Psalm 36 Academics
YHWH's Unending Loyalty
Psalm 36
Academic Resources
Explore our academic Psalms resources for Psalm 36, including our Layer-by-Layer analysis, select Exegetical Issues, and Overview Videos.
Overview 
- This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 36 as a whole. It covers the message, structure, background and participants of the psalm.
Layer-by-Layer Analysis 
- The heart of our process is our layer-by-layer exegetical analysis, where we unfold the semantics, story behind, discourse, and poetics of each psalm.
Grammar & Semantics
Semantics is the study of how language is used to represent meaning. The goal of semantic analysis is to understand the meaning of words and how they relate to each other in context. Our Semantics analysis consists of the following sub-layers:
- Grammar & Textual Criticism
- Lexical Semantics
- Phrase-Level Semantics
- Verbal Semantics
Story Behind
The Story Behind the Psalm shows how each part of the psalm fits together into a single coherent whole. Here, we analyze the meaning of sentences and larger units of discourse, up to and including the entire psalm. This also include historical background and figurative imagery.
Discourse
Our Discourse Layer moves beyond semantic-level meaning, and analyzes features of the text dependent on the speaker, addressee, and macrosyntax.
Poetics
Exploring the Psalms as poetry is crucial for understanding and experiencing the psalms and thus for faithfully translating them into another language.
Verse-by-Verse Notes 
- Explore the psalm verse-by-verse and section-by-section.
Psalm 36 Exegetical Issues 
- These issues examine the top three tough questions for each psalm, explaining different scholarly interpretations, and offering our perspective.
- The textual and grammatical difficulties of this phrase have led some scholars to the resignation that, "In spite of many suggestions, the original text cannot be recovered."[1] The considerable divergence among modern translations seems to support this notion. The differences among these translations prompt the following questions:
- Who or what is the speaker? A sinner or transgression?
- Whose heart is it? The wicked person's or the psalmist's?
- What is the function of the prepositional phrase לרשׁע? Does the ל preposition indicate the recipient of the declaration, the possessor of the declaration, the object of a verb, or a purpose clause?
- Modern translations disagree regarding the subject of the finite verb, הֶחֱלִיק he flatters, and the function of two לְ + infinitive construct phrases, לִמְצֹא עֲוֺנוֹ לִשְׂנֹא. The translations identify the subject of הֶחֱלִיק as either רָשָׁע "the wicked person(s)" (v. 2; ESV, NET, NIV), לִמְצֹא עֲוֺנוֹ לִשְׂנֹא "carrying out sin and practicing hatred" (ELB, EÜ), or פֶּשַׁע "transgression" (v. 2; JPS85).
- The syntax of this verse makes it difficult to determine whether אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים God should be grouped with the preceding text (e.g., "How precious is your steadfast love, O God!") or the succeeding text (e.g., "Gods and men seek refuge in the shadow of your wings"). The grouping of אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים significantly affects the meaning and message of the psalm as a whole, but especially vv. 8-11.
Psalm 36 Videos 
- ↑ deClaissé-Walford, et al. 2014, 341.