Psalm 117/Grammar
About the Grammar Layer
The grammar layer visually represents the grammar and syntax of each clause. It also displays alternative interpretations of the grammar. (For more information, click "Expand" to the right.)
Grammar Visuals for Psalm 117
V. 1-2b
שַׁ֝בְּח֗וּהוּ כָּל־הָאֻמִּֽים׃
כִּ֥י גָ֘בַ֤ר עָלֵ֨ינוּ ׀ חַסְדּ֗וֹ
וֶֽאֱמֶת־יְהוָ֥ה לְעוֹלָ֗ם הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃
Preferred
Note for V. 1-2b
1b הָאֻמִּים: The form כָּל־הָאֻמִּֽים (all peoples) is only attested here in the Hebrew Bible, leading some to emend it to the more common form כָּל־לְאֻמִּֽים, with more or less the same meaning of all peoples. For example, Kraus argues that "since אמים occurs only here in the OT (otherwise אֻמּוֹת), an emendation of the word should probably be made. Most often לְאֻמִּים is given as parallel to גוים, this emendation is to be preferred" (Kraus 1993, 390). Indeed, the word אֻמָּה only appears in two other places, and in both case it has the feminine plural form of אֻמּוֹת (Gen 25:16 לְאֻמֹּתָֽם, Num 25:15 אֻמּ֥וֹת).
However, it is simpler and certainly plausible to read this form simply as an alternative plural form of the same lexeme using the masculine plural ending ים- (cf. HALOT).
A number of points increase the plausibility of this position.
1. There are a number of well-attested cases in Biblical Hebrew where the same lexeme can occur with both masculine or feminine plural noun-endings. Consider, for example, חלון ("window") which out of 17 occurrences in the plural appears 8 times with a masculine form and 9 times with a feminine form (1 Kings 6:4; Jer. 9:21; 22:14; Ezek. 40:16, 22, 25, 29, 33, 36; 41:16, 26; Joel 2:9; Song 2:9) (cf. JM89a). See also Hardy ("The Various Uses of the Plural Form," forthcoming), who cites this very case—along with the תַּנִּים/תַּנּוֹת ("jackal") interchange—to illustrate that "Some lexemes exhibit variant plural forms."
2. The masculine form may be due to Aramaic influence, following the masculine plural ending (אֻמַּיָּא) of the fem. noun אֻמָּה (e.g. Dan 3:4, 7, 31; 5:19; 6:26; 7:14; Ez 4:10) (Allen 2002, 157). It is noteworthy that there is already another common Aramaism in the psalm (שׁבח in v. 1a - Allen 2002, 157).
3. Kennicott mentions one manuscript which reads אמות, which would suggest the correct lexeme is in view (VTH vol. 4: 412).
4. V. 1 constitutes a clear parallel with the phrase כל האמים in v. 1b clearly matching the phrase כל גוים in v. 1a. It is possible that an alternative masculine ending ים- was used instead of the most standard ות- for poetic reasons (e.g. rhyme or gender parallelism matching גוים).
An interesting side note is that the MT does have four occurrences of the form בַּל־אֻמִּים (Pss 44:15; 57:10; 104:4; 149:7). However, each of these occurs in clear parallelism with either בָּעַמִּים or בַּגּוֹיִם, and should be read instead as בַּלְאֻמִּים (for more on this unusual form, see Psalm 44 Verse-by-Verse ).
V. 2c
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 2c]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: הַלְלוּ praise
Object
noun: יָהּ Yah
Note for V. 2c
V. 2c הַלְלוּ־יָהּ The positioning of the halleluyah-subscript in v. 2c varies in different textual traditions. For example, the LXX and Jerome's Hebr. take the halleluyah from the end of the previous psalm (116) as the beginning of Ps 117, and the halleluyah at the end of Ps 117 as the beginning of Ps 118. This is part of larger compositional issues for the whole section of the psalter known as the Egyptian Hallel (Pss 113-118) (for detailed discussion of these textual and compositional issues see Hays 1999,145-156 and Hossfeld-Zenger 2011, 222, 178-179, 39-41).