Psalm 14 Poetics
Poetic Structure
This Psalm is divided into 3 main sections. The first two sections are 7 lines each, and both begin with a tricolon.
- vv. 1-3 form a section marked by the repetition of אֵ֤ין ("there is no") and its opposite, יֵ֣שׁ ("there is"; in this instance in a hypothetical/question form, which is important). This feature along with the extreme language in v. 3 ("all....all alike"; "there is not even one") work together to create hyperbole in this opening section, which is an attention-grabbing technique (Bratcher and Reyburn 1991). (See Poetic Feature #1). We also see an inclusio of "one who does good" in vv. 1 and 3.
- vv. 4-6 forms a section, with each of the 3 verses ending with "God" or "YHWH". We also see a mood shift in this section, from despair to confidence; as well a warning to the evildoers.
- v. 7 is its own section, and has six instances of shins/sins.
Top Poetic Features
1. All and Nothing
Feature
In vv. 1-4, there are four repetitions of the particle אֵ֣ין ("there is no"), surrounding one appearance of its opposite יֵ֣שׁ ,but the latter is in question/hypothetical form ("Is there...?")
What is more, כָּל ("all") is repeated twice, along with יַחְדָּ֪ו ("all alike").
Effect
The psalmist is using extreme language in repetition in this opening section of the psalm, to create hyperbole and thus intensify the effect of the message. His repetition of "there is no" makes the affect of despair and hopelessness more prominent; the claim that "all" humans are wicked is an exaggeration, adding emotional expression to the proposition that many people are wicked/fools. In other words, in the psalmist's distress, it seems like all people are wicked, and that there is no hope for the oppressed. The contrast between the extreme negative ("none") and the extreme positive ("all") heightens the emotive impact of this lament section.
2. Hear, Hear!
Feature
We see alliteration at work in three different places in the second half of the psalm: in vv. 5 and 7, the psalmist uses a cognate accusative: when a verb and its direct object have the same root. And then in v. 4, the verb "to eat" appears twice, with only one word in between. This latter instance is not a cognate accusative (because the two words are a participle and verb, not an object and verb), but it is a striking occurrence of alliteration.
Effect
Cognate accusatives are often used in biblical Hebrew to add emphasis to the verb, by means of repetition and sound play (alliteration) (Narvaez 2017). The psalmist wanted to draw attention to the verb "fear" (some English translations render the phrase "terrified" or "feared a great fear"), to highlight the change in mood that we see between vv. 4 and 5. From arrogance in vv. 1-4 to fear in v. 5! And then in v. 7, the psalmist emphasizes the idea that salvation will indeed come.
In v. 4, it seems the alliteration is used to draw attention to the grotesque metaphor used in 4b: oppressing people is compared to devouring them! The metaphor already emphasizes the idea, and the alliteration strengthens the amplification in this pivotal verse of the psalm.
3. The World Corrupt Once Again
Feature
This psalm contains echoes of the flood story in Genesis.
- Gen. 6:11-13 has four repetitions of the verb root שָׁחַת ("corrupt"), the same verb root that appears in this psalm in v. 1 (הִֽשְׁחִ֗יתוּ)
- in Gen 6:12, YHWH looks down on the earth to examine humankind; cf. v.2 in this psalm
Effect
This psalm is largely a lament about the fool, who we find out is also the wicked. It seems the psalmist wanted to emphasize his points by using implicit allusion(s) in this psalm, providing echoes of an event (like the flood) and people (like Nabal and Abigail) from Israel's history. He does this by repeating key words from these stories in the Tanakh.
Flashing back to the story of the flood, and the state of the world before it happened, can help us get a good idea of just how depraved the whole world had seemingly become at the time of this psalm. Perhaps the psalmist is feeling the same sorrow and anger about the wickedness of mankind that YHWH felt as he surveyed the earth back in Noah's day.
Line Divisions
Line Length
Repeated Roots
- The most focal repetition in the psalm uses the so-called particle of non-existence (אֵין) and the phrase עֹשֵׂה-טוֹב.