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Psalm 37 Poetic Structure

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Psalm 37/Poetic Structure
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Guardian: Ryan Sikes

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 By David. Do not get upset about those who act wickedly; Do not be jealous of those who do wrong. Superscription
v. 2 For they will soon wither like grass, and they will fade like green leaves on plants. א Getting Upset vs. Trusting Do not get upset about the wicked!
For they will soon wither like grass.

Trust in YHWH and do good, and you will enjoy the land forever.

The humble will possess the land.
confident
calm
hopeful
v. 3 Trust in YHWH and do good! Reside in the land and graze securely!
v. 4 And then you will delight yourself in YHWH, and he will give you your heart's desires. ב
v. 5 Commit your way to YHWH, and trust in him, and he will act,
v. 6 and he will make your righteousness known like the light, and [he will make] your justice [known] like midday. ג
v. 7 Be silent before YHWH and wait for him! Do not get upset about someone who makes his way successful, at a person carrying out schemes.
v. 8 Let go of anger and leave wrath behind! Do not get upset only to act wickedly! ד
v. 9 For those who act wickedly will be destroyed; but those who hope in YHWH—they will possess the land. ה
v. 10 And just a little bit longer, and the wicked person will be gone; And you will look closely at the place where he was, and he will not be there.
v. 11 But the humble will possess the land and delight themselves in great prosperity. ו
v. 12 The wicked person is plotting against the righteous person and grinding his teeth at him. ז The Wicked Fade Now, the wicked are plotting destruction, but their time will come.

The wicked are finished… finished.
v. 13 The Lord laughs at him, because he sees that his time will come.
v. 14 The wicked have drawn swords and strung their bows in order to bring down the one who is afflicted and poor, in order to slaughter those whose conduct is upright. ח
v. 15 Their swords will go into their hearts, and their bows will be broken.
v. 16 A little belonging to the righteous person is better than the abundance of many wicked people. ט The righteous and their inheritance will last.
The wicked will perish like wild flowers.
v. 17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but YHWH is upholding the righteous.
v. 18 YHWH knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. י
v. 19 They will not come to shame during hard times, and they will eat their fill during times of famine.
v. 20 For the wicked will perish, and YHWH's enemies [will perish] like flowers in a pasture. They are finished like smoke! They are finished! כ
v. 21 The wicked person is borrowing and will not repay, but the righteous person is giving generously. ל The Righteous Last YHWH blesses the righteous,
who are generous with what they have.
v. 22 For those blessed by him will possess the land, and those cursed by him will be destroyed.
v. 23 When a person's steps are made steadfast by YHWH, then he will be pleased with his way. מ
v. 24 When he falls, he will not fall flat. because YHWH is supporting his hand.
v. 25 I was once a young man; and now I am old, and I have not seen a righteous person abandoned or his children looking for food. נ
v. 26 He is always lending generously, and his children will become a blessing.
v. 27 Turn away from evil and do good, and you will reside forever! ס Evildoers are destroyed!
Those who follow YHWH’s instruction will reside in the land forever.
v. 28a* For YHWH loves justice, and he will not abandon those who are loyal to him.
v. 30* A righteous person's mouth utters what is wise, and his tongue speaks what is just. פ
v. 31* The instruction of his God is in his heart. His steps will not slip.
v. 28b* Wrong-doers are exterminated, and the children of the wicked are destroyed! ע
v. 29* The righteous will possess the land and reside on it forever.
v. 32 The wicked person is watching for the righteous person and trying to kill him. צ Watching and Waiting You will see the wicked destroyed.
Look closely at the upright, for their future is peace.

YHWH rescues… rescues the righteous.
v. 33 YHWH will not abandon him into his hand, and he will not let him be condemned as guilty when he enters into judgment.
v. 34 Hope in YHWH and keep his way, and he will exalt you to possess the land. You will see when the wicked are destroyed. ק
v. 35 I once saw a ruthless wicked person, and he was ascending like a native tree. ר
v. 36 Then I passed by, and—get this!—he was gone; then I looked for him, and he was not found.
v. 37 Pay attention to the blameless one and look at the upright one, because the future of a [blameless] person is peace. ש
v. 38 But those who rebel are completely exterminated! The future of the wicked is destroyed!
v. 39 But the salvation of the righteous comes from YHWH, their fortress during times of trouble, ת
v. 40 and YHWH helps them and rescues them. He will rescue them from the wicked and save them, because they have sought refuge in him.

Notes

  • Psalm 37 is an acrostic poem: each strophe (on average, four lines long) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (see Poetic Feature #1). This acrostic device is, by far, the most important device for defining the poem's structure. The acrostic is not, however, the only structuring device in Psalm 37. Like other Hebrew poems, there is a network of patterned repetitions which help to define the poem's hierarchical structure. Although these more subtle structuring devices should not be overplayed against the more-prominent acrostic structure, they should not be dismissed either.
  • The poem is structured in two halves: vv. 1-20 // vv. 21-40 (cf. van der Lugt 2006, §37; Weber 2016). The following observations support this claim:
    • Other acrostic poems are divided in half between כ and ל (e.g., Pss 9-10; 34), so there is a built-in expectation that Ps 37 might do the same.
    • The end of the first half is emphatically signaled by the repeated word כָּלוּ, which means, literally, "to be finished." Other poems use similar words for 'finality' to signal the ends of poems, e.g., Ps 1 תֹּאבֵד ("come to an end"); in Jdg 5, the Jael and Sisera stanza (vv. 23-27) ends with the verb שׁדוּד "destroyed." "These closural allusions, in combination with other textual elements, strengthen the closure of the final word or line of these poems by signifying termination" (cf. Grosser 2023, 205-206).
    • The end of the first half is further signaled by an inclusio between v. 20 (kaf strophe) and vv. 1-2 (alef strophe). Both of these strophes compare the wicked (כְּ) to some kind of vegetation—note also the similar sounds between כְּיֶרֶק (v. 2) and כִּיקַר (v. 20) (cf. Alter).
    • Each half of the psalm thus ends with a word that is repeated twice within a very short space: כָּל֖וּ כֶעָשָׁ֣ן כָּֽלוּ (v. 20) // וַֽיְפַ֫לְּטֵ֥ם יְפַלְּטֵ֣ם (v. 40), the only examples of such near repetition in the psalm.
    • Each half is further subdivided into halves, and, therefore, the psalm is divided into quarters: vv. 1-11 // vv. 12-20 // vv. 21-31 // vv. 32-40 (cf. Ewald 1880, 329). The most important structuring device for determining these four sections is the repetition of the word רשׁע preceding by a participle at the beginning of each section (with the exception of the first section): vv. 12-20 (זֹמֵם רָשָׁע); vv. 21-31 (לֹוֶה רשׁע); and vv. 32-40 (צֹופֶה רשׁע) (cf. Delitzsch 1996, 282; Meynet 2014). Each section of the psalm, including the first section (vv. 1-11), thus begins a negative image: the threatening success of the wicked—"do not get upset at those who do evil" (v. 1a); "the wicked plot" (v. 12a); "the wicked lend" (v. 21a); "the wicked watch" (v. 32a). By contrast, each of the four sections ends with a positive image—"the afflicted will possess the land and delight in great prosperity" (v. 11); "the wicked... are finished" (v. 20); "the righteous will possess the land" (v. 29); "[YHWH] will save [the righteous], because they have sought refuge in him" (v. 40).
    • Other scholars have argued that vv. 30-31 (פ strophe) should be grouped with the fourth quarter instead of the third quarter (cf. van der Lugt 2006, §37; Weber 2016). According to this division, the third quarter would be bound by an inclusio ("they will possess the land"—vv. 22, 29), and the end of the third quarter ("they will possess the land" [v. 29]) would correspond to the end of the first quarter ("they will possess the land" [v. 11]), making for a symmetrical structure and giving prominence to the phrase "they will possess the land." However, grouping the פ strophe (vv. 30-31) with the fourth quarter of the psalm disturbs another prominent structuring device: the similar beginnings of quarters 2 ("the wicked plots"), 3 ("the wicked lends"), and 4 ("the wicked watches"). Scholars have been forced, therefore, to choose to follow only one of these two structuring devices, both of which seem like deliberate structuring devices. The choice between the two might not be necessary, however. It is likely that the ayin strophe originally came after the pe strophe, as in Lamentations 2-4 (MT), Lamentations 1 (4QLam), Proverbs 31 (LXX), pre-exilic abecederies featuring the order pe-ayin (cf. First 2014) and Ps 34 (see The Text and Meaning of Psalm 34:18 for details). Rearranging the letters in this way allows us to appreciate both structuring devices simultaneously.
  • vv. 1-11. The first quarter of the psalm (vv. 1-11) is bound together by the use of 2nd person singular language. Every strophe within this section (alef–waw) has at least one instance of 2ms language, whether a 2ms verb or a 2ms pronoun. By contrast, the following section (vv. 12-20) contains no instances of 2ms language. Furthermore, some repeated words occur uniquely within this section, including הִתְעַנַּג (vv. 4a, 11b) and תִּתְחַר (vv. 1a, 7b, 8b). The section further divides into two parts (vv. 1-6; vv. 7-11), which are marked by their similar beginnings (אַל־תִּתְחַר, etc., see visual).
  • vv. 12-20. The second quarter of the psalm (vv. 12-20) begins with the wicked plotting (זֹמֵ֣ם רָ֭שָׁע) and ends with the complete destruction of the wicked. The two parts of this section (vv. 12-15; vv. 16-20) are, as the two parts in the previous section, marked by their similar beginnings (לַצַּדִּיק, vv. 12, 16).
  • vv. 21-31. The third quarter of the psalm (vv. 21-32), like the previous quarter, begins with the wicked taking advantage of others (לֹוֶ֣ה רָ֭שָׁע) and ends with their complete destruction (v. 28b) and with the righteous possessing the land (v. 29). This quarter is bound by an inclusio: a contrast between the righteous and the wicked and a statement that the righteous "will possess the land" (see above on the פ-ע order). Like the previous two quarters, this quarter divides in half (vv. 21-26; vv. 27-29), with each half being defined by an inclusio: vv. 21-26 (rep. of ברך, חנן, לוה); vv. 27-29 (rep. of שכן לעולם/לעד).
  • vv. 32-40. The final quarter begins, like the previous two sections, with the wicked person trying to harm the righteous (צוֹפֶ֣ה רָ֭שָׁע) and concludes with the salvation of the righteous. The strophes within this section form a chiasm: a. protection of the righteous (tsade); b. exhortation (qof); c. personal anecdote (resh); b. exhortation (shin); a. salvation of the righteous (taw). The section is also characterized by verbs for "looking": צפה (v. 32); ראה (vv. 34-35, 37), בקשׁ (vv. 32, 36), שׁמר (v. 37).

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

  • The line division above follows the Masoretic accents, i.e., the line divisions correspond to silluq, ole-weyored, athnach, revia (when preceded by a precursor or when replacing athnach) and tsinnor (when preceded by a precursor) (cf. Sanders and de Hoop forthcoming). The only exception is v. 28, where the Masoretic Text is probably corrupt (see The Text of Psalm37:28).
  • The line division above also agrees with the line division of the LXX (Rahlfs 1931) with one exception: the LXX divides v. 40bc differently: יְפַלְּטֵ֣ם מֵ֭רְשָׁעִים | וְיוֹשִׁיעֵ֑ם כִּי־חָ֥סוּ בֽוֹ׃ (a division which also attested in the Babylonian ms Berlin Qu 680).
  • v. 23. BHS (cf. Kraus 1988, 403) suggests that v. 23 should be divided differently: מֵ֭יְהוָה מִֽצְעֲדֵי־גֶ֥בֶר | כּוֹנָ֗נוּ וְדַרְכּ֥וֹ יֶחְפָּֽץ׃. This alternate division is well balanced (3 words // 3 words), and it finds support in Prov 20:24, where the exact same words מֵיְהוָ֥ה מִצְעֲדֵי־גָ֑בֶר occur as an independent line, followed by וְ֝אָדָ֗ם מַה־יָּבִ֥ין דַּרְכּֽוֹ. But it is not clear what כוננו ודרכו יחפץ would mean; some further emendation of the text would probably be necessary. Duhm, for example, suggests the emendation כּוֹנְנוֹ דַּרְכּוֹ יֶחְפָּץ — "he has established him in whose way he delights," which might find some support in the commentary of 4Q171 (היכינו לבנות לו עדת — "[YHWH] installed him to found the congregation of..." [García-Martínez and Tigchelaar 1997, 344-345]). But it is probably better to follow the text and line division of the MT, which is deeply entrenched in the tradition; the accents, pausal forms, and the Septuagint all agree that כּוֹנָ֗נוּ ends the first line (see also the Babylonian ms Berlin Qu 680, which agrees with MT in its line division).