Psalm 110/Notes/Grammar.V. 7.204728
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
- What does בדרך modify?
- Option 1: The prepositional phrase בדרך modifies ישתה ("he will drink on the way"[1]). The accents group בדרך prosodically with ישתה and not with נחל, suggesting that בדרך does not modify נחל but ישתה: "on the way he will drink from the stream" (ELB) >> "on his campaign the king will drink from the stream" (NGÜ).[2] Cf. Ps. 102:24 (עִנָּה בַדֶּרֶךְ כֹּחוֹ); Ezra 8:22 (לְעָזְרֵנוּ מֵאוֹיֵב בַּדָּרֶךְ). This view is likely if דרך refers to a military campaign (cf. 1 Sam. 15:18, 20).
- Option 2 (preferred): The prepositional phrase בדרך modifies נחל ("a stream by the road"[3]). The simplest explanation of the word order is that בדרך modifies נחל. Otherwise one must explain why two constituents (instead of just one constituent) are fronted.