Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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P
v. 8 – This verse contains a unique collocation of niphal אמן with the preposition אֵת (though see the similar expression וְ֠עַתָּה אִם־יֶשְׁכֶ֨ם עֹשִׂ֜ים חֶ֧סֶד וֶֽאֱמֶ֛ת אֶת־אֲדֹנִ֖י הַגִּ֣ידוּ לִ֑י in Gen 24:49; cf. 32:11). For the intended sense, see the LXX's "with God" (μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ). The other ancient versions likewise reflect an interpretation of God as benefactor or goal of the faithfulness, and have apparently struggled with the appearance of אֵת for such a function (hence the alternative אֶל as noted in VTH vol. 4, 373 and de-Rossi, 53).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' For modern translations' representation of the same result, see the DHH's "infiel a Dios," SG21's "n’était pas fidèle à Dieu," ESV "not faithful to God" (though see the KJV's "not faithful with God"). Or course, in clearer instances, such as with the verb הלך, the preposition אֵת can encode devotion (such as וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֨ךְ חֲנ֜וֹךְ אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים in Gen 5:22; cf. BHRG §39.5). Indeed, van der Merwe et al. claim that while עִם and אֵת are "synonyms in the Pentateuch, in the rest of the Hebrew Bible, עִם became the default preposition to refer to all of the sense identified" for אֵת (BHRG 334, n. 7), which makes the instance in our psalm all the more remarkable. +
* The root רבב is, next to the divine name YHWH, the most repeated root in the psalm (four times, vv. 2-3, 7). The first instantiation of this root is the verb '''become many''' (רַבּוּ) in v. 2, which SDBH defines simply as a "process by which people... increase in number..." The second and third instantiations of this root occur in the following two lines, with the adjective '''many''' (רַבִּים)—"state in which objects or events are numerous in quantity or frequency" (SDBH).
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* The preposition '''from''' (מִפְּנֵי) typically occurs in contexts of "hostility and/or threat" (BHRG §39.15), describing how "trajector x %5Bhere %3D David%5D moves away (e.g., flees or hides) from the presence of a landmark y %5Bhere %3D Absalom%5D" (BHRG §39.15).
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* The phrase '''his son''' (בּנוֹ) is in apposition to "Absalom," highlighting Absalom's relationship to David. The addition of the phrase "his son" is not necessary for identifying Absalom. The text could have simply said, "When David was fleeing from Absalom," and readers would have been able to identify "Absalom" without the need for any further specification (cf. 2 Sam 13ff). The addition of the appositional phrase "his son" has two effects.
# It draws attention to the close relationship between David and Absalom and thus to the deep emotional pain of the conflict (2 Sam 13:39; 18:33); the fact that David is forced to flee from ''his son'' (as opposed to some other enemy) makes his situation especially distressing.
# It creates a connection with the previous psalm (Ps 2), which uses the word "son" (v. 7, cf. v. 12).
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* The ''Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database'' has a series of thorough lexical studies on %5Bhttps://sahd-online.com/miscellaneous/overview_deliverance/ 'Deliverance' Words%5D, the verb %5Bhttps://sahd-online.com/words/y-sh-3/ ישׁע%5D, and the noun %5Bhttps://sahd-online.com/words/yshu3ah/ יְשׁוּעָה%5D. For the noun יְשׁוּעָה, which occurs twice in Ps 3 (vv. 3, 9), they argue that it denotes "various kinds of ‘success’ secured by divine acts of power and faithfulness." They argue, contrary to many translations and dictionaries, that "‘salvation, deliverance’ is not central to the meaning of יְשׁוּעָה." They base this claim on the fact that, although יְשׁוּעָה occurs 74 times in poetry, it hardly ever occurs in parallel with other nouns in the 'deliverance' word group. Instead, it is usually parallel with words for success or blessing, power, loyalty and faithfulness, protection, praise, and righteousness. They claim that it refers to "a state of security" rather than "an action that brings it about." In prose, it occurs only four times (Exod 14:13; 1 Sam 14:45; 2 Sam 10:11; 2 Chr 20:17), "all in military contexts where ‘victory, success’ might be appropriate interpretations of the meaning." The military context of Ps 3 (cf. enemies surrounding %5Bvv. 2-3, 7%5D, shield %5Bv. 4a%5D) makes '''victory''' an appropriate gloss here as well, though "protection" or "security" might also be good glosses.
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* The ''lamed'' preposition in the phrase לְנַפְשִׁי does not indicate the address of the speech ("saying to me," so NRSV) but the topic of the speech: "saying '''about me'''" (Jenni 2000, rubric 69; cf. Pss 41:6; 71:1; so Rashi: על נפשי; Radak and Ibn Ezra: בעבור נפשי).
* The second ''lamed'' preposition in v. 3, '''for him''' (לוֹ), indicates the psalmist as the ''experiencer'' or beneficiary of YHWH's victory/protection (Jenni 2000, rubric 44; cf. Exod 15:2; 2 Sam 10:11; Isa 12:2; Pss 118:14, 21).
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* The word נֶפֶשׁ frequently means "life" and occurs in contexts "where a life is in general peril; where a life desperately requires help (often from God)" (Witthoff 2021, §4.2.3.3). It can also stand metonymically for a person, profiling the inner being or emotional center of that person (Witthoff 2021, 177-181). In Ps 3:3, the phrase נַפְשִׁי ('''my soul >> me''') is related to both of these meanings. As Witthoff writes regarding several examples, including Ps 3:3, "the concept of LIFE in need may still be present in the contexts of these instances, but ׁנֶפֶש may be closer in these examples to representing a part of a person that feels, thinks, or chooses a course of action, than to a state of LIFE" (171; cf. Pss 34:3; 35:9; 42:5; 57:7; 62:2, 6; 63:9; 69:11; 77:3; 107:5; 119:25; 130:5-6; 142:8).
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* The ''bet'' preposition in the phrase '''in God''' (בֵאלֹהִים) indicates the "cause %5Bor, reason%5D for a statement of existence" (Jenni 1992, rubric 139). E.g., Isa 45:24—"The people will declare, 'The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength'" (NLT, אַ֧ךְ בַּיהוָ֛ה לִ֥י אָמַ֖ר צְדָקֹ֣ות וָעֹ֑ז); Jer 3:23—"Help for Israel comes only from the LORD our God" (GNT, בַּיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ תְּשׁוּעַ֖ת יִשְׂרָאֵֽל).
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* The phrase כְּבוֹדִי is, literally, '''my honor''' or "my glory" (so NIV, NLT, ESV, NJPS, NET; German: meine Ehre, LUT, HFA, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR). The context suggests that "my honor" means "the ''source'' of my honor," i.e., "the one who makes me honorable %5Bbefore others%5D": "you give me... honor" (CEV); "you restore my honor" (cf. HFA); "you rescue my honor" (GNB). Cf. NET note: "The psalmist affirms that the Lord is his source of honor, i.e., the one who gives him honor in the sight of others. According to BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 7, the phrase refers to God as the one to whom the psalmist gives honor. But the immediate context focuses on what God does for the psalmist, not vice-versa."
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* To '''lift''' someone's '''head''' is "to distinguish, confer honour upon someone" (HALOT; cf. Baethgen 1904, 8). See e.g., the proverb in Ben Sira: "The physician's knowledge lifts up his head (תרים ראשו), that he may stand in the presence of noblemen" (%5Bhttps://www.bensira.org/navigator.php?Manuscript%3DB&PageNum%3D15 Ben Sira 38:3%5D). This interpretation makes good sense in the context, where the phrase "one who lifts my head" is juxtaposed with the phrase "my honor >> the one who makes me honorable." Note also the contrast between lifting up the psalmist's ''head'' in v. 4 (%3D honoring him) and striking the enemies on the ''jaw'' in v. 8 (%3D dishonoring them).
* Alternatively, "lifting up the head" could be a figure of speech for a "causative process by which deities help humans to find new confidence" (SDBH). Thus, GNT: "You... restore my courage" (cf. Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 58). It seems more likely, however, that the focus is on the social aspect (honor, vindication) of the psalmist's restoration and not the psychological aspect (confidence, courage), although the latter is probably implied.
* In Gen 40:13, "lifting the head" (although a different verb: יִשָּׂא...אֶת־רֹאשֶׁךָ) refers to the cup bearer's restoration to his former position. Thus, "if one takes the suggestion of the superscription that this is a Davidic psalm written during the revolt of Absalom, the phrase 'lift the head' could refer to the psalmist’s desire for restoration to his former position" (NET note).
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* The verbs '''lay down''' (שָׁכַבְתִּי) and '''slept''' (וָֽאִישָׁנָה) are "sometimes associated with security" (SDBH), as is the case in this verse (cf. Psalm 4:9). The psalmist can lie down and sleep because he trusts YHWH to support him and protect him throughout the night.
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* The prepositional phrase בַּעֲדִי in Ps 3:4 probably does not mean "around me" (NIV, NLT, NRSV) but "for me" (KJV, cf. LUT, EÜ, ZÜR) i.e., it "marks the intended recipient of the particular action. In English, this function is commonly conveyed by the preposition ''for''" (Hardy 2022, 89-90).
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* The phrase הַר קָדְשׁוֹ is, literally, "mountain of holiness of him" >> "his holy mountain," i.e., the mountain that is devoted to YHWH as holy (cf. Joel 4:17; Obad 16; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 48:2; 99:9; Dan 9:16; etc.).
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* The word רִבְבֹות in v. 7 is the fourth instantiation of the root רבב in this psalm (see vv. 2-3). The singular noun רְבָבָה means, literally, a "state in which a countable entity is ten thousand in number," but it is used imprecisely for "excessively high numbers by which the exact number is relatively unimportant" (SDBH).
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* The verb '''save''' (הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי) "denotes the bringing of assistance to someone in need, whether in military, civil or judicial contexts. It may also denote the actual saving of someone in battle or in history in general" (%5Bhttps://sahd-online.com/words/y-sh-3/ SAHD%5D, so SDBH). It is the action that brings about a state of יְשׁוּעָה ("victory," cf. vv. 3, 9).
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* To '''rise''' (קוּמָה) is to "rise for action, make a move and do something" (DCH; cf. Pss 3:8; 7:7; 9:20; 10:12; 17:13; 35:2; etc.). In this case, the action requested is "save me!"
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* The ''lamed'' preposition in the phrase לַיהוָה indicates possession (Jenni 2000, rubric 227; cf. Jon 2:10): "victory is '''YHWH's'''" (cf. NJPS, NRSV), i.e, YHWH has the ability to grant victory to whomever he wants (cf. Ibn Ezra: כי הוא יושיע מי שיחפוץ בו): "Victory comes %5Bonly%5D from the LORD" (GNT, cf. NLT, HFA, NGÜ; Targum: מִן קֳדָם יְיָ פּוּרְקָנָא). The idea is captured nicely in a story from 1 Samuel: "Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, 'Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving (לְהוֹשִׁיעַ), whether by many or by few'" (1 Sam 14:6, NIV).
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* The word '''victory''' in v. 9 has the definite article (הַיְשׁוּעָה, lit., "''the'' victory"). The article "points back to v. 3" (Baethgen 1904, 9) and, more generally, to the main theme of the psalm, which has, by this point, become identifiable to the reader/listener.
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* Does '''גַּם''' modify the whole clause or only the immediately following noun phrase?
** Option 1: גַּם modifies the whole clause. So ESV, JPS: "Moreover..." Cf. 2 Sam 11:24 (BHRG 402).
** Option 2: גַּם modifies only 'your servant'. Perhaps suggested by the accents and maqqef: גַּֽם־עַ֭בְדְּךָ. So NGÜ: "HERR, auch ich, dein Diener."
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* '''עֶבֶד''':
%5B%5BFile: Eved - servant.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C700px%5D%5D
* '''נזהר''': Modern translations render this as "is warned" (KJV, NIV, ESV, cf. NLT, CEV, GNT, NET, NEB, LUT, HFA, ELB, EÜ, ZÜR).
** So BDB, HALOT, DCH, SDBH. SDBH defines it as "%3D process by which someone becomes aware of something (usually bad) that is going to happen, or something one should do to prevent something (usually bad) from happening; usually refers to a mediator making known what God has said or implied; ≈ wise people take these things seriously whereas foolish people ignore them."
** Others (e.g., Eaton 1968) have argued, however, that נזהר comes from a different root that means 'illuminate' (cf. Dan 12:3 וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִים יַזְהִרוּ כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ; Ezek 8:2 כְּמַרְאֵה־זֹ֖הַר; cf. Aramaic זהר e.g., Old Syriac of Matt 13:43 ܗܝܕܝܢ ܙܕܝ̈ܩܐ ܢܙܗܪܘܢ ܐܝܟ ܫܡܫܐ). As with טהורה in v. 10, there could be a double meaning here. Cf. Hossfeld: "Ihre Belehrung kann sowohl erleuchten also auch warnen" (Hossfeld 1993, 134).
* The word '''עקב''' is usually translated into English as "reward" (NIV, NLT, ESV, NET, NEB, NJB, JPS85, GNT, CEV); so DCH.
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