I. The uses and
purposes of parallelisms in Psalm 35
A. Parallelism defined
Parallelism in Hebrew poetry “is that phenomenon whereby two
or more successive poetic lines dynamically strengthen, reinforce, and develop
each other’s thought. As a kind of
emphatic additional thought, the follow-up lines further define, specify,
expand, intensify, or contrast the first.”[1] Berlin adds this insightful expansion.
Parallelism focuses the message on
itself but its vision is binocular. Like
human vision it superimposes two slightly different views of the same object
and from their convergence it produces a sense of depth.[2]
1. Parallelism of
intensification
a
b
α. Contend,
O LORD, with those who contend with me;
a b
a. Intensification
defined
A parallelism of intensification…occurs when the second stich of a couplet restates the first in a
more pointed, extreme, or forceful way…we might way the second develops the
first by saying, ‘Not only that but more so.’”[4] It is one of four variations of the (α < β)
distich pattern.
b. Author’s use of intensification
in 35:1
In the first stich (α) the David uses the term “contend,”
first as a verb (rı̂yb) with
reference to Yahweh’s advocacy and second (β) as a noun (yârı̂yb), speaking of the “contender” who is striving against the
psalmist. This term carries connotations
of a legal setting, which is alluded to again in v 11 (cf. Ps 43:1). With this, David is seeking Yahweh’s
advocacy; or, in NT terms, David is seeking Yahweh as his paraklētos (used of Jesus’ heavenly session ministry in 1 Jn 2:1,
and the Holy Spirit in Jn 14:16; 15:26, and 16:7; cf. Is 49:25). Thus, the α stich is a judicial petition,
asking Yahweh to step into the situation David is facing and vindicate him. “Vindicate me, O LORD, my God” (v 24a). David is seeking Yahweh’s judgment in the
sense of judicial acquittal before God’s bar of righteousness, and that against
the wicked, who are seeking David doom.
The couplet is intensified
by the verb “fight” (lâcham) in
the second stich, which parallels “contend” in the first. By invoking Yahweh to “fight,” David has
escalated the petition from a legal plea to one of warfare. The term “fight” means to do battle, make
war, etc. Here, then, David’s anxiety is
expressed by the rapid shift of the petition, from a court-like setting to one
of the battlefield, where Yahweh will utterly destroy David’s enemies.
I believe the historical background for this psalm is 1 Sam
24, the climax of Saul’s rabid hunt after David’s life. Specifically, 1 Sam 24:15 has David finishing
his speech to Saul with these words, “May the LORD therefore be judge and give
sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead (rı̂yb) my cause and
deliver me from your hand” (on “deliver me,” shâphaṭ, cf. Ps 35:24).
2. Parallelism of
specification
α Malicious witnesses rise up;
β they ask me of things that I do not
know. (v 11)
a. Specification
defined
“In the parallelism of specification,
each succeeding stich makes more specific what the opening stich states in
general. In other words, the movement is
from general to specific.”[5] There are various types of specification,
e.g., spatial or geographical. The
example I have chosen represents the explanatory type.
b. The author’s use of
specification in 35:11
In Ps 35:11 the first stich (α) tells what the malicious witnesses did, they did “rise up” against David;
the second stich (β) tells how they
did it, by means of spurious, groundless interrogation. This is one of many places where David is
demonstrating his own relative “righteousness” in the circumstances (v
27a). Whatever the charges of these
violent accusers were, David had no consciousness of any wrong done by him,
especially with respect to the particular allegations. Thus, the second stich specifically explains
the generality of the first in qualifying the “maliciousness” as bringing
perfectly baseless allegations against David.
In 1 Sam 24:9 we read, “And David said to Saul, ‘Why do you
listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'?” This is reflected in both Ps 35:11 and
15. This appears to be another solid
allusion to the historical context of Saul’s pursuing David, especially the
climax in 1 Sam 24.
II. The uses and
purposes of figures in Psalm 35
Let me say at once that parallelism,
the verse form in which virtually all biblical poetry is written, is not the
most essential thing that a reader needs to know about biblical poetry. Much more crucial to the reading of biblical
poetry is the ability to identify and interpret the devises of poetic language.
—Leland Ryken[6]
A. Simile
I behaved myself as
though he had been my friend or brother:
I bowed down heavily, as
one that mourneth for his mother. (v. 14 KJV, italics added)
1. Simile defined
“The use of simile and metaphor is the most pervasive
element of biblical poetry. The
essential feature of both is comparison.
A simile draws correspondence between two things by using the explicit formula
‘like’ or ‘as’…They both secure an effect on one level and then transfer that
meaning to another level,” which “work(s) by indirection.”[7]
2. The author’s use of
simile in 35:14
David highlights his pathos in the situation as emphatically
as possible. Few could deny that they
bereave the calamity or death of their own kin more than they do that of
others. In this distich, David is
prompting the reader to vicariously transfer their deepest feelings associated
with losing a close friend or family
member to the same for a hotly-pursuing enemy, so that the word picture painfully
illustrates David’s extension of true loving kindness for his enemies. In this, David is incarnating the heart of
his Greater Son’s teaching on the topic of loving one’s enemies (cf. Matt
5:43—48).
Although not likely an allusion, 2 Sam 1:11ff provides a
wonderful illustration of this situation.
Then David took hold of his clothes and
tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until
evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and
for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. (vv 11—12)
In connection with the first section above (I.A.1, intensification), the parallelism is
worth noting. We also see in this
distich the parallelism of intensification.
That is, David heightens the intensity of the pathos in the second stich
by mention the grief of losing a mother.
Friends and brothers may be many in number and sort, but every person
has only one mother. Some crass family
dysfunction notwithstanding, the is no closer earthly bond than that between
mother and child (cf. Gen 24:67, “So Isaac was comforted after the death of his
mother.”).
B. Chiastic figure
Bullinger discerns an interesting chiastic structure with an
extended alteration that frames the entire psalm.[8] He proposes the following.
A a | vv 1—3. Appeal for help.
b | vv 4—8,
Imprecation.
c | vv 9,
10, Praise.
B | v
11, Evildoers. Words.
C | v 12, Their evil for good.
D | v 13, His good for evil.
D
| v 14, His good for evil.
C |
v 15, Their evil for good.
B |
v 16, Evildoers. Words.
A a | vv 17, 18, Appeal for help.
b | vv 19—26, Deprecation.
c | vv 27, 28, Praise.
[1]
William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, Robert L. Hubbard contributors, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, Tennessee (2004),
p. 284.
[2]
Ibid.
[3]
All Scripture is taken from the English Standard Version.
[4]
Klein, et al., p. 295, op cit.
[5]
Ibid., p. 293.
[7]
Ibid., pp. 91—92.
[8]
The Companion Bible. Kregel Publications: Grand Rapids,
Michigan (1990), p. 751.
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