First. As I pointed out in an earlier one line post, there is the Hart, the Beloved of the Song circled by dogs and lions and - by recognizing the repetition of 'eating' and the eccentric repetition of hart and eat in the poem, we can see the hart implicitly identified with the food, and thus offering itself as the living bread that is the substance of the Eschatalogical Banquet.
The submission of the Hart is our model for all that goes by the name of love, even the gravity of attraction experienced by elementary particles as they congregate to form the stars that in their nuclear furnaces sang for joy at the creation of the world, they too being the repository of information that would give light and heat to the planets that circle them.
Secondly. A neighboring parish has a session on the Lord's prayer this weekend, led by Dom Crossan (and I will attend and hope to ask sensible questions about History Scripturalized or something or maybe I will just be on mute.) But notice how the Lord's Prayer petition of praise - for thine is the kingdom - is concentrically circled five times in the second half of the psalm. Note also the four concentric circles around the second occurrence of eat and of course the association of eat and worship. (See also eating in Torah, e.g. Exodus 12:8 and in the NT John 6:51, 53 etc.) So that's how Jesus reads the psalms. And the food that is the bread of the sandwich structure of the Psalter is for the redeemed, mercied royalty of the earth (see psalm 149).
Here it is! And this time I have coloured the English for the non-Hebrew-philes. Note - you can include bulls as an animal in the concentric circles, but the Hebrew words are different.
לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד | 1 | For the leader to the hart of the dawn A Psalm of david |
אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי רָחוֹק מִישׁוּעָתִי דִּבְרֵי שַׁאֲגָתִי | 2 | My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? so distant from my salvation are the words of my groaning |
אֱלֹהַי אֶקְרָא יוֹמָם וְלֹא תַעֲנֶה וְלַיְלָה וְלֹא דֻמִיָּה לִי | 3 | My God, I call by day and you do not answer and by night and I am not mute |
וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל | 4 | But you are holy seated on the praises of Israel |
בְּךָ בָּטְחוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ בָּטְחוּ וַתְּפַלְּטֵמוֹ | 5 | In you our fathers trusted They trusted and you secured them |
אֵלֶיךָ זָעֲקוּ וְנִמְלָטוּ בְּךָ בָטְחוּ וְלֹא בוֹשׁוּ | 6 | To you they appealed and you let them escape In you they trusted and were not ashamed |
וְאָנֹכִי תוֹלַעַת וְלֹא אִישׁ חֶרְפַּת אָדָם וּבְזוּי עָם | 7 | But I am a worm and no man a reproach of humanity and despised of the people |
כָּל רֹאַי יַלְעִגוּ לִי יַפְטִירוּ בְשָׂפָה יָנִיעוּ רֹאשׁ | 8 | All who see me will deride me They purse their lips They toss their head |
גֹּל אֶל יְהוָה יְפַלְּטֵהוּ יַצִּילֵהוּ כִּי חָפֵץ בּוֹ | 9 | Roll with יְהוָה he will secure him Let him deliver him for he delights in him |
כִּי אַתָּה גֹחִי מִבָּטֶן מַבְטִיחִי עַל שְׁדֵי אִמִּי | 10 | For you yourself took me from a belly giving me trust on the breasts of my mother |
עָלֶיךָ הָשְׁלַכְתִּי מֵרָחֶם מִבֶּטֶן אִמִּי אֵלִי אָתָּה | 11 | On you I was cast from a womb From my mother's belly you are my God |
אַל תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי כִּי צָרָה קְרוֹבָה כִּי אֵין עוֹזֵר | 12 | do not be far from me for trouble is near for there is no help |
סְבָבוּנִי פָּרִים רַבִּים אַבִּירֵי בָשָׁן כִּתְּרוּנִי | 13 | Many bulls circled me The valiant of Bashan surrounded me |
פָּצוּ עָלַי פִּיהֶם אַרְיֵה טֹרֵף וְשֹׁאֵג | 14 | They gape at me their mouths a lion tearing and roaring |
כַּמַּיִם נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי וְהִתְפָּרְדוּ כָּל עַצְמוֹתָי הָיָה לִבִּי כַּדּוֹנָג נָמֵס בְּתוֹךְ מֵעָי | 15 | Like water I am poured out and all my bones are separated My heart is like wax melted in the midst of my loins |
יָבֵשׁ כַּחֶרֶשׂ כֹּחִי וּלְשׁוֹנִי מֻדְבָּק מַלְקוֹחָי וְלַעֲפַר מָוֶת תִּשְׁפְּתֵנִי | 16 | My strength is dried up like a potsherd and my tongue cleaves to my jaws and you will bring me into the dust of death |
כִּי סְבָבוּנִי כְּלָבִים עֲדַת מְרֵעִים הִקִּיפוּנִי כָּאֲרִי יָדַי וְרַגְלָי | 17 | For dogs circled me An assembly of evildoers enclosed me They gouge my hands and my feet |
אֲסַפֵּר כָּל עַצְמוֹתָי הֵמָּה יַבִּיטוּ יִרְאוּ בִי | 18 | I will tell all my bones They gape and stare at me |
יְחַלְּקוּ בְגָדַי לָהֶם וְעַל לְבוּשִׁי יַפִּילוּ גוֹרָל | 19 | They part my clothing among them and for my garment they cast lots |
וְאַתָּה יְהוָה אַל תִּרְחָק אֱיָלוּתִי לְעֶזְרָתִי חוּשָׁה | 20 | But you, יְהוָה, you be not distant Hurry, my hart, to my help |
הַצִּילָה מֵחֶרֶב נַפְשִׁי מִיַּד כֶּלֶב יְחִידָתִי | 21 | Deliver my being from the sword my uniqueness away from the dog's paw |
הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִפִּי אַרְיֵה וּמִקַּרְנֵי רֵמִים עֲנִיתָנִי | 22 | Save me from the lion's mouth from the horns of wild bulls you have answered me |
אֲסַפְּרָה שִׁמְךָ לְאֶחָי בְּתוֹךְ קָהָל אֲהַלְלֶךָּ | 23 | I will declare your name to my kin In the midst of the congregation I will praise you |
יִרְאֵי יְהוָה הַלְלוּהוּ כָּל זֶרַע יַעֲקֹב כַּבְּדוּהוּ וְגוּרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ כָּל זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל | 24 | You who fear יְהוָה praise him All the seed of Jacob glorify him and stand in awe of him all the seed of Israel |
כִּי לֹא בָזָה וְלֹא שִׁקַּץ עֱנוּת עָנִי וְלֹא הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו מִמֶּנּוּ וּבְשַׁוְּעוֹ אֵלָיו שָׁמֵעַ | 25 | For he has not despised nor detested the affliction of the afflicted and he has not concealed his presence from him but when he cried for help to him he heard him |
מֵאִתְּךָ תְּהִלָּתִי בְּקָהָל רָב נְדָרַי אֲשַׁלֵּם נֶגֶד יְרֵאָיו | 26 | From you is my praise in the great congregation My vows I will pay before those who fear him |
יֹאכְלוּ עֲנָוִים וְיִשְׂבָּעוּ יְהַלְלוּ יְהוָה דֹּרְשָׁיו יְחִי לְבַבְכֶם לָעַד | 27 | The afflicted will eat and be satisfied Those who seek יְהוָה will praise him May your heart live for ever |
יִזְכְּרוּ וְיָשֻׁבוּ אֶל יְהוָה כָּל אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ כָּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת גּוֹיִם | 28 | All the ends of the earth will remember and will turn to יְהוָה All the tribes of the nations will worship in your presence |
כִּי לַיהוָה הַמְּלוּכָה וּמֹשֵׁל בַּגּוֹיִם | 29 | for to יְהוָה is the kingdom and he governs in the nations |
אָכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ כָּל דִּשְׁנֵי אֶרֶץ לְפָנָיו יִכְרְעוּ כָּל יוֹרְדֵי עָפָר וְנַפְשׁוֹ לֹא חִיָּה | 30 | They will eat and worship - all who sleep in the earth - in his presence All who go down to the dust will bow but his being he could not keep alive |
זֶרַע יַעַבְדֶנּוּ יְסֻפַּר לַאדֹנָי לַדּוֹר | 31 | A seed will serve him It will be recounted of the Lord for a generation |
יָבֹאוּ וְיַגִּידוּ צִדְקָתוֹ לְעַם נוֹלָד כִּי עָשָׂה יְהוָה | 32 | They will come and will tell his righteousness to a people to be born for יְהוָה has made it so |
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