I am now halfway through my exegesis on Psalm 19.
The reason why I picked Psalm 19 over Psalm 30 was because when I checked Terrien’s The Psalms, Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary, Psalm 30 has a chiastic structure to it while Psalm 19 does not. So thinking that I should lay low on chiasms and be “normal” for awhile working on a good ol’ ordinary unchiastically structured psalm, I proceeded on with Psalm 19.
If you are good with plots, you will know where my story is heading by now, because right in front of me this very moment is Psalm 19 staring at me as a perfectly structured chiasm.
What happened?
I was mulling through the psalm for the past several weeks, dissecting it, breaking it into possible stanzas and maybe several envois, highlighting parallels, linking up themes. Last night, I suddenly went, “Wait a minute ... I don’t believe it!” and there you are – no running away from chiasms for Pearlie. They stick to me like glue.
A Nature’s declaration (v.1)
B Nature’s public display (v.2-4a)
C Nature compared and was equated (v.4b-6)
D The written Torah (v.7-9)
C’ The Torah compared and it surpasses (v.10-11)
B’ The psalmist private prayer (v.12-13)
A’ The psalmist’s declaration (v.14)
Do you have for me a cure?
pearlie
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- Monday, June 30, 2008
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