Psalm 33 Speech Act
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Psalm 33/Speech Act
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YHWH's Plan Stands Forever
Psalm 33
Please note: Resources for Psalm 33 are in the process of being reformatted for visual consistency and improved functionality.
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
| Speaker | Verses | Macro Speech Acts | Addressee | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choir Director | v. 1 Shout for joy in YHWH, righteous people! Praise is fitting for upright people. | EXHORTATION |
Israel | |||
| v. 2 Give YHWH praise with a lyre! Make a song for him with a ten-string harp! | ||||||
| v. 3 Sing a new song to him! Play skillfully with a blast! | ||||||
| v. 4 Because YHWH’s word is upright, and all of his work is [done] in faithfulness. | EXTOLLING |
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| v. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of YHWH’s loyal-love. | ||||||
| v. 6 The heavens were made by YHWH’s word, and all their hosts [were made] by the breath of his mouth. | ||||||
| v. 7 He is the one who gathers the sea water as a heap! He is the one who places the deep oceans into storehouses! | ||||||
| v. 8 All the earth should be afraid of YHWH! All the dwellers of the inhabited world should be in dread because of him! | ||||||
| v. 9 For he spoke, and it was; he commanded, and it came about. | ||||||
| v. 10 YHWH has thwarted the nations’ plan; he has blocked the peoples’ intentions. | EXTOLLING |
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| v. 11 YHWH’s plan stands forever; the intentions of his heart [stand] forever and ever. | ||||||
| v. 12 Happy is the nation whose god is YHWH, [happy are] the people [whom YHWH] chose as a permanent possession for himself. | ||||||
| v. 13 YHWH looked from heaven: he saw all of humanity, | ||||||
| v. 14 he gazed from his dwelling place, at all the dwellers of the earth, | ||||||
| v. 15 the one who forms all their hearts, the one who discerns all their works. | ||||||
| v. 16 A king is not saved by a great force; a warrior is not delivered by great might. | ||||||
| v. 17 A horse is a deceptive means for victory, and it will not rescue by its great force. | ||||||
| v. 18 Consider: YHWH’s eye is upon those who fear him; upon those who wait for his loyal-love, | ||||||
| v. 19 to deliver their lives from death, and to keep them alive during famine. | ||||||
| Choir Director and People | v. 20 We ourselves wait longingly for YHWH –he is our help and our shield– | PROFESSION OF CONFIDENCE |
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| v. 21 because our hearts rejoice in him; because we have come to trust in his holy name. | ||||||
| v. 22 YHWH, may your loyal-love be upon us, just as we have been waiting for you! | PETITION |
YHWH | ||||
Speech Act Analysis Chart
The following chart is scrollable (left/right; up/down).
| 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. |
