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

Chapter 3: Methodology3.4.4 Grammatical analysisAlthough grammar has risen to prominence as an important element in thecorrect interpretation of Hebrew poetry (see Collins 1978a-b; O’Connor 1993;1997a-b), editors or compilers are scarcely likely to be conscious enough ofgrammatical structures to use them as a basis for arranging texts.Consequently, only such grammatical points as lend themselves to suchdisparate interpretations and/or translations as to have a significant bearingon the interpretation of the psalm receive attention.3.4.5 Form criticismForm criticism, as it has been practiced in psalms’ studies, has two distinctaspects: (a) genre: categorising psalms according to their literary form andanalysing the formal characteristics of each type and (b) setting: attempting toidentify the social setting(s) in which each psalm or psalm type were used.Categorising psalms on the basis of shared formal characteristics is quite anobjective exercise, but identifying the life-setting(s) in which particular psalmsor psalm types were used far more subjective, depending heavily on tentativereconstructions of Israelite history and worship. Nevertheless, an attemptmust be made to understand the historical usage of each psalm since thismight have heavily influenced the final redactors understanding of it.75