An investigation into the contextual, structural, and poetic implications of Psalms 49, 50, and 51

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the Psalms 49–51 corpus to determine whether the three psalms exhibit evidence of intentional arrangement. Psalm 50 is the only psalm of Asaph not connected in sequence with the other Asaphite psalms. Psalm 49 ends a series of Qorah psalms and Psalm 51 begins a succession of Davidic psalms. This investigation explores the hypothesis that Psalm 50 acts as a hinge between Psalms 49 and 51. The resulting conclusion is that Psalms 49–51 are intentionally arranged in accordance with the present Masoretic text tradition.; In-depth lexeme analysis yields a working translation to help determine structural qualities of the psalms. Each psalm is analyzed semantically on a micro- and macro-level. Key lexemes and themes are evaluated from the previous analysis. The intertextual studies of the psalms also include analysis of Psalm 48 with Psalm 49 and Psalm 51 with Psalm 52. The comparisons between the psalms are accomplished on two levels: key-word links and thematic connections. These common interconnections are also evaluated for relevance structurally.; Important structures are apparent within each of the three psalms. The shape of Psalm 49 is mainly governed by a refrain. Grammatical changes in person and number also determine flow. The structure of Psalm 50 is fashioned by first person address, tricola, imperatives, and the occurrences of zvach. Zvach is also very important to Psalms 50 and 51. Psalm 51 has a center verse with two panels (verses 1–11 and 13–21). Elohim is the lexical center of the psalm as well as the main lexeme. The last two verses belong to the original poem, contra many scholars.; The implications of the study favor a purposeful arrangement of the Psalms 49–51 corpus. Adjacent psalms have more significant commonalities than psalms further apart. The lexeme affinities are fewer when Psalm 50 is removed and the Psalms 48, 49, and 51 and the Psalms 49, 51, and 52 corpuses are analyzed. The examination of common lexemes shows that the MT order works better than Psalm 51 following Psalm 49. Thus Psalm 50 acts as a hinge between Psalms 49 and 51.