Pieter van der Lugt, D.D. (1980), Theological University of Kampen, the Netherlands. His publications deal with the rhetorical structure of Hebrew poetry and include Rhetorical Criticism and the Poetry of the Book of Job (OTS 32, Brill, 1995) and Cantos and Strophes in Biblical Hebrew Poetry (OTS 53, Brill, 2006).

• Chapter I: Methodology 1 Methodology 1.1 The logical division of the subject matter 1.2 Transition markers 1.3 Verbal repetitions 1.4 Quantitative structural aspects 1.5 Various divisions 2 Presentation 2.1 Comments and summary 2.2 The reproduction of the texts 2.3 Textcritical remarks Chapter II: The Second Book of the Psalter 1 Psalm 42–43 2 Psalm 44 3 Psalm 45 4 Psalm 46 5 Psalm 47 6 Psalm 48 7 Psalm 49 8 Psalm 50 9 Psalm 51 10 Psalm 52 11 Psalm 53 12 Psalm 54 13 Psalm 55 14 Psalm 56 15 Psalm 57 16 Psalm 58 17 Psalm 59 18 Psalm 60 19 Psalm 61 20 Psalm 62 21 Psalm 63 22 Psalm 64 23 Psalm 65 24 Psalm 66 25 Psalm 67 26 Psalm 68 27 Psalm 6928 Psalm 70 29 Psalm 71 30 Psalm 72 Chapter III: The Third Book of the Psalter 1 Psalm 73 2 Psalm 74 3 Psalm 75 4 Psalm 76 5 Psalm 77 6 Psalm 78 7 Psalm 79 8 Psalm 80 9 Psalm 81 10 Psalm 82 11 Psalm 83 12 Psalm 84 13 Psalm 85 14 Psalm 86 15 Psalm 87 16 Psalm 88 17 Psalm 89 Chapter IV: The Canto Design of Hebrew Poetry in Terms of Verselines 1 General outline 1.1 The First Book of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41 1.2 The Second Book of the Psalter: Psalms 42–72 1.3 The Third Book of the Psalter: Psalms 73–89 1.4 The Fourth Book of the Psalter: Psalms 90–106 1.5 The Fifth book of the Psalter: Psalms 107–150 1.6 Concluding observation 2 Canto design in terms of verselines 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Type IA: exactly regular cantos 2.3 Type IB: almost regular cantos 2.4 Type IIA/B: the 2.4.4 and the 4.4.2 canto design 2.5 Type IIC: the 2.4.4.2 canto design 2.6 Type III: concentric canto designs 2.7 SummaryChapter V: Systematic Observations (continued 1): The Mathematical Centre and its Meaning,or the Quest for the Rhetorical Centre 1 Introduction 2 References to God’s presence highlighting the rhetorical centre 2.1 The divine name, yhwh, and the centre2.2 The designation ’dny (‘Lord’) and the centre 2.3 The designation ’lhym (‘God’) and the centre 2.4 The title ‘lywn (‘Most High’) and the centre 2.5 The personal pronoun ’th (‘you’), referring to God 2.6 The numbers 26, 17, 13 and the centre 3 Concentric and symmetric word patterns highlighting the rhetorical centre 3.1 In the poem as a whole 3.2 In the centre itself 4 Specific words highlighting the rhetorical centre 4.1 Nouns denoting ‘midst’ 4.2 Words denoting ‘(making a) circle’ 4.3 The roots spr (‘to count’) and zkr (‘to remember’) 5 A switch in the way God is referred to highlighting the rhetorical centre 6 Conclusion 7 Index of Psalms discussed in Chapter V Abbreviations 553Definitions 557General bibliography 561