Psalm 1/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.)
The grammatical diagram provides a way to visualise how different parts of a sentence work together. It represents the “surface-level” grammar, or morphosyntax, of a sentence. Morphosyntax includes both the form of words (morphology) and their placement in the sentence (syntax). This approach to visualising the text, based on the Reed-Kellogg diagramming method, places the grammatical subject in one slot, the verb in another slot, and modifiers and connectives in other slots.
For a detailed description of our method, see the Grammar Creator Guidelines.
Grammar Visuals for Psalm 1
V. 1
וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד
וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃
Preferred
v. 2
וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ יֶהְגֶּ֗ה יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 2]
Fragment
conjunction: כִּי אִם Instead
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his delight">
noun: חֶפְצ delight
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="YHWH’s instruction">
noun: תוֹרַת instruction
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Conjunction
conjunction: וּ and
Clause
Predicate
verb: יֶהְגֶּה he rehearses
Adverbial
adverb: יוֹמָם day
Conjunction
conjunction: וָ and
adverb: לָיְלָה night
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="his instruction">
Preposition
preposition: בְ in
Object
ConstructChain
noun: תוֹרָת instruction
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
v. 3
אֲשֶׁ֤ר פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀ יִתֵּ֬ן בְּעִתּ֗וֹ
וְעָלֵ֥הוּ לֹֽא־יִבּ֑וֹל
וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יַצְלִֽיחַ׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 3]
Fragment
particle: וְ and
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Predicate
verb: הָיָה he will become
Complement
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: כְּ like
Object
Nominal
noun: עֵץ a tree
Adjectival
Clause
Predicate
verb-participle: שָׁתוּל transplanted
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל on >> beside
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פַּלְגֵי channels
noun: מָיִם water
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject <located="relative clause head">
Predicate
verb: יִתֵּן gives
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="its season"">
noun: עִתּ season
suffix-pronoun: וֹ it
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="its fruit">
noun: פִּרְי fruit
suffix-pronoun: וֹ it
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="its leaves">
noun: עָלֵה leaf >> leaves
suffix-pronoun: וּ it
Predicate
verb: יִבּוֹל withers
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not
Conjunction <status="alternative">
conjunction: וְ and <status="alternative">
Clause <status="alternative">
Predicate
verb: יַצְלִיחַ it causes to flourish
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כֹל all
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Predicate
verb: יַעֲשֶׂה it produces
Object <located="relative clause head">
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject <status="alternative">
Nominal
quantifier: כֹל all
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Predicate
verb: יַעֲשֶׂה he does
Object <located="relative clause head">
Predicate
verb: יַצְלִיחַ he will cause to flourish
verb: will flourish <status="alternative">
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כֹל all
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Predicate
verb: יַעֲשֶׂה he does
Object <located="relative clause head">
Note for v. 3
v. 3. For discussion of the grammatical alternatives in this verse, see the exegetical issue: The Grammar of Ps. 1:3d.
V. 4
כִּ֥י אִם־כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ אֲֽשֶׁר־תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ רֽוּחַ׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 4]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Nominal
article: הָ the
adjective: רְשָׁעִים wicked
Predicate
Predicate
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not
Adverbial
adverb: כֵן so
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Predicate
Predicate
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not <status="alternative emendation">
Adverbial
adverb: כֵן so <status="alternative emendation">
Fragment
Conjunction
conjunction: כִּי אִם Instead
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: they will be
Complement
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: כַּ like
Object
article: ה the <status="elided">
noun: מֹּץ chaff
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Subject
noun: רוּחַ wind
Predicate
verb: תִּדְּפֶנּ drives away
Object <located="relative clause head">
suffix-pronoun: וּ it
Note for v. 4
In v. 4, the Septuagint repeats the words "not so" (Hebrew: לֹא כֵן): "Not so (οὐχ οὕτως) the impious, not so (οὐχ οὕτως) !" (trans. NETS). All of our other witnesses to the text agree with MT in reading "not so" only once. As Origen (3rd century AD) himself writes, "Some add the words 'not so' a second time. But the Hebrew does not have it, and none of the translators [i.e., Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, et al.] used this repetition" (Greek text in Barthélemy 2005, 2). It is not clear whether the Septuagint translator had a Hebrew exemplar that repeated the words or whether the translator himself added them for some reason. At the end of the same verse, the Septuagint has another addition: "like dust that the wind flings from off the land (ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς)" (trans. NETS). The fact at there are thmultiple additions in this verse suggests that the translator was deliberately amplifying the text or else using a Hebrew manuscript that did so (see Barthélemy 2005, 1-3).
V. 5
וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים בַּעֲדַ֥ת צַדִּיקִֽים׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 5]
Fragment
conjunction: עַל־כֵּן Therefore
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
Nominal
adjective: רְשָׁעִים wicked
Predicate
verb: יָקֻמוּ will stand firm
Adverbial
particle: לֹא not
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
article: ה (the) <status="elided">
noun: מִּשְׁפָּט judgment
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
Nominal
adjective: חַטָּאִים sinful
Predicate
verb: יָקֻמוּ will stand <status="elided">
adverb: לֹא not <status="elided">
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="the group of righteous people">
Nominal
noun: עֲדַת group
Nominal
adjective: צַדִּיקִים righteous
V. 6
וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד׃
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 6]
Fragment
conjunction: כִּי For
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Predicate
verb-participle: יוֹדֵעַ cares for
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="the way of righteous people">
noun: דֶּרֶךְ way
Nominal
adjective: צַדִּיקִים righteous
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="the way of wicked people">
noun: דֶרֶךְ way
Nominal
adjective: רְשָׁעִים wicked
Predicate
verb: תֹּאבֵד will come to an end
Bibliography
- Barthélemy, Dominique. 2005. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament. Vol. Tome 4: Psaumes. Fribourg, Switzerland: Academic Press.