ZoyaPandher

Mrs.Hope
EnglishLPS
9November2015
AuthorsCraftAnalysisonPsalm11
Psalmsaresacredhymnsthatareusuallysettosong,andareusedinbothChristianity
andJudaism.TheBookofPsalms,or
Tehilim
,ispartoftheHebrewBible.Psalm11,whichisa
PsalmofDavid,appearsintheHolyBiblebutisalsopartoftheBookofPsalms,whichmeansit
wasoriginallyaHebrewpoem.Psalm11isbelievedtobeoriginallywrittenbytheancient
JewishkingDavid.ThisversionofPsalm11istheModernEnglishVersion(MEV).Literary
devices,suchasmetaphorsandimagery,style,includingparallelismanddiction,andnarrative
elements,whichencompassesdialogueandcharacterization,arealltoolsusedinPsalm11.
TheseresourcesareallusedtoestablishandemphasizethecentralthemethatGodtreatspeople
astheydeservetobetreated.
SomeoftheliterarydevicesusedinPsalm11includemetaphorsandimagery.The
metaphor
Fleeasabirdtoyourmountain,/forthewickedbendtheirbow/theymakeready
theirarrowonthestring,/thattheymaytreacherouslyshoot/theuprightinheart...compares
wickedpeopleashunterstorighteouspeopleasbirds(11:1,2).Thisshowshowimmoralpeople
havenoqualmsaboutbetrayingorbringingdowninnocentpeople.However,Godscareforthe
honorableisshownbythelineIntheLordIseekrefuge,whichemphasizesthetheme(11:1).
Ontheotherhand,Goddoesnotcareforthewicked,andrainsuponthemcoalsoffireand
brimstoneandaburningwind,whichisalsoanexampleofimagery(11:6).Theimagery

stressesthethemebypaintingavividpictureofwhathappenstoimmoralpeopleincontrastto
thecarehegivesthegood.
Parallelismanddictionaretwoelementsofstylepresentinthispsalmthathelpto
developthetheme.OneexampleofparallelismisevidentinFortherighteousLord/loves
righteousness,wherethewordrighteousisrepeatedinadifferentform(11:7).Theparallelism
depictsthesimilaritybetweenGodandgoodpeople,asGodisrighteousandthosewhoare
righteous(mirroringGod)arelovedbyHim,sotheyareprotected.Theauthoruseswordslike
wickedandtreacherouslytoportrayjusthowevilandhorriblethepeoplethatGoddoesnot
loveare,andphraseslikecoalsoffiretoshowhowequallyhorribleHispunishmentforthem
is(11:2,6).BoththesetoolsfurtherillustratehowGodstreatmentofapersonmirrorswhatkind
ofpersonitis.
Psalm11alsoexhibitsnarrativeelementssuchasdialogueandcharacterization.The
speakerindicatesthatsomeoneelsehastoldhimtoFleeasabirdtoyourmountain,buthe
hasalreadysaidthathecanfindsafetyinGod(11:1).Thislineofdialoguealsohelpsto
characterizethespeakerassomeonewhoisclosetoanddevotedtoGod,soheisrighteousand
underGodsprotection.Throughtherestofthepsalm,Godisalsocharacterizedinadifferent
mannerthanisexpected.Godisoftenportrayedasloving,kind,andforgiving,butthispsalm
paintshimasapowerfulbeingwhowillstrikedownallevil.Ithasalreadybeenmentionedthat
Godlovesthevirtuous,butlineslike...thewickedandthosewholoveviolence/Hissoul
hatesshowhowheissofierceinhislovethathewouldcausetheeviltosufferdreadfullyfor
theirsins(11:5).ThenarrativeelementsinPsalm11makeGodstreatmentoftherighteousand
Godstreatmentofthewickedmuchclearer.

Literarydevices,style,andnarrativeelementsarealltoolsusedinPsalm11thatillustrate
howGodwillgivepeoplethetreatmentthattheyearn.Allthesefeaturesareeffectivein
enforcingthisthemeinthepeoplethatreadthepsalm.ThepsalmrevealsGodsdifferentsidesto
makeanimpactandcausethosewhoreaditaspartoftheirreligiontoaskthemselvesifthey
wanttobelovedorhatedbyGod.