), which in this case would create a continuity with the pattern of דֶּרֶךְ so prevalent in the preceding stanza.
Constituent order
- v. 35: The most natural reading of the fronting of ב֥וֹ seems to be as completive focus, appealing to the accommodation that the psalmist "delights in" something.
- v. 37b, 40b: The clause-final imperative in v. 37b, which causes the fronting of *כִּדְבָרְךָ*, creates a structural inclusio with v. 40b's בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥ חַיֵּֽנִי for the second half of the ה–stanza (vv. 37-40).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 40-41: The mirative particle הִ֭נֵּה in v. 40 and the pattern of fronting in vv. 37b and 40b, as noted above, provide the structural closure, before the line-final vocative in v. 41a, indicating a new discourse unit. Alternatively, while subordination becomes more commonplace throughout this discourse unit, v. 39 is the first instance of two adjacent subordinate clauses, while the waw initiating the ו–stanza has been analyzed as a simple conjunction at verbal semantics in light of the jussive יבֹאֻ֣נִי, which seems, at first glance, to indicate continuity. Nevertheless, poetic pattern of fronting in vv. 37b and 40b are strong evidence for closure in v. 40b, so the initial waw is best viewed as a discourse marker – indicating coordination between elements larger than the sentence.
Coordination
- vv. 41-48: For the clausal relationships of jussive + result (vv. 41-42) // jussive + result (vv. 44-48) see the exegetical issue: The Cohesion of Ps. 119:41-48.
Vocative
- The delimitation of the two poetic lines (and clauses) between v. 41a and v. 41b (Miller 2010, 360-363) seems to be sufficient reason to place the vocative line-finally, especially in light of the elision of the A-line's head verb.
Constituent order
- Since there is no acrostic constraint in B-lines, the intentional pattern of standard order–fronting–fronting in vv. 42b, 43b, and 45b indicate a larger structure than the concerns of sentence information structure. Indeed, the fronting of two-constituent B-lines is a common pattern throughout the psalm, probably as a morphosyntactic means to enclose the couplet structurally (see vv. 22b above and the observation at the bottom of the visual below).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 48-49: The break in the pattern of waws indicating result from the jussive in v. 43 all the way to v. 48 indicates the discontinuity before v. 49.
Constituent order
- v. 50b: The concise, subject-fronted אִמְרָתְךָ֣ חִיָּֽתְנִי following the cataphoric זֹאת is best read as a thetic statement.
- v. 51a: The fronting of זֵ֭דִים indicates the necessary topic shift for their re-introduction.
- v. 51b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Vocative
- In both v. 52a and v. 55a, the vocative concludes the first line and clause, preceding a wayyiqtol (וָֽאֶתְנֶחָֽם and וָֽ֝אֶשְׁמְרָ֗ה). Delimitation of the poetic lines (Miller 2010, 360-363) seems to be the most plausible explanation, especially in the unique 4-1 line-length pair in v. 52, in which the following wayyiqtol could have been forced into a monocolon.
Constituent order
- v. 53a: As well as fulfilling the ז acrostic, it is possible that the fronting of זַלְעָפָ֣ה indicates the thetic construal of (at least the clause-nucleus) זַלְעָפָ֣ה אֲ֭חָזַתְנִי.
- v. 56a: As well as fulfilling the ז acrostic, the focal nature of the cataphoric זֹאת in זֹ֥את הָֽיְתָה־לִּ֑י is quite uncontentious, with the content arriving in v. 56b (כִּ֖י פִקֻּדֶ֣יךָ נָצָֽרְתִּי).
- v. 61a: The information packaging of the entire utterance חֶבְלֵ֣י רְשָׁעִ֣ים עִוְּדֻ֑נִי is quite plausibly construed as thetic.
- v. 61b: תּֽ֝וֹרָתְךָ֗ is fronted as poetic binding of the couplet.
Constituent order
- v. 62a: As well as fulfilling the ח acrostic, the fronting of חֲצֽוֹת־לַ֗יְלָה also functions as a frame setter for the rest of the verse.
- v. 63: The fronting of the predicational complement חָבֵ֣ר seems only to be motivated by the acrostic (cf. v. 19).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 63-64: The long, enjambed verbless clause in v. 63 and the double vocative of vv. 64-65 indicate a slight discontinuity here.
Constituent order + vocative
- v. 64: חַסְדְּךָ֣ seems to be fronted primarily for the acrostic, though it may also verge on topical as the communicative contribution of this clause is undoubtedly the earth being full (see the notes at poetic structure). This reading of the clause also complicates the clause-second position of the vocative as focusing the initial constituent, though we could imagine if not for the acrostic, YHWH may have been initial.
Constituent order
- v. 64b: חֻקֶּ֥יךָ is fronted as poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 65: The fronting of ט֭וֹב initiates the ט–stanza.
Vocative
- v. 65: The vocative separates the two lines, with only one remaining constituent of this enjambed verse (Miller 2010, 360-363). Nevertheless, the detached element prosodically, stichographically and syntactically gains prominence.
Constituent order
- v. 66: The fronting of ט֭וֹב fulfills the ט–acrostic.
- v. 66b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 67c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 69b, 70b: The double fronting of אֲ֝נִ֗י בְּכָל־לֵ֤ב and אֲ֝נִ֗י תּוֹרָתְךָ֥ שִֽׁעֲשָֽׁעְתִּי are classic cases of P1-topic/P2-focus. In the first instance, אֲ֝נִ֗י is introduced to contrast the preceding זֵדִ֑ים, while the lie (שֶׁ֣קֶר) may involve ulterior motives for the psalmist's obedience, the presupposition of which is corrected by the focal בְּכָל־לֵ֤ב. In the second instance, אֲ֝נִ֗י is again contrasted with the antecedent of the suffix in לִבָּ֑ם, while the psalmist confirms (or rejects otherwise false accusations to the contrary) that תּוֹרָתְךָ֥ is his delight, not whatever the other may appreciate with their insensitive and hardened hearts.
- v. 73: While also initiating the י–stanza, the fronting of יָדֶ֣יךָ also plausibly serves as a topic shift (drawn from the set of body parts already activated by פִּ֑יךָ in v. 72).
- v. 74: While also fulfilling the י–acrostic, the fronting of יְ֭רֵאֶיךָ also plausibly serves as a topic shift. (The psalmist's allies have not been mentioned since v. 63. Note that a discontinuity was determined there, too, both based on independent, non-semantic, factors).
- v. 74b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Vocative
- v. 75: The vocative precedes a subordinate clause, increasing the salience of the subordinate clause's content (Kim 2022: 235-237).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 74-75: The vocative and double subordination in v. 75, as well as the discourse marker in v. 76, indicate a new discourse unit.
Constituent order
- v. 75c: While a subordinate B-/C-line would naturally be verb-final, as in most other cases throughout the psalm (see, e.g., vv. 43b, 45b, 51b, 61b, 64b, 66b, 67c, 74b, 78b, etc.), the adverbial אֱמוּנָ֗ה is a prime candidate for a corrective focus reading, in that the psalmist's affliction had no other initial cause than YHWH's faithfulness.
- v. 78b: Poetic binding of the line.
- v. 78c: The pronoun אֲ֝נִ֗י is fronted for topic shift.
Constituent order
- v. 81a: The post-verbal לִתְשׁוּעָתְךָ֣ נַפְשִׁ֑י most likely primes the poetic structure with the following verse's כָּל֣וּ עֵ֭ינַי לְאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ, reversing the pattern and contributing cohesion.
- v. 81b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Subordination
- Although the כִּי clause could also be read as concessive ("Although I have become like a leather bottle in smoke, I have not forgotten your purposes"), the causal subordination from what proceeds has been preferred because of the description in v. 82 and the generally negative tone of the כ-stanza – the concession would imply too strong a resolve for the emotional tenor of the current context. (Of course, it may have been more suitable if found in a different stanza, e.g., v. 109.)
- v. 83b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 84b: The post-verbal prominence of בְרֹדְפַ֣י may prime the ongoing discourse salience of this participant (v. 85) and even specific lexeme (v. 86; see poetic structure and participant analysis).
- v. 86b: Poetic binding of the first two lines. This only adds to the prominence and urgency of the final imperative of the verse: עָזְרֵֽנִי! Further, see the tail-head linkage of the pair אֱמוּנָה/שֶׁקֶר (cf. vv. 29-30).
- v. 87a: As well as being suitable for the כ–acrostic (though so is the verb כִּלּ֣וּנִי), the adverb כִּ֭מְעַט is routinely pre-verbal to in order to properly process the verb phrase (cf. Gen 26:10, Prov 5:14).
- v. 87b: The pronoun וַ֝אֲנִ֗י is fronted for topic shift.
- v. 88a: As well as the preference for the imperative חַיֵּ֑נִי to be line-final (cf. vv. 37b, 40b, etc.), the PP כְּחַסְדְּךָ֥ חַיֵּ֑נִי is fronted to fulfill the כ–acrostic.
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 88-89: The vocative in second position of v. 89 (cf. also vv. 33, 64, 75) indicates a new section of the prayer directed to YHWH.
Constituent order
- v. 89: While the acrostic-fulfilling constituent is frequently in pre-vocative position, here, לְעוֹלָ֥ם is indeed focused as preceding the vocative (Miller 2010, 357), as well as preceding the entire participial clause, which exhibits standard order otherwise.
- v. 90: While the constituent לְדֹ֣ר וָ֭דֹר is necessarily line-initial for purposes of the acrostic, as a temporal adverbial in a verbless clause, its fronting also indicates a focal contribution.
- v. 91: While the לְֽ֭מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ is necessarily line-initial for purposes of the acrostic, it also fits the profile as a focused constituent: וַֽתַּעֲמֹֽד was activated in the previous clause, so can be taken as given, while לְעוֹלָ֥ם and לְדֹ֣ר וָ֭דֹר also imply that they still stand הַיּ֑וֹם, so this, too, can be taken as given.
- v. 93a: While the לְ֭עוֹלָם is necessarily line-initial for purposes of the acrostic, it may also, tentatively fit the profile as a focused constituent: the rest of the clause, has seem similar instantiations throughout the psalm – admittedly, this verb is usually found in the qatal (vv. 61, 83, and later, vv. 109, 141, 153, 176), but also in the yiqtol (v. 16). The fact that this construction appears at the conclusion of the introductory portion of the psalm (vv. 1-16, see van der Lugt 2013 and the poetic structure notes) and in the very last verse of the psalm, may indicate its structural salience.
- v. 93b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 94c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 95a: The PP לִ֤י seems to lack any information-structural function, so is probably best read as fulfilling the acrostic.
- v. 95c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 96: While לְֽכָל תִּ֭כְלָה also fulfills the acrostic, it also seems to provide the topic shift which sets up the contrast with מִצְוָתְךָ֣ in the next line.
Constituent order
- v. 97b: The fronting of כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם for focus gives concrete evidence that the psalmist loves YHWH's Torah.
- v. 98a: The fronting of מֵ֭אֹ֣יְבַי fulfills the acrostic, but may also reflect a topical frame through which to interpret the rest of the clause. Strictly, however, topic shift per se seem to be a bit of a stretch, so is has not been indicated visually.
- v. 98b: As preceding the verbless הִיא־לִֽי, the adverbial לְעוֹלָ֣ם once again provides focal content of the clause (cf. v. 89).
- vv. 99-100: While the fronting of מִכָּל־מְלַמְּדַ֥י and מִזְּקֵנִ֥ים also fulfill the acrostic, they may also indicate a scalar focus reading of progression from "enemies" to "teachers" and then even "elders"!
- v. 100b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 101a: The fronting of מִכָּל־אֹ֣רַח רָ֭ע fulfills the acrostic, but may also reflect a topical frame through which to interpret the rest of the clause. Strictly, however, topic shift per se seem to be a bit of a stretch, so is has not been underlined.
- v. 102a: The PP מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶ֥יךָ fulfills the acrostic, but may tentatively also provide a topic shift.
- v. 102b: The presence of the overt pronoun in the brief, כִּי–subordinated clause אַ֝תָּ֗ה הוֹרֵתָֽנִי indicates the clause's thetic status, providing the grounds for מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶ֥יךָ לֹא־סָ֑רְתִּי (Atkinson 2021, 109-127).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 104-105: The logical discourse marker עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן indicates the conclusion of a larger thought unit (cf. vv. 119, 127-129).
Constituent order
- v. 104a: The PP מִפִּקּוּדֶ֥יךָ seems to lack any salient information-structural function, so is probably best read as fulfilling the acrostic.
- v. 105: The initial predicational complement נֵר־לְרַגְלִ֥י fulfills the acrostic but may also provide scalar focus of further intensifying the role of YHWH's word.
Vocative
- v. 107b: The initial position of the vocative may indicate the urgent nature of the following request (Kim 2022, 217), or, since this imperative is very common in the psalm and only follows a line-initial vocative in v. 149 and v. 159, simply differentiate the verse's two lines (Miller 2010, 360-363). It may be, however, that the psalmist intensifies his request throughout the psalm: the imperative חַיֵּנִי appears in vv. 25, 37, 40 and 88 all without a vocative, though from here on they are preceded by vocatives (vv. 149, 159, and, similarly, v. 156, though on the previous poetic line).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 107-108: The rare line-initial vocative in v. 107b (see also vv. 31b, 149b, 159c) and verb-phrase-initial חַיֵּ֥נִי, where we have come to expect its clause-final placement (see vv. 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 149, 154, 156, 159 vs. one other instance of clause-initial in v. 25) indicates a discontinuity in the psalmist's prayer, confirmed by the topic activation of the unique phrase נִדְב֣וֹת פִּ֭י, the discourse particle נָ֣א and line-final vocative in v. 108.
Vocative
- v. 108a: The line-final position of the vocative seems to be simply motivated by the separation of the bicolon / clause pair (Miller 2010, 360-363).
Constituent order
- v. 108b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 109b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 110b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 111b: The predicational שְׂשׂ֖וֹן לִבִּ֣י הֵֽמָּה probably provides a scalar focus reading of שְׂשׂ֖וֹן לִבִּ֣י since הֵֽמָּה unambiguously the topic. (Note that in all of these comment-initial predicationals, the same information structure would be communicated by topic-comment order, so the focal contribution is best suited for a scalar reading; see Atkinson forthcoming; cf. vv. 105 [though A-line, so perhaps only functioning for the acrostic structure], 118, etc.).
- v. 113: The verbs שָׂנֵ֑אתִי and אָהָֽבְתִּי indicate the fronting of סֵעֲפִ֥ים and תוֹרָתְךָ֥ as contrastive topics.
- v. 114a: The fronting of the predicational complement נֵר־לְרַגְלִ֥י seems only to be motivated by the acrostic (cf. v. 19, 63, 105).
- v. 114b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Vocative
- v. 115a: The line-final vocative precedes a (semantically) subordinate clause, perhaps focusing the content of this clause (Kim 2022, 235, 237).
Constituent order
- v. 118b: The adverb שֶׁ֝֗קֶר in the predicational clause is initial to provide a scalar focus interpretation of 'their betrayal'.
- v. 119: The fronting of סִגִ֗ים may indicate its focal status under the presupposition "YHWH considers the wicked X", inferrable from almost the entire psalm, but especially vv. 21,118 (see participant analysis).
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 119-120: The logical discourse marker לָ֝כֵ֗ן indicates the end of a unit (cf. also vv. 104, 127-129).
Constituent order
- v. 120b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 123: Although also fulfilling the acrostic, the fronting of עֵ֭ינַי may also be read as a topic shift (being discourse-reactivated after not appearing since v. 82, in an identical verb phrase: כָּל֣וּ עֵ֭ינַי).
- v. 124b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 128a: Embedded between the pair of אָהַ֣בְתִּי (v. 127) and שָׂנֵֽאתִי (v. 128b), possibly also causing the repetition of עַל־כֵּ֤ן (though also fulfilling the acrostic), the contribution of the fronted *כָּל־*פִּקּוּדֶיךָ is most likely focal.
- v. 128b: The fronting of כָּל־אֹ֖רַח שֶׁ֣קֶר indicates its contrastive topical status between the אָהַ֣בְתִּי of v. 127 and שָׂנֵֽאתִי here (see also the previous note).
- v. 129a: The comment-initial order of פְּלָא֥וֹת עֵדְוֺתֶ֑יךָ is most likely caused by the פ–stanza of the acrostic, but may also provided marked scalar focus.
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 129-130: The logical discourse marker עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן, the third immediate instance, here in a B-line and not required by the acrostic, indicates the end of a unit (cf. also vv. 104, 119). For further explanation of the repetition of עַל־כן throughout these verse, see the note at v. 128a.
Constituent order
- v. 130: The subject פֵּ֖תַח דְּבָרֶ֥יךָ, if it had any salient information-structural function, could perhaps be understood as topical, though it is probably best read as fulfilling the acrostic.
- v. 131a: The object פִּֽי, if it had any salient information-structural function, could perhaps be understood as topical, though it is probably best read as fulfilling the acrostic.
- v. 131c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 133a: The object פְּ֭עָמַי, while also fulfilling the acrostic, may plausibly be understood as topical.
- v. 135a: The object פָּ֭נֶיךָ, while also fulfilling the acrostic and providing a symmetric structure to the 1cs body part עֵינָ֑י in 136a, may plausibly be understood as topical.
- v. 136a: The fronting of פַּלְגֵי־מַ֭יִם indicates the thetic construal of the utterance, further supported by the indefinite subject, verb of motion and general out-of-the-blue nature of the entire state of affairs.
Discourse discontinuity & vocative
- vv. 136-137: The thetic sentence in v. 136a followed by its subordinate clause in v. 136b) and the line-final vocative in v. 137a – dividing the poetic lines (Miller 2010, 360-363) and providing a 3-2 prosodic word count (see poetic structure) – indicate the discontinuity.
Constituent order
- v. 137: While the initial צַדִּ֣יק in v. 137a begins the צ–stanza of the acrostic, the predicational יָשָׁ֗ר in v. 137b probably provides repetition of the preceding structure.
- v. 140a: The predicational צְרוּפָ֖ה is initial to fulfill the acrostic.
- v. 140b: The fronting of עַבְדְּךָ֥ indicates the thetic construal of this utterance, with a the accessible antecedent of its suffix, though as a unitary state of affairs somewhat out-of-the-blue.
- v. 141a: The predicational צָעִ֣יר is initial to fulfill the acrostic. This is made all the more evident with the pronoun אָנֹכִ֣י intervening before the second predication, which indicates that it would have been initial if not for the acrostic.
- v. 141b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 143a: The fronting of צַר־וּמָצ֥וֹק indicates the thetic construal of this utterance, with the accessible antecedent of its suffix, though as a unitary state of affairs somewhat out-of-the-blue.
- v. 144a: The predicational צֶ֖דֶק is initial to fulfill the acrostic.
Vocative
- v. 145b: As well as delimiting the poetic lines (Miller 2010, 360-363), the vocative's clause-final position indicates a holding of the floor, that is, to indicate more content of the current thought unit is coming.
Constituent order
- v. 145c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 147c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 149a: The fronting of ק֭וֹלִי seems only to serve the acrostic, without any clear information structural function.
- v. 149b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 149-150: The line-initial vocative in the B-line of v. 149 indicates a discontinuity (cf. v. 107) followed by the line-final vocative soon after (v. 151a).
Vocative
- v. 149b: As well as delimiting the line-division, the clause-initial vocative holds the floor as the verse continues.
Constituent order
- v. 150b: Poetic binding of the couplet (notice also the semantic contrast).
Vocative
- v. 151a: The vocative delimits the line-divisions and prosodically separates the two clauses.
Constituent order
- v. 152a: The fronting of קֶ֣דֶם seems only to serve the acrostic, without any clear information structural function.
- v. 152b: The fronting of לְעוֹלָ֣ם places it in a prominent position for purposes of the structure of the entire canto of vv. 145-160 (cf. v. 160 and the notes at poetic structure). It also produces clause-final position of יְסַדְתָּֽם, which could be understood as verbal verum focus: You did establish them.
- v. 153c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 154c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 155a: The predicational רָח֣וֹק מֵרְשָׁעִ֣ים is initial to fulfill the acrostic.
- v. 155b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Discourse discontinuity
- vv. 155-156: As well as the compounding of three non-initial lines with binding between them (in vv. 153-155; see above) and the subordination of v. 155b, v. 156 has a line-final vocative in its first line (cf. also vv. 12, 41, 75, 108, 137).
Vocative
- v. 156a: The vocative delimits the line-divisions and prosodically separates the two clauses.
Constituent order
- v. 156b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 157a: Since the subject-predicate order רֹדְפַי וְצָרָי רַבִּים would have sufficiently fulfilled the acrostic, the predicational רַ֭בִּים is initial to create a symmetrical pattern between רַ֭בִּים רֹדְפַ֣י וְצָרָ֑י and רַחֲמֶ֖יךָ רַבִּ֥ים in v. 156a and thus a tail-head linkage between the two strophes of the ר–stanza (see poetic structure).
- v. 157b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 158c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 159b: Poetic binding of the line.
Vocative
- v. 159c: The line-initial vocative holds the floor after the binding of the two initial clauses (a single poetic line).
Constituent order
- v. 160b: See note on v. 152b.
- v. 161a: The fronting of the semi-active שָׂ֭רִים (not mentioned since v. 23) indicates the thetic construal of this utterance as discourse out-of-the-blue.
- v. 161b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 162: The non-default participle + subject order of שָׂ֣שׂ אָ֭נֹכִֽי fulfills the ש–acrostic, without any clear information-structural function otherwise.
- v. 163: Both שֶׁ֣קֶר and תּוֹרָתְךָ֥ are fronted as contrastive topics.
- v. 164: While the fronting of שֶׁ֣בַע בַּ֭יּוֹם fulfills the ש–acrostic, it can also be plausibly read as scalar focus, being a cardinal numeral functioning as a 'selecting modifier' (Croft 2022, 109-111).
Discourse discontinuities
- vv. 165-166; 168-169; 173-174: The pattern of a subordinate כִּי (once, thrice, and then once again) clause being immediately followed by a line-final vocative indicates the discontinuity in these final three units.
Vocatives
- vv. 166a, 169a, 174a: As well as delimiting the line-division (Miller 2010, 360-363), the clause-initial vocative holds the floor for the completion of the couplet.
Constituent order
- v. 166b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 169b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 170b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 171b: In light of the numerous cases of fronting in the B-line to create poetic binding of the couplet (see the general observation below), the verb-initial תְלַמְּדֵ֣נִי חֻקֶּֽיךָ becomes somewhat marked and accommodates an interpretation of verbal polarity focus: "You do teach me your decrees" after making such a request six times (see vv. 12b, 26b, 64b, 68b, 124b, 135b) and stating the result of his suffering in v. 71.
- v. 173b: Poetic binding of the couplet.
- v. 175c: The subject מִשְׁפָּטֶ֥ךָ is fronted as a topic shift.
- v. 176c: Poetic binding of the couplet.
Speech Act Analysis
Summary Visual
General observations:
- Soll (1991, 100) was right that the כ–stanza is by far the bleakest.
- If the waw-stanza describes a legal case against the psalmist's enemies, the ר–stanza is close to it in its line of argumentation with YHWH (with three instances of חייני).
- There are intentional pairings with very similar language describing (1) the need for YHWH's word and (2) the need for YHWH's salvation:
- vv. 81-82 (כלה); vv. 147-148 (קדם)
Notes on method:
- Although the final argument and justification could be inverted, so that the petitions dominate and the arguments support the petition (as the surrounding sections of petition), the contents of the psalmist's argument and justification seemed to play a more dominant role in their respective stanzas.
- Though very similar, sections of plea are generally more urgent and dramatic than those of petition.
- Though drawing from different sections in the poetic structure, the repeated petition through the ס–פ stanzas has been kept together in the speech act summary visual.
Speech Act Chart
Emotional Analysis
Summary visual
Affect circumplex
Think-Feel-Do Chart
Notes
- "Verbs that are used elsewhere in the Bible with God as the object, but in Ps 119 the author substitutes Torah as the object. Verbs such as “love" (אהב) “fear” (ירא), “trust” (בטח), “believe” (אמן), and “hope” (יחל) are verbs of emotion. Because the statements are placed in the mouth of the speaker, the emotions being portrayed are his emotions. Thus, these verses contribute to the emotional portrait of the ideal Torah student, specifically his devotion to Torah" (Reynolds 2010, 76).
Participant analysis
There are 5 participants/characters in Psalm 119:
- The psalmist, as the author of the psalm, is also the one praying it. In light of the post-exilic provenance of the psalm, your servant is used as a self-abasing appellation throughout the psalm, as symbol of the humility (cf. sojourner in v. 19, insignificant and inferior in v. 141, among others), but unlikely to be a king, unless projected back on Israel's (pre-)exilic history. If a priest, he is conspicuously silent on matters of the cult. Rather, as a member of a scribal school (note the probable written origins of the composition without an oral pre-history [Reynolds 2010, 27) he embodies both in his praying and the content of that prayer, the "exemplary Torah student" (Reynolds 2010), or, perhaps more accurately, the correct desires and response to affliction.
- Reynolds comes to the conclusion that the psalm is composed to portray the "exemplary Torah student" since "The author never admonishes anyone to obey Torah, rather he portrays someone who does so and thereby creates a model for the reader to follow. Part of the message being modeled is that the righteous, by definition, observe Torah. This is not merely a statement used to define the righteous, rather there is a suasive goal, namely that the readers of Ps 119 should obey Torah" (2010, 57).
- YHWH, the psalmist's shelter and shield (v. 114) and 'my God' (v. 115), is the addressee of the entire psalm (with the exceptions of vv. 1-3 and 115). Though the royal nature of the psalmist is doubtful, and the term 'covenant' is never once used, the psalmist nevertheless expects YHWH to respond according to his "loyalty," "justice," and "promises."
- The "Torah words," relating to YHWH's word have their text colored but not highlighted, to indicate their function as a subordinate (delegated) participant. While on occasion they are construed as agentive (see, e.g., vv. 50, 98, 165), YHWH is always the original causer of the action in question (see v. 93).
- The happy ones, introduced in vv. 1-3 especially, are considered the psalmist's allies and described generically as "a young man" (v. 9) "simple people" (v. 130), and characteristically by how they relate to both the psalmist and YHWH (see the relations diagram and mini-story).
- The psalmist, and presumably his allies ("young" and "simple people") also have teachers, whom (along with "elders") they will surpass in wisdom if they devote themselves to YHWH's word (vv. 99-100).
- The psalmist's enemies are described by their attitude and reputation, as well as their actions in relation to the psalmist, and their actions in relation to YHWH and Torah (see the relations diagram for the latter two). Their attitude and reputation involve being arrogant (vv. 21, 51, 69, 78, 85 and 122), cursed (v. 21), wicked (vv. 53, 61, 95, 110, 155), the wicked of the earth (v. 119), and evildoers (in the psalmist's only direct address towards them – v. 115), double-minded (v. 113), adversaries (vv. 139, 157), unfaithful (v. 158), and man(kind) (v. 134) in general. Significantly, they are characterized as "leaders" (vv. 23, 161), probably in contrast to the low social status adopted by the psalmist's perspective of himself (see above). The neutral status of the "kings" mentioned in v. 46, however, should not be lumped together with these "leaders." On one occasion, the result of their actions – distress and affliction – is construed as agentive (v. 143: צַר־וּמָצ֥וֹק מְצָא֑וּנִי).
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
- Participant Relations Diagram (Exhaustive)
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- Participant Relations Diagram (Distilled)
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- Participant Relations Diagram with YHWH's Word
Participant Analysis Table
Notes
v. 9: Is the "young man" to be grouped with the YHWH fearers as a whole or the psalmist?
- It seems plausible that the נַּ֭עַר should be considered as part of the psalmist's allies, just as the general פְּתָיִֽים in v. 130 (see also the note there) (preferred):
- In the style of "a wisdom inquiry" (Kraus 1989, 415), the third person singular is used, and "should not be rendered biographical" (Zenger 2011, 266).
- Arguments for the psalmist (Terrien 2003, 800):
- The means by which he will keep his way pure is לִ֝שְׁמֹ֗ר כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ, which the psalmist claims to do in concerning YHWH's word(s) in vv. 17, 57, 67 and 101.
- The psalmist speaks of his own "path" in claiming to hate every false way in v. 101 (מִכָּל־אֹ֣רַח רָ֭ע כָּלִ֣אתִי רַגְלָ֑י); v. 104 (שָׂנֵ֤אתִי׀ כָּל־אֹ֬רַח שָֽׁקֶר); v. 128 (כָּל־אֹ֖רַח שֶׁ֣קֶר שָׂנֵֽאתִי), but to watch YHWH's paths in v. 15 (וְ֝אַבִּ֗יטָה אֹרְחֹתֶֽיךָ׃).
- Counterargument: The same characteristics are true of vv. 1-3, which are less ambiguous.
- Compare, e.g., the 3pl בְּכָל־לֵ֥ב יִדְרְשֽׁוּהוּ of v. 2b with בְּכָל־לִבִּ֥י דְרַשְׁתִּ֑יךָ in v. 10a.
- Counterargument: The same characteristics are true of vv. 1-3, which are less ambiguous.
v. 22: For the revocalization גֹּל, see the grammar note (MT: גַּל).
vv. 36: For the colored negation אַל, see the grammar layer for the elision (cf. v. 85).
v. 37: For the emendation כִּדְבָרְךָ, see the grammar note (MT: בִּדְרָכֶ֥ךָ).
v. 46: are "the kings" adversaries or neutral?
- It is not certain whether the מְלָכִ֗ים should be considered as part of the psalmist's adversaries, or neutrally, as part of the ingathering nations and kings (à la Isaiah 2).
- Arguments for adversaries (Kimḥi, Ibn Ezra):
- The שָׂ֭רִים are unambiguously adversaries (vv. 23, 161).
- Other contexts of foreign kings in the Psalter: Ps 2:2; 48:5; 68:13, 15; 110:5; 149:8. In each of these contexts, the antagonists are consistently foreign, whereas the rebellion of the psalmist's own people are more so in view in this psalm (see v. 139).
- Arguments for neutral (preferred; Allen 2002, 187; Deissler 1955, 146; Zenger 2011, 270):
- The action of speaking of YHWH's testimonies is not one of antagonism, but rather an invitation to covenant relationship with YHWH (and, by extension, submission to his divine kingship). The adversaries throughout the psalm are aware of YHWH's word, but choose to ignore it (see verses 21, 53, 118, 126, 135, 150, 155 158).
- The ingathering of kings and nations (Isa 2:1-4; Ps 2:10-12; Ps 102:19-23; Ps 148:11 and especially Ps 138:1-5).
- "One can imagine a person such as Ezra or Nehemiah speaking of Yhwh's teaching and its promises before Persian emperors, knowing Yhwh will honor their commitment to the declarations and their reliance on the promises" (Goldingay 2008, 401).
- It provides the typical "praise among the congregation" turn in the back half of many laments (e.g., Ps 22; see story behind summary triangle).
- Other contexts of foreign kings in the Psalter: Ps 2:10; 68:30; 72:10, 11; 102:16; 138:4; 148:11. Quite consistently in book 5 of the Psalter (though see 149:8) the kings are welcomed to praise.
v. 82: There is a blend from "eyes" into the whole person of the psalmist, indicated by the agency of the infinitive לֵ֝אמֹ֗ר (see also v. 148).
v. 98: For the revocalization מִצְוָתֶךָ, see the grammar note (MT: מִצְוֺתֶ֑ךָ).
vv. 109: For the idiom, "My life is in my hand" >> "I am in danger" see the phrase-level notes.
v. 113: do the סֵעֲפִ֥ים ("double-minded people") belong to the psalmist's adversaries (Zenger 2011, 278) or simply those struggling with temptation, as the psalmist frequently seems to? Adversaries (preferred):
- LXX and the revisers: παράνομος (LXX); διάφορος (Α ̓; 'disagreeing'); παραβάτης (Σ; 'transgressor') with hints of 1 Kgs. 18.21 (עַד־מָתַ֞י אַתֶּ֣ם פֹּסְחִים֮ עַל־שְׁתֵּ֣י הַסְּעִפִּים֒), as the only other instance of this root (see lexical notes).
- Eusebius (2022, 146-147) equates the mention of the סֵעֲפִ֥ים and those who have הֵ֝פֵ֗רוּ תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ in v. 126 (εἰπὼν παρανόμους ἐμίσησα προϊὼν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ μίσους παρίστησι λέγων· διεσκέδασαν τὸν νόμον σου); "in saying "I hate the lawless" he also proceeds and the reason for his hate is found in his saying: They have broken your law").
v. 119: For the emendation חָשַׁבְתָּ, see the grammar note (MT: הִשְׁבַּ֥תָּ).
v. 126: is the 3pl properly impersonal or does it belong to the psalmist's adversaries?
- The 3pl הֵ֝פֵ֗רוּ is rendered in a number of translations as a passive construction (CEB, NIV), generic 'people' (GNT) or 'on' (SG21, TOB) and is therefore plausibly analysed as an impersonal construction (Notarius & Atkinson forthcoming).
- However, the consistent reference of the psalmist's adversaries as those who break YHWH's Torah makes the specific identity quite plausible here.
v. 128: For the emendation פִּקּוּדֶיךָ, see the grammar note (MT: פִּקּ֣וּדֵי כֹ֣ל).
v. 130: are "simple people" to be grouped with the YHWH fearers as a whole?
- It seems plausible that the פְּתָיִֽים should be considered as part of the psalmist's allies, just as the general נַּ֭עַר in v. 9. In Zenger's words, "the concept describes the students of wisdom who, on the one hand, are still inexperienced in life and lack knowledge of it, but, on the other hand, are ready and eager to learn the true art of life in the "school" of Wisdom" (2011, 280) and Ḥakham, "אפשר שכלל המשורר את עצמו בין הפתיים ובקש שיזכה להבין את הדברים שהוא משנן ואפשר שבקש כאן שיזכה ללמד את התורה לפתיים שאינם יודעים ואינם מבינים אותה" ("It may be that the psalmist included himself among the simple ones and he asked that he will be able to understand the words that he is memorizing and it may be that he asks here that he will be able to teach Torah to the simple ones who do not know and do not understand it"; 1979, 421).
- Furthermore, the description פֶּתִי is found in parallel with דל in שֹׁמֵ֣ר פְּתָאיִ֣ם יְהֹוָ֑ה דַּ֝לּוֹתִ֗י וְלִ֣י יְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ (Ps 116:6), so it may be that the "simple people" are not simply young, naïve and innocent, but rather to be grouped among the vulnerable of society, tying together both spiritual illumination (desire for Torah) and physical well-being (the general salvation pleaded for throughout the psalm) (see, similarly, Goldingay [2008, 429]: "someone such as the psalmist, someone of simple faith in a good sense").
v. 136: is the 3pl properly impersonal or does it belong to the psalmist's adversaries?
- The 3pl לֹא־שָׁמְר֥וּ is rendered in a number of translations as a passive construction (CEB, NIV), generic "people" (CSB, ESV, GNT) or "on" (SG21, TOB) and is therefore plausibly analyzed as an impersonal construction (Notarius & Atkinson forthcoming).
- While the consistent reference of the psalmist's adversaries as those who break YHWH's Torah makes the specific identity possible here (as in v. 126), the sadness of the psalmist's response may be somewhat distinct to the anger and zeal elsewhere (see, e.g., v. 53, 139), as well as YHWH's rebuke and rejection (גָּ֭עַרְתָּ and סָ֭לִיתָ in vv. 21 and 118, respectively). Thus, the impersonal reading has been preferred here (cf. Zenger 2011, 280: "His deepest pain is not his own distress but the way the society in which he lives neglects the Torah"), and could quite simple be rendered with a passive in English: "your law is not kept." The implication, then, is that the corruption of his enemies' conduct (cf. vv. 139, 155, 158) has affected society, the same way it could tempt the psalmist (v. 115).
v. 137: For the emendation מִשְׁפָּטֶךָ, see the grammar note (MT: מִשְׁפָּטֶֽיךָ).
v. 148: There is a blend from "eyes" into the whole person of the psalmist, indicated by the agency of the infinitive לָ֝שִׂ֗יחַ (see also v. 82). cf. Goldingay's remark: "In the parallelism of the two lines, "my eyes" gives precision to the subject of the verb" (2008, 435).
Addressee: vv. 1-3: YHWH or congregation?
- Arguments for YHWH: continuity throughout the psalm.
- Arguments for congregation (preferred):
- The אשׁרי theme set up in both v. 1 and v. 2, as well as the third person reference of YHWH in v. 1. So these verses "lay before the community a vision that applies to everyone but needs to be appropriated by each individual" (Goldingay 2008, 381; cf. "greetings and felicitations" in Kraus 1989, 414-415; cf. Terrien 2003, 799; "commendation formula" in Allen 2002, 185])... "A few verses (e.g., vv. 1-3) speak of Yhwh in the third person, addressing people who need to learn to obey and trust Yhwh, who are perhaps the audience that is intended to overhear the psalm as a whole" (Goldingay 2008, 424; cf. Whybray 1997, 33, 38-39). At the same time, however, "The speaker in Ps 119 belongs to the class of people who walk in God’s Torah; that is, he exemplifies the characteristics introduced in vv. 1–3" (Reynolds 2010, 69).
v. 4: The 2ms pronoun for YHWH makes the addressee shift explicit.
vv. 9:YHWH or congregation?
- Arguments for YHWH (preferred): simple continuity and use of pronominal suffix, as throughout the whole psalm.
- Arguments for congregation: The third person reference of this "wisdom question" (Allen 2002, 185; DeClassé-Walford 2014, 882).
v. 57aα: the addressee as YHWH or the congregation?
- Arguments for congregation:
- This is the only third person reference of YHWH between v. 4 and v. 115.
- Arguments for YHWH (preferred):
- One clause probably does not constitute a significant change in addressee (whereas a whole verse [v. 115] does). See also v. 126a.
- "Verse 57a contains a "spiritualized Levitical confession" ... This Levitical confession later is transferred to the mouth of the pious" (Kraus 1989, 417), so may have become a refrain, hence the third person. >> "V 57 repeats an old Levitical formula" (Allen 2002, 188; cf. Κατὰ τοὺς Λευίτας, οἷς διηγόρευται μηδὲν κεκτῆσθαι κατὰ τὸν βίον in Eusebius 2022, 157); see also Ps 16:5; 73:26; 142:6. See a similar idea in the use of נחל in v. 111: נָחַ֣לְתִּי עֵדְוֺתֶ֣יךָ לְעוֹלָ֑ם כִּֽי־שְׂשׂ֖וֹן לִבִּ֣י הֵֽמָּה.
- The three grammatical alternatives (see the grammar notes) take YHWH as a vocative, so consistency in addressee is probably still intended even under our preferred syntax.
v. 126a: the addressee as YHWH or the congregation?
- Arguments for congregation:
- This is the only third person reference of YHWH between v. 115 and the end of the psalm.
- Arguments for YHWH (preferred):
- One clause probably does not constitute a significant change in addressee (whereas a whole verse [v. 115] does). See also v. 57aα.
- As a contribution towards the multiple pleas for YHWH to act, the nudge is directed towards YHWH, whether third person or not. (See the exegetical issue The Grammar and Meaning of Ps. 119:126 for a number of vocative interpretations of לַיהוָ֑ה).
Participant Distribution Table
The table below demonstrates the participant distribution throughout Psalm 119.
Notes
The purple frame represents extended passages exclusively containing YHWH (I've made an exception for vv. 1-4 being with the inclusion of the psalmist's allies – see below). The pattern is one of decreasing length:
- vv. 1-4 (four verses)
- vv. 89-91 (three verses)
- vv. 137-138 (two verses)
- v. 142 (one verse)
- v. 151 (one verse)
- v. 160 (one verse)
Structurally, vv. 1-4 and vv. 89-91 begin the first and second halves of the entire psalm (see the discussion in the poetic structure notes), while vv. 137-138 initiate the צ–stanza.
Perhaps significantly, the other three cases (vv. 142, 151 and 160) all contain the word אֱמֶת (three out of four instances in the entire psalm, with v. 43 the only other).
Bibliography
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