Poetic Sections

Top Poetic Features

1. Repetition, Resolution, and Reversal

Feature

The first section (vv. 2-4) and the last section (vv. 9-11) are parallel. Not only are they the same length (3 verses, 6 lines), but they are also similar in content and sounds:

v. 2 יסר ("discipline") and contextual domain behaviour ("discipline")

v. 3 YHWH have mercy (חנן); YHWH heal me (רפא)

v. 4 "very dismayed" / "how long?" (time)

v. 9 סור ("move away") and contextual domain behaviour ("evil")

v. 10 "YHWH... my supplication" (חנן); "YHWH... my prayer" (="heal me")

v. 11 "very dismayed" / "in an instant" (time)

Effect

Structurally, the first section (vv. 2-4) and the last section (vv. 9-11) stand in symmetrical relationship to one another. The parallels help to define the structure of the Psalm.

The effect of the repetition in the last section is to highlight the complete resolution and reversal of the situation. David's prayer has been heard, his question of "how long?" has been answered ("in an instant!"), and the deep dismay that he experienced is now imparted to his enemies on whom YHWH's punishment rightfully falls.

2. The Heights of Poetry and the Depths of Pain

Feature

The third section (vv. 7-8) stands out in a number of ways.

There is an abundance of figurative language and imagery: weary sighing (7a), the darkness of "night" (v. 7b), a flood of tears that causes his bed to float and melt (7bc), an eye that wastes away (8ab).
Verse 7 is the only tricolon in the Psalm. Verse 7a is the middle line of the Psalm, and it is also the shortest (7 syllables)
Rare words (words occurring ten times or less in the OT) cluster in this section (indicated by italics).
This is the most phonologically marked section in the psalm. There is dense alliteration (indicated with green and pink boxes).
There is the sudden mention of "adversaries" at the end of the section (delayed identification).
The word "all" or "every" is repeated (indicated with a circle). The words "night" and "adversaries" also sound similar (double liquid).

Effect

The effect is to draw attention to this third section of the poem, wherein David, on the brink of death, reaches to the heights of poetic/rhetorical technique in order to express the depths of his suffering in a last-ditch effort to persuade YHWH to rescue him.

3. Death and Resurrection

Feature

YHWH's name appears eight times throughout the psalm, but it is conspicuously absent from the third section (vv. 7-8), which follows the Psalmist's statement that "there is no commemoration of YHWH in the world of the dead" (v. 6a).

Effect

In vv. 7-8, it is as though David has descended into the world of the dead, the place where YHWH is neither named or praised. It is a place of darkness ("night") and associated with watery chaos ("tears"/"float"/"dissolve").

In the fourth section (vv. 9-11), David regains energy, confidence, and authority, and he proclaims YHWH's name three times, as though he has come back from the dead.