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The purpose of these
Psalm expositions is to visually show what we should listen for in Hebrew
poetry. Understanding the structure of
the Psalms is necessary for understanding their instruction. What makes Hebrew
poetry poetry? Repetition of words and
ideas. [1] Repetition of ideas is
commonly called parallelism. Adele
Berlin points out that that parallelism is binocular. We have two eyes [and ears], but they work
together to focus on a single thing. (The
Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism, 99).
Parallelism lent itself
to the written medium of scrolls. When
rolled up, one would be in the center of a work. As a scroll was unrolled, the symmetry of a
work would be revealed. Parallelism is
classified into different types and subtypes (synonymous, antithetical,
synthetic, chiastic, staircase, emblematic, Janus, etc.). But for the purposes of this introduction
we will simplify by noting that parallelism can be both horizontal and
vertical. Psalm 45 is a good example
of both: |
PSALM 45
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THE KING IS ADDRESSED & DESCRIBED (vv.1-9) |
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A 1
My heart overflows with a good theme; |
I address my verses to the King; |
My tongue is the pen of a
ready writer. |
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2 You are fairer than the sons of
men; |
Grace is poured upon Your lips; |
Therefore God has blessed You
forever. |
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B 3 Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, |
In Your splendor and Your majesty! (cf. Psalm 21:5; 96:4) |
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4 And in Your majesty ride on
victoriously, |
For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; |
Let Your right hand teach You
awesome things. |
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5 Your arrows are sharp;
(Rev.19:11-21) |
The peoples fall under You; |
Your arrows are in the heart
of the King’s enemies. |
|
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6 Your throne, O God, is
forever and ever; |
A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. |
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7 You have loved righteousness
and hated wickedness; |
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil
of joy above Your fellows. |
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8 All Your garments are
fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; |
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You
glad. |
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C 9 Kings’ daughters are among Your noble ladies; |
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. |
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THE BRIDE
IS ADDRESSED & DESCRIBED
(vv.10-15) |
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D 10 Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear: |
Forget your people and your father’s house; [2] |
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D 11 Then the King will desire your beauty. |
Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him [or “He is your
Master, Submit to Him!”]. |
|
C’ 12 The daughter of Tyre
will come with a gift; |
The rich among the people will seek your favor [lit.
“appease the face”] |
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B’ 13 The King’s daughter is all glorious within; |
Her clothing is interwoven with gold. |
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14 She will be led to the King in
embroidered work; |
The virgins, her companions who follow her, |
Will be brought to You. |
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15 They will be led forth
with gladness and rejoicing; |
They will enter into the King’s palace. (cf. Song of
Solomon 3:6-11) |
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THE NATIONS WILL FOREVER ADDRESS THE KING WITH THANKS
(vv.16-17) |
|
A’ 16 In place of Your fathers will be Your sons; |
You shall make them princes in all the earth. |
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17 I will cause Your name to be
remembered in all generations; |
Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and
ever. |
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Notice the parallel
columns on the right and the left, and from top to bottom: A (vv.1,2) B (vv.3-8) C (v.9) D (vv.10,11) C’ (v.12) B’ (vv.13-15) A’ (vv.16,17) The A
sections contain the only first person singular pronouns in the psalm
(vv.1,17). I will speak in verse 1 is echoed by I will remind in verse 17.
The B sections address and describe
the groom (vv.3-8) and bride (vv.13-15).
The “heart of the Psalm” is vv.10-11. The exposition of
Psalms be reproduced according to the repetition of ideas, and the repetition of words
will be highlighted. [3] |
PSALM 45
|
THE KING IS ADDRESSED & DESCRIBED (vv.1-9) |
|
A 1
My heart overflows with a good theme; |
I address my verses to the King; |
My tongue is the pen of a
ready writer. |
|
2 You are fairer than the sons of
men; |
Grace is poured upon Your lips; |
Therefore God has blessed You forever. |
|
B 3 Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, |
In Your splendor and Your majesty! (cf. Psalm 21:5; 96:4) |
||
|
4 And in Your majesty ride on
victoriously, |
For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; |
Let Your right hand teach You
awesome things. |
|
|
5 Your arrows are sharp;
(Rev.19:11-21) |
The peoples fall under You; |
Your arrows are in the heart of
the King’s enemies. |
|
|
6 Your throne, O God, is
forever and ever; |
A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. |
||
|
7 You have loved righteousness
and hated wickedness; |
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of
joy above Your fellows. |
||
|
8 All Your garments are
fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; |
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You
glad. |
||
|
C 9 Kings’ daughters
are among Your noble ladies; |
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. |
|
THE BRIDE
IS ADDRESSED & DESCRIBED
(vv.10-15) |
|
D 10 Listen,
O daughter, give
attention and incline your ear: |
Forget
your people and your father’s house; |
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D 11 Then the King will desire your beauty. |
Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him [or “He is your
Master, Submit to Him!”]. |
|
C’ 12 The daughter
of Tyre will come with a gift; |
The rich among the people will seek your favor [lit.
“appease the face”] |
|
B’ 13 The King’s daughter
is all glorious within; |
Her clothing is interwoven with gold. |
||
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14 She will be led to the King in
embroidered work; |
The virgins, her companions who follow her, |
Will be brought to You. |
|
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15 They will be led forth
with gladness and rejoicing; |
They will enter into the King’s palace. (cf. Song of
Solomon 3:6-11) |
||
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THE NATIONS WILL FOREVER ADDRESS THE KING WITH
THANKS (vv.16-17) |
|
A’ 16 In place of Your fathers will be Your sons; |
You shall make them princes in all the earth. |
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17 I will cause Your name to be remembered in all
generations; |
Therefore
the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever. |
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One of the mistakes often
made when reading the Hebrew Scriptures is to think that repetition is
tedious. English speakers have an
arsenal of some 1,500,000 words from which to choose; whereas, biblical
Hebrew has about 8,500 words. The
temptation is to see repetition as a literary defect which needs to be
corrected in translation. But far from
being defective, repetition is a form of emphasis and is a foundational for
interpreting the Old Testament. I hope that you enjoy
the ascetics of Hebrew poetry as much as I do. Any comments are greatly
appreciated. |
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[1] Our ears have been trained to listen for rhymes when listening to
poetry, but biblical poetry shows little or no evidence of rhyming. The
Arabs popularized rhyme and to my knowledge the Qur’an is the first major
literary work to utilize rhyme. |
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[2] The exhortation
to “listen” followed by “forget” is an example of antithetical parallelism. |