Sweeter Than Honey
Symbolic Numbers and Structure in Psalm 19

In this study of Psalm 19, Loren Bliese focuses on how symbolic numbers embellish structural high points. An awareness of numerical embellishment deepens an appreciation of how "sweet" a text like Psalm 19 is in message and form. Symbolic numbers, as recognized by many scholars, include three types: (1) theological numbers based on the divine name YHWH ("the Lord") with the value of twenty-six, (2) those based on the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and (3) the "fullness" number seven. Both ordinal-alphabetic and standard-mathematical values, with larger counts up to four hundred for letters, are analyzed. Both are clearly used for embellishment at structural high points. This is shown by four tables that list the twenty-two poetic lines arranged from the highest ratios to the lowest for comparison. Significantly higher ratios of numerical values per line are shown to occur in literary peaks and peripheral lines more than in other lines. However, the line with "fear of the Lord" has high ratios despite not being a peak or peripheral line. This gives numerical evidence of its special theological focus, as proposed by several scholars who note "fear" is exceptional by not being one of the parallel keywords in Psalm 119.