Psalm 1/Lexical
About the Lexical Layer
(need a Lexical intro here)
Lexical Visuals for Psalm 1
V. 1
וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד
וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃
Preferred
Note for v. 1
The word "insolent people" (לֵצִים), which might also be translated as "scoffers"[1] or "mockers"[2] refers to those who show "contempt for other people and ideas."[3] "Most languages have abundant terms expressing ridicule, often accompanied by derogatory gestures. Frequently figurative language expresses ridicule; for example, 'shake the finger,' 'wag the head,' or 'make faces.'"[4] The CEV translation, "sneering at God," may be too narrow, since the contempt of mockers may also be directed at other people. Whereas the Law of YHWH (see v. 2) is summed up in the commands to love God and one's neighbor,[5] the journey that begins with "the counsel of wicked people" leads to contempt for God and one's neighbor - the very opposite of what God requires.
Note for v. 1
The verb so often translated as "sit" (ישב) often means "to settle",[6] and the noun which many translate in Ps 1:1 as "seat" (מוֹשַׁב) often refers to a “location where a community… lives.”[7] Both words are used, for example, in Exod 12:20 to refer to Israel's dwelling in Egypt. The latter (מוֹשַׁב) can refer to a seat used for sitting (e.g., 1 Sam 20:18, 25), but in Hebrew, one does not sit "in" (ב) a seat but "on" (על) it. When the preposition "in" (ב) is prefixed to this word, the reference is often to a dwelling place.[8]
Note for v. 1
Most interpreters see a progression in bodily posture in this verse from walking (v. 1a) to standing (v. 1b) to sitting (v. 1c) ("walk...stand...sit" in KJV, NIV, ESV, NASB, CSB, etc.) but the sequence may instead reflect the progressive stages of a journey in a nomadic society: setting out with directions (v. 1a), coming to a stop in the road (v. 1b), and settling down in a dwelling place (v. 1c). The "pathway" imagery (v. 1b) makes the journey interpretation more likely. This is also the more natural interpretation of the clause in v. 1c ("settle... dwelling place;" see below; cf. Wilson 2002, 94).
To "walk (הָלַךְ) in the counsel of wicked people (בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים)" is to live one's life according to the counsel, or advice, which wicked people offer (cf 2 Chron 22:5, "where the meaning is 'to follow advice'" [Seow 2013]; cf. NLT: "...follow the advice of the wicked").
The word "wicked people" (רְשָׁעִים) occurs four times in Psalm 1 (vv. 1, 4, 5, 6) - more than any other word.[9] It refers to the "state in which a person's behavior is inconsistent with the requirements of the law, either in a specific matter that is under dispute or as one's general mode of behavior."[10]
The verb stand (עָמַד) appears to be telic ("stand" = "take a stand") rather than a telic ("stand" = "stand around"). Similarly, Wilson 2002, 94, "the verb עָמָד has more the sense of 'take a stand' than simply 'stand still.' There is volition (and therefore responsibility) assumed in this action." Cf. BDB 764.3f: "persist"; HALOT 840.1: "to become involved with, or to persist in" (בדבר רע) Qoh 8:3"; DCH עָמַד (entry 8).</ref> Compare Ps 36:5bc where standing "on a path that is not good" (36:5b) is paired with the refusal to reject wickedness (36:5c).[11] Cf. Seow: "seems at first blush to be out of place in the second line. One expects 'walked in the way,' an exceedingly common biblical idiom for moral conduct.[12] Yet one may take the Hebrew to mean not just 'stand'... but also 'persist,' as Jerome and Radaq recognized."[13] "'Pathway' here refers to the lifestyle of sinners. To 'stand in the pathway of/with sinners' means to closely associate with them in their sinful behavior."[14] It is "to share their way of life (cf. Prov 1:10-19; Jer 23:8)."[15]
The word "sinful people" (חַטָּאִים, see also v. 5b) is partially synonymous with the previous term "wicked people" (רְשָׁעִים). Whereas the word "wicked" (רְשָׁעִים) places the emphasis on the resultant state of guilt that characterizes those who live contrary to God's requirements, the word "sinful" (חַטָּאִים) places the emphasis on "the pattern of actions" that leads to such guilt.[16] "The difference of nuance between רשעים and חטאים is perhaps similar to that of the person convicted of a single theft compared with a career criminal. In the psalms, however, these two terms are often synonymous."[17]
Note for v. 1
v. 1. Despite its appearance in most translations, the phrase happy is the one (אַשְׁרֵי־הָאִישׁ) is not a complete sentence; it is a Hebrew construct chain] (lit.: "the happiness of the one" = "the happiness experienced by the one;" cf. NLT: "Oh, the joys of those..."). As a sentence fragment, it functions not as an assertion, but as an exclamation which expresses "an attitude of admiration"' (SDBH) and a "desirous longing of one person for the condition of another" (Janzen, 1965, 215-226). English has no equivalent expression, though it is similar to the exclamation "congratulations!" (cf. TWOT) or to the words spoken in a celebratory toast to some person: "Here's to the one!" The word "happy" has been translated variously as "blessed" (KJV, NIV, ESV, NASB; cf. Jerome beatus and LXX μακάριος), "happy" (NRSV, GNT, CSB, JPS 1917), "joys" (NLT) etc. The meaning of the word per se is less important than the function of the phrase to express admiration and celebration. First Kings 10:8 offers a helpful illustration of the phrase in use. When the Queen of Sheba saw the wealth and Wisdom and King Solomon, she exclaimed, “Happy are your men! Happy are these servants of yours, who continually stand before you and listen to your wisdom!” (1 Kings 10:8). Even though the Queen was a figure of royalty with all the privilege which that entails, she looked up to Solomon’s servants with admiration, because they had the privilege of continually hearing Solomon’s wisdom. She considered their position to be desirable, and so she called them "happy."
Interpreters differ as to whether "the one" (הָאִישׁ) is a unique individual (i.e. a king) or a literary representative of a group (i.e. a typical righteous person). The latter interpretation is reflected in those translations that translate הָאִישׁ with a plural and gender-neutral term (e.g., CEV, ERV, GNB, NLT). Other translations use a gender-neutral term but retain the singular referent (e.g. CSB, NET, NIV, LPDPT). Older translations tend to use masculine singular terms (LXX, Tg, Jer, KJV, Reina Valera, ESV, NVI, LS 1910). In either case, the tree imagery of v. 3, the allusion to Deuteronomy's kingship law (Deut 17) in v. 2, and the linguistic/thematic connections between Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 all work together to give "the one" "a distinctly royal profile" (Brown 2002). Although it is possible to explain this royal profile in terms of democratization - the office of king is democratized so that everyone who follows the path of Torah is a kind of king (so e.g., Brown 2002; Barbiero 2003), others have argued on the basis of the Joshua-like description of "the one" (cf. Schnittjer 2021, 471; Mitchell 2016), the connections between "the one" of Psalm 1 and the anointed king of Ps 2, and the Messianic shape of the Psalter, that "the one" is a unique royal figure.
v. 2
וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 2]
Fragment
conjunction: כִּי אִם Instead
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his delight">
noun: חֶפְצ delight
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="YHWH’s instruction">
noun: תוֹרַת instruction
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Conjunction
conjunction: וּ and
Clause
Predicate
verb: יֶהְגֶּה he rehearses
Adverbial
adverb: יוֹמָם day
Conjunction
conjunction: וָ and
adverb: לָיְלָה night
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="his instruction">
Preposition
preposition: בְ in
Object
ConstructChain
noun: תוֹרָת instruction
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
v. 3
אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ
וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל
וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 3]
Fragment
particle: וְ and
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Predicate
verb: הָיָה he will become
Complement
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: כְּ like
Object
Nominal
noun: עֵץ a tree
Adjectival
Clause
Predicate
verb-participle: שָׁתוּל transplanted
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל on >> beside
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פַּלְגֵי channels
noun: מָיִם water
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject <located="relative clause head">
Predicate
verb: יִתֵּן gives
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="its season"">
noun: עִתּ season
suffix-pronoun: וֹ it
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="its fruit">
noun: פִּרְי fruit
suffix-pronoun: וֹ it
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="its leaves">
noun: עָלֵה leaf >> leaves
suffix-pronoun: וּ it
Predicate
verb: יִבּוֹל withers
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not
Conjunction <status="alternative">
conjunction: וְ and <status="alternative">
Clause <status="alternative">
Predicate
verb: יַצְלִיחַ it causes to flourish
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כֹל all
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Predicate
verb: יַעֲשֶׂה it produces
Object <located="relative clause head">
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject <status="alternative">
Nominal
quantifier: כֹל all
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Predicate
verb: יַעֲשֶׂה he does
Object <located="relative clause head">
Predicate
verb: יַצְלִיחַ he will cause to flourish
verb: will flourish <status="alternative">
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כֹל all
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Predicate
verb: יַעֲשֶׂה he does
Object <located="relative clause head">
V. 4
כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 4]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Nominal
article: הָ the
adjective: רְשָׁעִים wicked
Predicate
Predicate
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not
Adverbial
adverb: כֵן so
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Predicate
Predicate
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not <status="alternative emendation">
Adverbial
adverb: כֵן so <status="alternative emendation">
Fragment
Conjunction
conjunction: כִּי אִם Instead
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: they will be
Complement
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: כַּ like
Object
article: ה the <status="elided">
noun: מֹּץ chaff
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Subject
noun: רוּחַ wind
Predicate
verb: תִּדְּפֶנּ drives away
Object <located="relative clause head">
suffix-pronoun: וּ it
V. 5
וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 5]
Fragment
conjunction: עַל־כֵּן Therefore
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
Nominal
adjective: רְשָׁעִים wicked
Predicate
verb: יָקֻמוּ will stand firm
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
article: ה (the) <status="elided">
noun: מִּשְׁפָּט judgment
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
Nominal
adjective: חַטָּאִים sinful
Predicate
verb: יָקֻמוּ will stand <status="elided">
adverb: לֹא not <status="elided">
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="the group of righteous people">
Nominal
noun: עֲדַת group
Nominal
adjective: צַדִּיקִים righteous
V. 6
וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 6]
Fragment
conjunction: כִּי For
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Predicate
verb-participle: יוֹדֵעַ cares for
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="the way of righteous people">
noun: דֶּרֶךְ way
Nominal
adjective: צַדִּיקִים righteous
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="the way of wicked people">
noun: דֶרֶךְ way
Nominal
adjective: רְשָׁעִים wicked
Predicate
verb: תֹּאבֵד will come to an end
- ↑ NASB, ESV, NET
- ↑ NIV, NLT
- ↑ SDBH
- ↑ Bratcher and Reyburn 1991, 17.
- ↑ Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18; cf., Matt 22:38-40.
- ↑ SDBH, DCH
- ↑ SDBH
- ↑ E.g., Lev 3:17; 23:3, 14, 21, 31; Exod 10:23; Ezek 34:13
- ↑ Translated as "wicked" (NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB); "evil" (GNT); "ungodly" (KJV)
- ↑ SDBH Cf. NIDOTTE: "Although the adj. can mean guilty, criminal, or godless, most often it serves as a reference to those who are characterized by wickedness... In the Psalter רָשָׁע designates the wicked person who stands diametrically opposed to the צַדִּיק, i.e., God’s saints (37:28), those who love God (145:20), and those who wait on the Lord (32:10). In a word, he is the archenemy of the godly individual (68:2[3]).NIDOTTE
- ↑ Though the word for "stand" in this passage is not עמד but התיצב.
- ↑ Cf. NEB: "walk the road that sinners tread." Similarly, the ancient Syriac translation has "walk in the way."
- ↑ Seow 2013. Cf. Pss 33:11; 102:27; Eccl 1:4; 8:3; Lev 13:5; Jer 32:14; 48:11.
- ↑ NET
- ↑ Anderson 1972, 59.
- ↑ SDBH. "The nominal pattern of חַ֭טָּאִים (sinners) signifies an occupation or a repeated action" (Waltke 2010, 134; cf. IBHS, p. 89, P. 5.4a).
- ↑ Wilson 2002, 95.