Psalm 7/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	2.3.2.3 / 4.2.3.5	10 + 14 = 24
	3	1.2.3.2 / 2.2.2	8 + 6 = 14	38
2	4	2.3.1.3.1 / 1.1.1.3	10 + 6 = 16
	5	1.3.3.1 / 5.3.2	8 + 10 = 18	59
	6	2.2.2.3 / 3.2.2 / 4.3.2	9 + 7 + 9 = 25
3	7ab	2.2.4 / 3.3.3	8 + 9 = 17
	7c8a	2!2.2.3 / 3.3.5	9 + 11 = 20	52
	8b9a	4.3.2 / 2.2.2	9 + 6 = 15
4	9bc	3.2.3 / 4.2	8 + 6 = 14
	10ab	2.1.1.3 / 4.2	7 + 6 = 13	41
	cd	3.2.4 / 3.2	9 + 5 = 14
5	11	3.1.3 / 2.2.1	7 + 5 = 12
	12	3.2.2 / 2.2.2.1	7 + 7 = 14	26
6	13	1.1.2.2.2 / 2.2.5	8 + 9 = 17
	14	2.2.2.1 / 2.4.2	7 + 8 = 15	32
7	15	2.3.1 / 2!2.3.1	6 + 8 =14
	16	1.2.5 / 3.2.2	8 + 7 = 15	47
	17	2.3.3 / 2.3.3.2	8 + 10 = 18
8	18	2.2.3 / 5.1.2.2	7 + 10 = 17	17

• "39 cola with 312 syllables; average per colon 8.00."
• "The anaphora of the III-ו imperatives is a stylistic aspect that supports my suggestion to delete ו at the beginning of v.7c (as do LXX and Peshitta), and verse such as Job 15:35 is helpful when (supported by some MSS and LXX) we do the same in v.15b. One result of this is an increase in power for v.15. After these two minimal touch-ups, which do not affect the meaning at all, the poem a 312 syllables and an average of exactly 8.00 syllables for its 39 cola.",

Alternative prosody and syllable counts

The two middle sections of the psalm are the same length.

Section 3 (vv.7-8). - 47 syllables

Section 4 (vv.9-10). - 47 syllables

Section 6 (vv.15-17) also has 47 syllables

If every syllable in the psalm is counted, including סלה (v.6c) and those in the superscription (v.1), a neat prosodic symmetry results.

SS (v.1) + Stanza I (vv.2-6) = 122 syllables

Stanza II (vv.7-10) = 47 syllables (vv.7-8) + 47 syllables (vv.9-10)

Stanza III (vv.11-17) + Conclusion (v.18) = 122 syllables,

Cola distribution

CLASSIFICATION

Monocola

• v.9a?*

Bicola

• v.2ab
• v.3ab
• v.4ab
• v.5ab
• v.8ab
• v.9bc?
• v.11ab
• v.12ab
• v.13ab
• v.14ab
• v.15ab
• v.16ab
• v.17ab
• v.18ab

Tricola

• v.6abc
• v.7abc
• v.9abc?*

Tetracola

• v.10abcd
• vv.13-14?

Comments

• vv.7-9

"The BHS reflects utter chaos, as it prints 3 + 2 + 1 cola and tells us in a note that v.9a should be connected to v.7c. Careful attention to style and structure... will yield a satisfactory solution. There is an effective series of imperatives addressed to God, all Qal forms of the ע"ו group and all extended by the ending -a. There are three of these: קומה, עורה, שובה. I will put these in A-cola, as this will do full justice to the next phenomenon, a contrast singular-plural. The A-cola of this L-strophe contain only singular forms, the B-cola have plurals referring to hostile or potentially dangerous masses. This is the third strophe, consisting of three bicola and including v.9a:"

ק֨וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֙ה׀ בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ // הִ֭נָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְר֣וֹת צוֹרְרָ֑י

וְע֥וּרָה אֵ֜לַ֗י מִשְׁפָּ֥ט צִוִּֽיתָ׃ // וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ

וְ֜עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה׃ // יְהוָה֘ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים

Fokkelman's solution, however, is not without problems. In the first place, there are numerous linguistic correspondences (parallels) between v.8a and v.8b which effectively group these lines together as a bicolon. Note especially the phonological correspondences that form an abc//abc relationship between these lines: וַעֲדַ֣ת//וְ֜עָלֶ֗יהָ; לְ֭אֻמִּים//לַמָּר֥וֹם; תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ//שֽׁוּבָה. This is in keeping the accentuation of the MT. Furthermore, the final word of v.8b (שֽׁוּבָה) may form an inclusion with the first word of v.7a (ק֨וּמָ֤ה)–Yahweh's ascent, begun in v.7a, reaches its peak in v.8b–thus confirming v.8b as the end of a bicolon rather than the beginning.
Verse 7c, then, is grouped with v.7ab to form a tricolon. This is suggested not only by the MT's accentuation, but also by the waw that begins v.7c (וְעוּרָה).
What, then, of v.9a? This unique line, with its emphatic word order (S V O), rhythmic cadence (2.2.2), and 3rd person reference (sandwiched between 2nd person references), has correspondences with both v.8ab and v.9bc, thus functioning to bridge these two units. The double מ in עמים forms a connection with לאמים (v.8a), with which there is also a lexical connection, and למרום (v.8b). At the same time, however there are strong lexical connections in the other direction: repetition of יהוה (v.9ab); synonyms: ידין (v.9a) / שׁפטני (v.9b). Verse 9a stands in the middle of a chiasm that runs through vv.8-9: a וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה b יְהוָה֮ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים / b' שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה a' כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י עָלָֽי. The inner constituents of the chiasm are connected lexically (שׁפט // דין; repetition of יהוה) as well as syntactically (word order: יהוה V O // V-o יהוה). Recursion of the preposition על forms a connection between v.8b and v.9c. This chiasm is parallel to a very similar construction in vv.10cd-11ab, which has אלהים (rather than יהוה) at the center: a וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת b אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק / b מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים a מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב. In conclusion, then, v.9a, which stands out in many respects (especially the 3rd person reference) and yet creates a measure of continuity between v.8ab and v.9bc, may be considered either an abc monocolon or the A-line of an ABB' tricolon (v.9abc). The grouping of v.9a with the following lines rather than with the preceding lines results in a prosodic symmetry: vv.7-8 (47 syllables); vv.9-10 (47 syllables).

DISTRIBUTION

2	BICOLON
3	BICOLON
4	BICOLON
5	BICOLON
6		TRICOLON
7		TRICOLON
8	BICOLON
9		TRICOLON?
10			TETRACOLON?
11	BICOLON
12	BICOLON
13	BICOLON
14	BICOLON
15	BICOLON
16	BICOLON
17	BICOLON
18	BICOLON

The Psalm begins and ends with a series of bicola (vv.2-5; vv.11-18). Non-bicolic verses cluster in the middle of the psalm (vv.6-10). Tricola function to close (v.6abc) and open (v.7abc; v.9abc) sections. The psalm's only tetracolon (v.10) occurs at the middle of the psalm (v.10 is the middle verse; v.10a is the middle line), perhaps marking a peak.,

Selah

• v.6c. Selah marks a major break in this psalm.,

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	‎יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי בְּךָ֣ חָסִ֑יתִי / הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי מִכָּל־רֹ֜דְפַ֗י // וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי׃	[Voc] M V / V-o M // w-V-o	MKD/CAN//CAN
3	‎פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י / פֹּ֜רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל׃	C V M O / VPt w-ENg SPt	CAN/Ptcp-Nom
4	‎יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי זֹ֑את // אִֽם־יֶשׁ־עָ֥וֶל בְּכַפָּֽי׃	[Voc] C-V O // C-E-S Comp	CAN//Nom
5	‎אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י רָ֑ע // וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה צוֹרְרִ֣י רֵיקָֽם׃	C-V O O // w-V O M	CAN//CAN
6	יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף אוֹיֵ֙ב׀ נַפְשִׁ֡י וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג / וְיִרְמֹ֣ס לָאָ֣רֶץ חַיָּ֑י // וּכְבוֹדִ֓י׀ לֶעָפָ֖ר יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן סֶֽלָה׃	V S O w-V / w-V M O // w-O M V Selah	CAN2/CAN//DEF
7ab	ק֨וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֙ה׀ בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ // הִ֭נָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְר֣וֹת צוֹרְרָ֑י	V [Voc] M // V M	CAN//CAN
7cd	וְע֥וּרָה אֵ֜לַ֗י / מִשְׁפָּ֥ט צִוִּֽיתָ׃	w-V [Voc] / O V	CAN/MKD
8	וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ / וְ֜עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה׃	w-S V-o / w-M M V	MKD/DEF
9	יְהוָה֘ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים / שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י עָלָֽי׃	S V O / V-o [Voc] M w-M	MKD/CAN
10	יִגְמָר־נָ֬א רַ֙ע׀ רְשָׁעִים֘ / וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן צַ֫דִּ֥יק / וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק׃	V-M S / w-V O / w-VPt O w-O S	CAN/CAN/Ptcp
11	מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים / מ֜וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃	S Comp / VPt O	Nom/Ptcp
12	אֱ֭לֹהִים שׁוֹפֵ֣ט צַדִּ֑יק / וְ֜אֵ֗ל זֹעֵ֥ם בְּכָל־יֽוֹם׃	S Comp // w-VPt O	Nom/Ptcp
13	אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב / חַרְבּ֣וֹ יִלְט֑וֹשׁ // קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ דָ֜רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃	C-VNg / O V // O V w-V-o	CAN/MKD//MKD-CAN
14	וְ֭לוֹ הֵכִ֣ין כְּלֵי־מָ֑וֶת / חִ֜צָּ֗יו לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים יִפְעָֽל׃	w-M V O / O M V	DEF/DEF
15	‎הִנֵּ֥ה יְחַבֶּל־אָ֑וֶן // וְהָרָ֥ה עָ֜מָ֗ל // וְיָ֣לַד שָֽׁקֶר׃	H V-O // w-V O // w-V O	CAN//CAN//CAN
16	בּ֣וֹר כָּ֭רָֽה וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ / וַ֜יִּפֹּ֗ל בְּשַׁ֣חַת יִפְעָֽל׃	O V w-V-o / w-V M [R] V	MKD/CAN2R
17	‎יָשׁ֣וּב עֲמָל֣וֹ בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ // וְעַ֥ל קָ֜דְקֳד֗וֹ חֲמָס֥וֹ יֵרֵֽד׃	V S M // w-M S V	CAN//DEF
18	אוֹדֶ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה כְּצִדְק֑וֹ // וַ֜אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה עֶלְיֽוֹן׃	V O M // w-V O	CAN//CAN

• v.8. The DEF colon in v.8b indicates closure.
• v.14. The DEF cola in v.14ab indicate closure.
• v.17. - "The consituent order of this bicolon is VSM//MSV. forming a three member chiastic arrangement: abc//cba [cf. v.6bc]. Such three-part inversions, the selected data informs us, do not occur in Hebrew poetry as often as is commonly supposed.",

Middle word (maqqef)

Total: 117

Middle: עָלַי (v.9c)

Total (w/selah): 118

Middle: וְּכְתֻמִּי עָלַי (v.9c)

Total (w/ss + selah): 124

Middle: שָׁפְטֵנִי יְהוָה (v.9b),

Middle word (independent lexemes)

Total: 131

Middle: יִגְמָר (v.10a)

Total (w/selah): 132

Middle: עָלָֽי׃ יִגְמָר (vv.9c-10a)

Total (w/ss + selah): 142

Middle: עַ֫מִּ֥ים / שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי (v.9ab),

Middle line

If the division of lines is correct, then the middle line is v.10a:

יִגְמָר־נָ֬א רַ֨ע ׀ רְשָׁעִים֮

This line has 7 syllables (cf. the middle in Ps. 6 [6:7a]) as well as some other distinguishing features: alliteration of ר; rare vocabulary (גמר); deontic modality; the particle נָא.

"The central strophe also contains the middle one of the 19 verses. This is v.10ab, which now strikes us as it shows the balance (= the word pair) of 'the wicked' versus 'the righteous.' Thus, the central verse also reflects what the poem is about: God, as a judge, shows whose side he is no by condemning the villain(s) and vindicating the speaker."