Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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'''v. 21:''' '''חוֹנֵן וְנוֹתֵֽן''' ("giving generously"): Two synonymous words forming a fixed compound. The two verbs communicate a single idea ("lending generously"). The same expression is used in Ps 112:5—חוֹנֵן וּמַלְוֶה. Cf. NIV "give generously." +
The semantic relationship between the b-line and the a-line is difficult to understand. Consequently, the meaning of the words in the b-line are also hard to understand (וְדַרְכּ֥וֹ יֶחְפָּֽץ). There are at least three options. The first two options see the b-line as semantically subordinate to the a-line, qualifying or restricting the meaning of the a-line in some way. The third option sees an opposite relationship: the b-line is semantically subordinate to the a-line.
*Option 1. "...when he %5B%3Da person%5D delights in YHWH's prescribed way of life" (cf. NIV), i.e., YHWH only establishes a person's steps if that person delights in YHWH's prescribed way of life.
*Option 2. "...when he %5B%3DYHWH%5D delights in a person's way of life" (cf. NJPS, NET, CEV, GNT), i.e., YHWH only establishes a person's steps if he delights in that person's way of life (cf. Theodore of Mopsuestia ed. 2006, 430-1; Baethgen 1904, 106-107; Hupfeld 298; Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 233). Calvin: "For I consider the copula and, in the second clause of the verse, to be used instead of the causal particle because, and resolve the whole verse in this way: Because the way of the godly is acceptable to God, he directs their footsteps to a happy issue..."
*Option 3. "When (ὅταν) the ways of a person are straightened by the Lord, then (τότε) he will want his road" (Origen, trans. Trigg 2020, 127; Greek text from Origen, ed. 2015, 162). Calvin mentions this interpretation, though he does not adopt it: "Some join together these two things, first, that the footsteps of the godly are ordered by the grace of God, since men do not in their own strength follow what is just and right, but only in so far as the Spirit of God directs them; and hence the second follows, namely, that God favors and approves what is his own."
In this verse, it is the person, not YHWH, who is on a (metaphorical) journey through life (cf. v. 23a—"the steps of a person"). Thus, the 3ms suffix on דַּרְכּוֹ ("his way") probably refers to the person (cf. Ruiz 2009, 201). Consequently, the subject of "delights" (יֶחְפָּץ) is probably YHWH. Option 1 is, therefore, unlikely, and the choice remains between Options 2-3. The decision between these two options depends on what it means for "footsteps" to be "established" (כוננו). SDBH claims that it means for one's life to become "faithful and in line with the will of God" (so LXX κατευθύνεται; cf. Pss 51:12; 78:8, 37; 119:5, 133). According to this interpretation of the phrase, Option 2 would not make sense, and Option 3 would be the most likely option. The sequence of thought would be as follows: YHWH brings a person's way of life in line with his own will --> (as a result) the person keeps YHWH's commands (cf. Ps 119:5) --> (as a result) YHWH takes pleasure in that person's way of life. This interpretation fits well in the flow of the text: the previous strophe contrasted the behavior of the righteous and the wicked (vv. 21-22), and now v. 23 explains ''how'' the righteous have become righteous. This interpretation also accounts for the verb forms (''qatal'' --> ''yiqtol''). On the other hand, the establishment of one's footsteps can also refer to the granting of security (cf. Ps 40:3, which is the only other instance of כונן %5Bpoel/poal%5D with reference to footsteps %5Bcf. Ps 7:10%5D). Calvin: "As God sees that the faithful act conscientiously, and do not turn aside from the way which he has appointed, he blesses their efforts. And, certainly, since the prophet speaks generally — and yet it is certain that the faithful only are here spoken of — the second clause must necessarily be considered as spoken by way of exposition. Accordingly, the term ''way'' denotes their manner and course of living; as if he had said, that the godly have no other object in view but to frame their lives agreeably to the will of God, and to obey what he commands. The term ''footsteps'' I consider as referring to external success." The thought is similar to Prov 16:3, which has already been echoed earlier in the psalm (v. 5).
The preposition '''מִ''' in מֵ-יְהוָה is a מִ of ''source'' (from YHWH >> by YHWH). Confer GKC §121f. "The efficient cause (or personal agent) is, as a rule, attached to the passive by לְ... less commonly by מִן (called מִן of origin%3Dcoming from), e.g. Gen 9:11... Ps 37:23..." For agentive מן in passive constructions, see also 2 Kgs 25.30/Jer. 52.34; Job 24.1 and 1QIsaª of Isa. 9.18 (מעברת יהוה צבאות נתעם הארץ), though the MT has בְּעֶבְרַ֛ת יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת נֶעְתַּ֣ם אָ֑רֶץ (which shows an overlap with instrumental בְּ). +
"When he falls, he will not be thrown down," i.e., the fall will not be a devastating crash from which he does not recover (cf. LXX: "Should he fall %5Bὅταν πέσῃ%5D, he will not crash %5Bοὐ καταραχθήσεται%5D" %5BNETS%5D; cf. Origen, trans. Trigg 2020, 127, who compares it to a wrestler who falls in one round but emerges victorious in the end; Jerome iuxta Hebr.: ''cum ceciderit non adlidetur''; so most modern translations, which they express in various ways: "fall... cast headlong" %5BESV%5D; "trips... fall headlong" %5BNET%5D; "stumble... fall" %5BNIV, NLT, CEV%5D; "fall... stay down" %5BGNT%5D; cf. Radak: לא ישלך לארץ). Craigie expresses the idea well: "if he falls, he won't fall flat on his face" (1983, 295). As he writes, "The righteous retain their humanity and still may fall in the walk of life; the divine hand ensures that the fall will not be so grave as to prohibit them from ever rising again and continuing to walk life's road" (1983, 298). The thought is similar to Ps 34:20—"The hardships of the righteous are many, but YHWH rescues him from all of them" (CBC).
*Another option: "When he falls, he will not be thrown off the path" (cf. Jer 22:28, where הוטל refers to being thrown out of the land; cf. ''hiphil'' in Jer 16:13; 22:26).
*Another option: The subject of יִפּוֹל could also be impersonal: "when ''it'' falls", i.e., "When ''disaster'' falls, he will not be thrown down." Cf. Targum: "Though he may fall ''ill'' (ארום יפול מרע, lit.: "though sickness may fall"), he will not ''die'' (לא ימות)" (Stec 2004, 81; cf. DCH). +
The singular '''זֶרַע''' is often used to refer to one's descendants collectively (e.g., Gen 3:15; 15:3; 1 Sam 2:20; Jer 33:26; Job 21:28), so a plural gloss ("children") is appropriate. +
To '''become a blessing''' (לִבְרָכָה) probably means, in this context, to become a standard which is invoked in the verbal blessing of others. Cf. Zech 8:13—"And just as you were a curse among the nations, O House of Judah and House of Israel, so, when I vindicate you, you shall become a blessing" (NJPS). The same phrase (היה לברכה) occurs in Gen 12:3, which Wenham explains as follows: "In other words, people will say, 'May God make me as blessed as Abram'" (1987, 276). +
The word '''justice''' (מִשְׁפָּט) refers to "practices that conform to the laws of God" (SDBH). +
The abstract nouns '''wisdom''' and '''justice''' are metonymic for "that which is wise" and "that which is just" (cf. NIV: "what is just"). Words that are just are words that conform to YHWH's law, i.e., they are characterized by truth, honesty and love for one's neighbor. +
In this context, the ''hiphil'' verb '''יַרְשִׁיעֶנּוּ''' is probably not declarative ("declare guilty, condemn") but causative—"cause to be condemned" (HALOT) or "allow to be condemned" (NET, cf. NIV, NLT, ESV, GNT, NJPS), since YHWH is not the judge in this case, but rather the one protecting the righteous person who has entered into judgment. Alternatively, it could mean that "if men sit in judgment upon the righteous, yet God, the supreme Judge, does not condemn him, but acquits him" (Delitzsch 1996, 286). +
'''v. 36:''' The meaning of '''עבר''' in v. 36a depends on whether we read אעבר ("I passed by") or יעבר ("he vanished"). See note on grammar.
If we adopt the reading אעבר, then it probably means "to pass by (and see) %5Bsomething%5D." E.g., Prov 24:30-31—"I passed by (עָבַרְתִּי) the field of a sluggard... and behold (וְהִנֵּה), it was all overgrown with thorns..." (ESV; cf. Ezek 37:2). In Ps 37, the psalmist's use of הִנֵּה invites the addressee to see the surprising situation for himself. Cf. BHRG §40.22.4.1(2): "וְהִנֵּה is used by a narrator (sometimes a speaker) ''to put the addressee in the perspective of the observing character''... Typically, one or another type of movement and/or change of scene is involved so that the the observers are confronted with a new situation which is ''surprising'' to them." +
The verb '''שׁמר''' can sometimes mean "watch" or "pay attention to" (e.g., 1 Sam 1:12; Isa 42:20) (cf. HALOT, "to keep > to watch, observe"). +
The precise meaning of the word '''אַחֲרִית''' is difficult to determine in this context. As Seebass writes, "it cannot be determined with certainty whether it is better to translate it by 'future' or 'posterity' in Ps. 37:37; and even more perplexing is the use of אַחֲרִית in v. 38 (future, posterity, remnant?)" (TDOT; cf. LXX ἐγκατάλειμμα %5B"remnant"%5D). The NLT translates the words as "a wonderful future... future" (cf. Jer 29:11; Prov 23:18) while the GNT translates them both as "descendants" (cf. Jer 31:17; Ps 109:13, so HALOT, BDB, DCH). However we translate the words here, both "wonderful future" and "descendants" are probably in view. Indeed, in the ancient Israelite worldview, a wonderful future entails descendants. +
The adverb '''יחדו''' could indicate inclusivity (LXX: "together" %5BNETS, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό%5D; NIV: "all sinners") or degree (GNT: "completely," NET: "totally", so DCH: ''transgressors shall be utterly destroyed''; cf. Ps 19:10). The use of the verb שׁמד ("wipe out completely, exterminate") and the emphatic assertion of the b-line that even their offspring will be destroyed suggests that יחדו indicates degree: "utterly" or "completely" (see DCH). +
In the phrase '''מֵיְהוָ֑ה מָֽ֝עוּזָּ֗ם בְּעֵ֣ת צָרָֽה׃''' ("...from YHWH, their fortress during times of trouble"), "the second member designates the role/capacity of the first member" (BHRG §29.3). +
The imperative in v. 4a, which is coordinate with the imperatives in v. 3b (and part of the same ב strophe) should probably be understood in the same way, i.e., not as an exhortation ("delight yourself!") but as a promise ("and you will delight yourself..."). In this case, the purpose-result semantics are not only an implicature, they seem to be encoded syntactically by means of the waw prefix (cf. JM §116f on the use of waw + imperative to indicate purpose or consecutive action). Thus, according to vv. 3b-4, those who trust in YHWH and do good (v. 3a) will dwell in the land and graze securely (v. 3b), find delight in YHWH, and receive their heart's desires (v. 4). Cf. NET: "Then you will take delight in the LORD..." +
The destruction of the wicked and the righteous' taking possession of the land are future events (rather than habitual events). The psalm is looking forward to a time in the imminent future (cf. v. 1 "soon", v. 10 "just a little longer...") when YHWH will act decisively to bring about the destruction of the wicked and reward the righteous with possession of the land. Cf. Ruiz 2009. +
The future-perfective ''yiqtol'' of יִֽירְשׁוּ probably expresses the terminal phase of the event: they already possess the land to some extent now but will do so fully in the future when the wicked have been destroyed. +
It is not clear whether the participles in vv. 12, 21, 32 are continuous or habitual. Participles usually indicate continuous action, but see 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." Similarly, Joosten 2020, 5, says that "in other usages, the verbalized participle expresses functions that can also be expressed with yiqtol. Both forms can refer to habitual processes..." (citing Exod 13:15 as an example). The author of Ps 37 might have used the participle instead of yiqtol because a yiqtol would not have fit the acrostic (cf. Ps 34:8, 21, 23). So most English translations: "the wicked plot(s)" (NLT, NIV, ESV, GNT, REB; cf. Jerome: cogitat). On the other hand, continuous aspect would work well in the context. Each of the participles in vv. 12, 21, 32 occurs at the beginning of a new poetic section (see poetic structure). Each section begins, in other words, with the speaker pointing to some current situation about which the hearer is worried (cf. v. 1) and then proceeding to address the issue. +
As a stative-transitive verb (like ידע or שׁמע), the qatal verb ראה can have a present meaning (cf. Gen 26:28; 33:10; etc.; so LXX: προβλέπει). Recognizing the morphology, however, we will diagram it as an action that took place in the past whose resultant state still obtains. This could be paraphrased: “he has come to see” (%3D “he sees”). +
The prepositional phrases in this line and the next indicate habitual aspect for these events: "whenever hard times come, %5Bthose who trust YHWH%5D will not come to shame." +