Psalm 34 Poetic Features
Taste and see!
Psalm 34
Poetic Features
In poetic features, we identify and describe the “Top 3 Poetic Features” for each Psalm. Poetic features might include intricate patterns (e.g., chiasms), long range correspondences across the psalm, evocative uses of imagery, sound-plays, allusions to other parts of the Bible, and various other features or combinations of features. For each poetic feature, we describe both the formal aspects of the feature and the poetic effect of the feature. We assume that there is no one-to-one correspondence between a feature’s formal aspects and its effect, and that similar forms might have very different effects depending on their contexts. The effect of a poetic feature is best determined (subjectively) by a thoughtful examination of the feature against the background of the psalm’s overall message and purpose.
ABC Instruction
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. |
Feature
Psalm 34 is an acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (cf. Pss. 9-10; 25; 37; 111; 112; 119; 145). Just as there are 22 letters in the alphabet, so there are 22 verses in the psalm—23 if the superscription (v. 1) is included.
There are two exceptions, however, to the normal alphabetical structure (both of which also occur in Ps. 25): 1) There is no verse beginning with waw. 2) There is an additional verse at the end (v. 23) beginning with pe.
With the addition of the פ verse at the end, the letters beginning the first verse of the psalm (א), the middle verse of the psalm (ל), and the final verse of the psalm (פ) spell out אלף, the name of the first letter of the alphabet and a word which means "to teach."
Similarly, the first verse of the psalm contains 23 consonants (excluding matres lectionis)—the same as the number of verses in the psalm (if the superscription is included). The first consonant is א (=the first verse of the psalm), the middle consonant is ל (=the middle verse of the psalm), and the final consonant is פ (=the final verse in the psalm). Thus, the first verse of the psalm also spells out אלף ("to teach").
The middle verse of the psalm (v. 12—ל) similarly plays on the name of the letter lamed. In v. 12b, the psalmist says that he is going to "teach" his students (אֲלַמֶּדְכֶֽם) the fear of YHWH. The word למד, like אלף, is the name of a letter of the alphabet and a word that means "to teach."[1]
Effect
The alphabet is a symbol of completeness.[2] In an acrostic poem, the poet takes a topic (e.g., Torah [Ps. 119], or the virtuous woman [Prov. 31]) and expounds on it completely (from every possible angle), so that the reader walks away with a high-resolution image of the topic (i.e., he/she understands it “from A to Z”). In Ps. 34, the topic might be summarized as “YHWH’s provision for and protection of those who fear him.” Each verse of the acrostic expounds on this theme and is like the stroke of a paintbrush; with each stroke, the picture becomes clearer, until finally it is complete. (Supporting the idea of completeness is the eight-fold repetition of כל in this psalm, including in the first verse and last lines of the psalm).
The features above also indicate that the purpose of this acrostic psalm is to teach: the words אלף and למד (both of which mean "to teach") are creatively woven into the structure of the psalm itself. (Cf. Speech act analysis).
Echoes of the Past
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. |
Feature
Psalm 34 has an historical superscription (v. 1) which connects it to an event in the story of David in the book of Samuel (see Historical Superscriptions and The Relationship Between Psalm 34 and its Historical Superscription). At first glance, the body of the psalm (vv. 2-23) does not appear to have a close relationship with its superscription (v. 1) or with the events of 1 Samuel 21 to which the superscription points. There are, however, a number of subtle connections between the psalm and its superscription.
- The root טעם—indeed, the same consonantal text טעמו—appears in both Ps. 34:9a ("Taste...!") and in the superscription ("when he distorted his judgment" [lit.: "taste"]) (cf. 1 Sam. 21:14—וַיְשַׁנּ֤וֹ אֶת־טַעְמוֹ֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔ם).
- The word תִּתְהַלֵּל in v. 3a ("to boast") sounds like the word הִתְהֹלֵל which means "to pretend to be mad" (HALOT) (cf. 1 Sam. 21:14—וַיִּתְהֹלֵ֖ל בְּיָדָ֑ם).
- The word מְגוּרוֹתַי in v. 5b sounds like the word for "sojourning" (מָגוֹר)—indeed, the LXX translates מְגוּרוֹתַי in Ps. 34 as τῶν παροικιῶν μου ("all of my sojourns")—and may thus allude to David's sojourn in Gath (v. 1) (even though the word גור itself is not used in 1 Sam. 21).
A number of other words in Ps. 34 are found also in 1 Sam. 21:11f, the passage to which the superscription refers. E.g., ירא, חסר, עבד, זה, ראה. Of these, the word ירא ("fear") seems especially significant. As Childs points out, 1 Sam. 21:11ff is the only story in Samuel that describes David as being "afraid" (1 Sam. 21:13—וַיִּרָ֣א מְאֹ֔ד).[3] "Fear"—specifically the fear of YHWH—is also a major theme in Ps. 34 (vv. 8a, 10ab, 12b).
There is also an important difference between the superscription of Ps. 34 and the story of 1 Sam. 21:11ff. In 1 Samuel 21, the king of Gath is called אכיש (his personal name), while in Ps. 34:1 he is called אבימלך (his title). The use of אבימלך instead of אכיש may be intended to recall the story of Abraham (Gen. 20), who, like David, sojourned in Gath and deceived the king of Gath by pretending to be someone he wasn't.
Effect
By alluding to the events described in the superscription and in 1 Samuel 21:11ff, the psalm continually reminds us of the concrete situation in which it arose (or, with which it came to be associated). Knowing the concrete situation behind Psalm 34 gives the psalm color. For example, without its superscription and the allusions to the historical situation, Ps. 34 might be read as a general psalm of deliverance from danger. With its superscription and allusions, however, statements like "this is a poor man who cried out" (v. 7) take on deeper significance: the "poor man" is not just anybody, but David, who, being hunted by Saul, has fled to a foreign land where he has become afraid for his life. This high-resolution understanding of the psalm also makes it easier for anyone who prays the psalm to relate to its content. As Mays writes, "The psalm titles ... are ... hermeneutical ways of relating the psalms to the lives of those who lived in the face of threats from enemies within and without and from their own sin, and who sought to conduct their lives according to the way of David."[4] Cf. Historical Superscriptions. And, in the case of Ps. 34, which echoes Abraham's story (Gen. 20) and in which we hear Abraham's voice along with David's voice, the reader is not only invited to imitate David, but Abraham as well. The allusion to Abraham also strengthens the argument of the psalm as a whole: YHWH provides for and protects the righteous. He did it for David and for Abraham. Therefore, he can do it for you.
Symmetry
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. |
Feature
The psalm is highly integrated by repeated words and roots (see repeated roots chart). Based on the patterned repetition of words and roots, the four sections in this psalm—see poetic structure—are arranged symmetrically:[5]
- A – vv. 2-7
- B – vv. 8-11
- B' – vv. 12-15
- A' – vv. 16-23
The two middle sections are connected by the similar sounding roots ירא and ראה as well as by the word טוב, which occurs twice in each section. Although not a repeated root, the phrase הגבר in v. 9 corresponds to the phrase האיש in v. 13.
The two outer sections are connected by the use of מכל, which occurs twice in each section, by the nearly identical shapes of v. 7 and v. 18, by the use of the noun נפש at the beginning and the end (vv. 3, 23). Another striking correspondence exists between v. 6 and vv. 16-17. Verse 6 describes the "face" of the righteous who look "to" YHWH, and vv. 16-17 describe the "face" of YHWH who opposes the wicked and looks "toward" the righteous.
Effect
It can seem as though Psalm 34 "is not subdivided into thought units longer than the verse"[6] and that there is little poetic patterning in the psalm beyond that which is provided by the acrostic. Further reading and reflection, however, shows that the psalm is arranged symmetrically by the use of repeated words and roots. The second part of the psalm (vv. 12-23) thus corresponds to the first part of the psalm (vv. 2-11) in much the same way that a b-line might parallel an a-line within a verse. The effect is to unify the parts into a whole and to produce an overall shape in which the different parts of the psalm are to be understood.
Repeated Roots
The repeated roots table is intended to identify the roots which are repeated in the psalm.
| Repeated Roots legend | |
|---|---|
| Divine name | The divine name is indicated by bold purple text. |
| Roots bounding a section | Roots bounding a section, appearing in the first and last verse of a section, are indicated by bold red text. |
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Roots occurring primarily in the first section are indicated in a yellow box. |
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Roots occurring primarily in the third section are indicated in a blue box. |
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Roots connected across sections are indicated by a vertical gray line connecting the roots. |
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Section boundaries are indicated by a horizontal black line across the chart. |
Notes
- "Within the acrostic structure, the poet has created a sense of literary unity by the repeated use of the same or related words."[7]
- Liebreich argues that "in the light of the various key words, both the structure as well as the contents of this Psalm point unmistakably to its logical division into the following four units:"[8]
- I. vv. 2-4
- II. vv. 5-11
- III. vv. 12-15
- IV. vv. 16-23
- Most frequently occurring words/roots: YHWH (16 times) (absent in vv. 13-15 - "keep away from evil"); כל (8 times); רע/רעה (5 times); שמע (4 times); ירא (4 times); טוב (4 times); הציל (3 times); צדיק (3 times).
- Most interpreters agree that Psalm 34 consists of two halves (vv. 2-11; vv. 12-23) and that the midpoint of the psalm is between v. 11 and v. 12.[9] It is fruitful to see how repeated words and roots interact with and across this midpoint.
- Some of the repeated words occur an equal number of times in both halves of the psalm.
- The word כל occurs 4 times in each half.
- The word שמע occurs 2 times in each half.
- The word טוב occurs 2 times in each half.
- The word פנים occurs 1 time in each half.
- The word צרות occurs 1 time in each half.
- The word הושיע occurs 1 time in each half.
- The word חסה occurs 1 time in each half.
- The word נפש occurs 1 time in each half, near the beginning (v. 3) and end of the psalm (v. 23)
- Some repeated words occur only in one half of the psalm.
- The root רעע occurs 5 times in the second half of the psalm.
- The word צדיק occurs 3 times in the second half of the psalm.
- Some repeated roots create short-range cohesion between consecutive verses.
- הלל (vv. 2-3)
- חסר (vv. 10-11)
- שבר (vv. 19-21)
- אשם (vv. 22-23)
- The repetition of אשם at the conclusion of the second half may mirror the repetition of חסר at the end of the first half. In the first half, the righteous will ‘lack’ no good thing. In the end, the wicked will ‘bear’ and not ‘lack’ the penalty for their sins (but the righteous will lack it!).
- Possible longer range cohesion: עני (vv. 3, 7) and עשה (vv. 15, 17)
- ↑ See Ceresko 1985.
- ↑ Cf. Gottwald 1954, 23-32; IVP Dictionary, “Acrostic”, Soll Anchor Bible Dictionary; Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry 2001; Zenger 1993, 211.
- ↑ Childs 1971.
- ↑ Mays 1986.
- ↑ So van der Lugt 2006.
- ↑ Craigie 2004, 278
- ↑ Craigie 2004, 277.
- ↑ Liebreich 1956.
- ↑ Liebreich 1956; van der Lugt; Zenger 1993, 210-214; et al.