PsALM 73 As rInG COMPOsITIOn 37 If one considers the two sections that focus primarily on the psalmist, namely the $a section in vv. 13-15 and the yk section in vv. 21-26, one notices that content-wise v. 13 and vv. 21-22, which open the respective sections, seem to share certain common features. First, v. 13 and vv. 21-22 are both self-evaluative statements that express re- gret. second, both regrets concern the psalmist’s own past actions or attitudes. Third, both expressions of regret appear to have been direct- ly caused not only by observations or insight about the wicked in the immediately preceding sections, but also by the psalmist’s perceptions about his own situation, which are given expression in the sections that immediately follow. Therefore, to the extent that the two self- evaluative statements are related both to what immediately precedes and what immediately follows, they seem to function as hinge state- ments that bridge the material on either side of them. In v. 13, through qyr (“in vain”) the psalmist expresses regret about having previously purified his heart and washed his hands in in- nocence. That regret appears to have been brought on both by the prosperity of the wicked observed in vv. 4-12 and by his own suffering disclosed in vv. 14-15. In vv. 21-22, by calling himself r[b (“brutish”) and twmhb (“beast-like”) the psalmist again expresses regret, but this time about his previous envy and bitterness, feelings which, inciden- tally, found expression in the regret he had earlier recounted in v. 13. And like that earlier regret, this new regret is also brought on both by insights about the wicked in vv. 18-20 and by realizations about his relationship with God in vv. 23-26. The psalmist’s visit to God’s sanctuary in v. 17 has apparently so changed his perspective that he now regrets his earlier regret. This parallel between v. 13 and vv. 21-22 is also structurally sup- ported. For not only are both self-evaluative statements placed at the beginning of their respective sections to serve as a hinge between what immediately precedes and what immediate follows, but also the key term ybbl (“my heart”) is found in both sections in conjunction with another term related to the physical body. Thus, while in v. 13 ybbl is used in conjunction with ypk (“my hands”) to bring out the substance of the psalmist’s regret, in v. 21 ybbl is used in conjunction with ytwylk (“my kidneys”, used figuratively here to indicate emotions) to bring out the substance of his new regret. Given these parallels in content, structure, and recurrence of key terms, it seems likely that v. 13 and vv. 21-22 are intentionally linked to form an imaginary line that functions as a secondary axis. In fact, recognizing this will go a long way towards explaining why vv. 21-22