Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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* The vast majority of the modern translations consulted follow the Masoretic Text of v. 3b: "There is no help for him in God" (CSB, et al.). By contrast, the NRSV, following the Syriac Peshitta (so NRSV footnote), says, "There is no help for ''you'' in God" (NRSV; Peshitta: ܕܠܝܬ ܠܟܝ ܦܘܪܩܢܐ ܒܐܠܗܟܝ). But the Peshitta Psalter characteristically "deviates from its Hebrew base text and accommodates the translation to the immediate context, following a certain logic or overcoming a certain difficulty." '"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' In this case, the Peshitta is almost certainly giving a free translation of the same text as we have in the MT and all of our other witnesses. The translator probably used 2ms language ("for you... your God") because he interpreted the phrase לְנַפְשִׁי in v. 3a as indicating the addressee of the speech: "saying ''to'' me" instead of "saying ''about'' me."
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* Instead of '''in God''' (בֵאלֹהִים), the Septuagint has "in ''his'' God" (ἐν τῷ θεῷ αὐτοῦ %3D באלהיו?). There is a good chance that the variant reflects a different Hebrew text (באלהיו), since the Septuagint Psalter is typically literal in its attempt to represent pronominal suffixes, and since it is easy to see how באלהים and באלהיו might have been mistaken for one another.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' It is difficult to determine which reading is the earlier reading. Both readings have early attestation, the MT reading being supported by Symmachus and Jerome. In the MT's reading, the ים ending of בֵאלֹהִים rhymes with other words in the context (cf. רבים and אמרים in this verse and מרים in the next verse), perhaps making this reading preferable on poetic grounds.
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The interrogative "''''why'''" (לָמָּה) is elided in the second clause. Cf. NLT: "Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans?"'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' At least semantically, it is probably implied in the clauses of v. 2 as well.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' +
The noun '''רִיק''' could either be the direct object of the verb'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' or a nominal adverb.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' Both interpretations are grammatically possible. For the direct object interpretation, cf. Ps 4:3 (תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן רִ֑יק). See also the numerous examples of הגה taking a similar abstract noun as its object: Isa 59:3 (עַוְלָה); Ps 37:30 (חָכְמָה); Ps 38:13 (וּמִרְמֹות); Prov 8:7 (אֱמֶת); Job 27:4 (רְמִיָּה). For the nominal adverb interpretation, cf. Ps 73:13—אַךְ־רִ֭יק זִכִּ֣יתִי לְבָבִ֑י (also Isa 30:7; cf. the frequently occurring phrase לְרִיק/לָרִיק, Lev 26:16, 20; Isa 49:4; 65:23; Job 39:16). Given the fact that the verb הגה typically takes an object (either a bare noun phrase or a ''beth'' prepositional phrase), the direct object interpretation is more likely. If the poet wanted to clearly indicate an adverbial reading, we might have expected לריק. +
The prepositional phrases "against YHWH and against his anointed" (v. 2c) probably modify both of the preceding clauses (v. 2ab). Implicitly, it modifies the clauses in v. 1 as well. +
The Septuagint includes "''Selah''" (Greek: διάψαλμα) at the end of v. 2. +
The prepositional phrase "'''them'''" (לָמוֹ) appears to modify not only the verb in the b-line (ילעג), but the verb in the a-line as well (ישׂחק).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' For other instances of שׂחק ל, see Pss 37:13; 59:9. +
In v. 4b, many manuscripts read יהוה instead of אֲדֹנָי.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' But אדני, which is attested in our earliest Hebrew manuscript (11Q7), is almost certainly the earlier reading. Scribes are more likely to have changed אדני (which is far less common) to יהוה (which is far more common) rather than the other way around. Furthermore, אדני, which highlights YHWH's superiority, fits the context very well (see esp. the similar context for אדני in Ps 37:13a—אֲדֹנָ֥י יִשְׂחַק־ל֑וֹ). Note also that the earthly kings are called to become YHWH's "servants" in v. 11, i.e., to submit to his lordship and serve him as master. +
The ''waw'' at the beginning of v. 6 functions at the discourse level "to signal text level disjunction or transition."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' Specifically, in this case, it connects and contrasts YHWH's response to the nations' speech in v. 3. "The function of this type of speech-initial וְ is to mark a dispreferred response."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' +
Depending on how one divides the lines in v. 7ab, "'''YHWH'''" may be either the final noun of a construct chain ("...decree of YHWH. He said..." so Targum: קימא דייי; see also the layout in the Aleppo Codex) or the subject of the following clause ("...decree. YHWH said..." so MT accents %5Bole we-yored%5D; Aquila%5B?%5D: κύριος; Peshitta), or, if "YHWH" is read twice, both the final noun of a construct chain and the subject of the next clause ("...decree of YHWH. YHWH said..." so LXX; Jerome %5Biuxta Hebr.%5D). Most of the modern translations consulted group "YHWH" with v. 7a.
<ul><li>"I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me" (NIV, cf. NRSV, NLT, CSB, CEV, GNT, REB, NET, LUT, HFA, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR)</li>
<li>"I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me" (ESV, cf. NJPS)</li></ul>
A decision is difficult. In the absence of any compelling evidence one way or another, we have defaulted to following the reading tradition of the Masoretes. +
In v. 9a, the Septuagint says "you will shepherd them” (ποιμανεῖς αὐτούς). This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev. 2:27, 12:5, and 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text (תִּרְעֵם) and understands the verb as רָעָה ("to shepherd") rather than רָעַע ("to break"). But the presence of the verb נפץ ("to smash") in the parallel line strongly favors the MT vocalization. Goldingay proposes a deliberate rhetorical ambiguity here, namely, that this line "lays alternative possibilities before the nations—either firm shepherding or devastating destruction."'"`UNIQ--ref-000000BD-QINU`"' +
The word '''בַר''' is interpreted by some as an adjective ("kiss the pure one") and by others as an adverb ("kiss purely>>sincerely"). The adverbial interpretation is unlikely since "בַּר occurs nowhere else as an adverb" and "the stem נשקו, moreover, never appears in classical Hebrew without an object."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' The adjectival interpretation ("pure one") is possible, but it is less likely than the interpretation of the word as a noun meaning (in Aramaic) "son." See %5B%5BThe Text and Meaning of Ps. 2:12a%5D%5D. +
* Option 1: '''יוֹם//לַיְלָה as subjects and לְיוֹם and לְּלַיְלָה as adverbials.''' Cf. GNT: "Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next" (so Jenni %5B''lamed illocutionis'' rubric 622%5D; Radak). For לְ with the verb הביע, see Prov 1:23 (אַבִּ֣יעָה לָכֶ֣ם רוּחִ֑י). Cf. the analogous clause in Ps 145:4—דּ֣וֹר לְ֭דוֹר יְשַׁבַּ֣ח מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ, which most modern translations understand as "one generation will declare to another" (cf. NIV, NLT, ESV, NJPS, NET, HFA, ZÜR, GNB etc.; so also Jerome: generatio ad generationem; but see LXX: γενεὰ καὶ γενεὰ). Bratcher and Reyburn summarize the verse as follows: "Each day talks about God's glory to the next day... Every night shares knowledge of God with the following night" (1991, 189). The image is perhaps similar to the Seraphim in Isa 6, who proclaim YHWH's glory to one another— וְקָרָ֨א זֶ֤ה אֶל־זֶה֙ וְאָמַ֔ר קָד֧וֹשׁ׀ קָד֛וֹשׁ קָד֖וֹשׁ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת מְלֹ֥א כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃.
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* Option 2: '''יוֹם לְיוֹם//לַיְלָה לְּלַיְלָה as adverbials.''' "Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge" (NIV, cf. NLT, NET; so IBHS 31.3b; Rashi). Cf. the use of similar phrases: יוֹם יוֹם (e.g., Gen 39:10; Exod 15:16; Isa 58:2; Ps 61:9; 68:20; Prov 8:30, 34), מִיוֹם לְיוֹם (e.g., Ps 96:2), מִיוֹם אֶל יוֹם (I Chr 16:23), or לְיוֹם בְּיוֹם (II Chr 24:11). (As the Masoretes noted, the phrase יוֹם לְיוֹם occurs only here in the Bible. This is also the only time the word לַיְלָה is prefixed by a lamed preposition.) However, if this interpretation were correct, we would expect plural verbs, to match השמים and רקיע in the previous verse. All of the following pronominal references to השמים and רקיע are plural (e.g., קום %5Bv. 5a%5D, בהם %5Bv. 5c%5D).
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* '''Articles''': Every use of the article in this psalm (vv. 2ab, 5ac, 7a) is real-world identifiable/unique, besides v. 11, which is resuming a previously identified entity.
* The singular '''מעשה''' might refer collectively to YHWH's deeds (so perhaps Symmachus and Targum Pss), to the product which YHWH has created (cf. Ps 102:26; so GNT and CEV: "what he has done"), or to the abstract quality of YHWH's workmanship (cf. Ps 28:5; cf. HALOT; Baethgen 1904, 55: "das Tun Gottes, was er zu tun vermag und zu tun pflegt"). The context (and the parallel with the abstract noun כבוד) suggests the latter. So NLT: "his craftsmanship."
* The first noun in the construct phrase '''מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו''', the abstract noun מַעֲשֵׂה (meaning "workmanship, skill") specifies a characteristic which "his hands" possess (cf. BHRG 25.4.1, "Possession %5Bcharacteristic%5D-Possessor").
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* For the participles מְסַפְּרִים and מַגִּיד, cf. NASB1985: "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." Most other English versions have generic presents. E.g., NIV: "The heavens declare the glory of God" (cf. ESV, NLT, NET). The CEV has a habitual translation: "The heavens keep telling the wonders of God." The participles, however, suggest continuous action in the actual present ("is declaring... is telling") (cf. BHRG 20.3.3(1)).
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* Option 3 (preferred): '''יוֹם לְיוֹם//לַיְלָה לְּלַיְלָה as subjects.''' So, possibly, ESV: "Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge." In other words, the passage of time—the movement of one day/night to the next—communicates YHWH's glory. "The orderly and useful succession of days and nights eloquently proclaims the glory of God" (Calvin). The MT accents, which group the lamed PP's with the preceding words (with the subject rather than the predicate), might also support this interpretation. The ancient versions could also be understood in this sense. For example, the LXX says, ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν, which Theodoret has understood to describe "the ordained succession of night and day" (trans. Hill 2000, 134). Cf. Jerome's commentary on this verse: quod ex ordine temporum ad Dei magis notitiam perveniamus (ed. Risse 2005, 112). Ps 145:4—דּ֣וֹר לְ֭דוֹר יְשַׁבַּ֣ח מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ—might also be understood in this way (cf. Zenger).
* For the unusual dagesh in '''לְּלַיְלָה''', see GKC §20f.
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* The word '''יביע''' (hiphil נבע) is a relatively rare, poetic verb of speech (cf. Pss 59:8; 78:2; 94:4; 119:171; 145:7). It means "literally: to cause to bubble up (words); hence: %3D action by which humans utter many words -- (to cause) to bubble up > to pour out" (SDBH). So NIV/ESV: "pour forth/out"; Aquila/Symmachus: ἀναβλύζει ("gush up" %5Bof a spring%5D; cf. Diggle 2021, 88). The image is that a person's mouth is like a spring, and their words are like water (cf. Prov. 10:11 מְק֣וֹר חַ֭יִּים פִּ֣י צַדִּ֑יק). In this case, however, the 'person' speaking is the sky. Thus, the words might evoke the image of rain falling from the sky.
* For the parallel '''נבע//חוה''', cf. Ben Sira 16:25: "I will pour out (אביעה) my spirit by measure and relate (אחוה) my knowledge in humility." Another close parallel which uses similar language as Ps 19:2-5 (including the noun מבע) is 1QH-a IX,29-32: "You yourself created breath for the tongue. You know its words, and you determine the fruit of the lips before they exist. You set the words according to the measuring line (על קו), and the utterance (מבע) of the breath of the lips by measure. And you bring forth the lines (ותוצא קוים) according to their mysteries and the utterances (מבעי) of the breath according to their calculus, in order to make known your glory (כבודכה) and to recount (ולספר) your wonders ..." (DJD XL 118-131).
* The word '''חוה''' is an Aramaic loanword (HALOT), equivalent to Hebrew הגיד (cf. v. 2) (cf. Baethgen 1904, 55).
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* As Calvin notes, "This verse receives two almost contrary interpretations, each of which, however, has the appearance of probability."
* Option 1 (preferred): '''v. 4b as relative clause''' "There is no utterance, there are no words, whose sound goes unheard" (JPS85, cf. LXX: ὧν; Symmachus: ὧν; Aquila: οὗ; Theodotion: ὧν; Jerome %5Biuxta Hebr%5D: quibus; Peshitta: ܕܠܐ; Targum: דלא). Most ancient translations take Option 1. According to this option, the verse is saying that the communication of the heavens is ubiquitous; every "word" that the heavens utter (cf. v. 3) is heard. This view works well with the next verse (v. 5), which talks about the universal extent to which their communication reaches ("in all the earth"%5Bmarked focus%5D // "to the end of the world"). In other words, v. 5 states positively what v. 4 states negatively. "The discourse of the heavens and the firmament, of the day (of the sky by day) and of the night (of the sky by night), is not a discourse uttered in a corner, it is a discourse in speech that is everywhere audible, and in words that are understood by all" (Keil and Delitzsch 1996, 177). Hupfeld (409) objects that (1) this option destroys the parallelism, and (2) the yiqtol %5Bיִשָּׁמַע%5D would be more appropriate if this option were intended.
* Option 2: '''v. 4b as independent clause''' "No sound is heard from them" (NIV, cf. NLT, NET, GNT, CEV, NET, LUT, HFA, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR). Most modern translations take Option 2. According to this option, the verse is saying that the communication of the heavens is non-verbal, i.e., "There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard" (NET). This option would create a nice synonymous parallelism (cf. Hengstenberg, Hupfeld). "But if this was David’s meaning, what need was there to repeat three times that they have not articulate speech? It would certainly be spiritless and superfluous to insist so much upon a thing so universally known" (Calvin).
* The negative particle '''בְּלִי''' is "a rather rare synonym of לֹא" (JM §160m).
* As Calvin notes, "This verse receives two almost contrary interpretations, each of which, however, has the appearance of probability."
* Option 2: '''v. 4b as independent clause''' "No sound is heard from them" (NIV, cf. NLT, NET, GNT, CEV, NET, LUT, HFA, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR). Most modern translations take Option 2. According to this option, the verse is saying that the communication of the heavens is non-verbal, i.e., "There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard" (NET). This option would create a nice synonymous parallelism (cf. Hengstenberg, Hupfeld). "But if this was David’s meaning, what need was there to repeat three times that they have not articulate speech? It would certainly be spiritless and superfluous to insist so much upon a thing so universally known" (Calvin).
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