Psalm 8/Speech Act/SpeechTable
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) | Speech Act Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־הַגִּתִּ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | For the director. On the gittith. A psalm by David. | ||||||||
| 2 | יְהוָ֤ה אֲדֹנֵ֗ינוּ מָֽה־אַדִּ֣יר שִׁ֭מְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ | YHWH, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, | Interrogative | Expressive | Praising YHWH for his majesty | Praising YHWH for his majesty | People who hear the psalm will reflect on what it means to be human and what it means for YHWH to be majestic | YHWH will be pleased with David's praise. People who hear the psalm will be amazed at YHWH's majesty |
People who hear the psalm will marvel at YHWH's majesty | Interrogative מה "functions as an introduction to an exclamation in which a speaker usually expresses a value judgment about something" (BHRG 42.3.6). |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּנָ֥ה ה֝וֹדְךָ֗ עַל־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ | you whose glory is bestowed on the heavens. | Declarative | Assertive | |||||||
| 3 | מִפִּ֤י עֽוֹלְלִ֨ים ׀ וְֽיֹנְקִים֮ יִסַּ֪דְתָּ֫ עֹ֥ז | Out of the mouths of nursing children, you have founded a fortress, | Declarative | Assertive | Describing (with a metaphor) how YHWH uses the weak to defeat his enemies | Marvelling at the way in which YHWH uses that which is weak to accomplish his purposes | ||||
| לְמַ֥עַן צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָ | because of your adversaries, | |||||||||
| לְהַשְׁבִּ֥ית א֝וֹיֵ֗ב וּמִתְנַקֵּֽם׃ | in order to put an end to a vengeful enemy. | |||||||||
| 4 | כִּֽי־אֶרְאֶ֣ה שָׁ֭מֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂ֣י אֶצְבְּעֹתֶ֑יךָ | When I see your heavens, that which your fingers made, | Interrogative | Expressive | Expressing an opinion about the apparent insignificance of humans in comparison to creatures in the heavenly realm | Interrogative מה "functions as an introduction to a rhetorical question in which a speaker usually expresses a value judgment about something or someone. This value judgment is usually negative" (BHRG 42.3.6). | ||||
| יָרֵ֥חַ וְ֝כוֹכָבִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר כּוֹנָֽנְתָּה׃ | the moon and stars which you have established, | |||||||||
| 5 | מָֽה־אֱנ֥וֹשׁ כִּֽי־תִזְכְּרֶ֑נּוּ | what is mankind that you should consider them, | ||||||||
| וּבֶן־אָ֝דָ֗ם כִּ֣י תִפְקְדֶֽנּוּ׃ | or a human being, that you should be mindful of him? | |||||||||
| 6 | וַתְּחַסְּרֵ֣הוּ מְּ֭עַט מֵאֱלֹהִ֑ים | And you caused him to lack being a heavenly being by a little, | Declarative | Assertive | Describing how YHWH gave humans a surprisingly high status, not far from heavenly being | |||||
| וְכָב֖וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר תְּעַטְּרֵֽהוּ׃ | and you crowned him with honor and majesty. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing how YHWH crowned humans with honor and majesty | ||||||
| 7 | תַּ֭מְשִׁילֵהוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣י יָדֶ֑יךָ | You caused him to rule that which your hands made. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing how YHWH gave authority to humans, causing them to rule his creation | |||||
| כֹּ֝ל שַׁ֣תָּה תַֽחַת־רַגְלָֽיו׃ | You placed everything under his feet. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing the expansive dominion that YHWH gave to humans | ||||||
| 8 | צֹנֶ֣ה וַאֲלָפִ֣ים כֻּלָּ֑ם | Sheep and goats and cattle – all of them, | Declarative | Assertive | ||||||
| וְ֝גַ֗ם בַּהֲמ֥וֹת שָׂדָֽי׃ | and even wild animals, | |||||||||
| 9 | צִפּ֣וֹר שָׁ֭מַיִם וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם | birds in the sky and fish in the sea, | ||||||||
| עֹ֝בֵ֗ר אָרְח֥וֹת יַמִּֽים׃ | that which traverses the paths of the sea. | |||||||||
| 10 | יְהוָ֥ה אֲדֹנֵ֑ינוּ מָֽה־אַדִּ֥יר שִׁ֝מְךָ֗ בְּכָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | YHWH, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. | Interrogative | Expressive | Praising YHWH for his majesty. | Praising YHWH for his majesty |