Psalm 37 Macrosyntax

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They will soon wither

Psalm 37

See Full Discourse Layer

Macrosyntax

  What is Macrosyntax?

Macrosyntax Diagram

  Legend

Macrosyntax legend
Vocatives	Vocatives are indicated by purple text.
Discourse marker	Discourse markers (such as כִּי, הִנֵּה, לָכֵן) are indicated by orange text.
	The scope governed by the discourse marker is indicated by a dashed orange bracket connecting the discourse marker to its scope.
	The preceding discourse grounding the discourse marker is indicated by a solid orange bracket encompassing the relevant clauses.
Subordinating conjunction	The subordinating conjunction is indicated by teal text.
	Subordination is indicated by a solid teal bracket connecting the subordinating conjunction with the clause to which it is subordinate.
Coordinating conjunction	The coordinating conjunction is indicated by blue text.
	Coordination is indicated by a solid blue line connecting the coordinating clauses.
	Coordination without an explicit conjunction is indicated by a dashed blue line connecting the coordinated clauses.
	Marked topic is indicated by a black dashed rounded rectangle around the marked words.
	The scope of the activated topic is indicated by a black dashed bracket encompassing the relevant clauses.
Marked focus or thetic sentence	Marked focus (if one constituent) or thetic sentences are indicated by bold text.
	Frame setters are indicated by a solid gray rounded rectangle around the marked words.
[blank line]	Discourse discontinuity is indicated by a blank line.
[indentation]	Syntactic subordination is indicated by indentation.
	Direct speech is indicated by a solid black rectangle surrounding all relevant clauses.
(text to elucidate the meaning of the macrosyntactic structures)	Within the CBC, any text elucidating the meaning of macrosyntax is indicated in gray text inside parentheses.

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.

(Click diagram to enlarge)

• Divisions
• Word Order
• Vocatives
• Discourse Markers
• Conjunctions

There are no notes on divisions for this psalm.

• In v. 2a, two constituents appear before the verb: the prepositional phrases כֶחָצִיר ("like grass") and the adverb מְהֵרָה ("soon"). The phrase כֶחָצִיר ("like grass") might be fronted as a frame-setter: it introduces the agricultural contextual domain which the rest of the clause assumes. The adverb מְהֵרָה ("soon") is probably fronted for marked focus: the point of comparing the wicked to grass is not so much that the wicked "will wither" but that their withering will be soon (cf. v. 10 עוֹד מְעַט). We might paraphrase the clause as follows: "Just like grass, their withering will be soon." Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD."
• V. 2b, with the fronting of the prepositional phrase כְיֶרֶק דֶּשֶׁא, parallels the word order of the previous clause. Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD//MKD."
• The verb יַעֲשֶֽׂה in v. 5 has an explicit 3ms pronoun as its subject: הוּא ("he"). The use of this pronoun probably indicates marked focus: "and he [=YHWH] will act." The addressee in this psalm is apparently tempted to become angry and to to take matters into his own hands. The speaker encourages him, instead, to wait patiently and silently for YHWH (e.g., vv. 5-8), and YHWH will act on his behalf. Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD."
• V. 8b mentions "acting wickedly" (להרע). In v. 9a, therefore, the subject "those who act wickedly" (מְרֵעִים) is presupposed and fronted as known information ("and as for the wicked..."). In the following clause (v. 9b), the subject קֹוֵי יְהוָה is extraposed (or, left-disolated) to create a contrast with the subject in the preceding clause. "The extraposed element is וקוי יהוה, which is contrasted with the foregoing [Noun Phrase functioning as the Subject] מרעים" (Lunn 2006, 84). The pronoun המה, which resumes the noun phrase, indicates marked focus: "and, by contrast, those who hope in YHWH—they (and not the wicked) will possess the land." Cf. Gen 15:4; Deut 1:30; Deut 1:37-38; Ps 38:11.
• In v. 11, the subject עֲנָוִים ("the humble") is probably fronted for marked focus. The wicked will be destroyed (v. 10), and so it will be the humble (not the wicked) who will possess the land (cf. v. 29). Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD."
• The participles in v. 12 (זֹמֵם רָשָׁע), v. 21 (לֹוֶה רָשָׁע), and v. 32 (צוֹפֶה רָשָׁע) are fronted in order to fit the acrostic structure. At the same time, each of the participles in these three verses describes some activity of the wicked person (רָשָׁע) who has been present from the beginning of the psalm (cf. מְרֵעִים in v. 1). Thus, the fronting of the verbs can also be interpreted as verbal focus. In each clause, the "wicked person" is presupposed, and the focal information is what the wicked person is doing: he is plotting (v. 12), he is lending (v. 21), he is watching. (Each of these fronted participial clauses also has a structural function, opening new sections in the psalm; see Poetic Structure).
• The subject of v. 13a (אֲדֹנָי—"the Lord") is fronted, probably because the clause is thetic; nothing in the clause is presupposed in the context. The previous verses mention the wicked and the righteous, and they do not mention (or imply) "the Lord" or "laughing." Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD."
• The object of v. 14a (חֶרֶב—"sword") is fronted, probably just to fit the acrostic structure. The fronting of this constituent also creates a small chiasm that spans the first half of v. 14: a. "sword"; b. "they have drawn"; b' "they have strung"; a' "their bows." Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "DEF."
• The subjects in v. 15 ("their swords... their bows") are presupposed, having been mentioned explicitly in v. 14. They are probably fronted for marked topic (listing): "as for their swords (which I mentioned earlier), they will go into their own hearts; and as for their bows (which I also mentioned earlier), they will be broken." Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD//MKD."
• The subject in v. 17a, "the arms of the wicked" (זְרוֹעוֹת רְשָׁעִים), is accessible for topic activation, since the previous clause (v. 16) mentions "the wicked" explicitly, and the phrase "abundance of many wicked people" implies that the wicked have "power" (here signified metonymically by "arms"). Thus, the subject "arms of the wicked" is fronted before the verb as the topic of the clause. Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD." The rest of the verse goes on to comment on what will happen to the arms of the wicked: they will be broken.
• In v. 15b, the predicate (סוֹמֵךְ צַדִּיקִים) is fronted for marked focus: "YHWH is upholding the righteous" (and so their arms will remain strong and intact).
• The participle in v. 18a (יוֹדֵעַ) is fronted, probably to fit the requirements of the acrostic structure (but see Ps 1:6).
• The double fronting of וְנַחֲלָתָם לְעוֹלָם in v. 18b is probably topic + focus: "and as for their inheritance, it will be forever." "Inheritance" is presupposed in the context (cf. the previous references to possessing the land). But cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "DEF."
• The fronting of the prepositional phrase at the beginning of v. 19b ("in times of famine"—בִימֵי רְעָבוֹן) creates a chiasm with the previous verse: a. "they will not be ashamed" b. "during hard times" b'. "during times of famine" a'. "they will eat their fill." Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "DEF."
• In v. 20, "the wicked" (רְשָׁעִים) are presupposed. Although v. 20 begins a new strophe, the כִּי connects this strophe to the preceding discourse, which has mentioned the wicked a number of times. The word רְשָׁעִים is fronted because it is presupposed: "the wicked (whom I've been talking about) will perish!" (cf. v. 9a). Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD."
• The topical subjects in v. 22ab are fronted so as to contrast with one another (cf. v. 9). Cf. Lunn 2006, 77.
• The fronting of the prepositional phrase "by YHWH" (מֵיְהוָה) in v. 23 meets the requirements of the acrostic (mem strophe). It can also be explained as an instance of marked focus (contra Lunn 2006, 304, "DEF//DEF"). The previous verses (vv. 21-22) contrasted the behavior of the righteous and the wicked. This verse (v. 23) now answers the question: what is the source of the righteous person's righteousness? Answer: it is from YHWH that a person's steps are established (i.e., brought into conformity with YHWH's will). (Interestingly, 4Q171 has a כיא ("for") at the beginning of v. 23, which suggests that they interpreted the psalm similarly). In the b-line, דַרְכּוֹ (direct object) is fronted as the topic: the point of the line is to say something about the person's path (implied by the previous clause). The fronting of וְדַרְכּ֥וֹ also creates a pattern of repetition after the focus-fronted מֵ֭יְהוָה: noun-about-steps – verb // noun-about-steps – verb.
• The predicate complement "young man" (נַעַר) is probably fronted in v. 25 for the sake of the acrostic structure (nun strophe), and might also be thetic (cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD").
• The adverbial phrase "all day long" (כָּל־הַיּוֹם) in v. 26 is fronted for marked focus, as כל phrases often are (cf. Lunn 2006, 198-199). The point of the clause is not that the righteous person gives, but that he gives all day long, i.e., "non-stop, all the time."
• v. 30a. The subject "a righteous person's mouth" (פִּי־צַדִּיק) is probably fronted to meet the requirements of the acrostic (pe strophe). The clause is probably also thetic, since none of the information in this clause is presupposed; this is the first time the psalm has mentioned the "mouth" of the righteous or the speaking of wisdom. Cf. Lunn 2006, 132, who likewise regards this as an example of "sentence-focus structure."
• v. 30b. The subject "his tongue" (לְשׁוֹנוֹ) is probably fronted to match the word order of the previous clause, creating an aba'b' structure (cf. v. 2).
• The subject עַוָּלִים in v. 28b is fronted for the sake of the acrostic structure. The clause, which begins a new strophe, is probably also thetic. (The acrostic appears to lend itself to these independent though-units.) The word order in the b-line parallels the order of the a-line S-V // S-V (cf. v. 30).
• The subject "the righteous" (צַדִּיקִ֥ים) in v. 29 is probably fronted for marked focus. The wicked will be destroyed (v. 10), and so it will be the righteous (not the wicked) who will possess the land (cf. v. 11). Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD."
• The fronting of "YHWH" (before both verb and negative marker) in v. 33a might mark the clause as thetic (cf. v. 13), or it might simply mark the shift in topic (preferred). Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD."
• The phrase "when the wicked are destroyed" is fronted in v. 34 as a frame-setter.
• The fronting of "those who rebel" and "the future of the wicked" in v. 38 marks a topic shift and a contrast with the topic of the previous verse: "...a peaceful person has a future. But as for those who rebel..." (Cf. v. 28b). The repetition of the word אַחֲרִית further underscores the contrast: the peaceful person will have a future, whereas the future of hte wicked will be destroyed. Cf. Lunn 2006, 304, "MKD//MKD."

There are no notes on vocatives for this psalm.

• The speaker's use of הִנֵּה in v. 35 invites the addressee to see the surprising situation for himself. Cf. BHRG §40.22.4.1(2): "וְהִנֵּה is used by a narrator (sometimes a speaker) to put the addressee in the perspective of the observing character... Typically, one or another type of movement and/or change of scene is involved so that the the observers are confronted with a new situation which is surprising to them" (e.g., Gen 8:13; 37:29; 42:27; 43:21; Num 17:7; Jdg 3:24; 1 Kgs 3:21; cf. van der Merwe and Miller-Naudé 2011, §3.2; see also Zewi 1996, 21).

• The כִּי in v. 2 indicates that the two clauses in v. 2 ground the exhortations in v. 1 (speech act כִּי; see Locatell 2019).
• The כִּי in v. 9 indicates that the two clauses in v. 2 ground the exhortations in v. 8 (speech act כִּי; see Locatell 2019).
• The waw at the beginning of v. 10 is necessary for the acrostic structure. (Note that every clause in the waw strophe begins with waw.)
• The כִּי clause in v. 20 probably grounds the entire first half of the psalm (vv. 1-19, see Poetic Structure) (cf. the כִּי clauses at the end of Pss 1; 5; 11; 100). Alternatively, the כִּי might be adversative ("but"), creating a contrast with the description of the righteous in the previous strophe (vv. 18-19).
• The waw in v. 21a might indicate a circumstantial clause (cf. GKC §156): "he is borrowing without the intention of repaying."
• The כִּי in v. 22a is difficult to interpret, and modern translations give a variety of options: "for" (ESV); "surely" (NET); null (NIV, NLT, GNT, CEV). The כִּי clause is probably causal ("for"), and it explains why the righteous are so generous (cf. Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 236, who argue that v. 21 is about contrasting the behavior of the righteous and the wicked). They are generous because they (who have been blessed by YHWH with material things to share with others) know that in the end they will possess the land (cf. Abraham's generosity in Gen 13). Because they know that wealth awaits them in future, they are motivated to generosity in the present.
• The כִּי + yiqtol in v. 24 is either concessive ("even if", so Locatell 2017, 254; cf. JM §171b "even though"; so most English translations) or temporal ("when", so LXX [ὅταν]; Jerome [cum] NASB). If temporal, then the clause assumes that the righteous will occasionally stumble, and the idea is probably similar to Ps 34:20—"The hardships of the righteous are many, but YHWH rescues him from all of them."
• The waw in v. 35b introduces a circumstantial clause (cf. Baethgen 1904, 107-108; cf. GKC §156c).
• The waw at the beginning of v. 39 (וּתְשׁוּעַת) is unexpected and somewhat disrupts the acrostic structure. The waw probably coordinates with the previous clause, and so it reinforces the contrast between the wicked and the righteous: "the future of the wicked is destroyed. By contrast (waw) the salvation of the righteous (which is implied in the destruction of the wicked in the previous clause) comes from YHWH." The waw at the beginning of this final strophe also creates a poetic connection with the final strophe of the first quarter of the psalm (vv. 1-11), which also began with waw (וְע֣וֹד מְ֭עַט) (see Poetic Structure).