Psalm 8 Speech Act
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Psalm 8/Speech Act
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How majestic is your name
Psalm 8
Please note: Resources for Psalm 8 are in the process of being reformatted for visual consistency and improved functionality.
Speech Act Analysis
The Speech Act layer presents the text in terms of what it does, following the findings of Speech Act Theory. It builds on the recognition that there is more to communication than the exchange of propositions. Speech act analysis is particularly important when communicating cross-culturally, and lack of understanding can lead to serious misunderstandings, since the ways languages and cultures perform speech acts varies widely.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Speech Act Analysis Creator Guidelines.
Summary Visual
| SPEAKER | VERSES | SPEECH ACT SECTIONS | ADDRESSEE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David | YHWH | |||||
| v. 2 YHWH, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, you whose glory is bestowed on the heavens. |
PRAISE
|
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| v. 3 Out of the mouths of nursing children, you have founded a fortress, because of your adversaries, in order to put an end to a vengeful enemy. |
MARVELLING
|
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| v. 4 When I see your heavens, that which your fingers made, the moon and stars which you have established, | ||||||
| v. 5 what is mankind that you should consider them, or a human being, that you should be mindful of him? | ||||||
| v. 6 And you caused him to lack being a heavenly being by a little, and you crowned him with honor and majesty. | ||||||
| v. 7 You caused him to rule that which your hands made. You placed everything under his feet. | ||||||
| v. 8 Sheep and goats and cattle – all of them, and even wild animals, | ||||||
| v. 9 birds in the sky and fish in the sea, that which traverses the paths of the sea. | ||||||
| v. 10 YHWH, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. |
PRAISE
|
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Speech Act Analysis Chart
The following chart is scrollable (left/right; up/down).
| Verse | Hebrew | CBC | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) |
| Verse number and poetic line | Hebrew text | English translation | Declarative, Imperative, or Interrogative Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type |
Assertive, Directive, Expressive, Commissive, or Declaratory Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type |
More specific illocution type with paraphrased context | Illocutionary intent (i.e. communicative purpose) of larger sections of discourse These align with the "Speech Act Summary" headings |
What the speaker intends for the address to think | What the speaker intends for the address to feel | What the speaker intends for the address to do |
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) | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) | Speech Act Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־הַגִּתִּ֗ית מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | For the director. On the gittith. A psalm by David. | ||||||||
| 2 | יְהוָ֤ה אֲדֹנֵ֗ינוּ מָֽה־אַדִּ֣יר שִׁ֭מְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ | YHWH, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, | Interrogative | Expressive | Praising YHWH for his majesty | Praising YHWH for his majesty | People who hear the psalm will reflect on what it means to be human and what it means for YHWH to be majestic | YHWH will be pleased with David's praise. People who hear the psalm will be amazed at YHWH's majesty |
People who hear the psalm will marvel at YHWH's majesty | Interrogative מה "functions as an introduction to an exclamation in which a speaker usually expresses a value judgment about something" (BHRG 42.3.6). |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּנָ֥ה ה֝וֹדְךָ֗ עַל־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ | you whose glory is bestowed on the heavens. | Declarative | Assertive | |||||||
| 3 | מִפִּ֤י עֽוֹלְלִ֨ים ׀ וְֽיֹנְקִים֮ יִסַּ֪דְתָּ֫ עֹ֥ז | Out of the mouths of nursing children, you have founded a fortress, | Declarative | Assertive | Describing (with a metaphor) how YHWH uses the weak to defeat his enemies | Marvelling at the way in which YHWH uses that which is weak to accomplish his purposes | ||||
| לְמַ֥עַן צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָ | because of your adversaries, | |||||||||
| לְהַשְׁבִּ֥ית א֝וֹיֵ֗ב וּמִתְנַקֵּֽם׃ | in order to put an end to a vengeful enemy. | |||||||||
| 4 | כִּֽי־אֶרְאֶ֣ה שָׁ֭מֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂ֣י אֶצְבְּעֹתֶ֑יךָ | When I see your heavens, that which your fingers made, | Interrogative | Expressive | Expressing an opinion about the apparent insignificance of humans in comparison to creatures in the heavenly realm | Interrogative מה "functions as an introduction to a rhetorical question in which a speaker usually expresses a value judgment about something or someone. This value judgment is usually negative" (BHRG 42.3.6). | ||||
| יָרֵ֥חַ וְ֝כוֹכָבִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר כּוֹנָֽנְתָּה׃ | the moon and stars which you have established, | |||||||||
| 5 | מָֽה־אֱנ֥וֹשׁ כִּֽי־תִזְכְּרֶ֑נּוּ | what is mankind that you should consider them, | ||||||||
| וּבֶן־אָ֝דָ֗ם כִּ֣י תִפְקְדֶֽנּוּ׃ | or a human being, that you should be mindful of him? | |||||||||
| 6 | וַתְּחַסְּרֵ֣הוּ מְּ֭עַט מֵאֱלֹהִ֑ים | And you caused him to lack being a heavenly being by a little, | Declarative | Assertive | Describing how YHWH gave humans a surprisingly high status, not far from heavenly being | |||||
| וְכָב֖וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר תְּעַטְּרֵֽהוּ׃ | and you crowned him with honor and majesty. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing how YHWH crowned humans with honor and majesty | ||||||
| 7 | תַּ֭מְשִׁילֵהוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣י יָדֶ֑יךָ | You caused him to rule that which your hands made. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing how YHWH gave authority to humans, causing them to rule his creation | |||||
| כֹּ֝ל שַׁ֣תָּה תַֽחַת־רַגְלָֽיו׃ | You placed everything under his feet. | Declarative | Assertive | Describing the expansive dominion that YHWH gave to humans | ||||||
| 8 | צֹנֶ֣ה וַאֲלָפִ֣ים כֻּלָּ֑ם | Sheep and goats and cattle – all of them, | Declarative | Assertive | ||||||
| וְ֝גַ֗ם בַּהֲמ֥וֹת שָׂדָֽי׃ | and even wild animals, | |||||||||
| 9 | צִפּ֣וֹר שָׁ֭מַיִם וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם | birds in the sky and fish in the sea, | ||||||||
| עֹ֝בֵ֗ר אָרְח֥וֹת יַמִּֽים׃ | that which traverses the paths of the sea. | |||||||||
| 10 | יְהוָ֥ה אֲדֹנֵ֑ינוּ מָֽה־אַדִּ֥יר שִׁ֝מְךָ֗ בְּכָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | YHWH, our lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. | Interrogative | Expressive | Praising YHWH for his majesty. | Praising YHWH for his majesty |