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Siena Popescu
Mrs. Hope
English LPS
9 November 2015
Authors Craft of Psalms 47 to 49
The Psalms are part of the vast Hebrew Bible, and also serve as the basis for both Jewish
and Christian religious ceremonies. The collection of musical pieces focus on praising a single
God. Although it is cannot be declared with complete conviction who wrote the Psalms, or if it
was even one person alone, one thing is for certain: the collection is composed as a piece of
admirable artwork. This is due to unique forms of the authors craft. Through the use of literary
devices, style, and narrative elements, the author displays the theme of Gods eminence and
prestige in the Contemporary English Version translation.
The use of multiple literary devices aid the author in conveying the idea of Gods
greatness. For instance, figurative language is utilized generously throughout the text. Psalm 48
states, They trembled all over/ like women giving birth/ or like seagoing ships/ wrecked by
eastern winds (48: 6-7). This quote is explaining the reaction of a band of kings proceeding to
attack the City of God, or Jerusalem. Upon seeing its power gifted by God, the kings realized His
authority, and were unable to commence the attack. In addition, parallelism is used to increase
flow and rhythm. In these Psalms particularly, elaboration of ideas is the most abundant form.
The passage shows, Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when I am surrounded by
vicious enemies?/ They trust in their riches and brag about all of their wealth./ You cannot buy
back your life or pay off God!/ It costs far too much to buy back your life. You can never pay
God enough/ to stay alive forever and safe from death (49: 5-9). The quote describes the belief

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that having faith in God is the ultimate reward, rather than material items or wealth. Riches are
unable to last; meanwhile, faith endures. This is because the path that God sets is more valuable
than any wealth one can acquire.
One component of style that becomes evident is the tone of devotion aimed toward God.
The author conveys this tone to once again show the central idea of Gods great authority, as
shown, The LORD God is wonderful! He deserves all praise in the city where he lives. His holy
mountain,/ beautiful and majestic, brings joy to all on earth (48: 1-2). By using words such as
wonderful, praise, and beautiful and majestic aid the author in revealing the significance
of the Lord through an admiring tone. In addition, the author applies colloquial language so that
it is easier to comprehend, therefore making the message clearer. Psalm 49 demonstrates, We
see that wise people die, and so do stupid fools. Then their money is left for someone else (49:
10). This indicates the informal language used in this version of the Psalms. Through the use of
language that is more straightforward, conveying the idea is easier for the author.
Moreover, the author characterizes the narrator to help show the idea. For instance, I
speak words of wisdom, and my thoughts make sense./ I have in mind a mystery that I will
explain while playing my harp (49: 3-4). In this example, it is shown that the narrator is given a
personality- the speaker is displayed as confident when conveying his message about how God
will lead one to happiness. The author uses indirect characterization to introduce the characters
personality. Because of the way the narrator is portrayed, it becomes possible for the material to
be believable and understandable by the common man.In this way, it is comprehendable by all
that one needs faith in God, not material wealth, to truly be prosperous in life and after life.
In conclusion, the Contemporary English Version of Psalms 47-49 uses literary devices,
style, and narrative elements to convey the idea of the Lords greatness, power, and importance

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to mankind. Figurative language such as similes, parallelism, tone, colloquial language, and
indirect characterization are all evident throughout the entirety of the text. The integration of
these techniques aided the Psalms in playing a major role in both Judaism and Christianity, as
one of the most important religious documents today.