Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
"Text" is a predefined property that represents text of arbitrary length and is provided by Semantic MediaWiki. This property is pre-deployed (also known as special property) and comes with additional administrative privileges but can be used just like any other user-defined property.
P
* The phrase translated '''immense wealth''' (הוֹן־וָעֹשֶׁר) is a combination of two nouns ('wealth and riches'). The use of two co-referential nouns (instead of one noun) stresses the immensity of the man's wealth.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' The ideal king in Ps 112 is thus depicted, like Solomon, as having immense wealth.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'
+
* The verb translated '''has risen''' refers not to the general act of 'rising' but to the specific "process by which the sun appears in the morning to provide light and warmth to the world; ≈ associated with a new period of well-being."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' Elsewhere, the subject of the verb is almost always the sun.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'
+
* SDBH defines '''טוב''' as the "state in which humans and deities have character, integrity, and good fortune." In this passage, the emphasis is on the "good fortune" part of the definition: "fortunate," as a parallel to אשרי in v. 1.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"'
* The verb translated '''manages''' (יְכַלְכֵּל) most often refers to a "causative action by which humans... ensure that (other) humans received the food and care that they need."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000004-QINU`"' In this way, the verb 'manages' corresponds lexically and poetically to the phrase 'lends generously' in the previous line. In this context, however, the meaning seems to be different. Most understand the phrase here to mean "to conduct one's affairs."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' Understood in this sense, the whole verse is about the man's finances. The first half of the verse says that he is generous with his finances; the second half says that he is just in the administration of his finances.
* The noun '''משפט''' could mean either "place/process of judgment" (NASB; so BDB) or "justice" (NIV, NRSV, NLT, ESV, NET, GNT, CEV, JPS85; so SDBH; cf. Targum). The absence of the definite article and the parallel with Psalm 111 favor interpreting the word as an abstract noun "justice."
+
* The phrase translated '''who lends generously''' is a combination of two Hebrew verbs (חוֹנֵ֣ן וּמַלְוֶ֑ה, 'being generous and lending') which communicate a single idea ('lending generously').'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"'
+
* The verb '''פזר''' (''piel'') sometimes belongs to the contextual domain of war (cf. Ps. 89:11) and sometimes to the contextual domain of finances (cf. Prov. 11:24). In this context, it functions as a kind of janus, pointing back to the war imagery of v. 8 and forward to the financial imagery in v. 9.
+
* '''יָרֵ֣א''' is a stative verb, "has come to fear" >> "fears".
* '''חָפֵ֥ץ''' is stative verb, "has come to delight" >> "delights".
+
* '''עֹמֶ֥דֶת''' ("endures"): The participle here appears to function as the main predication of the clause with present/timeless semantics.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' This might be one indication that Ps. 111 is a late text.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' But there are examples of timeless / generic aspect participles in earlier texts as well.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'
+
* '''זָ֘רַ֤ח''' ("has risen"): Most modern translations have a present tense verb here,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' which is communicates the sense well. In Hebrew, however, the verb is past tense ("has risen"; cf. LXX: ἐξανέτειλεν), referring to the "process by which the sun appears in the morning to provide light and warmth to the world."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' The man is like the sun who ''has risen'' and is (by implication) presently shining (cf. Jerome: ''ortum est'').
+
* עַ֖ד אֲשֶׁר־'''יִרְאֶ֣ה''' בְצָרָֽיו׃ ("until '''he looks''' (in triumph) on his adversaries"): The conjunctive עַ֖ד אֲשֶׁר implies that the following clause is yet to happen.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"'
+
* '''עֹמֶ֣דֶת''' ("endures"): See note on v. 3.
+
* For the phrase '''לַמְנַצֵּחַ''', see %5B%5BLamnaṣṣēaḥ%5D%5D.
+
* '''The object of שָׁמַעְנוּ:''' While the ''qal'' verb שׁמע can occasionally be used intransitively (e.g., Gen 35:22; Num 12:2; Deut 6:4), in such instances the object of the verb (i.e., the content which is heard) is implied by the context. While it is separated from שָׁמַעְנוּ by an intervening clause, the present context suggests that פֹּעַל serves as the object of both שָׁמַעְנוּ and סִפְּרוּ.
: Another possibility is the parenthesis of אֲבוֹתֵ֥ינוּ סִפְּרוּ־לָ֑נוּ, as read in the CSB: ''We have heard with our ears— our ancestors have told us— the work you accomplished in their days.''
* '''Textual note on בִּימֵי:''' Some Hebrew manuscripts read כימי instead of בִּימֵי, but this alternative is not reflected in modern translations.
+
* '''The function of יָדְךָ:''' The LXX renders v. 3a with יָדְךָ as the subject of a third-person verb, ἡ χείρ σου ἔθνη ἐξωλέθρευσεν ("your hand destroyed nations," NETS). It is possible that the LXX understands יָדְךָ, as a metonymy for God, as the subject of the 2ms verb הוֹרַשְׁתָּ, with agreement between the verb and the 2ms pronominal suffix (JM §151c). However, it is more likely that יָדְךָ functions as an adverbial accusative (i.e., "You dispossessed the nations ''by your hand''"; cf. GKC §144l–m), as reflected in most modern translations.
* '''3mp pronominal suffixes:''' There is some ambiguity as to the referent of the 3mp pronominal suffixes of וַתִּטָּעֵם and וַתְּשַׁלְּחֵם. Most modern translations interpret them as referring to the forefathers of v. 2 (so NIV, ESV, NRSV, NET, CSB). This would require reading the ''wayyiqtol'' verbs as adversative ("but them you planted... but them you set free...," NRSV) or purpose/resultative ("in order to plant them... in order to settle them...," CSB). Alternatively, a temporally sequential reading of the ''wayyiqtols'' would suggest that the suffixes refer to the גּוֹיִם and לְאֻמִּים (so NASB95, LSB, KJV). For an in-depth discussion, see Lexical Semantics and Participant Analysis.
+
* '''The meaning of הוֹשִׁיעָה:''' The verbal root ישׁע typically refers to the act of bringing help in the midst of trouble, rather than rescue out of it (NIDOTTE, 2:556). In the present context, the sense is that of God's provision of military victory over adversaries (Ibid, 2:560).
%5B%5BFile:Psalm 044 - Ysh - to give victory.jpg%7Cclass%3Dimg-fluid%7C825px%5D%5D
* '''The meaning of יְמִינְךָ and וּזְרוֹעֲךָ:''' The bodily terms יָמִין and זְרוֹעַ function in the contextual domain of ''strength'' to denote one's power (SDBH).
* '''The meaning of וְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ:''' Within the contextual domain of ''body'' imagery, the "light (of one's face)" denotes a smile of favor (SDBH).
: '''אוֹר פָּנֶי-ךָ''' ("the light of your face") is entity–origin. The imagery of light is "associated with life, goodness, happiness, prosperity, security, favor, and wisdom" (SDBH). The idiom אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ "light of your %5Bi.e., God's%5D face" indicates divine approval (TWOT, 25). Thus, the semantics of the figurative expression is more akin to characteristic-possessor.
: '''פָּנֶי-ךָ''' ("your face") possession (body part)–possessor. With פָנֶי used figuratively to refer to one's presence (DCH), the construct relationship would be closer to that of characteristic-possessor.
+
* '''Is הוּא a copula or pronoun?''' If הוּא in this verse is functioning as a pronoun, then this would imply that אַתָּה would be a dislocated item. However, the אַתָּה in this verse is not left-dislocated ("as for you..."), as it does not agree in person with הוּא, which would be the resumptive pronoun in a left-dislocated construction (Holmstedt and Jones 2014, 59). Rendering הוּא as a resumptive would result in the difficult, "You, he is my king..." It is possible to understand the clause as a ''right''-dislocated construction ("you are ''he'', my king"; so Hengstenberg 1863, 113). However, this would result in an anaphoric pronoun הוּא that does not have a clear antecedent (Holmstedt and Jones 2014, 59). As such, הוּא is most likely functioning as a copula in this context (i.e., "you ''are'' my king"). It also serves to disambiguate the sentence as a verbless clause, as opposed to a vocative expression ("you, my king, O God"; BHRG §36.1.1.2%5B4%5D). For similar constructions, see 2 Sam 7:28; 1 Kgs 19:15; Neh 9:7.
* '''Textual note on אֱלֹהִים and צַוֵּה:''' LXX reads ὁ θεός μου ὁ ἐντελλόμενος τὰς σωτηρίας ιακωβ ("... my God, he who commands acts of deliverance for Iakob," NETS). This reading presupposes a division of the consonantal text into אֱלֹהָי מְצַוֶּה instead of the MT's אֱלֹהִים צַוֵּה. For more on this issue, see %5B%5BThe Text and Meaning of Ps. 44:5%5D%5D.
* '''The plural form of יְשׁוּעוֹת''': The plural form is often used in the HB to express abstract concepts. Originally, these plurals of abstraction likely expressed concrete manifestations of the abstract concept, and eventually developed into expressions of the abstraction itself (JM §136g). Thus, יְשׁוּעוֹת indicates the concept "help/salvation," as opposed to instances of "helps/salvations."
+
* '''בְּשִׁמְ-ךָ''' ("in your name"): God's name figuratively refers to his authority (entity-origin; cf. SDBH). The בְּ in בְּשִׁמְךָ is a locative בְּ. While the ב could be construed as indicating instrument (i.e., by %5Bmeans of%5D, so DCH, 8:429), it has been noted that the construction בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה usually denotes the sense of commission (cf. 1 Sam 17:45; TWOT, 934) or authority (SDBH). Thus, the sense here is likely, "By your authority, we trample..." In this sense, the function of ב is likely closer to that of a metaphorical locative, denoting the domain in which the action occurs (cf. English, "under your authority").
+
* '''Pronominal suffix of קָמֵינוּ:''' While pronominal suffixes often indicate an accusative (i.e., direct object), they can also indicate datives with certain verbs (JM §125ba). This is the case here, where the 1cp suffix indicates a dative of disadvantage ("against us") for the intransitive ''qal'' participle קָמִים.
+
*'''Textual note on מִנִּי־צָר:''' LXX includes a possessive pronoun that is not present in MT (παρὰ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ''ἡμῶν''). This reading is reflected in a few modern translations (NLT, GNB, NCV). The inclusion of the pronoun could be explained as having been supplied by the LXX translators to smooth out the rendering, and thus the MT reading is preferred.
+
* '''The grammar of רִבִּיתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם:''' Some modern translations treat רִבִּיתָ as an ''intransitive'' verb (i.e., "you have not profited/increased"), with the prepositional phrase בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם functioning as an adverbial modifier, indicating means (i.e., "by their price"; so NASB, NIV, CSB, KJV). On the other hand, it is possible that the preposition בְּ of בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם introduces the object of the ''transitive'' verb רִבִּיתָ (DCH, 5:217; 7:397). If so, then the verbal idea here is that of inflating the purchase price (so ESV, NRSV, NET). A mediating position would be to see רִבִּיתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם as an idiomatic expression, "to make a profit" (so HALOT, 1176). However, if this were the case, then translating בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם adverbially (cf. CSB, "you make no profit ''by selling them''") would be redundant.
: While, in rare cases, the verb רבה can be used intransitively to refer to ''qualitative'' (as opposed to ''quantitative'') greatness, this typically occurs in the ''qal'' stem (Job 33:12; 1 Kgs 5:10). In the ''piel'' stem (as here in 44:13), the verb is transitive in all its other occurrences (Judg 9:29; Ezek 19:2; Lam 2:22). Thus, reading רִבִּיתָ as transitive (with בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם indicating the object) is preferred.
+
* '''Textual note on בַּלְאֻמִּים:''' BHS, in reproducing the text of Leningradensis (L), reads בַּל־אֻמִּים ("not peoples"?) in v. 15. Most Hebrew manuscripts (including the Aleppo and Sassoon Codices) read בַּלְאֻמִּים ("among the peoples") instead. This reading is also supported by the LXX and Targum.
: It is possible that L has mis-divided the original בלאמים into בַּל־אֻמִּים (so Goldingay 2007, 2:36). However, as the identical construction בַּל־אֻמִּים also occurs in Pss 57:10; 108:4; and 149:7 of L, if this were indeed a scribal error, it would be an unusually common one that was made.
: The reading of בַּל־אֻמִּים makes little sense syntactically, as the negative particle בַּל is not elsewhere found with substantives (Barbiero and Pavan 2012, 599). It is also difficult contextually, unless בַּל־אֻמִּים means "not a people" in a pejorative sense (cf. בְּלֹא־עָם in Deut 32:21). It is possible that this pejorative sense formed the motivation for an intentional re-vocalization of the text of L. The reading of בַּל־אֻמִּים could be explained as a midrashic play on words by the scribe of L, in order to make allusion to texts like Deut 32:21 (Ibid, 603–604).
+