Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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* For discussion of the emendation '''קוֹלָם''', see the exegetical issue %5B%5BThe Text of Ps 19:5%5D%5D.
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* '''v. 5c. לַ֝שֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ שָֽׂם־אֹ֥הֶל בָּהֶֽם''' The LXX reads ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ ἔθετο τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ. The LXX might have read לשמש שם אהלו or perhaps just לשמש שם אהל (the 3ms pronoun added for clarity). The Greek revisers (α σ θ ε) read ἐν αὐτοῖς. Cf. Jerome (IH): soli posuit tabernaculum in eis; Peshitta: ܘܥܠ ܫܡܫܐ ܢܩܫ ܡܫܟܢܗ ܒܗܘܢ܂ (so Targum בהון). The prepositional phrase could refer either to the heavens as the location of the sun's home (v. 2 'in them', so Theodoret 135; Hupfeld 1855, 412) or as the means by which the sun's tent is set up (Hossfeld 1993, 133).
* '''כְּחָתָן''': cf. Isa 61:10 כֶּֽחָתָן֙ (with article).
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* On '''קום''', see %5B%5BThe Text and Meaning of Ps 19:5a%5D%5D.
* The '''earth''' (ארץ) is "the earth as opposed to the sky" (SDBH). Together, 'earth' (v. 5) and 'sky' (v. 2) cover all of creation (cf. Gen 1:1), such that YHWH's glory resonates throughout the whole of creation.
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* The word '''words''' (מלה) is, like חוה in v. 3, an Aramaic loan word (HALOT) (cf. Ps 139:4; 2 Sam 23:2), synonymous with דבר (e.g., Tg Pss and Peshitta translate דברים in v. 4 with מלי/מלא).
* The word '''world''' (תבל) is a poetic synonym of ארץ (e.g., Ps 24:1) and "a common noun that has acquired the value of a proper noun" (BHRG 216). It refers to "the earth as opposed to the sky, with special focus on the area that is inhabited by humans" (SDBH). English translations tend to use "earth//world" (KJV, ESV, NIV, NLT, CEV) or "world//earth" (GNT).
* The '''tent''' (אֹהֶל) or 'canopy' (cf. Joel 2:16) is hyponymous to אהל in the previous verse (cf. Waltke 2010, 363). It refers to a "temporary construction made of cloth; ► erected for a newly married couple" (SDBH). It is not clear, however, "whether the canopy was a special tent where the marriage was consummated, or whether it was a protective covering over the wedding ceremony itself" (TWOT #710). The first option seems more likely both in light of the parallel with חֵדֶר in Joel 2:16 and in light of the fact that it would make more sense for the sun to be 'going out' in the morning. Hence, "In Psalm 19:5 the 'shelter' refers to the bridegroom's chamber where presumably he takes his bride to consummate their marriage" (Waltke 2010, 363). So English translations: "chamber" (NIV, ESV, NET); cf. HALOT "nuptial chamber", DCH "bridal chamber."
* '''Bridegroom''' (חָתָן): "%3D man who is about to be married or has just been married; ≈ often associated with joy" (SDBH). In this case (since he is coming out of 'his canopy' %5Bsee below%5D), the bridegroom has just recently been married. So NLT: "It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding."
* On the first prepositional phrase ('''בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ''') with the verb יצא, cf. 1 Chron 15:3—וַיֵּצֵ֥א שֵׁם־דָּוִ֖יד בְּכָל־הָֽאֲרָצֹ֑ות. "Unlike English, Biblical Hebrew does not lexicalize the distinction between dynamic and static location" (BHRG 39.6). In this case, where the location is dynamic (verb יצא), it is glossed "throughout."
* The second prepositional phrase ('''וּבִקְצֵה תֵבֵל''') is more difficult.
** Aquila translates it as καὶ εἰς τέλος (cf. LXX εις τα περατα), which might reflect the Hebrew text ולקצה (so BHS). The reading ולקצה would work well with the elided verb יצא (cf. Jer 23:15 יָצְאָ֥ה חֲנֻפָּ֖ה לְכָל־הָאָֽרֶץ). English translations—whether or not they are actually reading a different Hebrew text—gloss the PP in v. 5b similarly to Aquila: "into... to" (NIV), "throughout... to" (NLT), "through... to" (KJV, ESV, NET).
** Another solution would be to read the plural בקצי תבל (cf. LXX τα περατα; Jerome: finibus; Peshitta ܘܒܣܘ̈ܦܝܗܿ; Targum ובסייפי): "throughout the ends of the world."
** Another explanation is that the verb יצא is actually not elided in the b-line. Instead, the b-line is a verbless clause: "Their verse-line has gone out throughout the whole earth, and their words (are) in the end of the world" (cf. Deut 30:4—אִם־יִהְיֶ֥ה נִֽדַּחֲךָ֖ בִּקְצֵ֣ה הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם).
** Some scholars, however, suggest that the ב + singular is appropriate here (e.g., Craigie 1983; Kraus 1988, citing Brockelman 106a). An "edge" (קצה) is not just a thin border, but a space (cf. Gen 23:9—אֶת־מְעָרַ֤ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה֙ אֲשֶׁר־לֹ֔ו אֲשֶׁ֖ר בִּקְצֵ֣ה שָׂדֵ֑הוּ), and the "edge" of the world is a large space. Just as the words of the heavens can travel "throughout" the whole earth, so that can travel "throughout" the world's edge. Cf. Jenni 1992, 222.
* The prepositional phrase '''לַ֝שֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ''' indicates the beneficiary (cf. Jenni 2000, rubric 3513 %5Blamed dativum%5D; cf. Mal 1:3).
* The prepositional phrase '''בָּהֶֽם''' refers to the heavens as the location of the sun's home (v. 2 'in them', so Theodoret 135; Hupfeld 1855, 412; Baethgen 1904, 56). This prepositional phrase connects the second strophe (which is about the sun) to the first strophe (which is about the heavens). It also corresponds poetically to the prepositional phrase בהם in v. 12 (גַּֽם־עַ֭בְדְּךָ נִזְהָ֣ר בָּהֶ֑ם).
* The ''qatal'' יָצָא should be rendered as a present perfect; so NLT, "has gone."
* The ''qatal'' שָׂם should be rendered as a present perfect; so NLT, "has gone" (cf. also NIV, ESV, NET).
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* The word '''גבור''' ("great one") refers to "a human being... who is renowned for his characteristics, such as physical strength, power, bravery, skill, wealth, good character, or a combination thereof" (SDBH). The word is often used in military contexts to refer to a military "hero" or "warrior," but it can also refer more generally to someone with "any special degree of physical might, power, authority, and splendor (“glory”)" (TDOT 1977, 373). In Psalm 19 it might refer to the (personified) sun as an exceptionally gifted athlete (cf. NLT: "great athlete"; GNT: "athlete"). But because "running" (רוץ) is elsewhere associated with warriors (cf. Joel 2:7; Job 16:14), the word here probably refers to a "warrior" (cf. Jdg 5:20 which describes celestial bodies fighting 'from their roads'). In particular, it might refer to the sun as a warrior-king. Genesis 1, for example, describes the sun as the king of the day (cf. Gen 1:16; Ps 136:8), and kings were expected to be great warriors who could run long distances (cf. 2 Sam 1:23; 22:33, 37; see Demsky 2005).
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* The prepositional phrase '''לָר֥וּץ''' modifies the verb ("is glad... to run"). Cf. 1 Sam 6:13—וַֽיִּשְׂמְח֖וּ לִרְאֹֽות (Jenni 2000, rubric 7924).
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* '''מִקְצֵה''': The manuscript 11QPs-c has מקצי. "Cf. the quotation of Deut 13:8 in 11Q20 (Temple-b) XVI 4, where MT מקצה is written מקצי. The form מקצי may be singular (orthographic variant of מקצה) or plural" (DJD XXIII, 60).
* BHS proposes עד for '''על''' (cf. LXX εως). "Some mss. reading עד, not על, but the correction is unnecessary; the preposition implies a verb of motion such as 'extend' (IBHS, p. 224, P. 11.4.3d)" (Waltke 2010, 363).
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* There is some interesting evidence that '''יצא''' when predicated of the sun was understood as “shine” (see Nakata 2022).
* On '''תקופה''', see HALOT: "turning-point (of the sun in the sky) Ps 19:7... the eastern horizon as one extremity of the sky is the place from which the sun commences its course; at the opposite side, on the western horizon, is the turning-point, for this is the entrance for its nocturnal journey back under the earth." So SDBH: "%3D location where the sun has reached the end of its circuit and from where it is expected to move back to its beginning point." So Gesenius 2013: "(Wende)punkt."
* In Ben Sira 43:7, '''תקופה''' may refer to the “waning” of moonlight.
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* The preposition '''על''' sometimes functions as a "contingent locative" (BHRG 39.20), i.e., "The trajector x is not horizontally above the trajector y, but in close proximity to it" (BHRG 39.20, citing Gen 24:43 and Ps 110:5). Hence, "at their edges" rather than "above their edges."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
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* '''תּוֹרַת''': The manuscript 11QPs-c probably reads תור%5Dות%5D (cf. DJD XXIII, 59-60).
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* '''תורה''': "In the Psalter tôrâ appears to denote God’s revelation and its promulgation, presumed to exist in either oral or written form" (TDOT). Willgren, looking at all of the uses of the phrase תורת יהוה, shows that "at least from the post-exilic period, תורת יהוה was regularly associated with a law of Moses..., sometimes specified as written," and he argues convincingly that the phrase has this meaning in Ps 1:2 (Willgren 2018, 390-1). It is probably also this meaning here in Ps 19 (so also Waltke 2010, 365). Cf. Ps. 78:5 where תורה//עֵדוּת refers to the Law given at Sinai.
* '''תְּמִימָה''':
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* SDBH notes that '''משיבת נפש''' means "literally: to bring back (one's) self; hence: %3D causative process by which humans or deities restore a sense of well-being to (other) humans, which may extend from feeling refreshed after a good meal to feeling contented because of a major change in one's life situation -- to restore (someone's) life." Cf. Ps. 23:3 נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב.
* If תורה in the previous clause is associated especially with the Mosaic covenant, then '''עֵדוּת''' probably refers, specifically, to "the stipulations of the Sinai covenant laid down in writing" (HALOT 791b %5BHALOT, however, does not list Ps 19 under this entry%5D). Cf. Ps. 78:5 where תורה//עֵדוּת refers to the Law given at Sinai. Hillers argues that עֵדוּת is "actually another name for 'covenant'" and that "covenant" would be a better translation than "testimony" (Hillers 1969, 160ff; cf. NIDOTTE; so WEB: "covenant").
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* The participles in vv. 8-10 are habitual. Cf. 1 Sam 2:6-8, where " the participle prevails and is used eight times as the head verbal form in the clause in both initial and non-initial position, introducing generic statements. The events and situations are given from an imperfective viewpoint; they may be repeated on a regular basis over an extended period of time. The modal operator 'As a rule →', introducing a habitual saying, is at work" (Notarius 2010, 260).
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* The word '''פקודים''' refers to "rules regulating behavior" (SDBH). Whereas the previous verse used singular nouns to describe the Mosaic Law as a whole—תורה (covenant instruction) // עדות (the whole body of covenant stipulations)—this verse uses a plural noun to refer to the individual commandments of the covenant.
* The word '''מצוה''' refers to YHWH's authoritative command (cf. TDOT 1997, 505 for מצוה "as an expression of authority"). It is probably a collective singular here (so Gesenius 2013, 724: "das Gesetz Gottes als Einheit"; cf. Ps 119:96; cf. ketiv מצותו in Deut 5:10; 7:9; 8:2)
* In light of the comparison between the sun in vv. 5-7 and YHWH's law in vv. 8-10, Eaton argues that '''ברה''' does not mean "pure" but "brilliant" (so LXX τηλαυγής 'far-shining' %5BLSJ%5D and Jerome lucidum %5B'bright, shining'%5D; cf. Song 6:10 בָּרָה֙ כַּֽחַמָּ֔ה "bright as the sun" %5BNIV%5D) (Eaton 1968, 605). So NIV and CSB: "radiant"; CEV: "shine brightly." It could be that a double-meaning is intended: "flawless" (with an association with "brightness").
* '''Giving light (מְאִירַת)''': an action that causes something to emit or to reflect light; ≈ associated with well-being and wisdom" (SDBH). Light to the eyes indicates renewed life and energy. In this sense, it is synonymous with משיבת נפש in the previous verse. Clines argues, on the other hand, that a description which is so synonymous with משיבת נפש would be unnecessary. "It seems preferable therefore to follow the literal meaning of the words, especially since the law is elsewhere often called a light" (cf. Ps 119:105; Prov 6:23) (Clines 1974, 4-5).
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* The participles in vv. 8-10 are habitual. Cf. 1 Sam 2:6-8, where " the participle prevails and is used eight times as the head verbal form in the clause in both initial and non-initial position, introducing generic statements. The events and situations are given from an imperfective viewpoint; they may be repeated on a regular basis over an extended period of time. The modal operator 'As a rule →', introducing a habitual saying, is at work" (Notarius 2010, 260).
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* Some scholars want to emend '''יראת''' to read אמרת (so BHS, citing Ps 119:38), but there is no manuscript evidence to support this reading. It is for good reason that modern translations have rejected it.
* On the construction ''' עֵדוּת יְהוָה נֶאֱמָנָה''' "YHWH's rules are faithfulness >> faithful" cf. Brockelman 14be.
* Older grammarians analyzed the participle '''הנחמדים''' as in apposition to משפטי יהוה. E.g., "The demonstrative force of the article... includes those instances in which the article, mostly to a participle, joins on a new statement concerning a preceding noun. Although such participles, etc., are no doubt primarily regarded always as in apposition to a preceding substantive, the article nevertheless has in some of these examples almost the force of הוּא (הִיא/הֵמָּה) as the subject of a noun-clause %5Bcf. Pss 33:15; 49:7; 104:3%5D... When such a participle has another co-ordinate with it, the latter is used without the article, since according to the above it strictly speaking represents a second predicate...; e.g., Job 5:10" (GKC 126b). So Hupfeld: "Aposs. zunächst zu משפטי יהוה, aber dem Sinn nach zu allen vorhergg. Wörtern für d. Gesetz. Zur Form der Appos. mit dem Artikel vgl. 18,33.48. 49,7" (1855, 419).
* Waltke and O'Connor discuss use of ה in '''הנחמדים''' as an example of the "anaphoric use of the article," which is "based on the previous mention of the thing referred to" (IBHS 13.5.2d). In this usage, the article functions in a manner similar to a relative particle. This "so-called relative use of the article is most common with participles" (IBHS 13.5.2d).
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* Eaton also argues that "The description of this revelation %5B'the fear of YHWH'%5D as '''טהורה''' may well denote a sun-like brilliance, so that we should render 'clear-shining' or 'radiant' (AV, RSV) rather than 'clean' or 'holy' (Gunkel heilig, LXX άγνός, Jerome mundus). The Aramaic טיהרא is used of a bright sky and of midday (M. Jastrow, Dictionary of the Targumim..., p. 530), while in Hebrew טהר denotes 'clear brilliance' in Exod. xxiv. 10 and טֳהָר means 'lustre' in Ps lxxxix. 45... If then the psalm here pictures the revealed religion of Yahweh, the sum of his commandments as a radiant, enlightening sun, the appropriateness of the following עומדת לעד now appears: this light of revelation is as constant and enduring as the sun which Yahweh has created to operate so unfailingly" (Eaton 1968, 605). It could be that 'ethically clean' (HALOT, cf. SDBH; cf. Ps 12:7 and Pr 15:26) is the primary meaning, but that the quality of 'radiance' is also evoked.
* '''מִשְׁפְּטֵי''': "God’s mišpāṭîm are the individual commandments as well as the summary of the entire law" (TDOT 1998, 94). Cf. Ex. 21:1.
* SDBH defines '''נפת''' as "virgin honey, dripping straight from the honeycomb; ≈ regarded as very desirable food of high quality." The 'honeycomb' is "associated with sweetness and health" (SDBH).
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* '''יִרְאַת יְהוָה''': Fearing YHWH is the essence of covenant obedience (cf. Deut 10:12-13; cf. the reference to the faithful as יראי יהוה %5Be.g., Ps 118%5D). Thus, "the fear of YHWH" is used here as a metonymy for the requirements of the covenant—"the religion commanded by Yahweh, a synonym for his תורה" (Eaton 1968, 605). The phrase "fear of YHWH" refers to the fear which people experience because of YHWH (an objective genitive). Hence, "fear of YHWH" %3D "fearing YHWH."
* The waw phrases in v. 11 ("gold and much pure gold... honey and virgin honey from the honeycomb") indicate addition: "they are better than gold and %5Bthey are even better than%5D much pure gold..." In English, the waw is better translated as "even." So e.g., ESV: "More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold..." (so NLT, NET; cf. KJV "yea"; cf. NIV: "than gold, than much pure gold").
* On the definite article of '''הַנֶּחֱמָדִים''', see %5Bhttps://psalms.scriptura.org/w/Psalm_19_Grammar#vv._10-11 the note in the Grammar layer%5D.
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* The participles in vv. 8-10 are habitual. Cf. 1 Sam 2:6-8, where " the participle prevails and is used eight times as the head verbal form in the clause in both initial and non-initial position, introducing generic statements. The events and situations are given from an imperfective viewpoint; they may be repeated on a regular basis over an extended period of time. The modal operator 'As a rule →', introducing a habitual saying, is at work" (Notarius 2010, 260).
* The verb צדק (a denominative form) is stative (cf. BDB).
* The KJV/ESV has a modal nuance for נֶּחֱמָדִים: "more to be desired." Most English versions translate it as indicative: "more desirable than" (GNT, NLT, NJPS) >> "of greater value than" (NET)
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v. 7 – For the sense of כֶּסֶל, see the parallel with מִבְטָח "trust" in Job 31:24 (אִם־שַׂ֣מְתִּי זָהָ֣ב כִּסְלִ֑י וְ֝לַכֶּ֗תֶם אָמַ֥רְתִּי מִבְטַחִֽי). +