Catherine Thomas notes that a psalm is a poem, a song of praise; not a sermon or doctrinal treatise, but an expression of personal religious experience. (See the New Bible Dictionary, ed. J. D. Douglas, 2nd ed., Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982, p. 992.) Nephi's psalm (2 Nephi 4:16-35) employs some of the features characteristic of his Hebrew literary heritage. [Catherine Thomas, "A Great Deliverance," in Studies in Scripture: Book of Mormon, Part 1, p. 108]
Nephis Psalm
Richardson, Richardson and Bentley note that Nephi's Psalm, as recorded in 2 Nephi 4:16-35, provides an example of a Hebrew literary pattern called the individual lament and thus provides evidence of the Hebrew roots of the Book of Mormon prophets. (Matthew Nickerson, "Nephi's Psalm: 2 Nephi 4:16-35 in the light of Form-Critical Analysis," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 26-42) The individual lament consist of five parts, all of which are contained in Nephi's Psalm as shown below along with a biblical example from the book of Psalms:
Feature 2 Nephi Psalms
1. Invocation 4:16-17 54:1-2
2. Complaint 4:17-19 54:3
3. Confession of Trust 4:20-30 54:4
4. Petition 4:31-33 54:5
5. Vow of Praise 4:34-35 54:6-7
[Allen H. Richardson, David E. Richardson and Anthony E. Bentley, 1000 Evidences for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Part Two-A Voice from the Dust: 500 Evidences in Support of the Book of Mormon, p. 275]