Smith DTh Thesis (final).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

Chapter 5: Concatenation in Psalms 3-8implied reader) using the psalm, has just woken up (Psalm 3) and is about togo to sleep (Psalm 4). Hence they are classified as morning and eveningpsalms. The significance of the shared phrase “I lie down and sleep” (seediscussion above) strengthens the possibility that the editors consciouslyjuxtaposed these psalms as morning and evening prayers (e.g., Goldingay2006:117).Structural links. If the structural interpretations suggested in chapter 4 arecorrect, then Psalms 3 and 4 are very similar in form. Both are short poems—64 and 73 words 103 respectively—consisting of three strophes. Each stropheconsists of three bi- and/or tricola and exhibits a movement from negative topositive, from complaint to confidence. The final bicolon ends each strophe ona note of faith, a declaration of confidence in Yahweh. Both psalms containmultiple occurrences of לָ‏ ה ‏,סֶ‏ but in neither one are they structural markerssignalling the end of stanzas. The overall effect of these similarities is twopoems that are very similar in length, flow and balance. They feel like sisterpoems.Verse 4 is strikingly similar in effect in both psalms. After verses 2-3 openeach psalm with a depiction of people’s opposition to the psalmists, verse 4103 These figures exclude the Psalm headings and treat conjoined lexemes as single words.190