PsALM 73 As rInG COMPOsITIOn 39 the heart of the psalmist’s re-evaluation of the situation. And that re-evaluation resulted in his eventual regret of his former bitterness, expressed in the hinge in vv. 21-22 which form the other end of the presumed axis. Where material on either side of this horizontal axis is concerned, if viewed strictly in a linear fashion going from the beginning of the psalm to its end, then the self-evaluative statements in v. 13 and vv. 21-22 are both preceded by sections focusing on the fortunes of the wicked (vv. 4-12 and vv. 18-20), and followed by disclosures about the psalmist’s own situation (vv. 14-15 and vv. 23-26). But if viewed as a chiastically arranged ring, then the focus of vv. 4-12 and vv. 23- 26 on one side of this axis would be on the blessings enjoyed by the wicked and the psalmist respectively, while the focus of vv. 14-15 and vv. 18-20 on the other side of this axis would be on the woes, those already experienced by the psalmist and those that will eventually be experienced by the wicked. In fact, as the following simplified skeletal diagram of the psalm shows, once the self-evaluative statements of v. 13 and vv. 21-22 are joined into a secondary horizontal axis, it, along with the vertical axis created by the joining of the middle turning point with the introduc- tory and concluding sections, will have effectively divided the body of the psalm into four mutually related quadrants, each simultaneously sharing a significant similarity as well as significant contrasts with any of the other three quadrants. Thus, a truly circular structure has been created, in which every rhetorical unit finds a balanced counterpart no matter what direction one looks. In this regard, Psalm 73 is indeed structured as a ring, and an almost perfectly crafted ring at that. evangel seminary Gregory T.K. WOnG 59 Cumberland road Kowloon Tong, hong Kong summary This article seeks to analyse the structure of Psalm 73 as a ring composition based on characteristics identified by Mary Douglas. With special attention paid to key structural markers used throughout the psalm, it will be argued that Psalm 73 is an elegant and almost perfect ring, with the introductory and concluding sections merging into each other and closely interconnected with a middle turning point. The rest of the psalm is arranged chiastically with matching parallel sections on either side of the turning point.