Psalm 19/Notes/Lexical.V. 12.79285
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
- עֶבֶד:
- נזהר: Modern translations render this as "is warned" (KJV, NIV, ESV, cf. NLT, CEV, GNT, NET, NEB, LUT, HFA, ELB, EÜ, ZÜR).
- So BDB, HALOT, DCH, SDBH. SDBH defines it as "= process by which someone becomes aware of something (usually bad) that is going to happen, or something one should do to prevent something (usually bad) from happening; usually refers to a mediator making known what God has said or implied; ≈ wise people take these things seriously whereas foolish people ignore them."
- Others (e.g., Eaton 1968) have argued, however, that נזהר comes from a different root that means 'illuminate' (cf. Dan 12:3 וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִים יַזְהִרוּ כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ; Ezek 8:2 כְּמַרְאֵה־זֹ֖הַר; cf. Aramaic זהר e.g., Old Syriac of Matt 13:43 ܗܝܕܝܢ ܙܕܝ̈ܩܐ ܢܙܗܪܘܢ ܐܝܟ ܫܡܫܐ). As with טהורה in v. 10, there could be a double meaning here. Cf. Hossfeld: "Ihre Belehrung kann sowohl erleuchten also auch warnen" (Hossfeld 1993, 134).
- The word עקב is usually translated into English as "reward" (NIV, NLT, ESV, NET, NEB, NJB, JPS85, GNT, CEV); so DCH.