Psalm 88 Participant Analysis

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Among the Dead

Psalm 88

  What is Participant Analysis?

Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? It is often helpful for understanding literary structure, speaker identification, etc.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Participant Analysis Creator Guidelines.

Participants Notes

Participants

There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 88:

Profile List

Psalmist

The psalmist's soul

The psalmist's eye

The psalmist's prayer

YHWH

"God of my salvation" (v. 2)

YHWH's waves

YHWH's outbursts of wrath

YHWH's terrifying assaults

Friends

"Acquaintances" (v. 9)

"Companions" (v. 19)

The dead

"those who go down to the Pit" (v. 5)

"departed spirits" (v. 11)

The slain

Profile Notes

• YHWH's outbursts of wrath (חֲמָתֶךָ, חֲרוֹנֶיךָ v. 8a, 17a), YHWH's waves (ָמִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יך v. 8b), YHWH's terrifying assaults (אֵמֶ֣יךָ, בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ v. 16b, 17b) are taken as YHWH's agents of destruction sent to afflict the psalmist (cf. common-ground assumption for v. 17b in Story Behind the Psalm for a more detailed argumentation). Since their role in the context of the psalm is identical with YHWH's, but they are not identical to him, they are considered related participants.
• The soul (נֶפֶשׁ) is often used as a substitute for a personal pronoun, particularly in poetry (e.g. Psa 11:1; 7:3; cf. comment next on נֶפֶשׁ in Semantics), while the eye (עֶיִן) may be used, like in v. 10a, as a synecdoche for the whole person (e.g. 1Sam 14:27, 29; Gen 27:1; Job 17:7; Ps 6:8; 38:11; cf. common-ground assumption for v. 10a in Story Behind the Psalm and comment on v. 10a in Semantics, esp. Goldingay 2007). Therefore, the psalmist's soul and the psalmist's eye are understood as synonymous participants of the Psalmist.
• In a similar way to YHWH's waves, outbursts of wrath and terrifying assaults, which were taken as YHWH's semi-independent agents and thus as related participants (see box above), we consider the psalmist's prayer as an agent acting on behalf of the psalmist in front of YHWH, as also indicated by virtue of it being the subject of a dynamic verb, and therefore define it as a related participant.
• The friends of the psalmist are not strictly agentive, but are still taken as participants for two reasons. First, they constitute the causee in both causative verbs of v. 9a and v. 19a (הִרְחַקְתָּ, "to make shun") and would therefore be the agents of a corresponding underlying non-causative clause. In this sense, they are similar to YHWH's messengers expounded in the previous paragraph. Second, they are pivotal to the message of the psalm, as their estrangement from the psalmist is a major reason for his misery.
• The slain have an identical function in the psalm to the one of the dead, as the psalmist's situation is compared to both of them. However, being a subset of the larger set of the dead, they are not identical with it. The specific choice of the slain in v. 6b is deliberate and meaningful (cf. common-ground assumption for v. 6b in Story Behind the Psalm for a more detailed argumentation) and they are therefore considered related, not synonymous, participants.

Participant Analysis Notes

• Tracking Text
• Relations
• Distribution

Text (Hebrew)	Verse	Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources.
שִׁ֥יר מִזְמ֗וֹר לִבְנֵ֫י קֹ֥רַח	1a	A song. A psalm. By the sons of Korah.
לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ עַל־מָחֲלַ֣ת לְעַנּ֑וֹת	1b	For the director. About illness, for self-affliction.
מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל לְהֵימָ֥ן הָאֶזְרָחִֽי׃	1c	A maskil. By Heman the Ezrahite.
יְ֭הוָה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יְשׁוּעָתִ֑י	2a	YHWH, God of my salvation,
יוֹם־צָעַ֖קְתִּי בַלַּ֣יְלָה נֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃	2b	I have been crying out day and night before you.
תָּב֣וֹא לְ֭פָנֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִ֑י	3a	May my prayer find favor with you!
הַטֵּֽה־אָ֝זְנְךָ֗ לְרִנָּתִֽי׃	3b	Incline your ear to my cry!
כִּֽי־שָֽׂבְעָ֣ה בְרָע֣וֹת נַפְשִׁ֑י	4a	For I am weary of troubles,
וְחַיַּ֗י לִשְׁא֥וֹל הִגִּֽיעוּ׃	4b	And my life has reached Sheol.
נֶ֭חְשַׁבְתִּי עִם־י֣וֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר	5a	I am counted with those who go down to the Pit.
הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כְּגֶ֣בֶר אֵֽין־אֱיָֽל׃	5b	I have become just like a man who has no strength.
בַּמֵּתִ֗ים חָ֫פְשִׁ֥י	6a	[I am] an outcast among the dead,
כְּמ֤וֹ חֲלָלִ֨ים ׀ שֹׁ֥כְבֵי קֶ֗בֶר	6b	just like the slain ones who are lying in the tomb,
אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹ֣א זְכַרְתָּ֣ם ע֑וֹד	6c	whom you do not remember anymore,
וְ֝הֵ֗מָּה מִיָּדְךָ֥ נִגְזָֽרוּ׃	6d	and [who] have been cut off from your care.
שַׁ֭תַּנִי בְּב֣וֹר תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת	7a	You have put me in the lowest pit,
בְּ֝ מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּ מְצֹלֽוֹת׃	7b	in dark places, in watery depths.
עָ֭לַי סָמְכָ֣ה חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ	8a	Your outbursts of wrath have been lying heavily on me,
וְכָל־מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָ עִנִּ֥יתָ סֶּֽלָה׃	8b	and you have been afflicting me with all your waves. Selah.
הִרְחַ֥קְתָּ מְיֻדָּעַ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּי	9a	you have caused my acquaintances to shun me.
שַׁתַּ֣נִי תוֹעֵב֣וֹת לָ֑מוֹ	9b	You have made me repulsive to them.
כָּ֝לֻ֗א וְלֹ֣א אֵצֵֽא׃	9c	[You have made me] shut in, so that I cannot get out.
עֵינִ֥י דָאֲבָ֗ה מִנִּ֫י עֹ֥נִי	10a	My eyes have languished from misery.
קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל־י֑וֹם	10b	I have been calling to you, YHWH, every day.
שִׁטַּ֖חְתִּי אֵלֶ֣יךָ כַפָּֽי׃	10c	I have been spreading out my hands to you.
הֲלַמֵּתִ֥ים תַּעֲשֶׂה־פֶּ֑לֶא	11a	Do you perform wonders for the dead?
אִם־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים יָק֤וּמוּ ׀ יוֹד֬וּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃	11b	Do the departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah.
הַיְסֻפַּ֣ר בַּקֶּ֣בֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ	12a	Is your faithful love recounted in the tomb?
אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ בָּאֲבַדּֽוֹן׃	12b	[Is] your faithfulness [recounted] in the place of destruction?
הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ	13a	Can your wonders be known in the dark region?
וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ נְשִׁיָּֽה׃	13b	And [can] your righteousness [be known] in the land of oblivion?
וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה שִׁוַּ֑עְתִּי	14a	But I have been crying out to you for help, YHWH,
וּ֝בַבֹּ֗קֶר תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י תְקַדְּמֶֽךָּ׃	14b	and my prayer will keep welcoming you in the morning.
לָמָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה תִּזְנַ֣ח נַפְשִׁ֑י	15a	Why, YHWH, do you keep rejecting me?
תַּסְתִּ֖יר פָּנֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃	15b	[Why] do you keep hiding your face from me?
עָ֘נִ֤י אֲנִ֣י וְגֹוֵ֣עַ מִנֹּ֑עַר	16a	I [have been] afflicted and close to death from [my] youth,
נָשָׂ֖אתִי אֵמֶ֣יךָ *אֶפּוֹרָה*׃	16b	I’ve been suffering your terrifying assaults, and keep being torn apart.
עָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ	17a	Your outbursts of wrath have been sweeping over me;
בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ *צִמְּתוּנִי*׃	17b	Your terrifying assaults have been destroying me.
סַבּ֣וּנִי כַ֭מַּיִם כָּל־הַיּ֑וֹם	18a	They have been surrounding me like water constantly;
הִקִּ֖יפוּ עָלַ֣י יָֽחַד׃	18b	They have been closing in on me together.
הִרְחַ֣קְתָּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי אֹהֵ֣ב וָרֵ֑עַ	19a	You have caused all my friends and companions to shun me;
מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י *מֵחֹשֶׁךְ*׃	19b	You have caused my acquaintances to shun my distress.

Participant Relations Diagram

The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:

Participant Analysis Summary Distribution