Psalm 22 Discourse

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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

  What is 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 5 participants/characters in Psalm 22:

David (v. 1)
"a worm and not a man" (v. 7)

YHWH (vv. 9, 20, 24, 27, 28, 29)
"my God" (vv. 2, 3, 11)
"the one sitting enthroned upon Israel's songs of praise" (v. 4)
"the Lord" (v. 31)

Israel (vv. 4, 24)
"brothers" (v. 23)
"community" (vv. 23, 26)
"Jacob" (v. 24)
"those who fear YHWH" (vv. 24, 26)
Ancestors (vv. 5-6)
The sufferer (v. 25)
The afflicted (v. 27)

Evildoers (v. 17)
"people, mankind" (v. 7)
"bulls" (v. 13)
"mighty ones of Bashan" (v. 13)
"dogs" (vv. 17, 21)
"a lion" (v. 22)
"a wild oxen" (v. 22)
trouble (v. 12)
"a sword" (v. 21)

The nations (v. 29)
"the ends of the earth" (v. 28)
"the families of the nations" (v. 28)
The strong ones of the earth (v. 30)
"those going down to dust" (v. 30)
Future generations (v. 31)
"a people who will be born" (v. 32)

  • The psalmist is identified as David in the superscription, though, reflecting the community's attitude towards him in his state of suffering, he feels as low and unclean as "a worm and not a man" (v. 7). With the exception of v. 9, in which he quotes the speech of those mocking him, David is the speaker throughout the psalm.
  • YHWH is identified as David's God, as well as "the one sitting enthroned on Israel's songs of praise" (v. 4; see the imagery table). He is the addressee for most of the psalm (see the text table).
  • As for David's favorable community, Israel's ancestors are mentioned first (vv. 5–6), as having trusted YHWH on previous occasions. As soon as he receives response from YHWH (v. 22b), David is eager to make his praise heard in the community of his people, so that others who have experienced suffering or affliction will be encouraged to celebrate with him, since YHWH has not despised the sufferer or afflicted one.
  • David's enemies are those who delight in his state of suffering and wait to take advantage of his imminent death. They threaten David throughout vv. 13–22 both verbally and physically. They are also judged to be the mocking speakers of v. 9.
  • The nations are introduced only in the last five verses. They are called to consider the testimony of David's salvation, so that they will turn and worship YHWH along with future generations.
Hebrew Verse English
לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ עַל־אַיֶּ֥לֶת הַשַּׁ֗חַר מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ 1 For the director. According to "The Doe of the Dawn." A psalm. By David.
אֵלִ֣י אֵ֭לִי לָמָ֣ה עֲזַבְתָּ֑נִי 2a My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
רָח֥וֹק מִֽ֝ישׁוּעָתִ֗י דִּבְרֵ֥י שַׁאֲגָתִֽי׃ 2b [Why are you] far from my protection, [far from] my words of groaning?
אֱֽלֹהַ֗י אֶקְרָ֣א י֭וֹמָם וְלֹ֣א תַעֲנֶ֑ה 3a My God, I cry out by day but you do not answer;
וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה וְֽלֹא־דֽוּמִיָּ֥ה לִֽי׃ 3b and by night, and I am not silent.
וְאַתָּ֥ה קָד֑וֹשׁ 4a But you are holy,
י֝וֹשֵׁ֗ב תְּהִלּ֥וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ 4b the one sitting enthroned on Israel’s songs of praise.
בְּ֭ךָ בָּטְח֣וּ אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ 5a Our ancestors trusted you;
בָּ֝טְח֗וּ וַֽתְּפַלְּטֵֽמוֹ׃ 5b they trusted and you rescued them.
אֵלֶ֣יךָ זָעֲק֣וּ וְנִמְלָ֑טוּ 6a They called to you and they were delivered;
בְּךָ֖ בָטְח֣וּ וְלֹא־בֽוֹשׁוּ׃ 6b they trusted you and they were not disappointed.
וְאָנֹכִ֣י תוֹלַ֣עַת וְלֹא־אִ֑ישׁ 7a But I am a worm and not a man;
חֶרְפַּ֥ת אָ֝דָ֗ם וּבְז֥וּי עָֽם׃ 7b I am scorned by mankind and despised by people.
כָּל־רֹ֭אַי יַלְעִ֣גוּ לִ֑י 8a Everyone who sees me mocks me;
יַפְטִ֥ירוּ בְ֝שָׂפָ֗ה יָנִ֥יעוּ רֹֽאשׁ׃ 8b they open [their] mouth wide; they shake [their] head.
גֹּ֣ל אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה יְפַלְּטֵ֑הוּ 9a "Commit [it] to YHWH! —Let him rescue him;
יַ֝צִּילֵ֗הוּ כִּ֘י חָ֥פֵֽץ בּֽוֹ׃ 9b let him deliver him, because he is pleased with him."
כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה גֹחִ֣י מִבָּ֑טֶן 10a However, you are the one who took me out of the womb,
מַ֝בְטִיחִ֗י עַל־שְׁדֵ֥י אִמִּֽי׃ 10b who made me feel secure upon my mother's breasts.
עָ֭לֶיךָ הָשְׁלַ֣כְתִּי מֵרָ֑חֶם 11a I have been cast upon you from the womb;
מִבֶּ֥טֶן אִ֝מִּ֗י אֵ֣לִי אָֽתָּה׃ 11b you have been my God from my mother's womb.
אַל־תִּרְחַ֣ק מִ֭מֶּנִּי 12a Do not be far from me,
כִּי־צָרָ֣ה קְרוֹבָ֑ה 12b because trouble is near;
כִּי־אֵ֥ין עוֹזֵֽר׃ 12c because there is no one helping.
סְ֭בָבוּנִי פָּרִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים 13a Many bulls have surrounded me;
אַבִּירֵ֖י בָשָׁ֣ן כִּתְּרֽוּנִי׃ 13b mighty ones of Bashan have surrounded me.
פָּצ֣וּ עָלַ֣י פִּיהֶ֑ם 14a They have opened their mouth wide against me
אַ֝רְיֵ֗ה טֹרֵ֥ף וְשֹׁאֵֽג׃ 14b like a mauling and roaring lion.
כַּמַּ֥יִם נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי֮ 15a I am poured out like water
וְהִתְפָּֽרְד֗וּ כָּֽל־עַצְמ֫וֹתָ֥י 15b and all my bones are disjointed;
הָיָ֣ה לִ֭בִּי כַּדּוֹנָ֑ג 15c my heart has become like wax—
נָ֝מֵ֗ס בְּת֣וֹךְ מֵעָֽי׃ 15d it has melted within my interior.
יָ֘בֵ֤שׁ כַּחֶ֨רֶשׂ ׀ כֹּחִ֗י 16a My strength has dried up like a potsherd
וּ֭לְשׁוֹנִי מֻדְבָּ֣ק מַלְקוֹחָ֑י 16b and my tongue clings to the roof of my mouth;
וְֽלַעֲפַר־מָ֥וֶת תִּשְׁפְּתֵֽנִי׃ 16c you place me in the dust of death.
כִּ֥י סְבָב֗וּנִי כְּלָ֫בִ֥ים 17a For dogs have surrounded me,
עֲדַ֣ת מְ֭רֵעִים הִקִּיפ֑וּנִי 17b a company of evildoers has encompassed me,
כָּ֝אֲרוּ יָדַ֥י וְרַגְלָֽי׃ 17c they have pierced my hands and my feet.
אֲסַפֵּ֥ר כָּל־עַצְמוֹתָ֑י 18a I can count all my bones;
הֵ֥מָּה יַ֝בִּ֗יטוּ יִרְאוּ־בִֽי׃ 18b they look, gazing at me.
יְחַלְּק֣וּ בְגָדַ֣י לָהֶ֑ם 19a They divide my clothes among themselves
וְעַל־לְ֝בוּשִׁ֗י יַפִּ֥ילוּ גוֹרָֽל׃ 19b and cast a lot for my garment.
וְאַתָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אַל־תִּרְחָ֑ק 20a But you, YHWH, don’t be far!
אֱ֝יָלוּתִ֗י לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃ 20b My strength, hurry to my aid!
הַצִּ֣ילָה מֵחֶ֣רֶב נַפְשִׁ֑י 21a Rescue my life from a sword,
מִיַּד־כֶּ֝֗לֶב יְחִידָתִֽי׃ 21b my only [life] from a dog’s power.
ה֭וֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִפִּ֣י אַרְיֵ֑ה 22a Save me from a lion’s mouth!
וּמִקַּרְנֵ֖י רֵמִ֣ים עֲנִיתָֽנִי׃ 22b And from wild oxen's horns —you have answered me!
אֲסַפְּרָ֣ה שִׁמְךָ֣ לְאֶחָ֑י 23a I will announce your name to my brothers;
בְּת֖וֹךְ קָהָ֣ל אֲהַלְלֶֽךָּ׃ 23b I will praise you in the midst of the community.
יִרְאֵ֤י יְהוָ֨ה ׀ הַֽלְל֗וּהוּ 24a You who fear YHWH, praise him!
כָּל־זֶ֣רַע יַעֲקֹ֣ב כַּבְּד֑וּהוּ 24b All you offspring of Jacob, honor him!
וְג֥וּרוּ מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ כָּל־זֶ֥רַע יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ 24c And be in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
כִּ֤י לֹֽא־בָזָ֨ה וְלֹ֪א שִׁקַּ֡ץ עֱנ֬וּת עָנִ֗י 25a Because he has not regarded as worthless nor detestable the sufferer's affliction
וְלֹא־הִסְתִּ֣יר פָּנָ֣יו מִמֶּ֑נּוּ 25b and he has not hidden his face from him;
וּֽבְשַׁוְּע֖וֹ אֵלָ֣יו שָׁמֵֽעַ׃ 25c but he heard when he cried to him for help.
מֵ֥אִתְּךָ֗ תְֽהִלָּ֫תִ֥י בְּקָהָ֥ל רָ֑ב 26a My praise among a great community is because of you;
נְדָרַ֥י אֲ֝שַׁלֵּ֗ם נֶ֣גֶד יְרֵאָֽיו׃ 26b I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear him.
יֹאכְל֬וּ עֲנָוִ֨ים ׀ וְיִשְׂבָּ֗עוּ 27a The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;
יְהַֽלְל֣וּ יְ֭הוָה דֹּ֣רְשָׁ֑יו 27b those who seek him will praise YHWH—
יְחִ֖י לְבַבְכֶ֣ם לָעַֽד׃ 27c may your heart live forever!
יִזְכְּר֤וּ ׀ וְיָשֻׁ֣בוּ אֶל־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ 28a Let all the ends of the earth consider so that they will turn to YHWH,
וְיִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֥וּ לְ֝פָנֶ֗יךָ כָּֽל־מִשְׁפְּח֥וֹת גּוֹיִֽם׃ 28b so that all the families of the nations will worship before you,
כִּ֣י לַ֭יהוָה הַמְּלוּכָ֑ה 29a because kingship belongs to YHWH
וּ֝מֹשֵׁ֗ל בַּגּוֹיִֽם׃ 29b and he rules over the nations.
אָכְל֬וּ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֨וּ ׀ כָּֽל־דִּשְׁנֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ 30a All the strong ones of the earth have eaten and worshiped;
לְפָנָ֣יו יִ֭כְרְעוּ כָּל־יוֹרְדֵ֣י עָפָ֑ר 30b all those going down to dust will kneel before him,
וְ֝נַפְשׁ֗וֹ לֹ֣א חִיָּֽה׃ 30c and he did not preserve their life.
זֶ֥רַע יַֽעַבְדֶ֑נּוּ 31a Future generations will serve him;
יְסֻפַּ֖ר לַֽאדֹנָ֣י לַדּֽוֹר׃ 31b it will be proclaimed concerning the Lord to that generation—
יָ֭בֹאוּ וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ צִדְקָת֑וֹ 32a Let them come so that they tell his righteous deed
לְעַ֥ם נ֝וֹלָ֗ד כִּ֣י עָשָֽׂה׃ 32b to a people who will be born—what he has done.
  • v. 9 – For a full discussion of the speakers and addressees of this verse, see the exegetical issue The Text, Grammar and Participants of Psalm 22:9.
  • v. 9d – In the fourth clause of v. 9, it is possible to interpret the "delighting" as David in YHWH, or YHWH being pleased with David. We have preferred the continuation of the ironic and sarcastic tone throughout the verse, such that the mockers do not really believe God is pleased with David—hence his grave situation. See also the parallel passage in Ps 18:20: "He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me (כִּ֘י חָ֥פֵֽץ בִּֽי)" (NIV). For a full discussion, see the exegetical issue The Text, Grammar and Participants of Psalm 22:9.
  • v. 17 – For the emendation *כָּאֲרוּ* (MT: כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י), see the exegetical issue The Text of Psalm 22:17b.
  • vv. 26–28 – The references to YHWH switch rapidly throughout these verses (as well as verse-internally) from second-person to third-person and vice versa. We understand any second-person reference to YHWH within a verse to indicate him as the addressee (unless there is strong evidence to the contrary), whereas verses dominated by third-person reference are judged to have Israel as their addressee, as evident throughout v. 24–25, 29–32.
In v. 26, it may be hypothesized that "those who fear him/YHWH" was a fixed expression and thus more likely to contain the third-person reference, even if addressed to YHWH directly.
On the other hand, translations as old as Jerome (Hebr.) and the Peshitta have struggled with the switch in person in v. 28, translating "before you" (לְ֝פָנֶ֗יךָ) as "before him" (coram eo and ܩܕܡܘܗܝ).[1]
  • v. 30c – The agent of the verb חִיָּֽה could be understood as those described in the previous clause or as YHWH, illustrated by the ESV "the one who could not keep himself alive" and TOB "he has not let them live (il ne les a pas laissé vivre)," respectively. The agent of piel חיה throughout the Psalter is YHWH (see Pss 30:4; 33:19; 41:3; 71:20; 80:19; 85:7; 119:25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159), while there are only a couple of instances in the Bible in which the agent and undergoer of piel חיה are the same participant (Ezek 13:18; 18:27). Furthermore, in the New Testament YHWH is described as he "who was able to save him from death" (Heb 5:7, ESV), while David is known to have died and "God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne" (Acts 2:30 ESV; cf. זרע in Ps 22:31). Thus, we prefer to understand YHWH as the agent of the verb.
  • v. 32 – The grammatical subject of the first two verbs in this verse could be the strong ones (see v. 30) or a future generation (see v. 31). Despite the change in order, it is preferable to understand the strong ones resumed again in this verse, so that just as it will be told to the future generations (v. 31), it is repeated that they will tell his deeds to a people being born (i.e., future generations).

Participant Relations Diagram

The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:

Psalm 022 - Participant Analysis Summary.jpg

Psalm 022 - PA Mini-Story.jpg

Participant Analysis Summary Distribution

Psalm 022 - Summary Distribution.jpg

Notes:

  • Quite unsurprisingly, neither Israel nor the nations overlap with David's adversaries. Nevertheless, it is significant that the majority of the David's presence does overlap with his treatment from his adversaries. Indeed, following the victorious turn of v. 22b, the psalm is almost exclusively concerned with the ripple effect of YHWH's deliverance among the entirety of a "great community" (v. 26), as well as to "the end of the earth" (v. 28). Furthermore, YHWH's most consistent presence is also in this final section, concerned with "the big picture" and not only David's experience.

Macrosyntax

  What is Macrosyntax?

Macrosyntax Diagram

  Legend

Macrosyntax legend
Vocatives Vocatives are indicated by purple text.
Discourse marker Discourse markers (such as כִּי, הִנֵּה, לָכֵן) are indicated by orange text.
Macrosyntax legend - discourse scope.jpg The scope governed by the discourse marker is indicated by a dashed orange bracket connecting the discourse marker to its scope.
Macrosyntax legend - preceding discourse.jpg 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.
Macrosyntax legend - subordination.jpg 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.
Macrosyntax legend - coordination.jpg Coordination is indicated by a solid blue line connecting the coordinating clauses.
Macrosyntax legend - asyndetic coordination.jpg Coordination without an explicit conjunction is indicated by a dashed blue line connecting the coordinated clauses.
Macrosyntax legend - marked topic.jpg Marked topic is indicated by a black dashed rounded rectangle around the marked words.
Macrosyntax legend - topic scope.jpg 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[2] are indicated by bold text.
Macrosyntax legend - frame setter.jpg Frame setters[3] 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.
Macrosyntax legend - direct speech.jpg 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)


Ps 22 - Macrosyntax.jpg

  • v. 4 – The discourse discontinuity is indicated by the topic shift, "But you..." and the vocative.
  • v. 7 – The discourse discontinuity is indicated by the topic shift, "But I..."
  • v. 12 – The discourse discontinuity is indicated by the double subordination in v. 12b–c,[4] and the "my God" inclusio from vv. 2–11 created by the order אלי אתה in v. 11b.
  • v. 20 – The discourse discontinuity is indicated by the topic shift, "But you..." and the first vocative since v. 4.
  • v. 5a – The fronting of the prepositional phrase בְּ֭ךָ indicates a completive focus interpretation of this constituent, as read, for example, in the SG21: C’est en toi que nos ancêtres se confiaient.
  • v. 6a – The fronting of the prepositional phrase אֵלֶ֣יךָ could also indicate a completive focus interpretation of this constituent, though it may also simply repeat the pattern established in v. 5 (see note on v. 5).
  • v. 6b – The order בְּךָ֖ בָטְח֣וּ provides a structural inclusio with the same order read in v. 5a (see above).
  • v. 8a – The fronting of כָּל־רֹ֭אַי marks the topical introduction of this participant, until the topic shift in v. 10a.
  • v. 11a – The fronting of עָ֭לֶיךָ functions as corrective focus—namely, that the psalmist has been fully reliant on YHWH, and not his mother, since birth.
  • v. 11b – The clause-initial position of מִבֶּ֥טֶן אִ֝מִּ֗י provides a tail-head linkage with מֵרָ֑חֶם in the previous clause. The following verbless clause should be read as a specificational, i.e., "the one who is my God is you," as illustrated by the TOB: dès le ventre de ma mère, mon Dieu, c'est toi.
  • v. 13b – The clause's constituent order provides a symmetrical pattern to v. 13a.
  • v. 15a – The fronting of the prepositional phrase כַּמַּ֥יִם may communicate scalar focus of as much as water, or "even" as much as water, as our expanded translations shows.
  • v. 16c – The fronting of the prepositional phrase לַעֲפַר־מָ֥וֶת communicates scalar focus, as our expanded translations shows.
  • v. 17b – The clause's constituent order provides a symmetrical pattern to v. 17a.
  • v. 18b – The fronting of הֵ֥מָּה marks a topic shift to this participant, until another topic shift back to YHWH in v. 20a.
  • v. 19b – Despite being quite complex, the constituent order of this clause somewhat symmetrically reflected v. 19a, with a prepositional phrase, clothing with a first-person pronominal suffix and a verb phrase.
יְחַלְּק֣וּ בְגָדַ֣י לָהֶ֑ם // וְעַל־לְ֝בוּשִׁ֗י יַפִּ֥ילוּ גוֹרָֽל׃
  • v. 20a – The fronted independent pronoun indicates a topic shift, "But you..."
  • v. 20b – "to my help" may precede "hurry" in order to both establish a pattern of clause- and line-final imperatives (as in the preceding clause/line) and a tail-head linkage with the following imperative "Rescue" in v. 21a.
  • v. 21a–b – The post-verb position of מֵחֶ֣רֶב informationally selects the "Rescue from what?" implicit in this clause and the preceding clause's "hurry to my aid!" This pattern is repeated in the following line.
  • v. 23b – The clause's constituent order provides a symmetrical pattern to v. 23a.
  • v. 25d is best read as a thetic sentence with a simple verbal predicate following a fronted temporal adverbial.
  • v. 26a – The initial position of מֵ֥אִתְּךָ֗ indicates a confirming focus that the psalmist will praise due to no other reason than YHWH and his miraculous deliverance.
  • v. 26b – The fronted נְדָרַ֥י provides a brief topical introduction before the following clause's topic shift.
  • v. 29a – The initial לַ֭יהוָה communicates exclusive focus, in that kingship belongs only to YHWH, as illustrated by the SG21: car c’est à l’Eternel qu’appartient le règne.
  • v. 30b – The fronting of לְפָנָ֣יו communicates an exclusive focus of people's worship.
  • v. 30c – The fronting of נַפְשׁ֗וֹ communicates a topic activation, in contrast to the following "future generation" who will be preserved and will serve YHWH.
  • v. 31a – The fronting of זֶ֥רַע could indicate that זֶ֥רַע יַֽעַבְדֶ֑נּוּ be interpreted as a thetic sentence, introducing the worship of future generations somewhat out-of-the-blue. Nevertheless, the contrast with the "lives" of the present generation supports a topical reading of זֶ֥רַע "future generations."
  • v. 2 – The sentence-initial vocative identifies the addressee.
  • v. 3 – The sentence initial vocative repeats the pattern established in v. 2.
  • v. 4 – According to Revell the position of the vocative following the clause's predication can indicate the superiority of the addressee.[5]
  • v. 20a – The vocative follows the topic-shifted personal pronoun and precedes the verbal predication, "marking" the detached element as conversationally significant,[6] in this case repeating the appeal from v. 12a.
  • v. 20b – The line-initial vocative prepares the addressee for the urgent imperative,[7] "hurry to my aid!"
  • v. 24a–b – The line-initial vocatives identify addressees of the two clauses.
  • v. 24c – Concluding a series of three vocatives, the third is placed in a symmetrical pattern to the preceding two, to conclude the pattern.

(There are no notes on discourse markers for this psalm.)

(There are no notes on conjunctions for this psalm.)


Speech Act Analysis

What is 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

Psalm 022 - Speech Act Summary.jpg

Speech Act Analysis Chart

The following chart is scrollable (left/right; up/down).

  Legend

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.

Psalm 022 - Speech Act Table.jpg

Emotional Analysis

  What is 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

  Legend

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.

Ps 22 - Affect table.jpg

Summary Visual

(Click visual to enlarge).


Ps 22 - Affect summary.jpg

Affective Circumplex

  What is the 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.
Psalm 022 - Circumplex.jpg



Bibliography

Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y. 2018. Serial Verbs. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Alonso Schökel, Luis. 1992. Salmos I (Salmos 1–72): Traducción, Introducciones y Comentario. Navarra: Verbo Divino.
Baker, David W. 1980. "Further examples of waw explicativum," Vetus Testamentum 30.2: 129–136.
Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William David. 1991. A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms, UBS Handbook Series. New York, NY: United Bible Societies.
Craigie, Peter C. 2004. Psalms 1–50. Second edition. Nashville, TN: Nelson.
Crystal, D. & Yu. A. C. L. 2024. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 7th Edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.
Delitzsch, Franz. 1871. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
Gentry, Peter. 2021. Are the Superscriptions in the Psalms Part of Scripture?
Goldingay John. 2006. Psalms 1–41. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Hoftijzer, J. & Jongeling, K 1995. Dictionary of the North-West Semitic Inscriptions. Leiden: Brill.
Jacobson, Rolf A. & Tanner, Beth. 2014. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41,” in The Book of Psalms (NICOT). Grand Rapids, MI; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Jenni, Ernst. 2000. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 3: Die Präposition Lamed. Stuttgart: Verlag W. Kohlhammer.
Keel, Othmar. 1997. The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns.
Lipiński. Édouard. 1969. "L'hymne à Yahwé Roi au Psaume 22,28-32," Biblica 50.2: 153–168.
Longman III, Tremper. 2014. Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary. Nottingham: Inter-Varsity Press.
Lugt, Pieter van der. 2010. Cantos and Strophes in Biblical Hebrew Poetry II: Psalms 42-89. Vol. 2. Oudtestamentische Studiën 57. Brill.
Lunn, Nicholas P. 2006. Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics. Paternoster Biblical Monographs. Paternoster.
Malul, Meir. 1996. "Chapter 22" (Hebrew). Pages 94–105 in Psalms: Volume 1. Olam HaTaNaKh. Tel Aviv: דודזון–עתי.
Mowinckel, Sigmund. 1962. The Psalms in Israel’s Worship. Oxford: Blackwell.
Qafaḥ, Yosef. 1965. The Psalms with Translation and Commentary of Saadia Gaon (Hebrew). Jerusalem: The American Academy for Jewish Research.
Revell, E. J. 1996. The Designation of the Individual: Expressive Usage in Biblical Narrative. Kampen: Kok Pharos.
VanGemeren, Willem. 2008. Psalms: The Expositor's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Walton, John H. 2009. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Old Testament): The Minor Prophets, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Wendland, Ernst. 1993, Comparative Discourse Analysis and the Translation of Psalm 22 in Chichewa, a Bantu Language of South-Central Africa. Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press.
Wilton, Patrick. 1994. "More cases of waw explicativum," Vetus Testamentum 44.1: 125–128.


Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cf. also Kennicott ms 37.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ See Lunn 2006, 24–25.
  5. ↑ Revell 1996, 338.
  6. ↑ Kim 2022, 227–233.
  7. ↑ Kim 2022, 213–217.