Psalm 117/DiagramAndNotes

V. 1-2b

Simple Format Code

 DiscourseUnit [Psalms version @version] <showGlosses="1">
DiscourseUnit [Psalm 117]
  DiscourseUnit [vv. 1-2b]
    Fragment
      Vocative
        Nominal <gloss="every nation">
          quantifier: כָּל all
          noun: גּוֹיִם nations
    Fragment
      Clause
        Predicate
          verb: הַלְלוּ praise
          Object
            particle: אֶת d.o.m.
            noun: יְהוָה YHWH
    Fragment
      Vocative
        Nominal  <gloss="all peoples">
          quantifier: כָּל all
          article: הָ the
          noun: אֻמִּים peoples
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Vocative
        Nominal 
          quantifier: כָּל all
          noun: לְאֻמִּים peoples <status="emendation">
    Fragment
      Clause
        Predicate
          verb: שַׁבְּחוּ give praise
          Object
            suffix-pronoun: הוּ him
        SubordinateClause
          Conjunction
            conjunction: כִּי for
          ClauseCluster
            Clause
              Subject
                Nominal <gloss="his loyalty">
                  ConstructChain 
                    noun: חַסְד loyalty
                    suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
              Predicate
                verb: גָבַר is great
                Adverbial
                  PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="toward us">
                    Preposition
                      preposition: עָלֵי upon
                    Object
                      suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
            Conjunction
              conjunction: וֶ and
            Clause
              Subject
                ConstructChain <gloss="the faithfulness of YHWH">
                  noun: אֱמֶת faithfulness
                  noun: יהוה YHWH
              Predicate
                verb: is
                Adverbial
                  PrepositionalPhrase
                    Preposition
                      preposition: לְ for
                    Object
                      noun: עוֹלָם indefinite duration >> forever

Diagram

Glosses Phrase Ellipses Full Screen

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V. 2c

Simple Format Code

 DiscourseUnit [v. 2c]
    Fragment 
      Clause
        Subject
        Predicate
          verb: הַלְלוּ praise
          Object
            noun: יָהּ Yah

Diagram

Glosses Phrase Ellipses Full Screen

SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 2c]
    Fragment 
      Clause
        Subject
        Predicate
          verb: הַלְלוּ praise
          Object
            noun: יָהּ Yah
  

(edit with form)

1b הָאֻמִּים: The form כָּל־הָאֻמִּֽים (all peoples) is only attested here in the Hebrew Bible, leading some to emend it to the more common form כָּל־לְאֻמִּֽים, with more or less the same meaning of all peoples. For example, Kraus argues that "since אמים occurs only here in the OT (otherwise אֻמּוֹת), an emendation of the word should probably be made. Most often לְאֻמִּים is given as parallel to גוים, this emendation is to be preferred" (Kraus 1993, 390). Indeed, the word אֻמָּה only appears in two other places, and in both case it has the feminine plural form of אֻמּוֹת (Gen 25:16 לְאֻמֹּתָֽם, Num 25:15 אֻמּ֥וֹת).

However, it is simpler and certainly plausible to read this form simply as an alternative plural form of the same lexeme using the masculine plural ending ים- (cf. HALOT).

A number of points increase the plausibility of this position.

1. There are a number of well-attested cases in Biblical Hebrew where the same lexeme can occur with both masculine or feminine plural noun-endings. Consider, for example, חלון ("window") which out of 17 occurrences in the plural appears 8 times with a masculine form and 9 times with a feminine form (1 Kings 6:4; Jer. 9:21; 22:14; Ezek. 40:16, 22, 25, 29, 33, 36; 41:16, 26; Joel 2:9; Song 2:9) (cf. JM89a). See also Hardy ("The Various Uses of the Plural Form," forthcoming), who cites this very case—along with the תַּנִּים/תַּנּוֹת ("jackal") interchange—to illustrate that "Some lexemes exhibit variant plural forms."

2. The masculine form may be due to Aramaic influence, following the masculine plural ending (אֻמַּיָּא) of the fem. noun אֻמָּה (e.g. Dan 3:4, 7, 31; 5:19; 6:26; 7:14; Ez 4:10) (Allen 2002, 157). It is noteworthy that there is already another common Aramaism in the psalm (שׁבח in v. 1a - Allen 2002, 157).

3. Kennicott mentions one manuscript which reads אמות, which would suggest the correct lexeme is in view (VTH vol. 4: 412).

4. V. 1 constitutes a clear parallel with the phrase כל האמים in v. 1b clearly matching the phrase כל גוים in v. 1a. It is possible that an alternative masculine ending ים- was used instead of the most standard ות- for poetic reasons (e.g. rhyme or gender parallelism matching גוים).

An interesting side note is that the MT does have four occurrences of the form בַּל־אֻמִּים (Pss 44:15; 57:10; 104:4; 149:7). However, each of these occurs in clear parallelism with either בָּעַמִּים or בַּגּוֹיִם, and should be read instead as בַּלְאֻמִּים (for more on this unusual form, see Psalm 44 Verse-by-Verse ).

V. 2c הַלְלוּ־יָהּ The positioning of the halleluyah-subscript in v. 2c varies in different textual traditions. For example, the LXX and Jerome's Hebr. take the halleluyah from the end of the previous psalm (116) as the beginning of Ps 117, and the halleluyah at the end of Ps 117 as the beginning of Ps 118. This is part of larger compositional issues for the whole section of the psalter known as the Egyptian Hallel (Pss 113-118) (for detailed discussion of these textual and compositional issues see Hays 1999,145-156 and Hossfeld-Zenger 2011, 222, 178-179, 39-41).