Psalm 38 Participant Analysis
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Psalm 38/Participant Analysis
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No healthy spot left
Psalm 38
Please note: Resources for Psalm 38 are in the process of being reformatted for visual consistency and improved functionality.
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 38:
Profile List
| David |
| Strength (v. 11) |
| David's feet (v. 17) |
| YHWH |
| "My Lord" (vv. 10, 16, 23) |
| "My God" (vv. 16, 22) |
| "My salvation" (v. 23) |
| YHWH's hand (v. 3) |
| Enemies |
| "Those who seek to take my life" (v. 13) |
| "Those who pursue my harm" (v. 13) |
| "Those who have considered themselves superior to me" (v. 17) |
| "Those who are my enemies" (v. 20) |
| "Those who hate me" (v. 13) |
| "Those who repay with evil" (v. 21) |
| Companions |
| "Those who love me" (v. 12) |
| "My companions" (v. 12) |
| Relatives |
| Iniquities |
| Sin |
| Folly |
Profile Notes
- It could be argued that the companions and the enemies should be grouped together because the companions aren't acting like they should. However, the key difference is the fact that the companions take a passive role, standing at a distance, while the enemies take an active role in pursuing David's harm.
- Strength and David's feet likewise could be grouped as a related participants with companions because they also should be supporting David but are not in this case. All three abandon him. However, the referent is still David, so they are grouped as related participants with him.
- Iniquities and its synonyms could be grouped with enemies because they have similar functions in relation to David in this psalm, causing him suffering. However, David interacts with both the enemies and his iniquities differently, so they are separate participants.
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| מִזְמ֖וֹר לְדָוִ֣ד לְהַזְכִּֽיר׃ | 1 | A psalm. By David. To bring to remembrance. |
| יְֽהוָ֗ה אַל־בְּקֶצְפְּךָ֥ תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי | 2a | YHWH, do not rebuke me when you’re angry, |
| וּֽבַחֲמָתְךָ֥ תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃ | 2b | or discipline me when you’re wrathful! |
| כִּֽי־חִ֭צֶּיךָ נִ֣חֲתוּ בִ֑י | 3a | For your arrows have been shot into me, |
| וַתִּנְחַ֖ת עָלַ֣י יָדֶֽךָ׃ | 3b | and your hand has struck me. |
| אֵין־מְתֹ֣ם בִּ֭בְשָׂרִי מִפְּנֵ֣י זַעְמֶ֑ךָ | 4a | There is no sound spot in my flesh because of your anger. |
| אֵין־שָׁל֥וֹם בַּ֝עֲצָמַ֗י מִפְּנֵ֥י חַטָּאתִֽי׃ | 4b | There is no well-being in my bones because of my sin. |
| כִּ֣י עֲ֭וֺנֹתַי עָבְר֣וּ רֹאשִׁ֑י | 5a | For my iniquities have gone over my head. |
| כְּמַשָּׂ֥א כָ֝בֵ֗ד יִכְבְּד֥וּ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ | 5b | Like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me |
| הִבְאִ֣ישׁוּ נָ֭מַקּוּ חַבּוּרֹתָ֑י | 6a | My wounds have become foul with rot |
| מִ֝פְּנֵ֗י אִוַּלְתִּֽי׃ | 6b | because of my folly. |
| נַעֲוֵ֣יתִי שַׁחֹ֣תִי עַד־מְאֹ֑ד | 7a | I have become completely contorted. |
| כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם קֹדֵ֥ר הִלָּֽכְתִּי׃ | 7b | I have walked about constantly mourning. |
| כִּֽי־כְ֭סָלַי מָלְא֣וּ נִקְלֶ֑ה | 8a | For my sides are full of inflammation, |
| וְאֵ֥ין מְ֝תֹ֗ם בִּבְשָׂרִֽי׃ | 8b | and there is no sound spot in my flesh. |
| נְפוּג֣וֹתִי וְנִדְכֵּ֣יתִי עַד־מְאֹ֑ד | 9a | I have become weak and have been crushed completely. |
| שָׁ֝אַ֗גְתִּי מִֽנַּהֲמַ֥ת לִבִּֽי׃ | 9b | I have been groaning because of the severe suffering of my heart. |
| אֲֽדֹנָי נֶגְדְּךָ֥ כָל־תַּאֲוָתִ֑י | 10a | My Lord, everything I long for is before you, |
| וְ֝אַנְחָתִ֗י מִמְּךָ֥ לֹא־נִסְתָּֽרָה׃ | 10b | and my moaning is not hidden from you. |
| לִבִּ֣י סְ֭חַרְחַר עֲזָבַ֣נִי כֹחִ֑י | 11a | My heart has been pounding. My strength has abandoned me, |
| וְֽאוֹר־עֵינַ֥י גַּם־הֵ֝֗ם אֵ֣ין אִתִּֽי׃ | 11b | and the light of my eyes, even that is not with me! |
| אֹֽהֲבַ֨י׀וְרֵעַ֗י | 12a | Those who love me, my companions, |
| מִנֶּ֣גֶד נִגְעִ֣י יַעֲמֹ֑דוּ | 12b | are standing far away from my injury, |
| וּ֝קְרוֹבַ֗י מֵרָחֹ֥ק עָמָֽדוּ׃ | 12c | and my relatives have stood at a distance. |
| וַיְנַקְשׁ֤וּ׀מְבַקְשֵׁ֬י נַפְשִׁ֗י | 13a | And those who seek to take my life have set a trap, |
| וְדֹרְשֵׁ֣י רָ֭עָתִי דִּבְּר֣וּ הַוּ֑וֹת | 13b | and those who pursue my harm have been speaking of disaster, |
| וּ֝מִרְמ֗וֹת כָּל־הַיּ֥וֹם יֶהְגּֽוּ׃ | 13c | and they are constantly muttering treachery. |
| וַאֲנִ֣י כְ֭חֵרֵשׁ לֹ֣א אֶשְׁמָ֑ע | 14a | But I, like a deaf person, cannot hear. |
| וּ֝כְאִלֵּ֗ם לֹ֣א יִפְתַּח־פִּֽיו׃ | 14b | And [I am] like a mute person [who] cannot open his mouth. |
| וָאֱהִ֗י כְּ֭אִישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־שֹׁמֵ֑עַ | 15a | And so I have become like a man who does not hear |
| וְאֵ֥ין בְּ֝פִ֗יו תּוֹכָחֽוֹת׃ | 15b | and who has no arguments in his mouth. |
| כִּֽי־לְךָ֣ יְהוָ֣ה הוֹחָ֑לְתִּי | 16a | But, YHWH, I have hoped for you. |
| אַתָּ֥ה תַ֝עֲנֶ֗ה אֲדֹנָ֥י אֱלֹהָֽי׃ | 16b | You yourself must answer, my Lord, my God. |
| כִּֽי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי פֶּן־יִשְׂמְחוּ־לִ֑י | 17a | For I thought that they would rejoice concerning me, |
| בְּמ֥וֹט רַ֝גְלִ֗י עָלַ֥י הִגְדִּֽילוּ׃ | 17b | have considered themselves superior to me when my feet slip. |
| כִּֽי־אֲ֭נִי לְצֶ֣לַע נָכ֑וֹן | 18a | For I am certain to stumble, |
| וּמַכְאוֹבִ֖י נֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִֽיד׃ | 18b | and my pain is always before me. |
| כִּֽי־עֲוֺנִ֥י אַגִּ֑יד | 19a | Although I confess my iniquity, |
| אֶ֝דְאַ֗ג מֵֽחַטָּאתִֽי׃ | 19b | I am distressed because of my sin. |
| וְֽ֭אֹיְבַי חִנָם עָצֵ֑מוּ | 20a | And those who are my enemies for no reason are mighty, |
| וְרַבּ֖וּ שֹׂנְאַ֣י שָֽׁקֶר׃ | 20b | and those who hate me without cause are numerous. |
| וּמְשַׁלְּמֵ֣י רָ֭עָה תַּ֣חַת טוֹבָ֑ה | 21a | And those who repay with evil in response to good |
| יִ֝שְׂטְנ֗וּנִי תַּ֣חַת רָֽדְפִי־טֽוֹב׃ | 21b | accuse me in response to my pursuit of good. |
| אַל־תַּֽעַזְבֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה | 22a | not abandon me, YHWH! |
| אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י אַל־תִּרְחַ֥ק מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ | 22b | My God, do not be far from me! |
| ח֥וּשָׁה לְעֶזְרָתִ֑י | 23a | Hurry to help me, |
| אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י תְּשׁוּעָתִֽי׃ | 23b | my Lord, my salvation! |
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
Participant Analysis Summary Distribution
