Psalm 39 Emotional
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Psalm 39/Emotional
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Everyone is but a breath
Psalm 39
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 Analysis Chart
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. |
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) | Proposition (Emotional Analysis) | The Psalmist Feels | Emotional Analysis Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ *לִֽידוּת֗וּן* מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | ||||
| 2 | אָמַ֗רְתִּי | David decides | • The psalmist feels determined in his decision. | ||
| אֶֽשְׁמְרָ֣ה דְרָכַי֮ מֵחֲט֪וֹא בִלְשׁ֫וֹנִ֥י | David guards his speech | ||||
| אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה לְפִ֥י מַחְס֑וֹם | David keeps a muzzle for his mouth | ||||
| בְּעֹ֖ד רָשָׁ֣ע לְנֶגְדִּֽי׃ | |||||
| 3 | נֶאֱלַ֣מְתִּי ד֭וּמִיָּה | David is mute | • The psalmist feels disappointed at the lack of good result, despite his complete silence. | ||
| הֶחֱשֵׁ֣יתִי מִטּ֑וֹב | David stays silent | ||||
| וּכְאֵבִ֥י נֶעְכָּֽר׃ | David pain is stirred up | • The psalmist feels anxious and miserable in his inner state. | • SDBH defines כְּאֵב as the "state in which humans experience grief." Since כְּאֵב can be both "mental and physical" (BDB, 456), we prefer the gloss "pain" as more generic, in which physical affliction (v. 11) was evidently accompanied by psychological desperation and frustration (vv. 3c–4b). | ||
| 4 | חַם־לִבִּ֨י ׀ בְּקִרְבִּ֗י | David's heart becomes hot | • Bratcher & Reyburn (1991, 374) note, "In verse 3a my heart became hot within me means he burned with anxiety, with worry, or else with impatience. The expression my heart became hot within me, while denoting anxiety in Hebrew, will in many languages suggest anger rather than anxiety, if translated literally." | ||
| בַּהֲגִיגִ֥י תִבְעַר־אֵ֑שׁ | A fire burns | • The psalmist feels dissatisfied and impatient in his silence. | • "In verse 3b the fire burned carries the idea even farther; the psalmist became even more impatient or worried" (Bratcher & Reyburn 1991, 374). | ||
| דִּ֝בַּ֗רְתִּי בִּלְשֽׁוֹנִי׃ | David speaks | ||||
| 5 | הוֹדִ֘יעֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֨ה ׀ קִצִּ֗י | YHWH teaches David his end | • The psalmist feels bitter and discontented at his mortality. | ||
| וּמִדַּ֣ת יָמַ֣י מַה־הִ֑יא | The measure of David's days is something | ||||
| אֵ֝דְעָ֗ה | David knows he is frail | ||||
| מֶה־חָדֵ֥ל אָֽנִי׃ | |||||
| 6 | הִנֵּ֤ה טְפָח֨וֹת ׀ נָ֘תַ֤תָּה יָמַ֗י | YHWH makes David's life short | |||
| וְחֶלְדִּ֣י כְאַ֣יִן נֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ | David's lifetime is insignificant | ||||
| אַ֥ךְ כָּֽל־הֶ֥בֶל כָּל־אָ֝דָ֗ם נִצָּ֥ב סֶֽלָה׃ | Everyone is a transient | • The psalmist feels bitter and discontented at everyone's mortality. | |||
| 7 | אַךְ־בְּצֶ֤לֶם ׀ יִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־אִ֗ישׁ | Humanity walks around as a shadow | • The psalmist feels apathetic about human endeavor. | ||
| אַךְ־הֶ֥בֶל יֶהֱמָי֑וּן | People labor restlessly | • Just as the use of הֶבֶל in the refrain (vv. 6c, 12c) refers to "the lifetime of a human being ... as frail and transient (Bratcher & Reyburn 1991, 376), so here, too, their labor throughout life is "futile" and "does not serve any purpose" (SDBH). | |||
| יִ֝צְבֹּ֗ר | Humanity heaps up possessions | ||||
| וְֽלֹא־יֵדַ֥ע | |||||
| מִי־אֹסְפָֽם׃ | |||||
| 8 | וְעַתָּ֣ה מַה־קִּוִּ֣יתִי אֲדֹנָ֑י | David's hope is in YHWH | • The psalmist feels a longing for YHWH to satisfy his hope. | • Both the verb קוה and the noun תּוֹחֶלֶת refer to the "state in which humans are confident that their longing will be fulfilled" (SDBH). The "longing" and "object of hope" in the present psalm is not fully revealed until v. 14. | |
| תּ֝וֹחַלְתִּ֗י לְךָ֣ הִֽיא׃ | |||||
| 9 | מִכָּל־פְּשָׁעַ֥י הַצִּילֵ֑נִי | YHWH rescues David | • The psalmist feels guilt concerning all his offenses | ||
| חֶרְפַּ֥ת נָ֝בָ֗ל אַל־תְּשִׂימֵֽנִי׃ | YHWH makes David an object of scorn | • The psalmist feels indignant towards the fools | |||
| 10 | נֶ֭אֱלַמְתִּי | David is mute | • The psalmist feels contemplative and serious because it was YHWH who acted. | ||
| לֹ֣א אֶפְתַּח־פִּ֑י | |||||
| כִּ֖י אַתָּ֣ה עָשִֽׂיתָ׃ | |||||
| 11 | הָסֵ֣ר מֵעָלַ֣י נִגְעֶ֑ךָ | YHWH takes his affliction away from David | • The psalmist feels uncomfortable and miserable under YHWH's afflication and hostility of YHWH's hand. | ||
| מִתִּגְרַ֥ת יָ֝דְךָ֗ אֲנִ֣י כָלִֽיתִי׃ | David wastes away | ||||
| 12 | בְּֽתוֹכָ֘ח֤וֹת עַל־עָוֺ֨ן ׀ יִסַּ֬רְתָּ אִ֗ישׁ | YHWH disciplines humanity | • The psalmist feels guilt concerning his sin and bitter and discontented at his mortality. | ||
| וַתֶּ֣מֶס כָּעָ֣שׁ חֲמוּד֑וֹ | YHWH causes desirable things to disintegrate | ||||
| אַ֤ךְ הֶ֖בֶל כָּל־אָדָ֣ם סֶֽלָה׃ | Every person is transient | • The psalmist feels bitter and discontented at everyone's mortality. | |||
| 13 | שִֽׁמְעָ֥ה־תְפִלָּתִ֨י ׀ יְהוָ֡ה | YHWH hears David's prayer | • The psalmist feels desperate that YHWH will heed his requests. | ||
| וְשַׁוְעָתִ֨י ׀ הַאֲזִינָה֮ | YHWH listens to David's cry for help | ||||
| אֶֽל־דִּמְעָתִ֗י אַֽל־תֶּ֫חֱרַ֥שׁ | YHWH keeps silent | • The psalmist feels depressed and desperate in his weeping. | • Weeping is evidently "associated with grief and mourning" (SDBH). | ||
| כִּ֤י גֵ֣ר אָנֹכִ֣י עִמָּ֑ךְ | David is a sojourner | • The psalmist feels bitter and discontented at his mortality, but also hopeful in his status with YHWH. | |||
| תּ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב כְּכָל־אֲבוֹתָֽי׃ | David is a temporary resident | ||||
| 14 | *הֶשַׁ֣ע* מִמֶּ֣נִּי | YHWH looks away | • The psalmist feels dejected and depressed at his only apparent solution. | ||
| וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה | |||||
| בְּטֶ֖רֶם אֵלֵ֣ךְ | |||||
| וְאֵינֶֽנִּי׃ |
Summary Visual
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Affective Circumplex
The affective circumplex locates emotions on two axes: (1) positive vs. negative valence; and (2) active vs. passive activation. Since emotional terminology often carries unintended cultural connotations, the purpose of the circumplex is to ease translation of emotions across different languages and cultures.