Synthetic parallelism is parallelism where the second line completes the idea introduced in the first (Ryken 182). In this passage, the first part states how exaltation, or the idea of being honored, does not come from anywhere on earth. The second line completes it saying that only God decides who is honored and who is lowered in status. This excerpt from the psalm supports the theme in its entirety, as the theme states this thought in a similar way. Finally, the third stanza concludes the psalm with a statement of everlasting praise “to the God of Jacob” (NASB Ps. 75:9b). The final stanza reiterates the theme in talking about the horns of the wicked and the righteous. According to Blue Letter Bible, the word for horn can be translated to several different words. A translation that makes more sense from our perspective is that horn can also mean strength (Blue Letter Bible). The psalm states that the strength of the wicked, or those who receive their strength from places that are not of God, will be cut off or punished, but the righteous who find their strength in God will be honored (NASB Ps. 75:6-7). From a wider perspective, the psalm travels in a circle starting with a call to praise and ending with a vow of everlasting …show more content…
In the first stanza, the psalm states that God will choose a time and judge the people equally. This is foreshadowing to the end times, which are prophesied about all throughout the bible and especially in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation. This specific line from the psalm helps the reader see that God is worthy of praise since everyone will be equally judged, and because this line is confirmed throughout the bible by many different prophets. A metaphor present in the first stanza states that “the earth and all who dwell in it melt” (NASB Ps. 75:3a). Literally, the people of the earth will not melt, but this symbolizes the brevity of the earth and how it will essentially fade away, while we know that God is everlasting and will not as we see in Isaiah 40:28. Isaiah 40:28 states that God is the “everlasting God” (NASB Is. 40:28). Another unique aspect of Psalm 75 is its use of the voice of God and speaking from God’s perspective. The second half of the first stanza and the first half of the second stanza are quotations of God. This makes the psalm seem more reliable in a sense that God, the one who is never-changing, spoke this text (NASB Is. 40:28, Ps. 75:2-5). Overall, these literary elements build on the idea that God is worthy of praise, which further supports the three parts to a psalm of