Psalm 88 Poetic Structure
Among the Dead
Psalm 88
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 strophes, strophes into stanzas, 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
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. |
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- ** for revocalization see The Text and Meaning of Ps. 88:19b (MT: מַחְשָֽׁךְ).
- ** for emendation see The Text and Meaning of Ps. 88:16b (MT: אָפֽוּנָה).
- ** for emendation see the verse-by-verse note on v. 17b (MT: צִמְּתוּתֻֽנִי).
Many exegetes follow Gunkel's 1926 tripartite division of this psalm: 2-10a:10b-13:14-19 (20:8:12). This structural division sees the three invocations as marking the beginning of each of the three parts, with the central unit, the sequence of the rhetorical questions, being its logical center ("Sinnachse").
We, on the other hand, have recognized a compelling dual chiastic pattern with partial overlap (in vv. 7-10), the core of each of which lies in the following two sections: v. 6 (core I) and vv. 11-13 (core II). Both these core sections focus on the realm of the dead and have words/themes repeated in both (מֵתִים, קֶבֶר, אֶרֶץ נְשִׁיָּה/לֹא זְכַרְתָּם). These core sections are also characterized by a formal absence of the psalmist (in v. 6a he is the implicit subject of the clause, but is prominently missing from the text, uncommon for a nominal clause).
Notes
- The two chiastic patterns will be described in the following sections. We will also note how an interesting pattern of participants' disappearance and reappearance emerges from these patterns. For a more detailed visual of each chiasm, see the images below.
- Selahs: Selahs often mark transitions or highlights in the text, and this may be the case in our psalm as well:
- The Selah at the end of v.8 stands in the middle of the overlapping unit (vv. 7-9), the one that marks both the end of the first chiasm and the beginning of the second chiasm may therefore signal the transition from the first to the second one.
- The Selah at the end of v.11 marks the beginning of the rhetorical climax of the psalm (vv. 11-13), which is also the core of the second chiasm.
Chiasm 1 (vv. 2-10)
- vv. 2-3: theme: invocation; inclusio: יהוה.. יום; repeated alliteration: אלהי ישועתי; YHWH and psalmist both participants
- v. 4: theme: suffering; words denoting vitality (or lack of): נפשי, חיי; YHWH is absent
- v. 5: themes: I have lost my strength, I am being marked by society; repeated words: יורדי בור; inclusio: passive verb נחשבתי (by the society). YHWH is still absent.
- v. 6: CORE psalmist is (formally) absent
- vv. 7-9: themes: WHY I have lost my strength, WHY I am being marked by society; repeated words: בור תחתיות; inclusio: passive verb כָּלֻא (in quarantine imposed by the society). YHWH, who was absent in v.5 reappears here as the CAUSE of the psalmist's misery, answering WHY everything happened to him.
- v. 5: themes: I have lost my strength, I am being marked by society; repeated words: יורדי בור; inclusio: passive verb נחשבתי (by the society). YHWH is still absent.
- v. 10a: theme: suffering; words denoting vitality (or lack of): עיני; YHWH is absent
- v. 4: theme: suffering; words denoting vitality (or lack of): נפשי, חיי; YHWH is absent
- v. 10bc: theme: invocation, inclusio: יהוה.. יום, repeated alliteration: שטחתי אליך ;YHWH and psalmist both participants
Chiasm 2 (vv. 7-19)
- vv. 7-9: theme: affliction and shunning of friends; similar beginnings: focal עָלַי; similar motives: wrath-water-friends; YHWH (active) and psalmist (passive) participants.
- vv. 10a: theme: suffering and gradual fading; repeated root: עני; repeated alliteration: ני; YHWH absent.
- v. 10bc: theme: invocation, temporals: יוֹם, repeated vocative: YHWH, repeated alliteration: שטחתי אליך; YHWH and psalmist both participants.
- vv. 11-13: CORE psalmist is absent
- vv. 14-15: theme: invocation, temporals: בֹּקֶר, repeated vocative: YHWH, repeated alliteration: אליך שועתי; YHWH and psalmist both participants.
- v. 10bc: theme: invocation, temporals: יוֹם, repeated vocative: YHWH, repeated alliteration: שטחתי אליך; YHWH and psalmist both participants.
- v. 16: theme: suffering and gradual fading; repeated root: עני; repeated alliteration: ני; YHWH absent.
- vv. 10a: theme: suffering and gradual fading; repeated root: עני; repeated alliteration: ני; YHWH absent.
- vv. 17-19: theme: affliction and shunning of friends; similar beginnings: focal עָלַי; similar motives: wrath-water-friends; YHWH (active) and psalmist (passive) participants.
Line Divisions
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. |
Notes
Most verses pose no major difficulties as far as their line divisions are concerned, matching the ones found in the major manuscripts. This division is supported by Van der Lugt 2014, 450). 15 out of 19 verses are bicola, 2 are tricola (+superscription), and one verse (v. 6) has four cola. This verse is also the hardest and enjoys least consensus among the various manuscripts in terms of its line division. It deserves a special note:
- v. 6: Sassoon has a line division after חֲלָלִים with no line division before אשר to get 4:6:3. Aleppo Codex and Leningrad have a line division after חפשי and no division until עוד to get a tricolon of 2:8:3, a highly imbalanced one. In LXX, במתים חפשי belongs to v.5, l.2 to get a shorter v.6 of 4:4:3 (some manuscripts have במתים חפשי as a separate line in v. 5; one manuscript has it in v. 6 as a separate line; some manuscripts have כמו...עוד in one line like Aleppo Codex and Leningrad). We prefer a division into four more balanced cola of 2:4:4:3, matching LXX (bar LXX's assigning l.1 to v. 5): (a) במתים חפשי, supported by the accents, LXX, Aleppo Codex and Leningrad. (b) כמו חללים שכבי קבר, supported by the clause boundaries and LXX. (c) אשר לא זכרתם עוד, supported by the clause boundaries and LXX. (d) והמה מידך נגזרו: consensual among all manuscripts and supported by the accents, pausal form and clause boundary. This division is supported by van der Lugt (2014, 450) as well. See synoptic table below.
- v. 11b: Selah is taken out of consideration here in terms of word count. Absent in LXX, excluding it from the word count creates a more balanced verse of 2-3 rather than 2-4.
- v. 19: Aleppo Codex has a line division after ממני to get a division of 2:4. We prefer to go with the 4:2 division attested in all other manuscripts (Sassoon, LXX) and suggested also by van der Lugt (2014, 450). This division is further supported by the accents and clause boundaries.