Psalm 18/Exegetical Issues/List

• Are There Preterite Yiqtols in Psalm 18?

There are yiqtol verb forms throughout this psalm on which modern versions radically diverge, with respect to their verbal semantics. Often, these translations use a past perfective (preterite) rendering, which does not fit the typical profile of the yiqtol. Exegetically, determining the existence of preterite yiqtol will allow us to help “us sort out autobiographical, and hence past time references, from references to the psalmist's ongoing situation (present or future)”.

• Non-Initial Yiqtols in Psalm 18:1–20

In Psalm 18:1–20, the Psalmist recounts past instances of God's deliverance. In vv. 5b, 8b, 9b and 14a, non-initial yiqtol forms immediately follow either the qatal or wayyiqtol. This creates a difficulty in accounting for the actual semantics of the yiqtol in these cases.

• The Form and Meaning of נִחֲתָ֥ה in Psalm 18:35

This issue focuses on three issues related to the word נִחֲתָה: its textual form, its syntax, and its meaning. The first two are closely related: The consonantal text in the parallel text 2 Samuel 22:35 (vocalized וְנִחַת) lacks the final he. In terms of meaning, translations generally present three options for the meaning of the נחת verb in this verse: (1) "to bend"; (2) “to use” >> “to aim”; or (3) "to strengthen."

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