View source for Grammar and Meaning of Ps 14:6

=Introduction=

There are four main issues in this verse that can make translation difficult:

1. '''The meaning of כִּי'''--This verse consists of a main clause (''you would put to shame the counsel of the poor'') and a subordinate clause (''YHWH is his/their refuge''), joined by the conjunction כִּי. Does this כִּי mean "for/because", introducing a reason why the poor's counsel is being shamed; does it mean "but", introducing a rebuttal to the first clause; or, does it mean "though/even though?" 
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2. This verse contains the '''only usage of second person''' in the Psalm. Who is the addressee(s), and why does the psalmist only address them in this one instance?
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3. '''The meaning of עֲצַת־עָנִי'''--translations have rendered this phrase in a variety of ways, such as ''plans of the poor'', ''counsel of the oppressed'', and others; which is best? 
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See the "Translations" section below for how various English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese Bibles have translated the various issues in this verse.

=Argument Maps=

===The meaning of כִּי===
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["for/because"]: The subordinate clause is causal.
 + <Ancient translations>: LXX, Targum, and Peshitta all indicate a causal relationship
 + <Parallel with v. 5>: Vv. 5 and 6 have a similar structure: A line: evildoers as subject + verb; B line: "ki" clause. In v. 5, the B line provides the reason for A, so we might assume the same is happening in v. 6 (Futato 2009 :C:)

["but"]: The subordinate clause is adversative. #dispreferred
 - <Ancient translations>
 - כִּי only means "but" after a negative clause (Futato 2009 :C:; HALOT II.3 :L:; BDB :L:)

["though/even though"]: The subordinate clause is concessive. #dispreferred
 - <Ancient translations>
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===Subject of main clause (who is "you"?)===
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[Wicked/evildoers (collective group)]
 + <Possible emendation>: תבישו could have been emended to הבישו, a theory supported by one Hebrew manuscript. This would change the verb from 2mp to 3mp ("they", which could mean either the evildoers or the righteous generation previously mentioned.) (Craigie 2004 :C:).
 + <Commentaries and translations>: Almost all agree that the subject is the wicked/evildoers (except in translations where the ambiguous "you" is used)
 + <2mp verb>: Second-person masculine plural refers to a group, not just one person
 + <Logic>: In light of what we learn about YHWH, the righteous, and the wicked throughout the Psalter, it's unlikely that YHWH or the righteous would be the ones shaming the oppressed
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[YHWH] #dispreferred
 - <Named in B line>:It's difficult to read "you" as YHWH if he is explicitly mentioned in third person in the second half of the verse.
 - <Logic>: In light of what we learn about YHWH, the righteous, and the wicked throughout the Psalter, it's unlikely that YHWH or the righteous would be the ones shaming the oppressed
 - <2mp verb>:Second-person masculine plural refers to a group, not just one person
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[The righteous generation] #dispreferred
 + <Immediate context>: The righteous are the participants referred to immedately preceding this verse. Logic would follow that this would be the antecedent of the pronoun "you", a new participant in the Psalm. #dispreferred
 + <Possible emendation>: תבישו could have been emended to הבישו, a theory supported by one Hebrew manuscript. This would change the verb from 2mp to 3mp ("they", which could mean either the evildoers or the righteous generation previously mentioned.) (Craigie 2004 :C:)
 + <2mp verb>: Second-person masculine plural refers to a group, not just one person
 - <Logic>: In light of what we learn about YHWH, the righteous, and the wicked throughout the Psalter, it's unlikely that YHWH or the righteous would be the ones shaming the oppressed
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===The meaning of עֲצַת===
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[Insight (wisdom)]
 + <Context of whole Psalm>: *The folly of the wicked vs. the discernment/wisdom/insight of the righteous* being a theme of the Psalm, the sense of wisdom/insight would naturally be highlighted
 + <*Insight* is a sense of "counsel">: SDBH :L:, DCH :L:
  + "...the sense is discernment, as is the case in Deut. 32:28, since the opposite of the fool’s lack of knowledge is the discernment of those who have insight" (Jacobson and Tanner 2014 :C:).
 - <No ancient translations>: Though it can be argued that "advice" and "counsel" can have the sense of *wisdom* or *insight*, no translations reflect this sense in their word choice. #dispreferred
 - <Not one of the main glosses>: Both "counsel" and "plans" are two of the main glosses for this word עֵצָה; "wisdom" is much farther down the list, while "insight" is absent (BDB :L:) #dispreferred
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[Advice/counsel] #dispreferred
 + <Ancient versions>:LXX, Targum, and Peshitta all reflect "counsel" in their English translations. #dispreferred
 + <One of the main glosses>: Both "counsel" and "plans" are two of the main glosses for this word עֵצָה; "wisdom" is much farther down the list, while "insight" is absent (BDB :L:)
 - "...doesn't mean counsels in the sense of plans or advice, which would make little sense." (Jacobson and Tanner 2014 :C:).

[Plans (wishes, desires)] #dispreferred
 - <Ancient versions>
 + <One of the main glosses>
 - "...doesn't mean counsels in the sense of plans or advice, which would make little sense." (Jacobson and Tanner 2014 :C:).
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===The meaning of עָנִי===
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["Poor"] #dispreferred
 + <Majority of versions>: Ancient and modern #dispreferred
 - <Senses of עָנִי>: Of 80 instances of in the Old Testament of עָנִי, the majority of these (56) have the sense of *afflicted*; only 15 have the sense of *poor*, and 5 for *humble* (Faithlife 2022 (Bible Sense Lexicon) :L:)
 - <Context of the whole Psalm>: This Psalms tells us two main behaviors of the wicked/the fool: Scoffing at YHWH's authority (vv.1-3), and oppressing others (vv. 4-6, esp. 4b). Thus, oppression/affliction is more in focus than poverty, though they are related.
 - <English idea of "poor" is insufficient>: The two primary (most salient) senses of the English word ''poor''are defined as: "lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society"; and "of a low or inferior standard or quality." (Oxford Languages Dictionary 2022 :D:) Neither seem to be in focus in this Psalm.
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["Oppressed/afflicted"] 
 +  "...the poor, which in this case refers to God's ''suffering'' people" (Jacobson and Tanner 2014 :C:).
 + <Senses of עָנִי>: Of 80 instances of in the Old Testament of עָנִי, the majority of these (56) have the sense of *afflicted*; only 15 have the sense of *poor*, and 5 for *humble* (Faithlife 2022 (Bible Sense Lexicon) :L:)
 + <Context of the whole Psalm>: This Psalms tells us two main behaviors of the wicked/the fool: Scoffing at YHWH's authority (vv.1-3), and oppressing others (vv. 4-6, esp. 4b). Thus, oppression/affliction is more in focus than poverty, though they are related. 

["Humble/small ones"] #dispreferred
 - <No ancient versions>: None have a rendering similar to this
 - <Senses of עָנִי>
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=Conclusion=

1. The conjunction between the two clauses in this verse most likely means "'''because/for'''", instead of "but", based on parallelism with verse 5 (evildoers as subject + verb + כִּי clause with God/YHWH as subject), as well as evidence from ancient translations and Futato, HALOT, and BDB's assertion that כִּי can only mean "but" after a negative clause. 
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2. The subject of the main clause is the '''wicked/evildoers''' as a collective group (not YHWH, the righteous generation, or anyone else), and they are being addressed directly in this verse. 
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3. The best rendering in English of עֲצַת־עָנִי is probably '''"the insight of the afflicted"''' or "'''the insight of the oppressed"'''. ''Insight'' is a sense of the Hebrew word (a word that is often in English rendered as "counsel") that is probably intended here, in light of the Psalm's larger context of the fool (the folly of the wicked vs. the discernment/wisdom/insight of the righteous). The Hebrew word עָנִי carries both the sense of ''poor'' as in lacking money/resources, as well as ''afflicted'', and it's possible the psalmist intended both senses. However, given the context of oppression by the wicked that we see in v. 4, the idea of "oppressed/afflicted" is probably more in focus than "poor." As far as the construct relationship between the two words, anything other than a genitive of possession ("___ of/belonging to ___") is not attested in the vast majority of translations and commentaries. 
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Putting this all together, our English rendering is: '''You evildoers put to shame the insight of the afflicted, because YHWH is his [their] refuge.''' This means that the wicked ("the fool" of v.1, who is being addressed directly in this verse) scoffs at the trust that the righteous put in YHWH, so strongly that he is compelled to oppress the righteous--but as we learn in v.7, this oppression won't ultimately succeed, as YHWH will save the day.

=Research=

==Translations==

===Ancient===
* '''LXX'''--6βουλὴν πτωχοῦ κατῃσχύνατε, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν.Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, ''because'' the Lord is his hope.
* '''Peshitta (translated)'''--They shamed the counsel of the poor ''because'' LORD JEHOVAH is his trust.
* '''Targum (translated)'''--You will despise the counsel of the poor man, ''because'' he has placed his hope in the LORD.
* '''Jerome'''--quoniam Deus in generatione iusta consilium inopis confudistis quoniam Dominus spes eius est [Ps. 13:6] You have confounded the counsel of the poor man; ''but'' the Lord is his hope.

===Modern===
'''1. The meaning of כִּי'''
   
* "but"--ESV, NASB95, NIV, NLT, GNB, NRSV, RSV, CSB, CEV, NCV, NLT1, NIV84, DHH, LBLA, NVI (Portuguese), NVI (Spanish), PDV, Reina Valera
* "because/for"--LES, ASV, GW, KJV, LEB, YLT, BFC
* "though/even though"--NET, REB, LPDPT
* asyndeton (no conjunction, 2 separate sentences)--LBS, LSG

'''2. Subject of the main clause (second person masculine plural)'''

* Simply "you"--ESV, NASB95, LES, NRSV, RSV, ASV, CEV, KJV, LEB, NET, REB, YLT, LBS, BFC, LSG, LBLA, LPDPT, NVI (Spanish), PDV
* Other:
-"they"--GW
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-"you evildoers"--NIV, NVI (Portuguese)
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-"the wicked"--NLT, NCV
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-"evildoers"--GNB 
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-"you sinners"--CSB
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-passive construction, no explicit subject ("the plans of the poor have been mocked")--Reina Valera 

'''3. The meaning of עֲצַת־עָנִי'''

עֲצַת
* "plans"--ESV, NIV, NLT, GNB, NRSV, RSV, CSB, CEV, LEB, NCV, NVI (Portuguese), NVI (Spanish), PDV
* "counsel"--NASB95, LES, ASV, KJV, REB, YLT 
* "advice"--GW, LBLA
* (no translation; simply, "the oppressed")--NET, BFC
* "hope"--LBS, LSG
* "wishes/desires"--LPDPT

עָנִי
* "the poor"--ESV, NIV, LES, NRSV, RSV, ASV, CEV, KJB, LEB, NCV, REB, YLT, BFC, NVI(P), NVI(S), Reina Valera
* "the oppressed"--NLT, CSB, GW, NET, LPDPT
* "the humble"--GNB
* "the afflicted"--NASB95, LBLA
* "the small ones" (low-ranking)--LBS
* "unfortunate/unhappy"--PDV, LSG

'''4. The modality of תָבִישׁוּ'''

SUBJUNCTIVE
* "would [spoil/confound/shame]"--ESV, NASB95, NRSV, RSV, LEB, REB, LBLA
* "may [spoil/confound/shame]"--CEV 
* "want to [spoil/confound/shame]"--NET, BFC
* "do you think you can [spoil/confound/shame]"--LBS
* "try to [spoil/confound/shame]"--LPDPT

INDICATIVE 
* present/timeless ("you [shame]")--NIV, NLT, GNB, CSB, ASV, GW, NCV, YLT, LSG, NVI(P), NVI(S), PDV
* past ("you [have] shamed")--LES, KJV, Reina Valera


==Secondary Literature==

===1. The meaning of כִּי===

'''NET Bible First Edition Notes 2006'''
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It is unlikely that כִּי (ki) has a causal force here. The translation assumes a concessive force; another option is to understand an asseverative use (“certainly, indeed”).

'''Keil & Delitzsch 1996'''
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כִּי gives the reason for the tacitly implied clause

'''Futato 2009'''
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The Heb. ki can mean “but,” but only after a negative clause (HALOT 2.470 [3.]; BDB 474 [e.]; Joüon and Muraoka 1991:§ 172c). Given the parallel structure of 14:5–6 (verb with evildoers as the subject followed by a ki clause), we expect 14:6a to be a judgment against the evildoers with 14:6b providing the reason. 

===2. Subject of the main clause (second person masculine plural)===

'''Bratcher & Reyburn 1991'''
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''You would confound'' the pronoun is plural, and the phrase refers to the evildoers described in the previous verses.

'''VanGemeren 2008'''
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The NIV adds “evildoers” to make clear that “you” is not mistakenly read as a reference to God.

'''Craigie 2004'''
<br>
A possible solution, though fairly radical, would be as follows:

v 5a:
<br>
… שם הפחידו פחד
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v 6a
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… עצתיעני הבישׁו

Translation:
“There they caused great fear, but God is in the assembly of the righteous.
The counsel of the poor they confounded, but the Lord is his refuge.”

There are two changes in this rendering: (i) גחדו (Qal) is emended to Hiph. (cf. Job 4:14); (ii) תבישו is emended to הבישו, for which there is support in one Heb. MS. The solution is attractive in providing good sense and balanced parallelism, but it remains conjectural.


===3. The meaning of עֲצַת־עָנִי===

'''Futato 2009'''
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If we understand ‘atsath-‘ani (plan of the oppressed) “as a specification of circumstances in which the evildoers shall meet disaster” (Irvine 1995:465 n. 14), the sense is, “In your plan against the poor, you will be ashamed, for the LORD will protect his people.”

'''VanGemeren 2008'''
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It may be that the word “plans” (עֲצַת, ʿaṣat, from עֵצָה, ʿēṣâ, GK 6783, “counsel,” “plan”) has the meaning of “worry,” as in 13:3 (NIV, “thoughts”). This supports Eaton’s rendering, 55: “In the anguish of the poor you shall meet your downfall, for the Lord is his refuge.”

'''NET Bible First Edition Notes 2006'''
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The antecedent of the singular pronoun is the singular form עָנִי (’ani, “oppressed”) in the preceding line. The singular is collective or representative here (and thus translated as plural, “they”).

'''Bratcher & Reyburn 1991'''
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The word translated ''plans'' is taken by some to mean “anguish” (see 13:2); SPCL translates “hopes.” Plans may also be understood in terms of desires or wishes.
''The poor'' is either one who is materially poor (so RSV) or else one who has nothing to sustain him except humble trust in God (see 9:12, where RSV translates “the afflicted”). The term poor is sometimes rendered as “a man who has nothing,” “the one who lives far from the chief’s compound” or “a person having only one pig.”

'''Jacobson & Tanner 2014'''
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The Hebrew phrase ʿaṣaṯ ʿānî is normally translated “counsels of the poor.” But ʿaṣaṯ here does not mean counsels in the sense of plans or advice, which would make little sense. Nor is HALOT’s attempt to understand the syntax as “plans against the poor” convincing. Rather, the sense is discernment, as is the case in Deut. 32:28, since the opposite of the fool’s lack of knowledge is the discernment of those who have insight—namely, the poor, which in this case refers to God’s suffering people as a whole.

'''Emmanuel 2014'''
<br>
(ʿēṣâ). n. fem. counsel, advice. Words of instruction provided after consultation and calculation to assist in a decision-making process.
This word primarily refers to spoken advice or counsel. Such speech is grounded in thoughtful deliberation, and sometimes the noun can refer to such deliberation rather than to the speech (e.g., Prov 20:5). In such cases, the noun bears a meaning similar to מַהֲשָׁבָה (mahăšābâ, “thought”) and can likewise depict negative schemes and plots devised to cause the downfall of individuals (Jer 18:23; 49:30; Neh 4:9).

'''Faithlife 2022 (Logos Bible Sense Lexicon)'''
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plan n. — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished.
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afflicted (person) n. — a person who has been the victim of some pain, injury, or harm, either physically or mentally; often associated with recurring treatment or events.


===4. The modality of תָבִישׁוּ===

'''NET Bible First Edition Notes 2006'''
<br>
Since the context indicates their attempt to harm the godly will be thwarted, the imperfect should be taken in a subjunctive (cf. NASB, NRSV) rather than an indicative manner (cf. NIV). Here it probably expresses their desire or intent (“want to humiliate”).

'''VanGemeren 2008'''
<br>
Delitzsch, 1:202, gave a modal reading: “Would ye bring to shame the counsel of the afflicted!” (so also J. Ridderbos, 1:111).

'''Bratcher & Reyburn 1991'''
<br>
RSV ''would confound'' translates the verb as a planned, potential act, not as an actual act. It seems better to translate as a fact, as do TEV and others.
   

=References=

1. ''Oxford Languages'' dictionary, 2022. 

[[Category:Argument maps]] [[Chapter::14]]:[[Verse::6]]
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