Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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On the apparent mismatch in grammatical number between תִמְעַ֣ד and אֲשֻׁרָיו, see GKC 145k: "Plurals of names of animals or things, and of abstracts, whether they be masculine or feminine, are frequently construed with the feminine singular of the verbal predicate." +
Verse 28BA contains the most significant textual issue in the psalm. The ESV, representative of most modern translations, follows the reading of the Masoretic Text (לְעוֹלָ֣ם נִשְׁמָ֑רוּ), which it translates, "They are preserved forever." Other translations, however, choose to emend the text. The NJB, for example, adopts as its Hebrew text עַוָּלִים לְעוֹלָם נִשְׁמָדוּ, which it translates as "Evil-doers will perish eternally." Other translations appear to adopt a slightly different Hebrew text: עַוָּלִים נִשְׁמָדוּ (or perhaps עַוָּלִים נִצְמָתוּ): "Wrongdoers will be destroyed" (cf. BDS, DHH94I). See %5B%5BThe Text of Ps 37:28%5D%5D for an in-depth discussion of the issue. In short, there are good reasons to think that the earliest reading of Ps 37:28c is '''wrong-doers are exterminated''' (עַוָּלִם נִשְׁמָדוּ). In the first place, this reading appears to be supported by the oldest witnesses (4Q171 and LXX). It also explains how the other readings came about. The development of the text might have looked something like the following: (1) The original text read עַוָּלִם נִשְׁמָדוּ (so probably LXX and 4Q171), (2) Then the ד in נִשְׁמָדוּ was confused for a ר, and so the text became נִשְׁמָרוּ, and (3) because it makes no sense for עַוָּלִם to be the subject of נִשְׁמָרוּ, the word עַוָּלִם came to be vocalized/understood as עוֹלָם. Finally, (4) because adverbial לְעוֹלָם is more common than adverbial עוֹלָם, the text was changed to לְעוֹלָם נִשְׁמָרוּ. By contrast, it is difficult to explain how the reading לְעוֹלָם נִשְׁמָרוּ would have led to the reading עַוָּלִם נִשְׁמָדוּ. The second reason for adopting עַוָּלִם נִשְׁמָדוּ as the earlier reading is that it fits well in the context. It restores the otherwise disturbed acrostic structure by having a word that begins with ע at the beginning of the line. It also fits well with the parallel line in v. 28d ("the offspring of the wicked are cut off" (וְזֶ֖רַע רְשָׁעִ֣ים נִכְרָֽת). This pair of lines about the wicked (v. 28cd) also matches the pair of lines about the righteous in the following verse (v. 29).
v. 35: Cf. Ibn Ezra (trans. 2009, 280): "The word ''ke-ezrach'' is vocalized with a ''pattach''. It is in the construct. The word ''etz'' has been omitted." +
v. 36: The MT has a third person verb at the beginning of v. 36 (וַ֭יַּֽעֲבֹר), which could either refer to the passing away of the wicked man ("but he passed away," ESV, cf. NIV, CEV, NJPS) or to the passing by of an onlooker ("one passes by," NET, cf. LUT, ELB). The 3ms form is supported also by Symmachus (παρελθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ) and the Targum (ופסק). Other modern translations reflect a first person verb (וָאֶעֲבֹר): "I passed by" (GNT, cf. NLT, CSB, HFA, NGÜ, GNB, ZÜR), a reading which is supported by the LXX (καὶ παρῆλθον), Jerome (iuta Hebr.) (''transivi''), the Peshitta (ܥܒܪܬ), and perhaps also by 4Q171 (ראי%5Dתי רשע עריץ ומתע%5Bרה...ו%5Dאעבור על מ%5Bקו%5Dמו וה%5Bנה אינ%5Dנו וא%5Bבקשהו%5D ולוא %5Bנמצא%5D) (transcription by García Martínez and Tigchelaar 1997, 346; cf. %5Bhttps://archive.org/details/discoveriesinjud0001unse/page/44/mode/2up?view%3Dtheater DJD%5D אעבור על פ%5Bניו%5D, corrected by Strugnell 1970, 216 to ו%5Dאעבור על מ%5Bקו%5Dמו וה%5Bנה, so Pardee 1973). The strong manuscript support for this reading, along with the fact that it fits very well in the immediate context (parallel with the 1st person verb וָאֲבַקְשֵׁהוּ), suggests that it is the original reading. The reading וַיַּעֲבֹר (understood to refer to the "passing away" of the wicked person, so Targum) is probably an assimilation to the preceding verse which describes the activity of the wicked person. Another factor in favor of the 1cs reading (וָאֶעֲבֹר) is the use of הִנֵּה ("look!" or "get this!"). The particle הִנֵּה assumes that some noteworthy piece of information is about to be presented. If the wicked person "vanished" (ויעבר), then the fact that he "is no more" is not noteworthy. It would indeed be noteworthy, however, if the psalmist passed by expecting to see the wicked person but the wicked person was nowhere to be found. This use of עבר + הנה is similar to Prov 24:30-31—"I passed by (עָבַרְתִּי) the field of a sluggard... and behold (וְהִנֵּה), it was all overgrown with thorns..." (ESV; see also Ezek 37:2).
v. 37a: The adjectives might modify the implied noun דֶּרֶךְ (cf. v. 34): "Keep to the blameless %5Bway%5D, and consider the upright %5Bway%5D" (Kselman 1997, 253). The adjectives תם/תמים and ישׁר are elsewhere used to characterize pathways (e.g., תמם Pss 18:31; 101:2, 6; Job 4:6; ישׁר Ps 5:9; Prov 14:12; 16:25), and the act of "guarding" (שׁמר) can have a "pathway" as its patient (e.g., Prov 2:20) (cf. Kselman 1997, 253-254). Or, in light of the b-line, the adjectives might modify the implied noun אִישׁ: "observe the blameless %5Bman%5D; look at the upright %5Bman%5D" (so Rashi; Ibn Ezra). Or, the adjectives might function as abstract nouns: "observe that which is blameless %5Bi.e., blamelessness...%5D" (cf. LXX). +
v. 37b: But in the Psalm, "peace" (שָׁלוֹם) is the final result of those who have trusted YHWH (cf. v. 11). It seems likely, therefore, that the "the last part of our verse is to be interpreted as if written, ''For peace is the future of the man of integrity''. (The word תם is to be read as if written twice)" (Ibn Ezra, trans. 2009; i.e., שָׁלוֹם is not in construct with אִישׁ but is the predicate complement of the clause). So Targum: ארום דסוף בר נשא שלמא. +
4Q171 divides the words differently: (יחד ואחר%5Bית), analyzing the ו as a conjunction instead of the final consonant of יחדו. LXX agrees with MT. +
v. 39: Some textual witnesses omit the ''waw'' in וּתְשׁוּעַת in order to "fix" the acrostic structure (see e.g., Jerome iuxta Hebr., two mss in Kennicott). The oldest witnesses, however, have the ''waw'' (e.g., 4Q171 ות%5Bשועת...%5D; LXX: σωτηρία δὲ). +
v. 40: The lemma of 4Q171 is וימלטם ויפלטם מרשעים, reading וימלטם instead of ויפלטם and ויפלטם instead of יפלטם. There are, then, two textual issues in this verse: (1) is the first verb מלט or פלט, and (2) does the second verb have a ''waw'' conjunction (ויפלטם) or not (יפלטם)?
*Other textual evidence.
**The LXX has καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξελεῖται αὐτοὺς. The use of two different Greek verbs (cf. Ps 71:2 where ῥῦσαί με καὶ ἐξελοῦ με %3D תַּצִּילֵ֥נִי וּֽתְפַלְּטֵ֑נִי) and an additional conjunction (καὶ) suggests that the parent text of LXX agreed with 4Q171. (Elsewhere, the LXX has no problem repeating the same Greek verb if the parent text repeats the same Hebrew verb %5Be.g., ἐρρύσθη... ἐρρύσθημεν %3D נִמְלְטָה֮...נִמְלָֽטְנוּ in Ps 124:7%5D.)
**The Peshitta, which has the same verb twice, the second time with the conjunction (ܘܡܦܨܐ...ܘܡܦܨܐ), probably read ויפלטם ויפלטם.
**Jerome (iuxta Hebr.) has only one verb (''et salvabit eos'') (probably a haplography).
**The mss in Kennicott agree with MT.
*Solution.
**Given the tendency to add ''waw'' conjunctions at the beginnings of b-lines in this psalm (cf. vv. 1, 25, 31, 38, 40), the conjunction on the second verb (the first word of the b-line) is probably secondary.
**The issue of מלט or פלט is more difficult to decide. Given the graphic and sonic similarities between וימלטם and ויפלטם, either reading could be easily explained as a scribal error. The issue comes down to which reading makes better sense in the context of the psalm. It is interesting to note, in this regard, that there is one other instance in the psalm where the same word occurs twice within a very short span of text: כָּל֖וּ... כָּֽלוּ (v. 20), which just so happens to be the final verse of the first half of the psalm and is, therefore, structurally parallel to וַֽיְפַ֫לְּטֵ֥ם יְפַלְּטֵ֣ם in v. 40). The reading of MT thus fits very well within the poetic structure. Just as the wicked are emphatically ''finished off'' (v. 20), so the righteous are emphatically rescued (v. 40). The reading of 4Q171 and LXX is either a scribal error or an attempt at stylistic variation.
'''v. 1a:''' The verb '''תִּתְחַר''' opens the psalm and occurs a total of three times in the psalm (vv. 1, 7-8). Otherwise, the verb is rare, occurring only in Prov 24:19 (אַל־תִּתְחַ֥ר בַּמְּרֵעִ֑ים) and in the margin of a manuscript of Ben Sira (38:16—ואל תתחר בגויתם). Therefore, this verb is part of what makes Ps 37 unique, and understanding its meaning is important to understanding the meaning of the psalm.
*Modern English translations use a wide variety of terms to translate תִּתְחַר: "fret" (NIV, ESV, NET), "worry" (NLT, cf. GNT), "get upset" (NASB), "be annoyed" (CEV), "be vexed" (NJPS), "strive to outdo" (NEB), "get heated" (NJB).
*The ancient versions show a similar variety: "make jealous" (LXX παραζήλου, which Origen understood as meaning "make jealous"), "irritate" (Theodotion παρερεθίζου), "be quarrelsome" (Quinta ἐρεθίζου), "fight" (Aquila διαμάχου), "be contentious" (Symmachus φιλονείκει, lit: "be fond of victory"), "contend" (Jerome contendere), "envy" (Peshitta ܬܚܣܡ), "be impatient" (Targum תגרג, cf. Stec 2004, 79).
*The basic meaning of the verb in the ''qal'' stem is "to burn" (BDB, DCH, TDOT) >> "to be angry" (BDB, HALOT, DCH). The ''hithpael'' (תִּתְחַר), then, probably means, literally, "cause yourself to become hot" (cf. BDB, "heat oneself in vexation") >> cause yourself to become angry. As Boyd writes, "with stative intransitive verbs, the Hithpael is connected with the factitive Piel. With the Piel, the referent represented by %5Bsubject%5D places the referent represented by the %5Bdirect object%5D into a state; whereas, with the ''Hithpael'', the referent/%5Bsubject%5D places himself into a state" (Boyd 2017, 103; but see TDOT which suggests that the ''hithpael'' of this verb is intensive: "fly into a passion").
*In Ps 37, the verb is associated with anger. It is parallel to "anger" (אַף) and "wrath" (חֵמָה) in v. 8, and in v. 1 it is parallel to "envy" (קַנֵּא), which is elsewhere associated with anger (e.g., Ps 79:5; Prov 27:4). In v. 7, its opposite is patient and calm waiting for YHWH (דּ֤וֹם׀ לַיהוָה֮ וְהִתְח֪וֹלֵ֫ל ל֥וֹ).
*The attitude described by this verb is clearly expressed in other passages of the Bible. Someone who says the following is someone who has "worked themselves up" (הִתְחַר) in the sense described in Ps 37:
**"It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it." (Mal 3:14-15, NIV)
**"Take a good look. This is what the wicked are like, those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. I concluded, 'Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle. I suffer all day long, and am punished every morning.'" (Ps 73:12-14, NET)
*SDBH accurately defines the word as "process by which humans or deities experience extreme displeasure" and glosses it as "become angry." "Get upset" (which refers not just to anger, but also to worry and to displeasure more generally) would also be an appropriate gloss for this definition (so NASB: "get upset").
'''v. 1b:''' The verb '''רעע''' in the ''hiphil'' means “to treat badly, make difficulties for someone, cause injury” (TLOT). In Ps 37, the participle מרעים is partially synonymous with עשי עולה (v. 1), רשׁעים (vv. 9, 12, 14, etc.), and so it has a clear moral dimension: "%5Bthose who%5D act wickedly" (SDBH). The מרעים rebel against YHWH's authority (cf. v. 38) and are thus considered "YHWH's enemies" (v. 20). +
'''v. 2a:''' The adverb '''מְהֵרָה''' probably refers to the imminence of the wicked's destruction as well as to the speed with which it will take place. It will happen "soon" (NIV, NLT, ESV, CEV, GNT), and when it does, it will happen "quickly" (NET). Cf. v. 10. +
'''v. 2b:''' The word '''יֶרֶק''' is a substantive in Hebrew but must be translated as an adjective+noun in English “green thing” or “something green” (cf. HALOT: "greenery"). The noun can refer to any green appendage of a plant (e.g., Exod 10:15). +
v. 3b: There are five different ways of understanding the meaning of רעה אמונה.
*Option 1: root רעה I, transitive, "graze on faithfulness >> be busy with faithfulness" (cf. HALOT, Gesenius 2013, 1254), on analogy with Prov 15:14—"the fool feeds on trash" (NLT; Hebrew: וּפִי כְסִילִים יִרְעֶה אִוֶּלֶת). So Targum: "be occupied with (עסוק) faithfulness" (Stec 2004, 79).
*Option 2: root רעה I, transitive, "graze on faithfulness >> graze on a reliable food supply" (see Kselman 1997, 252). The following verb ענג in v. 4 is also associated with food (cf. Isa 55:2; 58:14; 66:11).
*Option 3: root רעה I, transitive, "shepherd faithfulness >> guard faithfulness", i.e., "maintain your integrity" (NET, cf. NJPS: "remain loyal")
*'''Option 4: root רעה I, intransitive, "graze securely >> "Live securely"''' (CSB; so Baethgen 1904, 104; Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 234). Cf. Symmachus (also Jerome): ποιμαίνου διηνεκῶς. The image is similar to that in Isa 14:30: "The poorest of the poor will find pasture (וְרָעוּ), and the needy will lie down in safety" (NIV; cf. Ezek 34:14, 18f; Isa 33:6). The syntax is similar to Isa 30:23, where intransitive רעה is modified by an adverbial accusative—יִרְעֶ֥ה מִקְנֶ֛יךָ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא כַּ֥ר נִרְחָֽב, "In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows" (NIV). According to this view, אמונה does not refer to the virtue of "faithfulness" but to "security" or "stability" (cf. Isa 33:6—"He is your constant source of stability %5Bאֱמוּנַ֣ת עִתֶּ֔יךָ%5D," NET) and functions as an adverbial accusative (CSB: "securely").
*Option 5: root רעה II, transitive, "befriend faithfulness" (ESV). Cf. SDBH: "literally: to associate (with an event); hence: %3D process by which humans undergo a certain condition"; cf. BDB: "cherish faithfulness". +
In the context, the imperatives in vv. 3b-4 are probably not moral exhortations to righteous living, but promises for the person who trusts in YHWH (cf. Baethgen 1904, 104). In other words, only the imperatives in the first line (v. 3a) function as a directives ("trust in YHWH and do good!"). The following imperatives, beginning with "dwell in the land," function (as imperatives sometimes do) "to express a distinct assurance... or promise" (GKC 110c; cf. JM114p; IBHS 34.4c). Cf. the parallel verse, Ps 37:27 ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֗וֹב וּשְׁכֹ֥ן לְעוֹלָֽם %3D "turn from evil and do good, and (you will) dwell forever." If this analysis is correct and רעה אמונה is not a moral exhortation to faithfulness, then the options 1, 3, and 5 discussed in phrase-level notes are less likely, and options 2 and 4 are more likely. Between these two options, option 4 has clearer semantic and syntactic parallels. +
'''מִשְׁאֲלֹת לִבֶּֽ''' (your heart's requests >> your heart's desires): Most translations have "desires of your heart" (NIV, ESV, cf. NLT, CEV, GNT). If the "requests of the heart" are unarticulated, then "desires" is a good translation. Alternatively, the phrase "requests of the heart" could instead refer to verbal requests which originate in the heart (cf. NET: "your prayers"). In Ps 19, the phrase "meditation of my heart" (הֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי), juxtaposed with the phrase "words of my mouth," probably refers to unvoiced thoughts. Similarly, in Ps 37:4, the reference is probably to unvoiced requests, i.e., (deep-seated) desires. +
'''v. 5a:''' The word translated '''commit''' (גּ֣וֹל, so ESV, NIV, NLT, NET) is, literally "to roll away, to God: a need, distress" (HALOT). SDBH defines it as an "action by which humans show their confidence in a deity by putting difficult matters in that deity's hands, ◄ like a heavy stone is rolled on to someone else who is more able to carry it" (cf. Ps 22:9 %5Bגֹּ֣ל אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה%5D; Prov 16:3 %5Bגֹּ֣ל אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ%5D). The NJPS translation does a good job bringing out the sense of the clause: "Leave all to the LORD" (NJPS). +
'''v. 5b:''' The verb '''עשה''' is sometimes intransitive, meaning "act with effect, especially of %5BYHWH%5D" (BDB; e.g., Pss 22:32; 52:11; see BDB for more examples). Cf. ESV: "he will act"; NET: "he will act on your behalf." +
'''v. 6a:''' "Bring out like the light" >> '''make known'''. "Your righteousness will be visible to everyone; in the same way that everyone can see the light, so everyone will be able to see that you are in the right and that your deeds are just." Cf. CEV: "Then it will be as clear as the noonday sun that you were right." +
'''v. 6b:''' The word '''משפט''' refers to behavior that conforms to YHWH’s law (cf. SDBH: “practices that conform to the laws of God”). Everyone will be able to see that this person is in the right and their deeds are just (in conformity with God’s law). +