Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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* '''v. 5b''' The relative clause here is asyndetic, with the retrospective pronoun לוֹ being omitted, common in poetry (JM §158c).
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* '''v. 5a: בּוֹר'''
:Many translations take בור literally as pit, translating the phrase as "those who go down to the pit" (NIV,ESV), some capitalize the word "those who go down to the Pit" (ISV), and some understand it metaphorically as "those who go down to the grave" (NET). Here the explicit translation is preferred.
:%5B%5BFile: Psalm 088 - Bor - pit.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C500px%5D%5D
* '''v. 5: The meaning of אֱיָל'''
:The noun אֱיָל is a ''hapax legomenon''<span class%3D"smw-highlighter" data-type%3D"8" data-state%3D"inline" data-title%3D"Note" title%3D"That is, the term only occurs once in Biblical Hebrew."><span class%3D"smwtticon note"></span><span class%3D"smwttcontent">That is, the term only occurs once in Biblical Hebrew.</span></span> in the Bible. It is derived of the root אול with the primary polysemous meanings of "to be in front"/"to be strong"; comp. אֵל "god"; Arb. ʾawwal "first" (HALOT). BDB takes this noun as a loan-word from Aramaic with the meaning "help" (comp. Syr. ʾiyālā "help"). Also noteworthy is the derived noun אֱיָלוּת (Ps 22:20), also a ''hapax legomenon'', which in the context of its psalm probably means "help". The noun אֱיָל is read as such in LXX (ἄνθρωπος ἀβοήθητος "a helpless man") and Peshitta (see ʾiyālā above). On the other hand, The Vulgate iuxta Hebr. has ''invalidus'' ("impotent") so as Targum which has בר נש דלית ליה חילא ("a man who has no strength").
:We prefer to follow Tate 1990, 396 who, like the Vulgate and Targum, reads אֱיָל as "strength". This reading, etymologically justified (see above), fits in better with the direct context: the noun גֶּבֶר (in contrast to אִישׁ) is often marked in terms of qualities of manhood such as courage and strength (see Venn Diagram below). The reading of אֱיָל as strength is backed by most modern translations (NIV, NLT, ESV, NKJV ''et alia'').
* '''v. 5: גֶּבֶר'''
:%5B%5BFile: Psalm 088 - Gever - man.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C500px%5D%5D
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* The attributive participle שֹׁכְבֵי is not marked in terms of tense or aspect. We take the relative tense here to be simultaneous with a stative aspect, backed by LXX καθεύδοντες and Jerome dormientes present participles.
* Verbs of perception in ''qatal'' like זְכַרְתָּם often have present tense stative value. "Active verbs which have a stative or quasi-stative meaning are treated like stative verbs. They are mainly verbs expressing a state of mind... Likewise the verb זָכַר is treated like a stative verb, e.g. זָכַרְנוּ 'we remember'" (JM 2018: 112a). Modern translations also all render it as a present state.
* The lack of movement prompts us to render נִגְזָרוּ in English as a present perfect (instead of a simple past).
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* '''v. 5b-6''' The preferred reading follows the MT division between vv. 5 and 6, the same one that is found in Jerome, Peshitta, TgPs and reflected by almost all Modern translations. We prefer to maintain this division between v.5 and v.6, as the clause במתים חפשי is strongly related to the content of v. 6: חפשי and חללים both designate the lowest rank among the dead (cf. Hossfeld and Zenger 2005, 395). Additionally, 2 Chr 26:21 offers an interesting relation between בית החפשית and the verb נגזר (similarly to what we see in v. 6). For further discussion on v. 6, see %5B%5BThe Meaning of חָפְשִׁי in Ps 88:6%5D%5D.
%5B%5BFile: Psalm 088 - grammar v. 5b-6.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C825px%5D%5D
* '''v. 5b-6 alt #1''' Alternative follows the division between vs. 5 and 6 as found in the LXX only and which takes במתים חפשי as part of the previous clause in v. 5b, instead of its own new clause.
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* '''v. 6: The meaning of חָפְשִׁי'''
:For a detailed description, see %5B%5BThe Meaning of חָפְשִׁי in Ps 88:6%5D%5D.
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* '''v. 6: The metaphor יַד יהוה'''
:The "hand of God" is used as an anthropomorphising metaphor, in most cases with relation to strength, power and punishment. In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in particular we find that metaphor with the meaning of God's aid, care or providence, e.g. בָּא אֶל-יְרוּשָׁלִַם כְּיַד-אֱלֹהָיו הַטּוֹבָה עָלָיו (Ezra 7:9) "he arrived in Jerusalem... since '''the beneficent hand of his God''' was upon him." (ISV) . We prefer to read this metaphor in a similar way in our verse too, backed by some of the modern translations as well (NIV, NLT, CSB).
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* The lack of movement prompts us to render שַׁתַּנִי in English as a present perfect (instead of a simple past).
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* '''v. 7 בִּמְצֹלוֹת''' LXX and Peshitta have the alternative metathetic reading בְּצַלְמָוֶת. Although this reading is viable and fits perfectly within the context, we prefer to keep the MT reading, because of the recurring motif in the psalm of "water" as one of the major elements mentioned in the metaphorical description of the psalmist's miserable condition (cf. vv. 8, 18), neatly complementing the two other elements mentioned in our verse, namely the "pit" and the "darkness." (cf. %5Bhttps://psalms.scriptura.org/w/Psalm_88_Poetics#2._The_primordial_elements Poetic Feature "The primordial elements"%5D).
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* '''v. 7: The meaning of תַּחְתִּיּוֹת'''
:The substantivized adjective תַּחְתִּי, always in abstract feminine form (either singular or plural) is a superlative of place: “the bottom of” (lit. “the lowest/deepest place of”), e.g. תַחְתִּית הָהָר “the foot of the mountain”, Exod 19:17. In our verse it may be understood as “a pit which is situated at the lowest places”. This phrase, as well as the similar אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּית orאֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּיּוֹת is often a synonym of the Sheol. In Ezek 31:14 the latter stands parallel to יוֹרְדֵי בוֹר (cf. vs. 5).
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* The lack of movement and an habitual process prompts us to render סָמְכָה in English as a present perfect progressive.
* The lack of movement and an habitual process prompts us to render עִנִּיתָ in English as a present perfect progressive.
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* '''v. 8: חֲמָתֶךָ'''
:The whole clause depicts a very material picture in which the wrath of YHWH '''weighs''' (or '''lies heavily''') upon the psalmist. That requires a rephrasing of the simple "wrath" into "the outbursts of wrath", namely the "materialistic" form that YHWH's wrath assumes. Same comment for חֲרוֹנֶיךָ in v. 17.
* '''v. 8: סָמְכָה'''
:The most common use of this verb is in the collocation סָמַךְ יָדוֹ עַל said of the priest laying or leaning his hand on the sacrifice (e.g. Exod 29:10). Our verse has an intransitive occurrence of that verb, which is also found in Ezek 24:2, in which it is said that the king of Babylon "leaned" against Jerusalem, namely started a siege over it. Both Ezek 24:2 and our verse have in common the oppressive nature of the leaning, and we therefore gloss the verb in our verse as "lies heavily on" (cf. Ps 32.4).
* '''v. 8: ענה'''
:%5B%5BFile: Psalm 088 - Anah - afflict.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C500px%5D%5D
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* The lack of movement prompts us to render הִרְחַקְתָּ in English as a present perfect (instead of a simple past).
* The lack of movement prompts us to render שַׁתַּנִי in English as a present perfect (instead of a simple past). "The Qal passive participle mostly denotes a completed action or a state" (cf. JM §121q).
* The combination of the dynamic verb שַׁתַּנִי (read as a present perfect like in the previous line) with the passive participle כָּלֻא, a present simultaneous stative, prompts us to translate the clause as 'you have shut me in %5Bso that until now I am shut in%5D'."
* The modality of 'possibility' for אֵצֵֽא is understood as a combination of posteriority & reference point movement, since 'possibility' is analyzed as a semantic derivative of futurity ('I will go out at any point in the future' --> 'I am able to go out now').
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* '''v. 9b תּוֹעֵבוֹת''' The noun תּוֹעֵבוֹת in our verse is in plural of abstraction: "An abstract noun is quite often expressed by a plural, which properly speaking aims at the various concrete manifestations of a quality or of a state" (JM §136g-h). LXX has a singular noun for תּוֹעֵבוֹת, perhaps so as to bring about agreement between the subject of the verbal notion of the noun תּוֹעֵבָה and the psalmist (singular).
* '''v. 9c''' The last clause (starting with כָּלֻא) is elliptical in terms of subject and verb. The preferred interpretation considers שַׁתַּנִי as the underlying verb, with כָּלֻא an object complement. This interpretation was chosen for the sake of harmony with the first part of the verse, with YHWH serving as subject and active agent of all three actions (cf. also the refuting argument for the alternative just below).
%5B%5BFile: Psalm 088 - grammar v. 9c alt.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C825px%5D%5D
* '''v. 9c alt''' The alternative reading assumes a nominal clause with an underlying pronominal subject אֲנִי understood. Although supported by most modern translations (+LXX) it seems less desirable, as a nominal clause with an elided subject is rare when not preceded by הנה and not in third person (JM §154c). This is enhanced by the fact that such a reading would entail a change of subject that would have been expected to be overtly marked (YHWH --> I)
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* '''v. 9: מִמֶּנִּי'''
:The English verb "to shun" takes the accusative, but the Hebrew one is derived of the root רחק and thus retains its argument with the preposition מ of alienation (i.e. distance oneself from >> shun; cf. van der Merwe §39.14.3).
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* Morphologically and semantically a stative verb, the ''qatal'' דָאֲבָה is taken in this case to stand for a perfect inchoative ('languished'), as is rendered by many modern translations and commentaries.
* The lack of movement & an habitual process (indicated by the context) prompts us to render קְרָאתִיךָ in English as a present perfect progressive.
* The lack of movement & an habitual process (indicated by the context) prompts us to render שִׁטַּחְתִּי in English as a present perfect progressive.
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* '''v.10 מֶנִּי''' The form מֶנִּי, common in the Psalms, is a poetic variant of the preposition מִן with the addition of a paragogic ''yod'' (cf. JM §103d).
%5B%5BFile: Psalm 088 - grammar v. 10 alt1.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C825px%5D%5D
* '''v. 10 alt #1''' Alternative offers a viable reading not attested by any ancient version or modern translation. In addition to that, the following facts speak against this reading:
:# דָאֲבָה and עֹנִי belong to the same contextual domain.
:# The root עני is repeated three times, and always in the "complaining" parts, never in the framing statements of appeal (vv. 2-3, 10b-c, 14).
:# v. 10a and 10b will be less balanced in terms of poetic words if we take מִנִּי עֹנִי to be part of 10b.
:# The ''atnah'' at בְּכָל-יוֹם is a strong indication for this phrase to be considered as part of 10b, not 10c.
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* '''v. 10: singular of עַיִן standing for the plural'''
:The singular of עַיִן may stand in poetry for both eyes, e.g. פַּלְגֵי-מַיִם תֵּרַד עֵינִי עַל-שֶׁבֶר בַּת-עַמִּי. (Lam 3:48) "Streams of tears flow from '''my eyes''' because my people are destroyed." (NIV), in which only one eye crying is obviously impossible. It can also be seen in various idioms such as שָֹם עֵינוֹ עַל (to look to one's good); רָעָה עֵֵינוֹֹ עַל (envy). The plural is therefore the preferred reading in our verse too, supported by LXX.
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* '''v. 10: עֵינִי דָאֲבָה'''
:The rare verb דָאַב normally denotes the languishing of the soul (נֶפֶשׁ) (cf. Deut 28:65; Jer 31:11, 24). It is only in our verse that this verb describes the eye. However, "The 'eye(s)' is a synecdoche for the whole person, an indicator of the vitality and health of a person (cf. 1Sam 14:27, 29; Deut 34:7; Ps 19:9; Ezra 9:8) or of the lack of vitality and of depleted strength (Gen 27:1; Job 17:7; Ps 6:8; 38:11; Lam 5:17)" (Goldingay 2007). The choice of eye instead of soul in our verse was probably motivated by the intended pun between עֵינִי and עֹנִי in the same line. Both LXX (ἠσθένησαν) and Jerome (langŭērunt) render this verb with an equivalent of the general verb "to languish" or "to become weak". We therefore prefer the more general "languishes" to the translation suggested by some modern translations with the more specific "grows dim", which is restricted to the eyes only.
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* The lack of reference point movement and gnomic aspect prompt us to translate תַּעֲשֶׂה in English as a simple present tense. The same analysis applies to the next verses 11b-12.
* The hendiadys יָקוּמוּ יוֹדוּךָ should be rendered in translation by a subordination of the second verb to the first one. In many languages the former may be best rendered by an infinitive ("to praise you").
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* '''v. 11: הֲ - אִם construction''' Both הֲ and אִם are taken as interrogative particles, working on the higher level of discourse. אִם is commonly found in disjunctive yes/no mutually exclusive questions ("is it X or Y?"). In few cases in the Bible we find אִם functioning as an independent interrogative particle, namely neither in a disjunctive nor in a conditional clause setting, but introducing an independent clause of its own (1Kings 1:27; Is 29:16), which strongly suggests that it can function other than as a subordinating conjunction (cf. JM §161d-e). We therefore give it a particle status in our analysis.
* '''v. 11b''' The verbal sequence '''יָקוּמוּ יוֹדוּךָ''' is analyzed as an (asyndetic) hendiadys.
* The word '''סֶּלָה''' is absent in LXX.
* '''vv. 11-13: The rhetorical function of the disjunctive question of the הֲ... אִם... type'''
:“A disjunctive question is sometimes a mere stylistic feature, used in cases of synonymous parallelism... especially in poetry” (Joüon-Muraoka §161e). The rhetorical force of such constructions is that of a strong negation implied. This explains the additional “No!” in brackets in the paraphrase. It is important to convey the function of that particular formation to our translator teams.
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