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BrianPerlstein

Mrs.Hope
HonorsWorldLiteratureandWritersWorkshop
9November2015

AnalyzingAuthor'sCraftinPsalm137intheHebrewBible

Aroundtheyearof1800B.C.E,thebirthofallAbrahamicreligions,whichoverhalfofthe
entireglobalpopulationpractice,occurred.ThiseventwasthebeginningofJudaismonthe
EasternMediterranean.AfewcenturiesafterthebeginningofJudaism,sacredJewishtextswere
composed,includingthePsalms.ThePsalmsareagroupofoveronehundredstextsthatcontain
similarthemessuchaspraisingGodandthatGodbeingmajesticandglorious.OneofthePsalms
isPsalm137,whichcontainmanyofthecommonthemesoftheotherPsalmsaswellas
exemplaryauthorscraft.TheauthorscraftthatisusedinPsalm137canbeanalyzedby
observingtheauthorsuseofliterarydevices,complexsyntax,andnarrativeelements.
TherearemanyinstancesinPsalm137wheretheauthorusesaformofrepetitionto
enhancethetext.Forexample,Psalm137:1states,BytheriversBabylon,therewesat,satand
wept,aswethoughtofZion.Theauthorusesthewordsattwicetoemphasizehowlongthatthey
weresitting.Thisiseffectivebecausenotonlydoesitsignifythattheysatforalongtime,italso
signifiesthattheyweptastheyweresittingandthatitwasimportant.Anotheruseofrepetition
bytheauthorisinPsalm137:6whenitstates,RememberOLord,againsttheEdomitesthe
dayofJerusalemsfallhowtheycried,Stripher,striphertoherveryfoundations!Thereason

thattheauthorhastheEdomitesmentionstwicetodestroyallofJerusalemistoportraythem
terriblepeople.TothewriterofPsalm137,Jerusalemwastheholiestcityintheworldand
anybodywhowouldwanttodestroyitwouldbeevil.Thisiswhytheauthorrepeatsthefactthat
theEdomiteswantedtodemolishJerusalem,whichemphasizestheideathatthepeopleofthe
kingdomofEdomwereevil.
AnotherwaythattheauthorscraftofthewriterofPsalm137isexpressedisthroughthe
useofcomplexsyntax.OneinstanceofthisisinPsalm137:5andPsalm137:6whereitstates,
IfIforgetyou,OJerusalem,letmyrighthandwitherletmytonguesticktomypalateifIcease
tothinkofyouThereasonfortheauthorincludingasemicolonistoshowthattheideasin
bothsentencesareconnectedtoeachotherthusseparatingwithasemicoloninsteadofaperiod.
Anothereffectiveuseofsyntaxisthedictionthattheauthoruses.Oneexampleofthisisin
Psalm137:4whereitreads,HowcanwesingasongoftheLordonaliensoil.Thereason
thattheauthorusesthetermalienratherthanasynonymsuchasforeignisbecausealienhas
moreofanegativeconnotationthanthewordforeign.ThisisdonetomaketheEdomiteslook
moremalicious,somethingthatisattemptedthroughouttheentiretyofPsalm137.Theoverall
moodofthePsalmisspiteful,whichisdonesothereadersthinkthattheEdomitesareeven
worsethantheypreviouslybelieved.
AnotherwaythattheauthorscraftofthecomposerofPsalm137isdemonstratedis
throughtheuseofnarrativeelements.OneofthecasesoccursinPsalm137:6whereitstates,
LetmytonguesticktomypalateifIceasetothinkofyou,ifIdonotkeepJerusalemin
memoryevenatmyhappiesthour.Thisisaformofforeshadowingbecauseitspeaksabout
somethingthatisexpectedtooccurinthefuture,thatbeingthegreatestmomentoftheauthors

life.Thisiseffectivebecauseitshowsthatwhattheauthorissayingwillbestillbeimportantin
thefuture,eventheverydistantfuture.AnotheruseofnarrativeelementsinPsalm137isin
Psalm137:9whereitstates,ablessingonhimwhoseizesyourbabiesanddashesthemagainst
therocks.ThisisaformofindirectcharacterizationinGodanditshowsthatheisjustbut
harsh.ThisisbecauseheiskillingthebabiesofthepeopleofEdom,howeverheisdoingso
becauseoftheawfulwaysthattheEdomitesactedandhowtheydisrespectedhim.
Duringtheroughly6000yearoldhistoryofwriting,therehavebeenmanyinfluential
worksofcomposure.However,manyoftheseworkssuchas
TheEpicofGilgamesh
and
Hammurabi'sCode
arenolongerveryrelevantintodayssociety.Thismeansthatpeopledonot
livetheirliveslargelybasedontheseworks.However,holybookssuchasthe
Bible
areunique
becausetheyhavetheabilitytostandthetestoftime.Despitethefactthatthe
Bible
waswritten
thousandsofyearsago,billionsofpeopleworldwidestillusewhatisinsideofittogoverntheir
livesandtheirvalues.ThePsalmswhichhaveaprimelocationinJudaismandChristianityand
toalesserextentIslammakethemsomeofthemostinfluentialworksofliteratureevercreated.
And,becauseauthorscraftshapesthewaythatpeopleinterpretliterature,theaspectsofauthor's
craftutilizedinthePsalmsareimportantnotjusttothewaythatwecanseethepast,butbecause
itstillaffectsourlivestoday.

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