Psalm 19/Notes/Lexical.Vv. 13–14a.314234

• Milgrom summarizes the significance of vv. 13-14 as follows: "The psalmist has extolled the keeping of the Law for its manifold benefits (vv. 8-12) but he now asks the rhetorical question: who can know the entire law and thereby prevent inadvertencies? Furthermore, beyond the scope of law and human wisdom lies the unchartable realm of the hidden, the unconscious sins. In this matter, he can only turn to God and implore that he be cleared. Finally, as regards deliberate sins, man requires restraint in the face of temptation and passion and for this he asks divine aid. Having covered the entire range of human evil, the psalmist's conclusion follows irrefutably: 'then I shall be perfect'" (Milgrom 1967, 121).
• With the words שְׁגִיאוֹת ,נִּסְתָּרוֹת, and זֵּדִים, "The psalmist enumerates 3 categories of wrongdoing according to the criterion of intention" (Milgrom 1967, 120). According to Milgrom, the first category (נִּסְתָּרוֹת) refers to "acts of which the doer is unconscious and which are sinful" (cf. 1QS 5:11-12), the second category (שְׁגִיאוֹת) refers to "acts of which the doer is conscious but whose sinfulness he learns afterwards," and the third category (זֵּדִים) refers to "presumptuous sins" (1967, 120; cf. Clines 1974, 7).
• For זֵּדִים, see The Meaning of זֵדִים in Ps 19:14.