The previous articles have pointed out some characteristics of Biblical poetry. We have also explained that the characteristics of parallelism and balance can still be discerned in the Bible translations that we have. In this article, I propose a six-step programme for the reading of a psalm. I remind the reader that the kind of reading proposed here is intelligent and done in the spirit of the lectio divina Thus the six steps that I am here proposing is meant for prayer. I am assuming that the reader wants to begin reading the psalms but does not have the time nor the facilities to consult biblical encyclopedias and dictionaries. As has been explained in a previous article, the minimum requirements for the lectio divina are: a good modern translation of Scriptures (with explanatory notes), the desire to read with intelligence, and a faith that seeks dialogue with "the Father who wishes to reveal himself to his children." Biblical encyclopedias and dictionaries may be consulted later for a more rounded Biblical culture.
To illustrate how this six-step programme works, we will read Psalm 51, "The Miserere." This psalm has this sub-title: To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. The reference is to 2 Samuel 12 when Nathan confronts David due to this latter"s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah whose murder David himself ordered (see 2 Samuel 11). In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan traps David into pronouncing a sentence on himself through the parable of the ewe (vv. 1-5). When David realizes that the parable is about himself, he says: I have sinned against the Lord (v.13). The sub-title provides the mood of the psalm, that of a discovered guilt (or guilt finally faced?), remorse, and contrition.
1. Create a sentence flow. There is an example of this in the previous article. Copy the psalm on a piece of paper, writing it in such a way that the parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.) or main and dependent clauses are highlighted. Copying the psalm forces the reader (especially the beginner) to pay attention to the words and helps him/her interiorize the psalm. Go to the attachment below and download a "rearranged" version of Psalm 51 that you can use as reference for the rest of the article.
2. Search for the thought-rhymes. Once the psalm has been copied, it becomes easier to spot parallels -- the thought rhymes. Look for repetitions, contrasts, ideas that are completed. It helps if one pronounces the words softly allowing them to reverberate. No attempt must be made at this point to apply rational categories. Allow the lines of the psalm to direct your thoughts. For an example, look at verse 1. I have italicized "according to thy steadfast love" and "according to thy abundant mercy". Seeing that, one can consider the relationship between "Have mercy on me" and "blot out my transgressions." Without entering into a too detailed analysis of the text, one senses that "blot out my transgressions" is the particular form of mercy that the suppliant -- the "I" of the psalm -- is asking for. Verse 1 easily flows into verse 2 with parallel lines that echo "blot out my transgressions:"
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin
3. Allow the words of the psalmist illumine one another. Once thought rhymes are perceived, one can begin to have a feel for the meaning of unfamiliar words. Example, on the basis of the synonimous parallels in verses 1-2, one can perceive the related meanings in "sin", "iniquity" and "transgression." Again, people who are unfamiliar with the word "hyssop" may not be able to say what it means out of context. But within the context of verse 7, one will be able to see that it is used as some kind of detergent:
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
4. Determine where a "poetic block" begins and ends. For our purposes, a "poetic block" is a group of lines that express a thought or a movement within a poem. Example: verses 18-19 can be easily isolated from the preceding lines because there is a sudden mention of "Zion" here and the psalmist"s "I" seems to disappear. Again verses 3-6 can be isolated from the poetic blocks that precede and follow it because in these verses, verb forms in the imperative are absent. At this stage, the power of observation is crucial. Look for changes in the nouns, verbs and other parts of speech used.
5. See how the "poetic blocks" are related to one another. Once the "blocks" are identified, one can begin looking at how they are related: Does one block repeat ideas from a previous block? Is there a contrast? Is an idea added, or is an incomplete idea in the previous block completed?
As an example, let us look at the relationship between vv. 1-2, 3-6, 7-9. We have seen how verses 1-2 are related. The initial prayer "Have mercy" ends with a three-fold prayer for cleansing. The prayer for cleansing is broken in v. 3 to be resumed in v.7 ("Purge me... wash me..."). In verse 3-4, we find the Psalmist insisting that he alone is responsible for his guilt, that God (through the prophet Nathan) is right in his judgment. Then we come to verses 5 and 6 both beginning with "Behold." In verse 5, the Psalmist points to his condition as one conceived in sin. In verse 6, the Psalmist points to God (You) as one desiring truth and who can teach wisdom. The more experienced reader will find in this contrast a hidden parallel, that of sin/folly on one hand, and righteousness/wisdom on the other. The cry for cleansing continues in verse 7 followed by a request for joy and gladness, (v.
which will be repeated in v. 12. This block ends with "blot out all my iniquities (v.9)", an echo of "blot out my transgressions" (v.1), ending the first part of the confession. In sum, the three poetic blocks we have been considering express a confession of guilt and need for divine help within prayer for mercy and forgiveness.
But what if a poetic block does not seem to fit in?
Let us consider a difficult passage, verses 18-19. Commentators see in these verses a later addition to the psalm. If verses 1-17 reflect the sentiment of David (see the title of the Psalm) after Nathan confronted him with the parable of the ewe, verses 18-19 transforms the whole Psalm 51 into a prayer of repentance for a nation that has become conscious of its guilt. Because of the reference to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, commentators see these verses as reflecting the situation of the exiles. Admittedly, the sudden change to Zion and Jerusalem, and the contrast between v. 19 and v. 16 makes it difficult to read verses 18-19 as a continuation of verse 17. So what can one do? A practical advice is to keep this part of the psalm at this part of one"s reading, separate. In the next step, it will become clearer.
6. Appropriate the Psalm. If our reading stops in step 5, we may have begun to see how the parts of the psalm cohere, but we have not yet fulfilled its purpose, that of prayer. Catholics use the psalms in the liturgy because it is the prayer of Christ. The reader appropriates the psalm, making it his/her own, when it is read to express the prayer of the Church, the Body of Christ, in pilgrimage. In the case of Psalm 51, verses 1-17 is best read to express the sentiments of the pilgrim Church, conscious of her sinfulness and that of her individual members who need to be always in the state of conversion. In this light verses 18-19 becomes a prayer for that Jerusalem "without spot nor wrinkle" which John saw "descending from on high." Thus Psalm 51 can be prayed as one"s own prayer for forgiveness that concludes with a prayer for the coming of the new Jerusalem.
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