Analysis Paper
In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Subject Old Testament Poetry
by:
Abad, Caselyn
Fabag, Analyn
Ocop, Nathaniel
Kelcho, Kyff Rashid
May 22, 2021
PSALM 13
How long, O Lord will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
And every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death
My enemy will say, I have overcome him,
And my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love,
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.
In Psalm 13, it is notable that David uses Parallelism, Simile, Structure, Personification, and
Symbolism in his poetry. In verse 1-2 there is parallelism because of the phrase “how long” is
mentioned four times, then David uses Simile because he said in verse 2 “wrestle with my
thoughts.” and there is also symbolism in verse 3, the “sleep and death” symbolizes sorrow.
And last we can see that almost all the verses is bicolon when it comes to meter.
1
How long, o Lord will you forget me
forever?
How long will you hide your face from
me?
2
How long must I wrestle with my
thoughts
And every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over
me?
3
Look on me and answer, O Lord my
God.
Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in
death
4
My enemy will say, I have overcome
him,
And my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5
But I trust in your unfailing love,
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.