Psalm 36 Overview
YHWH's Unending Loyalty
Psalm 36
Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 36
This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 36 as a whole. It includes the following sections:
Introduction to Psalm 36
Author:
Purpose:
- To assure YHWH's people that his loyalty is precious and unending.
Content:
- Rebellion leads the wicked person to increasing evil (vv. 2-5), but YHWH's loyalty to his people is unaffected (vv. 6-10). That's why YHWH continues his loyalty to his people by protecting them from evil(doers) (vv. 11-13).
Message:
- YHWH's loyalty triumphs over evil.
Psalm 36 At-a-Glance
These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content.
Background Orientation for Psalm 36
Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.
- The evil actions of the "wicked" (רשׁע; vv. 2-5) threaten the lives of those who are "upright in heart" (ישׁרי לב; v. 11) (cf. Ps 11:2).
- YHWH's "loyalty" (חֶסֶד) refers to his commitment to fulfill his obligations towards his people — his "covenant partners" — and demonstrate this commitment by his actions (see SDBH).
- YHWH's temple is a place of safety and security (cf. Pss 27:5; 61:4-5).
Background Situation for Psalm 36
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon.
Participants in Psalm 36
There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 36:
| David |
| "YHWH's servant" (v. 1) |
| YHWH's people |
| "those who know you" (v. 11) |
| "the upright in heart" (v. 11) |
| Humans |
| Mortals |
| YHWH |
| "God" (v. 8) |
| Animals |
| Enemies |
| "the wicked [person]" (v. 2) |
| "the arrogant [people]" (v. 12) |
| "the wicked [people]" (v. 12) |
| "evildoers" (v. 13) |
| Body Parts of Enemies |
| "the foot [of the arrogant]" (v. 12) |
| "the hand [of the wicked]" (v. 12) |
| Rebellion |
- Enemies: It is unclear whether the enemies in Ps 36 are from within (i.e., fellow Israelites) or without (i.e., foreign powers), yet the descriptions of YHWH's attributes and the allusions to the temple suggest that they are "criminally minded, powerful and arrogant Israelites or Judaeans" (Botha 2004, 518). A singular wicked person is the focus of vv. 2-5 and appears to be representative of a larger group referred to later as "arrogant" (v. 12), "wicked" (v. 12), and "evildoers" (v. 13) (cf. Botha 2004, 517; le Mat 1957, 68). The enemies set themselves up against YHWH and David (and, by extension, YHWH's people). Because of their hostility towards YHWH and his people, such enemies fall, are thrust down, and are not able to stand up (v. 13); in other words, they die.
- Rebellion: Rebellion is personified as an "inspiring demon" who, masquerading as a prophet, speaks to the wicked person (Gunkel 1926, 152; cf. Gen 4:7; Ps 119:133b) and flatters him (see The Syntax and Meaning of Ps. 36:3). Instead of listening to the נאם יהוה "declaration of YHWH," the wicked person heeds its antithesis — the נאם פשׁע "declaration of Rebellion."
- Animals: The mention of "humans and animals" (v. 7) could be meristic, encapsulating "the totality of living beings" (Botha 2004, 511n17; Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 227). The inclusion of animals in v. 7 is fitting in light of the preceding creation language (e.g., sky, clouds, etc.). Here, as in other places (cf. Jonah 4:11; Pss 104:14; 147:9), YHWH demonstrates his concern for both humans and animals.