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Psalm 1 Textual Analysis Essay

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This paper will be a textual analysis on Psalms 15. It will look at the historical context and genre. In addition, we will see if there are any contemporary expressions and/or uses for the psalm in today’s world. Finally, we will look at the literary features and technical elements on this poetic Psalm. After reading this hopefully you will have a better understanding of Psalms 15. Let’s begin by looking at the history behind Psalms 15.
Psalms is broken down in to 5 books and Psalms 15 falls under the first of the five books which is witness to David's life and faith. David was a young shepherd and knew the struggles and beauty of tending and keeping his flock safe. He viewed God as our shepherd and used this analogy to help spreads God’s …show more content…

There are more categories but Psalms 15 falls under the category called Psalms of wisdom, which help the reader understand what God wants from us. Wisdom psalms have also been called didactic Psalms meaning the message is intended to teach or bring wisdom to the reader. This Psalm explains what and how God wants us to act in order to receive eternal life and therefore is classified as a wisdom/didactic Psalm. Specifically, this Psalms message is how we need to live and act in order to have eternal life with God. This Psalm not only gives directions but also specific examples of how God wants us to live. Two examples are; “5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.” (Psalms 15:5). God is telling us that we must lend to those who need it with no interest and take no bribes. Another specific example given is; “whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others;” (Psalms 15:3). In this example, he is telling us to not speak ill of others and do right to others causing no harm. The message in Psalm 15 is timeless and can be applied to today’s world. Let’s look at the wisdom of this Psalm and how it applies …show more content…

It follows an easy pattern starting with a question on who deserves to live with God and then answers that question with specific examples as answers. It is a great guide for the reader to better understand how God wants us to live our life and has a timeless message that can apply to any era. It has also been linked to have meaning with a group from Psalms 15 to Psalms 24 to bring messages from God to his followers. Both Psalms are focused on who deserves to hold eternal life with God. In addition, Psalms 15 is short but specific and well organized making it easy to read and understand. It reads as a poem and starts with a question followed by answers and examples. There are ten separate injunctions to the poem that some scholars feel can aid in memory and used on our 10 fingers. Other scholars found 11 examples in Psalms 15 and broke them down specially from the Psalm. First, God asks us to “Walk uprightly” meaning he wants us to worship with integrity and live an honest life. Second, we should “Practice justice” by treating others well epically the poor who may need our help the most. Third we should, “speak the truth in his heart” meaning to be free of the false and speak with sincerity and transparency. Fourth, he asks that his followers; “Does not trip over his tongue” meaning not to use our words against others. Fifth,

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