Psalm 95 Participant Analysis
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Psalm 95/Participant Analysis
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Participant Analysis
Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? It is often helpful for understanding literary structure, speaker identification, etc.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Participant Analysis Creator Guidelines.
There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 95:
Profile List
| Leader |
| YHWH |
| "YHWH" (vv. 1, 3, 6) |
| "rock of our salvation" (v. 1) |
| "our maker" (v. 6) |
| Congregation |
| [Congregation's] Ancestors |
Profile Notes
- The leader guides the congregation and includes himself in their group, indicated by "let us shout for joy" (v. 1) the "rock of our salvation" (v. 1) and "the one who made us" (v. 6) etc.
- YHWH is also referred to as "the rock of our salvation" (v. 1) and "our maker" (v. 6). He is also described as a "great God" and "great king" (v. 3) as well as "our God" (v. 7).
- The addressee of the psalm is considered the congregation, to which the leader belongs (see above). They are described as "the people YHWH shepherds, the flock led by his hand" (v. 7). They are warned not to harden their hearts, as their ancestors did.
- The ancestors are introduced as the antagonists in the psalm's story (cf. Pss 78-79). They are said to have put YHWH to the test, and they are described as a "people whose desires go astray, not recognizing YHWH's ways."
| Hebrew | Line | English |
|---|---|---|
| לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה | 1a | Come, let us shout for joy to YHWH! |
| נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ׃ | 1b | Let us cry out to the rock of our salvation! |
| נְקַדְּמָ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּתוֹדָ֑ה | 2a | Let us approach his presence with praise; |
| בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת נָרִ֥יעַֽ לֽוֹ׃ | 2b | in songs we will cry out to him |
| כִּ֤י אֵ֣ל גָּד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה | 3a | because YHWH is a great God |
| וּמֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 3b | and a great king over all gods, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ | 4a | in whose hand are the unexplored depths of the earth |
| וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים לֽוֹ׃ | 4b | and the peaks of the mountains are his; |
| אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַ֭יָּם וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ | 5a | to whom belongs the sea —he made it— |
| וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃ | 5b | and the dry land which his hands formed. |
| בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה וְנִכְרָ֑עָה | 6a | Come, let us bow down and kneel! |
| נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה לִֽפְנֵי־יְהוָ֥ה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ׃ | 6b | Let us kneel down before YHWH, our maker, |
| כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ | 7a | because he is our God |
| וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ | 7b | and we are the people he shepherds, the flock led by his hand. |
| הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | 7c | Today, if you want to obey his voice... |
| אַל־תַּקְשׁ֣וּ לְ֭בַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה | 8a | "Do not harden your heart as [at] Meribah, |
| כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ | 8b | as [on] the day of Massah in the wilderness, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֭סּוּנִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם | 9a | where your ancestors put me to the test. |
| בְּ֝חָנ֗וּנִי גַּם־רָא֥וּ פָעֳלִֽי׃ | 9b | They tested me. They had even seen my work! |
| אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה ׀ אָ֘ק֤וּט בְּד֗וֹר | 10a | forty years I was disgusted with a generation |
| וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֤ם תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב הֵ֑ם | 10b | and I would think: 'They are a people whose heart strays |
| וְ֝הֵ֗ם לֹא־יָדְע֥וּ דְרָכָֽי׃ | 10c | and they do not recognize my ways. |
| אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי בְאַפִּ֑י | 11a | about whom I swore in my anger, |
| אִם־יְ֝בֹא֗וּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי׃ | 11b | "They will not enter into my place of rest!"'" |
- Does YHWH begin speaking in v. 7c, 8 or 9?
- For a full discussion see the exegetical issue: The Beginning of YHWH's Speech in Psalm95.
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
Participant Analysis Summary Distribution
