Psalm 86 divides nicely into 4 sections, 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-17. The overall table is 24 keywords wide and therefore difficult to see. The division by 2 gives tables of 13 keywords wide each as shown below. Verses 5 and 15 identify two other roots that recur twice only in the poem and are therefore missed in the tables when taken 8 verses at a time. It is a good exercise to find the words that make each of the 4 sections cohere in themselves. Yet these sections are also tightly bound together to each other. Altogether this is a model poem.
Notice too (from the tables) how verses 1-3 lay out the words that the poet will reuse in verses 4 to 8. Also verses 9-11 layout the words that are used in the remaining verses. Groups of these words are clearly reused in reverse order. Apart from any errors I have made, (and I have corrected a few in the last two days) the analysis of such recurrence patterns is a fully objective exercise. These give a frame in which the more subjective parallelism and prosody tools can be applied.
תְּפִלָּה לְדָוִד
הַטֵּה יְהוָה אָזְנְךָ עֲנֵנִי כִּי עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן אָנִי | 1 | A prayer Of David Stretch יְהוָה your ear answer me for I am afflicted and in need am I |
שָׁמְרָה נַפְשִׁי
כִּי חָסִיד אָנִי הוֹשַׁע עַבְדְּךָ אַתָּה אֱלֹהַי הַבּוֹטֵחַ אֵלֶיךָ | 2 | Guard my being for under mercy am I save your servant you, my God the one trusting in you |
חָנֵּנִי אֲדֹנָי
כִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֶקְרָא כָּל הַיּוֹם | 3 | be gracious to me, O Lord for to you I call every day |
שַׂמֵּחַ נֶפֶשׁ עַבְדֶּךָ
כִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי נַפְשִׁי אֶשָּׂא | 4 | Make glad the being of your servant for to you O Lord my being I lift up |
כִּי אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי טוֹב
וְסַלָּח וְרַב חֶסֶד לְכָל קֹרְאֶיךָ | 5 | for you, O Lord, are good and forgiving and full of kindness to all calling on you |
הַאֲזִינָה יְהוָה תְּפִלָּתִי
וְהַקְשִׁיבָה בְּקוֹל תַּחֲנוּנוֹתָי | 6 | Give ear יְהוָה to my prayer and attend with the voice of my supplication |
בְּיוֹם צָרָתִי אֶקְרָאֶךָּ
כִּי תַעֲנֵנִי | 7 | In the day of my straits I will call on you for you will answer me |
אֵין כָּמוֹךָ בָאֱלֹהִים
אֲדֹנָי וְאֵין כְּמַעֲשֶׂיךָ | 8 | there is none like you among the gods O Lord, and there is nothing like your doings |
כָּל גּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ יָבוֹאוּ
וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי וִיכַבְּדוּ לִשְׁמֶךָ | 9 | All nations whom you made will come and worship in your presence, O Lord and glorify your name |
כִּי גָדוֹל אַתָּה
וְעֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת אַתָּה אֱלֹהִים לְבַדֶּךָ | 10 | for you are great and do wonders you O God, you alone |
הוֹרֵנִי יְהוָה דַּרְכֶּךָ
אֲהַלֵּךְ בַּאֲמִתֶּךָ יַחֵד לְבָבִי לְיִרְאָה שְׁמֶךָ | 11 | Instruct me יְהוָה your way I will walk in your truth make one my heart to fear your name |
אוֹדְךָ אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהַי
בְּכָל לְבָבִי וַאֲכַבְּדָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם | 12 | I will thank you, O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorify your name forever |
כִּי חַסְדְּךָ גָּדוֹל עָלָי
וְהִצַּלְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִשְּׁאוֹל תַּחְתִּיָּה | 13 | for your kindness is great to me and you have delivered my being from Sheol's nether parts |
אֱלֹהִים זֵדִים קָמוּ עָלַי
וַעֲדַת עָרִיצִים בִּקְשׁוּ נַפְשִׁי וְלֹא שָׂמוּךָ לְנֶגְדָּם | 14 | O God the presumptuous rise up against me and an assembly of the ruthless demand my being and not do they set you before them |
וְאַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֵל
רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת | 15 | but you O Lord God are compassionate and gracious slow to anger and full of kindness and truth |
פְּנֵה אֵלַי וְחָנֵּנִי
תְּנָה עֻזְּךָ לְעַבְדֶּךָ וְהוֹשִׁיעָה לְבֶן אֲמָתֶךָ | 16 | be present to me and be gracious to me give your strength to your servant and salvation to the child of your maidservant |
עֲשֵׂה עִמִּי אוֹת לְטוֹבָה
וְיִרְאוּ שֹׂנְאַי וְיֵבֹשׁוּ כִּי אַתָּה יְהוָה עֲזַרְתַּנִי וְנִחַמְתָּנִי | 17 | make for me a sign of good and those hating me will see and be ashamed for you יְהוָה have helped me and comforted me |
Notes by verse
| 2 | under mercy, חסיד, the singular one under the חסד, that covenant mercy and kindness of יְהוָה |
| 5 | forgiving סלח (slx) forgive, pardon, used 4 times in the Psalter, different from 'lift up' |
| 9 | [Revelation 15:4] |
| 16 | maidservant, אמה ('mh) easily misread as truth, אמת ('mt) |
Selected recurring words in relative order (1 to 8)
| Word and gloss * first usage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Vs | Root |
תפלה a prayer
|
░
| 1 | פלל | ||||||||||||
אזנך your ear
|
░
| 1 | אזן | ||||||||||||
ענני and answer me
|
░
| 1 | ענה | ||||||||||||
עני afflicted
|
░
| 1 | ענה | ||||||||||||
אני am I
|
░
| 1 | אני | ||||||||||||
נפשׁי my being
|
░
| 2 | נפשׁ | ||||||||||||
אני am I
|
░
| 2 | אני | ||||||||||||
עבדך your servant
|
░
| 2 | עבד | ||||||||||||
אתה you
|
░
| 2 | אתה | ||||||||||||
חנני be gracious to me
|
░
| 3 | חנן | ||||||||||||
אדני O Lord
|
░
| 3 | אדני | ||||||||||||
אקרא I call
|
░
| 3 | קרא | ||||||||||||
כל every
|
░
| 3 | כל | ||||||||||||
היום day
|
░
| 3 | יום | ||||||||||||
נפשׁ the being of
|
░
| 4 | נפשׁ | ||||||||||||
עבדך your servant
|
░
| 4 | עבד | ||||||||||||
אדני O Lord
|
░
| 4 | אדני | ||||||||||||
נפשׁי my being
|
░
| 4 | נפשׁ | ||||||||||||
אתה you
|
░
| 5 | אתה | ||||||||||||
אדני O Lord
|
░
| 5 | אדני | ||||||||||||
לכל to all
|
░
| 5 | כל | ||||||||||||
קראיך calling on you
|
░
| 5 | קרא | ||||||||||||
האזינה give ear
|
░
| 6 | אזן | ||||||||||||
תפלתי to my prayer
|
░
| 6 | פלל | ||||||||||||
תחנונותי my supplication
|
░
| 6 | חנן | ||||||||||||
ביום in the day of
|
░
| 7 | יום | ||||||||||||
אקראך I will call on you
|
░
| 7 | קרא | ||||||||||||
תענני you will answer me
|
░
| 7 | ענה | ||||||||||||
אין there is none
|
░
| 8 | אין | ||||||||||||
אדני O Lord
|
░
| 8 | אדני | ||||||||||||
ואין and there is nothing
|
░
| 8 | אין |
Selected recurring words in relative order (9 to end)
| Word and gloss * first usage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Vs | Root |
כל all
|
░
| 9 | כל | ||||||||||||
עשׂית you made
|
░
| 9 | עשׂה | ||||||||||||
לפניך in your presence
|
░
| 9 | פנה | ||||||||||||
אדני O Lord
|
░
| 9 | אדני | ||||||||||||
ויכבדו and glorify
|
░
| 9 | כבד | ||||||||||||
לשׁמך your name
|
░
| 9 | שׁם | ||||||||||||
גדול great
|
░
| 10 | גדל | ||||||||||||
אתה you are
|
░
| 10 | אתה | ||||||||||||
ועשׂה and do
|
░
| 10 | עשׂה | ||||||||||||
אתה you
|
░
| 10 | אתה | ||||||||||||
באמתך in your truth
|
░
| 11 | אמת | ||||||||||||
לבבי my heart
|
░
| 11 | לבב | ||||||||||||
שׁמך your name
|
░
| 11 | שׁם | ||||||||||||
אדני O Lord
|
░
| 12 | אדני | ||||||||||||
בכל with all
|
░
| 12 | כל | ||||||||||||
לבבי my heart
|
░
| 12 | לבב | ||||||||||||
ואכבדה and I will glorify
|
░
| 12 | כבד | ||||||||||||
שׁמך your name
|
░
| 12 | שׁם | ||||||||||||
חסדך your kindness
|
░
| 13 | חסד | ||||||||||||
גדול is great
|
░
| 13 | גדל | ||||||||||||
נפשׁי my being
|
░
| 13 | נפשׁ | ||||||||||||
נפשׁי my being
|
░
| 14 | נפשׁ | ||||||||||||
ואתה but you
|
░
| 15 | אתה | ||||||||||||
אדני O Lord
|
░
| 15 | אדני | ||||||||||||
וחנון and gracious
|
░
| 15 | חנן | ||||||||||||
חסד kindness
|
░
| 15 | חסד | ||||||||||||
ואמת and truth
|
░
| 15 | אמת | ||||||||||||
פנה be present
|
░
| 16 | פנה | ||||||||||||
וחנני and be gracious to me
|
░
| 16 | חנן | ||||||||||||
עשׂה make
|
░
| 17 | עשׂה | ||||||||||||
אתה you
|
░
| 17 | אתה |
Seven occurrences of Lord (אדני), six occurrences of you (אתה), and five occurrences of being (נפשׁ) are the backbone of this psalm. Save, and servant form two concentric circles between verses 2 and 16. The central verse 9 recalls the worship of all nations from Psalm 22.
All nations whom you made will come
and worship in your presence, O Lord
and glorify your name
and worship in your presence, O Lord
and glorify your name
No comments:
Post a Comment