Psalm 78 Poetic Structure

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Poetic Structure

  What is Poetic Structure?

In poetic structure, we analyse the structure of the psalm beginning at the most basic level of the structure: the line (also known as the “colon” or “hemistich”). Then, based on the perception of patterned similarities (and on the assumption that the whole psalm is structured hierarchically), we argue for the grouping of lines into verses, verses into sub-sections, sub-sections into larger sections, etc. Because patterned similarities might be of various kinds (syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, sonic) the analysis of poetic structure draws on all of the previous layers (especially the Discourse layer).

Poetic Macro-structure

At-a-Glance


  Legend

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.
v. 1 A maskil. By Asaph. Listen, my people, to my teaching; turn your ear to the words of my mouth. Superscription
v. 2 Let me open up my mouth with a parable; let me pour out puzzling problems from long ago. A parable Listen and pass on this parable and these puzzles our ancestors told us,
so that we will not forget God's deeds
but will put our hope in him.
Ps 078 - parable.png
 hope
v. 3 The things which we heard, and which we learned and our ancestors told us,
v. 4 we will not hide from their children in the latest generation, proclaiming the praiseworthy deeds of YHWH and his power and his wonderful deeds which he has accomplished:
v. 5 how he established a testimony among Jacob and set up a teaching among Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children,
v. 6 so that the latest generation might know —children who were yet to be born— [that] they might begin to tell their children
v. 7 and they might put their trust in God, [so that] they might not forget God's deeds but might obey his commands
v. 8 and might not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation who did not keep their heart committed and whose mind was not faithful to God.
v. 9 Ephraimites, armed [with a bow], archers, turned back on a day of battle. Rebellion:
In the wilderness		 Our ancestors were defeated in battle because they had forgotten God's wonders.

God provided food and water, but his people grumbled in the wilderness, forgetting his provision.
Ps 078 - wilderness.png
 astonishment
v. 10 They did not keep the covenant of God and they refused to walk in his teaching,
v. 11 in that they forgot his deeds and [they forgot] his wonders which he had shown them.
v. 12 In front of their ancestors he performed miracles in the land of Egypt, the region of Zoan.
v. 13 He divided the sea and brought them through; he made the waters stand like a heap.
v. 14 He led them by cloud during the day and [he led them] all night by fire light.
v. 15 He would split rocks in the wilderness and provide drinking water abundantly, as from oceans.
v. 16 He would bring streams out from rock and make water flow down like rivers.
v. 17 But again they sinned against him; again they rebelled against the Most High in the desert. YHWH’s anger flared up against Israel, when he continued to provide and they continued to not believe.
Ps 078 - provision.png
 awe
v. 18 They put God to the test in their thoughts, by asking for food for their throat.
v. 19 They spoke against God saying: Is God not able to prepare a table in the wilderness?
v. 20 Since he struck a rock so that waters gushed out and streams began to flow, is he not able to give bread, too? Or can he not provide meat for his people?
v. 21 Therefore, when YHWH heard he became furious; fire flared up against Jacob and also anger rose against Israel,
v. 22 because they had not believed in God and they had not trusted in his provision.
v. 23 So he ordered clouds from above and opened heavenly doors;
v. 24 he rained down upon them manna to eat and he gave them grain from heaven.
v. 25 People ate bread of angels; he sent them provisions until they were satisfied.
v. 26 He caused an east wind to blow in the sky and he drove a south wind with his might.
v. 27 So he made meat rain upon them like dust and [he made] winged birds [rain upon them] like the sand on the seashore,
v. 28 and he made them fall inside his camp, all around his tents.
v. 29 So they ate and were completely satisfied when he brought them what they craved.
v. 30 They had not turned away from the object of their craving —their food was still in their mouth—
v. 31 when the anger of God rose against them and he killed some of their strong men and he struck down young men of Israel.
v. 32 In spite of this, they sinned again and did not trust in his wonderful deeds,
v. 33 so he made them spend their days in vain and [he made them spend] their years in anguish. Temporary solution:
The people wander		 That generation was left to wander the wilderness. Nevertheless, YHWH had compassion and remembered that they were but flesh, so repeatedly he turned back his anger.
Ps 078 - wander.png
 solemnity
v. 34 Whenever he killed them, then they would seek him and again look for God.
v. 35 They would remember that God was their rock and [that] God, the Most High, was their redeemer.
v. 36 But they were trying to deceive him with their mouth and with their tongue were lying to him.
v. 37 Their heart was not committed to him and they were not faithful to his covenant.
v. 38 But he is compassionate. He forgives iniquity and does not destroy. He repeatedly turned back his anger. And he would not stir up all his wrath.
v. 39 He remembered that they were flesh, a breeze that goes by and will not return.
v. 40 How often did they rebel against him in the wilderness! [How often] did they grieve him in the desert! Rebellion:
In the promised land		 They still did not remember his signs and miracles in Egypt:
Ps 078 - contempt.png
 contempt
v. 41 Again they put God to the test and they provoked the Holy One of Israel.
v. 42 They did not remember his strength; [they did not remember] the day in which he saved them from an adversary.
v. 43 [They did not remember the day] in which he displayed his signs in Egypt and [displayed] his miracles in the region of Zoan—
v. 44 how he turned their rivers into blood and they could not drink [from] their streams.
v. 45 He sent a swarm of insects among them and it devoured them; [he sent] a plague of frogs [among them] and it destroyed them. YHWH destroyed the Egyptians' food and water, unleashing his anger on his people's enemies.
Ps 078 - plagues.png
 solemnity
v. 46 He gave their crops to young locusts and [he gave] the fruit of their labor to locusts.
v. 47 He killed their vines with hail and [he killed] their sycamore trees with frost.
v. 48 He gave their livestock over to hail and [he gave] their herds [over] to lightning.
v. 49 He sent among them the wrath of his anger: fury and indignation and trouble, by a deputation of angels bringing disaster.
v. 50 He cleared a path for his anger; he did not spare their soul from death but gave their life over to plague.
v. 51 He killed every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of strength among the tents of Ham,
v. 52 but he led out his people like a flock and guided them in the wilderness like a herd. He led his people out of Egypt like his own flock. Nevertheless, their leadership became covenantally useless.
Ps 078 - flock.png
 confidence ... disgust
v. 53 He led them securely and they were not afraid, but the sea covered their enemies.
v. 54 He brought them to his holy territory, the hill-country which his right hand had acquired.
v. 55 He drove out nations from their presence and allotted them as an inheritance by measurement; he let the clans of Israel live in their dwelling places.
v. 56 But they rebelliously put God, the Most High, to the test, and they did not observe his testimonies,
v. 57 but they went astray and acted unfaithfully, like their ancestors. They became like a slack bow.
v. 58 They made him angry with their high places of worship and with their carved images made him jealous.
v. 59 God heard and he became furious, so that he completely rejected Israel God became furious and abandoned Shiloh and their failed leadership. His people were defeated in battle.
Ps 078 - alarm.png
 alarm
v. 60 and he abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent which he had set up among mankind.
v. 61 He gave his strength into captivity and [he gave] his glory into the possession of an adversary.
v. 62 He gave his people over to the sword and against his inheritance he raged.
v. 63 Fire consumed his young men and his young women were not sung to.
v. 64 His priests fell by the sword and his widows could not mourn.
v. 65 Now the Lord arose like one who had been asleep, like a warrior shouting from [the effects of] wine, Permanent solution:
God chooses his shepherd-king		 The Lord arose, struck back his adversaries, and chose his servant David to shepherd his people with integrity and wisdom.
Ps 078 - david.png
 hope
v. 66 and he struck back his adversaries. He gave them eternal shame.
v. 67 But he rejected the tent of Joseph and did not choose the clan of Ephraim,
v. 68 but he chose the clan of Judah, Mount Zion which he loves,
v. 69 and he built his holy place like heaven, like the earth which he has established forever.
v. 70 He chose David, his servant, and took him from a sheep pen.
v. 71 From [looking] after nursing animals he brought him to shepherd Jacob, his people, and [to shepherd] Israel, his inheritance.
v. 72 He shepherded them with the integrity of his heart and with his wise actions he led them.

Psalm 78 - Poetic structure.jpg

Notes

  • General notes:
    • Fokkelman claims the entire poem (after the "parenetic opening" of vv. 1-8) consists of judgmental strophes and narrative units, so divides the psalm into five large-scale sections: vv. 1-8, 9-31, 32-43, 44-60, 61-72.[1] While correct on the introduction, his major divisions are otherwise unconvincing. Van der Lugt, on the other hand, follows our division of the major sections (vv. 1-8, 9-39, 40-72).[2] Ḥakham divides the text primarily thematically: 1-8; 9-39; 40-55; 56-72.[3] Our analysis essentially agrees with this, yet we see continuity throughout vv. 40-72, of which vv. 65-72, however, provide the denouement not only of this section, but of the whole psalm.
    • Terrien provides the following structure: Exordium (vv. 1-2); Part One (vv. 3-8); Part Two (vv. 9-17); Part Three (vv. 18-28); Part Four (vv. 29-40); Part Five (vv. 41-51); Part Six (vv. 52-63); Part Seven (vv. 54-72), which does not coincide with our findings at almost any point.[4]
    • In an influential essay, Clifford claims, "The author's outline can be discerned by the aid of formal devices such as repetition of key words and phrases, chiasm, paronomasia or word play, and especially in the parallel structure of the two historical recitals."[5] His proposed structure is as follows: introduction (vv. 1-11); first recital (vv. 12-32); sequel (vv. 33-39); second recital (vv. 40-64); sequel (vv. 65-72).[6] We find this structure compelling, with the exception of the extent of the introduction, for which the evidence points to eight-verse sections on either end of the psalm (cf. also the sequel in vv. 33-39), particularly in light of the clear topic shift in v. 9. Indeed, Campbell comments, "If the veiled mystery of the introduction is to be related to the traditions in the body of the psalm, it is likely that v. 9 will have to provide the key."[7] Despite Clifford's proposed structure, he rightly discerns a two-fold pattern of "Miracle, sin, divine anger, and punishment" in vv. 9-39 and 40-64.[8]
    • Finally, we consider Campbell's semantic and theological approach to be almost spot on (1–8||9–11.12–39.40–58|59–64||65–72),[9] though the discourse markers and exclamatives in vv. 21, 32 and 40 should be given more weight.
  • vv. 9, 21: The roots נשׁק and נשׂק only appear here in book of Psalms.
  • vv. 9, 57: Of the four verses with the participant absence of YHWH from v. 9 to the end of the psalm, vv. 9 and 57 are two of them (see also v. 30, 72).
  • vv. 32-39: According to Clifford, these verses provide the first eight-verse "sequel" to recital #1 (cf. vv. 65-72 below).[10]
  • v. 35a: This is the central line of the psalm (81 lines either side), containing the first of threes instances of זכר (see also vv. 39, 42) and the third instance of צוּר (cf. the inclusio in vv. 15-20).
  • v. 36: This is the central verse of the Psalms, containing tense shifting from wayyiqtol to yiqtol plus a symmetrical constituent order pattern.
  • vv. 40-72: With the exception of vv. 40-43, each of the major sections throughout vv. 40-72 contains one instance of אֹהֶל.
  • vv. 65-72: According to Clifford, these verses provide the second eight-verse "sequel" to recital #2 (cf. vv. 32-39 above).[11]

Line Divisions

  Legend

Line division divides the poem into lines and line groupings. We determine line divisions based on a combination of external evidence (Masoretic accents, pausal forms, manuscripts) and internal evidence (syntax, prosodic word counting and patterned relation to other lines). Moreover, we indicate line-groupings by using additional spacing.

When line divisions are uncertain, we consult some of the many psalms manuscripts which lay out the text in lines. Then, if a division attested in one of these manuscripts/versions influences our decision to divide the text at a certain point, we place a green symbol (G, DSS, or MT) to the left of the line in question.

Poetic line division legend
Pausal form Pausal forms are highlighted in yellow.
Accent which typically corresponds to line division Accents which typically correspond to line divisions are indicated by red text.
| Clause boundaries are indicated by a light gray vertical line in between clauses.
G Line divisions that follow Greek manuscripts are indicated by a bold green G.
DSS Line divisions that follow the Dead Sea Scrolls are indicated by a bold green DSS.
M Line divisions that follow Masoretic manuscripts are indicated by a bold green M.
Number of prosodic words The number of prosodic words are indicated in blue text.
Prosodic words greater than 5 The number of prosodic words if greater than 5 is indicated by bold blue text.

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.

Psalm 78 - Line division.jpg

Notes

  • v. 4: So the LXX (T, Sy, He, 1219, 55) and BL Or 2373, contra Aleppo and Rahlfs. The phrase לְד֥וֹר אַחֲר֗וֹן is absent in Sassoon.
Van der Lugt, following Fokkelman, suggests the four-line unit, which disregards the accents:[12]
לֹ֤א נְכַחֵ֨ד ׀ מִבְּנֵיהֶ֗ם
לְד֥וֹר אַחֲר֗וֹן מְֽ֭סַפְּרִים
תְּהִלּ֣וֹת יְהוָ֑ה וֶעֱזוּז֥וֹ
וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָֽׂה׃
  • v. 6: Rahlfs' edition here reads (cf. BL Or 2373, Sassoon):
ὅπως ἂν γνῷ γενεὰ ἑτέρα, 
υἱοὶ οἱ τεχθησόμενοι, 
καὶ ἀναστήσονται καὶ ἀπαγγελοῦσιν αὐτὰ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτῶν
Sinaiticus continues the second line from υἱοὶ to the end of the verse. JTS 680, however, follows the Masoretic accents of Leningradensis, with a 6-word A-line. The latter has been dispreferred due to factors of line balance.
  • v. 8: So the LXX, Aleppo and BL Or 2373.
  • v. 9: So the LXX, BL Or 2373, and van der Lugt.[13] Fokkelman suggests the three-line unit in this "maverick verse,", which would result in a one-word line and is thus rejected:[14]
בְּֽנֵי־אֶפְרַ֗יִם
נוֹשְׁקֵ֥י רוֹמֵי־קָ֑שֶׁת
הָ֝פְכ֗וּ בְּי֣וֹם קְרָֽב׃
  • v. 20: So the LXX, BL Or 2373, and van der Lugt.[15] The evidence of the two manuscript traditions has been preferred over the following five-line unit, suggested by Fokkelman.[16] Such a suggestion would improve the line balance to 2-2-2-3-3, but disregards the tsinnor as the first major accent:
הֵ֤ן הִכָּה־צ֨וּר ׀
וַיָּז֣וּבוּ מַיִם֮ 
וּנְחָלִ֪ים יִ֫שְׁטֹ֥פוּ
הֲגַם־לֶ֭חֶם י֣וּכַל תֵּ֑ת 
אִם־יָכִ֖ין שְׁאֵ֣ר לְעַמּֽוֹ׃
  • v. 21: So the LXX, Sassoon and BL Or 2373. Aleppo follows the accents and divides the line after יְהוָ֗ה. The latter would follow the accents more closely, though the present analysis finds support in the pausal form on וַֽיִּתְעַבָּ֥ר.
  • v. 31: So the LXX, Aleppo and Sassoon,[17] contra BL Or 2373, which treats וְאַ֤ף אֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀ עָ֘לָ֤ה בָהֶ֗ם וַֽ֭יַּהֲרֹג בְּמִשְׁמַנֵּיהֶ֑ם as one line.
  • v. 38: The LXX (Rhalfs, Sinaiticus, and Vaticanus) here reads:
αὐτὸς δέ ἐστιν οἰκτίρμων (רַח֨וּם ׀)
καὶ ἱλάσεται ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ διαφθερεῖ 
καὶ πληθυνεῖ τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῦ 
καὶ οὐχὶ ἐκκαύσει πᾶσαν τὴν ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ· 
Likewise, Aleppo. Sassoon, BL Or 2373 and JTS 680 all have one long line for the entire verse.
Fokkelman and van der Lugt suggest the following first two lines, which preferably treats the tsinnor (on עָוֺן֮) as the first major disjunctive accent, yet results in four prosodic words followed by one, if the maqqeph of Leningradensis and Aleppo is to be observed:[18]
וְה֤וּא רַח֨וּם ׀ יְכַפֵּ֥ר עָוֺן֮ 
וְֽלֹא־יַ֫שְׁחִ֥ית
  • v. 41: The silluq is not visible in either Leningradensis or Sassoon, though it is in Aleppo, so has been supplied here.
  • v. 49: So the LXX, Aleppo and Sassoon, contra BL Or 2373, which treats יְשַׁלַּח־בָּ֨ם ׀ חֲר֬וֹן אַפּ֗וֹ עֶבְרָ֣ה וָזַ֣עַם וְצָרָ֑ה as one line.
  • v. 55: So the LXX. Aleppo and Sassoon are unclear, while BL Or 2373, which treats שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל as its own line.
  • v. 56: Out of concern for supposed balance and alliteration between עֶלְי֑וֹן and וְ֝עֵדוֹתָ֗יו, Fokkelman suggests the two lines should be divided as follows, which disregards the maqqeph, the prosodic unit of אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֣ים עֶלְי֑וֹן as one syntactic constituent, and the atnakh accent on עֶלְי֑וֹן, so is thus rejected:[19]
וַיְנַסּ֣וּ וַ֭יַּמְרוּ אֶת־אֱלֹהִ֣ים
עֶלְי֑וֹן וְ֝עֵדוֹתָ֗יו לֹ֣א שָׁמָֽרוּ׃
  1. ↑ Fokkelman 2000, 210.
  2. ↑ Van der Lugt 2010, 344-346.
  3. ↑ Ḥakham 1979, 40.
  4. ↑ Terrien 2003, 558-563.
  5. ↑ Clifford 1981, 127.
  6. ↑ See Clifford 1981, 129.
  7. ↑ Campbell 1979, 53.
  8. ↑ Clifford 1981, 129.
  9. ↑ Campbell 1979.
  10. ↑ Clifford 1981, 129.
  11. ↑ Clifford 1981, 129.
  12. ↑ Van der Lugt 2010, 342; Fokkelman 2000, 212.
  13. ↑ van der Lugt 2010, 342.
  14. ↑ Fokkelman 2000, 214 and 228.
  15. ↑ van der Lugt 2010, 342.
  16. ↑ Fokkelman 2000, 214.
  17. ↑ Cf. van der Lugt 2010, 343.
  18. ↑ Fokkelman 2000, 219; van der Lugt 2010, 343.
  19. ↑ Fokkelman 2000, 224.