Psalm 34 Semantics

(For more information, click "Phrase-level Legend" below.)

Visualization	Description
	The prepositional phrase is indicated by a solid green oval.
	The construct chain is indicated by a solid yellow oval.
	When the conjunction ו appears at the phrase-level (not clause-level), it is indicated by a solid light purple oval.
	The article is indicated by a solid blue oval.

v. 1

v. 2

v. 3

v. 4

v. 5

v. 6

v. 7

v. 8

v. 9

v. 10

v. 11

v. 12

v. 13

v. 14

v. 15

v. 16

v. 17

v. 18

v. 19

v. 20

v. 21

v. 22

v. 23

Verbal Semantics

(For more information, click "Verbal Legend" below.)

Conjugations
qatal	yiqtol-jussive
wayyiqtol (following qatal)*	cohortative
yiqtol	participle
wayyiqtol (following yiqtol)*	wayyiqtol (following participle)*
weyiqtol	inf. construct
weqatal	inf. absolute
*Wayyiqtol is colored a darker version of the conjugation it follows.

Relative tense arrows
Relative tense arrows (placed within the appropriate 'Fut/Pres/Past' column) are color coded according to the conjugation of the verb. The arrows in the table below are colored according to the typical uses of the conjugations.
After/posterior/future	Imminent future	Simultaneous/right now	Recent past	Before/anterior/past
← ←	↤	↓↓↓	↦	→ →

Aspect
	Continuous	Habitual or iterative	Stative	Perfective
Encoded in words	⟲	⟲⟲⟲	⎯	•
Inferable from context	⟲	⟲⟲⟲	⎯	•

Reference point movement
Movement	No movement
⇐	⇍

Modality
indicative	purpose/result
jussive	necessity
imperative	possible
cohortative	probable
wish	ability
(past) conditional	interrogative, etc.

If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.

Emendations/Revocalizations legend
Emended text	Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation.
Revocalized text	Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization.

v. 1. "The constructions of the infinitive with a preposition... are almost always continued in the further course of the narrative by means of the finite verb" (GKC 114r).
v. 2. With the adverbials בְּכָל־עֵ֑ת ("at all times") and תָּ֝מִ֗יד ("continually" or "continuously") (cf. Prov. 5:19), the aspect of both situations is probably continuous in a hyperbolic sense (so BDB on תמיד). GNT: "I will always thank the LORD; I will never stop praising him."
v. 3. LXX: ἀκουσάτωσαν ... καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν (imperatives). Jerome: audiant ... et laetentur (subjunctives)
v. 5. This mini-narrative refers to past events named in the superscription (v. 1). The LXX (καὶ ἐπήκουσέν μου) and Jerome (et exaudivit me.) read the second qatal as a simple past tense (waw + qatal vs weqatal). It is not clear whether וענני should be analyzed as waw + qatal ("and he answered") or as weqatal ("and [as a result] he answered") (cf. JM 115). Kimhi claims that "when preceded by a verb in the Perfect the Waw with Perfect has merely copulative force, e.g., Isa. 41:4; Jer. 22:15" (section 21). Revell, however, by analyzing forms in which the distinction between weqatal and waw + qatal is phonologically encoded (i.e., 1cs and 2ms verbs), has shown that waw + qatal is used "in a rather restricted set of circumstances" (p. 279), i.e., (1) when the two verbs (qatal followed by waw + qatal) act as a semantic unit referring to the same action (e.g., Isa. 1:2), or (2) when the two verbs occur in synonymous or antithetical parallelism (e.g., Ezek. 17:24).
v. 6. On the vocalization of these two verbs (imperative vs qatal), see The Text of Ps. 34:6.
v. 7. The sequence of this mini-narrative is essentially the same as in v. 5: called out (=sought) --> heard (=answered) --> saved (=rescued).
v. 8. Most English translations rightly render these verbs with present tense verbs: "Encamps... and delivers" (NIV, ESV, KJV, cf. NET, GNT). The predicative active participle usually has a continuous meaning ("is encamping... and is delivering"), and wayyiqtol usually continues the semantics of the previous clause (cf. Peshitta which has a participle [ܡܦܨܐ]). The second verb, however, seems to have an iterative meaning ("he delivers") rather than a continuous meaning ("he is delivering") (cf. Jerome: circumdat [present)... et eruet [future]). If the second verb has an iterative meaning and continues the semantics of the first verb, then the first verb must have an iterative meaning as well. See also פדה in v. 23 and perhaps also שמר in v. 21. Cf. BHRG 20.3.3, which says that "the participle may refer to habitual events" and JM 121b who list some examples of the participle with "frequentive aspect." The author probably used the participle instead of yiqtol because a yiqtol would not have fit the acrostic
v. 11. The qatal verbs are probably past tense (cf. LXX: ἐπτώχευσαν καὶ ἐπείνασαν; Aquila and Quinta: ηπορηθησαν; Jerome: indiguerunt et esurierunt); the psalmist is reporting some past observation which has timeless implications (cf. Rogland 2013, 24ff). "Lions have been reduced to starvation, but those who turn to the LORD shall not lack any good" (JPS1985) >> "Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing" (NLT; cf. NET, GNT, NGÜ, GNB).
v. 18. Most modern translations render the verbs in this verse as timeless (KJV, NIV, NLT, ESV, NET, GNT, CEV, JPS85, LUT, HFA, NGÜ, ELB, GNB, ZÜR), which might be a good functional equivalent. In Hebrew, however, the verbs are past tense forms (qatals), as the ancient translators recognized (LXX: ἐκέκραξαν ... εἰσήκουσεν ... ἐρρύσατο; Syriac: ܓܥܘ ... ܫܡܥ ... ܘܦܨܝ; Jerome: clamaverunt exaudivit liberavit). The sequence of past tense forms create a mini-narrative which has a proverbial character (cf. e.g., Prov. 11:2, 8). Proverbs are often past tense because they report some past experience or observation which has timeless implications (Rogland 2013, 24ff). Alternatively, David may be referring to the specific deliverance referred to in the superscription (v. 1): when in Philistine territory, he and his men called out for help, and YHWH saved them (cf. vv. 5-6). The general proverbial character of the second half of the psalm (vv. 12-23) supports the former option.
v. 23. The predicative active participle usually encodes progressive-continuous semantics ("YHWH is redeeming"). The context, however, suggests an iterative interpretation: "YHWH redeems" (cf. KJV, ESV, NET, CEV, NEB). See notes on the participle in v. 8.