About the Story Behind Layer

The Story behind the Psalm shows how each part of the psalm fits together into a single coherent whole. Whereas most semantic analysis focuses on discrete parts of a text such as the meaning of a word or phrase, Story Behind the Psalm considers the meaning of larger units of discourse, including the entire psalm. (Click 'Expand' to the right for more information.)

The goal of this layer is to reconstruct and visualise a mental representation of the text as the earliest hearers/readers might have conceptualised it. We start by identifying the propositional content of each clause in the psalm, and then we identify relevant assumptions implied by each of the propositions. During this process, we also identify and analyse metaphorical language (“imagery”). Finally, we try to see how all of the propositions and assumptions fit together to form a coherent mental representation. The main tool we use for structuring the propositions and assumptions is a story triangle, which visualises the rise and fall of tension within a semantic unit. Although story triangles are traditionally used to analyse stories in the literary sense of the word, we use them at this layer to analyse “stories” in the cognitive sense of the word—i.e., a story as a sequence of propositions and assumptions that has tension.

Story Behind Visuals for Psalm 51

Summary Triangle

The story triangle below summarises the story of the whole psalm. We use the same colour scheme as in Participant Analysis. The star icon along the edge of the story-triangle indicates the point of the story in which the psalm itself (as a speech event) takes place. We also include a theme at the bottom of the story. The theme is the main message conveyed by the story-behind.

Background ideas

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.

2 Sam 11-12 recounts David's affair with Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah), who became pregnant with David's child. David then ordered Uriah's death and married Bathsheba to cover up the affair. The prophet Nathan confronted David for his sin and prophesied the death of his child with Bathsheba and continuous strife within his household. In response to Nathan's rebuke, David confessed his sin (2 Sam 12:13). David and Bathsheba's son became very ill, and David desperately pleaded for his son's life. Nevertheless, the child died as Nathan had prophesied, and David then went and worshipped in the house of YHWH.
In 2 Sam 7, YHWH made a covenant with David to raise up a son in his place and to ensure an everlasting Davidic dynasty. Though David was not permitted to build a temple to YHWH in Jerusalem, he was permitted to aid the preparations for the building task that would be completed by his son Solomon (1 Chr 22).
Since the king is the representative of the people and is responsible for their well-being, David's individual restoration can lead to collective restoration.

Background situation

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.

Expanded paraphrase

The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.

(For more information, click "Expanded Paraphrase Legend" below.)

Expanded paraphrase legend
Close but Clear (CBC) translation	The CBC, our close but clear translation of the Hebrew, is represented in bold text.
Assumptions	Assumptions which provide background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences are represented in italics.

v. 1

For the music director to perform. A psalm. By David.

v. 2

This psalm was composed by David for or in response to the situation when Nathan the prophet came to him to rebuke him and possibly the ensuing sickness and death of his child with Bathsheba, when he had had illicit sexual intercourse with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah to cover it up and he confessed his sin.

v. 3

Show mercy to me which I need, God, according to your loyalty because you have an existing relationship with me and you are full of loyalty; according to your abundant compassion wipe away the guilt, record, consequences, and moral stain of my transgressions which I hereby confess like one wipes off a dirty dish or ink needing to be erased from papyrus.

v. 4

Wash me thoroughly not in part from my iniquity like a fuller washes filth off of a garment, and cleanse me from my sin as if it were ritual impurity,

v. 5

because I am [continually] aware of and acknowledge my transgressions which is prerequisite for receiving forgiveness, and my sin is constantly in front of me.

v. 6

Against you because all sin is ultimately against you alone hyperbolically speaking I confess I have sinned or at least that is what I am emphasizing now as I address you, even if I have offended others who will need to be addressed subsequently, and I confess I have done what is evil in your eyes you whose will determines what is good and evil, such that you are in the right if others presumptuously judge you whenever you speak accusatory words, [and such that] you are faultless if others presumptuously accuse you of wrongdoing whenever you judge and condemn and sentence.

v. 7

Look, hyperbolically speaking I was born already with the guilt and evil character that comes from being a human embroiled in iniquity such that I cannot even imagine a time when I followed your ways without defect, and I was already in a state of being enmeshed in guilt as soon as my mother conceived me.

v. 8

Look, you desire truth and honest confession in the covered places my internal organs that represent my concealed inner person and character, and you make me know wisdom that gives me insight into my sin that only you can provide in the closed-off place where no one but you can see who I really am.

v. 9

[Would you please] purify me as if ritually from my impurity with hyssop, so that I will be morally clean; [would you please] wash me from my sin, so that I will be morally whiter than snow.

v. 10

[Would you please] make me hear sounds that result from gladness and joy in the assembly of joyful worshippers; [so that] the bones that represent my inner person that you have crushed as a consequence of my sin leaving me in anguish and possibly ill or grieving the (anticipated) loss of my son might rejoice because of my salvation from adversity.

v. 11

Hide your face metaphorically from my sins and act as if you take no account of them, and wipe away metaphorically all my iniquities.

v. 12

Create or refashion a clean heart or character or will for me to follow you, God, because I can only hope to follow you faithfully if you transform my inner person and renew a steadfast spirit that will not falter again within me as I tried to have before but failed.

v. 13

Even though you have the right do not cast me away from before you because I long to be in your presence, and do not take your holy spirit with which/whom you empower me with your presence away from me because I do not want to be estranged from you or because I do not want to lose your empowerment to rule as king.

v. 14

Restore to me the gladness like I had before that results from your salvation from adversities and enemies which I have experienced in the past, and [would you please] support me by creating within me and supplying me with a willing spirit that follows your ways steadfastly with my whole heart.

v. 15

If you restore me I intend to teach other transgressors --namely, fellow Israelites who are walking in covenant disobedience and suffering accordingly-- your ways that they should follow, so that more sinners will turn back in repentance to you either for the first time or to renewed obedience and pursue covenant obedience.

v. 16

Deliver me from the threat of being the victim of bloodshed at the hands of enemies who unjustly attack me especially in light of the prophesied perpetual strife within my house, God, the God who saves me from adversities and enemies in the past and hopefully again now, [so that] my tongue will shout for joy about your righteousness because in your righteousness you will have saved me from undeserved adversities and/or unjust attacks by my enemies.

v. 17

Lord to whom I am rightfully and willingly subject, [would you please] open my lips which are currently closed because of my adversity, so that my mouth will report praise concerning you for your character, salvific deeds, and mercy towards me.

v. 18

For hyperbolically speaking you do not delight in sacrifice[s] at least as much as or in lieu of such heartfelt praise, or else if you would delight in sacrifices, I would to give [them] hypothetically; presuming that is possible as is now the case, hyperbolically speaking you are not pleased with burnt offering[s] at least not by that sacrifice alone apart from a broken heart.

v. 19

In place of a burnt offering the sacrifices [acceptable to] God in the sphere of my life in this world that is your cosmic temple are broken spirit[s] my inner being invisible to all but you that has been humbled by adversity and your discipline for my sin; a broken and crushed heart my will and desire that have been chastised and humbled by your disciplinary measures, God, you do not despise like you do wrong sacrifices offered without a humble heart.

v. 20

Since the restoration of the king is inextricably linked to the fortunes of the nation and because your holy city needs further development and because Israel will practice covenant obedience I request you to do good in ways you have not yet done or are not currently doing to Zion your holy mountain that represents all of Jerusalem in accord with what pleases you because I know that you long to bless and exalt Zion and restore your people; [would you please] build the walls of Jerusalem that are not yet complete so it can take its place as the strong center of your (eschatological) kingdom.

v. 21

When the Jerusalem temple is built and becomes the central worship site for Israel then you will delight in right sacrifices unlike the wrong sacrifices offered apart from a broken spirit and heartfelt praise because they are offered with the broken hearts of the sinners who turned back to you, in burnt offering[s] and whole offering[s] which will be included in the future temple cult; then [people] will offer up bulls on your altar in Jerusalem, instead of Gibeon, because the altar will have been moved to Jerusalem.

Psalm 51 Story behind the Psalm