242 TH. BOOIJ have no words or forms representative of psalm language 3, while nine of them have two such elements at most 4. By their style and their poetic form, too, the texts differ from traditional psalms in several respects 5. Poetic parallelism is relatively rare in them. The verse rhythm of 3+3 accents is not nearly as common as it is elsewhere in the psalms, while the so-called Qina metre is well represented 6. Several words and forms are not in accordance with usual literary idiom; they may reflect colloquial language 7. Word repetition is uncommonly frequent, especially as applied in anadiplosis 8 and anaphora 9. The use of the tenses is noteworthy as well. In the psalms the tenses are generally used, to a great extent, in an archaic, non-temporal manner 10. In Psalms 120-134 the usage largely agrees with that of prose texts. A datum relating to the foregoing is the absence of traditional textual types. Songs of Prayer, individual and collective, Hymns, and Songs of Thanksgivings are the most characteristic psalm texts. Among Psalms 120–134 these types are missing 11. Elements Thus Pss 129 and 133. 3 Thus in Ps 121 fwm, “be moved, slip” (v. 3) ; in Ps 122 Hy (v. 4) ; in 4 Ps 123 –nj, “show favour, have mercy” (vv. 2, 3); in Ps 124 rb[ as “go over, overpower ” (vv. 4, 5); in Ps 126 hnr as “jubilation” (vv. 2, 5, 6); in Ps 127 yrva, “happy who ...” (v. 5) ; in Ps 128 yrva (vv. 1, 2) and Èrb pi., “bless” (v. 5) ; in Ps 131 Èlh pi., “go” (v. 1), and ljy pi., “hope” (v. 3) ; in Ps 134 Èrb pi. (vv. 1, 2, 3). For an elaborate survey of the use of words, syntactical forms, 5 phrasings, modes of expression and figures of speech in Pss 120–134 see H. VIVIERS, “The Coherence of the ma‘alôt Psalms ”, ZAW 106 (1994) 275-289, esp. 278-283. See especially Pss 122; 126; 128; 129. 6 This applies to the circumscription of genitival relationship in 7 Ps 123,4b ; the construction v . . .ylwl (“ if not... that”) in Ps 124,1.2 ; the element al –[ml (“ so that not”, instead of –p, “lest”) in Ps 125,3 ; the plural μhydy (“ their hands”, not μdy, “their hand”) with jlv (“ stretch out”) in Ps 125,3 ; the construction μtwblb μyrvy (“ those upright in their hearts”, instead of blAyrvy, “the upright of heart”) in Ps 125,4 ; the form –wah yl[p (instead of –wa yl[p, “those working mischief”) in Ps 125,5 ; the word bg for “back” in Ps 129,3. Ps 120,6-7 ; 121,1-2.3-4.4-5; 122,2-3.4a.5; 123,2-3.3-4; 124,4-5. 8 Ps 121,3.5.7-8; 122,5.8-9; 123,2; 124,3-5; 126,2-3; 127,1-2; 128,5-6; 131,2. 9 See Th. BOOIJ, “Psalm cxxxix: Text, Syntax, Meaning”, VT 55 (2005) 1-2. 10 Cf. M. MANNATI, “Les Psaumes Graduels constituent-ils un genre 11 littéraire distinct à l’intérieur du psautier biblique?”, Sem 29 (1979) 86-87.