Template Example

This is an example of a template for a psalm.

Psalm 13

Original Genre: Lament (Individual)
Main Message: “I’ll trust Your Covenant love no matter how bad things look.”
Primary Emotion: Underlying current of trust—“I’m asking because I know You’re the only one who can help.”

Section		Purpose	Emotional Exegesis	Highlights in Hebrew
1	(Eng 1-2) (Heb 2-3)	complaint (stating the problem)	longing, woeful, sorrowful, grief/loss abandoned, forgotten, alone, betrayed weariness, confusion, uncertainty, hurt frustration, impatience, disillusionment shame, embarrasment	this section of the poem is the longest by word count; reflects “How long…?”
2	(Eng 3-4) (Heb 4-5)	cry for help + reasons	desperation, total dependence expectation, challenge, ultimatum fear, catastrophe, catharsis	God’s Name is highlighted (presented precisely in the middle of the cry for help) linguistic marking on the enemy’s words “I conquered him”
3	(Eng 5-6) (Heb 6)	confidence in God + praise	renewed hope & perspective first half: restored faith, courage, trust, determination, resolve second half: joy, light, calm, solid, centered, equilibrium, tension gone, rememberance	first line is the most linguistically highlighted line of the whole poem chesed in the first line = covenant love or loyalty, unshakeable, dependable, unswerving change in address halfway—no longer directly to God, but to community (or self)

Important connections

first line of section 1 with first line of section 3 (specifically connects Covenant Name with chesed)
section 1 and section 3 (can be subtle, perhaps even unstated, as long as section 3 is understood as the solution to section 1; may be accomplished naturally if the first lines are connected well)
thread of Covenant = first line of section 1 (Covenant Name), cry for help at beginning of section 2 (Name), first line of section 3 (Covenant loyalty, chesed)