Psalms 78

Enough sequencing. I have heard recently (through my regular youtube attendance to Ely Evensongs this week) both the long psalms, 78 and 89. So let's look at Psalms 78, something more like a saga than the short poems we have dealt with so far. Questions of structure arise at the macro as well as the micro level. Why are some psalms so long? This is the longest of psalms in some ways. (Psalms 119 is really 22 short though related poems about learning to love.)

We read that this is a mwl - parable, and kidot - riddles. What does it make of the history of this people of Israel and their life? It is to be noted that the words that recur most often (more than 5 times in the poem) are three: people, Israel, and eat. (Excluding particles and the divine name.)

If we include Yhwh and God, Yhwh occurs twice only (this being part of the Elohistic Psalter), and God occurs 8 times. So God: 8, Israel: 7, people: 5 (one is the preposition ym), ate/devoured/food, 6. Also at a count of 5 are the words, ancestors, children, cross over / fury, choose/young men and give. The lists get longer as I reduce the count. 14 words (ph, dvr, pla, mrh, amn, ivm, cl, mdbr, nkl, wlk, wcn, wvb, xrr, ahl) occur 4 times. 29 words occur 3 times (including Jacob, a parallel for people), and 56 exactly twice. You can find all these in the concordance and construct the recurrences by searching for Psa 78. If you do this with ahl, tent, you will find it is really quite a bit easier than it sounds! Because of the consistency of my translation, you can often see the results in a post. Search for ' tent' here and see what happens. (Include the leading space).

Having excluded particles is a bit unfair. The negative ' not ' is frequent (24 times - 22 la, 1 bl, 1 interpreted) in this psalm. The particle at- occurs 7 times. Note the changes in voice (they vs he).

Word / Gloss	1	2	3	Vs	Stem
עמי my people	░			1	עם
בישראל in Israel		░		5	ישראל
אכל food			░	18	אכל
לעמו for his people	░			20	עם
בישראל against Israel		░		21	ישראל
לאכל to eat			░	24	אכל
אכל ate			░	25	אכל
ויאכלו and they ate			░	29	אכל
אכלם their food			░	30	אכל
ישראל Israel		░		31	ישראל
עמו from him	░			37	עם
ישראל Israel		░		41	ישראל
ויאכלם and it ate them			░	45	אכל
עמו his people	░			52	עם
ישראל Israel		░		55	ישראל
בישראל in Israel		░		59	ישראל
עמו his people	░			62	עם
אכלה devoured			░	63	אכל
עמו his people	░			71	עם
ובישראל and in Israel		░		71	ישראל

thlim yk	Psalms 78	Fn	Min	Max	Syll
a mwcil lasf hazinh ymi torti h'tu aozncm lamri-pi	1 An insight of Asaph. Listen my people to my instruction. Bend your ears to the sayings of my mouth.		3e	4B	5 9 9
b aptkh bmwl pi abiyh kidot mni-qdm	2 I will open my mouth in a parable. I will ferment riddles from of old,		3e	4B	7 8
g awr wmynu vndym vabotinu sipru-lnu	3 which we have heard and known, and our ancestors recounted to us.		3e	4B	9 8
d la nckd mbnihm ldor akron msprim thilot ihvh vyzuzo vnplaotiv awr ywh	4 We will not conceal from their children in the generation to follow, recounting the praises of Yahweh, and his strength and his wonders which he did.	C	3e	4C	20 13 =88
h viqm ydut biyqob vtorh wm biwral awr xivvh at-abotinu lhodiym lbnihm	5 He raised a testimony in Jacob and he set up instruction in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors, to make known to their children,		3e	4C	17 9 7
v lmyn iidyu dor akron bnim iivvldu iqumu vispru lbnihm	6 so that the generation to follow will know. The children to be born, will arise and recount to their children,		3e	4C	15 9
z viwimu balohim cslm vla iwcku mylli-al umxvotiv inxoru	7 so they might set up their folly in God, and not forget the prodigality of God, and observe his commandments,		3e	4B	9 9 7
k vla ihiu cabotm dor sorr umorh dor la-hcin libo vla-namnh at-al ruko	8 and not become like their ancestors, a rebellious and provocative generation, a generation not preparing its heart, and whose spirit did not believe God.		3d	4C	14 5 8 = 105
't bni-apriim nowqi romi-qwt hpcu biom qrb	9 The children of Ephraim, equipped and ready with bow, changed in the day of close combat.		3e	4B	9 6
i la wmru brit alohim ubtorto mianu llct	10 They did not keep the covenant of God, and in his instruction they would not walk.	B	3e	4B	8 10
ia viwcku ylilotiv vnplaotiv awr hram	11 And they forgot his prodigality, and his wonders that he had showed them.		3e	4B	8 9
ib ngd abotm ywh pla barx mxriim wdh-xoyn	12 In front of their ancestors he did a wonder, in the land of Egypt, the field of Zoan.	B	3e	4B	9 9 =68
ig bqy im viybirm vixb-mim cmo-nd	13 He split sea and made them cross over, and he made waters stand firm in a heap.	B	3e	4B	8 7
id vinkm bynn iomm vcl-hlilh baor aw	14 And he guided them in a cloud by day, and all the night long in the light of fire.		3e	4B	8 8
'tv ibqy xurim bmdbr viwq cthomot rbh	15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave drink as abundant abysses.		3e	4B	8 8
'tz vioxia nozlim msly viord cnhrot mim	16 And he brought forth flows from a cliff, and made waters descend as rivers.		3e	4B	8 8 =63
iz viosipu yod lk'toa-lo lmrot ylion bxiih	17 But they added still sin against him, to provoke the Most High in the arid places.		3e	4B	8 7
ik vinsu-al blbbm lwaol-aocl lnpwm	18 And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for themselves.		3e	4A	7 7
i't vidbru balohim amru hiucl al lyroç wulkn bmdbr	19 And they spoke against God. They said, Is God able, to arrange a table in the wilderness?		3e	4B	6 6 8
c hn hch-xur vizubu mim unklim iw'topu hgm-lkm iucl tt am-icin war lymo	20 Hey! he struck a rock and out gushed water and the torrents overflowed. Is he even able to give bread? Or will he prepare meat for his people?	C	3d	4C	15 7 8 =79
ca lcn wmy ihvh vitybr vaw niwqh biyqob vgm-af ylh biwral	21 So Yahweh heard and he was furious, and fire was ignited in Jacob, and even anger ascended against Israel.		3e	4C	18 9
cb ci la haminu balohim vla b'tku biwuyto	22 For they did not believe in God, and they did not trust in his salvation.	C	3e	4C	9 8
cg vixv wkqim mmyl vdlti wmiim ptk	23 For he had commanded the skies from above, and the gateways of heaven he opened.		3e	4B	8 7
cd vim'tr ylihm mn lacol udgn-wmiim ntn lmo	24 And he rained on them manna to eat, and the grain of heaven he gave to them.		3e	4B	10 8 =77
ch lkm abirim acl aiw xidh wlk lhm lwoby	25 The bread of the mighty each ate. Victuals he sent among them to satiation.	B	3e	4B	8 9
cv isy qdim bwmiim vinhg byuzo timn	26 He sprung an east wind in the heavens, and drove a south wind in his strength.		3e	4B	8 8
cz vim'tr ylihm cypr war uckol imim yof cnf	27 And he rained meat on them as dust, and winged fowl as the sand of the seas.		3e	4B	11 7
ck vipl bqrb mknhu sbib lmwcnotiv	28 And he made it fall within their camp, surrounding their dwellings.	g	3e	4B	10 7 =68
c't viaclu viwbyu maod vtavvtm ibia lhm	29 And they ate and were sated utterly, and he let their desires come to them.		3e	4B	9 9
l la-zru mtavvtm yod aoclm bpihm	30 They were not a stranger to their desires. While their food was in their mouths,		3e	4A	7 6
la vaf alohim ylh bhm vihrog bmwmnihm ubkuri iwral hcriy	31 and the anger of God ascended in them, and slew among their stoutest, and the chosen of Israel were bowed down.		3e	4C	18 10
lb bcl-zat k'tau-yod vla-haminu bnplaotiv	32 In all this they sinned, and still did not believe in his wonders.		3e	4A	6 10 =75
lg vicl-bhbl imihm uwnotm bbhlh	33 And he finished their days in futility, and their years in vexation.		3e	4A	8 7
ld am-hrgm udrwuhu vwbu vwikru-al	34 When he slew them then they searched him out, and they turned and sought early for God.		3e	4A	8 8
lh vizcru ci-alohim xurm val ylion goalm	35 And they remembered for God is their rock, and God the Most High their redeemer.	g	3e	4B	9 6
lv viptuhu bpihm ublwonm iczbu-lo	36 But they seduced him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to him.		3e	4A	7 7 =70
lz vlibm la-ncon yimo vla namnu bbrito	37 And their heart was not prepared from him, and they did not believe in his covenant.	g	3e	4B	7 8
lk vhua rkum icpr yvon vla-iwkit vhrbh lhwib apo vla-iyir cl-kmto	38 But he compassionate, he covered over iniquity and did not destroy, but many times his anger turned, and did not arouse all his heat,		3e	4C	13 8 7
l't vizcor ci-bwr hmh ruk holç vla iwub	39 for he remembered that they are flesh, a walking wind which does not return.	g	3e	4B	7 8
m cmh imruhu bmdbr iyxibuhu biwimon	40 How much they provoked him in the wilderness, and caused him pain in the wasteland.	g	3e	4B	8 8 =74
ma viwubu vinsu al uqdow iwral htvu	41 And they turned back and tempted God, and constrained the Holy One of Israel.		3e	4B	8 7
mb la-zcru at-ido iom awr-pdm mni-xr	42 They did not remember even his hand, the day he ransomed them from trouble.		3e	4A	6 7
mg awr-wm bmxriim aototiv umoptiv bwdh-xoyn	43 That he had set up in Egypt his signs, and his portents in the field of Zoan.		3e	4B	9 7
md vihpoç ldm iaorihm vnozlihm bl-iwtiun	44 That he changed their canals to blood, so their flows they could not imbibe.		3e	4B	10 8 =62
mh iwlk bhm yrob viaclm uxprdy vtwkitm	45 He sent a swarm of flies at them and it ate them, and frogs and he destroyed them.		3e	4B	10 8
mv viitn lksil ibulm vigiym larbh	46 And he gave to the caterpillar their produce, and their labour to a swarm.		3e	4B	9 6
mz ihrog bbrd gpnm vwqmotm bknml	47 He slew their vines with hail, and their sycamore with sleet.		3e	4B	8 8
mk visgr lbrd byirm umqnihm lrwpim	48 And he imprisoned their kine to the hail, and their acquisitions to the fire-brands.		3e	4B	9 7 =65
m't iwlk-bm kron apo ybrh vzym vxrh mwlkt mlaci ryim	49 He sent them his fierce anger, fury and indignation and trouble, by sending messengers of evil.		3e	4B	16 8
n ipls ntib lapo la-kwç mmvvt npwm vkitm ldbr hsgir	50 He leveled a pathway for his anger. He did not keep back their being from death, and he imprisoned their lives to the pestilence.		3e	4B	8 7 9
na viç cl-bcor bmxriim rawit aonim baohli-km	51 And he struck all the firstborn in Egypt, head of the vigour in the tents of Ham.		3e	4B	9 9
nb visy cxan ymo vinhgm cydr bmdbr	52 And he sprung his people like sheep, and drove them like a troop in the wilderness.		3e	4B	7 10 =83
ng vinkm lb'tk vla pkdu vat-aoibihm cish him	53 And he guided them in trust and they were not in dread, and their enemies the sea covered.		3e	4B	11 9
nd vibiam al-gbul qodwo hr-zh qnth imino	54 And he conducted them to the border of his holiness, whose right hand acquired this hill.	g	3e	4B	8 7
nh vigrw mpnihm goiim vipilm bkbl nklh viwcn baohlihm wb'ti iwral	55 And he expelled the nations before their faces, and let fall in pledge an inheritance, and made the sceptres of Israel dwell in their tents.		3e	4C	18 13
nv vinsu vimru at-alohim ylion vydotiv la wmru	56 But they tempted and they provoked God Most High, and his testimonies they did not keep.		3e	4B	12 8 =86
nz viisogu vibgdu cabotm nhpcu cqwt rmiih	57 And they were spineless and acted treacherously like their ancestors. They were changed like an unready bow.		3e	4B	12 9
nk vicyisuhu bbmotm ubpsilihm iqniauhu	58 And they grieved him with their high places, and with their graven images moved him to jealousy.		3e	4A	9 9
n't wmy alohim vitybr vimas maod biwral	59 God heard and was furious, and he refused utterly in Israel.		3e	4B	9 9
s vii'tow mwcn wilh aohl wicn badm	60 So he abandoned the dwelling in Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among humanity.	g	3e	4B	7 7 =71
sa viitn lwbi yuzo vtparto bid-xr	61 And he gave his strength into captivity, and his adornment into the hand of trouble.		3e	4B	7 7
sb visgr lkrb ymo ubnklto htybr	62 And he imprisoned with the sword his people, and with his inheritance he was furious.		3e	4B	8 8
sg bkuriv aclh-aw ubtulotiv la hullu	63 His young men fire devoured, and his maidens were not praiseworthy.		3e	4B	6 8
sd cohniv bkrb nplu valmnotiv la tbcinh	64 His priests fell by the sword, and his widows did not weep.	g	3e	4B	9 9 =62
sh viiqx ciwn adonii cgibor mtronn miin	65 And my Lord awoke as from sleep, as valour shouting from wine.		3e	4A	9 9
sv viç-xriv akor krpt yolm ntn lmo	66 And he struck his foes back, a reproach ever he gave them.		3e	4B	6 8
sz vimas baohl iosf ubwb't apriim la bkr	67 And he refused the tent of Joseph, and the sceptre of Ephraim he did not choose.	g	3e	4B	8 8
sk vibkr at-wb't ihudh at-hr xion awr ahb	68 But he chose the sceptre of Judah, the hill of Zion which he loved.	g	3e	4B	9 8 =65
s't viibn cmo-rmim mqdwo carx isdh lyolm	69 And he built as exalted, his sanctuary, as the earth he founded forever.		3e	4B	9 9
y vibkr bdvid ybdo viiqkhu mmclaot xan	70 And he chose in David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds.	g	3e	4B	8 10
ya makr ylot hbiao lryot biyqob ymo ubiwral nklto	71 From behind those giving suck he conducted him, to shepherd in Jacob his people, and in Israel his inheritance.		3e	4B	8 8 8
yb virym ctom lbbo ubtbunot cpiv inkm	72 And he shepherded them as the completeness of his heart, and in the discernments of his open palms he guided them.	g	3e	4B	8 8 =76

So having read this, what about the music, and where are the strophic boundaries, if we can be so bold? It is very clear that some cola are short and tightly packed in a distribution around 8 syllables in length. Others are more like prose than poetry. (Automated syllable counts are subject to variance of +/- 1. The groups of 4 verses have been summed in my head. So take with a grain of salt.

Terrien (Terrien, Samuel. (2003). The Psalms, Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary) has verses 1 and 2 as prologue, then a division into seven parts: Part 1, 3 to 8, Part 2, 9 to 17, Part 3, 18 to 28, Part 4, 29 to 40, Part 5, 41 to 51, Part 6, 52 to 63, Part 7, 64 to 72. He gives no justification except what seems to me to be a subjective content analysis. I can see no reason to separate verses 1 and 2 from verse 3. And verse 4 joins itself to verse 3 through the first note. Splitting at verse 12 puts all three repetitions of instruction together. Is it possible that groups of 4 verses, perhaps combined in larger groups would provide some guidance? Compare the music with the image of 6 recurrence tables encompassing 12 verses each. (Below the music).

I hope you can expand this image to read it. I think a regular strophic pattern of 12x6 (4x3x6) helps read and absorb this long poem. Treat the strophes that begin on a note other than the tonic (verses 13, 25, 37) as continuing the prior one. Tate (Word Biblical Commentary) cites the divisions of several other authors. Enough of the similar yet conflicting analyses have section boundaries ending in a verse number divisible by 4.

Selected recurrence patterns in 6 groups of 12 verses for Psalms 78