Macrosyntax

Notes.

V. 1b: YHWH = vocative of direct address. As a post-verbal vocative, it may be drawing attention/focussing the following sentence constituent (Kim 2022: 233-235), in this case, David's hardships.

V. 2b: This has been marked as an appositional phrase; a second relative pronoun אֲשֶׁר is elided, so has been supplied in parenthesis.

Vv. 3–4: The preposition אִם is part of a shorted oath formula: "IF x [protasis], then may I be cursed [apodosis]," in which the apodosis is has been dropped. To make this explicit, the translation here supplies the longer form of the oath, which includes the self-malediction "let me be cursed." (Note: This tendency to elide oath elements like “I swear” and “may I be cursed” is attested across languages [Van der Merwe, §45.1.]).

Another way to analyse the participle אִם is as a modal word, since it's part of an oath. It marks a process that will not occur (Van der Merwe, Reference Grammar, §41.9).

V. 6a: הנה points to information which a speaker regards to be noteworthy as far as other discourse active information is concerned. The information presented modifies the content or implications of the statements of the preceding co-text (Van der Merwe, §40.22.4.2). It can confirm or deny the expectation of the preceding text, and in this case, it confirms the expectation of the preceding text. The implication of the preceding co-text (vv. 1–5) is that David experienced hardships in keeping his promise to secure the location for the temple. The function of הנה here is to confirm that implication, that "Indeed/yes, it's true, (David kept his promise because) we heard . . ." (other examples: Isa 12:1–2; 1 Sam 16:11).

V. 8a: YHWH = vocative of direct address. As a post-verbal vocative, it may be drawing attention/focussing the following sentence constituent (Kim 2022: 233-235), in this case, his resting place.

V. 9a, b: The topics of each clause (your priests; your faithful ones, respectively) are new participants.

V. 12a: The conjunction אם, if, introduces a real condition as subordinating conjunction (Van der Merwe, Reference Grammar, §40.11).

Vv. 14–16: All six independent clauses begin with a fronted constituent referring to Zion or her people. This repeated emphasis on blessing for Zion in particular underscores the immediately-preceding statement that YHWH had chosen Zion (v. 13a). If I were reading this part aloud, I would place stress on "her."

V. 18b: Topic shift (from "his enemies" to "my anointed one").

Psalm 132 Discourse

Macrosyntax