See what you can see.
First there are the sequential recurrences a, b, c, d, a, b, c, d - such as is so obvious in psalm 114. These create a parallel line pattern in the table.
| Word and gloss * first usage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Vs | Stem |
ישׂראל Israel | ░ | 1 | ישׂראל | ||||||||||||||
יעקב Jacob | ░ | 1 | עקב | ||||||||||||||
ישׂראל Israel | ░ | 2 | ישׂראל | ||||||||||||||
הים the sea | ░ | 3 | ים | ||||||||||||||
* וינס and fled | ░ | 3 | נוס | ||||||||||||||
* הירדן the Jordan | ░ | 3 | ירדן | ||||||||||||||
יסב was driven | ░ | 3 | סבב | ||||||||||||||
לאחור back | ░ | 3 | אחור | ||||||||||||||
ההרים the hills | ░ | 4 | הר | ||||||||||||||
* רקדו skipped | ░ | 4 | רקד | ||||||||||||||
כאילים like rams | ░ | 4 | איל | ||||||||||||||
* גבעות little hills | ░ | 4 | גבע | ||||||||||||||
כבני like -kin | ░ | 4 | בן | ||||||||||||||
צאן lamb- | ░ | 4 | צאן | ||||||||||||||
הים sea | ░ | 5 | ים | ||||||||||||||
* תנוס you fled | ░ | 5 | נוס | ||||||||||||||
* הירדן Jordan | ░ | 5 | ירדן | ||||||||||||||
תסב that you were driven | ░ | 5 | סבב | ||||||||||||||
לאחור back | ░ | 5 | אחור | ||||||||||||||
ההרים hills | ░ | 6 | הר | ||||||||||||||
* תרקדו that you skipped | ░ | 6 | רקד | ||||||||||||||
כאילים like rams | ░ | 6 | איל | ||||||||||||||
* גבעות little hills | ░ | 6 | גבע | ||||||||||||||
כבני like -kin | ░ | 6 | בן | ||||||||||||||
צאן lamb- | ░ | 6 | צאן | ||||||||||||||
מלפני from the presence of | ░ | 7 | פנה | ||||||||||||||
מלפני from the presence of | ░ | 7 | פנה | ||||||||||||||
יעקב Jacob | ░ | 7 | עקב | ||||||||||||||
מים waters | ░ | 8 | מים | ||||||||||||||
מים waters | ░ | 8 | מים |
Note also the immediate (or near immediate) repetitions that act almost like a double underline. In the above psalm 114, these are the first recurrence surrounding the single frame of Jacob and the last recurrences. In this case, the final pair of double underlines reads - from the presence of and waters. One could read this as "no degree of trouble (waters) can stand in the way of the presence of the Lord, the God of Jacob".
Then there are the circles such as I have pointed out in psalms 22 and 51. Circles make an arrowhead > shape in the table instead of parallel lines. So Israel above circles the first occurrence of Jacob and Jacob circles most of the poem. (Note - parallelism in Hebrew poetry is a different but complementary concept to recurrence - the parallel in the table above is produced by the same root repeated in the poem, and not by the poet's choice of synonyms or antonyms).
Psalm 16 has some circles.
| Word and gloss * first usage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Vs | Stem |
אתה you are | ░ | 2 | אתה | ||||||||
בל pales | ░ | 2 | בל | ||||||||
אשׁר that are | ░ | 3 | אשׁר | ||||||||
בל not | ░ | 4 | בל | ||||||||
* אסיך I will offer | ░ | 4 | נסך | ||||||||
* נסכיהם their offerings | ░ | 4 | נסך | ||||||||
ובל and not | ░ | 4 | בל | ||||||||
אתה you yourself | ░ | 5 | אתה | ||||||||
* בנעמים in pleasure | ░ | 6 | נעם | ||||||||
אף surely | ░ | 6 | אף | ||||||||
אשׁר who | ░ | 7 | אשׁר | ||||||||
אף surely | ░ | 7 | אף | ||||||||
* מימיני at my right hand | ░ | 8 | ימן | ||||||||
בל not | ░ | 8 | בל | ||||||||
* שׂמח will joy | ░ | 9 | שׂמח | ||||||||
אף surely | ░ | 9 | אף | ||||||||
לא not | ░ | 10 | לא | ||||||||
לא not | ░ | 10 | לא | ||||||||
* שׂמחות joys | ░ | 11 | שׂמח | ||||||||
* נעמות pleasures | ░ | 11 | נעם | ||||||||
* בימינך at your right hand | ░ | 11 | ימן |
In psalm 16, the double underlines above read offerings - no!. In psalm 22 - here - it might read (with a little stretch for columns 41 and 42 the last two recurrences) the nations worship! How's that for prophesy!
In my first trials, it seems possible to read almost a specific 1 phrase summary of the psalm from the closely spaced double recurrences. Perhaps in psalm 1 it says: The teaching leads to righteousness. Perhaps in psalm 2 with only one final double underline, it would read I myself. As we skip ahead and around over the next few months, keep an eye out for new ways of seeing these tables as insight into the poem's content.
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