Psalm 7 Discourse
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Macrosyntax
- The clusters of short coordinate clauses, most joined by waw (v. 6a-d; 7b-8b; 13b-14b; and 15a-17b) seem to be serving as mini-climaxes of the psalm: the action is quick and vivid, and the verbs numerous. The first cluster describes what the enemy would do to the psalmist if he were in the wrong; the second is a series of imperatives to YHWH; the third describes YHWH preparing his weapons against the enemy; and the fourth depicts the enemy/wicked bringing about his own demise.
- As per Lunn, only the a-line in a verse has information-structural implications; thus all non-default word order in b-/c-/d- lines may be nothing more than 'poetic defamiliarisation'--a restructuring in line b/c/d of the parallel constituents in line a, for poetic effect. This is how we are explaining the varied word order in the last lines of vv. 6, 8, 14, and 17, rather than a matter of marked topic and focus. These lines also serve as strophe-closing lines.
- v. 1: the אֲשֶׁר clause serves to elaborate on the shiggayon, giving a bit of context to its writing
- v. 2: first stanza begins after the superscription, marked by vocative
- v. 3a & c: the פֶּן serves to introduce a counterpoint to the imperatives in v. 2, providing the results of what will happen if YHWH chooses not to fulfill the psalmist's requests (HDOT (ESV)) 2012).
- v. 3b: the participle פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק (tearing apart) serves to elaborate on the previous line ("maul me")
- vv. 4 & 5: the three אִם statements (the third containing two actions linked by waw), serve as compound protasis for the compound apodosis, found in the four actions of the enemy in v. 6. Thus, vv. 4-6 are functioning together as a conditional statement. And within the protasis, 4b and 5a & b serve to elaborate on the "this" in 4a (HDOT (ESV) 2012). This section is asserting the psalmist's innocence, which is a grounds for all his requests for YHWH to act on his behalf in the first half of the psalm.
- v. 6c & d: the fronting of "in the dust" and "to the ground" (as focus and topic, respectively) may serve to highlight the metaphor of his highness being brought physically low (to the ground); the idea of high to low is a metaphor for glory to shame, as suggested by the focus of "my glory" in 6d.
- vv. 7 & 8 are bookended as a stanza by ק֘וּמָ֤ה (rise up) and לַמָּר֥וֹם (high above) (Dahood 2008); additionally, the vocative in v. 7 along with the selah in v. 6 both signal a new stanza beginning in v. 7.
- v. 7c & d: For a discussion on why צִוִּֽיתָ is acting as an implied relative clause to describe מִשְׁפָּ֥ט, see https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Text,_Grammar_and_Meaning_of_Psalm_7:7c
- v. 9: new stanza begins with thetic statement; what follows through v. 14 describes YHWH's actions towards the righteous and the wicked
- v. 10c: the waw is serving grammatically as a coordinating conjunction; however, semantically, it seems to be introducing a subordinate thought (grounds for the imperatives in 10a & b).
- v. 11: the participle phrase is acting as an appositive to אֱלֹהִ֑ים, describing who he is, especially in light of the whole psalm (God is the one who saves the righteous, like the psalmist)
- v. 13: The אִם provides the protasis (the "if" part of a conditional statement) for the rest of the actions in the verse (and possibly v. 14 as well).
- v. 14: the first clause has a fronted topic of "for him", (where "him" refers to the wicked person)
- v. 15: new stanza signaled by attention-getting interjection הִנֵּ֥ה, as well as YHWH dropping out of the scene. The focus shifts to the wicked person's actions.
- v. 17: this line serves as a summary for the stanza.
- v. 18: last verse is set off as its own stanza, indicated by the thetic statement and shift in subject (the wicked > the psalmist).
Speech Act Analysis
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Affect Analysis
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