Psalm 16 Discourse
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Delights forever
Psalm 16
About the Discourse Layer
Our Discourse Layer includes four additional layers of analysis:
- Participant analysis
- Macrosyntax
- Speech act analysis
- Emotional analysis
For more information on our method of analysis, click the expandable explanation button at the beginning of each layer.
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.
There are 3 participants/characters in Psalm 16:
| David |
| "David" (v. 1) |
| "your loyal one" (v. 10) |
| David's body |
| "my kidneys" (v. 7) |
| "my heart" (v. 9) |
| "my liver" (v. 9) |
| "my body" (v. 9) |
| YHWH |
| "YHWH" (vv. 2, 5, 7, 8) |
| "God" (v. 1) |
| "my Lord" (v. 2a) |
| "my good" (v. 2b) |
| "the portion I possess" (v. 5a) |
| "my cup" (v. 5a) |
| Other gods |
| "the holy ones who are in the earth" (v. 3) |
| "the 'all-my-pleasure-is-in-them mighty ones" (v. 3) |
| "another (god)" (v. 4) |
| Those who worship other gods |
| "they" (v. 3) |
- David is the king of Israel. As an Israelite living the land that YHWH gave to Israel, David has YHWH as his god (cf. 1 Sam 26:19). Moreover, David is in a special covenant relationship with YHWH (2 Sam 7; Ps 89).
The psalm also refers to various parts of David's body. - YHWH is the god of Israel. When he assigned lands to the nations and divided up the human race, he chose Israel as his own special possession (Deut 32:8–9). YHWH demands total allegiance from his people (cf. Exod 20:1–5; Deut 6:4–5).
- In contrast to David, other people worship other gods. The initial description of these gods in v. 3 portrays them as underworld deities (see Lexical Semantics and Story Behind), whom people would worship and consult for advice. The identity of the people who worship these gods is unspecified (and even downplayed) in the psalm.
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| מִכְתָּ֥ם לְדָוִ֑ד | 1a | A miktam. By David. |
| שָֽׁמְרֵ֥נִי אֵ֝֗ל כִּֽי־חָסִ֥יתִי בָֽךְ׃ | 1b | Protect me, God, because I have taken refuge in you. |
| אָמַ֣רְתִּ לַֽ֭יהוָה אֲדֹנָ֣י אָ֑תָּה | 2a | I have said to YHWH, "You are my Lord, |
| ט֝וֹבָתִ֗י בַּל־עָלֶֽיךָ׃ | 2b | my good; there is no one above you." |
| לִ֭קְדוֹשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־בָּאָ֣רֶץ הֵ֑מָּה | 3a | They are on the side of the holy ones who are in the earth, |
| וְ֝אַדִּירֵ֗י כָּל־חֶפְצִי־בָֽם׃ | 3b | the "all-my-pleasure-is-in-them" mighty ones. |
| יִרְבּ֥וּ עַצְּבוֹתָם֮ אַחֵ֪ר מָ֫הָ֥רוּ | 4a | Their idols increase; they have acquired another. |
| בַּל־אַסִּ֣יךְ נִסְכֵּיהֶ֣ם מִדָּ֑ם | 4b | I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, |
| וּֽבַל־אֶשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁ֝מוֹתָ֗ם עַל־שְׂפָתָֽי׃ | 4c | and I will not utter their names with my lips. |
| יְֽהוָ֗ה מְנָת־חֶלְקִ֥י וְכוֹסִ֑י | 5a | YHWH is the portion I possess and my cup. |
| אַ֝תָּ֗ה תּוֹמִ֥יךְ גּוֹרָלִֽי׃ | 5b | You are holding my lot. |
| חֲבָלִ֣ים נָֽפְלוּ־לִ֭י בַּנְּעִמִ֑ים | 6a | Property lines have fallen for me in the most delightful places. |
| אַף־נַ֝חֲלָ֗תִ שָֽׁפְרָ֥ה עָלָֽי׃ | 6b | Yes, my inheritance is beautiful to me. |
| אֲבָרֵ֗ךְ אֶת־יְ֭הוָה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְעָצָ֑נִי | 7a | I will bless YHWH, who has advised me. |
| אַף־לֵ֝יל֗וֹת יִסְּר֥וּנִי כִלְיוֹתָֽי׃ | 7b | Yes, throughout the night, my kidneys instructed me. |
| שִׁוִּ֬יתִי יְהוָ֣ה לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד | 8a | I have placed YHWH before me always; |
| כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמּֽוֹט׃ | 8b | because he is at my right side, I will not be shaken. |
| לָכֵ֤ן ׀ שָׂמַ֣ח לִ֭בִּי וַיָּ֣גֶל כְּבֵדִ֑י | 9a | Therefore, my heart rejoices, and my liver is glad. |
| אַף־בְּ֝שָׂרִ֗י יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן לָבֶֽטַח׃ | 9b | What's more, my body will dwell securely. |
| כִּ֤י ׀ לֹא־תַעֲזֹ֣ב נַפְשִׁ֣י לִשְׁא֑וֹל | 10a | For you will not abandon my life to Sheol; |
| לֹֽא־תִתֵּ֥ן חֲ֝סִידְךָ֗ לִרְא֥וֹת שָֽׁחַת׃ | 10b | you will not let your loyal one experience decay. |
| תּֽוֹדִיעֵנִי֮ אֹ֤רַח חַ֫יִּ֥ים | 11a | You will show me the way to life |
| שֹׂ֣בַע שְׂ֭מָחוֹת אֶת־פָּנֶ֑יךָ | 11b | – fullness of joy in your presence, |
| נְעִמ֖וֹת בִּימִינְךָ֣ נֶֽצַח׃ | 11c | delights in your right hand – forever. |
- Addressee.
Psalm 16 begins and ends with second-person references to YHWH (vv. 1, 10–11). Therefore, YHWH is the addressee at least in these verses, as well as in the embedded speech in v. 2. In the absence of any other explicit addressee, it seems likely that YHWH is the addressee throughout the whole psalm, even where he is referred to in the third person (vv. 2a, 5a, 7–8). Psalms addressed to YHWH often alternate between second and third person (cf. Pss 7; 18), just as someone addressing a king might alternate between second and third person (cf. Esth 3:8–9; Ps 45:2ff). Thus, in v. 5, the psalmist can move seamlessly from the third person (v. 5a) to the second person (v. 5b).
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
Participant Analysis Summary Distribution
Macrosyntax
Macrosyntax Diagram
| Macrosyntax legend | |
|---|---|
| Vocatives | Vocatives are indicated by purple text. |
| Discourse marker | Discourse markers (such as כִּי, הִנֵּה, לָכֵן) are indicated by orange text. |
 |
The scope governed by the discourse marker is indicated by a dashed orange bracket connecting the discourse marker to its scope. |
 |
The preceding discourse grounding the discourse marker is indicated by a solid orange bracket encompassing the relevant clauses. |
| Subordinating conjunction | The subordinating conjunction is indicated by teal text. |
 |
Subordination is indicated by a solid teal bracket connecting the subordinating conjunction with the clause to which it is subordinate. |
| Coordinating conjunction | The coordinating conjunction is indicated by blue text. |
 |
Coordination is indicated by a solid blue line connecting the coordinating clauses. |
 |
Coordination without an explicit conjunction is indicated by a dashed blue line connecting the coordinated clauses. |
 |
Marked topic is indicated by a black dashed rounded rectangle around the marked words. |
 |
The scope of the activated topic is indicated by a black dashed bracket encompassing the relevant clauses. |
| Marked focus or thetic sentence | Marked focus (if one constituent) or thetic sentences[1] are indicated by bold text. |
 |
Frame setters[2] are indicated by a solid gray rounded rectangle around the marked words. |
| [blank line] | Discourse discontinuity is indicated by a blank line. |
| [indentation] | Syntactic subordination is indicated by indentation. |
 |
Direct speech is indicated by a solid black rectangle surrounding all relevant clauses. |
| (text to elucidate the meaning of the macrosyntactic structures) | Within the CBC, any text elucidating the meaning of macrosyntax is indicated in gray text inside parentheses. |
If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.
| Emendations/Revocalizations legend | |
|---|---|
| *Emended text* | Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation. |
| *Revocalized text* | Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization. |
(Click diagram to enlarge)
- The discourse marker "therefore" (לָכֵן) points back to vv. 7–8 and points forward to vv. 9–11. In this way, it groups vv. 7–8 and vv. 9–11 into separate discourse units. By implication, vv. 1–6 are also grouped as a discourse unit.
- v. 2. The predicate complement "my Lord" (אֲדֹנָי) is fronted for marked focus. The phrase "my Lord" establishes the identity of YHWH in relation to the psalmist.[3]
- v. 3. The predicate complement "on the side of the holy ones who are in the earth" (לִקְדוֹשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־בָּאָרֶץ) is fronted for marked focus. Instead of being on YHWH's side (לַיהוָה), "they" (i.e., others) are on the side of the deified dead, "the holy ones who are in the earth." Normally for topic shifts like this ("I" --> "they"), we would expect the pronoun "they" to be fronted. In this case, however, "they" stands for generic "others" (cf. אֵלֶּה in Ps 20:8), who are not prominent in the discourse. Their discourse activation is implied by the request for protection in v. 1. What is prominent is that "they" are "on the side of the holy ones..." In other words, the most important contrast is not between the psalmist and the others, but between YHWH and the holy ones. Note also that the word order in v. 3a (predicate complement - subject pronoun) repeats the order in v. 2 (אֲדֹנָי אָתָּה).
- v. 4. The object "another" (אַחֵר) is fronted for marked focus: "they have acquired yet another!"
- v. 6. The subject in v. 6a – "property lines" (חֲבָלִים) is fronted, probably because the sentence is thetic. (Note the new, indefinite subject, "ropes," and the intransitive verb, "have fallen.") The same word order in v. 6b (fronting of the subject, "my inheritance") creates a pattern of repetition.
- v. 7. "Throughout the night" (לֵילוֹת) is probably a frame-setter.
- v. 9. The subject "my body" (בְּשָׂרִי) is fronted for marked focus. Not only my internal/emotional self (my heart and my liver), but, what's more, my body (my physical self) will dwell securely.[4]
- v. 1. The vocative "God" (אֵל) in v. 1 occurs between the main verb ("protect me") and the subordinate כִּי clause ("because I have taken refuge in you"). According to Kim (2023, §4.4.4.3), if a vocative precedes a subordinate clause in this way, it draws attention to the subordinate clause, "highlighting or reinforcing its discourse-pragmatic function." This explains why the following verses (vv. 2–6) do not focus on YHWH's protection, but on the psalmist's taking refuge in him.
- vv. 6, 7, 10. The conjunctive adverb אַף occurs three times in this psalm (vv. 6, 7, 10). Each time, it occurs at the beginning of a b-line, and the clause which it governs has a fronted constituent. The semantics of אַף are not the same in each case, however.
- In v. 6 and v. 7, אַף governs the whole clause and expresses affirmation: "The information referred to in a sentence (or sentences) y [here = v. 6b / v. 7b], affirms the information referred to in an immediately preceding sentence [here = v. 6a / v. 7a]."[5] Van der Merwe claims that אַף in Ps 16:7 governs the constituent לֵילוֹת and marks it as a noteworthy addition: "even during the nights."[6] But v. 7b is probably specifying what is meant by v. 7a, not describing something entirely new (see Story Behind).
- In v. 9, אַף marks the clause in v. 9b as a noteworthy addition.[7] The first half of the verse is about the psalmist's internal, emotional well-being, while the second half of the verse, introduced with אַף, is about his physical well-being. Not only will his heart and his liver be glad, but, what's more, his body will dwell securely.
- v. 9. The discourse marker "therefore" (לָכֵן) in v. 9 introduces vv. 9–11 as a conclusion based on vv. 7–8. Because YHWH, who has protected the psalmist (v. 7), will continue to protect him "always" (v. 8), the psalmist concludes that he will experience YHWH's protection forever (vv. 9–11).
- v. 10. The discourse marker "for" (כִּי) in v. 10 explains why the psalmist rejoices (v. 9aαβ) and why he expects his body to dwell securely (v. 9b). It is because YHWH will not abandon him (v. 10), but will show him the way to life (v. 11).
(There are no notes on conjunctions for this psalm.)
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.
Summary Visual
Speech Act Analysis Chart
The following chart is scrollable (left/right; up/down).
| Verse | Hebrew | CBC | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) |
| Verse number and poetic line | Hebrew text | English translation | Declarative, Imperative, or Interrogative Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type |
Assertive, Directive, Expressive, Commissive, or Declaratory Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type |
More specific illocution type with paraphrased context | Illocutionary intent (i.e. communicative purpose) of larger sections of discourse These align with the "Speech Act Summary" headings |
What the speaker intends for the address to think | What the speaker intends for the address to feel | What the speaker intends for the address to do |
If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.
| Emendations/Revocalizations legend | |
|---|---|
| *Emended text* | Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation. |
| *Revocalized text* | Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization. |
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.
Emotional Analysis Chart
If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.
| Emendations/Revocalizations legend | |
|---|---|
| *Emended text* | Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation. |
| *Revocalized text* | Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization. |
Summary Visual
(Click visual to enlarge).
Affective Circumplex
The affective circumplex locates emotions on two axes: (1) positive vs. negative valence; and (2) active vs. passive activation. Since emotional terminology often carries unintended cultural connotations, the purpose of the circumplex is to ease translation of emotions across different languages and cultures.
Bibliography
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- Röllig, Wolfgang. 1974. “Eine neue phoenizische Inschrift aus Byblos.” In Neue Ephemeris für semitische Epigraphik 2, edited by R. Degen, W.W. Müller, and W. Röllig. Harrassowitz.
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- Waltke, Bruce K., J.M. Houston, and Erika Moore. 2010. The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary. William B. Eerdmans.
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Footnotes
- ↑ When the entire utterance is new/unexpected, it is a thetic sentence (often called "sentence focus"). See our Creator Guidelines for more information on topic and focus.
- ↑ Frame setters are any orientational constituent – typically, but not limited to, spatio-temporal adverbials – function to "limit the applicability of the main predication to a certain restricted domain" and "indicate the general type of information that can be given" in the clause nucleus (Krifka & Musan 2012: 31-32). In previous scholarship, they have been referred to as contextualizing constituents (see, e.g., Buth (1994), “Contextualizing Constituents as Topic, Non-Sequential Background and Dramatic Pause: Hebrew and Aramaic evidence,” in E. Engberg-Pedersen, L. Falster Jakobsen and L. Schack Rasmussen (eds.) Function and expression in Functional Grammar. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 215-231; Buth (2023), “Functional Grammar and the Pragmatics of Information Structure for Biblical Languages,” in W. A. Ross & E. Robar (eds.) Linguistic Theory and the Biblical Text. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 67-116), but this has been conflated with the function of topic. In brief: sentence topics, belonging to the clause nucleus, are the entity or event about which the clause provides a new predication; frame setters do not belong in the clause nucleus and rather provide a contextual orientation by which to understand the following clause.
- ↑ Cf. BHRG §47.3.2.
- ↑ Cf. Lunn 2006, 124.
- ↑ Van der Merwe 2009, 280.
- ↑ Van der Merwe 2009, 257.
- ↑ Cf. van der Merwe 2009, 279.