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Rachel Lin
Mrs. Hope
World Literature/Writers Workshop
9 November 2015

Authors Craft: Psalm 13

Dating back to 2000 BCE, Judaism is considered the oldest Abrahamic religion and was
founded in the Middle East in Ancient Mesopotamia. Many famous literature and art works have
come from the Judaisms extensive history, one of those pieces of literature being the Psalms.
The Psalms consist of hundreds of religious poetry verses that are set to music. Many authors
have contributed to the writing of Psalms, making each individually unique yet maintain a
common symbol: God. The importance of the Psalms is derived from the idea that most people
do not know how to properly worship and admire God so the Psalms were written to not only
appreciate God, but to inform on how Jews should conduct themselves in their relationship with
God and everyday life. Through the use of repetition and figurative language, the author of
Psalm 13 reveals the theme of Gods ceaseless love and support.
The use of repetition and shifts in the authors work emphasizes on how God is and
always will be there in times of struggle. In the beginning lines of Psalm 13, the narrator doubts
Gods presence in his life. He questions how long, Lord, will you forget me? (Psalm 13:1) God
continues to hide [his] face from the narrator (Psalm 13: 2) The narrator feels abandoned by
God because the narrator is experiencing hardships with his enemies, and does not have any
support. He continuously asks how long must [he] think sad thoughts? (Psalm 13: 3) Due to

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his Lords supposed abandonment, the narrator has developed a negative, depressed mindset. By
repeating the words how long . . . the narrator is emphasizing how lost and alone he feels. He
agonizes over how long it will be until his Lord will stop neglecting him. There is a shift in the
Psalm when the narrator realizes that although He has not shown Himself, God is always there,
keeping him safe. Although he doubted Gods love in the beginning, the narrator later starts to
believe in his Lords support again. The author stresses his renewed belief in Gods care by
saying, I will believe and I will sing (Psalm 13: 9, 11). God has not answered the narrators
pleads for help but the narrator now undoubtedly believes that God will answer. Overall, the
repetition and shift in tone throughout the Psalm supports how God is always caring and
supporting everyone, although it may not seem so.
The author uses figurative language in order to express Gods ceaseless devotion to all.
Notably, the phrase give light to my eyes is a metaphor; the light symbolizes life and hope
(Psalm 13:6). Through facing obstacles in his life, the narrator has grown forlorn. He requires
Gods support in order to stay hopeful that he will overcome lifes hardships. Moreover, the
author completes the metaphor by saying, or I will sleep in death (Psalm 13:6). Sleeping is a
metaphor for death that is common in religious texts such as the Bible. Sleep and death is often
related and compared. This metaphor highlights the narrators vital support from God. As one
can see, a relationship with God is bilateral. People need God and God will always input His best
effort to keep you safe. In finality, the figurative language in the piece stresses the necessity of
God and how He is always present if you believe.
Altogether, the authors craft, such as figurative language and repetition, presents them
theme of the Psalm. The figurative language and repetition both are effective in expressing the
theme that Gods support and love is unfailing as long as people put their faith and belief into

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Him. By repeating phrases about believing in Gods never ending assistance through life, the
author engraves the theme into the readers mind. Furthermore, the phrases have the same
sentence structure and the words are different yet the message is identical, which allows the
theme to be conveyed. In addition, the figurative language presents the theme fully because it
adds various elements and detail to support the theme. All in all, in Psalm 13, the authors craft
emphasizes Gods unwavering love and care in order to prove Gods greatness.