Psalms Final Exam
Merism
"day and night"- a figure of speech that communicates completeness in one of two ways: 1. describing two contrasting extremes 2. denoting the whole by a number of the parts of a thing
"Turning Point" structure
(Patrick Miller) - Some psalms have a key turning point or points in which the mood or concept of the psalm makes a significant turn
Psalm 1 (ESV)
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 32 ESV (Other choice is 51)
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity;I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Psalm 51 ESV (other choice Psalm 32)
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Psalm 8 (Other choice is 19)
1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul.He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 19 ESV (Other choice is 8)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
3 elements of a Hymn (structural form)
1. Opening invitation to praise 2. Rationale for the praise (usually introduced by the word ki "for") 3. Renewed call to praise
Thanksgiving form
1. Statement of, or invitation to praise including the intention to thank God. ("I love the Lord") 2. Account of the singer's experience including: a) his trouble b) his calling upon God c) his deliverance 3. Confession of faith in God acknowledging Him as Savior. 4. Reference to a thank offering or payment of a vow. 5. Conclusion, with a confession to Yahweh and a renewed call to praise.
Augustine's 4 Insights
1. The Psalms are meant to be experienced 2. The Psalms are meant to be proclaimed 3. The Psalms are universal in worship 4. The Psalms not only say something to us. They do something to us.
Antithetical or Contrastive parallelism
2nd or subsequent cola contrasts the thoughts of the 1st colon thus making the 1st colon clearer. 2nd colon denies or provides an exception or a contrast to the 1st colon. The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor But the rich man has many friends. Proverbs 14:20
Hymns
8, 19, 96, 98, 100, 103, 145-150 Praise God by describing two things: • Who God is (descriptive praise). • What he has done (declarative praise).
Line
A complete parallelistic expression of thought. Not to be confused with a sentence or a verse. It is made of colas
Authorship issues
An attribution could be: a claim to authorship- a Psalm that David wrote. The Psalm was composed by someone else for David The Psalm is "about David"
penitential psalms
Asking for forgiveness
antiphonal reading/singing of psalms
Bonhoeffer believed parallelism suggested antiphonal reading of psalms
Yahweh Collection and the Elohim Collection
Book 1 (1-41) - The Yahweh collection Book 2 (42-72) - The Elohim collection
Description of each "Book" of the Psalms
Book One: 1-41 Book Two: 42-72 Book Three: 73-89 Book Four: 90-106 Book Five: 107-150 (146-150 are doxologies)
The five "Books" in Psalms and why that fivefold division is significant
Book one:1-41 Book Two:42-72 Book Three: 74-89 Book Four 90-106 Book Five: 107-150 (146-150 are doxologies) The 5 books in Psalms mirror the five books of the Pentateuch
Climactic parallelism
Builds up a thought by the repetition of synonymous short phrases that end in a climax.
Antiphonal
Call and response between two groups
Canonical criticism
Canonical criticism focuses on the whole and the arrangement of the Psalms as a collection with a specific sequence that reflects the concerns of the final scribe who put the book of Psalms together.
Synonymous Parallelism
Colon two restates the same thought as colon one, by using equivalent expressions. For example... I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Isaiah 44:22
Two categories of genre in the Psalms
Content and Form
Chiastic parallelism
Crossed Ps 1:6 for example: For Yahweh watches over the path of the upright, But the path of the wicked is doomed
Chiasm
Crossing Ex. Psalm 1:6 "For Yahweh watches over the path of the upright But the path of the wicked is doomed Structure: Watches over Path Path Doomed
Structure and Development
Division into stanzas, Q&A, Turning Point (Be able to identify examples)
The concepts of Echoing and Extending as the thinking behind Hebrew Poetry
Echoing- Describes how a word, phrase, or sentence responds in a ping-pong-like manner to a word, phrase or sentence Extending- a word, phrase, or sentence builds on and continues the thought of a previous word, phrase, or sentence.
Doxologies
End each book in the Psalms
Challenges (external and internal) in book one and book two
External and internal challenges the "anointed one" faces as he tries to keep the law Book 1 focuses on the external challenges faced by the king. Book 2 emphasizes the internal challenges faced by the king.
psalms of Zion
Focusing on the city of Jerusalem
Themes
God as Creator Monotheism (Practical and theological/absolute) Yahweh as Lord of History (Yahweh Reigns psalms) Yahweh's steadfast love (hesed) The presence of God The understanding of Humanity Messiah
Question and Answer structure.
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
Herman Gunkel's theory of Psalm classifications
Identified about 17 different psalm forms. The general flow of Psalms moves from laments to hymns of praise. The dominant form of Psalms is lament.
In the Exam be able to
Identify the speakers in a psalm Identify types of parallelism Identify the elements of Lament in a psalm Break a psalm down into strophes / stanzas
Zoomorphism
It is a literary technique in which animal attributes are imposed upon non-animal objects, humans, and events; and animal features are ascribed to humans, gods, and other objects.
Transitional device
Ki, translated "for", meaning "because". Ki introduces the reason for the preceding statement. Gives the theological rationale for the praise
Form
Lament, hymns, thanksgiving, etc. Make sure you know the structure of Lament, Hymns, and Thanksgiving psalms and can identify examples of each
Division and numbering of the Psalms (Masoretic and Septuagint differences)
Masoretic Psalms (Hebrew) 1-8 9-10 11-113 114-115 116 117-146 147 148-150 Septuagint Psalms (Greek) 1-8 9 10-112 113 114-115 116-145 146-147 148-150
The placement of the Psalms in the Ketuvim (writings) and how this relates to the Torah (Law) and the Nevi'im (Prophets). Think Psalm 1 and Joshua 1
Nevihim (Prophets)- introduced in Joshua 1 with a command to Joshua "keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful The Ketuvim is introduced with a Torah Psalm encouraging faithfulness to the law that one may be blessed... "but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, Psalm 1, then, is what we call a Torah Psalm
Brueggemann's three types (functions / categories) of psalms
Orientation- those that "articulate the joy, delight, goodness, coherence, and reliability of God, God's creation, and God's governing law" Disorientation-"savagely marked by incoherence, a loss of balance, and unrelieved asymmetry" New orientation- forms of praise and thanksgiving
Connection between "thanks/praise" and "confession"
Praise for God's undeserved kindness throws our sin into sharp focus. Thus confession of sin is often articulated in the same breath as a confession of praise and thanksgiving. (See Ps 40:12, Isaiah 6)
Psalm 1 and 2 as an introduction to the entire Psalter
Psalm 1 and 2 are Torah Psalms encouraging faithfulness to the law that one may be blessed... "but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,"
Songs of Ascent
Psalm 120-134
The Greek name for the book of Psalms
Psalmoi
Psalms of Cursing and Vengeance / Imprecatory Psalms
Psalms 35, 69, 83, 109, 137 and 140. These psalms seek retaliation against enemies.
4 subtypes of laments
Psalms Protesting Innocence Psalms of Confession Psalms of Cursing and Vengeance Psalms of Trust
3 subtypes of hymns
Psalms to the Creator Songs of Zion Psalms of Yahweh's Enthronement
Strophe
Related lines grouped together It is in poetry what a paragraph is in prose Most translations indicated them by placing a line between them
"Turning Point" structure (Patrick Miller)
Some psalms have a key turning point or points in which the mood or concept of the psalm makes a significant turn.
Imagery
Source domain Target domain
Attributions and superscriptions (what they are, how they relate to the original composition, etc.)
Superscriptions: Over 1/3 are musical directions, or references to types of musical interludes. An attribution is a superscription that attributes the psalm to an individual (Asaph 12, the Songs of Korah 11, Solomon 2, David 73)
Types of parallelism
Synonymous, Antithetical, Progress/developmental, Emblematic, Chiastic, Climactic
The Hebrew name for the book of Psalms
Tehillim
Masoretic Text/ Septuagint
Texts that use Masoretic Psalms Hebrew Jewish Bibles Protestant translations Catholic translations Texts that use Septuagint Psalms Greek Orthodox Bibles Orthodox translation Catholic liturgical texts
Division into Strophes (stanzas)
The psalmist divides the psalm into several equal or nearly equal strophes.
Progressive / Developmental parallelism
The second or subsequent colon or line adds a progression of thought in a logical relationship or by providing additional information. •The first colon can make a statement and the second colon can give the reason; •The first line can ask a question and the second line can give the answer;
Psalms of Yahweh's Enthronement/"Yahweh Reigns" psalms
Themes in "Yahweh Reigns" psalms: 1. God's reign over Creation and therefore his rightful place as king Ps 93 2. God's reign over the nations which he subdues Ps 47:3
Twin Psalms
Two independent literary units linked by parallels. The scribe or librarian intentionally placed two psalms side by side in the book In the final arraignment these two psalms may be read "in parallel" with each other.
Bishop Lowth's insight into Hebrew poetry (Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews)
Two observations that opened up Hebrew poetry: Hebrew poetry is built on structure of thought rather than an external form. Hebrew poetry is composed by balancing a series of sense units against one another according to simple principles of relationship. Parallelism is the repetition of elements within a grammatical unit.
Selah
Unknown meaning "The Sela indicates that one must be still and quickly think through the words of the Psalms: for they demand a quiet and restful soul, which can grasp and hold to that which the Holy Spirit there presents and offers."- Martin Luther
Simile
a comparison using "like" or "as.
Epigrammatic style
a concise, clever, and sometimes paradoxical statement or line of verse.
Metaphor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
rhetorical question
a question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer.
Emblematic parallelism
a variety of synonymous parallelism in which the though is expressed half metaphorically and half literally
Canonical criticism
a way of interpreting the Bible that focuses on the text of the biblical canon itself as a finished product
Literary and poetic devices used in the Psalms
acrostics-Psalm 119 is an alphabetic acrostic. 176 verses are divided into twenty-two stanzas, one stanza for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet; Within each stanza, each of the eight verses begins (in Hebrew) with that letter. We call this an eight fold alphabetic acrostic. bracketing parallelism figures of speech- Merism - "day and night" - a figure of speech communicating completeness in one of two ways: •Describing two contrasting extremes. •Denoting the whole by a number of the parts of a thing etc.
Form Criticism
classifies units of scripture by literary pattern
Colon
each half of a line cola: The valleys of the sear were exposed cola: and the foundations of the earth laid bare both of these colas create a line. The subsequent cola is indented a little bit Bicolon- two cola in a line Tri colon- three cola in a line Monocolon- "Praise the Lord" A colon that does not have a parallel Occurs 23 times in the Psalms and only at the beginning and end of Psalms
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Royal psalms
mention the king
creation psalms
nature
6 Elements of a Lament (structural form)
o 1st person direct address—to God o Petition to God for help o A description of trouble o Reasons to be heard -Implications if they aren't heard o Statement of confidence/trust o A promise to make a sacrifice or to praise God
wisdom psalms
reflects wisdom theology and uses wisdom language
Content
share common themes, such as : royal psalms, creation psalms, psalms of Zion, Psalms of confession (penitential psalms), imprecatory psalms, psalms of trust, wisdom psalms. Make sure you know the defining chracteristics of each and are able to identify examples
Anthropomorphism
the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.
Ashrei
the blessed one
Jamie Grant's theory regarding two types of Psalms (Torah / law and Royal/ kingship)
the introduction to Psalms reflects the theology of kingship law. It was to help the kings and their nations enter into the blessed life
Sitz im Leben
the social context or 'life setting'
Metonymy
the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing.
Anaphora (epanaphora)
the use of a word referring to or replacing a word used earlier in a sentence, to avoid repetition, such as do in I like it and so do they.
Pleonasm
the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning (e.g. see with one's eyes ), either as a fault of style or for emphasis.
Acrostic
verse in which certain letters such as the first in each line form a word or message
Descriptive and declarative praise in hymns
· Descriptive praise: who God is · Declarative praise: what He has done
Ketuvim
· Ketuvim- Writings · Psalms, Proverbs, Job
Tanak
· Torah · Nevihim · Ketuvim
Sections of the Tanak (Hebrew Bible) and what they include
· Torah- "teaching" or "law" · Nevihim- Prophets · Ketuvim- Writings
Inclusion / enclosure
ַ֥שְֽׁרֵי ashrei - "blessed" Psalm 1:1 & 2:12 = Inclusio (enclosure or bracketing).
