This limmud is part of the ongoing FHJC Psalm 27 Series. The rest of the content can be found here : https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Psalm-27-Series .
Before going any further in our discussion, let's take a moment to just read through our prayer-poem once again.
(א) לְדָוִ֨ד ׀ יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אוֹרִ֣י וְ֭יִשְׁעִי מִמִּ֣י אִירָ֑א יְהוָ֥ה מָֽעוֹז־חַ֝יַּ֗י מִמִּ֥י אֶפְחָֽד׃ (ב) בִּקְרֹ֤ב עָלַ֨י ׀ מְרֵעִים֮ לֶאֱכֹ֪ל אֶת־בְּשָׂ֫רִ֥י צָרַ֣י וְאֹיְבַ֣י לִ֑י הֵ֖מָּה כָשְׁל֣וּ וְנָפָֽלוּ׃ (ג) אִם־תַּחֲנֶ֬ה עָלַ֨י ׀ מַחֲנֶה֮ לֹֽא־יִירָ֪א לִ֫בִּ֥י אִם־תָּק֣וּם עָ֭לַי מִלְחָמָ֑ה בְּ֝זֹ֗את אֲנִ֣י בוֹטֵֽחַ׃ (ד) אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהוָה֮ אוֹתָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹֽעַם־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵיכָלֽוֹ׃ (ה) כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֪וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אָהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי׃ (ו) וְעַתָּ֨ה יָר֪וּם רֹאשִׁ֡י עַ֤ל אֹֽיְבַ֬י סְֽבִיבוֹתַ֗י וְאֶזְבְּחָ֣ה בְ֭אָהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵ֣י תְרוּעָ֑ה אָשִׁ֥ירָה וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה לַיהוָֽה׃ (ז) שְׁמַע־יְהוָ֖ה קוֹלִ֥י אֶקְרָ֗א וְחָנֵּ֥נִי וַעֲנֵֽנִי׃ (ח) לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְהוָ֣ה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃ (ט) אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ אַֽל־תַּט־בְּאַ֗ף עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ עֶזְרָתִ֥י הָיִ֑יתָ אַֽל־תִּטְּשֵׁ֥נִי וְאַל־תַּֽ֝עַזְבֵ֗נִי אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׁעִֽי׃ (י) כִּי־אָבִ֣י וְאִמִּ֣י עֲזָב֑וּנִי וַֽיהוָ֣ה יַֽאַסְפֵֽנִי׃ (יא) ה֤וֹרֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֗ה דַּ֫רְכֶּ֥ךָ וּ֭נְחֵנִי בְּאֹ֣רַח מִישׁ֑וֹר לְ֝מַ֗עַן שׁוֹרְרָֽי׃ (יב) אַֽל־תִּ֭תְּנֵנִי בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ צָרָ֑י כִּ֥י קָֽמוּ־בִ֥י עֵֽדֵי־שֶׁ֝֗קֶר וִיפֵ֥חַ חָמָֽס׃ (יג) לׅׄוּלֵׅׄ֗אׅׄ הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי לִרְא֥וֹת בְּֽטוּב־יְהוָ֗ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּֽים׃ (יד) קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְה֫וָ֥ה חֲ֭זַק וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהוָֽה׃
(1) YHWH is my light and my rescue; whom should I fear? YHWH is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread?
(2) When evil men assail me to devour my flesh— my foes and my enemies - it is they who stumble and fall.
(3) Should an encampment encamp against me, my heart would not fear.
Should war rise against me, in this would I have utter confidence.
(4) Just one thing I ask of YHWH, only that do I seek: to live in the house of YHWH all the days of my life;
To behold the beauty of YHWH, and to gaze on his palace.
(5) For he will shelter me in his pavilion on an evil day, will conceal me in the secrecy of his tent, will raise me high upon a rock. (6) Now is my head raised high over my enemies roundabout!
And I sacrifice in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy!
May I sing and hymn to YHWH!
(7) Hear, O YHWH, my voice when I call! Be gracious to me, and answer me!
(8) Of you my heart has said, "Seek, O my face!" Your face, YHWH, I indeed seek.(9) Do not hide your face from me! Do not thrust aside in anger your servant!
You have ever been my help. Do not forsake me, do not abandon me, O Elohei-yish'i!
(10) Though my father and mother abandon me, YHWH will take me in.
(11) Teach me, O YHWH, your way, and place me on a level path because of my adversaries!
(12) Do not turn me over to the maw of my foes; For false witnesses have risen against me, breathing threats of violence.
(13) Had I not trusted in seeing the YHWH-goodness in the land of the living...
(14) Hope for YHWH!; Strengthen, and firm-up your heart, and hope for YHWH!
Now with that, let's start looking at our poem from a different angle than last week.
Like all of the greatest poetry throughout the Judean and Israelite literature, this employs the literary technique of parallelism, or the rhyming of ideas from one line, sentence, or passage, to the next.
What's really brilliant about parallelism is that there's almost always some kind of forward progression, or development. This might manifest itself in one of several ways:
- Narrative progression - The second line follows, chronologically, on the heels of the first;
- Intensification - The second line takes the image or metaphor of the first and strengthens it;
- Specification - In the second line, the psalter hones in, where first there was a description in more general terms;
- Concretization - The move from an abstract image to something concrete;
- Antithetical - The two lines are juxtaposed for contrast.
With that, let's explore what our prayer has to offer.
Before reading my own interpretation after each case of parallelism, try to come up with your own understanding of what the psalter was getting at. Recognizing the parallelism is only the first step; interpreting the intention behind the poetry is when the poem is truly brought to life.
(א) לְדָוִ֨ד ׀ יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אוֹרִ֣י וְ֭יִשְׁעִי מִמִּ֣י אִירָ֑א יְהוָ֥ה מָֽעוֹז־חַ֝יַּ֗י מִמִּ֥י אֶפְחָֽד׃
(ג) אִם־תַּחֲנֶ֬ה עָלַ֨י ׀ מַחֲנֶה֮ לֹֽא־יִירָ֪א לִ֫בִּ֥י אִם־תָּק֣וּם עָ֭לַי מִלְחָמָ֑ה בְּ֝זֹ֗את אֲנִ֣י בוֹטֵֽחַ׃
(ד) אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהוָה֮ אוֹתָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ
לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹֽעַם־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵיכָלֽוֹ׃
(ה) כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֪וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אָהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי׃
(ז) שְׁמַע־יְהוָ֖ה קוֹלִ֥י אֶקְרָ֗א וְחָנֵּ֥נִי וַעֲנֵֽנִי׃
(ט) אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ אַֽל־תַּט־בְּאַ֗ף עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ
(י) כִּי־אָבִ֣י וְאִמִּ֣י עֲזָב֑וּנִי וַֽיהוָ֣ה יַֽאַסְפֵֽנִי׃
(יא) ה֤וֹרֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֗ה דַּ֫רְכֶּ֥ךָ וּ֭נְחֵנִי בְּאֹ֣רַח מִישׁ֑וֹר לְ֝מַ֗עַן שׁוֹרְרָֽי׃
Parallelism 1 (P1)
(1) YHWH is my light and my rescue; whom should I fear? YHWH is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread?
(not only is YHWH a light and rescue, but a firmly grounded and towering stronghold. Concretization.)
P2:
(3) Should an encampment encamp against me, my heart would not fear.
Should war rise against me, in this would I have utter confidence.
(first the enemy encamps, and the pray-er is not afraid. Even if the encamping enemy then begins to wage war... the pray-er will still not fear! Narrative progression.)
P3:
(4) Just one thing I ask of YHWH, only that do I seek:
(first the pray-er asks... and then not content to wait, seizes the initiative to actively go out and seek. Narrative progression, intensification.)
P4:
To behold the beauty of YHWH, and to gaze on his palace.
(what does it mean to "gaze on YHWH," when much of our literature has told us that one cannot gaze on the Living-Elohim? Our psalter clarifies; his desire is to gaze upon the Holy Palace." Concretization.)
P5:
(5) For he will shelter me in his pavilion on an evil day, will conceal me in the secrecy of his tent, will raise me high upon a rock.
(interesting case of a triplet-verset, which oftentimes indicates the end of a unit. Not only will YHWH grant "shelter," but will also "conceal" the pray-er's location from his enemies; and not only that, but will ultimately place the pray-er somewhere completely out-of-reach. Narrative progression, intensification.)
P6:
(7) Hear, O YHWH, my voice when I call! Be gracious to me, and answer me!
(first the pray-er asks YHWH to "hear" him. But then once those prayers are heard, that YHWH should demonstrate "grace," and respond favorably to those prayers. Narrative progression)
P7:
(9) Do not hide your face from me! Do not thrust aside in anger your servant!
(The pray-er is worried about distance from YHWH on two fronts; That YHWH will hide himself, and/or that YHWH will banish the pray-er from his presence, physically "thrusting him" off to the side. Antithetic, concretization, narrative progression(?) )
P8:
(10) Though my father and mother abandon me, YHWH will take me in.
(How unlikely is it that a parent will actually abandon his or her very own child? Not much greater than zero. And yet, the likelihood of being abandoned by YHWH is even less. Antithetic. Possibly also Narrative progression. )
P9:
(11) Teach me, O YHWH, your way, and place me on a level path because of my adversaries!
(the pray-er first asks to be instructed as to the right path; and then physically "placed" on it. "YHWH's way" becomes a "level path." Narrative progression, concretization. )
The way the Judean and Israelite poets would wield this incredibly powerful technique is just amazing, enabling them to conceal multiple layers of insight and beauty underneath such seeming simplicity.
But parallelism is not all of it. These poets were utter masters of their language. Hebrew as a language is very broad. Combinations of three-letter roots can take on so many different nuances of meaning, and playing with roots and with puns were yet other techniques they had in their arsenal.
This is what we'll pick up with next week!