Psalm 38 Poetic Structure

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Psalm 38/Poetic Structure
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Guardian: Amanda Jarus

Poetic Structure

  What is Poetic Structure?

In poetic structure, we analyse the structure of the psalm beginning at the most basic level of the structure: the line (also known as the “colon” or “hemistich”). Then, based on the perception of patterned similarities (and on the assumption that the whole psalm is structured hierarchically), we argue for the grouping of lines into verses, verses into sub-sections, sub-sections into larger sections, etc. Because patterned similarities might be of various kinds (syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, sonic) the analysis of poetic structure draws on all of the previous layers (especially the Discourse layer).

Poetic Macro-structure

At-a-Glance


  Legend

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.
v. 1 A psalm. By David. To bring to remembrance. Superscription
v. 2 YHWH, do not rebuke me when you’re angry, or discipline me when you’re wrathful! My suffering My sin has caused my suffering.
There is no sound spot in my flesh.
guilt
misery
v. 3 For your arrows have been shot into me, and your hand has struck me.
v. 4 There is no sound spot in my flesh because of your anger. There is no well-being in my bones because of my sin.
v. 5 For my iniquities have gone over my head. Like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me to handle.
v. 6 My wounds have become foul with rot because of my folly.
v. 7 I have become completely contorted. I have walked about constantly mourning.
v. 8 For my sides are full of inflammation, and there is no sound spot in my flesh.
v. 9 I have become weak and have been crushed completely. I have been groaning because of the severe suffering of my heart.
v. 10 My Lord, everything I long for is before you, and my moaning is not hidden from you. My abandonment My strength and my friends have abandoned me,
and my enemies pursue my harm.

I am unable to speak.
abandonment
vulnerability
v. 11 My heart has been pounding. My strength has abandoned me, and the light of my eyes, even that is not with me!
v. 12 Those who love me, my companions, are standing far away from my injury, and my relatives have stood at a distance.
v. 13 And those who seek to take my life have set a trap, and those who pursue my harm have been speaking of disaster, and they are constantly muttering treachery.
v. 14 But I, like a deaf person, cannot hear. And [I am] like a mute person [who] cannot open his mouth.
v. 15 And so I have become like a man who does not hear and who has no arguments in his mouth.
v. 16 But, YHWH, I have hoped for you. You yourself must answer, my Lord, my God. My only hope I am distressed about what will happen because of my suffering and my sin and my enemies' baseless accusations.

You, YHWH, must answer.
Don’t abandon me now!
distress
dependence
v. 17 For I thought that they would rejoice concerning me, [those who] have considered themselves superior to me when my feet slip.
v. 18 For I am certain to stumble, and my pain is always before me.
v. 19 Although I confess my iniquity, I am distressed because of my sin.
v. 20 And those who are my enemies for no reason are mighty, and those who hate me without cause are numerous.
v. 21 And those who repay with evil in response to good accuse me in response to my pursuit of good.
v. 22 Do not abandon me, YHWH! My God, do not be far from me!
v. 23 Hurry to help me, my Lord, my salvation!

Notes

  • This psalm is composed of three sections (vv. 2-9 // vv. 10-15 // vv. 16-23).
    • Each section begins with a vocative addressing the Lord (v. 2, v. 10, and v. 16). In addition, the beginning of each section uses 2nd person pronominal suffixes, but they quickly drop off and do not appear again until the next section (vv. 2-4a, 10, and 16). Vocatives also close the final section (vv. 22-23).
    • Altogether the sections create an A // B // AB pattern through the topics discussed with each section introduced with the vocative. The first segment (vv. 2-9) addresses the psalmist's pain and suffering. The second segment (vv. 10-15) addresses the people who have abandoned the psalmist, including enemies. The third segment (vv. 16-23) then addresses both the psalmist's pain and suffering (vv. 18-19) and the psalmist's enemies (vv. 20-21).
  • The psalm as an entirety is enclosed by a inclusio, where imperatives appear at the beginning and at the very end. The imperatives are especially striking since there are no other imperatives present in the psalm.
  • Verses 12-15 use similar poetic devices. In verse 12, those who are supposed to be close (וּ֝קְרוֹבַ֗י) are actually at a distance (מֵרָחֹ֥ק). On the opposite end of the spectrum, vv. 14-15 are dominated by repeated tautologies.
  • While scholars typically recognize the inclusio, the division of sections within the psalm is more debated.
    • Craigie divides the psalm into two stanzas surrounded by an inclusio (vv. 3-11 // vv. 12-21; Craigie 2004, 302).
    • Delitzsch separates this psalm into the three stanzas as presented here, but does not give further subdivisions (Delitzsch 1871, 21-24).
    • Van der Lugt also separates this psalm into three stanzas, but groups the verses differently (vv. 2-9 // vv. 10-19 // vv. 20-23). He further breaks down the first and second stanzas into two smaller sections (vv. 2-5 // vv. 6-9; vv. 10-15 // vv. 16-19; Lugt 2006, 381). Even though the divisions of the larger stanzas disagrees with the analysis presented here, the breaks of the smaller sections correlate.
    • Similarly, Fokkelman also follows similar breaks, but divides the psalm into five stanzas rather than three (vv. 2-5 // vv. 6-9 // vv. 10-15 // vv. 16-19 // vv. 20-23). He does this on the basis of the number of cola and verses (Fokkelmann 2000, 144).
    • The analysis of the first stanza with four strophes of two verses each is supported by both Fokkelman and Lugt (Fokkelman 2000, 144; Lugt 2006, 381). Another potential analysis would divide it into three strophes (vv. 2-3 // vv. 4-6 // vv. 7-9).
  • For the emendation *חִנָּם*, see the exegetical issue on v. 20. MT: חַיִּ֣ים.

Line Divisions

  Legend

Line division divides the poem into lines and line groupings. We determine line divisions based on a combination of external evidence (Masoretic accents, pausal forms, manuscripts) and internal evidence (syntax, prosodic word counting and patterned relation to other lines). Moreover, we indicate line-groupings by using additional spacing.

When line divisions are uncertain, we consult some of the many psalms manuscripts which lay out the text in lines. Then, if a division attested in one of these manuscripts/versions influences our decision to divide the text at a certain point, we place a green symbol (G, DSS, or MT) to the left of the line in question.

Poetic line division legend
Pausal form Pausal forms are highlighted in yellow.
Accent which typically corresponds to line division Accents which typically correspond to line divisions are indicated by red text.
| Clause boundaries are indicated by a light gray vertical line in between clauses.
G Line divisions that follow Greek manuscripts are indicated by a bold green G.
DSS Line divisions that follow the Dead Sea Scrolls are indicated by a bold green DSS.
M Line divisions that follow Masoretic manuscripts are indicated by a bold green M.
Number of prosodic words The number of prosodic words are indicated in blue text.
Prosodic words greater than 5 The number of prosodic words if greater than 5 is indicated by bold blue text.

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.

Notes

  • Verse 12 could either be a bicolon or a tricolon. The tricolon reading is supported by the use of revia gadol and the line reading represented in the Aleppo Codex. The bicolon reading is supported by the Greek manuscripts and the Hebrew manuscript Berlin Qu 680. Several scholars also take this view (Fokkelman 2000, 144; Lugt 2006, 381). Also, it is worth noting that while there is a revia gadol, the vowel is not lengthened, which would point to reading this verse as a bicolon. The bicolon would have 5 words on the first line and 3 words on the second. While this is not an unlikely length, it would be the longest line in the entire psalm. The tricolon also would match the only other tricolon in the psalm, v. 13. This creates greater cohesion between these verses. With these two verses grouped together at the center of the psalm, there are 20 lines before and after. Because of these reasons, we have preferred the reading of the tricolon in this analysis.