Psalm 23/Notes/Verbal.V. 4.712592

• גַּ֤ם כִּֽי ("even when") occurs only here in the Psalter (for other instantiations of גַּם כִּי in the Hebrew Bible, see Isa 1:15; Hos 8:10, 9:16; Prov 22:6; Lam 3:8; etc.). גַּם כִּי is a compound conjunction that introduces a concessive conditional sentence (the particle כִּי can occur in compound conjunctions such as גַּם כִּי [even though], עַל כִּי [because], אַף כִּי [indeed, really). Some particles such as the כִּי can be used for both conditional and concessive clauses. Moreover, concessive clauses, especially hypothetical ones, can be considered as a specific category of the conditional clause. For this reason, some כִּי-clauses are regarded as concessive by some authors, whereas others regard them as conditional. For instance, Zechariah 8:6 is considered to be conditional by Schoors, whereas JM §171b and BDB explain it as concessive. Likewise, the כִּי in Psalm 23:4 is regarded as concessive by JM §171c but conditional by GKC §159bb. We render גַּם כִּי as a concessive conditional reading. As Locatell has noted, the crucial point here is that the כִּי displays the characteristics of a typical conditional construction. Rendering גַּם כִּי ("even though/if/when") as a concessive conditional reading "maintains the potentiality of the conditional, while adding the concessive characteristic of asserting that normally incompatible events would coincide if this potential were realized. It is this potentiality that continues to distinguish it from a genuine concessive (cf. NET)." In other words, "walking in a valley of darkness" and "fearing no harm" are incompatible events that will coincide if the potential of the conditional is realized. Locatell has further noted that "concessive conditional readings are constrained even more when conditional כִּי is immediately preceded by the focus particle גם." Although "even if" and "even though" are plausible glosses for גַּם כִּי, if understood as hypothetical or concessive, we have chosen to render it as "even when" in order to convey the likelihood of the conditional actually happening. The alternatives maintain the possibility of the conditional, but they can too readily be understood as suggesting that the conditional (such a difficult time) is unlikely to ever happen.

IBHS regards v. 4ab as an irreal conditional ("Even if I were walking in the valley of death’s shadow, I would not fear (anything) evil"). "Irreal conditions are those where stress is laid on the fact that they have not been fulfilled in the past or on the impossibility (or at least unlikelihood) of their being fulfilled in the pres. or future. These are [typically] introduced by לוּ or לוּלֵי."

The absence of a typical irreal conditional particle (לוּ or לוּלֵי), and the presence of the particle כי (which can have a force that approaches אם, though "it usually represents a case as more likely to occur than אם") suggest Ps 23:4 is a real condition; i.e, a condition "judged capable, even hypothetically, of being fulfilled in the present or future." In real conditions, "the most common form is YIQTOL in prot. and Vav consec. QATAL or simply YIQTOL in apod." In Ps 23:4, both the prot. and apod. present yiqtol verbs.

• Fear is usually stative; hence, the simple future rendering (לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א - "I will not fear").
• כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י ("because you are with me"): The כִּי introduces a causal clause that expresses the reason the psalmist will not fear (i.e., YHWH is with him even in the dangerous places). The subordinate clause means returning to absence of reference point movement which prompts a simple present English translation.
• הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי ("they comfort me"): The yiqtol form along with the immediately surrounding present tense verbs suggest reading this yiqtol verb as present tense.