Questions and Answers
Which is the most common literary type of psalm in the Psalter?
What is the basic building block of biblical poetry?
Parallel lines forming a couplet or a triplet
Which type of parallelism does this couplet demonstrate? 'O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.'
Which is NOT one of the three major literary genres of the biblical Psalms?
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What psalm genre would begin in the following way? 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!'
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Which is the couplet-level feature that is the basic building block of Hebrew poetry?
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Which is NOT one of the minor psalm types?
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Which type of parallelism does this couplet demonstrate? 'The voice of the Lord is powerful, The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.'
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Which is NOT one of the speech forms in the Psalms?
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What kind of parallelism is this? 'Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ear to the words of my mouth.'
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Which is NOT one of the major types of biblical poetic parallelism?
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What kind of parallelism is this? 'The floods lifted, YHWH, the floods lifted their voice, the floods lifted their roar.'
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What historical figure is most closely associated with Israel's psalms tradition?
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Which is NOT a poetic device typically used in the poetry of the Writings?
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What kind of parallelism is this? 'You would undo the plans of the poor, but YHWH is their refuge.'
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Which speech form expresses the difficulty, pain, or alienation of the psalmist?
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What kind of parallelism is this? 'YHWH looks down from heaven on humanity to see if any are wise.'
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Which type of parallelism does this couplet demonstrate? 'Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.'
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What is the lowest level of analysis of Hebrew poetic structure?
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Which is NOT one of the organizational structures of the Psalter?
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Which statement does NOT relate to the difference between psalm speech forms and psalm genres?
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What psalm genre would begin in the following way? 'Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.'
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What is the primary formal feature of virtually all biblical poetry?
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What psalm genre would begin in the following way? 'Yahweh reigns, he is robed in majesty; Yahweh is girded with strength.'
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Which type of parallelism does this couplet demonstrate? 'O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.'
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Study Notes
Literary Types of Psalms
- The most common literary type in the Psalter is the individual complaint, expressing personal distress and seeking divine assistance.
- Major literary genres in the Psalms include hymns, individual complaints, and communal laments, while the song of trust is not among them.
Structure of Biblical Poetry
- Biblical poetry is fundamentally structured through parallel lines, often organized into couplets or triplets.
- Parallelism serves as the basic building block of Hebrew poetry, creating rhythm and meaning through relationship between lines.
Types of Parallelism
- Formal/Synthetic Parallelism: A couplet demonstrating logical progression, often found in prayers or cries for help.
- Synonymous Parallelism: Reiterates the same idea in different words, as seen in descriptions of the voice of the Lord.
- Climactic Parallelism: Builds intensity or completes an idea progressively, like in depictions of floods.
- Antithetic Parallelism: Contrasts two opposing ideas, demonstrating a moral or ethical dichotomy.
Speech Forms in Psalms
- Complaint: Reflects the psalmist's struggle, pain, or feelings of alienation.
- Individual Thanksgiving: Celebrates personal deliverance or divine favor, starting with an invitation to hear God's deeds.
- Hymns: Declare praise and glory to God, often acknowledging His reign and majesty.
Key Features of Psalms
- The highest level of poetic analysis focuses on the cross-relationships of meaning and structure in whole psalms or sections.
- The line-level analysis examines technical aspects of poetry, such as alliteration and paronomasia.
- An absence of specific features like acrostic forms and typical poetry devices is noted in the context of the Writings.
Historical Context and Tradition
- David is recognized as the historical figure most closely associated with the tradition of psalm writing in Israel.
Additional Notes
- The Psalter exhibits organizational structures that do not simply progress from shorter to longer poems.
- The distinction between psalm speech forms and genres lies in thematic content rather than structural characteristics, which primarily revolve around parallelism.
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Description
Test your knowledge on Chapter 13 of Psalms with these flashcards. Each card focuses on key themes such as literary types of psalms and structures of biblical poetry. Perfect for students seeking to deepen their understanding of the Psalter.
