KJV 400th continuous read-through

Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria has begun a Biblethon, a complete reading out loud in the Nave of the King James Translation. I listened to a couple of hours today, following along in my Tanakh.  This was an experiment - following where I have no English clues as to where we are.  One reader asked me at a hiatus - what chapter did we stop at? I had come into the church at the spot about bricks and straw and then a new reader had taken over without announcing the beginning of her chapters, but fortunately I had just found my place - so I said: chapter 12 of Exodus.  And he said - Oh - that's where I start.  So he started.

It's like my first experience of reading musical scores 50 years ago - you try and find clues as to where the reader is, then you catch up and keep up.

Tonight there is a performance of the Song of Songs by a theatre company. Same company doing Job on Thursday. Must continue.  I read tomorrow (Esdras) and Friday (Hosea).  (Remember). I feel very irresponsible not checking the translation of Esdras.

How to present what I have seen - a draft

This post encapsulates the principles I desired to follow over the past 5 years. Where shall I go? What else should I read on this?

Why do I insist on seeing the psalms? I take them as a public declaration of both liturgical practice and personal delight. I need to see them, because the language is no longer available aurally in my time, and the performance practice is at best inferred. But in seeing them, I begin to hear also.

As I learned Hebrew, the language they were first written in, I saw patterns that were not obvious in English translations, the language I had first learned them in. Some patterns are relatively clear in some translations. For example, the parallelisms or the rhyming ideas in the poems are clearest in the performance practice of plainsong and chanting. Such patterns have been studied under the term, parallellismus membrorum,  coined by Robert Lowth in the 18th century. For example psalm 18.21 contains two parallel similar thoughts

יְהוָה will reward me for my righteousness

for the purity of my hands he will turn to me

In this case also, we have an action verb followed by a reason, then a parallel reason followed by an action verb. In this case reward me and turn to me are rhyming ideas, as are for my righteousness and for the purity of my hands. In the thought process, this parallel is in the form a-b-b-a.

These parallels are important, but there are other words also that frame and support parallelism. In a recent book, A Rabbi Reads the Psalms, Jonathan Magonet instructs the reader to read the psalms with coloured pencils and circle the words that repeat. In a close word for word translation, this is barely possible, but no translations into English that I know of are close enough.

To get the full extent of the word play and the recurring patterns or word usage, I had to read in Hebrew and translate in a new way to allow the frame evident in the Hebrew to play its same role in an English version. In the case of Psalm 18, verse 21 is itself part of a frame. It contains several words that are exactly repeated in verse 25, thus framing verses 22-24 which state the speaker's actions that lead to the reward of the presence. This type of recurrence I have shown in tables. The pattern in the table below immediately reveals the recurring words.

Selected recurring words in relative order - psalm 18.19-25

Word and gloss * first usage	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Vs	Stem
כצדקי for my righteousness	░								21	צדק
* כבר for the purity of		░							21	ברר
ידי my hands			░						21	יד
ישׁיב he will turn				░					21	שׁוב
* לי to me					░				21	לי
שׁמרתי I have kept						░			22	שׁמר
ולא and not							░		22	לא
* לנגדי are before me								░	23	נגד
לא not							░		23	לא
ואשׁתמר and I will keep myself						░			24	שׁמר
וישׁב and turned				░					25	שׁוב
* לי to me					░				25	לי
כצדקי for my righteousness	░								25	צדק
* כבר for the purity of		░							25	ברר
ידי my hands			░						25	יד
* לנגד before								░	25	נגד

A third pattern also emerged. How should one manage the lines in a poem? It has been suggested by John Hobbins at ancienthebrewpoetry.com that the Hebrew poets grouped by 2's and 3's. The pattern works quite well for words in a line, and lines in a verse, and verses in a stanza. The pattern works at the word level because of the enclitic nature of Hebrew. Conjunctions and prepositions, helping verbs, and so on are all clumped together in a Hebrew 'word' as prefixes and suffixes on a stem or root. As a result, a Hebrew poetic line perhaps expressing the first part of a parallel, is typically two or three words, and occasionally 4, rarely 5. Ideas are expressed with very few lexical words because the words are complex, comprised of a stem which is generally two or three characters, and the grammatical affixes. So psalm 18:21 in Hebrew is

יִגְמְלֵנִי יְהוָה כְּצִדְקִי

כְּבֹר יָדַי יָשִׁיב לִי

7 'words' in Hebrew, 3 and 4 in each of the two lines - 18 'words' in English, 7 and 11 in the two lines. In the above, the grammatical letters are in green. Each line thus has three distinct root words. In my work I form the Hebrew according to this prosodic rule, and I put the English beside it line for line, writing the English to correspond to the pairs and triplets of the Hebrew thought process as expressed in each poetic line. (The full text of the psalm is here.)

These three patterns: parallels, recurrence, and prosody all play a part in the way in which I want to see each poem.

A very large proportion of the Hebrew Bible is written in poetic form. All the psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Song and other songs within the narrative portions, all the prophets, and furthermore, much of the so called prose also makes heavy use of recurrence within its rhetorical framework (E.g. Jonah, the whole story organized around 7 words). Moreover, much of the New Testament takes its flavour from the thought process that is evident in Hebrew poetry. For example, the canticles in Luke, the sermons of Jesus, and the writing of John. The form frames the expression of meaning and therefore governs how we are to apprehend and respond to it.  The design principle is that form follows function, and its corollary is that function is obscured by disorder or a failure to perceive the form. If function or meaning is framed in the original tongue, then surely we should preserve the frames in translation.

I'm reviewing the situation...

Advertising - I am reviewing all my psalms again from the beginning. Eventually I will catch up with PoC's postings (which I am also reviewing in advance of their scheduled publication date). This week I did all of Book 1, republishing all the translations with a few little tweaks. As I work through Book 2, I notice a substantial comment on Psalm 45 which of course follows the great exilic Psalm 44. Why is it that in the Psalter, this love marriage happens within the immediate context of exile?  Is it an accident?  Does Paul take the image of exile (he cites Psalm 44)  lightly?

Oh my aching sides and tearing eyes

Hysterics have subsided for a moment. I must read out loud as part of a King James marathon reading next week, 2 Esdras Chapter 11. I swear it's a dead parrot.

Heeeeelllllpppppp - how will I avoid breaking down into hysterics again?  Tell me something serious. Here's a bit of it... I challenge you to read it out loud without breaking up

11 Then saw I a dream, and, behold, there came up from the sea an eagle, which had twelve feathered wings, and three heads.
2 And I saw, and, behold, she spread her wings over all the earth, and all the winds of the air blew on her, and were gathered together.
3 And I beheld, and out of her feathers there grew other contrary feathers; and they became little feathers and small.
4 But her heads were at rest: the head in the midst was greater than the other, yet rested it with the residue.
5 Moreover I beheld, and, lo, the eagle flew with her feathers, and reigned upon earth, and over them that dwelt therein.
6 And I saw that all things under heaven were subject unto her, and no man spake against her, no, not one creature upon earth.
7 And I beheld, and, lo, the eagle rose upon her talons, and spake to her feathers, saying,
8 Watch not all at once: sleep every one in his own place, and watch by course:
9 But let the heads be preserved for the last.
10 And I beheld, and, lo, the voice went not out of her heads, but from the midst of her body.
11 And I numbered her contrary feathers, and, behold, there were eight of them.
12 And I looked, and, behold, on the right side there arose one feather, and reigned over all the earth;
13 And so it was, that when it reigned, the end of it came, and the place thereof appeared no more: so the next following stood up. and reigned, and had a great time;
14 And it happened, that when it reigned, the end of it came also, like as the first, so that it appeared no more.
15 Then came there a voice unto it, and said,
16 Hear thou that hast borne rule over the earth so long: this I say unto thee, before thou beginnest to appear no more,
17 There shall none after thee attain unto thy time, neither unto the half thereof.
18 Then arose the third, and reigned as the other before, and appeared no more also.
19 So went it with all the residue one after another, as that every one reigned, and then appeared no more.
20 Then I beheld, and, lo, in process of time the feathers that followed stood up upon the right side, that they might rule also; and some of them ruled, but within a while they appeared no more:
21 For some of them were set up, but ruled not.
22 After this I looked, and, behold, the twelve feathers appeared no more, nor the two little feathers:
23 And there was no more upon the eagles body, but three heads that rested, and six little wings.
24 Then saw I also that two little feathers divided themselves from the six, and remained under the head that was upon the right side: for the four continued in their place.
25 And I beheld, and, lo, the feathers that were under the wing thought to set up themselves and to have the rule.
26 And I beheld, and, lo, there was one set up, but shortly it appeared no more.
27 And the second was sooner away than the first.
28 And I beheld, and, lo, the two that remained thought also in themselves to reign:
29 And when they so thought, behold, there awaked one of the heads that were at rest, namely, it that was in the midst; for that was greater than the two other heads.
30 And then I saw that the two other heads were joined with it.
31 And, behold, the head was turned with them that were with it, and did eat up the two feathers under the wing that would have reigned.
32 But this head put the whole earth in fear, and bare rule in it over all those that dwelt upon the earth with much oppression; and it had the governance of the world more than all the wings that had been.
33 And after this I beheld, and, lo, the head that was in the midst suddenly appeared no more, like as the wings.
34 But there remained the two heads, which also in like sort ruled upon the earth, and over those that dwelt therein.
35 And I beheld, and, lo, the head upon the right side devoured it that was upon the left side.

Do I need prayer?

Every time on blogger that I publish a psalm translation, I am paired with a source of online prayer requests and in auto-read I see and read their advertisement. Perhaps it is in the random nature of language that the future might pray for the past. Pray, O ye who pray, by all means for David, the Beloved, the turtledove, the uniqueness and remember his troubles. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

I don't have a humour category - but that is where this should be filed. Totally serious humour like most of the Bible.

Psalm 111 - a translation joke

גְּדֹלִים מַעֲשֵׂי יְהוָה דְּרוּשִׁים לְכָל חֶפְצֵיהֶם

2

Great are the deeds of יְהוָה, Delight of all that search them out.

You will notice that I am translating as acrostic - this makes it fun. But in doing the acrostic I managed to reverse the 'meaning' - yet both are true. As I have noted at the post

note the b part reverses the sense for the English - but both senses are fully true - they are sought out by those who delight in them and are the delight of all that seek them out. This process is called knowledge on the one hand and science on the other.

By all means suggest alternatives if you wish

Do you want to be happy? Read the psalms.

Warning - long post. This is a quick summary of structural elements I have found in the Psalter. Some of it is obvious and easily observable on the surface, some not. Check my counting.

The Psalter is comprised of 150 chapters divided into 5 Books. The chapters are variously inscribed,

• 94 with a name, 
• 56 with a genre, 
• 51 for the Leader, 
• 47 with additional notes perhaps referring to an incident recorded elsewhere in the Bible about the named person, some of these with instruments and or perhaps the name of the tune to which they might be sung. 

These inscriptions appear to be a somewhat random collection of curatorial notes at least at first glance.

The Books

• Book 1, using the Hebrew numbering scheme, has 41 chapters. 
• Book 2 from 42 to 72 is 31 chapters. 
• Book 3 from 73 to 89 has 17 chapters. 
• Book 4 from 90 to 106, also 17 chapters, and 
• Book 5 from 107 to 150 has 44 chapters. 

The Greek translation has a variation in numbering. Psalms 9-10 are numbered as one chapter. This produces a difference of 1 in all chapters from 11 up to 147 which in the Greek is divided at Hebrew verse 11. (Psalms 42-43 feel like one poem but neither the Greek nor the Hebrew combines them. The Greek also has differences in the inscriptions. E.g. Psalm 43 is pertaining to David! This undercuts the structures laid out below.)

• Three chapters in Book 1 have no name in the inscription. These are 1, 2, and  33. Chapter 10 is clearly a continuation of the poem of chapter 9. All other psalms in Book 1 are of David.
• Four chapters in Book 2 have no name in the inscription. These are 43, 66, 67, 71 but chapters 43 is clearly a continuation of the poem  or chapter 42. These are of the children of Korah (42-49), of Asaph (50), and of David (51-65, 68-70) and one of Solomon (72).
• All chapters in Book 3 have a name in the inscription, of Asaph (73-83), of the children of Korah (84, 85, 87), of David (86), of Hayman (88), of Ethan (89). 
• In Book 4 only three chapters have a name in the inscription (90 of Moses, 101, 103 of David). 13 are without a name.
• In Book 5, 17 chapters have a name (of David 108-110, 122, 124, 131-133, 138-145 and of Solomon 127). 27 are without a name.
• David is the only one who has at least one chapter inscribed to him in each book.

For the moment I have called these chapters. They are usually called psalms, but only 57 are actually called a psalm in their inscription. Of the others,

• 30 are called song (and several of these carry both song and psalm in their inscription), 
• 13 are labeled maskil (insight), 
• 6 are labeled miktam (written/inscribed), 
• 4 prayer,
• one reel, and
• 2 oracle.  

Of these specialized genres Book 4 has one song. Book 4 is the sparsest when it comes to inscriptions. But all the 150 chapters are poems in a unique style of word usage and dialogue among poet, reader, community, and God. They are all sung and therefore, under the special rubric 'psalm', they can all be considered psalms, prayers, and songs. And all will give insight, all are written, and all will speak or cause one to dance (or writhe). Now the name for them in Hebrew is תְּהִלּים Tehillim, a masculine plural. This word occurs in the feminine in Psalm 22:4

וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ

יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל

But you are holy

seated on the praises of Israel

So one could (and certainly in retrospect having read them from cover to cover - a task for which there is no substitute) consider the whole 150 chapters as praises.

After the introductory 2 psalms, a collection of psalms inscribed to David begins the Psalter. Before the final Hallel, Psalms 146-150, a collection of psalms inscribed to David ends the Psalter. This is where we are going when we begin Book 1, into the first forest of largely individual first person singular poems that follow the opening pair of psalms.

Psalm 1 introduces the problem space, the wicked and the righteous, and a definition of one who is happy. Psalm 2 introduces the kings and the anointed king. Psalms 3 to 7 are a group of individual psalms recognizing trouble. Trouble and enemies are present throughout. Psalm 8 is a celebration of the governance of יְהוָה and derives in part from the creation story. There is an echo of Psalm 8 in Psalm 144. Psalms 9-10 begin a playful set of acrostics. These acrostic poems occur in the Psalter only in Books 1 (9-10, 25, 34, 37) and 5 (111, 112, 119, 145).

The Psalter shows marks of design indicating that it is more than a random collection of poetry. The first mark shows at the beginning and the end. Robert Cole (An integrated reading of Psalms 1 and 2 JSOT 98 (2002) 75-88) has, through observation of several shared words between Psalms 1, 2, and 149, demonstrated that they form such an outer frame for the Psalter. Cole shows the repetition of a whole series of words from Psalm 2 in the last 5 verses of Psalm 149. This is easily verified by a table such as follows. Observe how 6 words in verses 7 and 8 of Psalm 149 are used in the same order as the corresponding words in Psalm 2.

Selected recurring words in relative order for Psalms --2,149

Word and gloss * first usage

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Vs

Stem

* גוים the-many nations

░

--2.1

גוי

ולאמים and the-many tribes

░

--2.1

לאם

* מלכי these kinglets of

░

--2.2

מלך

* ארץ earth

░

--2.2

ארץ

* מוסרותימו their monopoly

░

--2.3

יסר

* באפו in confrontation

░

--2.5

אף

* ואני I myself

░

--2.6

אני

* מלכי my own king

░

--2.6

מלך

ציון Zion

░

--2.6

ציון

בני my son

░

--2.7

בן

* אני I

░

--2.7

אני

* גוים those many nations as

░

--2.8

גוי

* ארץ the earth

░

--2.8

ארץ

ברזל strength

░

--2.9

ברזל

* מלכים kinglets all

░

--2.10

מלך

* הוסרו be warned

░

--2.10

יסר

שׁפטי you many who make judgments

░

--2.10

שׁפט

* ארץ earthly

░

--2.10

ארץ

וגילו and rejoice

░

--2.11

גיל

* אפו his anger

░

--2.12

אף

כל the many who

░

--2.12

כל

הללו Hallelu

░

149.1

הלל

יה Yah

░

149.1

יה

שׁירו sing

░

149.1

שׁיר

שׁיר a song

░

149.1

שׁיר

תהלתו praise

░

149.1

הלל

חסידים the many who know mercy

░

149.1

חסד

בעשׂיו in that one who made him

░

149.2

עשׂה

בני the children of

░

149.2

בן

ציון Zion

░

149.2

ציון

יגילו rejoice

░

149.2

גיל

במלכם in their king

░

149.2

מלך

יהללו let them praise

░

149.3

הלל

חסידים the mercied many

░

149.5

חסד

בכבוד in glory

░

149.5

כבד

לעשׂות making

░

149.7

עשׂה

בגוים in the many nations

░

149.7

גוי

בלאמים for the tribes

░

149.7

לאם

מלכיהם kinglets

░

149.8

מלך

ונכבדיהם these glorious ones

░

149.8

כבד

ברזל durable

░

149.8

ברזל

לעשׂות to make

░

149.9

עשׂה

משׁפט judgment

░

149.9

שׁפט

לכל to all

░

149.9

כל

חסידיו under his mercy

░

149.9

חסד

הללו Hallelu

░

149.9

הלל

יה Yah

░

149.9

יה

The words state that it is those to whom God has shown mercy in covenant who will carry out the judgement. One could summarize the whole Psalter as “The formation of those to whom mercy in covenant has been shown.”

Opening and closing the Psalter

[Psalms 1-2 ... Psalm 149]

Within the envelope of the beginning and end are two groups of psalms attributed to or dedicated to or in the style of David. This is the Davidic outer circle, Psalms 3-41 and 138-145.

Outer circle of psalms with the inscription to/of David
[Book 1................................................................end of Book 5]

[Psalms 1-2 [David, Psalms 3-41 ... Psalms 138-145] Psalm 149]

Book 1 is itself framed (Psalms 1-2, 40-41) by pairs of blessings given as statements of what will make a human happy. The first two psalms are themselves enfolded by their own pair of beatitudes.

אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב	--1.1	Happy the person who does not walk in the advice of the wicked and in the way of sinners does not stand and in the seat of the scornful does not sit
נַשְּׁקוּ-בַר פֶּן-יֶאֱנַף וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ כִּי-יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ אַשְׁרֵי כָּל-חוֹסֵי בוֹ	--2.12	Kiss, aflame yourself pure lest he face you and you perish in your way kindled with a hint of his anger Happy! the many who find this protection
אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר שָׂם יְהוָה מִבְטַחוֹ וְלֹא פָנָה אֶל רְהָבִים וְשָׂטֵי כָזָב	-40.5	happy the valiant who sets up יְהוָה as his trust and does not save face with the defiant falling away to a lie
אַשְׁרֵי מַשְׂכִּיל אֶל דָּל בְּיוֹם רָעָה יְמַלְּטֵהוּ יְהוָה	-41.2	Happy the one giving insight to the weak in the day of evil יְהוָה will let him escape
יְהוָה יִשְׁמְרֵהוּ וִיחַיֵּהוּ וְאֻשַּׁר בָּאָרֶץ וְאַל תִּתְּנֵהוּ בְּנֶפֶשׁ אֹיְבָיו	-41.3	יְהוָה will guard him and keep him alive and he will be considered happy in the earth and you will not give him into the throat of his enemies

You will find that every book closes with such a beatitude.

יְהִי שְׁמוֹ לְעוֹלָם לִפְנֵי שֶׁמֶשׁ יִנּוֹן שְׁמוֹ וְיִתְבָּרְכוּ בוֹ כָּל גּוֹיִם יְאַשְּׁרוּהוּ	-72.17	his name will be forever his name will propagate in the presence of the sun and they will bless themselves in him - all nations will call him happy	end of Book 2
אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם יֹדְעֵי תְרוּעָה יְהוָה בְּאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהַלֵּכוּן	-89.16	Happy the people knowing the jubilation of יְהוָה In the light of your face they will walk	Book 3
אַשְׁרֵי שֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁפָּט עֹשֵׂה צְדָקָה בְכָל עֵת	106.3	happy those keeping judgment doing righteousness at all times	Book 4
אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֱׁיְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו	144.15	happy the people who are like this to him happy the people who have יְהוָה as their God	Book 5
אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁאֵל יַעֲקֹב בְּעֶזְרוֹ שִׂבְרוֹ עַל יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו	146.5	Happy the one who has the God of Jacob for its help Its reliance is on יְהוָה its God

Psalm 146, the beginning of 5 psalms that close the Psalter likewise signals that it is part of the happiness frame. If these beatitudes are strategically placed, what about the others? They are clustered in the collections.

So Psalms 32-34 in Book 1,

לְדָוִד מַשְׂכִּיל אַשְׁרֵי נְשׂוּי פֶּשַׁע כְּסוּי חֲטָאָה	-32.1	Of David an insight happy lifted up transgression covered sin
אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם לֹא יַחְשֹׁב יְהוָה לוֹ עָו‍ֹן וְאֵין בְּרוּחוֹ רְמִיָּה	-32.2	happy the human to whom יְהוָה will not reckon iniquity and without deceit in his spirit
אַשְׁרֵי הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו הָעָם בָּחַר לְנַחֲלָה לוֹ	-33.12	happy the nation where יְהוָה is its God the people chosen as his inheritance
טַעֲמוּ וּרְאוּ כִּי טוֹב יְהוָה אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר יֶחֱסֶה בּוֹ	-34.9	taste and see for יְהוָה is good happy the valiant that takes refuge in him

One only in Psalm 65 in Book 2,

אַשְׁרֵי תִּבְחַר וּתְקָרֵב יִשְׁכֹּן חֲצֵרֶיךָ נִשְׂבְּעָה בְּטוּב בֵּיתֶךָ קְדֹשׁ הֵיכָלֶךָ

-65.5

Happy the one chosen and made near who will dwell in your courts We will be satisfied in the good of your house your holy temple

A frame for Psalm 84 in Book 3,

אַשְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵי בֵיתֶךָ עוֹד יְהַלְלוּךָ סֶּלָה	-84.5	Happy those sitting in your house ever they will praise you Selah
אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם עוֹז לוֹ בָךְ מְסִלּוֹת בִּלְבָבָם	-84.6	Happy the human whose strength is in you with a highway in their heart
יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם בֹּטֵחַ בָּךְ	-84.13	יְהוָה of hosts happy the human who trusts in you

One only in Psalm 94 in Book 4,

אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר תְּיַסְּרֶנּוּ יָּהּ וּמִתּוֹרָתְךָ תְלַמְּדֶנּוּ

-94.12

Happy the valiant whom you chasten Yah and from your instruction you teach them

And at significant structural points in Book 5 - following the triumph of Psalm 110, the acrostic Psalm 112, following the work of Psalm 118, the acrostic of love, Psalm 119, following the songs of ascent, poems of remembrance and intimacy 137, 139.

הַלְלוּ יָהּ אַשְׁרֵי אִישׁ יָרֵא אֶת יְהוָה בְּמִצְו‍ֹתָיו חָפֵץ מְאֹד	112.1	Hallelu Yah A happy person fears יְהוָה By his commandments he has much delight
אַשְׁרֵי תְמִימֵי דָרֶךְ הַהֹלְכִים בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה	119.1	All joy for those who are the complete of the way who walk in the instruction of יְהוָה
אַשְׁרֵי נֹצְרֵי עֵדֹתָיו בְּכָל לֵב יִדְרְשׁוּהוּ	119.2	All joy for those observing his testimonies with a whole heart they search him out
אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא אֶת אַשְׁפָּתוֹ מֵהֶם לֹא יֵבֹשׁוּ כִּי יְדַבְּרוּ אֶת אוֹיְבִים בַּשָּׁעַר	127.5	happy the valiant who filled his quiver with them he will not be ashamed when he speaks with enemies at the gate
שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת אַשְׁרֵי כָּל יְרֵא יְהוָה הַהֹלֵךְ בִּדְרָכָיו	128.1	A song of the ascents Happy all fearing יְהוָה those walking in his ways
יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ	128.2	for you will eat the labour of your palms your happiness and good for you
בַּת בָּבֶל הַשְּׁדוּדָה אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁיְשַׁלֶּם לָךְ אֶת גְּמוּלֵךְ שֶׁגָּמַלְתְּ לָנוּ	137.8	Devastating daughter of Babel happy the one who makes peace with you even weans you as you weaned us
אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁיֹּאחֵז וְנִפֵּץ אֶת עֹלָלַיִךְ אֶל הַסָּלַע	137.9	happy the one who holds and dashes your unweaned against the cliff

Books 2 (Psalms 42-72) and 3 (Psalms 73-89) together comprise another cell contained in the outer envelopes. Books 2 and 3 have an outer circle of psalms of the children of Korah, Psalms 42-49, 84,85,87-88, 89 (Ethan). We also note that there is a change of the predominant name for God from יְהוָה in Books 1, 4, and 5, to Elohim as 'God' from Psalms 42 to 83.

The Korah circle and the inner Elohist Psalms

[[ the name יְהוָה [ Book 2 and 3 Elohim / Korah 42-49 ... 84-85, 86, 87-88, 89] the name יְהוָה ]]

It is in Book 2 that we first hear of the Exile and, forewarned by the longing of the individual in Psalms 42-43, experience the corporate lament of Psalm 44. The last reference to this disaster is in Psalm 137, By the waters of Babylon. The history of the nation is thus 'contained' by the Davidic corpus and does not mute the final praise. While Book 2 ends with a conclusion that the prayers of David the son of Jesse are at an end, they clearly are not at an end as far as the rest of the Psalter is concerned.  I have not found a significant verbal frame for Book 2 by itself.

Within books 2 and 3 are the psalms of Asaph 50, and 73-83, psalms of the harvest 65-67, a Davidic inner circle and its outlier doubles, 51-65, 68-70 ... 108. Within these are the six psalms inscribed as miktam and four psalms to the tune Do not destroy and their outliers 16, 56-60, 75. Psalm 78, which through its recurring words has earned the name Commanding and Guiding an Imprisoned and Provocative People, is the first of the psalms of the primal history, the exodus and the wilderness. The final of these psalms (136) celebrates with its repeated refrain, the mercy and loving kindness of God.

Inner structure of Books 2 and 3

[...[[Korah [Asaph [David [harvest] David] Asaph] Korah (Ethan)]]...]

Touch נגע may form a structurally significant word in the Psalter. It forms a wrap around the happiness of the centre of Book 1 (Psalms 32-39) and then touches only psalms at or near the borders of Books 3, 4, and 5 (73, 88, 89, 91, 105, 107, 144). This word has additional weight when considered with the other factors giving coherence to the individual books. Book 4 begins with Moses (90), includes the rebellion (95) and a series on יְהוָה as king 96-99. Book 4 ends as it began with a reference to Moses in Psalm 106.

Sequence of cells between the outer David psalms

[Opening [David [Books 2 and 3] [Moses Book 4] [Book 5] David] Closing]

Book 5 begins with Psalm 107, the human condition and the divine response. The crying out of Psalm 107 is echoed with a slightly different spelling in Psalm 144, appeal. Thanks and loving kindness are both in the frame of 107 and 149. Book 5 can be divided by the acrostics: Psalms 111 and 112 both celebrate the work of Psalm 110, prepared by 108 and 109, and Psalm 119 could be seen as celebrating the work of Psalm 118, again prepared by the sequence from 113 to 117. Of the substantial and perfect acrostic, Psalm 119, Pascal (cited in Les Psaumes, Desclée de Brouwer ) writes:

Cette supplication déroule lentement ses 176 versets en un long récitatif et n'est en son fond que la même protestation d'amour indéfiniment répétée sous diverses formes.

This supplication unrolls slowly its 176 verses in a long recitative and is at its base but the same protestation of love repeated without limitation in diverse forms.

The final psalms of Book 5 are the series of the 15 psalms of ascent 120-134, and Psalm 135 celebrating the 'arrival' in the courts of יְהוָה. Then we begin the series of closing brackets and the final cadences, for all who fear God: 136 creation and redemption, 137 exile, 138-145 Davidic reminder and last acrostic, and 146-150 the great Hallel. Psalms 137 to 139 can also be read as if in the courts, memory, prayer, and the Holy of Holies. The remembering of David from within the courts is fitting confirmation of the role of the elect in the redemption of the created order. One should then start the Psalter again considering this ultimate viewpoint.