Exegetical Issue—Hans

Introduction

The Hebrew of Psalm 19:4 is as follows:

אֵין־אֹמֶר וְאֵין דְּבָרִים

בְּלִי נִשְׁמָע קוֹלָם

There are two basic options attested in modern translations:

• Option #1: There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard (NRSV).
  • The independent clause is attested in most modern translations (English: NRSV, NIV, NLT, CEV, GNT, NET, NEB/REB, NJB; German: HFA, NGÜ, GNB, EÜ, Luther 2017, ELB, ZÜR; French: TOB, NBS, NVSR, BDS, PDV2017, NFC, S21; Spanish:RVR95, NVI, DHH, BTX4).
• Option #2: There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard (ESV).
  • The relative clause is attested in some modern translations (ESV; JPS 1985) and numerous ancient versions (LXX, Theodotion, Symmachus, Aquila, Jerome).

Option #1 (the independent clause) describes the antecedent's distinct mode of communication negatively by stating what it is not. By contrast, option #2 (the relative clause) is a positive affirmation of the efficacy of the antecedent’s communication. Option #2 takes 4b as an asyndetic clause and makes 4a (“there is no speech, there are no words") relative to 4b ("the sound of which is not heard"), meaning that the praise of God (vv. 2-3) is effectively communicated and perceivable everywhere. The exegetical question hinges on the grammar of verse 4b. If 4b is an independent clause, verse 4 constitutes a paradoxical statement in semantic tension with its surrounding context. If 4b is a relative clause, verse 4 further develops the message of verses 2-3 by a positive affirmation which flows naturally into verse 5.

Argument Maps

4b as an Independent Clause

The majority of modern translations opt for rendering 4b as an independent clause (English: NRSV, NIV, NLT, CEV, GNT, NET, NEB/REB, NJB; German: HFA, NGÜ, GNB, EÜ, Luther 2017, ELB, ZÜR; French: TOB, NBS, NVSR, BDS, PDV2017, NFC, S21; Spanish:RVR95, NVI, DHH, BTX4).

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[An Independent Clause]: Verse 4 is an independent clause which specifies the mode of communication of its antecedents through negation. #dispreferred
 + <The Plain Reading>: Translating 4b as an independent clause is the simplest and most unassuming rendering of the MT (Alexander 1864, 96 :C:). Accordingly, the burden of proof falls on why it would be rendered as anything but an independent clause. #dispreferred
   <_ <Context>: Contextual factors are sufficient to influence how the bare grammar of a text is rendered (e.g., the interrogative of Jonah 4:10-11).
   + <The Law of Parsimony>: The best explanation is often the one that requires minimal assumptions (Laird 1919 :A:). #dispreferred
   + [Adverb of Negation]: An adverb of negation (בְּלִי) is used in 4b (GKC §152u :G:). #dispreferred
 + <The Suffix of 4b>: 4b as an independent clause allows the 3mp suffix to be what verse 5 reveals it to be, "the heavens and the firmament" (Hengstenberg 1863, 230 :C:). #dispreferred
   <_ <A New Section>: Nothing requires the antecedent of the pronominal suffix of 4b to be the same as those in verse 5. 
 - <Incongruent with Context>:The independent clause reading is at odds with the message of the surrounding context (vv. 2-3, 5a-b) which stresses the verbal nature of the sky's communication (Delitzsch 1883, 348 :C:).
   + [Lacking a Disjunctive]: There is no adverb or adversative (אך ,ו ,כי ,אולם, etc.) at the outset of verse 5 (Delitzsch 1883, 348 :C:). 
   <_ <A Poetic Tactic>: The semantic tension verse 4 creates in light of verses 2-3 and 5a-b is a poetic tactic which serves to emphasis the paradoxical phenomenon of the sky’s nonverbal communication (Alter 2007, 60 :C:). #dispreferred
    <_ <Prosodic Acumen>: Considering the rest of verses 2-7, it seems uncharacteristically clumsy of this psalmist to use the same term (אמר) to state that "there is no speech" (4a) in light of its use in 2a ("day to day pours out speech") which, in turn, follows on from the two communication verbs (ספר,נגד) of verse 2. 
 - <Inaccurate>: Storm clouds with thunder, rain, and wind make sounds and are involved in the display of the sky and daily/nightly cycles. To say "their sound is not heard" is factually incorrect and does not correspond with other psalms (Jorstad 2019, 163-164 :A:). 
   + [Noisy Sky]: "clouds pour out water, clouds make a noise; indeed, your lightnings flash back and forth" (Ps 77:18; also see Pss 93:3; 98:7-8) (Jorstad 2019, 163-164 :A:). 
   <_ <Poetic License>: Psalmic poetry is a creative medium that eschews scientific exactitude, dealing rather in images, metaphors, figures, etc., and which appropriates terms and phrases for imaginative effect (Watson 1987, 251-272). #dispreferred
    <_ <Prosodic Acumen>: Considering the rest of verses 2-7, it seems uncharacteristically clumsy of this psalmist to use the same term (אמר) to state that "there is no speech" (4a) in light of its use in 2a ("day to day pours out speech") which, in turn, follows on from the two communication verbs (ספר,נגד) of verse 2. 
     <_ <Poetic Technique>: In biblical poetry an ostensible contradiction can be deliberately employed for literary effect. #dispreferred
      + [Literary Juxtaposition]: "do not answer a fool. . . ."/"answer a fool. . . ." (Proverbs 26:4-5). #dispreferred

4b as a Relative Clause (preferred)

The ESV and JPS 1985 are two modern translations that opt to render 4b as a relative clause along with most ancient versions (LXX, Theodotion, Symmachus, Aquila, Jerome).

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[A Relative Clause]: Verse 4b is a relative clause which positively affirms the efficacy of the sky's communication.
 + <The Wider Context>: Understanding 4b as a relative clause is natural in light of the message of the surrounding context (vv.2-3 and 5a-b) which stresses the verbal nature of the sky's communication (Delitzsch 1883, 348 :C:). 
   + [Vocabulary]: The collocation יביע אמר occurs in 3a with אמר repeated again in 4a (Wilson, 2002 :C:). The participle מספרים occurs in 2a. Verse 5 has קו and מלי.
 + <Ancient Support>:  The authors of ancient versions, numerous of which attest a relative clause, were closer in proximity to the time(s), language(s), and culture(s) that comprised the milieu in which the Hebrew text of Psalm 19 was composed, copied, and proliferated; therefore, their linguistic knowledge, intuition, and translational choices constitute a credible guide to understanding the sense of verse 4.
  + [Ancient Versions With a Relative Clause]: LXX, Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, and Jerome.
  <_ <Textual Ambiguity>: It is not certain what the text of the Hebrew Vorlage of Psalm 19, from which ancient versions were derived, was. #dispreferred
 - <Not Explicitly Relative>:There is no "relative-clause marker" (i.e., שׁ ,אשׁר, "the z series," article) in the MT in 4b (IBHS §19.2b :G:). #dispreferred
   <_ <Relative-Clause Marker Not Required>: אשׁר is often excluded from poetic texts (JM §3d). "Many relative clauses bear no distinctive relative marker but are juxtaposed directly to the main clause; such unmarked or Ø-marked clauses are common in poetry. . . ." (IBHS §19.6).  
   <_ <בלי >:בלי "denotes an exception" (Calvin 3 :C:). 
    <_ < בלי as Modifier>: בלי only denotes an exception when it modifies a noun phrase, however, it modifies the whole clause of 4b (BDB :L:; BHRG §41.6 :G:). #dispreferred
 - <Disrupts Parallelism>: 4b as a relative clause interferes with the paralleled (semantic) relation that ties אמר, דברים, and נשׁמע together in verse 4. (Hengstenberg 1863, 329 :C:). #dispreferred  
    <_ [Chiastic Structure]: There is a chiasm across vv. 2-5 in which the 3mp pronominal suffix in verse 4 refers to “‘day and night’” (corresponding to verse 3), while the 3mp pronominal suffixes ending the first two clauses of verse 5 refer back to the subjects (השמים/הריע) in verse 2 (Dahood, 1966, 120-121 :C:).
 - <Wrong Antecedents>: "The skies" fits better as the antecedent to the 3mp pronominal suffix in 4b rather than אמר and דברים because of verse 5 (Kirkpatrick 1897, 103 :C:). #dispreferred
    <_ [Chiastic Structure]: There is a chiasm across vv. 2-5 in which the 3mp pronominal suffix in verse 4 refers to “‘day and night’” (corresponding to verse 3), while the 3mp pronominal suffixes ending the first two clauses of verse 5 refer back to the subjects (השמים/הריע) in verse 2 (Dahood, 1966, 120-121 :C:). 
 - <An Adverb of Negation>:The term בְּלִי is used primarily in poetic texts and functions as a negative, not as lending a clause a relative construal (HALOT :L:; BDB :L:; JM §160m :G:). #dispreferred
   <_ <בלי >:בלי "denotes an exception" (Calvin 3 :C:). 
   + [Negation by בְּלִי]: Isa 5:13-14; 14:6; 28:8; 32:10; 38:17; Jer 2:15; 9:9-11; Ezek 14:15; 34:5; Hos 4:6; 8:7; Zeph 3:6; Mal 3:10; Pss 19:4; 59:5; 72:7; Job 4:11, 20; 6:6; 18:15; 24:7-8, 10; 26:7; 30:8; 31:19, 39; 33:9; 34:6; 35:16; 36:12; 38:2, 41; 39:16; 41:18, 25; 42:3; Eccl 3:11; Lam 1:4. #dispreferred
   <_ <בלי in a Relative Clause>: The use of בְּלִי permits a relative rendering elsewhere.
    + [Other Examples]: Psalm 63:2: "my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (NRSV; ESV) (also see 2 Sam 1:21, Hos 7:8, and Job 8:11).

Conclusion

It is by a small margin of persuasion that option #2 is the preferred view (v. 4b as an asyndetic relative clause). The strongest argument against the preferred view is that it is not the simplest reading of the Hebrew text and that the creative freedom of the poetic genre allows for the seemingly contradictory sense that comes from the independent clause option. Even so, it seems best to conclude that 4b should be rendered as a relative clause based on two interrelated premises: First, the context of verses 2-5b strongly recommends such a reading (Delitzsch 1883, 348) and, second, the relative construal is a viable grammatical possibility as an asyndetic clause (IBHS §19.6). Additional support, though it is not decisive by itself, comes from the witness of ancient versions (LXX, Theodotion, Symmachus, Aquila, Jerome) which corroborate the reading of 4b as a relative clause. The significance of this reading is that it best represents the unity of the theme that pervades verses 2-7 in Psalm 19 and it most accurately exhibits the poetic coherence as this is displayed in the consistent use of its vocabulary.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX and Theodotion: οὐκ εἰσὶ λαλιαὶ οὐδὲ λόγοι, ὧν οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν
  • "There are no conversations, neither are there words, of which their voices are not heard."
• Aquila: οὐκ ἔστι λόγος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι ῥήματα, οὗ μὴ ἀκουσθῇ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ
  • "There is no speech and there is no speaking of which its voice may not be heard."
• Symmachus: οὐ ῥήσεσιν οὐδὲ λόγοις, ὧν οὐκ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναί
  • "Not with speaking, neither with words, of which they do not hear sounds."
• Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): non est sermo et non sunt verba quibus non audiatur vox eorum
  • "There is no speech and there are no words in which their voice is not heard."
• Syriac: ܠܝܬ ܡܐܡܪܐ ܐܦ ܠܐ ܡ̈ܠܐ܂ ܕܠܐ ܢܫܬܡܥ ܒܩܠܗܘܢ
  • "There is no speech or words for their voice is not heard."
• Targum: לית מימר דתורעמתא ולית מילי דשגושא דלא משתמע קלהון׃
  • "There is no word of commotion, nor are there words of confusion, and their voice is not heard."

Modern

4b as an independent clause

English Translations

• There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; (NRSV).
• They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them (NIV).
• They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard (NLT).
• They don't speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice (CEV).
• No speech or words are used, no sound is heard; (GNT).
• There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard (NET).
• And this without speech or language or sound of any voice (NEB/REB).
• No utterance at all, no speech, not a sound to be heard (NJB).

German Translations

• Dies alles geschieht ohne Worte, ohne einen vernehmlichen Laut (HFA).
• Sie tun es ohne Worte, kein Laut und keine Stimme ist zu hören (NGÜ).
• Kein Wort wird gesprochen, kein Laut ist zu hören (GNB).
• ohne Rede und ohne Worte, ungehört bleibt ihre Stimme (EÜ).
• Ohne Sprache und ohne Worte; unhörbar ist ihre Stimme (Luther 2017).
• Ohne Rede und ohne Worte, mit unhörbarer Stimme (ELB).
• ohne Sprache, ohne Worte, mit unhörbarer Stimme (ZÜR).

French Translations

• Ce n'est pas un récit, il n'y a pas de mots, leur voix ne s'entend pas (TOB) It's not a story, there are no words, their voice cannot be heard.
• Ce n'est pas un langage, ce ne sont pas des paroles, on n'entend pas leur voix (NBS).
• Ce n'est pas un langage, ce ne sont pas des paroles, Leur voix n'est pas entendue (NVSR).
• Ce ne sont pas des paroles, ╵ce ne sont pas des discours, ni des voix qu’on peut entendre (BDS).
• Ce n’est pas un discours, il n’y a pas de paroles, aucun son ne se fait entendre(PDV2017).
• Ce n'est pas un discours, ce ne sont pas des mots, l'oreille n'entend aucun son (NFC).
• Ce n’est pas un langage, ce ne sont pas des paroles, on n’entend pas leur son (S21).

Spanish Translations

• No hay lenguaje ni palabras ni es oída su voz (RVR95).
• Sin palabras, sin lenguaje, sin una voz perceptible, (NVI).
• Aunque no se escuchan palabras ni se oye voz alguna, (DHH).
• Donde no hay lenguaje ni idioma, La voz de Ellos no es para set oída, (BTX4).

4b as an asyndetic relative clause

English Translations

• There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard (ESV).
• There is no utterance, there are no words, whose sound goes unheard (JPS 1985).

Secondary Literature

Alexander, Joseph Addison. 1864. Commentary on Psalms. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications.

Alter, Robert. 2009. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary. New York, NY: Norton & Company, Inc.

Calvin, John. Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Translated by James Anderson. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. Psalms. Vol. 1. Anchor Bible Commentary. New York: Doubleday.

Delitzsch, Franz. 1883. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 1. Translated by Eaton David. Vol. 1. New York: Funk and Wagnalls.

Hengstenberg, Ernst Wilhelm. 1863. Commentary on the Psalms. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.

Jorstad, M. 2019. The Hebrew Bible and Environmental Ethics Humans, NonHumans, and the Living Landscape. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kirkpatrick, A. F. 1897. The Book of Psalms. Volume 1. Cambridge: The University Press Collection.

Laird, John. 1919. “The Law of Parsimony.” The Monist. 29, 321–44.

Watson, Wilfred G. E. 1987. Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to Its Techniques. Sheffield: JSOT Press.

Wilson, Gerald H. 2014. The NIV Application Commentary: Psalms Volume 1. Zondervan Academic.