Psalm 110 Speech Act
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Psalm 110/Speech Act
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Sit at my right side
Psalm 110
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
Speech Act Analysis Chart
The following chart is scrollable (left/right; up/down).
| 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 | לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר | A psalm by David. | Superscription | ||||||||
| 1aα | נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י | YHWH’s oracle to my lord: | Fragment | Assertive | Introducing YHWH's oracle to the king. | Reporting YHWH's oracle to the king. | To assure the king of his certain success. | The future Davidic king will see that YHWH promises to give him universal dominion | The future Davidic king will feel confident in YHWH. | The future Davidic king will trust YHWH's promises. | |
| 1aβ | שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י | “Sit at my right side, | Imperative •"Imperative" |
Directive • "Directive" |
"Inviting the king to sit at his right side and promising to subdue the king's enemies. • "Inviting and promising" |
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| 1b | עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃ | until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” | |||||||||
| 2a | מַטֵּֽה־עֻזְּךָ֗ יִשְׁלַ֣ח יְ֭הוָה מִצִּיּ֑וֹן | YHWH will extend your strong staff from Zion. | Declarative | Assertive | Assuring the king that YHWH will extend his dominion. | Assuring the king that his future success is certain. | |||||
| 2b | רְ֝דֵ֗ה בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֹיְבֶֽיךָ׃ | Rule among your enemies! | Imperative | Assertive | Assuring the king that he will rule among his enemies. | Indirect speech act: The imperative is used here (v. 2b), not as a command, but to "to express a distinct assurance... or promise, e.g., ... Ps. 110:2" (GKC 110c; cf. JM114p; IBHS 34.4c). Thus, some translations have a future here (e.g., CEV: "and you will rule over your enemies; cf. Theodotion: κατακυριεύσεις). | |||||
| 3a | עַמְּךָ֣ נְדָבֹת֮ בְּי֪וֹם חֵ֫ילֶ֥ךָ | Your people will be willing on the day you manifest your power. | Declarative | Assertive | Assuring the king that he will have a willing army. | ||||||
| 3b | בְּֽהַדְרֵי־קֹ֭דֶשׁ מֵרֶ֣חֶם מִשְׁחָ֑ר | On holy mountains, from the womb of dawn, | Declarative | Assertive | Comparing the king's army to dew. | ||||||
| 3c | לְ֝ךָ֗ טַ֣ל יַלְדֻתֶֽיךָ׃ | The dew, your young men, [will come] into your possession. | |||||||||
| 4a | נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָ֨ה ׀ וְלֹ֥א יִנָּחֵ֗ם | YHWH has sworn, and he will not change his mind: | Declarative | Assertive | Introducing YHWH's oath to the king. | Reporting YHWH's oath to the king. | |||||
| 4b | אַתָּֽה־כֹהֵ֥ן לְעוֹלָ֑ם | “You are forever a priest | Declarative • "Declarative" |
Commissive • "Commissive" |
Swearing that the king will remain a priest forever and thus committing himself to ensuring that the kings remains a priest forever. • "Swearing" |
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| 4c | עַל־דִּ֝בְרָתִ֗י מַלְכִּי־צֶֽדֶק׃ | just like Melchizedek.” | Indirect speech act: In the context of an oath (שבע), the declarative statement "you are forever a priest" (v. 4) implies the speaker's commitment to maintaining the truth of that statement ("you are a priest forever" = "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you continue forever as a priest; I will never reject you"). See, for example, the many oaths in which the commitment of the one swearing is explicit (e.g., Gen 21:23-24; 22:16-18; 26:3; 47:30-31; Ps 89:4-5; 119:106; 132:11; etc). First Kgs. 1 gives a good example of an oath in which, although the sentence type is declarative, the speaker is committing to some action: '[Bathsheba] said to [David], “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' But now Adonijah has become king..." ... The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place”' (1 Kgs 1:17-18, 29-30 NIV). | ||||||||
| 5a | אֲדֹנָ֥י עַל־יְמִֽינְךָ֑ | The Lord at your right side | Declarative | Assertive | Reporting that (in his vision) YHWH smashed kings. | Reporting to the king what he saw in his prophetic vision. | |||||
| 5b | מָחַ֖ץ בְּיוֹם־אַפּ֣וֹ מְלָכִֽים׃ | smashed kings on the day his anger was unleashed. | |||||||||
| 6a | יָדִ֣ין בַּ֭גּוֹיִם מָלֵ֣א גְוִיּ֑וֹת | He will rule among the nations whom he filled with corpses. | Declarative | Assertive | Predicting that YHWH (having smashed kings) will rule the nations. | ||||||
| 6b | מָ֥חַץ רֹ֝֗אשׁ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ רַבָּֽה׃ | He smashed heads across the wide world. | Declarative | Assertive | Reporting that (in his vision) YHWH smashed heads. | ||||||
| 7a | מִ֭נַּחַל בַּדֶּ֣רֶךְ יִשְׁתֶּ֑ה | He will drink from a wadi on the campaign. | Declarative | Assertive | Predicting that YHWH (having smashed heads) will drink from a wadi on the campaign. | ||||||
| 7b | עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן יָרִ֥ים רֹֽאשׁ׃ | Therefore, he will lift [his] head. | Declarative | Assertive | Predicting that YHWH will lift his head. | ||||||