Psalm 19/Notes/Grammar.V. 6b.450159

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Sun-Warrior (Ps 19:6b)
Input 1: Sun Input 2: Warrior
Preparation Rises in the morning Wakes up (Joel 4:9; Ps 78:65) and goes out to fight (Isa 42:13; Jer 46:9).
Activity Goes across the entire world in a single day Capable of amazing physical feats (2 Sam 23:8ff), including running long distances without going off course (Joel 2:7; cf. Job 16:14)
Potential for harm Potentially deadly to those who are unsheltered (cf. Isa. 49:10; Jon. 4:8; Ps. 121:6) Fierce (Jer 20:11; Ezek 32:12) and deadly to the unprotected
Weapons Intense light and heat (cf. v. 7c) Sword (Zech 10:5; Ps 45:4), bow (1 Sam 2:4; Isa 21:17; Jer 5:16; 50:9; Ps 120:4; 127:4), shield (2 Sam 1:22; Jer 46:9; Nah 2:4; Song 4:4)
Victory Overcomes the darkness Defeats his enemies and wins victory (cf. Jer 14:9; Zeph 3:17).
Emotional association The rising of the sun causes people to rejoice (cf. Mal 3:20; Hymn to Egyptian sun god in COS 1.27; COS 1.25; cf. Sarna 1965, 174) Terror for the warrior's enemies and joy for the warrior's people (cf. Zech 10:7); the warrior himself is sometimes joyful (Zech 10:7; Zeph 3:17; sometimes the association with joy is related to the association with wine, cf. Zech 10:7; Ps 78:65)
Blend
The warrior-sun
Implicatures
  • The warrior-sun wakes up in the morning and goes out to fight against the darkness with its intense heat and light.
  • The warrior-sun daily performs an incredible feat of strength, running across the entire world in a single day.
Figure Prominence MEDIUM This figure is explicitly marked as a simile and is, therefore, high in prominence. At the same time, however, the image is not sustained or developed. Instead, it is immediately transformed in v. 6b to another, related image: the sun as a warrior.