Psalm 34 Poetics

Psalm Overview

• Grammar
• Semantics
• Story behind the Psalm
• Discourse
• Poetics

Poetic Structure

• By far, the most important structuring device in Psalm 34 is the acrostic structure. Each verse (bicolon) of the psalm begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are two points in the acrostic which diverge from the traditional 22 letter Hebrew alphabet: the waw verse is missing, and a pe verse is added on to the end. The fact that both of these 'abnormalities' occur also in Ps. 25 strong supports seeing them as deliberately included elements of the poem. Cf. Freedman: "If these phenomena had turned up in only one psalm, we might wonder about accidental omissions and possible inadvertencies, but when there are two psalms with so many identical points in common, it is clear that a deliberate program of alteration and adaptation has taken place in both cases" (David Noel Freedman, "Patterns in Psalms 25 and 34", in Priests, Prophets, and Scribes JSOT 149, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992, 127).
  • 'Extra' pe verse (v. 23); cf. Ps. 25:22
    • "In the word 'aleph are contained three consonants: the first in the alphabet; the twelfth, lamed, which in the twenty-two letter sequence begins the second half of the alphabet ; and the "extra" letter, pe. By going from 'aleph to taw and then adding pe, one makes lamed the exact middle of the series and sums up the whole alphabet in the name of its first letter" (Skehan, Patrick William. “Structure of the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy (Deut 32:1-43).” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 13, no. 2 (April 1951): 160, n. 13. Cf. Eriksson "Come, Children, listen to me!" 1991:44-5).
    • "The simplest solution to these curiosities is that the added line at the end of each poem serves as compensation for the omitted line in the body of each poem. It would appear that the added line was intended to make up for the omission of a line in the regular sequence, thereby retaining the normal and normative 22-line total for poems of this type: alphabetic acrostics. Alternatively and better, we could say that one of the internal lines of the poem has been omitted in order to allow for or to accomodate the addition of a final closing line" (Freedman 127; cf. Cf. Eriksson "Come, Children, listen to me!" 1991:44-5)
  • 'Missing' waw verse.
    • The waw verse is missing in Ps. 34, Ps. 25, and possibly also in the Qumran poem known as 'Apostrophe to Zion.'
    • "The whole alphabet is summed up in the name of its first letter. Now, to keep the total number of lines to twenty-two and still have this effect, necessitates the omission of a letter. The letter omitted is ו, perhaps because of its especially 'weak' character" (Eriksson "Come, Children, listen to me!" 1991:45).
• Beyond the acrostic structure which operates at the level of the verse (bicolon), it is difficult to discern any other clear structural patterns. The difficulty has even led one commentator to conclude that "the psalm is not subdivided into thought units longer than the verse" (Craigie 2004:278).
• There is some strong evidence, however, for a division into two parts (vv. 2-11 // vv. 12-23) (so Zenger 1993; Fokkelman 2003; van der Lugt 2006). Such a division is supported by the following considerations:
  • A division between v. 11 and v. 12 corresponds well with the content. See especially Speech act analysis, Emotional analysis, and participant analysis.
  • An ancient tradition divides Psalm 34 into two parts, reading a סלה at the end of v. 11. Though absent in the MT (and Targum and Pethitta), the LXX has διαψαλμα at the end of v. 11, and a number of Latin manuscripts have semper, including the Codex Amiatinus (see Weber Gryson 5th edition).
  • The division of acrostic poems into two parts, where that the lamed line begins the second part, is attested elsewhere (e.g., Ps. 9-10).
  • A number of features support a strong break between v. 11 and v. 12
    • "With the long verse 11 [6 words, 21 letters, 12 syllables], a pause is given" (Zenger 1993:210).
    • The long verse imperative and vocative (v. 12)
    • introduction of new topic ("the fear of YHWH") and speech act ("I will teach you") (v. 12b)
    • There is also some evidence to suggest that each of the psalm's two parts further divide into two smaller parts: (vv. 2-7; 8-11 // vv. 12-15; 17-23).
  • The division of vv. 2-11 into two parts is largely on the basis of participant analysis.
    • In vv. 2-7, David repeatedly refers to himself, and he gives his personal testimony of YHWH's deliverance.
    • In vv. 8-11, David does not refer to himself but speaks more generally of "those who fear YHWH" (יראיו), a phrase which is repeated verbatim in v. 8 and v. 10 and echoed with sound plays in vv. 9-10.
  • The division of vv. 12-23 into two parts is likewise based largely on participant analysis.
    • Verses 17-23 describe, in general terms and exclusively with indicative verbs, YHWH's provision for and protection of the righteous in contrast to the wicked. The section begins (v. 17) and ends (v. 23) with a clear contrast between the righteous and the wicked.
    • Verses 12-15 introduce the teaching and focus in on a hypothetical individual (האיש) who wants to live a long and happy life.
• There is also evidence to suggest that each of these four parts are further divided into smaller parts, such that the entire psalm consists of 22 verses (bicola) which are paired together to form 11 groups of four lines each (cf. van der Lugt).

Poetic Features

1. ABC Instruction

Feature

Psalm 34 is an acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (cf. Pss. 9-10; 25; 37; 111; 112; 119; 145). Just as there are 22 letters in the alphabet, so there are 22 verses in the psalm—23 if the superscription (v. 1) is included.

There are two exceptions, however, to the normal alphabetical structure (both of which also occur in Ps. 25): 1) There is no verse beginning with waw. 2) There is an additional verse at the end (v. 23) beginning with pe.

With the addition of the פ verse at the end, the letters beginning the first verse of the psalm (א), the middle verse of the psalm (ל), and the final verse of the psalm (פ) spell out אלף, the name of the first letter of the alphabet and a word which means "to teach."

Similarly, the first verse of the psalm contains 23 consonants (excluding matres lectionis)—the same as the number of verses in the psalm (if the superscription is included). The first consonant is א (=the first verse of the psalm), the middle consonant is ל (=the middle verse of the psalm), and the final consonant is פ (=the final verse in the psalm). Thus, the first verse of the psalm also spells out אלף ("to teach").

The middle verse of the psalm (v. 12—ל) similarly plays on the name of the letter lamed. In v. 12b, the psalmist says that he is going to "teach" his students (אֲלַמֶּדְכֶֽם) the fear of YHWH. The word למד, like אלף, is the name of a letter of the alphabet and a word that means "to teach."

See Anthony Ceresko, “The ABCs of Wisdom in Psalm Xxxiv,” VT 35 (1985): 99–104.

Effect

The alphabet is a symbol of completeness (cf. Gottwald 1954:23-32; IVP Dictionary, “Acrostic”, Soll Anchor Bible Dictionary; Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry 2001; Zenger 1993:211). In an acrostic poem, the poet takes a topic (e.g., Torah [Ps. 119], or the virtuous woman [Prov. 31]) and expounds on it completely (from every possible angle), so that the reader walks away with a high-resolution image of the topic (i.e., he/she understands it “from A to Z”). In Ps. 34, the topic might be summarised as “YHWH’s provision for and protection of those who fear him.” Each verse of the acrostic expounds on this theme and is like the stroke of a paintbrush; with each stroke, the picture becomes clearer, until finally it is complete. (Supporting the idea of completeness is the eight-fold repetition of כל in this psalm, including in the first verse and last lines of the psalm).

The features above also indicate that the purpose of this acrostic psalm is to teach: the words אלף and למד (both of which mean "to teach") are creatively woven into the structure of the psalm itself. (Cf. Speech act analysis).

2. Echoes of the Past

Feature

Psalm 34 has an historical superscription (v. 1) which connects it to an event in the story of David in the book of Samuel (see Historical Superscriptions and The Relationship Between Ps. 34 and its Historical Superscription). At first glance, the body of the psalm (vv. 2-23) does not appear to have a close relationship with its superscription (v. 1) or with the events of 1 Samuel 21 to which the superscription points. There are, however, a number of subtle connections between the psalm and its superscription.

1. The root טעם—indeed, the same consonantal text טעמו—appears in both Ps. 34:9a ("Taste...!") and in the superscription ("when he distorted his judgment" [lit.: "taste"]) (cf. 1 Sam. 21:14—וַיְשַׁנּ֤וֹ אֶת־טַעְמוֹ֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔ם).
2. The word תִּתְהַלֵּל in v. 3a ("to boast") sounds like the word הִתְהֹלֵל which means "to pretend to be mad" (HALOT) (cf. 1 Sam. 21:14—וַיִּתְהֹלֵ֖ל בְּיָדָ֑ם).
3. The word מְגוּרוֹתַי in v. 5b sounds like the word for "sojourning" (מָגוֹר)—indeed, the LXX translates מְגוּרוֹתַי in Ps. 34 as τῶν παροικιῶν μου ("all of my sojourns")—and may thus allude to David's sojourn in Gath (v. 1) (even though the word גור itself is not used in 1 Sam. 21).

A number of other words in Ps. 34 are found also in 1 Sam. 21:11f, the passage to which the superscription refers. E.g., ירא, חסר, עבד, זה, ראה. Of these, the word ירא ("fear") seems especially significant. As Childs points out, 1 Sam. 21:11ff is the only story in Samuel that describes David as being "afraid" (1 Sam. 21:13—וַיִּרָ֣א מְאֹ֔ד). "Fear"—specifically the fear of YHWH—is also a major theme in Ps. 34 (vv. 8a, 10ab, 12b). Brevard Childs, “Psalm Titles and Midrashic Exegesis,” Journal of Semitic Studies 16, no. 2 (Autumn 1971): 137–150.

There is also an important difference between the superscription of Ps. 34 and the story of 1 Sam. 21:11ff. In 1 Samuel 21, the king of Gath is called אכיש (his personal name), while in Ps. 34:1 he is called אבימלך (his title). The use of אבימלך instead of אכיש may be intended to recall the story of Abraham (Gen. 20), who, like David, sojourned in Gath and deceived the king of Gath by pretending to be someone he wasn't.

Effect

By alluding to the events described in the superscription and in 1 Samuel 21:11ff, the psalm continually reminds us of the concrete situation in which it arose (or, with which it came to be associated). Knowing the concrete situation behind Psalm 34 gives the psalm colour. For example, without its superscription and the allusions to the historical situation, Ps. 34 might be read as a general psalm of deliverance from danger. With its superscription and allusions, however, statements like "this is a poor man who cried out" (v. 7) take on deeper significance: the "poor man" is not just anybody, but David, who, being hunted by Saul, has fled to a foreign land where he has become afraid for his life. This high-resolution understanding of the psalm also makes it easier for anyone who prays the psalm to relate to its content. As Mays writes, "The psalm titles ... are ... hermeneutical ways of relating the psalms to the lives of those who lived in the face of threats from enemies within and without and from their own sin, and who sought to conduct their lives according to the way of David" (Mays 1986). Cf. Historical Superscriptions. And, in the case of Ps. 34, which echoes Abraham's story (Gen. 20) and in which we hear Abraham's voice along with David's voice, the reader is not only invited to imitate David, but Abraham as well. The allusion to Abraham also strengthens the argument of the psalm as a whole: YHWH provides for and protects the righteous. He did it for David and for Abraham. Therefore, he can do it for you.

3. Symmetry

Feature

The psalm is highly integrated by repeated words and roots (see repeated roots chart). Based on the patterned repetition of words and roots, the four sections in this psalm—see poetic structure—are arranged symmetrically (so van der Lugt 2006):

A – vv. 2-7

B – vv. 8-11

B' – vv. 12-15

A' – vv. 16-23

The two middle sections are connected by the similar sounding roots ירא and ראה as well as by the word טוב, which occurs twice in each section. Although not a repeated root, the phrase הגבר in v. 9 corresponds to the phrase האיש in v. 13.

The two outer sections are connected by the use of מכל, which occurs twice in each section, by the nearly identical shapes of v. 7 and v. 18, by the use of the noun נפש at the beginning and the end (vv. 3, 23). Another striking correspondence exists between v. 6 and vv. 16-17. Verse 6 describes the "face" of the righteous who look "to" YHWH, and vv. 16-17 describe the "face" of YHWH who opposes the wicked and looks "toward" the righteous.

Effect

It can seem as though Psalm 34 "is not subdivided into thought units longer than the verse" (Craigie 2004:278) and that there is little poetic patterning in the psalm beyond that which is provided by the acrostic. Further reading and reflection, however, shows that the psalm is arranged symmetrically by the use of repeated words and roots. The second part of the psalm (vv. 12-23) thus corresponds to the first part of the psalm (vv. 2-11) in much the same way that a b-line might parallel an a-line within a verse. The effect is to unify the parts into a whole and to produce an overall shape in which the different parts of the psalm are to be understood.

Line Division

• The division of this psalm into lines presents few problems. In most cases, the syntax, accents, pausal forms, and manuscript traditions (esp. the Greek tradition) clearly demarcate the lines. The proposed line division agrees with the Masoretic accents and the Babylonian ms Qu. 680 in every instance except v. 8.
• v. 8. The lineation of v. 8 is difficult. The oldest Greek manuscripts (S, B, A) give no division at all, presenting the whole verse as a single line. The Tiberian accents—this is the only verse in the psalm in which revia marks the main division—suggest a division between לִֽירֵאָ֗יו and וַֽיְחַלְּצֵֽם. This division corresponds to the syntactic division between the two clauses in this verse. The problem with this division, however, is that it results in a one-word line (וַֽיְחַלְּצֵֽם), and one-word lines are exceedingly rare, if not impossible (cf. Krohn 2021). Furthermore, other ancient witnesses to the line division (which generally agree with the accents) do not divide v. 8 in this way. The old Babylonian manuscript Berlin Qu. 680—perhaps the oldest extant Hebrew manuscript to contain a lineated version of Ps. 34—divides the text as חנה מלאך יהוה סביב | ליראיו ויחלצם, (cf. Codex Amiatinus), but a division between סביב and ליראיו seems unlikely, since the two words constitute a single prepositional phrase. Another (later) Babylonian manuscript (Or2373 f.13v) divides v. 8 as חנה מלאך יהוה | סביב ליראיו ויחלצם (so also the Aleppo codex; so BHS, Zenger 1993:212, Fokkelman 2003, van der Lugt 2006). Some Tiberian manuscripts even read a disjunctive accent (shalshellet gadol) after יהוה (see Ginsburg). This division is the least problematic, and it results in a relatively balanced structure (2 words // 3 words), which may represent the meaning iconographically: in the second line, "those who fear YHWH" are surrounded.

Line Length

• The psalm consists entirely of bicola.
• The psalm has 44 lines and 132 prosodic words
• The average line length is exactly 3.

Repeated Roots

• "Within the acrostic structure, the poet has created a sense of literary unity by the repeated use of the same or related words" (Craigie 2004:277).
• Liebreich argues that "in the light of the various key words, both the structure as well as the contents of this Psalm point unmistakably to its logical division into the following four units:" (Liebreich, "Psalms 34 and 145 in the Light of their Key Words," 1956).
  • I. vv. 2-4
  • II. vv. 5-11
  • III. vv. 12-15
  • IV. vv. 16-23
• Most frequently occurring words/roots: YHWH (16 times) (absent in vv. 13-15 - "keep away from evil"); כל (8 times); רע/רעה (5 times); שמע (4 times); ירא (4 times); טוב (4 times); הציל (3 times); צדיק (3 times).
• Most interpreters agree that Psalm 34 consists of two halves (vv. 2-11; vv. 12-23) and that the midpoint of the psalm is between v. 11 and v. 12 (Liebreich 1956; van der Lugt; Zenger 1993:210-214; et al.). It is fruitful to see how repeated words and roots interact with and across this midpoint.
• Some of the repeated words occur an equal number of times in both halves of the psalm.
  • The word כל occurs 4 times in each half.
  • The word שמע occurs 2 times in each half.
  • The word טוב occurs 2 times in each half.
  • The word פנים occurs 1 time in each half.
  • The word צרות occurs 1 time in each half.
  • The word הושיע occurs 1 time in each half.
  • The word חסה occurs 1 time in each half.
  • The word נפש occurs 1 time in each half, near the beginning (v. 3) and end of the psalm (v. 23)
• Some repeated words occur only in one half of the psalm.
  • The root רעע occurs 5 times in the second half of the psalm.
  • The word צדיק occurs 3 times in the second half of the psalm.
• Some repeated roots create short-range cohesion between consecutive verses.
  • הלל (vv. 2-3)
  • חסר (vv. 10-11)
  • שבר (vv. 19-21)
  • אשם (vv. 22-23)
  • The repetition of אשם at the conclusion of the second half may mirror the repetition of חסר at the end of the first half. In the first half, the righteous will ‘lack’ no good thing. In the end, the wicked will ‘bear’ and not ‘lack’ the penalty for their sins (but the righteous will lack it!).
• Possible longer range cohesion: עני (vv. 3, 7) and עשה (vv. 15, 17)