Psalm 4/Mathematical

Mathematical

Fokkelman's prosody and syllable counts

The following table is from Fokkelman's Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible Volume 2, Appendix I.

Strophe	Verse	Syllables per word	Syllables per line	Syllables per strophe
1	2	3.3.3.2 / 2.3.1 / 3.3.4	11 + 6 + 10 = 27	27
2	3	2.1.1.1.3.3 / 3.1.3.2	11 + 9 = 20	40
	4	3.1.2.2.2.1 / 2.2.3.2	11 + 9 = 20
3	5	2.2.3 / 2.3.1.3.3	7 + 12 = 19	30
	6	2.2.1 / 3.1.2	5 + 6 = 11
4	7	2.3.1.3.1 / 2.3.1.3.2	10 + 11 = 21	40
	8	3.2.3 / 2.3.4.2	8 + 11 = 19
5	9	3.2.3.3 / 1.2.2 / 3.2.4	11 + 5 + 9 = 25	25

• "This Psalm shares its total of 18 cola with Pss.1 and 3."
• "Remarkably, five out of the nine verses consist of ten words."
• "Strophes 2 and 4, the pair flanking the centre, have exactly the same number of syllables. In strophe 2 there is even a symmetry in the cola, as vv.3 and 4 both have figures 11 + 9."
• The number 11 is popular here: it occurs no less than six times.",

Cola distribution

Tricola
Tricola occur on the outer edges of the psalm, functioning to open and close the psalm (vv.2, 9) and introduce the address to the sons of man (v.3)

• v.2abc (ABA')
• v.3abc (ABB')
• v.9abc (ABC)

Bicola
The heart of the psalm (vv.4-8) consists of 5 bicola. These are symmetrically arranged: the first two bicola (vv.4-5) are grouped together by an inclusio (ודעו / ודמו) as are the last two (vv.7-8, רבים / רבו). The shortest bicolon (v.6) is in the center. It connects lexically with the first and final lines of the psalm (צדק, בטח) and marks the transition from night (vv.4-5) to day (vv.7-8) (see above).

• v.4ab
• v.5ab
• v.6ab
• v.7ab
• v.8ab,

Selah

If the inclusio binding together vv.4-5 is recognized (ודעו / ודמו), then selah occurs at sectional divisions (cf. Ps. 3).

• v.3b (end of line/section)
• v.5b (end of line/section),

Quotations / direct speech

v.7a. The words of רַבִּים are quoted in this line. (See above on #Speaker change),

Elision

• v.3a. Implied 2mp transitive verb.,

Lunn on Word order

The following table has been adapted from Nicholas Lunn's Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry, Appendix 2. For a key to the various symbols and abbreviations, click here.

Ref.	Text	Constituent Order	Colon-Type
2	‎בְּקָרְאִי עֲנֵנִי אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי / בַּצָּר הִרְחַבְתָּ לִּי / חָנֵּנִי וּשְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי	M(Inf) V-o [Voc] / M V M / V-o w-V O	CAN/CAN/CAN2
3	‎בְּנֵי אִישׁ עַד־מֶה כְבוֹדִי לִכְלִמָּה / תֶּאֱהָבוּן רִיק // תְּבַקְשׁוּ כָזָב סֶלָה	[Voc] Q S Comp / V O // V O Selah	Nom/CAN//CAN
4	‎וּדְעוּ כִּי־הִפְלָה יְהוָה חָסִיד לוֹ / יְהוָה יִשְׁמַע בְּקָרְאִי אֵלָיו	w-V C-V S O M / S V M(Inf) M	CAN2/MKD
5	‎רִגְזוּ וְאַל־תֶּחֱטָאוּ / אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם עַל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶם וְדֹמּוּ סֶלָה	V w-Vneg / V M M w-V Selah	CAN2CAN2
6	זִבְחוּ זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק / וּבִטְחוּ אֶל־יְהוָה	V O / w-V M	CAN/CAN
7	רַבִּים אֹמְרִים / מִי־יַרְאֵנוּ טוֹב / נְסָה־עָלֵינוּ אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה	S Vptc / Q-V-o O / V-M O [Voc]	Ptcp/CAN/CAN
8	נָתַתָּה שִׂמְחָה בְלִבִּי // מֵעֵת דְּגָנָם וְתִירוֹשָׁם רָבּוּ	V O M / C S w-S V	CAN/MKD
9	בְּשָׁלוֹם יַחְדָּו אֶשְׁכְּבָה וְאִישָׁן / כִּי־אַתָּה יְהוָה לְבָדָד לָבֶטַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי	M V w-V / C-Spn [Voc] M M V-o	MKD-CAN/DEF?

,

Middle word (maqqef)

• total: 62; middle: אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם
• total w/selah: 64; middle: אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם,

Middle word (independent lexemes)

• total: 71; middle: בִלְבַבְכֶם
• total w/selah: 73; middle: עַל,

Middle line

v.5b. אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם עַל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶם וְדֹמּוּ
This line is marked in other ways as well:

• It is the longest line in the psalm (12 syllables). Note that this was the case also for Psalm 3.
• It contains a higher concentration of repeated lexical items than any other line. The roots אמר, לבב, and שׁכב are repeated throughout the rest of the psalm in the same order in which they occur in v.5b. Each repeated root appears in the a-line of a succeeding bi/tricolon: אמר is repeated in v.7a, לבב in v.8a, and שׁכב in v.9a.
• The image of lying down in bed is a thematically important image in this evening psalm. The psalm concludes with the same image (v.9).

In conclusion, v.5b may be regarded as the thematic peak of the psalm.