Grace Institute: The Writings : Psalms Part 2

1 Chronicles Survey of the Old Testament: The Writings Fall 2006

Nature of Hebrew Poetry

The Psalms are first and foremost songs intended to be sung to musical accompaniment. Because we no longer know what the music of these Psalms sounded like, they come to us today as poems. These Po ems and songs are not primarily intended to teach or communicate theological abstracts. Instead, poetry relates the experience of the author in a form that connects with us emotionally. Music has a way of penetrating our souls and speaking, not through our heads, but to our heart. Therefore, while the Psalms do contain some theological ideas, they are primarily intended to help us relate on an emotional level to the greatness of God and his intervention into our lives.

Unfortunately for the modern reader, poetry is not very important in American culture. Outside of pop music, which is an unsophisticated form of poetry, we are strictly a prose culture. In other cultures, poetry is a highly esteemed and deeply ingrained form of literature. In ancient cultures the epic poems, such as the Iliad in Greece or the Aeneid in Rome , are the basis for national identity.

In the Hebrew Bible, poetry is extensively used, not only in the Psalms, but throughout the Old Testament. Poetry is used because it is more readily memorized than prose. Poetry has a way of making profound statements in such simple and emotive language that it can penetrate through our cynical rationalism and hit us right in our soul.

The Psalms, like most poetry, are expressions of the author's feelings. As a result, you find some very intense and deep emotions within the Psalms; emotions and feelings that sometime may sound contradictory to other passages within the Bible. If we don't understand the nature of poetry, we could draw some very erroneous conclusions about who God is. For example in Psalm 22, the psalmist states:

My God, my God, why have you left me alone?
You are too far away to save me.
You are too far away to hear my moans.

If we read this as a doctrinal treatise or a theological lesson, we might incorrectly conclude that God sometimes is far away and unable or unwilling to intervene in our lives. But if we understand that this is a poem in which the author is honestly and truthfully describing his experience and deep feelings. As we read on in the psalm, we discover the intent of the author is actually communicating just the opposite!

Therefore we must be careful when reading the Psalms to understand that these poems are truthful to the author's feelings, but only when read in their full argument can we draw accurate principles of who God is and how he relates to us.

The Structure of Hebrew Poetry

The very nature of poetry is what makes it memorable and penetrating. Poetry is required to follow certain ground rules which make it easy to remember and hear. For example, in English, we expect poetry to follow a certain rhyme and meter. Hebrew poetry uses rhyming and meter as well. However rhyme in Hebrew poetry tends to be not at the end of the line but in successive words. Hebrew poetry might also use alliteration in the successive words in a line. Hebrew poetry often also uses alphabetical acronyms, where each line starts with a different letter of the alphabet (e.g. Psalm 119).

However, the most distinguishing characteristic of Hebrew poetry is parallelism . A Hebrew poem is divided into lines which repeat the point of the author in different words. This repetitive style is the most distinguishing mark of Hebrew poetry for us because, unlike rhyme and meter, it transcends translation.

For example, in Psalm 19:7-9, each line in these 3 verses is really saying the same thing in a repetitive fashion.

7 The law of the Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Yahweh is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether.

The psalmist is trying to penetrate our heart and get us to feel his point rather than making a rationalistic argument to make his point. Therefore, when studying Hebrew poetry, we don't dissect each line and try to determine the subtle differences in each word. Rather we let the overall sense of each parallel section give us an overall sense of what the author intends for the passage.

When analyzing a psalm, we begin by breaking it into stiches. A stich is a group of related lines which have the parallel structure. In a passage, there can be a distich (two related lines) or tri-stiches (three related lines), as seen in Psalm 1:1-2:

Type of Parallelism

•  Synonymous Parallelism Subsequent lines reinforce the first line.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:2)

•  Antithetical Parallelism Subsequent lines contrast the first line.

The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,
But the blameless in their walk are His delight. (Proverbs 11:20)

•  Synthetic Parallelism Subsequent lines add further information to the first line.

The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9)

Types of Hebrew Poetry

Po etry and songs have a specific form to them. For example, the traditional hymn of the 18 th & 19 th century had 4 or 5 verses, each with 4 lines. The last syllable of each line would be part of a rhyming pattern, such as ABA B. In the early 20 th century, the hymn form changed so that between each of the four line verses, there would be a chorus or refrain sung. Today the contemporary praise song still follows the verse, chorus, verse, chorus format, but after the second time singing the chorus there is often added a bridge which then follows by a repeat of the chorus.

The Psalms also follow predictable patterns or forms. These forms are set up primarily by the type of Psalm. However, like our modern hymns and contemporary praise songs, not every song conforms perfectly to these forms. Nonetheless, knowing the standard template for each genre of Psalm helps us to understand the message of the Psalm.

Declarative praise (thanksgiving)

The declarative praise is sometimes titled the thanksgiving psalm. These songs call on the singer to praise God because of something He has done for us. It is sometimes very personal, describing specific situations where God has helped an ind ividual. Other times, the thanksgiving is corporate, speaking of how God has del ivered or protected the nation.

The typical structure begins with a call to praise, a description of what God has done, and finishes with another call to praise. This structure can be seen in one of the shortest of the psalms, Psalm 117:

•  Call to Praise God:

Praise Yahweh, all nations.
Laud Him, all peoples

•  Reason to Praise God:

For His lovingkindness is great towards us
And the truth of Yahweh is everlasting

•  Renewed Cal l to Praise:

Halle lujah (Praise Yahweh)

Salvation History

Today as Christians, our salvation history songs speak of Christ's death on the cross and the salvation of God through the blood of Jesus. Just as we sing to remember salvation from the cross, so the ancient Hebrews would sing to remember salvation from slavery in Egypt .

Several of the declarative praise psalms look back to the salvation of Israel in the time of the exodus. To the Hebrew, this was the point in history where Yahweh came down and intervened in the national life of Israel , redeeming them from slavery in Egypt . It is the tangible, communal event in the history of the nation where God demonstrates his salvation to Israel .

Descriptive praise (hymn or doxology)

The descriptive praise is sometimes called a hymn or a doxology. These songs praise God for who He is and His character as opposed to what He has done for us.

The structure of the descriptive praise is similar to that of the declarative praise, except rather than describe what God has done for us, it describes something of God's character. This structure can be seen in Psalm 100:

•  Call to Praise God:

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before Him with joyful singing

•  Description of God's Character:

Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

•  Renewed Call to Praise:

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Royal/Enthronement Hymns

A subset of the descriptive praise psalm is the royal or enthronement hymns. These psalms were sung at the coro nation of Judah 's new king. Even after the end of the monarchy, the Israel ites still sung these songs with God ultimately as their King and in looking forward to the day when the Messiah would come and be King over all Israel .

Songs of Ascent

The songs of ascent were sung as people would climb up the mount to Jerusalem and the temple as they entered for holy days. Like the Christmas carols of today, these were holiday songs, which when sung would remind the people of the reason for the celebration. They were sung to get into the mood of the festival.

Halle l Hymns

The Halle l or praise hymns are a group of Psalms beginning in 146-150 which are songs which call upon the people to praise God for his character alone.

Lament

While the descriptive and declarative praises are up lifting and sometimes joyful, life is not always joyful and uplifting. The Psalms are realistic about the experience of life and contain the lament psalms. The laments are like the singing the blues. These songs tell us that life is tough [1], but that God is still worthy of praise.

The structure of the lament is more complex, just as tribulations make life more complex. The structure follows the author's struggle to reconcile the greatness of God with the difficulties of life. It begins with the complaint, is followed by a request or petition of God, and concludes with an acknowledgement of God's response and praise. This structure is seen clearly in Psalm 13:

•  Introductory Appeal to God:

How Long, Yahweh?

•  The Complaint to God:

Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul?
Having sorry in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

•  Petition:

Consider and answer me, O Yahweh my God.
Enlighten my eyes or I will sleep the sleep of death
And my enemy will say, I have overcome him
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

•  Acknowledgment of Response:

But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness.
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

•  Praise to Yahweh:

I will sing to Yahweh
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Penitential

There are seven Psalms in which the Psalmist's tribulation is a result of His own sin (Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). The focus of these Psalms is not del iverance from oppression but a request for forgiveness.

Imprecatory

Imprecatory, or cursing, Psalms are some of the most troubling passages in scripture. The Psalmist has been attacked by an enemy, and so he calls upon God to bring judgment upon his enemies. For example, Psalm 69:24-28:

Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.
May their camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.
Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.
May they be blotted out of the book of life
And may they not be recorded with the righteous.

These Psalms trouble us because of the cruel and vindictive nature of the request. However, these are valid human responses to the human condition. I remember on 9/11, walking to work after having seen the World Trade Center towers collapse, in tears, crying unto God for Him to bring justice on those who committed such atrocities. There is a place for righteous anger, and it is in taking it to God and letting Him take vengeance on the unrighteous rather than ourselves.

Special Types

Wisdom Psalms

There are a few Psalms which relate more to the Wis dom literature than the praise literature. They deal with specific issues of life and dispense wis dom to the singer as to living life within the context of an imperfect world. Psalm 1 is an example of this.

Torah Psalms

Several Psalms speak of the greatness of the Law of God. These songs remind the singer that life is found in the Law of God and keeping and cherishing the Law is critical in the life of Israel . Psalm 119 is an example of this.

Conclusion: Dynamic of faith [2]

Often times we grade the types of praise found in the Psalm. The highest, most spiritual of praises are the descriptive praises. These Psalms don't praise God for what He has done for us, nor does it ask God to intervene. Descriptive praises exalt God merely for His character. The descriptive praises is a second-class praise, for it focuses on me and what God has done for me. Finally, the lament is the low-class praise. This praise is seen as too real, too doubtful and lacking the faith of the descriptive praise.

However, all three praises are found in the Psalms. In fact, the lament is found much more in the Psalms than the other two praises. The lament is a highly valid form of praise. It is not a third-class praise. It is as legitimate as the others.

Nonetheless, there is often a progression in our praises. When faced with hardship, our prayer-praises will sound like laments as we come to God with our burdens and our sins. As God responds to our lament, we know can thank God and enter into descriptive praises, for God has acted on our behalf. Finally, that leads to declarative praises as we see the nature of God in how he has dealt with us, and we praise Him for who he is alone.

Footnotes

1. Allen, 34.
2. Bratcher.

[Next: Psalms of Lament]