Psalm 19/Translation/PTS/5

Draft an Oral Translation

To take full advantage of the oral form, avoid reverting to written Biblical text at this point. Divide into smaller groups and let one in each group read the different guide translations for the specific stanza. Together come up with an oral draft for each stanza. The oral draft can at that point be recorded and/or immediately written down (Step 6 merged with Step 5).

Before you start drafting - Identify poetic devices in your language

Look at the transcriptions of music, poems or other performances from your culture that you made in Step 4.

• Look for instances where there is a strange word-order, not the usual. Sometimes it would work to use some unusual word-order in your language as well. Experiment a bit with different word-orders and see what sounds the most beautiful, the most poetic.
• Look for other poetic devices in your transcriptions of the performances and ask yourselves how you might use or adapt them in this Psalm.

The following notes suggest a few things in each stanza which the translators should keep in mind as they compose an oral draft. See the notes on the Hebrew text in Appendix B for further comments on some of the points made here and for other suggestions.

Important notes for facilitators

Facilitators should have the guide translations in Appendix A in front them when they help the Psalmist-translators to think about things they should consider in preparing their oral draft.

• The notes in this section suggest just a few things for each stanza.
• See the notes on the Hebrew text in Appendix B for further comments on some of the points made here, and for other suggestions.
• It is very important that facilitators should prepare beforehand and that they decide for themselves what information to give the Psalmists. You should try to give the information you think most important in your own words, not just read out the notes from here or elsewhere.

Stanza 1, vv. 2-5

Verse 2. The Psalm begins with a chiasm in the Hebrew poetry in which the Psalmist inverts the phrase order of the first line (subject - participle verb - object phrase) in the second line (object phrase - participle verb - subject.)

The heavens - are declaring - glory of God

works of his hands - are telling - the sky.

See if you can find a poetic structure with a similar dramatic effect to start the Psalm.

Take care with who or what is speaking in each line and try to capture the rich variety in the way the Psalmist refers to speech and communication.

• In v. 2a, it is the heavens which declare...
• In v. 2b it is the sky which tells....
• In v. 3a, it is day then day which pours forth speech and in v. 3b night then night which reveals knowledge.
• In vv. 4-5 the speaker is once again the heavens (although in v. 4 they have no actual speech or words).

Verse 4 begins with the surprise statement that There is no speech are there are no words. The Psalmist is saying that the heavens don't actually speak or articulate words. Verse 4b reinforces his point, their voice is never heard. In v. 5, the Psalmist nevertheless insists that their voice goes out into all the earth. You may want to make the contrast in the statements in v. 4 and v. 5 clear in some way. One way of doing this would be to start v. 5 with a connector like Yet..., But still, However..., Nevertheless...

Verse 5. Try to find a change in rhythm to express the switch to God as the actor in the third line, for the sun, he (God) has pitched a tent in them (the heavens).

Stanza 2, vv. 6-7

Verse 6 picks up its subject, the sun, from the bridging line at the end of v. 5. Find a way of keeping the connection.

• Although the Hebrew text drops the verb 'to be' in the opening line of v. 6 (And he (is) like...) you may want to use it. If you do this, experiment with reinforcing the connection with v. 5c by starting with an emphatic pronoun (And he, he is like...)
• You may also want to experiment with removing the connector And and start the line with a double pronoun He, he is like...
• You might even want to name the sun again in v. 6a (And) the sun, he is like...

Verse 7 contains a chiasm in which the locative phrase, from the ends of the heavens is front-shifted to the beginning of the first line and is mirrored by the locative phrase up to their ends at the end of the second line.

a. From the ends of the heavens -	his going out,
	b. his circuit -	up to their ends

• Try to make your translation of the first two lines of v. 7 a tight unit (as in the Hebrew text) to give prominence to the final line as an additional statement: and nothing is hidden from his heat.

Stanza 3, vv. 8-10

Verses 8-10. Keep the same sentence structure through the 6 parallel lines. You do not have to follow the structure of the Hebrew poetry. You should determine what is the best way to express the lines in your own poetry.

• If you have already started Psalm 119, make sure your rendering of the 6 different terms is consistent.
• It is important to keep the repeated reference to YHWH in each line.
• Each of the first five lines contains a description of what the different aspects of YHWH's law are like as well as what they do.
• The sixth line starts the same way but then breaks the pattern with a full verb in the second half they are righteous altogether.

Stanza 4, vv. 11-12

The pronouns they and them in v. 11 and 12 should refer to YHWH's judgments (his just decrees).

Verse 12 and Verse 14. In the Hebrew text, both verses begin with `gam 'also'`. Keep the idea of adding something to what has been already said in both verses.

Verse 12. In the Hebrew poetry, the first line of v. 12 ends ...by them and the second line begins in keeping them... Try to find a good balance between the lines in your translation.

Stanza 5 and 5, vv. 13-14 and v. 15

Verses 13-14. The Psalmist speaks of two kinds of sin. Hidden sins are sins which he does not recognise as sins. Think of examples that you would include in this category of sins and then decide how to refer to them. The second kind of sins are sins of pride. In contrast with hidden sins, these are sins which the Psalmist knows about but does anyway. They are wilful sins in the sense that he does them in his pride, putting his will above YHWH's will. So he asks YHWH to hold him back or restrain him from these kinds of sin.

Verses 13-14. There are two ideas in vv. 13 and 14 which are closely related but need to be kept distinct.

• The first is the idea of innocence… Try and keep the two references to being innocent in vv. 13-14. In v. 13b, the psalmist asked to be made or declared innocent of hidden sins. In v. 14c, he expresses the desire to be innocent of great transgressions.
• The second is the idea of being perfect (or blameless). In v. 14b, the Psalmist starts by saying then I will be perfect/blameless... and continues the line and innocent of great transgression. You should use the same word here as in v. 8 where the Psalmist says The Law of YHWH (is) perfect (or blameless).