Psalm 26 Discourse
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Macrosyntax
- v. 1c אֲ֭נִי is a marked topic (shifting to "I" after "YHWH"), which prepares the reader to make a contrast between the psalmist and the "evildoers". "The modifier בְּתֻמִּ֥י is placed before the verb because it is focused" CGs MS notes. This raises expectations that the comparison is between the psalmist's integrity and that of the evildoers; it also sets up a syntactic parallel with the next line (וּבַיהוָ֥ה בָּ֝טַ֗חְתִּי).
- v. 1d There is a marked focus (YHWH).
- v. 2 There is predicate focus in the syntax supporting paragraph delimitation.
- v. 3 This phrase as recursive of the b-cola of verse 1 also supports the ‘this’ in which the psalmist trusts as being the character of YHWH (light/salvation/refuge).
- vv. 4-5 This is an example of poetic word order (not syntactic). The "purpose of non-default word order, that does not have to do with information flow, is poetic binding, or enabling syntactic repetition within cola, either to mirror the A-colon’s word order, or replicate it. The B-cola of Ps. 26:4-5 mirror the default order in the A-cola" CGs MS notes.
- v. 6a There is a possible marked focus (in innocence).
- v. 6b There is a clause-final vocative (YHWH); "If the vocative precedes a subordinate clause, it is said to focus the content of the subordinate clause" (Kim 2022: 235-237).
- v. 8a The vocative is left-dislocated.
- v. 9 shifts from focus on YHWH to focus on the verb with the negation (prohibitive אַל) + yiqtol which functions as an imperative. Semantics and modality support paragraph delimitation here.
- v. 11a In this clause, "the modifier בְּתֻמִּ֥י is placed before the verb because it is focused. With ‘I’ being reactivated as topic, the ‘will walk’ is also accessible from the previous discourse (an almost identical phrase is found in v. 1, and the בְּתֻמִּ֥י reaffirms the psalmist’s commitment to how he will walk." CGs notes for MS.
- v. 11b There are two imperatives shifting focus onto the verbs.
- v. 12a is thetic, providing a thematic pivot to the conclusion, and calls back to not wavering in the introduction by saying that the psalmist stands, see CGs MS notes. There is paragraph delimitation before the thetic clause.
- v. 12b The word order is poetic.
Speech Act Analysis
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Affect Analysis
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