Psalm 25 Emotional
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Psalm 25/Emotional
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Because of your name
Psalm 25
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. |
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) | The Psalmist Feels | Emotional Analysis Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לְדָוִ֡ד | By David. | Psalm 25 gives several clear indications of the underlying attitudes and emotions. The most explicit indicators are the words having to do with confidence ("hope" in vv. 5, 21, and "trust" in v. 2; see also v. 1) and the descriptions of distress (e.g., vv. 16–19). | |
| אֵלֶ֥יךָ יְ֝הוָ֗ה נַפְשִׁ֥י אֶשָּֽׂא׃ אֱֽלֹהַ֗י | To you, YHWH, I lift my soul, my God. | • David is distressed by his enemies, yet confident in YHWH | The expression "lift up my soul" is an idiom that describes an "action by which humans turn to a deity or location with the confidence that they will find help and support there" (SDBH). | |
| 2 | בְּךָ֣ בָ֭טַחְתִּי | I trust in you; | "trust" refers to a "state in which humans have confidence in someone or something else and show that by their actions" (SDBH)" | |
| אַל־אֵב֑וֹשָׁה | do not let me be disappointed! | |||
| אַל־יַֽעַלְצ֖וּ אֹיְבַ֣י לִֽי׃ | Do not let my enemies rejoice over me! | |||
| 3 | גַּ֣ם כָּל־קֹ֭וֶיךָ לֹ֣א יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ | Yes, none who hope in you will be disappointed. | ||
| יֵ֝בֹ֗שׁוּ הַבּוֹגְדִ֥ים רֵיקָֽם׃ | Worthless people who act unfaithfully will be disappointed. | • Contempt towards "worthless people who act unfaithfully" (v. 3b) | The adverbial "worthless[ly]" (רֵיקָם) reflects the psalmist's attitude towards those who act unfaithfully (see lexical note on v. 3). (I have not added "contempt" to the summary, since it is really just a flash compared to the other, more prominent, emotions of confidence and distress.) | |
| 4 | דְּרָכֶ֣יךָ יְ֭הוָה הוֹדִיעֵ֑נִי | Show me your ways, YHWH; | • David is confident in YHWH | |
| אֹ֖רְחוֹתֶ֣יךָ לַמְּדֵֽנִי׃ | teach me your paths! | |||
| 5 | הַדְרִ֘יכֵ֤נִי בַאֲמִתֶּ֨ךָ ׀ | Guide me in your truth; | ||
| *לַמְּדֵ֗נִי | teach me; | |||
| כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׁעִ֑י | because you are the God who saves me. | |||
| אוֹתְךָ֥ קִ֝וִּ֗יתִי כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃ | I hope in you all day long. | "hope" refers to a "state in which humans are confident that their longing will be fulfilled" (SDBH) | ||
| 6 | זְכֹר־רַחֲמֶ֣יךָ יְ֭הוָה | Remember your compassion, YHWH, | ||
| וַחֲסָדֶ֑יךָ | and [remember] your acts of loyalty, | |||
| כִּ֖י מֵעוֹלָ֣ם הֵֽמָּה׃ | because they have been around forever. | |||
| 7 | חַטֹּ֤אות נְעוּרַ֨י ׀ וּפְשָׁעַ֗י אַל־תִּ֫זְכֹּ֥ר | Do not remember my youthful sins or my rebellious acts! | ||
| כְּחַסְדְּךָ֥ זְכָר־לִי־אַ֑תָּה לְמַ֖עַן טוּבְךָ֣ יְהוָֽה׃ | Remember me according to your loyalty, because of your goodness, YHWH! | |||
| 8 | טוֹב־וְיָשָׁ֥ר יְהוָ֑ה | YHWH is good and just; | ||
| עַל־כֵּ֤ן יוֹרֶ֖ה חַטָּאִ֣ים בַּדָּֽרֶךְ׃ | therefore, he instructs sinners in the way. | |||
| 9 | יַדְרֵ֣ךְ עֲ֭נָוִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט | He guides afflicted people in justice | ||
| וִֽילַמֵּ֖ד עֲנָוִ֣ים דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃ | and teaches afflicted people his way. | |||
| 10 | כָּל־אָרְח֣וֹת יְ֭הוָה חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֑ת לְנֹצְרֵ֥י בְ֝רִית֗וֹ וְעֵדֹתָֽיו׃ | All of YHWH's paths are loyalty and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his demands. | ||
| 11 | לְמַֽעַן־שִׁמְךָ֥ יְהוָ֑ה וְֽסָלַחְתָּ֥ לַ֝עֲוֺנִ֗י | Because of your name, YHWH, forgive my guilt, | ||
| כִּ֣י רַב־הֽוּא׃ | because it is great! | |||
| 12 | מִי־זֶ֣ה הָ֭אִישׁ יְרֵ֣א יְהוָ֑ה | Who is the person who fears YHWH? | ||
| י֝וֹרֶ֗נּוּ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ יִבְחָֽר׃ | He will instruct him in the way he should choose. | |||
| 13 | נַ֭פְשׁוֹ בְּט֣וֹב תָּלִ֑ין | He himself will stay in a good place, | ||
| וְ֝זַרְע֗וֹ יִ֣ירַשׁ אָֽרֶץ׃ | and his offspring will possess land. | |||
| 14 | ס֣וֹד יְ֭הוָה לִירֵאָ֑יו | YHWH's personal counsel and his covenant are for those who fear him, | ||
| וּ֝בְרִית֗וֹ לְהוֹדִיעָֽם׃ | for teaching them. | |||
| 16* | פְּנֵה־אֵלַ֥י | Turn towards me | • David is distressed by his enemies, yet confident in YHWH | |
| וְחָנֵּ֑נִי | and be merciful to me, | |||
| כִּֽי־יָחִ֖יד וְעָנִ֣י אָֽנִי׃ | because I am alone and afflicted. | The word "afflicted" describes "a class of people who are suffering, often because of poverty but also because of an oppressive external situation; ≈ associated with humility" (SDBH) | ||
| 15* | עֵינַ֣י תָּ֭מִיד אֶל־יְהוָ֑ה | My eyes are always on YHWH, | "eyes... always on YHWH" implies confidence that YHWH will rescue | |
| כִּ֤י הֽוּא־יוֹצִ֖יא מֵרֶ֣שֶׁת רַגְלָֽי׃ | because he will bring my feet out of a net. | |||
| 17 | צָר֣וֹת לְבָבִ֣י הִרְחִ֑יבוּ | The troubles of my heart have expanded. | The psalmist explicitly describes his internal state in v. 17: "the troubles of my heart have expanded." The word "troubles" refers to "a process by which humans go through extremely difficult circumstances, resulting in severe anxiety." | |
| מִ֝מְּצֽוּקוֹתַ֗י הוֹצִיאֵֽנִי׃ | Bring me out of my distresses! | "state in which humans experience distress" (SDBH) | ||
| 18 | רְאֵ֣ה עָ֭נְיִי וַעֲמָלִ֑י | Look at my affliction and my hardship, | "Affliction" is a "state in which humans are suffering hardship and trouble and unable to help themselves" (SDBH). "Hardship" is a "state of excessive unpleasantness or suffering ◄ as result of one's own situation, or oppressive behavior of someone else" (SDBH) | |
| וְ֝שָׂ֗א לְכָל־חַטֹּאותָֽי׃ | and forgive all my sins! | |||
| 19 | רְאֵֽה־אוֹיְבַ֥י כִּי־רָ֑בּוּ וְשִׂנְאַ֖ת חָמָ֣ס שְׂנֵאֽוּנִי׃ | Look at my enemies, how they have multiplied and how they hate me with violent hatred! | ||
| 20 | שָׁמְרָ֣ה נַ֭פְשִׁי | Guard my life | ||
| וְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי | and rescue me! | |||
| אַל־אֵ֝ב֗וֹשׁ | Do not let me be disappointed, | |||
| כִּֽי־חָסִ֥יתִי בָֽךְ׃ | because I have taken refuge in you! | |||
| 21 | תֹּם־וָיֹ֥שֶׁר יִצְּר֑וּנִי | May integrity and justice keep me safe, | ||
| כִּ֝֗י קִוִּיתִֽיךָ׃ | because I hope in you. | Cf. v. 5 | ||
| 22 | פְּדֵ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִ֝כֹּ֗ל צָֽרוֹתָיו׃ | God, redeem Israel from all their troubles! |
Summary Visual
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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.