Psalm 25 Participant Analysis

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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 4 participants/characters in Psalm 25:

Profile List

David (v. 1)

Those who hope in YHWH (v. 3)
"sinners" (v. 8)
"afflicted people" (v. 9)
"those who keep YHWH's covenant and his stipulations" (v. 10)
Person who fears YHWH (v. 12)
Offspring of the person who fears YHWH (v. 13)
Israel (v. 22)

YHWH (vv. 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15)
"my God" (v. 1)
"the God who protects me" (v. 5)
"God" (v. 22)
Integrity and justice (v. 21)

Enemies
"my enemies" (vv. 2, 19)
"worthless people who act unfaithfully" (v. 3)

Profile Notes

  • David (v. 1, superscription), the king of Israel and Judah, is the speaker throughout the psalm. He is "alone and afflicted" (v. 16; cf. v. 15), distressed by many enemies (vv. 2, 19), but he trusts in YHWH to rescue him (vv. 1–2, 5, 15, 20–21).
  • Just as the psalm begins (v. 1) with a reference to "David," so it ends (v. 22) with a reference to Israel. Besides the divine name, "YHWH," "David" and "Israel" are the only two names in the psalm, and they frame the psalm (vv. 1, 22). There is a clear correspondence between David and Israel; for example, both experience "troubles" (vv. 17, 22) and need God to rescue them.[1]
  • Throughout the psalm, the people of God are further described as "those who hope in YHWH" (v. 3), "sinners" (v. 8, i.e., those who recognize that they are sinners in need of YHWH's forgiveness and guidance), "afflicted people" (v. 9), and "those who keep YHWH's covenant and his stipulations" (v. 10). There is also an individualized reference to "the person who fears YHWH" (v. 12). The descriptions in vv. 8–10 seem to represent a progression: "sinners" (v. 8) --> "afflicted" (v. 9) --> those who keep his covenant" (v. 10). YHWH's people begin as "sinners" (v. 8), and their sin leads to their being "afflicted" (v. 9). But YHWH guides them so that they become people who "keep his covenant" (v. 10).
  • YHWH is David's "God" (v. 1), the God who saves him (v. 5), the God of Israel (v. 22). He is compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in loyalty and faithfulness, keeping loyalty for thousands, forgiving guilt and rebellion and sin (Exod 34:6–7).
  • Throughout the psalm, YHWH is the one who guides and rescues the psalmist. The only exception is in v. 21, where "integrity and justice" keep the psalmist safe (v. 21). Therefore, there is a correspondence between "integrity and justice" and "YHWH," who is the source of integrity and justice. YHWH keeps the psalmist safe by teaching him to walk in integrity and justice.
  • Many enemies threaten the psalmist (vv. 2, 19). They are characterized by unfaithfulness (v. 3) and violence (v. 19).


Hebrew Verse English
לְדָוִ֡ד 1a By David.
אֵלֶ֥יךָ יְ֝הוָ֗ה 1b To you, YHWH,
נַפְשִׁ֥י אֶשָּֽׂא׃אֱֽלֹהַ֗י 1c I lift my soul, my God.
בְּךָ֣ בָ֭טַחְתִּי אַל־אֵב֑וֹשָׁה 2a I trust in you; do not let me be disappointed!
אַל־יַֽעַלְצ֖וּ אֹיְבַ֣י לִֽי׃ 2b Do not let my enemies rejoice over me!
גַּ֣ם כָּל־קֹ֭וֶיךָ לֹ֣א יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ 3a Yes, none who hope in you will be disappointed.
יֵ֝בֹ֗שׁוּ הַבּוֹגְדִ֥ים רֵיקָֽם׃ 3b Worthless people who act unfaithfully will be disappointed.
דְּרָכֶ֣יךָ יְ֭הוָה הוֹדִיעֵ֑נִי 4a Show me your ways, YHWH;
אֹ֖רְחוֹתֶ֣יךָ לַמְּדֵֽנִי׃ 4b teach me your paths!
הַדְרִ֘יכֵ֤נִי בַאֲמִתֶּ֨ךָ ׀ 5a Guide me in your truth;
לַמְּדֵ֗נִי כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׁעִ֑י 5b teach me; because you are the God who saves me.
אוֹתְךָ֥ קִ֝וִּ֗יתִי כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃ 5c I hope in you all day
זְכֹר־רַחֲמֶ֣יךָ יְ֭הוָה 6a Remember your compassion, YHWH,
וַחֲסָדֶ֑יךָ כִּ֖י מֵעוֹלָ֣ם הֵֽמָּה׃ 6b and [remember] your acts of loyalty, because they have been around forever.
חַטֹּ֤אות נְעוּרַ֨י ׀ וּפְשָׁעַ֗י אַל־תִּ֫זְכֹּ֥ר 7a Do not remember my youthful sins or my rebellious acts!
כְּחַסְדְּךָ֥ זְכָר־לִי־אַ֑תָּה 7b Remember me according to your loyalty,
לְמַ֖עַן טוּבְךָ֣ יְהוָֽה׃ 7c because of your goodness, YHWH!
טוֹב־וְיָשָׁ֥ר יְהוָ֑ה 8a YHWH is good and just;
עַל־כֵּ֤ן יוֹרֶ֖ה חַטָּאִ֣ים בַּדָּֽרֶךְ׃ 8b therefore, he instructs sinners in the way.
יַדְרֵ֣ךְ עֲ֭נָוִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט 9a He guides afflicted people in justice
וִֽילַמֵּ֖ד עֲנָוִ֣ים דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃ 9b and teaches afflicted people his way.
כָּל־אָרְח֣וֹת יְ֭הוָה חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֑ת 10a All of YHWH's paths are loyalty and faithfulness
לְנֹצְרֵ֥י בְ֝רִית֗וֹ וְעֵדֹתָֽיו׃ 10b for those who keep his covenant and his demands.
לְמַֽעַן־שִׁמְךָ֥ יְהוָ֑ה 11a Because of your name, YHWH,
וְֽסָלַחְתָּ֥ לַ֝עֲוֺנִ֗י כִּ֣י רַב־הֽוּא׃ 11b forgive my guilt, because it is great!
מִי־זֶ֣ה הָ֭אִישׁ יְרֵ֣א יְהוָ֑ה 12a Who is the person who fears YHWH?
י֝וֹרֶ֗נּוּ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ יִבְחָֽר׃ 12b He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
נַ֭פְשׁוֹ בְּט֣וֹב תָּלִ֑ין 13a He himself will stay in a good place,
וְ֝זַרְע֗וֹ יִ֣ירַשׁ אָֽרֶץ׃ 13b and his offspring will possess land.
ס֣וֹד יְ֭הוָה לִירֵאָ֑יו 14a YHWH's personal counsel and his covenant are for those who fear him,
וּ֝בְרִית֗וֹ לְהוֹדִיעָֽם׃ 14b and his covenant are for those who fear him, for teaching them.
פְּנֵה־אֵלַ֥י וְחָנֵּ֑נִי 16a* Turn towards me and be merciful to me,
כִּֽי־יָחִ֖יד וְעָנִ֣י אָֽנִי׃ 16b* because I am alone and afflicted.
עֵינַ֣י תָּ֭מִיד אֶל־יְהוָ֑ה 15a* My eyes are always on YHWH,
כִּ֤י הֽוּא־יוֹצִ֖יא מֵרֶ֣שֶׁת רַגְלָֽי׃ 15b* because he will bring my feet out of a net.
צָר֣וֹת לְבָבִ֣י הִרְחִ֑יבוּ 17a The troubles of my heart have expanded.
מִ֝מְּצֽוּקוֹתַ֗י הוֹצִיאֵֽנִי׃ 17b Bring me out of my distresses!
רְאֵ֣ה עָ֭נְיִי וַעֲמָלִ֑י 18a Look at my affliction and my hardship,
וְ֝שָׂ֗א לְכָל־חַטֹּאותָֽי׃ 18b and forgive all my sins!
רְאֵֽה־אוֹיְבַ֥י כִּי־רָ֑בּוּ 19a Look at my enemies, how they have multiplied
וְשִׂנְאַ֖ת חָמָ֣ס שְׂנֵאֽוּנִי׃ 19b and how they hate me with violent hatred!
שָׁמְרָ֣ה נַ֭פְשִׁי וְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי 20a Guard my life and rescue me!
אַל־אֵ֝ב֗וֹשׁ כִּֽי־חָסִ֥יתִי בָֽךְ׃ 20b Do not let me be disappointed, because I have taken refuge in you!
תֹּם־וָיֹ֥שֶׁר יִצְּר֑וּנִי 21a May integrity and justice keep me safe,
כִּ֝֗י קִוִּיתִֽיךָ׃ 21b because I hope in you.
פְּדֵ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל 22a God, redeem Israel
מִ֝כֹּ֗ל צָֽרוֹתָיו׃ 22b from all their troubles!
  • v. 7 This verse concludes the opening second-person address to YHWH. The clause-final vocative marks the conclusion of the address (see Macrosyntax). The following verses (vv. 8–10, 12–14) then speak about YHWH in the third person. The addressee in these verses is not specified. The psalmist might still be talking to YHWH, or he might be talking to himself.[2] He might also be addressing "those who hope in YHWH" (v. 3). In the absence of a clear addressee, we have identified the addressee as "those who hope in YHWH" (v. 3), which could also include David himself.
The sustained third-person reference to YHWH throughout these verses and the clause-final vocative in v. 7 (closing a conversational turn) suggests that YHWH is not the addressee in these verses.
  • v. 11 The subject of the clause in v. 11b (רַב־הוּא) is ambiguous. It could mean either, "because it (= my guilt) is great" or "because it (= your name) is great." The ambiguity is probably deliberate, such that the clause has a double meaning.[3] Nevertheless, the more likely subject – the one that would probably first come to mind in a surface reading of the text – is "my guilt." Not only is "my guilt" the immediately preceding noun phrase, but, as Baethgen notes, the adjective רַב works better with "guilt" than with "name." If the poet meant to talk about YHWH's "name" being "great," he could have used the more appropriate adjective גָּדוֹל.[4]

Participant Relations Diagram

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

The Participant Analysis Relations visual is forthcoming.
The Participant Analysis Mini-Story is forthcoming.

Participant Analysis Summary Distribution

This resource is forthcoming.

Notes:

  • YHWH appears throughout the psalm (every verses except v. 13). He is addressed in the second person in the first seven verses (vv. 1–7) and the last six verses (vv. 17–22).
  • The psalmist uses first-person language throughout much of the psalm, especially in vv. 15/16–21, where first-person language continues uninterrupted for seven verses.
  • There is an interesting pattern in the middle of the psalm. Verse 11, which has the psalmist in first person and YHWH in second person, is surrounded on either side with a cluster of three verses describing those who hope in YHWH.
  • Enemies appear only twice in the psalm, once near the beginning (vv. 2–3) and once near the end (v. 19).
  1. ↑ For more on the relation between David and Israel, see Story Behind.
  2. ↑ So Calvin.
  3. ↑ Cf. Rashi: "For the sake of your great name (שמך הרב), forgive my guilt, because it is great (רב). It is fitting for that which is great to forgive great guilt (נאה לרב לסלוח עון רב)."
  4. ↑ Baethgen 1904, 72. See e.g., Gen 12:2; Josh 7:9; 1 Sam 12:22; 2 Sam 7:9; Jer 10:6; 44:26; Ezek 36:23; Mal 1:11.