Psalm 27

I am working on an arrangement of Psalm 27. I saw a remarkable sign in the Hebrew I had not noticed before. An ornament around verse 13. Three dots above the letters and three below. I have seen such dots but I had not paid much attention to them. And I had not seen them here.

לׅׄוּלֵׅׄ֗אׅׄ It seems it might be like the ... indicating pondering in Latin characters.

If anyone can tell me what I should do when writing for harp or whatever... feel free to volunteer some composition instruction. You can be fairly certain if you are a composer/arranger that I am not.

I must live with these words even longer. There is no obvious form to this poem. Haïk-Vantoura sets this with a sharpened fourth (A#). It is a most peculiar mode to me though I know she could make it work. The accents are quite different in the Letteris edition and the Leningrad Codex.  Verse 2 begins with a leap up a sixth: בִּקְרֹ֤ב but Letteris must have missed this accent (< under the resh). It is quite clear in the Aleppo codex also. This gives two verses: 2 and 5 with extended recitation on C. The other high C's are quite brief, though verse 1 is a significant starter. In verse 1 C is confidence. In verse 2 it is growing alarm. In verse 5, it is utter delight. In verse 6 a brief word painting (bar 47). The C in verse 8 reflects the shape of the C in verse 1. In verse 11, the C serves only to jump the gap between verse 6 and 7. All this needs to be in the impact of the accompaniment somehow.

Note:  The Letteris edition is significantly defective largely because of spurious metegs in a number of places. They are particularly noticeable in this Psalm. Whenever an apparent silluq draws the voice down to the tonic for one syllable, particularly a weak syllable, that accent is suspect. I have not yet observed any accent below the letters that interferes with the natural stress that begins a new reciting note.

This arrangement that follows will change as I complete it...

Psalms 27		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
לְדָוִ֨ד ׀ יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אוֹרִ֣י וְ֭יִשְׁעִי מִמִּ֣י אִירָ֑א יְהוָ֥ה מָֽעוֹז־חַ֝יַּ֗י מִמִּ֥י אֶפְחָֽד	1		Of David. Yahweh my light and my salvation, whom will I fear? Yahweh from strength my life, whom will I dread?	3e	4C	14 10
בִּקְרֹ֤ב עָלַ֨י ׀ מְרֵעִים֮ לֶאֱכֹ֪ל אֶת־בְּשָׂ֫רִ֥י צָרַ֣י וְאֹיְבַ֣י לִ֑י הֵ֖מָּה כָשְׁל֣וּ וְנָפָֽלוּ	2		In drawing near to me to injure to eat even my flesh, my foes and my own enemies, they, they stumbled and fell.	3d	4C	14 6 8
אִם־תַּחֲנֶ֬ה עָלַ֨י ׀ מַחֲנֶה֮ לֹֽא־יִירָ֪א לִ֫בִּ֥י אִם־תָּק֣וּם עָ֭לַי מִלְחָמָ֑ה בְּ֝זֹ֗את אֲנִ֣י בוֹטֵֽחַ	3		If an army over me is armed, my heart will not fear. If war arises over me, in this I, even I will trust.	3d	4B	13 8 7
אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהוָה֮ אוֹתָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹֽעַם־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵיכָלֽוֹ	4		One thing I have asked from Yahweh. That thing I will seek, that I may sit in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, to gaze on the pleasantness of Yahweh and to reflect in his temple.	3d	4C	14 11 15
כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֪וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אָהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי	5	C	For he will treasure me in a booth in a day of evil. He will hide me in the secret of his tent. On a rock he will exalt me.	3d	4C	12 10 6
וְעַתָּ֨ה יָר֪וּם רֹאשִׁ֡י עַ֤ל אֹֽיְבַ֬י סְֽבִיבוֹתַ֗י וְאֶזְבְּחָ֣ה בְ֭אָהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵ֣י תְרוּעָ֑ה אָשִׁ֥ירָה וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה לַיהוָֽה	6		And now my head will be exalted above my enemies surrounding me, and I will offer in his tent offerings of jubilation. I will sing and I will sing a psalm to Yahweh.	3d	4C	27 9
שְׁמַע־יְהוָ֖ה קוֹלִ֥י אֶקְרָ֗א וְחָנֵּ֥נִי וַעֲנֵֽנִי	7		Hear Yahweh my voice. I will call. And be gracious to me and answer me.	3e	3g	16
לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְהוָ֣ה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ	8		He said to you, My heart, seek my face. Even your face Yahweh I will seek.	3e	4C	10 9
אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ אַֽל־תַּט־בְּאַ֗ף עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ עֶזְרָתִ֥י הָיִ֑יתָ אַֽל־תִּטְּשֵׁ֥נִי וְאַל־תַּֽ֝עַזְבֵ֗נִי אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׁעִֽי	9		Do not hide your face from me. Do not push your servant away in anger. You became my help. Do not abandon me and do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.	3e	4A	16 6 15
כִּי־אָבִ֣י וְאִמִּ֣י עֲזָב֑וּנִי וַֽיהוָ֣ה יַֽאַסְפֵֽנִי	10		For my father and my mother forsake me, but Yahweh will gather me.	3e	4B	9 6
ה֤וֹרֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֗ה דַּ֫רְכֶּ֥ךָ וּ֭נְחֵנִי בְּאֹ֣רַח מִישׁ֑וֹר לְ֝מַ֗עַן שׁוֹרְרָֽי	11	C	Instruct me Yahweh your way, and guide me in an upright path, on account of my watchers.	3e	4C	8 8 5
אַֽל־תִּ֭תְּנֵנִי בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ צָרָ֑י כִּ֥י קָֽמוּ־בִ֥י עֵֽדֵי־שֶׁ֝֗קֶר וִיפֵ֥חַ חָמָֽס	12		Do not give me to the throat of my foes, for false witnesses have arisen against me, and exhaling violence.	3e	4B	9 12
לׅׄוּלֵׅׄ֗אׅׄ הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי לִרְא֥וֹת בְּֽטוּב־יְהוָ֗ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּֽים	13	~	...What if I had not believed I would see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living?	3e	4B	19
קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְה֫וָ֥ה חֲ֭זַק וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהוָֽה	14		Wait on Yahweh. Be courageous and he will assure your heart, so wait on Yahweh.	3e	4B	5 9 6