The Grammar and Meaning of Ps 92:11b

Argument Maps

1sg Intransitive

The verb read in the MT as בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י is understood as an intransitive, and thus middle/passive reading, "I am anointed."

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[1sg intransitive בלל]: The verb בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י is an intransitive qal: "I am anointed." (Delitzsch 1877, 69 :C:; Radak :C:).#dispreferred
 + <Context>: This rendering fits the context well and the root is commonly collocated with שֶׁמֶן (Rashi :C:, Radak :C:).#dispreferred
 - <Qal בלל>: The qal verb בלל is never of a middle/passive voice, but is always transitive. The passive is communicated by the passive adjective בָּלוּל.
  + [Qal בלל]: See, e.g., Gen 11:7, 9.
 - <The verb בלל>: The verb בלל is never used to "anoint," but always "mix" in the context of שֶׁמֶן.
  + [The verb בלל]: See, בָּלוּל and בְּלוּלָה in Exod 29:2, 40; Lev 2:4, 5; 7:10, 12; 9:4; 14:10, 21; 23:13; Num 6:15; 7:13, 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67,73, 79; 8:8; 15:4, 9; 28:5, 9, 12, 13, 20, 28; 29:3, 9, 14; cf. also the nominal forms תֶּבֶל and תְּבַלֻּל "confusion" (BDB) in Lev 18:23, 20:12, 21:20.

2sg Transitive

The verb בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י should be emended to read בַּלֹּתַנִי as a 2ms qatal with a 1cs suffix, "You anointed me."

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[2sg בלל]: The verb בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י should be emended to read בַּלֹּתַנִי, a 2ms qatal with a 1cs suffix, "You anointed me." (Briggs & Briggs 1907, 285 :C:; Kraus 1989, 227 :C:).#dispreferred
 + <Context>: This rendering fits the context well and the root is commonly collocated with שֶׁמֶן.#dispreferred
 + <First clause>: This rendering follows the 2sg verb of the previous clause, וַתָּ֣רֶם.#dispreferred
 + <Ancient witnesses>: This is how the Peshitta and Targum Psalms interpret the clause.#dispreferred
  + [Ancient witnesses]: Peshitta: ܘܨܒܥܬܢܝ ܒܡܫܚܐ ܡܒܣܡܐ ("you have sprinkled me with fragrant oil; Taylor 2020, 385); Targum Psalms: רביתא יתי במשח רבותא רטיבא דזית עבוף ("you have anointed me with the fresh oil of a luxuriant olive"; Stec 2004, 176).#dispreferred
 <_ <Textual evidence>: The consonants בלתני are not attested in any Hebrew manuscript.
 - <The verb בלל>: The verb בלל is never used to "anoint," but always "mix" in the context of שֶׁמֶן.
  + [The verb בלל]: See, בָּלוּל and בְּלוּלָה in Exod 29:2, 40; Lev 2:4, 5; 7:10, 12; 9:4; 14:10, 21; 23:13; Num 6:15; 7:13, 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67,73, 79; 8:8; 15:4, 9; 28:5, 9, 12, 13, 20, 28; 29:3, 9, 14; cf. also the nominal forms תֶּבֶל and תְּבַלֻּל "confusion" (BDB) in Lev 18:23, 20:12, 21:20.

"My horn" elided

The verb בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י needs no emendation, but as the standard transitive use of qal בלל, elides "my horn" (קַרְנִ֑י) of the previous clause as its object.

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[1sg transitive בלל]: The verb בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י is a transitive qal: "I anoint x" (Ibn Ezra :C:; Ḥakham 1979, 182 :C:; Hupfeld 1862 28-29 :C:; Radak :C:; Tate 1998, 462-463 :C:).
 + <Event semantics>: The transitive use of בלל fits the semantic profile of other uses of qal בלל (e.g., Gen 11:7, 9), while the object is accessible from the previous line. 
  <_ <Object gapping>: Object gapping is very rare in Biblical Hebrew poetry, and generally recognised instances are backwards gapped (O'Connor 1980, 404-405 :M:)
   + [Backwards object gapping]: See גַּם־שָׁמַ֖יִם נָטָ֑פוּ גַּם־עָבִ֖ים נָ֥טְפוּ מָֽיִם׃ (Judg 5:4) and בְּקֶ֥רֶב שָׁנִ֖ים תּוֹדִ֑יעַ בְּרֹ֖גֶז רַחֵ֥ם תִּזְכּֽוֹר׃ (Hab 3:2).
 + <Ugaritic parallel>: The collocation of mšḥ (=משׁח) + qrn (קרן) is attested in the Ugaritic text KTU 10.2.21–23, while Ps 92:10 is understood to draw upon a common hymn also known in Ugaritic literature (see Avishur 1994, 234-249 :M:).
  + [KTU 10.2.21–23]: qrn dbàtk btlt ˓nt qrn dbàtk b˓l ymšḥ b˓l ymšḥ hm b˓p ("Your powerful horn, girl Anat, your powerful horns will Baal anoint, Baal will anoint them in flight").
 - <The verb בלל, not משׁח>: The verb בלל is never used to "anoint," but always "mix" in the context of שֶׁמֶן, and indeed occurs in the same sentence as משׁח, so why not just use משׁח, which would have made the common collocation transparent, if indeed there (Loewenstamm 1978, 112)
  + [The verb בלל]: See both בלל and משׁח modified by בַּשֶּׁמֶן in Exod 29:2; Lev 2:4; 7:12; and Num 6:15.
  - <Cooccurrence>: The cooccurrence of both בלל and משׁח in these contexts indicates shows a semantic development from "mix" to "smear/rub/anoint" (Tate 1998, 463).
   - <Semantic contribution>: This is unlikely, as the בלל and משׁח phrases do not communicate the same process.
    + <Different object>: The two phrases in these verses systematically follow בלל with חַלֹּת֙ בְּלוּלֹ֣ת, whereas משׁח is followed by וּרְקִיקֵי מַצּוֹת, perhaps too thin ("a thin cake, wafer"; BDB, DCH, HALOT) to be mixed with oil, and thus "smeared."

"My old age"

The word בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י is not a finite verb at all, but an infinitive construct with a 1cs suffix from the root בלה, functioning as the object with the verb of the previous clause, "you lift up" (וַתָּ֣רֶם), elided.

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[Conclusion]: The conclusion of the argument map is presented as a white box with a colored outline. If the conclusion is preferred (i.e., if the creator of the argument map agrees with the conclusion), then the outline is green (as here).
 + <Supporting argument>: Arguments are presented as colored boxes. If an argument supports the preferred conclusion, then it is green. If it supports a dispreferred conclusion, then it is orange. The green arrow connecting this argument to the conclusion shows that the argument supports the conclusion.
  + [Evidence for supporting argument]: Evidence is presented as a white box with a colored outline. This piece of evidence supports an argument which supports the conclusion.
  <_ <Undercutting argument>: This is an undercutting argument. To undercut a claim is to say, "Yes, that may be true, but it does not support your argument because..." In other words, undercutting arguments do not refute the claim being made; instead, they undermine the claim of its supporting value. #dispreferred
 - <Refuting argument>: This argument is connected to the conclusion with a red arrow because it refutes the conclusion. In other words, this argument says, "The conclusion is not true, because..." This argument is orange because it does not align with the preferred conclusion. #dispreferred
  + [Evidence for refuting argument]: This is evidence for the refuting argument. It has a green arrow because it supports the refuting argument. It has an orange outline because it is being used to support a view that is not preferred. #dispreferred

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ὡς μονοκέρωτος τὸ κέρας μου καὶ τὸ γῆράς μου ἐν ἐλαίῳ πίονι.
  • "And my horn will be exalted like a unicorn's, and my old age with thick oil."
• Symmachus: ... ἡ παλαίωσίς μου ὡς ἐλαία εὐθαλἠς.
  • "... my old age [is] like a flourishing olive tree."
• Gallican Psalter: et exaltabitur sicut unicornis cornu meum et senectus mea in misericordia uberi
  • "But my horn shall be exalted like that of the unicorn: and my old age in plentiful mercy."
• Iuxta Hebraeos: et exaltabitur quasi monocerotis cornu meum et senecta mea in oleo uberi
  • "And my horn will be exalted as an ox and my old age in rich oil."
• Peshitta: ܘܨܒܥܬܢܝ ܒܡܫܚܐ ܡܒܣܡܐ
  • "you have sprinkled me with fragrant oil."
• Targum: רביתא יתי במשח רבותא רטיבא דזית עבוף
  • "you have anointed me with the fresh oil of a luxuriant olive."

Modern

1sg Passive

• I shall be anointed with fresh oil (KJV; cf. CEB, CSB, ISV, NASB, NET, NIV, NJPS, REB)
• je suis arrosé avec une huile fraîche (SG21; cf. BDS, NBS, NVSR, TOB)
• mit frischem Öl bin ich überschüttet (EÜ)

2sg Active

• you have poured over me fresh oil (ESV; cf. CJB, GNT, NABRE, NJB, NRSV)
• tu verses sur moi une huile parfumée (PDV; cf. NFC)
• y sobre mí verterás aceite fresco (RVA; cf. DHH)
• und salbst mich mit frischem Öl (Luther 2017; cf. ELB, ZÜR)

References

92:11