Psalm 1 Discourse

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Happy is the one

Psalm 1

About the Discourse Layer

Our Discourse Layer includes four additional layers of analysis:

• Participant analysis
• Macrosyntax
• Speech act analysis
• Emotional analysis

For more information on our method of analysis, click the expandable explanation button at the beginning of each layer.

• Participants
• Macrosyntax
• Speech Act
• Emotional Analysis

Participant Analysis

  What is Participant Analysis?

Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? It is often helpful for understanding literary structure, speaker identification, etc.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Participant Analysis Creator Guidelines.

There are 3 participants/characters in Psalm 1:

Profile List

The one

Tree

Righteous people

YHWH

Wicked people

Sinful people

Insolent people

Chaff

Profile Notes

• The one is the hero of this psalm, the person being celebrated. He is celebrated for his rejection of wickedness (v. 1), his commitment to YHWH's instruction (v. 2), and for the fact that he will become like a tree in YHWH's life-giving garden (v. 3). "The one" is a literary representative for the group of righteous people mentioned in the end of the psalm (vv. 5-6). When Ps 1 is read as a unit together with Ps 2, the identity of "the one" converges with the identity of the anointed king in Ps 2. See The Identity of the Person in Ps 1:1 for details.
• YHWH, the God of Israel, is the ultimate source of the success of the righteous. He is the one who guides them (v. 2) and cares for them (v. 6a) throughout life's journey. The ambiguity in v. 3d also allows us to see YHWH as the one who "causes all that he does to flourish." See The Grammar of Ps 1:3d for details.
• The wicked (together with sinful people and insolent people) are the most mentioned participant in this psalm. (On the differences between these different terms for wicked people, see lexical semantics.) The wicked, unlike the righteous, have nothing to do with YHWH's instruction, and so they are like chaff and perish in the judgment.

• Tracking Text
• Relations
• Distribution

Speaker	Hebrew	Line	English	Addressee
Psalmist	אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים	1a	Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people,	Community
	וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד	1b	has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people,
	וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃	1c	and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people!
	כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ	2a	Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction,
	וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃	2b	and he meditates on his instruction day and night.
	וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם	3a	And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels
	אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ	3b	that gives its fruit in its season
	וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל	3c	and whose leaves do not wither.
	וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃	3d	And he will cause all that he does to flourish.
	לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים	4a	Not so the wicked people!
	כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃	4b	Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away.
	עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט	5a	Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment,
	וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃	5b	and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people.
	כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים	6a	Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people,
	וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃	6b	and the way of wicked people will come to an end.

Notes

• vv. 1-3. On the identify of the one and his relation to the righteous, see The Identity of the Person in Ps 1:1.
• v. 2b. His instruction or his instruction? Some commentators think that the antecedent of the pronoun in the phrase "his instruction" (v. 2b) is the one rather than YHWH. Rashi, for example, writes, "At first it is called ' YHWH's instruction,' but after he has labored over it it is called his instruction" (מתחלה היא נקראת תורת י״י, ומשעמל בה היא נקראת תורתו). But the parallel between בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה in v. 2a and בְתוֹרָתוֹ in v. 2b suggests that YHWH is the antecedent of the pronoun in the b-line.
• v. 3b. Its season or its season? The antecedent of the pronoun in the phrase "its season" (עִתּוֹ) is probably the fruit rather than the tree. Cf. Lev 26:4—וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖ם בְּעִתָּ֑ם.
• v. 3d. The one, the tree or YHWH? On the subject of the verbs in v. 3d, see The Grammar of Ps 1:3d.

Participant Relations Diagram

The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:

Participant Analysis Summary Distribution

Macrosyntax

  What is Macrosyntax?

Macrosyntax Diagram

  Legend

Macrosyntax legend
Vocatives	Vocatives are indicated by purple text.
Discourse marker	Discourse markers (such as כִּי, הִנֵּה, לָכֵן) are indicated by orange text.
	The scope governed by the discourse marker is indicated by a dashed orange bracket connecting the discourse marker to its scope.
	The preceding discourse grounding the discourse marker is indicated by a solid orange bracket encompassing the relevant clauses.
Subordinating conjunction	The subordinating conjunction is indicated by teal text.
	Subordination is indicated by a solid teal bracket connecting the subordinating conjunction with the clause to which it is subordinate.
Coordinating conjunction	The coordinating conjunction is indicated by blue text.
	Coordination is indicated by a solid blue line connecting the coordinating clauses.
	Coordination without an explicit conjunction is indicated by a dashed blue line connecting the coordinated clauses.
	Marked topic is indicated by a black dashed rounded rectangle around the marked words.
	The scope of the activated topic is indicated by a black dashed bracket encompassing the relevant clauses.
Marked focus or thetic sentence	Marked focus (if one constituent) or thetic sentences are indicated by bold text.
	Frame setters are indicated by a solid gray rounded rectangle around the marked words.
[blank line]	Discourse discontinuity is indicated by a blank line.
[indentation]	Syntactic subordination is indicated by indentation.
	Direct speech is indicated by a solid black rectangle surrounding all relevant clauses.
(text to elucidate the meaning of the macrosyntactic structures)	Within the CBC, any text elucidating the meaning of macrosyntax is indicated in gray text inside parentheses.

If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.

Emendations/Revocalizations legend
*Emended text*	Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation.
*Revocalized text*	Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization.

(Click diagram to enlarge)

• Divisions
• Word Order
• Vocatives
• Discourse Markers
• Conjunctions

• vv. 1-3. The discourse topic of vv. 1-3 is "the one" (הָאִישׁ), introduced with the definite article. The opening line of this paragraph is a sentence fragment.
• vv. 4-5. The discourse topic of vv. 4-5 is "the wicked" (הָרְשָׁעִים), also introduced with the definite article. The opening line of this paragraph is also a sentence fragment.
• v. 6. This last verse, which grounds the entire discourse (see above), is about both the righteous (v. 6a, cf. vv. 1-3) and the wicked (v. 6b, cf. vv. 4-5).
• The discourse markers (discussed above) further support these paragraph divisions. (See further poetic structure).

• See Lunn 2006, 195-200 for a detailed discussion of the word order in this psalm.
• v. 1bc. The prepositional phrase "in the way of sinful people" is fronted to create a symmetric poetic structure with 1aβ. This same pattern (fronted prepositional phrase) is then repeated in v. 1c.
• v. 2a. The prepositional phrase "in YHWH's instruction" is "an instance of replacing focus... Fronting invariably takes place in the clause containing the information replacing that of the negated first clause": not this, but that.
• v. 2b. The prepositional phrase "in his instruction" is fronted to create a poetic repetition of v. 2a.
• v. 3bc. The initial description of the tree is followed by two relative clauses (v. 3bc) further describing the parts of the tree: "its fruit...its leaves." Each of these relative clauses introduces the parts of the tree with a topic-fronted noun phrase.
• 'v. 3d. "The joining of the quantifier to the... object... serves to highlight the degree of extent of the entity in question. Here the stress is on the 'everything', Everything he does prospers', not just some things." The predication "cause to flourish" is accessible in the context, since "flourishing" is associated with both pathways (v. 1, cf. Josh 1:8) and plants (v. 3, cf. Ezek 17:9).
• v. 6b. The subject "way of wicked people" is fronted for contrastive topic. "What we have in this verse... is that which has been traditionally designated antithetical parallelism, but which in the context of this study has been redefined in terms of a marked contrastive construction."

There are no notes on vocatives for this psalm.

• v. 2. The discourse marker "instead" (כִּי אִם) marks a contrast between what the person does not do (v. 1) and what he does do (v. 2)—"not... in (ב) the counsel of the wicked... Instead... in (ב) YHWH's instruction. Moreover, "with כִּי אִם the speaker makes it very clear that not only is an alternative involved, but that it is the only possible alternative" (BHRG §40.29.2). In other words, either one follows the counsel of wicked people (v. 1) or one follows the instruction of YHWH (v. 2); there is no middle ground.
• v. 3. The waw in v. 3 (וְהָיָה) binds v. 3 to vv. 1-2, as part of the celebration (אַשְׁרֵי, v. 1) of the person.
• v. 4. The discourse marker "not so" (לֹא־כֵן) draws a contrast between "the wicked" (v. 4) and "the one" (vv. 1-3). Because v. 4 goes on to say that the wicked are "instead... like chaff" (v. 4b), the contrast is, most immediately, between v. 4 ("like chaff") and v. 3 ("like a tree"). But given the fact that v. 3 is bound to vv. 1-2 and v. 4a echoes v. 1a (see poetic structure), we are probably to understand the contrast ("not so" לֹא־כֵן) as extending all the way back to v. 1. Unlike the righteous person, the wicked do not reject evil (v. 1), rehearse YHWH's instruction (v. 2) and flourish like trees (v. 3), and so that are not to be celebrated (v. 1a).
• v. 4b. The discourse marker "instead" (cf. v. 2) marks a contrast with the previous line: "The wicked are not like the person just described. Instead, they are like chaff..."
• v. 5. The discourse marker "Therefore" (עַל־כֵּן) introducing v. 5 marks a logical conclusion based on something in the previous discourse. It makes the most sense that the conclusion is based on v. 4: "Because the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away, they will not stand firm in the judgment." (Judgment is likened to a winnowing process, in which the 'chaff' (=the wicked) and the grain (=the righteous) are separated. See Story Behind).
• v. 6. The discourse marker "Because" (כִּי) in v. 6 grounds the entire discourse (so BHRG §40.29.2). It explains, in summary, why the righteous (and not the wicked) are to be considered "happy." It is a common pattern in the Psalter for the final verse to begin with כִּי and function as a summary of the whole (see e.g., Pss 5, 11, 134).

There are no notes on conjunctions for this psalm.

Speech Act Analysis

What is Speech Act Analysis?

The Speech Act layer presents the text in terms of what it does, following the findings of Speech Act Theory. It builds on the recognition that there is more to communication than the exchange of propositions. Speech act analysis is particularly important when communicating cross-culturally, and lack of understanding can lead to serious misunderstandings, since the ways languages and cultures perform speech acts varies widely.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Speech Act Analysis Creator Guidelines.

• Summary Visual
• Analysis Chart

Summary Visual

Speaker		Verses		Macro Speech Acts				Addressee
Psalmist		v. 1 Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people, has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people, and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people!		Celebration (vv. 1–3)				Community
		v. 2 Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction, and he meditates on his instruction day and night.		"Happy is the one...!"
		v. 3 And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels that gives its fruit in its season and whose leaves do not wither. And he will cause all that he does to flourish.			Specification (vv. 1–2) ... who follows YHWH's instruction! Supporting description (v. 3) He will flourish like a tree.
		v. 4 Not so the wicked people! Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away.		Claim (vv. 4–5)
		v. 5 Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment, and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people.		"Not so the wicked people!"
					Supporting description (vv. 4–5) They will be like chaff, and, therefore, will not survive the judgment.
		v. 6 Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people, and the way of wicked people will come to an end.		Summary Explanation (v. 6)
				"Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people, and the way of wicked people will come to an end."

Speech Act Analysis Chart

The following chart is scrollable (left/right; up/down).

  Legend

Verse	Hebrew	CBC	Sentence type	Illocution (general)	Illocution with context	Macro speech act	Intended perlocution (Think)	Intended perlocution (Feel)	Intended perlocution (Do)
Verse number and poetic line	Hebrew text	English translation	Declarative, Imperative, or Interrogative Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type	Assertive, Directive, Expressive, Commissive, or Declaratory Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type	More specific illocution type with paraphrased context	Illocutionary intent (i.e. communicative purpose) of larger sections of discourse These align with the "Speech Act Summary" headings	What the speaker intends for the address to think	What the speaker intends for the address to feel	What the speaker intends for the address to do

If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.

Emendations/Revocalizations legend
*Emended text*	Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation.
*Revocalized text*	Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization.

Verse	Text (Hebrew)	Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources.	Sentence type	Illocution (general)	Illocution with context	Macro speech act	Intended perlocution (Think)	Intended perlocution (Feel)	Intended perlocution (Do)	Speech Act Notes
1	אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים	Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people,	Fragment	Expressive	Celebrating the righteous person, describing what he has not done	Celebrating the righteous person	The hearer will see that YHWH's instruction leads to true and ultimate flourishing	"The hearer will admire the righteous person who follows YHWH's instruction; The hearer will delight in YHWH's instruction"	The hearer will imitate the righteous person and commit to following YHWH's instruction	People declare someone to be "happy" (אַשְׁרֵי) when they admire that person's condition and consider it to be desirable (cf. Janzen 1965, 215-226; SDBH). See lexical semantics.
	וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד	has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people,
	וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃	and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people!
2	כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ	Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction,	Declarative	Assertive	Describing what the righteous person delights in
	וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃	and he meditates on his instruction day and night.	Declarative	Assertive	Describing the righteous person's commitment to YHWH's instruction
3	וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם	And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels	Declarative	Assertive	Describing the result of the righteous person's commitment to YHWH's instruction: depicting the righteous person as a fruitful tree in YHWH's garden
	אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ	that gives its fruit in its season
	וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל	and whose leaves do not wither.
	וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃	And he will cause all that he does to flourish.	Declarative	Assertive	Describing the comprehensive flourishing of the righteous person
4	לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים	Not so the wicked people!	Declarative	Assertive	Claiming that the wicked do not ultimately flourish and therefore should not be celebrated	Claiming that the wicked, who are going to be destroyed, should not be celebrated	The hearer will see that, although the wicked might seem to flourish in the present, in the end they will be destroyed	The hearer will despise the way of the wicked	The hearer will reject the way of the wicked	"Despise" in the following sense: "to regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful" (Merriam-Webster) "With what was said above he prompted everyone to the practice of virtue; with his present words he discourages them from vice, and by the comparison with dust [=chaff] he brings out the complete worthlessness of the godless, regarded as they are as undeserving of any esteem..." (Theodore, trans. Hill, 2006, 11)."
	כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃	Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away.	Declarative	Assertive	Describing the fate of the wicked: depicting the wicked as chaff to be driven away by the wind
5	עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט	Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment,	Declarative	Assertive	Concluding that, because the wicked are like chaff, they will not survive the coming divine judgment
	וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃	and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people.	Declarative	Assertive	Concluding that sinners will be condemned in the judgment, distinguished from those who are declared righteous
6	כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים	Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people,	Declarative	Assertive	Explaining, in sum, why it is that the righteous flourish and, therefore, are to be celebrated	Explaining, in sum, why the righteous and not the wicked are to be celebrated	The hearer will be fully convinced that the way of the righteous is worth walking
	וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃	and the way of wicked people will come to an end.	Declarative	Assertive	Explaining, in sum, that wickedness will be dealt with and, therefore, that the wicked are not to be celebrated

Emotional Analysis

  What is Emotional Analysis?

This layer explores the emotional dimension of the biblical text and seeks to uncover the clues within the text itself that are part of the communicative intent of its author. The goal of this analysis is to chart the basic emotional tone and/or progression of the psalm.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Emotional Analysis Creator Guidelines.

• Analysis
• Think-Feel-Do

Emotional Analysis Chart

  Legend

If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.

Emendations/Revocalizations legend
*Emended text*	Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation.
*Revocalized text*	Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization.

Verse	Text (Hebrew)	Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources.	The Psalmist Feels	Emotional Analysis Notes
1	אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים	Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of wicked people,	Admiration towards the person who follows YHWH's instruction and becomes like a fruitful tree (also, a steadily increasing delight in what happens to someone who follows YHWH's instruction)	SDBH on אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי: "accompanied by an attitude of admiration"
	וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד	has not taken a stand in the way of sinful people,
	וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃	and has not settled in the dwelling place of insolent people!
2	כִּ֤י אִ֥ם בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָ֗ה חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ	Instead, his delight is in YHWH's instruction,		SDBH on חֵפֶץ: "state in which humans feel emotionally attached to a particular event." This emotion word pertains especially to the intended perlocution and perhaps also to the speaker's own affective tone.
	וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃	and he meditates on his instruction day and night.
3	וְֽהָיָ֗ה כְּעֵץ֮ שָׁת֪וּל עַֽל־פַּלְגֵ֫י מָ֥יִם	And he will become like a tree transplanted beside water channels		The images in v. 3 are associated with positive emotions (productive tree, nourishing water source, garden of Eden imagery, fruit, leaves, flourishing). Given the highly descriptive nature of v. 3 (with its positively charged images), it would be appropriate, when performing the psalm, to show an increase in positive emotion and activation. Indeed, vv. 1-3 are best read with a steady increase of positive emotion and activation, climaxing in the poetically rich statement in v. 3d: "and he causes all that he does to flourish."
	אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ	that gives its fruit in its season
	וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל	and whose leaves do not wither.
	וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃	And he will cause all that he does to flourish.
4	לֹא־כֵ֥ן הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים	Not so the wicked people!	Contemptuous towards the wicked (the opposite of admiration)	Verses 4-5 parallel vv. 1-3 and describe the wicked in terms that are opposite to the description of the righteous. If the celebration of the righteous in vv. 1-3 was characterized by "an attitude of admiration" (cf. SDBH), then we can imagine that the description of the wicked in vv. 4-5 would be characterized by the opposite of admiration, i.e., contempt.
	כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃	Instead, they will be like chaff that the wind drives away.		The image of "chaff" (something worthless, to be discarded) further expresses and elicits the feeling of contempt.
5	עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ לֹא־יָקֻ֣מוּ רְ֭שָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט	Therefore, wicked people will not stand firm in the judgment,
	וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃	and sinful people [will not stand] in the group of righteous people.
6	כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים	Because YHWH cares for the way of righteous people,	Confident that his teaching is true	If v. 6 functions as a summary statement grounding the whole psalm, the purpose of which is to convince the hearer that the way of the righteous is worth it in the end, then "confidence" would be an appropriate emotional tone (cf. Ps 37, which has a similar intented perlocution and sustains a tone of confidence throughout).
	וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃	and the way of wicked people will come to an end.

Summary Visual

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