Psalm 36 Poetic Structure
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Psalm 36/Poetic Structure
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YHWH's Unending Loyalty
Psalm 36
Guardian: Hunter Bullock
Poetic Structure
In poetic structure, we analyse the structure of the psalm beginning at the most basic level of the structure: the line (also known as the “colon” or “hemistich”). Then, based on the perception of patterned similarities (and on the assumption that the whole psalm is structured hierarchically), we argue for the grouping of lines into verses, verses into sub-sections, sub-sections into larger sections, etc. Because patterned similarities might be of various kinds (syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, sonic) the analysis of poetic structure draws on all of the previous layers (especially the Discourse layer).
Poetic Macro-structure
At-a-Glance
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. |
| v. 1 For the director. By the servant of YHWH — by David. | Superscription | |||
| v. 2 Rebellion’s declaration [speaks] to the wicked in the midst of his heart. There is no fear of God before his eyes. | Evil Abounds | Rebellion distorts the perception of the wicked so that he rejects all good and plots only evil. |  |
alarm |
| v. 3 For [Rebellion] has flattered him in his eyes, that he has found his iniquity and hated it. | ||||
| v. 4 The words of his mouth are evil and deceit. He has ceased to act wisely and to do good. | ||||
| v. 5 He plots evil on his bed. He remains beside every way that is not good. He does not refuse evil. | ||||
| v. 6 YHWH, your loyalty is in the sky; your faithfulness [extends] up to the clouds. | Loyalty Abounds | YHWH is unthreatened. His loyalty extends everywhere and his justice remains firm. |  |
awe |
| v. 7 Your justice is like the mighty mountains; your judgment is [like] the great ocean. You deliver humans and animals, YHWH. | ||||
| v. 8 How precious is your loyalty, God! Mortals take refuge within the protection of your wings. | YHWH’s loyalty offers people refuge and delight. YHWH’s light enables their perception. |  |
joy | |
| v. 9 They drink to the full from the abundance of your house and you give them drink from your delightful stream, | ||||
| v. 10 Because the spring of life is with you. By your light we can see light. | ||||
| v. 11 Continue your loyalty for those who know you; and [continue] your righteousness for the upright in heart! | Loyalty Overcomes Evil | YHWH’s continued loyalty protects the upright and ensures evildoers fail. |  |
triumph |
| v. 12 Do not let the foot of the arrogant come against me; and do not let the hand of the wicked drive me away! | ||||
| v. 13 Evildoers have fallen there. They have been thrust down and have not been able to stand up. | ||||
Notes
- Psalm 36 is typically divided into three sections (vv. 2-5, 6-10, 11-13), the boundaries of which correspond with major shifts in theme and genre: vv. 2-5 describe the wicked person in the vein of the "wisdom tradition"; vv. 6-10 represent a hymn of praise to YHWH; vv. 11-13 are a prayer for help (Lugt 2006, 364). The psalm is framed by a few inclusios: the mention of רשׁע(ים) in vv. 2a and 12b and און in vv. 4a, 5a and 13a; the negatives לא (v. 5b, 5c) and לא/אל (vv. 12, 13b); the clustering of body part terms (vv. 2, 3a, 4a and 11b, 12). On a smaller scale, חַסְדְּךָ "your loyalty" begins three distinct sections (vv. 6-7, 8-10, 11-13) and functions as "the backbone and focus of the psalmist’s praise" in these sections (NICOT 2014, 345). Its absence in the section describing the wicked person (vv. 2-5) is perhaps not coincidental; the wicked person does not/cannot receive the blessing of YHWH's חסד "loyalty."
- vv. 2-5: The psalm's first section describes the wicked person via the clustering of third-person suffixes (vv. 2a, 2b, 3a [x2], 3b, 4a, 5a), body part terms (v. 2a - לב; vv. 2b, 3a - עין; v. 4a - פה) and sin terms (v. 2a - פשׁע, רשׁע; v. 3a - עון; vv. 4a, 5a - און, v. 4a - מרמה; v. 5c - רע). The lines within each line grouping contain the same amount of words, creating a prosodic balance which supports the notion that vv. 2-5 form a discrete unit.
- vv. 6-10:The division between v. 5 and v. 6 is not only supported by a thematic shift (i.e., description of wicked person to praise of YHWH), but perhaps also by a ms fragment found at Qumran, 4Q83, in which there appears to be a space interval between these verses. Elsewhere in 4Q83, similar space intervals signal the beginning of a new psalm, so "perhaps the scribe considered verse 6 as beginning a new Psalm," or at the very least a new section of the same psalm (DJD XVI, 14). Vv. 6-10 can be subdivided as follows:
- Vv. 6-7 "constitutes the meaningful centre" of the entire psalm and "is significantly delimited by the 2 occurrences of the name YHWH functioning as a device for inclusion" (Labuschagne 2006, 1). That "YHWH" is reserved for the section devoted to his praise and is nowhere to be found in the section describing the wicked person (vv. 2-5) indicates visually/poetically the real distinction between the wicked person and YHWH: as in the poem, so also in life, YHWH has no dealings with the wicked.
- Vv. 8-10 are bracketed by similar sounds (מ, ק, ר, ח) within the expressions מַה־יָּקָר חַסְדְּךָ (v. 8a) and מְקוֹר חַיִּים (v. 10a). This section also features the second mention of אלהים, however the sense here of "divine beings" is different than the previous mention of אלהים "God" (v. 2b).
- vv. 11-13: The final section is demarcated by the opening imperative מְשֹׁךְ "continue" and by its classification as a prayer for help (Lugt 2006, 361). This is the only section in which first-person language appears, which is fitting for a prayer. This section also displays a clustering of imperatives (vv. 11a, 12ab), representing the only imperatives in the psalm.
Line Divisions
Line division divides the poem into lines and line groupings. We determine line divisions based on a combination of external evidence (Masoretic accents, pausal forms, manuscripts) and internal evidence (syntax, prosodic word counting and patterned relation to other lines). Moreover, we indicate line-groupings by using additional spacing.
When line divisions are uncertain, we consult some of the many psalms manuscripts which lay out the text in lines. Then, if a division attested in one of these manuscripts/versions influences our decision to divide the text at a certain point, we place a green symbol (G, DSS, or MT) to the left of the line in question.
| Poetic line division legend | |
|---|---|
| Pausal form | Pausal forms are highlighted in yellow. |
| Accent which typically corresponds to line division | Accents which typically correspond to line divisions are indicated by red text. |
| | | Clause boundaries are indicated by a light gray vertical line in between clauses. |
| G | Line divisions that follow Greek manuscripts are indicated by a bold green G. |
| DSS | Line divisions that follow the Dead Sea Scrolls are indicated by a bold green DSS. |
| M | Line divisions that follow Masoretic manuscripts are indicated by a bold green M. |
| Number of prosodic words | The number of prosodic words are indicated in blue text. |
| Prosodic words greater than 5 | The number of prosodic words if greater than 5 is indicated by bold blue text. |
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. |
Notes
- v. 2 - An atnaḥ is present in MT's לִבִּ֑י.
- v. 3 - The A line is one of two lines (v. 8b) in Ps 36 that does not end with a clause boundary. That the A line ends with an atnaḥ justifies its separation from the B line.
- v. 5b - Without the emendation, this line includes three prosodic words (יִתְיַצֵּב עַל־דֶּרֶךְ לֹא־טוֹב); with the emendation, the line could still include three prosodic words if עַל־כֹּל־דֶּ֣רֶךְ was joined by maqqefs (for כל and דרך joined by maqqef, cf. Pss 91:11; 119:168: 139:3; 145:17).
- v. 8 - Greek and Masoretic witnesses group אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים with the A line, resulting in the following line division: A - מַה־יָּקָ֥ר חַסְדְּךָ֗ אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים and B - וּבְנֵ֥י אָדָ֑ם בְּצֵ֥ל כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ יֶחֱסָיֽוּן. According to this division, the A line contains three prosodic words and three stressed syllables; the B line contains five prosodic words and five stressed syllables. If, instead, v. 8 is divided into three lines in which אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים is grouped with the B line, the resulting word and stressed syllable counts are more balanced: A - two prosodic words, two stressed syllables; B - three prosodic words, three stressed syllables; C - three prosodic words, three stressed syllables. The division of v. 8 into three lines is preferred based on such prosodic balance and the grammatical grouping of אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים and וּבְנֵ֥י אָדָ֑ם as a compound subject (see Grammar note).