Lamah 1

Ghadeer Lamah
Mrs. Hope
Honors World Literature
9 November 2015
Analysis of Authors Craft
Connection to God and ones ability to utilize all of the blessings that God has provided
humans with is an extremely stressed topic in Judaism. Judaism is the very first Abrahamic
religion, originating from 1812 BCE. The Book of Psalms is one text that Jews use and look to
for guidance in how to effectively carry out their lives. The psalms provided in this religious and
historic text can be interpreted in a variety of ways. It is up to the translator to utilize his or her
own methods to portray the teachings embedded in these psalms; these methods are known as the
authors craft. In the King James Version, through the use of parallelism and shift in tone, the
author is able to reveal the underlying theme that in times of need, God can undoubtedly and
unconditionally be relied on.
Parallelism is utilized throughout the psalm to further deepen the portrayal of theme. One
example where the author displays this is; The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (27:1). The structure of the
sentence in which the author identifies the Lord's greatness, and then asked a rhetorical question,
is repeated twice. This adds emphasis to the fact that God is beneficent because the rhetorical
question is asked in an almost obvious tone of voice, suggesting that with God present, there is
clearly nothing to fear. When the question is repeated, it enforces this thought and showcases its
importance. Another representation of parallelism in the psalm is; Wait on the Lord: be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord (27:14). In this example,

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the idea of waiting on the Lord in order to obtain the strength and courage he will give, is written
in a parallel sentence structure. This relates to the theme of appreciating Gods protection and
guidance because it is demonstrating that God should not be doubted; patience is vital to being
able to attain his blessings. These are all factors that Judaism values and implements.
Shifts in tone also contribute to conveying the fundamental theme of the psalm. In the
first few lines of the psalm, the author is confident in God and is positive that he will be there,
even during desperate measures: For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in
the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock (27:5). Abstractly
rather than literally, phrases such as set me up upon a rock illustrate that in time of trouble God
will bring protection and strength to overcome obstacles. The psalm tone quickly shifts,
although, when line 7 is introduced. In this next portion of the text, the author questions the Lord
and needs to be reassured of his power and willingness to provide protection: Hide not thy face
far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither
forsake me, O God of my salvation (27:9). The tone shifts from confident, to skeptical and
desperate. The phrase O God of my salvation adds to the hopeless tone after he begs God not
to leave his side. Abstract phrases such as put not thy servant away in anger are used in this
line as well. Instead of literally meaning a servant, the meaning embedded in this phrase is that
the author does not want God to turn his help away from him. Finally, at the ending lines of the
psalm the author is brought back to his initial understanding and confidence in God when
reassuring himself, I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the
land of the living (27:13). This last shift in tone adds to the theme of Gods ability to grant
desires and give sanctuary because it displays that in the end, having trust in God will always

Lamah 3
solve problems. All three of these shifts in tone add depth to the meaning and central idea of the
psalm.
Parallelism and shifts of tone are tools utilized by the author in order to reveal the theme
of Gods greatness and that he can always be turned to in times of need. These aspects of the
authors craft are effective when emitting the theme because they add depth beyond the actual
words of the psalm. Had the author left out parallelism, there would not be the emphasis placed
on the questions and thoughts of the author, taking away from the importance of his emotions.
The shifts of tone add to the conflicting thoughts that the author had, enforcing that it is during
these doubtful times that God will still be present. The change in confidence and attitude
introduces human nature of doubtfulness, while Gods omnipotent traits and abilities encourage
the fact that he is far from human, and that is what makes him divine.