Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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* Since "dismay" is an emotion, and since '''bones''' can refer to the "seat of the emotions,"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' it is likely that "bones" in Psalm 6 refers not only to the physical body, but (by synecdoche) to the whole person.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' At the same time, the use of the image supports the idea that the psalmist is suffering physically. Bones were also thought to be "the seat of one's physical strength and health."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'
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* The phrase '''my soul''' is an emotionally charged way of speaking of oneself, and, in English, it is often best translated with the pronoun "I."
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* The verb translated as '''turn back''' (שׁוּבָה) has been interpreted to mean either "return (from absence)" (NLT) or "relent (from anger)" (NET). See the exegetical issue page, %5B%5BThe Meaning of שׁוּבָה in Ps. 6:5%5D%5D, for an in-depth discussion of the issue. In short, the plea for YHWH to "turn" is most likely a request for YHWH to change the course of his activity – to turn from anger to mercy, from punishment to healing (cf. vv. 2–3). This well-attested meaning of the word שׁוּב (cf. Isa 63:17; Ps 90:13; Exod 32:12; etc.) is the most appropriate meaning in the context of Psalm 6, in which the psalmist's basic problem is not that YHWH is absent, but that YHWH is angry and actively inflicting punishment (vv. 2–4).
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* The psalmist grounds his plea in YHHW's '''loyalty''' (חַסְדֶּךָ), which recalls YHWH's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7: "I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him (וְהֹֽכַחְתִּיו) with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love (וְחַסְדִּי) will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you" (2 Sam 7:14-15, NIV). The term "loyalty" (NIV: "love"), which occurs in both passages, refers to a "state in which humans or deities are committed towards fulfilling their obligations and show that by their actions" (SDBH). SDBH suggests "loyalty" as a possible English gloss.
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* The '''world of the dead''' (מָוֶת, lit: "death") was "considered to be a remote place, deep in the earth, with power over humankind, without remembrance, without praising God" (SDBH). The word is parallel to the proper noun '''Sheol''' (שְׁאוֹל), a place of great depth (Deut 32:22), guarded by gates (Isa 38:10), associated with darkness (Job 17:13), dust (Job 17:16), and silence (Ps 31:18).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
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* The word translated as '''mention''' (זִכְרֶךָ) is an important word in the psalm. It refers to an "action by which memories of certain divine activities are celebrated in word or song" (SDBH). The NLT translation, therefore, is somewhat misleading: "For the dead do not ''remember'' you." As Childs notes, the psalmist "suffers not because of the inability to ''remember'' YHWH in death, as the word is often translated. Rather, the parallelism %5B"who can praise you?"%5D indicates that the problem arises from the failure of the dead to share in the praise of Yahweh which characterizes Israel's worship (cf. Ps 88.11; Isa 38:18)."'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000C-QINU`"' The Septuagint translator accurately communicates this meaning by choosing a Greek word that implies speaking (μνημονεύω) rather than a word that describes a purely mental activity (μιμνήσκομαι, which is how the translator usually translates זכר) (cf. Pietersma).
* Significantly, the noun זֵכֶר can also refer to an "appellation through which one can be remembered" (SDBH). It is often a synonym of the word "name" (שֵׁם).'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000D-QINU`"' This is significant in Psalm 6, because in vv. 7-8, where the psalmist's suffering is at its deepest, the psalm never mentions YHWH's name. In vv. 2-6, he mentions YHWH's name five times. But in vv. 7-8, it is as though David has descended into the world of the dead, the place where YHWH is neither named nor praised. But then in the fourth section (vv. 9-11), David regains energy, confidence, and authority, and he proclaims YHWH's name three times, as though he has come back from the dead. The NIV nicely captures the meaning and poetic significance by translating אֵין...זִכְרֶךָ as "no one proclaims your name" (NIV).
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* This section of the psalm (vv. 7–8) uses several rare words, probably chosen for the sake of their sound.
* The verb '''drench''' (אַשְׂחֶה v. 7b) occurs only three times in the Hebrew Bible and only here in the ''hiphil'' stem.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' Because in the ''qal'' stem it means “to swim,”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' in the ''hiphil'' stem, it probably means “to cause to swim,”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' which is probably a hyperbolic way of saying “to flood/drench.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"'
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* The verb '''melt''' (אַמְסֶה v. 7c) occurs a few other times in the Bible, mostly in the Psalms.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' It means literally to “melt” or to “dissolve into liquid” (e.g. the melting of ice in Ps 147:18). In Psalm 6, it is used in the hyperbolic image of a flood of tears turning a couch to liquid.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' Together, the words "melt" and "drench" dramatically depict the psalmist adrift in a watery chaos. His tears drench his bed (v. 7b), and then the bed itself turns into water (v. 7c).
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* Verse 7 uses two different words to describe the place where the psalmist sleeps: '''my bed''' (מִטָּתִי) and '''my couch''' (עַרְשִׂי). The mention of a "bed"/"couch" supports the idea that the psalmist is a king, i.e., "David" (v. 1), since "in the ancient Near East a bed was a piece of luxury furniture... Ordinary individuals slept on the ground on spreads or rugs, covered with a cloak (Jgs. 4:18; Ex. 22:26–27)."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' The mention of a "bed" also supports the idea that the psalmist is suffering from some sickness (see above), since beds were sometimes associated with sickness (cf. 2 Kgs 1:4; Ps 41:4). The two words ("bed" and "couch") probably have the same referent, and it is difficult to discern a difference in meaning. TDOT suggests that the first word, "bed" (מִטָּה), which is the more common word, "refers to a bed with a wooden frame," while the second word, "couch" (עֶרֶשׂ) "denotes a more luxurious bed with frame, cushions, and the like."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'
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* A person's '''eye''' was viewed as an indicator of a person's health—"sparkling when the body is healthy and strong, but dim when weak or sick" (SDBH).
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* The verb '''has wasted away''' (עָשְׁשָׁה) occurs three times in the Bible, only in the Psalms and only in the ''qal'' stem.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' It is a stative verb.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' In each instance, the subject is either "my eye" (Pss 6:8; 31:10) or "my bones" (Ps 31:11). The precise meaning of the word is uncertain. HALOT gives the following options, “(a) to become dark, clouded is acceptable for Ps. 6:8 and 31:10, and (b) to be weak is not necessarily excluded; on the other hand (c) to decompose is only relevant for Ps. 31:11; in all instances (d) to swell up is possible and therefore to be preferred.”'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"'
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* The verb '''has become weak''' (עָתְקָה), which occurs only here in the Psalms,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' appears to have the concrete meaning “move (away)” (BDB, HALOT). In Job 21:7, this meaning is metaphorically extended to mean “move on in years,” i.e., “to be/grow old." In Psalm 6:8, there appears to be a further metaphorical extension, based on the association between old age and weakness: "move on --> grow old --> become weak."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"' SDBH defines this use of the word as a "process by which parts of the body lose strength and therefore become unable to function well; ◄ caused by grief or illness."
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* In v. 3, David prayed for YHWH to have mercy on him (חָנֵּנִי) and for YHWH to heal him (רְפָאֵנִי). In terms of the poetic structure, v. 10 mirrors v. 3, so that David's '''plea for mercy''' (תְּחִנָּתִי v. 10a) refers to his plea for YHWH to have mercy (v. 3a), and his '''prayer''' (תְּפִלָּתִי v. 10b) refers to his prayer for healing (v. 10b).
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* The '''shame''' described in this verse is primarily a social experience (NLT: "disgraced," NASB: "put to shame," NET: "humiliated") rather than an internal, emotional experience (Amplified Bible: "be ashamed %5Bof what they have done%5D"). SDBH defines it as a "state in which someone has forfeited the respect of the community, due to a situation that is not in accordance to someone's status."
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* The noun '''moment''' (רָֽגַע) describes "a very short length of time" (SDBH). Most English translations render it as "suddenly" (KJV, NIV, NLT, CSB, NET; cf. NJPS: "in an instant," ESV: "in a moment"). The Septuagint uses a phrase (διὰ τάχους) that "expresses not the unexpectedness but the speed of the enemies’ demise" (Pietersma). This is an appropriate translation, because, poetically, v. 11b corresponds to v. 4b, and the phrase "in a moment" (רָֽגַע, v. 11b) answers the question "how long?" (v. 4b).
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* Verse 3b is one long construct chain: '''the 'all-my-pleasure-is-in-them' mighty ones''' (אַדִּירֵי כָּל־חֶפְצִי־בָם). For other examples of independent clauses embedded within construct chains, see GKC §130d. The clause "all my pleasure is in them" (כָּל־חֶפְצִי־בָם) reflects the attitude of others towards the "mighty ones." They are "the mighty ones, of whom people say: all my delight is in them" (Peels 2000, 247–248; cf. Ḥakham 1979, 68). The phrase כָּל־חֶפְצִי־בָם might even be a fixed expression (cf. 2 Kgs 21:1; Isa 62:4) (so Ridderbos 1972, 157), in which case, it is not surprising to find it functioning as a nominal here.
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* According to our interpretation of this difficult verse, the ''lamed'' preposition on לִקְדוֹשִׁים describes the others as being '''on the side of''' the holy ones and the mighty ones (cf. Exod 32:26; Josh 5:13; Ps 120:7).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' See %5B%5BThe Text and Grammar of Ps 16:3%5D%5D for a detailed discussion of the issues and of other possible interpretations of the ''lamed''.
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* The phrase נִסְכֵּיהֶם מִדָּם is short for "their drink offerings (which are made) of blood" (Radak: נסכיהם שהם מדם; cf. Staszak 2024, 123; cf. KJV, ESV, NRSVue, CSB, NET, NIV, NLT, CEB, NEB). The pronoun suffix '''their''' (הֶם) indicates the possessor of the drink offerings, and the prepositional phrase "(made) '''of blood'''" (מִדָּם) describes the nature, or substance, of the drink offerings. Instead of wine, these pagan offerings to underworld deities consist of blood.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
* The syntactic construction נִסְכֵּיהֶם מִדָּם is somewhat unusual. Instead, we might have expected a three-member construct chain: *נִסְכֵּי דְמָם*. E.g., "their idols of silver (אֱלִילֵי כַסְפּוֹ) and their idols of gold (אֱלִילֵי זְהָבוֹ)" (Isa 2:20, ESV). But such a construction could have been confusing, liable to be misunderstood as "drink offerings of ''their'' blood." Furthermore, the use of the phrase מִדָּם makes for alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds) with שְׁמוֹתָם in the previous line: מִדָּם // -מוֹתָם. Thus, to avoid confusion and achieve alliteration, the poet used the phrase נִסְכֵּיהֶם מִדָּם.
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* The construct phrase מְנָת־חֶלְקִי appears to be short for "the portion (מְנָת) that was given to me as a possession (חֵלֶק) (so Rabbi Moshe Yitzhak Ashkenazi: מנה שנתנה לי לחלק). Modern English translations have "my allotted share" (NJPS), "my allotted portion" (NEB), "my chosen portion" (NRSVue, ESV; so DCH), or simply "my portion" (CEB, NIV, CSB).
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* The phrase "delightful %5Bones%5D" (נְעִמִים) is probably short for "delightful places" (cf. ESV, NRSVue NIV, NASB95, KJV; so Radak: במקומות נעימים). The definite article (בַּנְּעִמִים) probably marks the phrase as a superlative: '''the most delightful places''' (so LXX: "in the most excellent spots" %5Bἐν τοῖς κρατίστοις%5D, trans. NETS). For the use of the definite article to indicate a superlative, see JM §141j.
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