Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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P
'''v. 8''' – A number of Hebrew manuscripts read בִּמְרִיבָה for the MT's כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה (see VTH vol. 4, 391), perhaps understanding מְרִיבָה as its abstract sense (cf. Gen 13:8; Num 27:14), rather than the proper name it came to attain, so "with strife." +
'''vv. 8-9''' – Since the Hebrew relative particle אֲשֶׁר is underspecified for case function, it has been interpreted in different ways in this verse. For the alternative placement of the relative clause, see the ESV's "'''when''' your fathers put me to the test," as modifying כְּי֥וֹם "as the day" of v. 8 (see also the CEB, CJB, DHH, JPS, NASB, PDV; Ḥakham 1979, 200). Our preferred view follows the LXX's οὗ ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν and Hebr. ''ubi temptaverunt me patres vestri'' "'''where''' your fathers tested me," as modifying the preceding בַּמִּדְבָּֽר "in the wilderness" (see the CSB, NBS, NET, NIV, RVC, SG21, TOB).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' +
'''v. 9b''' – For the alternative plural פָעֳלָי "my works" in place of the MT's singular פָעֳלִֽי "my work," see the LXX and Syr.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' +
'''vv. 9-10''' – For the alternative placement of אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה׀ "forty years," see the Syr. verse division, verse 9 containing ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ ܐܪ̈ܒܥܝܢ ܫܢܝ̈ܢ "they saw my works forty years" (cf. de-Rossi, Variae Lectiones, vol. 4, 64; reflected in the punctuation provided by the editors of the Leiden edition—Walter et al. 1980, 112). See also the interpretation of Heb 3:9-10, which supplies διό in διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ⸀ταύτῃ to the LXX's προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ, indicating a clausal separation and thus τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη with the preceding verse: "they saw my works for forty years."'"`UNIQ--ref-00000013-QINU`"' +
'''v. 10b''' – For the alternative emendation עַד for the MT's עַ֤ם, see the LXX's Ἀεὶ "always," while the form עד is read in Kennicott ms 76 (see VTH vol. 4, 391). Nevertheless, as pointed out by Barthélemy et al. (2005, 669-671), ms 76 holds very little value, while the LXX's ''Vorlage'' most plausibly contained לְעוֹלָם, perhaps a theological correction over the risk of characterizing the "people" (עַם) as those who go astray. For further support of maintaining the MT's עַם, see the contrast with עַם in v. 7. +
'''v. 11''' – Introduced by the verb of "swearing" (נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי), the final clause is an oath formula, with the unvoiced apodosis: "If they enter into my rest, ø" (Conklin 2011, 37-41). Thus, rendering the clause as negative is wholly appropriate (cf. also Jerome's Hebr. and the Syr., which render the introduction of the oath as ''ut non introirent'' and ܕܠܐ ܢܥܠܘܢ "so that...not"). In light of the instances of שׁבע with complementizer כִּי (see, e.g., Josh 2:12; 2 Sam 3:9; 1 Kgs 1:17; Jer 22:5; 49:13; Amos 4:2) or the quotative frame לֵאמֹר (see, e.g., 1 Kgs 1:13, 30), however, the interpretation of the final clause as direct speech is preferred. +
{%7C class%3D"wikitable"
%7C colspan%3D3 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;">The Sky Declaring God's Honor (vv. 2-5)</span>
%7C-
! style%3D"width:20%" %7C
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 1: Sky
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 2: Poet
%7C-
! Topic described
%7C The sky (specifically the continuation of the created order which is observable in the sky) shows God's honor (cf. v. 2).
%7C Poets can declare (ספר) the honor of YHWH (cf. Ps 9:2) or the honor of a king (cf. Ps 45:2).
%7C-
! Means
%7C The sky communicates through the continued sequence of day and night (cf. v. 3).
%7C Poets communicate rhythmically, generally through song.
%7C-
! Skill level
%7C The sky is beautiful and awe-inspiring (cf. Ps 8).
%7C Poets communicate with skill (e.g., prosody, alliteration, word play, images, etc.).
%7C-
! Audience
%7C Everyone can see the sky (cf. v. 5ab).
%7C Poets recite to an audience.
%7C-
! Blend
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <div style%3D"text-align:center;">Sky acting as a poet</div>
%7C-
! Implicatures
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <ul><li>The sky is constantly reciting (even singing) a poem.</li><li>The topic of the sky's poem is God's honor and skill (cf. v. 2).</li><li>The rhythm of the sky's poem is the rhythmic alternation of day and night (cf. קַו %5B'measured verse line'%5D in v. 5a).</li><li>The sky has a universal audience; everyone can listen to the sky's poem.</li><li>The artistry of the sky's poem lies in the power and beauty of the celestial bodies (sun, moon, and stars) and their patterned movements across the sky (cf. Ps 8:4).</li><li>Just as poems are characterized by patterned repetition, so the movements of the sun, moon, and stars are characterized by patterned repetition.</li></ul>
%7C-
! Figure Prominence
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold;">HIGH.</span> Personification itself, which is very common in Hebrew poetry, is low in prominence. The image here, however, which is sustained and developed across several verses (vv. 2-5), grows to a point of high prominence. It contributes to the theme of speech which is key to understanding the psalm. The psalm begins with the glorious speech of the sky (vv. 2-7), moves on to discuss the perfect speech of YHWH's Word (vv. 8-11), and closes with the inglorious and imperfect speech of YHWH's servant (vv. 12-15). Thus, the personification of the sky as a poet not only contributes to the poem's liveliness and beauty, it also contributes to the main theme of the psalm.
%7C}
%5B%5BCategory:Imagery tables%5D%5D
{%7C class%3D"wikitable"
%7C colspan%3D3 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;">Sun-Bridegroom (Ps 19:6a)</span>
%7C-
! style%3D"width:20%" %7C
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 1: Sun
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 2: Bridegroom
%7C-
! Motion
%7C Rises in the east and sets in the west
%7C Exits his honeymoon-tent (חֻפָּה) in the morning (v. 6a, cf. Joel 2:16) and returns in the evening
%7C-
! Appearance
%7C Radiant, beautiful (cf. Song 6:10, where a beautiful bride is compared to the sun), perhaps wearing light as splendid clothing (cf. Ps 104:2) (cf. association of sun with תְּפְאֶרֶת in Isa 60:19-20)
%7C Dressed in fine clothes, including a turban (פְּאֵר cf. Isa 61:10)
%7C-
! Emotional association
%7C The rising of the sun causes people to rejoice (cf. Mal 3:20; Hymn to Egyptian sun god in COS 1.27; COS 1.25; cf. Sarna 1965, 174)
%7C Bridegrooms are joyful (e.g., מְשׂוֹשׂ חָתָן in Isa 62:5; Jer 7:34; 16:9; 33:11), and the joyful occasion of their marriage brings joy to others (cf. SDBH: often associated with joy)
%7C-
! Blend
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <div style%3D"text-align:center;">The bridegroom-sun</div>
%7C-
! Implicatures
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <ul><li>The bridegroom-sun wakes up in the morning and leaves his tent.</li><li>The bridegroom-sun is dressed in splendid clothing that befits the occasion of his wedding.</li><li>The bridegroom-sun is full of joy and brings joy to others.</li><li>The bridegroom-sun begins the day exuberantly, every day as if just starting out in life, full of all the hope and joy of a newly married couple.</li></ul>
%7C-
! Figure Prominence
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold;">MEDIUM</span> This figure is explicitly marked as a simile and is, therefore, relatively high in prominence. At the same time, however, the image is not sustained or developed. Instead, it is immediately transformed in v. 6b to another, related image: the sun as a warrior.
%7C}
%5B%5BCategory:Imagery tables%5D%5D +
{%7C class%3D"wikitable"
%7C colspan%3D3 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;">Sun-Warrior (Ps 19:6b)</span>
%7C-
! style%3D"width:20%" %7C
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 1: Sun
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 2: Warrior
%7C-
! Preparation
%7C Rises in the morning
%7C Wakes up (Joel 4:9; Ps 78:65) and goes out to fight (Isa 42:13; Jer 46:9).
%7C-
! Activity
%7C Goes across the entire world in a single day
%7C Capable of amazing physical feats (2 Sam 23:8ff), including running long distances without going off course (Joel 2:7; cf. Job 16:14)
%7C-
! Potential for harm
%7C Potentially deadly to those who are unsheltered (cf. Isa. 49:10; Jon. 4:8; Ps. 121:6)
%7C Fierce (Jer 20:11; Ezek 32:12) and deadly to the unprotected
%7C-
! Weapons
%7C Intense light and heat (cf. v. 7c)
%7C Sword (Zech 10:5; Ps 45:4), bow (1 Sam 2:4; Isa 21:17; Jer 5:16; 50:9; Ps 120:4; 127:4), shield (2 Sam 1:22; Jer 46:9; Nah 2:4; Song 4:4)
%7C-
! Victory
%7C Overcomes the darkness
%7C Defeats his enemies and wins victory (cf. Jer 14:9; Zeph 3:17).
%7C-
! Emotional association
%7C The rising of the sun causes people to rejoice (cf. Mal 3:20; Hymn to Egyptian sun god in COS 1.27; COS 1.25; cf. Sarna 1965, 174)
%7C Terror for the warrior's enemies and joy for the warrior's people (cf. Zech 10:7); the warrior himself is sometimes joyful (Zech 10:7; Zeph 3:17; sometimes the association with joy is related to the association with wine, cf. Zech 10:7; Ps 78:65)
%7C-
! Blend
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <div style%3D"text-align:center;">The warrior-sun</div>
%7C-
! Implicatures
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <ul><li>The warrior-sun wakes up in the morning and goes out to fight against the darkness with its intense heat and light.</li><li>The warrior-sun daily performs an incredible feat of strength, running across the entire world in a single day.</li></ul>
%7C-
! Figure Prominence
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold;">MEDIUM</span> This figure is explicitly marked as a simile and is, therefore, high in prominence. At the same time, however, the image is not sustained or developed. Instead, it is immediately transformed in v. 6b to another, related image: the sun as a warrior.
%7C}
%5B%5BCategory:Imagery tables%5D%5D
{%7C class%3D"wikitable"
%7C colspan%3D3 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;">Instruction-Sun (Ps 19:8-11)</span>
%7C-
! style%3D"width:20%" %7C
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 1: YHWH's covenant instruction
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 2: Sun
%7C-
! Source
%7C Given by YHWH
%7C Created by YHWH (Gen 1:16)
%7C-
! Purpose
%7C To teach Israel how to live as YHWH's people; to illuminate the paths of life (cf. Ps 119:105)
%7C To illuminate the earth (Gen 1:15)
%7C-
!
%7C To distinguish YHWH's people from the nations (cf. Exod 19:5-6; Lev 20:24; 1 Kgs 8:53 %5Bהבדיל%5D)
%7C To separate (להבדיל) day from night (Gen 1:14)
%7C-
!
%7C To be the means by which YHWH rules over his people; to govern the behavior of his people
%7C To rule the day (Gen 1:16)
%7C-
! Attributes
%7C Perfect (v. 8a); flawless (בָּרָה v. 9b)
%7C Flawless/bright (בָּרָה֙ כַּֽחַמָּ֔ה) (Song 6:10)
%7C-
!
%7C True (אֱמֶת v. 10b) and, therefore, reliable (נֶאֱמָנָה v. 8b)
%7C Faithful to rise every morning and, therefore, a reliable witness to the continuation of the created order (cf. Gen 8:22; Ps 89:37-38)
%7C-
!
%7C Just (v. 9a); righteous (v. 10b)
%7C A symbol of righteousness and justice (cf. Mal 3:20; IQ27 I:6–7; the Hammurabi stele; cf. Sarna 1965, 173).
%7C-
!
%7C Pure (טְהוֹרָה v. 10a)
%7C Associated with the pure (טְהוֹרָה) (cf. טֹהַר in Exod 24:10; טְהָרוֹ in Ps 89:45; cf. Eaton 1968)
%7C-
! Benefits
%7C Restores life (v. 8a)
%7C Gives and restores life (cf. Mal 3:20; the Great Hymn to the Aten in COS 1.28; cf. Sarna 1965, 173).
%7C-
!
%7C Makes wise (v. 8b)
%7C Associated with the gift of wisdom (cf. the Shamash Hymn in COS 1.1117), perhaps insofar as wisdom is associated with light
%7C-
!
%7C Causes to rejoice (v. 9a)
%7C Causes to rejoice (cf. Mal 3:20; Hymn to Egyptian sun god in COS 1.27; COS 1.25; cf. Sarna 1965, 174)
%7C-
!
%7C Gives light to eyes (v. 9b), i.e., brings spiritual refreshment
%7C Gives light to eyes
%7C-
! Potential dangers
%7C Brings a curse on Israel if they do not keep it (cf. Deut 28:15-68
%7C Strikes (הכה) people who are unprotected (Isa. 49:10; Jon. 4:8; Ps. 121:6)
%7C-
! Temporal duration
%7C Enduring forever (v. 10a)
%7C Enduring forever (cf. Ps 89:37)
%7C-
! Blend
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <div style%3D"text-align:center;">YHWH's sun-like covenant instruction</div>
%7C-
! Implicatures
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <ul><li>Just as nothing is hidden from the sun's heat (v. 7c), so no sin is hidden from the 'heat' of YHWH's instruction; in the 'light' of YHWH's instruction, every action, thought, and motive is exposed for what it is (cf. vv. 12-15).</li><li>Just as the sun is the source of all physical life and energy on the earth, so YHWH's instruction is the source of all spiritual life and energy among his people.</li></ul>
%7C-
! Figure Prominence
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold;">HIGH</span> In one sense, the image is subtle and low in prominence, because the psalm never explicitly compares YHWH's instruction to the sun. However, by putting the description of YHWH's instruction (vv. 8-10) immediately after the description of the sun (vv. 5c-7) and by using terms to describe YHWH's instruction which are also appropriate to the sun, the psalm strongly encourages a comparison between the sun and YHWH's instruction. Indeed, it is the recognition of this implicit comparison that unlocks the meaning of the whole psalm (see the Story Behind triangles, where the main parts of the psalm are linked by the assumption YHWH's instruction is like the sun).
%7C}
%5B%5BCategory:Imagery tables%5D%5D
{%7C class%3D"wikitable"
%7C colspan%3D3 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;">Psalmist-Sacrifice (Ps 19:14-15)</span>
%7C-
! style%3D"width:20%" %7C
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 1: Psalmist
! style%3D"width:40%" %7C Input 2: Sacrifice
%7C-
! Goal
%7C to please YHWH (cf. v. 15, specifically with his words and thoughts which are a synecdoche for his whole person)
%7C to be acceptable before YHWH, to be pleasing to him (cf. Lev 1:3 לִרְצֹנ֖וֹ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה)
%7C-
! Requirement
%7C must live according to YHWH's covenant instruction
%7C must conform to YHWH's law
%7C-
!
%7C must be morally blameless, with profound moral uprightness and integrity (SDBH entry for תָּמִים) if he is to be pleasing to YHWH (cf. Ps 15:1-2)
%7C must be blameless (תָּמִים), i.e., without physical defect, if it is to be acceptable (cf. Lev 22:21—תָּמִ֤ים יִֽהְיֶה֙ לְרָצ֔וֹן כָּל־מ֖וּם לֹ֥א יִהְיֶה־בּֽוֹ)
%7C-
! Blend
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <div style%3D"text-align:center;">The living sacrifice</div>
%7C-
! Implicatures
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <ul><li>The goal of life is to be acceptable before YHWH</li><li>Only people who live according to YHWH's covenant instruction are reckoned blameless and thereby acceptable to YHWH</li><li>Sin, i.e., mistakes, hidden sins, and presumptuous sins (vv. 13-14) render a person morally blemished and unacceptable to YHWH</li><li>In order to reach a state of blamelessness and be acceptable before YHWH, people need YHWH's forgiveness and protection (vv. 13-15)</li></ul>
%7C-
! Figure Prominence
%7C colspan%3D2 %7C <span style%3D"font-weight:bold;">MEDIUM</span> The sacrifice imagery is subtle and the coherence of the psalm is not greatly affected if it goes unnoticed or untranslated. At the same time, the imagery probably would have been unmistakable to the earliest readers; the phrase הָיָה לְרָצוֹן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה clearly evokes the notion of sacrifice, and so does (in hindsight) the word אֵיתָם (v. 14b), which is a key word in the psalm—the root תמם forms an inclusio around the second half of the psalm (see poetic structure). The sacrificial imagery is thus sustained throughout vv. 14-15. It also connects these verses to the cultic language used in the previous verse (שְׁגִיאוֹת).
%7C}
%5B%5BCategory:Imagery tables%5D%5D
'''v. 22''' – With the basic sense of ''protection,'' in the present context, יְשׁוּעָה consisted of ''providing'' the people's needs in the wilderness. +
'''v. 71a''' – This is the only instance of the compound preposition מִן + אַחַר in the Psalms. It is commonly used in the Prophets to refer to ''following'' YHWH. So the literal ''from after'' (מֵאַחַ֥ר) ''nursing animals'' implies ''following behind'' them, i.e., '''looking after''' them in the context of shepherding, hence the gloss provided here. +
'''v. 2b''' – Despite a number of manuscripts exhibiting the cohortative ''he'' on the MT's נָרִ֥יעַֽ and both the LXX and Jerome's Hebr. maintain the cohortative (subjunctive) across both forms, the Masoretic tradition across both Tiberian and Babylonian manuscripts is quite consistent in intentionally lacking the ''he''. +
'''v. 4a''' – For the hapax legomenon מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ, cf. Job 38:16's הֲ֭בָאתָ עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָ֑ם וּבְחֵ֥קֶר תְּ֝ה֗וֹם הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ ("Have you gone to the sources of the sea, or in the חֵקֶר of the deep ocean have you walked around?"), from the root √חקר, "to search." Similar, too, is the instance of the feminine plural מחקרות in Ben Sira (B) 44:4.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' In light of this root and the evidence from the ancient versions,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' a gloss involving the un-searched nature is compatible with "depths" (SDBH), so we have preferred "unexplored depths" (HALOT).'"`UNIQ--ref-00000003-QINU`"' +
'''v. 4b''' – The word תּוֹעָפָה only appears elsewhere in the Bible to refer to wild oxen and probably their horns (see Num 23:22; 24:8; cf. Ben Sira (B) 45:7,'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000B-QINU`"' which clarifies in the margin that the תֹּואַר, "form, shape," i.e., stature, of the ox is in view). Thus, ''height'' (so the ancient versions, HALOT), and indeed (by analogy of the oxen's horns) ''peak'' is an appropriate gloss.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000C-QINU`"' +
'''v. 5''' – Although the lexeme יַבֶּ֫שֶׁת only occurs here and Exodus 4:9 in the Bible, it is unambiguously derived from the common root √יבשׁ, "be dry." The more typical form for "dry land" is יַבָּשָׁה (as read also in 4Q94 of our present text), though the context both here and in Exodus 4:9 show יַבֶּ֫שֶׁת simply to be a by-form with the same sense. +
'''v. 6''' – Note that the LXX reads "and '''let us weep''' before the Lord" (NETS; καὶ '''κλαύσωμεν''' ἐναντίον κυρίου) for the MT's נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה, apparently mistakenly overlooking the ''resh'' and reading נִבְכֶּה. The Syr. seems to have read the correct letters, but has mistaken the root "kneel down" for "bless" (ܘܢܒܪܟܝܘܗܝ ܠܡܪܝܐ "and let us bless the Lord"). +
'''v. 8''' – Following SDBH, we prefer to read מְרִיבָה and מַסָּה as the place names, Meribah and Massah, relating to the events related in Exodus 17, though this approach is not shared by the ancient versions.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"' +
'''v. 9''' – For the interpretation of אֲשֶׁר, see the discussion in the grammar notes. +