Psalm 34 Participant Analysis

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Psalm 34/Participant Analysis
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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 4 participants/characters in Psalm 34:

David
"Poor man" (v. 7)
David's Soul

The Afflicted
"Holy ones" (v. 10)
"Children" (v. 12)
The Righteous
"Those who fear [YHWH]" (v. 8)
"The man who seeks refuge in [YHWH]" (v. 9)
"Those who seek YHWH" (v. 11)
"The person who desires life" (v. 13)
"The broken-hearted" (v. 19)
"The crushed in spirit" (v. 19)
"[YHWH's] servants" (v. 23)
The Righteous One's Body
"[The righteous one's] lips" (v. 14)

YHWH
YHWH's Body
"YHWH's face" (v. 17*)
"YHWH's eyes" (v. 16*)
"YHWH's ears" (v. 16*)
YHWH's Angel

Enemies
"Wicked person" (v. 22)
"Those who hate a righteous person" (v. 22)
Young lions
Abimelek

  • Young lions: Lions are a metaphor for those who don't fear YHWH. (See [Psalm 34 Story Behind | Story Behind]).
  • Non-Agentive Participants - YHWH's Body / The Righteous One's Body: While not agentive participants per se, included in this list of participants are inanimate entities personified as performing relational actions, or entities representing a metonymy for an agentive participant.
  • The Afflicted vs. the Righteous: While there is significant overlap between these two participant sets (hence their grouping as related sets), the distinction made here is between the psalmist's addressee (the Afflicted) and the hypothetical person whom the addressee is encouraged to emulated (the Righteous).
Hebrew Line English
לְדָוִ֗ד בְּשַׁנּוֹת֣וֹ אֶת־טַ֭עְמוֹ לִפְנֵ֣י אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ וַֽ֝יְגָרֲשֵׁ֗הוּ וַיֵּלַֽךְ׃ 1 By David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, and Abimelek drove him out, and he went.
אֲבָרֲכָ֣ה אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל־עֵ֑ת 2a I will bless YHWH at all times.
תָּ֝מִ֗יד תְּֽהִלָּת֥וֹ בְּפִֽי׃ 2b His praise will continually be in my mouth.
בַּ֭יהוָה תִּתְהַלֵּ֣ל נַפְשִׁ֑י 3a My soul boasts in YHWH.
יִשְׁמְע֖וּ עֲנָוִ֣ים וְיִשְׂמָֽחוּ׃ 3b May the afflicted hear and be glad!
גַּדְּל֣וּ לַיהוָ֣ה אִתִּ֑י 4a Extol YHWH with me,
וּנְרוֹמְמָ֖ה שְׁמ֣וֹ יַחְדָּֽו׃ 4b and let us exalt his name together!
דָּרַ֣שְׁתִּי אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה וְעָנָ֑נִי 5a I sought YHWH and he answered me
וּמִכָּל־מְ֝גוּרוֹתַ֗י הִצִּילָֽנִי׃ 5b and he rescued me from all my terrors.
הַבִיטו אֵלָ֣יו וּנְהָרוּ 6a Gaze at him and glow,
וּפְנֵיכֶם אַל־יֶחְפָּֽרוּ׃ 6b and do not let your faces be ashamed!
זֶ֤ה עָנִ֣י קָ֭רָא וַיהוָ֣ה שָׁמֵ֑עַ 7a This is a poor man who called out and YHWH heard
וּמִכָּל־צָ֝רוֹתָ֗יו הוֹשִׁיעֽוֹ׃ 7b and saved him from all his troubles.
חֹנֶ֤ה מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָ֓ה 8a YHWH’s angel encamps
סָ֘בִ֤יב לִֽירֵאָ֗יו וַֽיְחַלְּצֵֽם׃ 8b all around those who fear him and he delivers them.
טַעֲמ֣וּ וּ֭רְאוּ כִּי־ט֣וֹב יְהוָ֑ה 9a Taste and see that YHWH is good!
אַֽשְׁרֵ֥י הַ֝גֶּ֗בֶר יֶחֱסֶה־בּֽוֹ׃ 9b Happy is the man who seeks refuge in him.
יְר֣אוּ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה קְדֹשָׁ֑יו 10a Fear YHWH, you holy ones of his!
כִּי־אֵ֥ין מַ֝חְס֗וֹר לִירֵאָֽיו׃ 10b For those who fear him have no lack.
כְּ֭פִירִים רָשׁ֣וּ וְרָעֵ֑בוּ 11a Young lions have suffered want and been hungry,
וְדֹרְשֵׁ֥י יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹא־יַחְסְר֥וּ כָל־טֽוֹב׃ 11b but those who seek YHWH will not lack any good.
לְֽכוּ־בָ֭נִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִ֑י 12a Come, children! Listen to me!
יִֽרְאַ֥ת יְ֝הוָ֗ה אֲלַמֶּדְכֶֽם׃ 12b I will teach you the fear of YHWH.
מִֽי־הָ֭אִישׁ הֶחָפֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים 13a Who is the person who desires life,
אֹהֵ֥ב יָ֝מִ֗ים לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב׃ 13b wants to live a long time, [who loves] to see good?
נְצֹ֣ר לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣ מֵרָ֑ע 14a Keep your tongue from evil
וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ מִדַּבֵּ֥ר מִרְמָֽה׃ 14b and your lips from speaking deceit!
ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב 15a Turn away from evil and do good!
בַּקֵּ֖שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ׃ 15b Seek peace and pursue it!
עֵינֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה אֶל־צַדִּיקִ֑ים 16a YHWH’s eyes are directed towards the righteous,
וְ֝אָזְנָ֗יו אֶל־שַׁוְעָתָֽם׃ 16b and his ears are attentive to their cries for help.
פְּנֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה בְּעֹ֣שֵׂי רָ֑ע 17a YHWH’s face is against those who do evil,
לְהַכְרִ֖ית מֵאֶ֣רֶץ זִכְרָֽם׃ 17b so as to remove the memory of them from the earth.
צָעֲק֣וּ וַיהוָ֣ה שָׁמֵ֑עַ 18a They called for help, and YHWH heard,
וּמִכָּל־צָ֝רוֹתָ֗ם הִצִּילָֽם׃ 18b and he delivered them from all their troubles.
קָר֣וֹב יְ֭הוָה לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי־לֵ֑ב 19a YHWH is near to the broken-hearted
וְֽאֶת־דַּכְּאֵי־ר֥וּחַ יוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃ 19b and he saves the crushed in spirit.
רַ֭בּוֹת רָע֣וֹת צַדִּ֑יק 20a The hardships of the righteous are many,
וּ֝מִכֻּלָּ֗ם יַצִּילֶ֥נּוּ יְהוָֽה׃ 20b but YHWH rescues him from all of them.
שֹׁמֵ֥ר כָּל־עַצְמוֹתָ֑יו 21a He protects all his bones.
אַחַ֥ת מֵ֝הֵ֗נָּה לֹ֣א נִשְׁבָּֽרָה׃ 21b Not one of them has broken.
תְּמוֹתֵ֣ת רָשָׁ֣ע רָעָ֑ה 22a Hardship finishes off a wicked person,
וְשֹׂנְאֵ֖י צַדִּ֣יק יֶאְשָֽׁמוּ׃ 22b and those who hate a righteous person bear their guilt
פּוֹדֶ֣ה יְ֭הוָה נֶ֣פֶשׁ עֲבָדָ֑יו 23a YHWH redeems his servants’ lives,
וְלֹ֥א יֶ֝אְשְׁמ֗וּ כָּֽל־הַחֹסִ֥ים בּֽוֹ׃ 23b and no one who seeks refuge in him will ever bear guilt.

Participant Relations Diagram

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

Psalm 034 - Participant Analysis Summary.jpg

Psalm 034 - PA Mini-Story.jpg

Participant Analysis Summary Distribution

This resource is forthcoming.