Psalm 45 Participant Analysis
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Psalm 45/Participant Analysis
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Royal wedding song
Psalm 45
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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 6 participants/characters in Psalm 45:
| Psalmist |
| God (vv. 3, 8) |
| The king (vv. 2, 6, 12, 15) |
| "God" (v. 7) |
| The king's ancestors (v. 17) |
| The king's sons (v. 17) |
| Enemies (v. 6) |
| "Peoples" (v. 6) |
| Bride |
| "Daughter" (v. 11) |
| "Princess" (v. 14) |
| The queen mother (v. 10) |
| Young women/companions (v. 15) |
| Foreign allies |
| Peers (v. 8) |
| The daughter's "people" and "father's house" (v. 11) |
| "Daughter Tyre, the riches of people" (v. 13) |
| "Peoples" (v. 18) |
- The psalmist belongs to the "sons of Korah" (v. 1), appearing in first-person speech only in vv. 2, 18.
- God is mentioned only twice in the psalm, in the similar encouragements "Therefore, God has blessed you forever" (v. 3) and "Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you" (v. 8).
- The king is unidentified, yet is the addressee throughout the psalm, with the exception of vv. 11-13. He is addressed as divine by the psalmist (v. 7), who promises to profess his name throughout all generations (v. 18), since in place of the king's ancestors, his sons will be appointed as princes (v. 17).
- The enemy peoples are entirely generic and unspecified. The are only said to fall under the king as his arrows pierce their hearts (v. 6).
- The bride is exhorted concerning her preparations for marriage in vv. 11-13, which are then described in vv. 14-16. Some scholars have suggested she is the same person as the queen mentioned in v. 10 (see the note accompanying the text table). It is preferable, however, to understand the queen as exhorting the future bride throughout vv. 11-13. Later, the bride also has companions who accompany her in her entrance.
- The foreign allies consist of the king's peers (other kings), the bride's people and household (v. 11) and Tyre, stereotyped as a rich nation, who will seek both the king's and her favor with a gift (v. 13). The peers are most likely fellow kings of other lands.[1] They were "colleagues,"[2] "associates...of like rank" (BDB), with the significant caveat that the others had not enjoyed YHWH's anointing. ANE kings often referred to themselves as "brothers" in the Late Bronze Age,[3] of which חָבֵר is a comparable term. The peoples in general are then incorporated into this treaty-seeking and praise/tribute-offering people in the last verse. If they are to be identified with the enemy peoples of v. 6, their function in the psalm has radically transformed from those being slain by the king to those who submit to his rule and praise him forever.
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ עַל־שֹׁ֭שַׁנִּים לִבְנֵי־קֹ֑רַח מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל שִׁ֣יר יְדִידֹֽת׃ | 1 | For the director. According to "Lilies." By the sons of Korah. A maskil. An ode. |
| רָ֘חַ֤שׁ לִבִּ֨י ׀ דָּ֘בָ֤ר ט֗וֹב | 2a | My heart has been stirred by a good theme; |
| אֹמֵ֣ר אָ֭נִי מַעֲשַׂ֣י לְמֶ֑לֶךְ | 2b | I am about to recite my verses to a king. |
| לְ֝שׁוֹנִ֗י עֵ֤ט ׀ סוֹפֵ֬ר מָהִֽיר׃ | 2c | My tongue is a pen of a skillful scribe. |
| יְפֵיפִיתָ מִבְּנֵ֬י אָדָ֗ם | 3a | You are the most attractive of all people; |
| ה֣וּצַק חֵ֭ן בְּשְׂפְתוֹתֶ֑יךָ | 3b | kindness has been poured out by your speech. |
| עַל־כֵּ֤ן בֵּֽרַכְךָ֖ אֱלֹהִ֣ים לְעוֹלָֽם׃ | 3c | Therefore, God has blessed you forever. |
| חֲגֽוֹר־חַרְבְּךָ֣ עַל־יָרֵ֣ךְ גִּבּ֑וֹר | 4a | Strap your sword upon [your] thigh, great one, |
| ה֝וֹדְךָ֗ וַהֲדָרֶֽךָ׃ | 4b | your splendor and your majesty. |
| וַהֲדָ֬רְךָ֨ ׀ צְלַ֬ח רְכַ֗ב | 5a | And in your majesty, victoriously ride |
| עַֽל־דְּבַר־אֱ֭מֶת וְעַנְוָה־צֶ֑דֶק | 5b | for the cause of truth and humility [and] righteousness, |
| וְתוֹרְךָ֖ נוֹרָא֣וֹת יְמִינֶֽךָ׃ | 5c | and let your right hand show you awesome deeds. |
| חִצֶּ֗יךָ שְׁנ֫וּנִ֥ים | 6a | Your arrows are sharp |
| עַ֭מִּים תַּחְתֶּ֣יךָ יִפְּל֑וּ | 6b | — peoples will fall under you — |
| בְּ֝לֵ֗ב אוֹיְבֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ | 6c | in the heart of the enemies of the king. |
| כִּסְאֲךָ֣ אֱ֭לֹהִים עוֹלָ֣ם וָעֶ֑ד | 7a | Your throne, God, is forever and ever; |
| שֵׁ֥בֶט מִ֝ישֹׁ֗ר שֵׁ֣בֶט מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ׃ | 7b | scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice. |
| אָהַ֣בְתָּ צֶּדֶק֮ וַתִּשְׂנָ֫א רֶ֥שַׁע | 8a | You love righteousness and you hate wickedness. |
| עַל־כֵּ֤ן ׀ מְשָׁחֲךָ֡ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֱ֭לֹהֶיךָ | 8b | Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you |
| שֶׁ֥מֶן שָׂשׂ֗וֹן מֵֽחֲבֵרֶֽיךָ׃ | 8c | with oil that results in rejoicing, to the exclusion of your peers. |
| מֹר־וַאֲהָל֣וֹת קְ֭צִיעוֹת כָּל־בִּגְדֹתֶ֑יךָ | 9a | All your clothes are myrrh and aloes [and] cassia. |
| מִֽן־הֵ֥יכְלֵי שֵׁ֝֗ן מִנִּ֥י שִׂמְּחֽוּךָ׃ | 9b | From ivory palaces, stringed instruments have made you glad. |
| בְּנ֣וֹת מְ֭לָכִים בְּיִקְּרוֹתֶ֑יךָ | 10a | Daughters of kings are among your treasures; |
| נִצְּבָ֥ה שֵׁגַ֥ל לִֽ֝ימִינְךָ֗ בְּכֶ֣תֶם אוֹפִֽיר׃ | 10b | queen mother has taken a stand at your right hand in the gold of Ophir. |
| שִׁמְעִי־בַ֣ת וּ֭רְאִי וְהַטִּ֣י אָזְנֵ֑ךְ | 11a | "Listen, daughter, and look and incline your ear, |
| וְשִׁכְחִ֥י עַ֝מֵּ֗ךְ וּבֵ֥ית אָבִֽיךְ׃ | 11b | and forget your people and your father’s household, |
| וְיִתְאָ֣ו הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ יָפְיֵ֑ךְ | 12a | and let the king desire your beauty, |
| כִּי־ה֥וּא אֲ֝דֹנַ֗יִךְ | 12b | because he is your husband, |
| וְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־לֽוֹ׃בַֽת־צֹ֨ר ׀ בְּ֭מִנְחָה | 13a | and the people of Tyre will bow down to him with a gift; |
| פָּנַ֥יִךְ יְחַלּ֗וּ עֲשִׁ֣ירֵי עָֽם׃ | 13b | richest of people will seek your favor." |
| כָּל־כְּבוּדָּ֣ה בַת־מֶ֣לֶךְ פְּנִ֑ימָה | 14a | princess is in her chamber with all kinds of valuable goods; |
| מִֽמִּשְׁבְּצ֖וֹת זָהָ֣ב לְבוּשָֽׁהּ׃ | 14b | her clothing [is made] from gold settings. |
| לִרְקָמוֹת֮ תּוּבַ֪ל לַ֫מֶּ֥לֶךְ | 15a | In embroidered cloth she will be led to the king, |
| בְּתוּל֣וֹת אַ֭חֲרֶיהָ רֵעוֹתֶ֑יהָ | 15b | young women after her, her companions, |
| מ֖וּבָא֣וֹת לָֽךְ׃ | 15c | being brought to you. |
| תּ֭וּבַלְנָה בִּשְׂמָחֹ֣ת וָגִ֑יל | 16a | They will be led with joy and gladness; |
| תְּ֝בֹאֶ֗ינָה בְּהֵ֣יכַל מֶֽלֶךְ׃ | 16b | they will go into the royal palace. |
| תַּ֣חַת אֲ֭בֹתֶיךָ יִהְי֣וּ בָנֶ֑יךָ | 17a | In succession to your ancestors will be your sons; |
| תְּשִׁיתֵ֥מוֹ לְ֝שָׂרִ֗ים בְּכָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | 17b | you will appoint them as governors over all the earth. |
| אַזְכִּ֣ירָה שִׁ֭מְךָ בְּכָל־דֹּ֣ר וָדֹ֑ר | 18a | I shall profess your name in all generations. |
| עַל־כֵּ֥ן עַמִּ֥ים יְ֝הוֹדֻ֗ךָ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃ | 18b | Therefore peoples will praise you forever and ever. |
- v. 2 – Though it is slightly vague who the psalmist is addressing in v. 2, it is possible that he is speaking to himself or to the wedding guests. However, because the king is clearly the addressee in v. 3 onwards, it seems simpler to understand the king as the addressee also in this verse as well. One objection may be the third-person mention of the king in the verse, but the same phenomenon also appears in vv. 6 and 15, so is common in this psalm.
- vv. 11-13 – As argued by Schroeder and as evident from the ANE parallels of royal marriage and the role of the mother-in-law (see the notes at story behind), the speaker throughout vv. 11-13 is the שֵׁגַ֥ל "queen mother" exhorting the future queen.[4] She takes a stand (נצב) at the right hand of the king, in a position of authority comparable to that given Bathsheba in 1 Kgs 2:19 and the "gods" in Ps 82:1.[5] Schroeder further notes that the singer "does not intrude into the fictive reality of his own poem,"[6] but rather just observes the scene, as throughout vv. 14-16. We find plausible Schroeder's assertion that "there can be no doubt that in Ps 45:11-13 it is the queen mother who admonishes the bride,"[7] with the uniquely distinct speaker matching the passage of the psalm with a uniquely distinct addressee. Note that the majority position is that the psalmist is the speaker throughout,[8] as maintained explicitly by Blankesteijn[9] after weighing up Schroeder's arguments.[10]
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
Participant Analysis Summary Distribution
- ↑ Briggs & Briggs 1906-1907, 387; Goldingay 2006, 59; GNT.
- ↑ Böhler 2021, 815.
- ↑ As discussed at length in Bryce 2003, 90-99.
- ↑ Schroeder 1996.
- ↑ Schroeder 1996, 428-429.
- ↑ ibid., 432.
- ↑ ibid., 429.
- ↑ Mowinckel 1962, 73; Ḥakham 1979, 261; Gerstenberger 1988, 188; Craigie 2004, 340.
- ↑ Blankesteijn 2021, 7.
- ↑ Of course, if Attard is right that "after the admonition to the bride in vv. 11-13, a synchronic reading may well render vv. 14-16 a snapshot describing an event that actually led to the glorious depiction in v. 10" (2017, 469), then the "daughter" addressed and the "queen" of v. 10 may be the same participant. This is the position of Ḥakham (1979, 261), who introduces his comments on v. 11 with המשורר פונה אל השגל "the psalmist turns to the שֵׁגַל" and, in his summary of the psalm, repeats המשורר פונה אל המלכה־הכלה "the psalmist turns to the queen-bride" (ibid., 263). See also Weisman, who explicitly notes that this verse begins עצה ואזהרה למלכה (השגל, או בת המלך) מפי המשורר "advice and warning to the queen (the שגל or the daughter of the king) from the mouth of the psalmist" (1996, 201).