Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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* The phrase אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי (lit.: "God of righteousness of me") has been understood and translated in various ways. The NET, for example, says, "God who vindicates me!" i.e., the God who recognizes my righteousness and declares me to be in the right (cf. NLT: "God who declares me innocent;" NEB: "maintainer of my rights;" NJPS: "O God, my vindicator!" so DCH: "God of my justification;" Radak: "you who know that I am righteous"). According to this interpretation, the phrase is a condensed version of the clause in Ps 18:21—"YHWH deals with me according to my righteousness" (יִגְמְלֵנִי יְהוָה כְּצִדְקִי) (cf. Baethgen 1904, 9).
* Other translations say "my righteous God" (e.g., NIV). According to this view, the word צֶדֶק denotes a characteristic of God, and the pronominal suffix "my" does not modify צֶדֶק alone, but the whole phrase אֱלֹהֵי צֶדֶק (cf. הַר קֹדְשִׁי, "my holy mountain," in Ps 2:6). As Goldingay explains, "YHWH is God of צדק in the sense of being committed to doing the right thing by people, especially when they are in need" (Goldingay 2006, 162).
* We prefer to interpret the clause as "the God who makes things right for me, namely by letting me triumph over adversity" (Duhm 1899, 13). "God" (אֱלֹהֵי) is the agent who brings about a state of "right-ness" or "prosperity" (צֶדֶק) for the sake of "me." Cf. Zenger: "The address is not aimed at God acting according to the righteousness of the person praying, but at the actualization of God's righteousness as his outstanding characteristic (cf. Ps 11:7; 33:5; 48:11; 103:6; 116:5)" (1990, 388). In this way, the phrase is analogous to "the God who saves me" (אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעִי) in Ps 25:5, i.e., the God who brings about a state of salvation for me. Note that צֶדֶק is sometimes collocated with "salvation" (ישׁע) and can refer to "salvation, well-being... salvation which comes from God" (HALOT).
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* In Ps 4:2, the word צֶדֶק probably belongs to the same lexical domain as words like "security" (יֶשַׁע; cf. the analogous phrase אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעִי) and "peace" (שָׁלוֹם, see v. 9) and to the contextual domain of "well-being." The poetic correspondence between v. 2 and v. 9 connects the notions of "righteousness" (v. 2) and "peace" (שָׁלוֹם, v. 9) (see Poetic Structure). Together, these two concepts "describe fortunate, well-ordered circumstances" (TDOT; e.g., Pss 35:27; 72:3; 85:11; Isa 48:18; 60:17; Isa 32:17). Thus, the gloss "prosperity" given among the glosses in SDBH is appropriate (cf. %5Bhttps://archive.org/details/diepsalmen0001weis/page/80 Weiser 1959, 80-81%5D, who glosses it with the German word "Heil;" cf. HALOT: "salvation, well-being;" Gesenius 2013: "righteousness... presenting itself as salvation"). The prominent use of צֶדֶק in Ps 85 is instructive, because this psalm parallels Psalm 4 in some striking ways (in addition to "righteousness" and "peace," note the theme of harvest %5Bcf. Ps 4:8%5D and YHWH's giving of "what is good" %5Bcf. Ps 4:7%5D): "Love and faithfulness meet together; צֶדֶק and שָׁלֹום kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and צֶדֶק looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. צֶדֶק goes before him and prepares the way for his steps" (Ps 85:11-14, NIV adapted).
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* If it modifies the verb, then the ''lamed'' preposition in the phrase "set apart ''for himself'' (לוֹ)" (cf. grammar note) could indicate the beneficiary in the act of setting apart (cf. Deut 19:2—תַּבְדִּ֣יל לָ֑ךְ, "set aside for yourselves..."). But if it modifies the noun חָסִיד (see above), then it probably indicates the recipient of the acts of חֶסֶד: "loyal to him" (cf. Ps 18:15—עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לִמְשִׁיחֹו).
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* If v. 3 refers to the worship of false gods, then we prefer to understand the phrase '''right sacrifices''' (זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק) as referring to sacrifices offered to YHWH (and not to another god) in accordance with YHWH's law (cf. Deut 33:19; Ps 51:21; cf. NET: "prescribed sacrifices;" Baethgen 1904, 10). In contrast, see NLT: "Offer sacrifices in the right spirit;" GWT: "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness by trusting the LORD." For an alternative view, see Waltke: "The sense, however, is probably not that the sacrifices conform to the Law (contra Buttenweiser and Briggs) - although this idea cannot be excluded - but is a metonymy for the one offering the sacrifice - that is to say, he is righteous (see v. 1%5B2%5D). Just as the one qualified to enter the sacred temple site is said to enter the 'gates of righteousness' (Ps 118:19) - surely not a reference to the standards for the gate itself - so the sacrifices offered by the one admitted through the gates into the temple's precincts are said to be righteousness" (Waltke 2010, 237).
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* The adverbial יַחְדָּו modifies both verbs and indicates that both actions happen "together," i.e., "at the same time" (HALOT; cf. Isa 46:2; Ps 35:26): "I both lie down and sleep" >> "I will fall asleep as soon as I lie down" (cf. Prov 3:24; Baethgen 1904, 11).
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* On the meaning of the phrase "alone" (לְבָדָד), see the grammar note.
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* Ps 4:7 uses the preposition עַל, whereas the Aaronic blessing uses the preposition אֶל (Num 6:26)—יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ. The change might support a meaning for נְסָה other than "lift" (e.g., "lift up as a banner" or "has fled;" see %5B%5BThe Grammar of Ps. 4:7b%5D%5D). But the change is more likely insignificant, since "the prepositions עַל and אֶל are sometimes interchanged" (BHRG §39.3, 20). Psalm 67:2, which also alludes to the Aaronic blessing, uses an entirely different preposition: יָ֤אֵר פָּנָיו אִתָּנוּ.
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* The prepositional phrase מֵעֵת is probably not comparative, but temporal: "''when'' their grain and new wine abound" (NIV, cf. NJPS; see grammar note for fuller discussion).
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* The clause "their grain and new wine multiplied" (דְּגָנָם וְתִירוֹשָׁם רָבּוּ) is embedded within a construct chain: "the time (of/when) their grain and new wine multiplied" (see e.g., Jer 6:15—בְּעֵת־פְּקַדְתִּים; see discussion and further examples in GKC §130d; §155l).
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* '''גַּם־עַבְדְּךָ נִזְהָר בָּהֶם''': LXX: καὶ γὰρ ὁ δοῦλός σου φυλάσσει αὐτά (v. 12a). LXX has translated according to the context of v. 12b (so LXX-D): "Um den unsicheren hebr. Text (gewöhnlich wird die Verbform abgeleitet aus aram. זהר »erleuchtet sein«) sinnvoll wiederzugeben, hat die LXX das hebr. Verb im Licht von V.12b gedeutet" (II, 1548).
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'''v. 1b''' – For the alternative apposition, see the LXX and Syr.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000013-QINU`"', whose interpretation may be influenced by their tendency to consistently read צוּר as an appellation for God. The NET is comparable: "Let us shout out praises to our Protector who delivers us" (cf. TOB) though the NJPS is a somewhat freer paraphrase: "raise a shout for our rock and deliverer" (cf. DHH). +
'''v. 3b''' – For the alternative relative clause, see the Syr. ܡܠܟܐ ܕܪܒ ܥܠ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܐ̈ܠܗܐ "a king who is great over all gods." The preferred diagram reflects a modification of the adjective גָּ֝ד֗וֹל as a superlative (see GKC §133i; cf. Mena 2012, 87). +
'''v. 4a''' – For the alternative emendation of plural "hands" in place of the MT's "hand," see the Syr. ܐ̈ܝܕܘܗܝ. +
'''v. 5''' – For the asyndetic relative reading of וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ, which understands וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת in parallel with הַ֭יָּם and וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ as a parenthetical, see the CEB, EÜ, GNT, NFC, NJPS, TOB, ZÜR. Such a reading would be supported by the likelihood of יָם and יַבֶּשֶׁת as a stock word pair (see Watson 1986, 128-144). Furthermore, Jerome’s ''Iuxta Hebraeos'' supports the parenthetical reading as it provides the conjunction "for" (''enim fecit illud''), indicating a semantically non-at-issue remark with a speech act of justification, rather than the assertion of the host sentence. The structure resembles Tsumura’s a-x // b-x’, in like manner to Psalm 18:42 (see Tsumura 2023, 53), though there the x’ (וְלֹ֣א עָנָֽם) is waw-conjoined, whereas here the parallel relationship is not as explicit, ידיו יצרו lacking syndesis.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000013-QINU`"' +
'''vv. 4-5''' – As evident in the other ancient versions, the LXX's rendering of אֲשֶׁר with causal ὅτι,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' while not impossible, is not necessary. Indeed, both Aquila and Symmachus have οὗ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ "in whose hand...", resuming "a God" from the previous verse, i.e., drawing attention to a particular feature of ''God,'' the noun that is being modified. +
'''v. 7''' – Regarding the Syr. of this verse, Taylor comments, "For MT וַאֲנַחְנוּ עַם מַרְעִיתוֹ וְצֹאן יָדוֹ ''and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand'' (cf. LXX, καὶ ἡμεῖς λαὸς νομῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ πρόβατα χειρὸς αὐτοῦ) P has ܘܚܢܢ ܥܡܐ ܕܝܠܗ ܘܥܢܐ ܕܡܪܥܝܬܗ and we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. The difference is probably due to contamination from similar statements elsewhere in the psalms. Cf. Ps 79:13; 100:3" (2020, 393). These other passages read וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַמְּךָ֨׀ וְצֹ֥אן מַרְעִיתֶךָ֮ and וְלֹא %5Bק: לוֹ%5D אֲנַ֑חְנוּ עַ֝מּ֗וֹ וְצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֽוֹ , respectively. The DHH is similar, with ''Él es nuestro Dios, y nosotros su pueblo; somos ovejas de sus prados'' "He is our God and we his people; we are sheep of his pasture." +
'''v. 7c''' – As well as a calculated aposiopesis (see the alternative diagram below), this clause has been interpreted as the conditional protasis with the preceding clause the apodosis: "For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand, if you will obey his voice and not harden their hearts" (adapted from Schniedewind 1995, 546-547). See the exegetical issue, https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Syntax_of_Ps_95:7-8#cite_ref-3. The preferred reading, however, understands the protasis to be followed by the apodosis of v. 8 (see below). +
'''v. 7c''' – The final clause of this verse could be understood as a calculated aposiopesis (see, e.g., the CEB's "If only you would listen to his voice!" cf. EÜ, NABRE, NET, ZÜR; so GKC §151e),'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001B-QINU`"' such that the focal content of the sentence (in this case the apodosis) is not explicitly voiced and is left for the addressee to fill in the consequence. Cf., e.g., אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע "Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!" (Ps 139:19, ESV). For a full discussion of the syntactic possibilities of this verse, see the exegetical issue, https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Syntax_of_Ps_95:7-8#cite_ref-3. +
'''v. 7c''' – The final clause of this verse could be understood as a calculated aposiopesis (see, e.g., the CEB's "If only you would listen to his voice!" cf. EÜ, NABRE, NET, ZÜR; so GKC §151e),'"`UNIQ--ref-0000001B-QINU`"' such that the focal content of the sentence (in this case the apodosis) is not explicitly voiced and is left for the addressee to fill in the consequence. Cf., e.g., אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע "Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!" (Ps 139:19, ESV). For a full discussion of the syntactic possibilities of this verse, see the exegetical issue, %5B%5BThe Syntax of Ps 95:7-8%5D%5D. If read as the conditional protasis leading into v. 8, however (as our preferred reading), the RVC (as also discussed in Briggs & Briggs 1906-7, 295) emends the MT to provide the 1cs suffix on voice: "If today you hear '''my''' voice" (Si hoy escuchan ustedes '''mi''' voz). There is no Hebrew manuscript or ancient versional evidence for this emendation, so it has not been considered as a viable alternative reading. +
'''vv. 7c-8''' – Our preferred interpretation of the clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ involves הַ֝יּ֗וֹם as a sentence adverb (see the full treatment of sentence adverbs in Blau 1982), in similar manner to וְעַתָּה, as expressed explicitly by Ḥakham (1979, 200): "כלומר: עתה" "that is to say, ''now''." The effect of this sentence adverb has been picked up in the rhetorical heart of the argument of the writer to the Hebrews: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb 3:12–13, ESV).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"' There is also a poetic motivation for using הַיּוֹם instead of the more frequent sentence adverb וְעַתָּה, as it contrasts with "the day of Massah" (כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה) in v. 8 (see Poetic Structure). +