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

Chapter 3: MethodologyFor this reason, the exegetical discussion of each psalm includes a discussionof the psalm’s structure. It discusses structural markers signposting thesemantic relationships between cola and strophes. Analysis of thesegmentation, structure and logical development of the psalm fall under thiscategory. Terrien’s (2003) commentary, which gives special attention to thestrophic structure of each psalm, is particularly helpful in this respect, as areDuane Christensen’s (2005a-f) numerical analyses of individual psalms (seewww.bibal.net). Since structural similarities, such as strophic patterns, may ormay not be significant, they are kept in mind and treated cautiously.3.4.7 Rhetoric analysisRhetorical analysis, as the term is used here, does not refer to the canons ofGreco-Roman rhetoric, but to the variety of textual strategies and devises thatauthors employ to facilitate effective communication. Texture and artistry areprominent components of the modern literary approaches to biblicalinterpretation, especially when dealing with poetic texts (see Ryken 1992;Prinsloo 1994; Long 2001). Hebrew poetry uses a wide range of rhetorical77