Psalm 78/Notes/Phrasal.v. 66.323089

v. 66 – For discussion of the collocation וַיַּךְ ... אָחוֹר see the lexical notes. Further support for the movement adverbial reading, however, is found in other instances of hiphil נכה as "strike down" with directional movement (see, e.g., עַד in Josh 10:10, 41; 1 Sam 7:11; מִן plus allative he in 1 Sam 14:31; בְּ plus "wall" in the textually contested אַכֶּ֥ה בְדָוִ֖ד וּבַקִּ֑יר in 1 Sam 18:11 and 19:10; similarly וּבָאָ֙רֶץ֙ in 1 Sam 26:8; allative he with אַכֶּ֙כָּה֙ אַ֔רְצָה in 2 Sam 2:22; 18:11; 2 Kgs 13:18). On the other hand, if אָחוֹר is to be read as "back[side]," see also the אֵל locatives in 2 Sam 4:6, בֵּין in 1 Kgs 22:34, עַל in Jon 4:8; Mic 4:14; but most significantly, the bare nominals חֹמֶשׁ "stomach" and לְחִי "cheek" in 2 Sam 3:27 and Ps 3:8 (וַיַּכֵּ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ הַחֹ֔מֶשׁ and כִּֽי־הִכִּ֣יתָ אֶת־כָּל־אֹיְבַ֣י לֶ֑חִי, respectively).