Walter Vogels: A Structural Analysis of Ps 1, Biblica 60 (1979)In a recent article, R. Lack has published a structural analysis of Ps 11. The article demonstrates how thismethodology can reveal to us new insights into biblical texts. What we would like to do here is make anobservation on Lack's study and then present our own structural analysis of the text.The different codes which Lack has collected are all at the level of physical action or being. We would like topoint to another dimension of the text, namely the cognitive level.In verse 2, the man "meditates on the law of Yahweh ... day and night", while in verse 6 "Yahweh knows theway of the righteous".It is only in these verses that we find reference to the axis of thinking. Elsewhere in the text action is expressed,the axis of movement. Note also that it is only in these two verses that the name of Yahweh appears. Lack refersto the "day and night" reflection of man as "cyclic" in the axis of temporality. But this "day and night" alsomeans moment after moment. In other words, man reflects upon one event after another. God, on the otherhand, knows the "way" of the righteous. A "way" starts at one point and leads to another. Consequently, Godknows the life of the just from the beginning to the end. While man has only the ability to see the presentmoment, God knows the totality. He surpasses time and space. Qoheleth was very conscious of this: "All thathe does is apt for its time... but... man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end" (Qoh 3,11).Our own structural analysis of Ps 1 is inspired by the method of A.J. Greimas2. According to this method, it ispossible to distinguish several levels within a text. The manifestation of the text is what appears on its surface.But it is possible to go deeper into the text, into its immanence. Therefore, in our analysis we will speak first ofthe surface-structure and then of deeper ones, the narrative and the discursive structures.I. The Surface-StructureExege...