Psalm 30 Poetic Features
Psalm 30
Poetic Features
In poetic features, we identify and describe the “Top 3 Poetic Features” for each Psalm. Poetic features might include intricate patterns (e.g., chiasms), long range correspondences across the psalm, evocative uses of imagery, sound-plays, allusions to other parts of the Bible, and various other features or combinations of features. For each poetic feature, we describe both the formal aspects of the feature and the poetic effect of the feature. We assume that there is no one-to-one correspondence between a feature’s formal aspects and its effect, and that similar forms might have very different effects depending on their contexts. The effect of a poetic feature is best determined (subjectively) by a thoughtful examination of the feature against the background of the psalm’s overall message and purpose.
Momentary anger; forever praise
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. |
Feature
Verses 6a, 8b and 10b of Psalm 30 consist of short, two-word clauses lacking any conjunction.
The word "forever" appears at the beginning and end of the psalm's second half.
Effect
Although the sentence fragments of v. 6a have been described as "an unusual sentence"[1], "it must ... be said that every word is in its right place here; the poet's thought could not have been expressed more aptly."[2] This is primarily because the short, snappy, asyndetic syntax is iconic of the momentary movement into YHWH's anger (v. 6a) and out of it again, into his favor. Likewise, the anguish caused by YHWH hiding his face was short and temporary (v. 8a). The urgency of David's appeal to YHWH to hear him and heal him is also reflected in the syntactic style of v. 10b.
In contrast to the brevity expressed in these lines, the second half of the psalm is framed by the adverbials "forever." The psalmist claimed his reign would remain stable forever in his presumptuous arrogance (v. 7b) and was swiftly disciplined as a consequence. What does remain forever, however, is the praise of YHWH after passing through his discipline and into his favor.
The Pit of Forgetfulness and Silence
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. |
Feature
The poetic section of vv. 2–4 is dominated by images of being drawn up and lifted out of Sheol, the pit.
David exhorts the faithful ones to praise YHWH's holy name (v. 5b), but instead of using the more common term, שֵׁם, the poet employs זֵכֶר, literally "memory," to speak of YHWH's "renown" (BDB) or "reputation" (DCH).
When appealing to YHWH to listen to him and heal him, David mentions "the grave" once again (though this time with the noun שַׁחַת) and refers to his own death as simply his "blood" (דָּם). This noun sounds very similar to the verb "be silent" (יִדֹּם) in the psalm's penultimate line. There are other homophonous verbs with this same root (√דמם), however: "wail, lament" (cf. Isa 23:2) and "perish" (cf. Jer 8:14).
Effect
"The pit" and "Sheol," known as the land of forgetfulness (Pss 31:13; 88:6, 13),[3] provide a prominent contrast to YHWH's holy "memory." (Indeed, "there is no memory of you in death," Ps 6:6.) In YHWH's favor, though, he did not leave David in the forgotten place, but remembered him and healed him.
"The pit," known as the place of silence (Pss 94:17; 115:17), provides a prominent contrast with those who will sing of YHWH's glory and not be silent (v. 13a). The psalmist had been at risk of his "blood" going down to the pit (v. 10a). In contrast, however, the faithful ones would neither lament nor perish, along with "those who perish in/go silently to Sheol" (Ps 31:18; יִדְּמוּ לִשְׁאוֹל)!
Two Houses
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. |
Feature
The superscription of Psalm 30 describes the psalm as "the song for the dedication of the house."
Verse 2 mentions David's enemies and verse 7 his self-assurance that he would never waver. Verse 8 clarifies that it was only YHWH's favor that provided strength for David's mountain.
The final verse mentions people praising YHWH's with the word "Glory!"
Effect
The mention of "the dedication of the house" in the superscription of Psalm 30 provides a clue regarding the interpretation of the psalm as a whole. 2 Samuel 7, the paradigmatic text for the senses of "house" in relation to David, provides two possibilities: (1) the house (temple) David desired to build for YHWH, which was then carried out by his son, Solomon; and (2) the house of David's royal dynasty. The same two possibilities exist in the present psalm.
The mention of "enemies" in v. 2 support the interpretation of the "house" as that of the Davidic line, of which David is the first king, since "the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him" (2 Sam 7:1, NIV). Further, "my mountain" (v. 8a), a word commonly associated with the idea of "wavering" in the previous verse (cf. Isa 54:10; Pss 46:3; 125:1), is similar to "my high places" (Ps 18:34) and supports the strength of David's reign.
Nevertheless, the mention of crying out "Glory" in the last verse alludes to the previous Psalm, which says, "in his temple everyone is saying, 'Glory!'" (Ps 29:9). Such a declaration unmistakably makes reference to the preparation of the temple (cf. Exod 40:34–35; Ezek 43:4–5; 44:4, among others).
Thus, in Psalm 30 we have the sustained tension of the two senses of the word "house," such that the psalm as a whole provides a strong intertextual allusion to 2 Samuel 7 and should be read through the lens of the Davidic covenant, which ultimately included Solomon's construction of the First Temple.[4] Just as the discipline in the face of arrogance provided a warning for all of David's descendants who would rule, it also provides a paradigm of humble worship in YHWH's temple for the entire nation.
Repeated Roots
The repeated roots table is intended to identify the roots which are repeated in the psalm.
| Repeated Roots legend | |
|---|---|
| Divine name | The divine name is indicated by bold purple text. |
| Roots bounding a section | Roots bounding a section, appearing in the first and last verse of a section, are indicated by bold red text. |
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Roots occurring primarily in the first section are indicated in a yellow box. |
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Roots occurring primarily in the third section are indicated in a blue box. |
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Roots connected across sections are indicated by a vertical gray line connecting the roots. |
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Section boundaries are indicated by a horizontal black line across the chart. |
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- ↑ Jenni 2012
- ↑ Krinetzki 1961, 355; Man muß also sagen: jedes Wort steht hier an seinem Platz, der Gedanke des Dichters konnte nicht treffender als so ausgedrückt werden.
- ↑ Cf. Keel 1997, 64, 69.
- ↑ Further, though later tradition assigned this psalm to the Hanukkah festival (Soferim 18:3) as a celebration of the Second Temple, this sense is by no means absent in the text of the psalm itself, as clear from v. 13.