The Absolute Tense of the Qatal Verbs in Ps. 98:1-3 (Eyal)

Introduction

The traditional Hebrew text of Ps. 98:1-3 reads as follows:

שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיהוָ֨ה ׀ שִׁ֣יר חָ֭דָשׁ כִּֽי־נִפְלָא֣וֹת עָשָׂ֑ה הוֹשִֽׁיעָה־לּ֥וֹ יְ֝מִינ֗וֹ וּזְר֥וֹעַ קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃ הוֹדִ֣יעַ יְ֭הוָה יְשׁוּעָת֑וֹ לְעֵינֵ֥י הַ֝גּוֹיִ֗ם גִּלָּ֥ה צִדְקָתֽוֹ׃ זָ֘כַ֤ר חַסְדּ֨וֹ ׀ וֶֽאֱֽמוּנָתוֹ֮ לְבֵ֪ית יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל רָא֥וּ כָל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ אֵ֝֗ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ

While all translations (bar two), both ancient and modern, understand this series of Qatals as referring to past events, both Rashi and Ibn Ezra raise the possibility of these lines referring to the future and the arrival of the Messiah-redeemer. Ibn Ezra in particular is referring to ימינו וזרוע קדשו as representing the future redeemer. The fact that some of these lines resound prophecies from second Isaiah (40-55) further invite us to investigate whether contrary to the consensus among translations, a future reading of vs. 1-3 is possible.

Argument Map(s)

Qatal sequence pointing to the future (dispreferred)

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[Future]: The Qatal verbs in vs. 1-3 point to the future. #dispreferred
 + <Affinity to Isaiah 52:9-10>: Psalm 98, and particularly vs. 1-3, shows striking similarity to Isaiah 52:9-10, and can therefore be interpreted as prophetic as well.  #dispreferred
  + [Isaiah 52:9-10]: פִּצְח֤וּ רַנְּנוּ֙ (v. 9) חָשַׂ֤ף יְהוָה֙ אֶת־זְר֣וֹעַ קָדְשׁ֔וֹ לְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְרָאוּ֙ כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֔רֶץ אֵ֖ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ (v. 10)
  + <Prophetic Qatal>: The series of Qatal verbs in Isaiah 52:9-10 may be seen as “perfectum propheticum” reporting future events prophesied by the prophet (cf. Gesenius 1910:312-313 :G:). #dispreferred
   - <Isaiah 40-55 narrating historical events of his time>:Second Isaiah is widely considered an exile prophet who lived in the time of Cyrus the Great and who witnessed the fall of Babylon. "That revelation happened at the Red Sea, at the conquest of the land, in the rescue from Assyria, and in the deliverance from Babylon... the phrase “before the eyes of the nations” again especially recalls Isa. 40–55 (see 52:10) and may suggest that it is the last of these events that the psalm especially refers to." (Goldingay 2008, chapter 15 :C:).
 - <נִפְלָאוֹת and יְשׁוּעָה refer to past events>: "Wonders and deliverance, and the faithfulness the line goes on to speak of, were all made known and revealed “before the eyes of the nations”... These were public events that the nations could witness, as the OT periodically notes." (Goldingay 2008, chapter 15 :C:).
  + <Psalm 96 and 1Chronicles 16>: Both texts show strong affinity to our psalm and include imperative verbs such as שִׂיחוּ, סַפְּרוּ and בַּשְּׂרוּ in relation with the nouns נִפְלָאוֹת and יְשׁוּעָה. These verbs, and סַפְּרוּ in particular, refer to past events.
   + [Psalm 96, 1Chronicles 16]: בַּשְּׂר֥וּ מִיּֽוֹם־לְ֝י֗וֹם יְשׁוּעָתֽוֹ׃  סַפְּר֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֣ם כְּבוֹד֑וֹ בְּכָל־הָֽ֝עַמִּ֗ים נִפְלְאוֹתָֽיו׃;  שִׂ֖יחוּ בְּכָל־נִפְלְאֹתָֽיו
 + <זְר֥וֹעַ קָדְשֽׁוֹ is the future redeemer>: אולי זה המזמור על ביאת הגואל "This psalm might be of the coming of the Redeemer" (Ibn Ezra :C:).  #dispreferred
  - <הוֹשִׁיעָה לוֹ זְרוֹעוֹ a common idiom>: said both of humans and of God with the meaning of "win victory by one's own valour" (BDB :D:). It is never explicitly linked with Messianic concepts, so that any reading of זרוע as the Redeemer exceeds the boundaries of the literal meaning of the word.
  - <Messiah psalms>: Typical Messiah-King psalms such as 2, 22, 69 and 110 all speak of a separate independent figure and its special relationship with God. This lacks altogether from our psalm, whose general tone is national.

Conclusion

We conclude that a future reading of vs. 1-3 in Psalm 98 is not likely, and therefore prefer to follow the consensus of the various translations, namely that these verbs tell us of past events. In our scrutiny, we tried to see whether Rashi's and Ibn Ezra's readings of the events narrated in vs. 1-3 as future ones and the latter's understanding of זרוע קדשו in vs. 1 as the future Messiah can be seen as likely ones under a literal reading of the text. However, it seems that the aforementioned reading of זרוע קדשו goes beyond its literal meaning, being a common idiom which can be said of humans as well. In addition to that, affinities of verses 1-3 to Psalm 96, 1Chronicles 16 and Isaiah 52, all of which were demonstrated to refer to past events, render a future reading less likely. We therefore conclude that Rashi's and Ibn Ezra's readings are allegorical and go beyond the literal reading of the text, which we understand as referring to past events.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: ΑΣΑΤΕ τῷ Κυρίῳ ᾆσμα καινόν, ὅτι θαυμαστὰ ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος· ἔσωσεν αὐτὸν ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ βραχίων ὁ ἅγιος αὐτοῦ. ἐγνώρισε Κύριος τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ, ἐναντίον τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀπεκάλυψε τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ. ἐμνήσθη τοῦ ἐλέους αὐτοῦ τῷ ᾿Ιακὼβ καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτοῦ τῷ οἴκῳ ᾿Ισραήλ· εἴδοσαν πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν.
• Jerome: cantate Domino canticum novum quoniam mirabilia fecit salvavit sibi dextera eius et brachium sanctum eius. notum fecit Dominus salutare suum in conspectu gentium revelavit iustitiam suam. recordatus est misericordiae suae et veritatem suam domui Israhel viderunt omnes termini terrae salutare Dei nostri.
• Targum: שבחו קדם ייי שבח חדת ארום פרישן עבד פריקת ליה ימיניה ואדרע שכינת קודשיה׃ הודע ייי פורקניה למיחמיהון דעמיא גלי צדקתיה׃ דכר טוביה וקושטיה לבית ישראל וחמון כל סייפי ארעא ית פורקנא דאלהנא׃

Modern

• English translations:

 Qatal verbs translated as present perfect and/or past simple (NIV,NLT,ESV,CEV,GNT)
 Qatal verbs translated as present simple (NET)

• German translations:

 Qatal verbs translated as present perfect and/or past (HFA, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR)
 Qatal verbs translated as present (Luther 2017)

• French translations:

 Qatal verbs translated as passé composé (TOB, NBS, NVSR, BDS, PDV, NFC, S21)

Secondary Literature

Commentaries

Rashi

שירו לה'. כל אלה לעתיד: Sing to the Lord: All these are for the future.

Ibn Ezra

וטעם וזרוע קדשו – שהיא נטויה ותגיעה למקום חפצו, אולי זה המזמור על ביאת הגואל.

Delitzsch 1877:97

Almost all that lies between is taken from the second part of Isaiah. This book of consolation for the exiles is become as it were a Castalian spring for the religious lyric.

Gerstenberger 2001:195

We notice a strong affinity to Psalm 96 and other Yahweh-kingship hymns in regard to vocabulary, structure and theological concepts.

Goldingay 2008, chapter 15

The psalm has many phrases in common with other psalms and also with Isa. 40–55. While this might imply direct dependence of one on another, at least as likely it reflects common dependence on a shared tradition of praise... Comparison with Ps. 96 highlights the prominence here of qatal clauses that put the focus on the deeds of deliverance Yhwh has done for Israel. There are no references here to God’s acts of creation... Comparison with Isa. 40–55 suggests the psalm may refer to the same historical events as those chapters reflect, so that Yhwh’s coming (v. 9) is the act that lies behind the fall of Babylon, though the psalm may refer to the broader chain of events that Israel’s story celebrated: the Red Sea deliverance, the conquest of Canaan, the rescue from Assyria, and the fall of Babylon... Wonders and deliverance, and the faithfulness the line goes on to speak of, were all made known and revealed “before the eyes of the nations”; the phrase applies to both cola on either side. That revelation happened at the Red Sea, at the conquest of the land, in the rescue from Assyria, and in the deliverance from Babylon. These were public events that the nations could witness, as the OT periodically notes. But the phrase “before the eyes of the nations” again especially recalls Isa. 40–55 (see 52:10) and may suggest that it is the last of these events that the psalm especially refers to.

Gesenius 1910:312-313

This use of the perfect occurs most frequently in prophetic language (perfectum propheticum). The prophet so transports himself in imagination into the future that he describes the future event as if it had been already seen or heard by him.

DL Comments

• Great job overall. Clean presentation, and you seem to have grasped the concept of the argument map well. Your breakdown is very clear logically about your reasons and preferences.
• Does the direction of dependence between (Second) Isaiah and the Psalm matter to the argument? Some would argue that Second Isaiah makes regular use of the Psalms in the Psalter, rather than the other way around (e.g., Wilgren).
• Make sure to make a positive argument for your preferred reading, even if you think it is default.
• Your treatment of the parallels in Ps 96 and 1 Chr 16 is somewhat confusing. You treat them together, but there are differences between them. And it wasn't immediately clear to me how "imperative verbs" refer to past events, until I read the verbs in context. The imperatives respond to past events, but are not themselves past events. Maybe make this clearer.

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