Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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P
'''v. 7''' – For the sense of כֶּסֶל, see the parallel with מִבְטָח "trust" in Job 31:24 (אִם־שַׂ֣מְתִּי זָהָ֣ב כִּסְלִ֑י וְ֝לַכֶּ֗תֶם אָמַ֥רְתִּי מִבְטַחִֽי). +
'''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. +
'''v. 12''' – Despite the possibility of selecting a plural form (see, e.g., פְּלָאוֹת in Ps 119:129), the singular פֶּלֶא has been interpreted as a collective in all the ancient versions and also in the modern translations checked (cf. Exod 15:11; Isa 25:1; Ps 77:12; 88:11, 13; 89:6)—indeed, Exodus 15:11 (עֹ֥שֵׂה פֶֽלֶא) is probably the literary influence for this recounting of the same events. +
'''v. 12''' – Despite the plural "fields" found in the Syr. (ܚ̈ܩܠܬܐ) and שדי in one medieval manuscript (see VTH, vol. 4, 373), the singular שְׂדֵה is intended, though seemingly to refer to the region, rather than a particular field as perhaps one would envisage "the field of Zoan." +
'''v. 12''' – Zoan (modern day Tanis; cf. the LXX, Jerome, TgPs) is about 20km north of Rameses (modern day Qantir), a store city that the Israelites are said to have constructed in Exodus 1:11. As well as its proximity to the Israelite activity and plausible setting for much of their labor, there may be a few other motivating factors for the mention of Zoan both here and in v. 43. First, "it served as the seat of the Egyptian royal court from 1070-725 B.C.E" (Leuchter 2006, 21), so may have provided further rhetorical force for YHWH's superiority on a level of international relations beyond Israel in the north, with his special elective favor on Judah/David/Zion. Second, the alliteration and (almost) assonance between צֹעַן and both צִ֝יּ֗וֹן (v. 68) and צֹֽאן (v. 70) is more striking than if another location had been mentioned (Leuchter 2006, 22). +
'''v. 13''' – For the alternative revocalization נֹד for the MT's נֵד, see the LXX's ἀσκὸν "wineskin," most plausibly from נאֹד/נֹד (see the same phenomenon in Ps 33:7).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' +
'''v. 16''' – The sense of נְהָרוֹת could be either simply fresh-water rivers or ocean currents (see, e.g., Ps 24:2; 89:26). The parallel term, נוֹזְלִים, also carries such ambiguity, as it is used later in the psalm to refer to the Egyptians' river(s) (v. 44), but also as the ocean currents in Exod 15:8, a text which seems highly influential on Ps 78. In the end, the gloss ''rivers'' has been preferred as thematically parallel to v. 44. +
'''v. 20''' – On the function of הֵן to appeal to the common ground to set up a following speech act (in this case, the interrogative הֲגַם־לֶ֭חֶם י֣וּכַל תֵּ֑ת אִם־יָכִ֖ין שְׁאֵ֣ר לְעַמּֽוֹ), see Atkinson forthcoming ("הִנֵּה/הֵן constructions," in the Cambridge Grammar of Biblical Hebrew). Broadly considered a mirative particle, as per the gloss ''look'', both הִנֵּה and הֵן vary on the mirative/surprising nature of their propositions. +
'''v. 21''' – For the function of לָכֵן "to explain the grounds of factual situations," see van der Merwe (2014, 151-152). +
'''v. 21''' – This is a unique instance of niphal נשׂק "flares up" (SDBH),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' though see the use of the hiphil in Isa 44:15 and Ezek 39:9 with אַף as the subject in the former instance and a verbal parallel with the more common piel וּבִעֲרוּ "to set ablaze" in the latter. +
'''v. 21''' – This is a unique instance of ''niphal'' נשׂק "flares up" (SDBH),'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' though see the use of the ''hiphil'' in Isa 44:15 and Ezek 39:9 with אַף as the subject in the former instance and a verbal parallel with the more common ''piel'' וּבִעֲרוּ "to set ablaze" in the latter. +
'''v. 25''' – This is a unique instance of אַבִּיר as "angel" in the Bible (so, the LXX), though see also Ben Sira (B) 43:5. Cf. also Ps 103:20, where angels are referred to as גִּבֹּ֣רֵי כֹ֭חַ. On the other hand, the precise phrase is most likely also read in Ben Sira (A) 7:31, in the context of contributions to the priests.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' +
'''v. 30''' – The verb זָר֥וּ could be understood a number of ways. The two primary senses are "''become estranged''" and "''turn away''," both of which occur with the preposition מִן of separation as here. The first sense may be intended by the Jerome's (quite unique) take: non indiguerunt de cupiditate sua "they were not in need of/lacking their desire." These two interpretations are similar, however, and supported by the following clause: ע֝֗וֹד אָכְלָ֥ם בְּפִיהֶֽם "their food was still in their mouth." '"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' +
'''v. 31''' – Although the intended sense is most likely "strong men," in parallel with the "young men of Israel" (בַחוּרֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל) in the following clause (and the context of the parallel passage in Isa 10:16), there may be some wordplay with the root שֶׁמֶן as "fat, stout," in light of their craving for food in the previous co-text. +
'''v. 31b''' – For the hiphil כרע as "strike down," (SDBH) rather than simply "make bow down," see the contexts of Pss 17:13, 18:40, and the previous clause here. +
'''v. 28''' – For the construction סָבִיב לְ, see the phrase-level notes. +
'''v. 32''' – For the construction בְּכָל זֹאת, see the phrase-level notes. +
'''v. 33''' – For the grammatical difficulties (according to the most expected sense of piel כלה) and the emendation following Aquila, see the grammar notes. Although such a reading as the ESV's "So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror" is plausible in light of v. 31, the vanity and anguish mentioned here, however, probably point to the generation of wandering in the desert. The lexical connection between הֲרָגָ֥ם (v. 34) and וַֽ֭יַּהֲרֹג (v. 31) indicates that v. 33 should be read with v. 32. +
'''v. 34''' – For the temporal interpretation of אִם, see the versions' "when" (ὅταν, בזמן ד and ܡܐ ܕ; cf. BDB, who also cite a similar function in Gen 38:9; Num 21:9; Judg 6:3 and Amos 7:2). +
'''v. 40''' – The name יְשִׁימוֹן, belonging to a location (see 1 Sam 23:19, 24; 26:1, 3), was also used as a generic appellation of desert places (cf. Num 21:20; 23:28; Deut 32:10; Ps 68:8; 107:4).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' See especially Ps 106:14 for thematic parallels. +