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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.

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 5 participants/characters in Psalm 133:

Profile List

David

YHWH

Congregation of Israel

"Families"

Aaron

Oil

Dew

Profile Notes

Families: The word אַחִים "brothers" are not necessarily biological brothers, but rather a way to denote the extended family/the entire congregation of Israel. In the context of this psalm, these are the pilgrims who have been traveling to Jerusalem for a holy festival.
Oil and Dew: Though not exactly participants per se, these two liquids play a prominent role in this psalm. They are used for comparison to the pleasantness of the congregation's unity, and they display the heart of the psalm's message.
Aaron: The first high priest of the people of Israel. Here, he is not an active participant, but rather is used as a symbol for the priesthood.

Hebrew	Line	English
שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד	1a	The song of the ascents. By David.
הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֭וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים	1b	Look, how good and how right
שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃	1c	that brothers dwell—even together!
כַּשֶּׁ֤מֶן הַטּ֨וֹב ׀ עַל־הָרֹ֗אשׁ	2a	[It is] like the valuable oil on the head,
יֹרֵ֗ד עַֽל־הַזָּקָ֥ן זְקַֽן־אַהֲרֹ֑ן	2b	flowing down onto the beard, the beard of Aaron;
שֶׁ֝יֹּרֵ֗ד עַל־פִּ֥י מִדּוֹתָֽיו׃	2c	which flows down onto the collar of his garments.
כְּטַל־חֶרְמ֗וֹן שֶׁיֹּרֵד֮ עַל־הַרְרֵ֪י צִ֫יּ֥וֹן	3a	[It is] like the dew of Hermon, which flows down onto the hills of Zion.
כִּ֤י שָׁ֨ם ׀ צִוָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה	3b	For there YHWH has sent the blessing—
חַ֝יִּ֗ים עַד־הָעוֹלָֽם׃	3c	life everlasting.

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^[1] are indicated by bold text.
	Frame setters^[2] 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)

The discourse unit of vv. 1b-3a is delimited by the deictic particle הִנֵּה (for which, see the grammar notes) and the following similes.
The delimitation of v. 3b-c is signaled by the discourse-function כִּי, which grounds the preceding discourse of the psalm (see the exegetic issue, The Function and Scope of כִּי in Ps 133:3).

Although יָֽחַד is found at the end of the clause, it is preceded by the focus particle גַּם, making transparent its function as scalar focus (see "even" in the CBC and the discussion in the grammar notes, as well as the exegetical issue, The Meaning of שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גַּם יָחַד in Ps 133:1.
The fronting of שָׁ֨ם׀ within its clause signals its function as selective focus, as illustrated by the cleft-structure in English: "it is there that..." (cf. CEB, CJB, DHH, NBS, NET, NFC, PDV, SG21). As selective focus, it necessarily eliminates other possible locations of where YHWH may have sent the blessing.

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

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.

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.

Emotional Overview

At-a-Glance

Psalm 133/Overview/Structure

Text (Hebrew)	Verse	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.	Emotions (Positive)
שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּֽעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד	1	The song of the ascents. By David.	Anticipation
הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֖וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃		Look, how good and how delightful is brothers' dwelling—even together!	Delight Joy
כַּשֶּׁ֚מֶן הַטּ֨וֹב \| עַל־הָרֹ֗אשׁ	2	[It is] like the good oil on the head,	Joy
יֹרֵ֗ד עַל־הַזָּ֫קָ֥ן זְקַ֥ן אַֽהֲרֹ֑ן		flowing down onto the beard, the beard of Aaron;
שֶׁ֜יֹּרֵ֗ד עַל־פִּ֥י מִדּוֹתָֽיו:		which flows down onto the collar of his garments.
כְּטַ֥ל חֶרְמ֗וֹן	3	[It is] like the dew of Hermon,
שֶׁיֹּרֵד֘ עַל־הַרְרֵ֪י צִ֫יּ֥וֹן		which flows down onto the hills of Zion.
כִּ֚י שָׁ֨ם׀ צִוָּ֣ה יְ֖הֹוָה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה חַ֜יִּ֗ים עַד־הָֽעוֹלָֽם:		For there YHWH has sent the blessing—life everlasting.

Analysis
Think-Feel-Do