Psalm 9/Mathematical

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Mathematical

Fokkelman's prosody and syllable counts

The following table is from Fokkelman's Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible Volume 2, Appendix I.[1]

Strophe Verse Syllables per word Syllables per line Syllables per strophe
1 2 2.2.2.2 / 4.1.5 8 + 10 = 18
3 3.4.1 / 4.2.2 8 + 8 = 16 34
2 4 2.3.2 / 4.4.4 7 + 12 = 19
5 1.3.3.3 / 3.3.2.1 10 + 9 = 19 38
3 6 3.2.3.2 / 2.3.3.2 10 + 10 = 20
7 3.2.3.2 / 3.3.2.2 10 + 10 = 20 40
4 8 2.3.3.2 / 2.3.2 10 + 7 = 17
9 2.2.2.2 / 2.3.4 8 + 9 = 17 34
5 10 2.2.2.2 / 2.3.3 8 + 8 = 16
11 4.2.3.3 / 1.1.3.4.2 12 + 11 = 23 39
6 12 3.3.2.2 / 3.3.4 10 + 10 = 20
13 1.2.2.2.2 / 1.2.3.3 9 + 9 = 18 38
7 14 3.2.2.2.4 / 4.3.1 13 + 8 = 21
15 2.4.1.5 / 3.1.2.3.5 12 + 14 = 26 47
8 16 3.2.2.2 / 2.1.3.3.2 9 + 11 = 20
17 2.2.2.2 / 2.2.2.2 8 + 8 = 16 36
9 18 3.3.3 / 1.2.3.3 9 + 9 = 18
19 1.1.2.3.2 / 2.3.2.2 9 + 9 = 18 36
10 20 2.2.1.2.2 / 4.2.1.3 9 + 10 = 19
21 2.2.2.2 / 3.2.2.2 8 + 9 = 17 36
  • "Psalm 9 has 378 syllables, Ps. 10 has 351. The entire poem as 81 cola with 729 syllables; average number of syllables per colon 9.00."[2]
  • "Ps. 9 contains four strophes showing an internal symmetry, as they have the same figure for both their verses, increasing by one point in the series:"[3]
Strophe 4: 17 + 17
Strophe 9: 18 + 18
Strophe 2: 19 + 19
Strophe 3: 20 + 20
  • Fokkelman counts v.13b as 1.2.3.3, but, by his own method, צַעֲקַ֥ת has only 2 syllables (cf. מִשַּׁ֥עֲרֵי in v.14b).,

Cola distribution

2 BICOLON
3 BICOLON
4 BICOLON
5 BICOLON
6 BICOLON
7 TRICOLON
8 BICOLON
9 BICOLON
10 BICOLON
11 BICOLON
12 BICOLON
13 BICOLON
14 TRICOLON
15 TRICOLON
16 BICOLON
17 BICOLON
18 BICOLON
19 BICOLON
20 BICOLON
21 TRICOLON

Fokkelman maintains that "Psalm 9 exclusively consists of bicola."[4]

  • Tricola in v.7 and v.21, each preceded by a series of five bicola, function structurally to mark closure. In addition to the prosodic similarity of these lines (MT accents: ole we yored, athnach, silluq), both end with the pronoun הֵמָּה (epiphora).
  • The ABA' tricolon in v.15 has the same basic prosodic structure (MT accents: ole we yored, athnach, silluq). It functions similarly to mark closure and perhaps also to mark a climax.[5],

Chiasms

Strophe

  • vv.4-7. a אוֹיְבַ֥י b וְ֝יֹאבְד֗וּ c מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י c' שׁוֹפֵ֥ט b' אִבַּ֣דְתָּ a' הָֽאוֹיֵ֨ב. The enemies (a) are destroyed (b) as the result of God's judgment (c). Part of the pattern appears to continue in the following verses (7c-9): b אָבַ֖ד c לַמִּשְׁפָּ֣ט c יִשְׁפֹּֽט
  • vv.6-7. abb'a'
  • vv.18-19. abb'a',

Word order

v.8a. Topic focus: ויהוה; Constituent focus: לעולם. The marked word order highlights a contrast: the nations, along with their names and the very memory of their cities are destroyed (vv.4-7), but Yahweh, on the other hand, dwells/reigns forever.,

Lunn on Word order

The following table has been adapted from Nicholas Lunn's Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry, Appendix 2.[6] For a key to the various symbols and abbreviations, click here.

Ref. Text Constituent Order Colon-Type
2 ‎אוֹדֶ֣ה יְ֭הוָה בְּכָל־לִבִּ֑י / אֲ֝סַפְּרָ֗ה כָּל־נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ V O M / V O CAN/CAN
3 ‎אֶשְׂמְחָ֣ה וְאֶעֶלְצָ֣ה בָ֑ךְ / אֲזַמְּרָ֖ה שִׁמְךָ֣ עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ V w-V M / V O [Voc] CAN2/CAN
4 ‎בְּשׁוּב־אוֹיְבַ֥י אָח֑וֹר / יִכָּשְׁל֥וּ וְ֝יֹאבְד֗וּ מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃ M(Inf S M) / V w-V M Inf/CAN2
5 ‎כִּֽי־עָ֭שִׂיתָ מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י וְדִינִ֑י / יָשַׁ֥בְתָּ לְ֝כִסֵּ֗א שׁוֹפֵ֥ט צֶֽדֶק׃ C-V O w-O / V M VPt O CAN/CAN-Ptcp
6 גָּעַ֣רְתָּ ג֭וֹיִם אִבַּ֣דְתָּ רָשָׁ֑ע / שְׁמָ֥ם מָ֝חִ֗יתָ לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃ V O V O / O V M CAN2/MKD
7 הָֽאוֹיֵ֨ב ׀ תַּ֥מּוּ חֳרָב֗וֹת לָ֫נֶ֥צַח / וְעָרִ֥ים נָתַ֑שְׁתָּ אָבַ֖ד זִכְרָ֣ם הֵֽמָּה׃ S V Comp M / w-O V V S MKD/MKD-CAN
8 וַֽ֭יהוָה לְעוֹלָ֣ם יֵשֵׁ֑ב / כּוֹנֵ֖ן לַמִּשְׁפָּ֣ט כִּסְאֽוֹ׃ w-S M V / V M O MKD/CAN
9 וְה֗וּא יִשְׁפֹּֽט־תֵּבֵ֥ל בְּצֶ֑דֶק // יָדִ֥ין לְ֝אֻמִּ֗ים בְּמֵישָׁרִֽים׃ w-SPn V O M / V O M MKD//CAN
10 וִ֘יהִ֤י יְהוָ֣ה מִשְׂגָּ֣ב לַדָּ֑ךְ // מִ֝שְׂגָּ֗ב לְעִתּ֥וֹת בַּצָּרָֽה׃ w-V S Comp M / Comp M CAN//Gap
11 וְיִבְטְח֣וּ בְ֭ךָ יוֹדְעֵ֣י שְׁמֶ֑ךָ / כִּ֤י לֹֽא־עָזַ֖בְתָּ דֹרְשֶׁ֣יךָ יְהוָֽה׃ w-V M S / C VNg O [Voc] CAN/CAN
12 זַמְּר֗וּ לַ֭יהוָה יֹשֵׁ֣ב צִיּ֑וֹן / הַגִּ֥ידוּ בָ֝עַמִּ֗ים עֲלִֽילוֹתָֽיו׃ V M VPt / V M O CAN-Ptcp/CAN
13 כִּֽי־דֹרֵ֣שׁ דָּ֭מִים אוֹתָ֣ם זָכָ֑ר / לֹֽא־שָׁ֝כַ֗ח צַעֲקַ֥ת עניים C-SPt O V / VNg O DEF/CAN
14 חָֽנְנֵ֬נִי יְהוָ֗ה / רְאֵ֣ה עָ֭נְיִי מִשֹּׂנְאָ֑י מְ֝רוֹמְמִ֗י מִשַּׁ֥עֲרֵי מָֽוֶת׃ V-o [Voc] / V O M [Voc] CAN/CAN
15 ‎לְמַ֥עַן אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה כָּֽל־תְּהִלָּ֫תֶ֥יךָ בְּשַֽׁעֲרֵ֥י בַת־צִיּ֑וֹן // אָ֝גִ֗ילָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃ C V O M // V M CAN//CAN
16 טָבְע֣וּ ג֭וֹיִם בְּשַׁ֣חַת עָשׂ֑וּ // בְּרֶֽשֶׁת־ז֥וּ טָ֝מָ֗נוּ נִלְכְּדָ֥ה רַגְלָֽם׃ V S M [R] V // M-R V V S CAN2R//Nom-CANR2
17 ‎נ֤וֹדַ֨ע ׀ יְהוָה֮ מִשְׁפָּ֪ט עָ֫שָׂ֥ה / בְּפֹ֣עַל כַּ֭פָּיו נוֹקֵ֣שׁ רָשָׁ֑ע הִגָּי֥וֹן סֶֽלָה׃ V S M [R] V / M V S Selah CAN2[R]/MKD
18 יָשׁ֣וּבוּ רְשָׁעִ֣ים לִשְׁא֑וֹלָה / כָּל־גּ֝וֹיִ֗ם שְׁכֵחֵ֥י אֱלֹהִֽים׃ V S M / S CAN/Nom
19 כִּ֤י לֹ֣א לָ֭נֶצַח יִשָּׁכַ֣ח אֶבְי֑וֹן // תִּקְוַ֥ת ענוים תֹּאבַ֥ד לָעַֽד׃ C MNg V S // S V M DEF//DEF
20 ‎קוּמָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה / אַל־יָעֹ֣ז אֱנ֑וֹשׁ / יִשָּׁפְט֥וּ ג֝וֹיִ֗ם עַל־פָּנֶֽיךָ׃ V [Voc] / VNg S / V S M CAN/CAN/CAN
21 שִׁ֘יתָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ מוֹרָ֗ה לָ֫הֶ֥ם / יֵדְע֥וּ גוֹיִ֑ם / אֱנ֖וֹשׁ הֵ֣מָּה סֶּֽלָה׃ V [Voc] O M / V S / Comp S Selah CAN/CAN/Nom
  • The DEF colon in v.13 marks closure.[7]
  • The DEF//DEF [chiastic] colon arrangement in v.19 marks closure.[8],

Middle word (maqqef)

Total words: 142
Total words w/selah: 145
Middle words (71-72): צִיּ֑וֹן // הַגִּ֥ידוּ (v.12ab)
Middle word w/selah (73): בָ֝עַמִּ֗ים (v.12b)

The two middle words (צִיּ֑וֹן // הַגִּ֥ידוּ) correspond exactly with the psalm's middle lines.,

Middle word (independent lexemes)

Total words: 156
Total words w/selah: 159
Middle words (78-79): הַגִּ֥ידוּ בָ֝עַמִּ֗ים (v.12b)
Middle word w/selah (80): עֲלִֽילוֹתָֽיו (v.12b),

Middle line

Total lines: 44
Middle lines: v.12ab.
זַמְּר֗וּ לַ֭יהוָה יֹשֵׁ֣ב צִיּ֑וֹן // הַגִּ֥ידוּ בָ֝עַמִּ֗ים עֲלִֽילוֹתָֽיו׃

This line is marked by several features:

  • 2mp Imperatives (זַמְּר֗וּ // הַגִּ֥ידוּ)
  • non-qal verbal stems (piel // hiphil)
  • tetragrammaton (לַיהוָה)
  • cluster of repeated words in the a-line: זמר (cf. 3ab), ישׁב (cf. 8a), צִיּוֹן (cf. 15b)
  • thematically important proper nouns, Yahweh and Zion.
  • only unique words (not repeated) in the b-line
  • alliteration in the b-line: הַגִּ֥ידוּ בָ֝עַמִּ֗ים עֲלִֽילוֹתָֽיו
  1. ↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 394.
  2. ↑ Fokkelman, Major Poems, 395.
  3. ↑ Fokkelman, Major Poems, 74.
  4. ↑ Fokkelman, Major Poems, 73.
  5. ↑ Wilfred G.E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry: a Guide to its Techniques (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001), 181-183.
  6. ↑ Nicholas Lunn, Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2006).
  7. ↑ Nicholas Lunn, Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2006), 190.
  8. ↑ Nicholas Lunn, Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2006), 176.
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