Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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P
'''עוּזָּה is it a verb or a noun?'''
* Option 1: A verb (preferred)
** ASV, HCSB, KJV, NASB1995, DELUT(?), ELBBK, LSG, BCC1923, DHH94I, LXX, Jerome, Peshitta, Symmachus.
* Option 2: A noun
** GNT, ESV, LBLA.
** It's not entirely clear how they are reading a substantive here, seeing that the substantive from this root is usually masculine, as shown by the previous word. +
'''בעגלי עמים''': Emendation? If not what is the grammar? The difficulty with this phrase is how to account for the ב-prepositions. For that reason, Baethgen (1904, 211) comments 'Sehr ansprechend ist die Konjektur von Matthes bei Cheyne בַּעֲלֵי עַמִּים »Völkerfürsten« (vgl. Jes 16s)
* There are probably no real variants here. Resorting to בעלי is unnecessary because עגל already meatphorically refers to this, as Saadya Gaon already noticed: ופסרת בעגלי אג׳לא מת׳ל חרבו כל פריה 'I have interpreted בעגלי as 'Honoured/lofty ones' as in חִרְבוּ֙ כָּל־פָּרֶ֔יהָ 'put all her bulls to the sword' (Jer 50:27)'. (Qafiḥ 164). Additionally the MT reading has formal support in Jerome, Symmachus and the Targum. Symmachus translated συστροφῶν 'a dense mass' most likely becuase this was the meanign of עִגוּל in the then-contemporary form of Hebrew (Mishnaic) (Barthélemy 2005, 456–7).
* All the versions cited above formally attest to the ב-preposition. The question here, then, is how to interpret this grammatically?
** Option 1: Complement to the verb?
*** Jenni (1992, 264) who points out a striking number of examples where גער is complemented by ב (Gen 37:10; Isa 17:13; 54:9; Jer 29:27; Nah 1:4, etc) as well as other verbs within the same semantic domain (עיט, כהה, נתן דֱפִי, יכה, etc)
** Option 2: Predicate to a relative clause the subject's antecedent of which is עדת אבירים?
*** Most modern translations. +
'''The form and grammar of מתרפס'''
LXX reads a negative purpose clause here (so τοῦ μὴ...), perhaps interpreting the ''mem'' as the preposition מן followed by an infinitive in order to express the movement away from a negative situation (cf. Van der Merwe §39.14) Jerome and Symmachus do reflect semantics similar to 'trampling', but Bartélemy (2005, 457) argues that it does not approximate the ''hitpael''. Many commentators deem the problem too complex (Baethgen 1904 leaves this line blank in his translation). The solution will largely depend on the meaning of the word (Hupfeld 1860 argue that the word is active %5BProv 6.30%5D and not reflexive). Modern translations generally reflect the following grammatical options:
* Option 1: Independent clause (although the TAM of the verb varies, and some understand an elided conjunction)
** GNT, NLT, HCSB, KJV, NLT, RSV, ELBBK, BDS, NTV, NET.
** This option is difficult to reconcile with the morphology, especially given that Psa 68 probably reflects Archaic Hebrew.
* Option 2: Adverbial to גער (sometimes; viz., 'rebuke...trampling')
** ASV, NASB1995, NIV.
* Option 3: Attributive phrase describing עמים
** DELUT, LSG, LBLA. +
'''The grammar of חשמנים'''
This ''hapax'' is often a candidate for emendation. Based on the LXX (πρέσβεις 'nobles') some want to emend to הַשְׁמַנִּים ‘the study ones' (viz., leaders), but I don't see why this is necessary since it means the exact same thing as the traditional understanding of the MT.
The grammar of this verse depends on the meaning of חשמנים (DCH has 'envoy, or bronze, or red cloth').
* Option 1: If it refers to people then they are a fitting subject for יאתיו (so ESV, ASV, HCSB, KJV, etc).
* Option 2: If it refers to some sort of non-human entity, then it will probably be adverbial (so NLT: 'Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals', cf. RSV %5Balthough the revocalize the verb%5D, NTV, PDT %5Brevocalizes the verb%5D, NET) +
'''What is the grammatical function of קול עוז?'''
* Option 1: Apposition to קולו
** Peshitta (ܩܠܐ݂ ܥܫܝܢܐ '(his) strong voice'), Targum (בְּקָלֵיהּ קָל רוּחַ נְבוּאֲתָא '...his voice—the voice of the spirit of prophetcy), ESV, ASV, KJV, BDS, LSG, LBLA, RVR95.
* Option 2: Adverbial (viz., 'with a mighty shout')
** LXX ( δώσει ἐν τῇ φωνῇ αὐτοῦ φωνὴν δυνάμεως 'he will let out, with his voice, a voice of power %5BNETS%5D), Jerome (voci suae 'with ihs voice'), GNT, HCSB, NIV, ELBBK.
* DELUT takes בקולו as the indirect object (er wird seinem Donner Kraft geben.) +
The object of יתן is introduced with בְּ in this expression (so DCH), see Jer. 12.8; Psa 46.7; 1QH11.35 +
'''מקדשיך - 'Your temples'? 'Your temple'? 'His temple'?'''
Many of the versions either read ‘his X’ (LXX, S, Jerome; but Peshitta and Targum retain MT) or they parse מקדשיך as a singular rather than a plural noun (LXX, Symmachus?, Peshitta, Jerome, Targum). However, neither of these emendations need be adopted. The first is 'évidemment facilitante’ (Barthélemy 2005, 469), and the second is rejected by the Masorah, which notes that this and Ezekiel 28:18 are the only two instances where this form is written plene, suggesting that this is indeed the plural form (since the singular would never be written with a yod). Levitics 26:31 and Amos 7:9 speak of Israel's sanctuaries (plural). Additionally, it's possible that that the 2nd person suffix refers to Israel (Baethgen 1904, 212). Modern translations diverge as follows:
* 'His sanctuary': GNT, ESV, NLT, RSV, DELUT, PDV2017, NTV,
* 'Your sanctuaries': ASV, KJV, HCSB, ELBBK, RVR95,
* 'Your sanctuary': NASB1995, NIV, NGU2011, NVI, BCC1923, BDS, LSG, SCH2000, DHH94I, LBLA, PDT, NET +
'''v. 2''' – The verb רחשׁ, appearing only here in the Bible, is described by SDBH as "Literally: (one's) heart is astir; hence: %3D process by which thoughts about something keep one's mind occupied -- (one's) mind is full of thoughts."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' For the grammar and transitivity of the verb, see the grammar notes. +
'''v. 2''' – According to the rest of the psalm, the poet’s heart is "stirred" by a powerful ''theme'' or ''topic'', rather than ''word'' or ''matter'', which are more frequent senses of דָּבָר. For our preferred gloss, ''theme'', see BDB.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' +
'''v. 2''' – The noun מַעֲשֶׂה has a wide semantic range. It can refer to work in the sense of the labor of daily life, but can also have the sense of a technical accomplishment, a finely-crafted product/work (SDBH) such as "the work of a baker" מַעֲשֵׂה אֹפֶה (Gen 40:17) %3D baked goods. The latter is likely here, but in this case, the work is that of a poet, i.e. a ''lyrical poem''. Being grammatically plural, מַעֲשַׂ֣י may refer to poetic verses. +
'''v. 2''' – Although pen (עֵ֤ט) is suggested as the English gloss here, as a common writing tool, it should be borne in mind that in the world of the Psalms, עֵט was different from modern pens, being a "reed of about 20 centimeters long and sharpened on one end and split to form a nib; sometimes made of a rush cut at an angle and then frayed to form a fine brush; ► used for making marks with ink on writing material" (SDBH). +
'''v. 2''' – The word glossed as ''skillful'', מָהִֽיר, comes from the root "to be quick," such that here it is used as an adjective to describe the "state in which humans have a significant level of proficiency in a certain craft, which enables them to work relatively fast" (SDBH).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000011-QINU`"' Compare, e.g., “Do you see someone ''skilled in their work'' (מָ֘הִ֤יר בִּמְלַאכְתּ֗וֹ)? They will serve before kings” (Prov 22:29, NIV). +
'''v. 3''' – The phrase ה֣וּצַק חֵ֭ן בְּשִׂפְתוֹתֶ֑יךָ is "literally: grace is poured out on (one's) lips; hence: %3D pattern of actions by which humans speak gracious and kind words -- kind words flow from one's lips" (SDBH).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' The majority of the ancient versions follow the sense of חֵן quite closely, though the Peshitta contains the plural "mercies."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' +
'''v. 9''' – The list of descriptors for the king's clothes, מֹר־וַאֲהָל֣וֹת קְ֭צִיעוֹת, aside from מֹר "myrrh," contains two very rare words in the Bible. The word אֲהָלוֹת "agarwood tree, aloe" (SDBH) appears only here and in Song of Songs 4:14 (though the masculine plural form אֲהָלִים is also found in Prov 7:17). Although it is claimed that this is a loan word from Sanskrit ''aguru'' (BDB, HALOT), which would justify the agarwood suggestion, the reception of "g" as Hebrew "he" has never been satisfactorily explained, and the ''aloe'' sense is much more likely due to the words which typically accompany אֲהָלוֹת/אֲהָלִים in its few instantiations, which include מֹר and קְצִיעוֹת here and in Song 4:14, לְבֹנָה "frankincense," too, in Song 4:14, while Prov 7:17 also includes קִנָּמוֹן "cinnamon," all of which are native to the Horn of Africa, and from where the loanword probably originated (Noonan 2019, 44). Further, although the LXX renders אֲהָלוֹת here as στακτή "oozing drops... trickling" (LSJ), translated as ''myrrh oil'' in the NETS (cf. Jerome's ''stacta''), Song 4:14 is read as ἀλώθ,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' probably a by-form (perhaps following the Hebrew morphology) of ἀλόη "aloe," from which subsequent forms of the word were derived in Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopic, and Latin (Noonan 2019, 44).
The second rare term is קְ֭צִיעוֹת, appearing only here in the Bible. The ancient versions are consistent in rendering this term as some form of their received "cassia," presumably ''cinnamomum cassia'' (so SDBH). Nevertheless, "Classical sources unequivocally state that the spice denoted by κασία and
''casia'' comes from Ethiopia and Arabia, and they clearly describe a spice other than C. cassia (e.g., Dioscorides, ''Mat. med''. 1.13; Theophrastus, ''Hist. plant''. 9.5.1–3; Pliny, ''Nat''. 12.43.95–97). Therefore, Hebrew קְצִיעָה as well as Greek κασία and Latin ''casia'' must refer to a cassia-like spice found in Ethiopia or Arabia, not true cassia... Without doubt this word originates from Ethiopia or Arabia, exactly where Classical sources say this plant comes from. The contextual mention of myrrh, ivory, and Ophir (Ps 45:9–10), all connected with the Red Sea region between Ethiopia and Arabia, confirms this loan hypothesis" (Noonan 2019, 196-197).
'''v. 9''' – For discussion of מִנִּ֥י as the plural "stringed instrument," see the grammar notes. Another lexically-significant interpretation is that of Targum Psalms as מארע מני "from the land of Minni," of which "The place understood here may be Minyas in Armeni" (Stec 2004, 96 n. 21). +
'''v. 10''' – The adjective יָקָר most commonly refers to "rare" (1 Sam 3:1), "precious" or "costly" objects (SDBH), such as "stones" or "wealth" (BDB; Prov 1:13), it can also modify people or lives (as in Prov 6:26). Nevertheless, the generic noun of "objects" has been preferred here, even when describing the "daughters of kings." +
'''v. 10''' – Although the word שֵׁגַל is likely a loanword from Akkadian ''ša ekalli'', as the "wife of the ruling king" (CAD, vol. 4, 61; cf. "wife of a king" in SDBH), it is only attested here and in Neh 2:6. The location "at your right hand" represents a place of honor. Although this word could refer to the queen consort, it may refer to the queen mother (see 1 Kgs 2:19, where King Solomon's mother Bathsheba takes a seat at his right hand). The Aramaic portion of Daniel uses the word to refer to part of the Babylonian king's entourage (his wives and concubines; Dan 5:2ff., 23). Although the word can also be used of a wife of the king (consort), it is not unusual for words to be used for either the wife or the mother of the king. A similar word is גְּבִירָה, which can refer to the wife of the king (1 Kgs 11:19) or the queen mother (2 Kgs 10:13; Jer 13:18; 29:2), as well as mistress (Ps 123:2; Prov 30:23). Further, the שֵׁגַל "stands" or "has taken her stand" (נִצְּבָ֥ה) at the king's right hand, in a position of authority, just as in the case of Bathsheba in 1 Kgs 2:13-35 (see further the arguments put forth in Schroeder 1996, 428). In light of the presence of other princesses as wives for the ruling king, it fits that the שֵׁגַל has taken her stand to exhort the incoming foreign bride throughout vv. 11-13 (Schroeder 1996, 432), especially due to the intentionality of the loan word and its etymology: ''ša ekalli'' "woman of the palace" (from ''aššatu'' and ''ekallu''), reanalyzed as ''šēgallu'' (Fink 2020, 138-139; cf. the contribution of הֵיכָל ≈ ''ekallu'' towards the psalm's poetic structure in vv. 9, 16). In any case, if the queen mother, she would have previously been the queen of the previous king, so the lexeme שֵׁגַל is not out of place (cf. also the mention of "your fathers" in v. 17).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' +
'''v. 10''' – כֶּתֶם is a rarer lexeme for "gold" (cf. the more common זָהָב), limited to nine instances in poetic texts, but which may indeed refer to a "special type of gold" (Noonan 2019, 136).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' Indeed, here as in Isaiah 13:12 and Job 28:16, the noun is modified by "Ophir," which is "a toponym located near the southern shore of the Red Sea. The region of Ophir was well known for its gold in antiquity, and the evidence thus points to a southern “Ophirite” origin for this term" (ibid.). +
'''v. 14''' – The word כְּבוּדָּה is rare (found only here, Judg 18:21 and Ezek 23:41), and its function as a nominal adverb has not always been recognized (see further the grammar notes). +
'''v. 14''' – Outside this instance, the word מִשְׁבְּצוֹת is limited to description of the priest's ephod and clothing (see Exod 28:11, 13, 14, 25; 39:6, 13, 16, 18), as "woven in patterns; hence, possibly: %3D a web of gold yarn used to attach gems to cloth" (SDBH).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000027-QINU`"' +