psalm 13 chiastic structure

Read Psalm 13 at Bible Gateway.

Hebrew paragraph divisions

Psa 13:1 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
Psa 13:2a How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? {n}
Psa 13:2b How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Psa 13:3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Psa 13:4 Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
Psa 13:5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. {n}
Psa 13:6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me. {p}

Psalm 13 chiastic structure

1a) Psa 13:1, How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?;
1b) Psa 13:2a, How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? {n}
1c) Psa 13:2b, How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
central axis) Psa 13:3, Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
2c) Psa 13:4, Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved;
2b) Psa 13:5, But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation; {n}
2a) Psa 13:6, I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me. {p}

Perhaps this psalm was written during the many years David was an outlaw in hiding, while King Saul was hunting him, although David had done nothing against the king or against his country. David’s situation was one which caused sorrow in his heart daily, even to the point of death (central axis).

But then a change takes place. He begins with a complaint against the Lord, that He has hidden His face from him. This complaint is uppermost in his thoughts and heart, feeding the sorrow that was in his heart daily. Then he makes a simple request of the Lord: “Enlighten my eyes.” Cause me to see what I am missing.

As light dawns, we see his heart go from a state of daily sorrow, to rejoicing in YHVH’s salvation; rejoicing in the fact that “I am YHVH” means “I am your Deliverer and Savior.” The counsel David takes in his soul changes, no longer focusing on the Lord’s seeming slowness to answer his plea, but instead in the trustworthiness of the mercy of God, and how graciously and generously He has dealt with David in the past.

In short, he shifts his perspective, from the negative to the positive; from the complaint to the praise; from the fear of what might be, to the sureness of what God has done (and thus by logical extension, will do again). He opens the door for joy and banishes sorrow from his heart. ♥