Psalm 110/Speech Act/SpeechTable
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources. | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) | Speech Act Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר | A psalm by David. | Superscription | ||||||||
| 1aα | נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י | YHWH’s oracle to my lord: | Fragment | Assertive | Introducing YHWH's oracle to the king. | Reporting YHWH's oracle to the king. | To assure the king of his certain success. | The future Davidic king will see that YHWH promises to give him universal dominion | The future Davidic king will feel confident in YHWH. | The future Davidic king will trust YHWH's promises. | |
| 1aβ | שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י | “Sit at my right side, | Imperative •"Imperative" |
Directive • "Directive" |
"Inviting the king to sit at his right side and promising to subdue the king's enemies. • "Inviting and promising" |
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| 1b | עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃ | until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” | |||||||||
| 2a | מַטֵּֽה־עֻזְּךָ֗ יִשְׁלַ֣ח יְ֭הוָה מִצִּיּ֑וֹן | YHWH will extend your strong staff from Zion. | Declarative | Assertive | Assuring the king that YHWH will extend his dominion. | Assuring the king that his future success is certain. | |||||
| 2b | רְ֝דֵ֗ה בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֹיְבֶֽיךָ׃ | Rule among your enemies! | Imperative | Assertive | Assuring the king that he will rule among his enemies. | Indirect speech act: The imperative is used here (v. 2b), not as a command, but to "to express a distinct assurance... or promise, e.g., ... Ps. 110:2" (GKC 110c; cf. JM114p; IBHS 34.4c). Thus, some translations have a future here (e.g., CEV: "and you will rule over your enemies; cf. Theodotion: κατακυριεύσεις). | |||||
| 3a | עַמְּךָ֣ נְדָבֹת֮ בְּי֪וֹם חֵ֫ילֶ֥ךָ | Your people will be willing on the day you manifest your power. | Declarative | Assertive | Assuring the king that he will have a willing army. | ||||||
| 3b | בְּֽהַדְרֵי־קֹ֭דֶשׁ מֵרֶ֣חֶם מִשְׁחָ֑ר | On holy mountains, from the womb of dawn, | Declarative | Assertive | Comparing the king's army to dew. | ||||||
| 3c | לְ֝ךָ֗ טַ֣ל יַלְדֻתֶֽיךָ׃ | The dew, your young men, [will come] into your possession. | |||||||||
| 4a | נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָ֨ה ׀ וְלֹ֥א יִנָּחֵ֗ם | YHWH has sworn, and he will not change his mind: | Declarative | Assertive | Introducing YHWH's oath to the king. | Reporting YHWH's oath to the king. | |||||
| 4b | אַתָּֽה־כֹהֵ֥ן לְעוֹלָ֑ם | “You are forever a priest | Declarative • "Declarative" |
Commissive • "Commissive" |
Swearing that the king will remain a priest forever and thus committing himself to ensuring that the kings remains a priest forever. • "Swearing" |
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| 4c | עַל־דִּ֝בְרָתִ֗י מַלְכִּי־צֶֽדֶק׃ | just like Melchizedek.” | Indirect speech act: In the context of an oath (שבע), the declarative statement "you are forever a priest" (v. 4) implies the speaker's commitment to maintaining the truth of that statement ("you are a priest forever" = "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you continue forever as a priest; I will never reject you"). See, for example, the many oaths in which the commitment of the one swearing is explicit (e.g., Gen 21:23-24; 22:16-18; 26:3; 47:30-31; Ps 89:4-5; 119:106; 132:11; etc). First Kgs. 1 gives a good example of an oath in which, although the sentence type is declarative, the speaker is committing to some action: '[Bathsheba] said to [David], “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' But now Adonijah has become king..." ... The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place”' (1 Kgs 1:17-18, 29-30 NIV). | ||||||||
| 5a | אֲדֹנָ֥י עַל־יְמִֽינְךָ֑ | The Lord at your right side | Declarative | Assertive | Reporting that (in his vision) YHWH smashed kings. | Reporting to the king what he saw in his prophetic vision. | |||||
| 5b | מָחַ֖ץ בְּיוֹם־אַפּ֣וֹ מְלָכִֽים׃ | smashed kings on the day his anger was unleashed. | |||||||||
| 6a | יָדִ֣ין בַּ֭גּוֹיִם מָלֵ֣א גְוִיּ֑וֹת | He will rule among the nations whom he filled with corpses. | Declarative | Assertive | Predicting that YHWH (having smashed kings) will rule the nations. | ||||||
| 6b | מָ֥חַץ רֹ֝֗אשׁ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ רַבָּֽה׃ | He smashed heads across the wide world. | Declarative | Assertive | Reporting that (in his vision) YHWH smashed heads. | ||||||
| 7a | מִ֭נַּחַל בַּדֶּ֣רֶךְ יִשְׁתֶּ֑ה | He will drink from a wadi on the campaign. | Declarative | Assertive | Predicting that YHWH (having smashed heads) will drink from a wadi on the campaign. | ||||||
| 7b | עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן יָרִ֥ים רֹֽאשׁ׃ | Therefore, he will lift [his] head. | Declarative | Assertive | Predicting that YHWH will lift his head. | ||||||