Psalm 28/Notes/Grammar.v. 3.760041

• For the MT אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵ֣נִי (“do not drag me”), the Greek adds τὴν ψυχήν μου (my soul) possibly reading תִּמְשֹׁךְ נַפְשִׁי (“do not drag my soul”). The Greek addition of τὴν ψυχήν μου could be a harmonization to Ps 26 [LXX 25]:9. Likewise, after the MT word אָוֶן (evil, iniquity), the LXX adds μὴ συναπολέσῃς με which BHS suggests to be equivalent in Hebrew to אַל־תְּאַבְּדֶנִּי (“do not destroy me”). The LXX makes two additions that are not present in the MT. Both additions were probably the product of a harmonization of Ps 28:3 [LXX 27:3] and Ps 26:9 [LXX 25:9] since τὴν ψυχήν μου and μὴ συναπολέσῃς occur in both psalms (cf. below). However, the verb which occurs in the MT text of Ps 26:9 is אַל־תֶּאֱסֹף, not אַל־תְּאַבְּדֶנִּי. For this reason, אַל-תַּאַסְפֵנִי would be a better option than BHS's suggestion אַל־תְּאַבְּדֶנִּי. Nevertheless, the MT readings are supported by the absence of these additions in other ancient versions (Targum, Peshitta, and Jerome's Hebraicum). They are also absent in 4QPs^c and in modern translations.
  • LXX (Ps 28 [LXX 27]:3): μὴ συνελκύσῃς μετὰ ἁμαρτωλῶν τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ μετὰ ἐργαζομένων ἀδικίαν μὴ συναπολέσῃς με, τῶν λαλούντων εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν, κακὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν.
    • "Do not drag my soul away together with sinners; together with workers of injustice do not destroy me, those who speak peace with their fellows, but wrongs are in their hearts."
  • LXX (Ps 26 [LXX 25] :9): μὴ συναπολέσῃς μετὰ ἀσεβῶν τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων τὴν ζωήν μου
    • "Do not destroy my soul to gather with the impious and my life with men of blood."
  • Targum (Ps 28:3): לא תנגידנני עם רשיעיא ועם עבדי עילא די ממללין שלמא עם חבריהון ובישתא בלבהון.
    • "Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with those who work intrigue, who speak peace with their neighbors, while evil is in their hearts."
  • Peshitta (Ps 28:3): ܠܐ ܬܡܢܝܢܝ ܥܡ ܪ̈ܫܝܥܐ܂ ܘܥܡ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ ܥܘܠܐ܂ ܕܡܡܠܠܝܢ ܫܠܡܐ ܥܡ ܚܒܪ̈ܝܗܘܢ ܘܒܝܫܬܐ ܒܠܒܗܘܢ܂
    • "Do not count me with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace with their companions but evil is in their heart."
  • Jerome's iuxta Hebraicum (Ps 28:3): ne trahas me cum impiis et cum operantibus iniquitatem qui loquuntur pacem cum amicis suis et est malum in corde eorum.
    • "Do not draw me with the wicked and with those who work iniquity, who talk peace with their friends and evil is in their hearts."
  • MT (Ps 28:3): אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵנִי עִם־רְשָׁעִים וְעִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם
    • "Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts."

• The clause "those who speak peace with their neighbors" (דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם) is coordinated with the clause "but [speak] evil in their hearts" (וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם). The verb speak (דֹּבְרֵי) "carries over the second colon" which is represented in the grammatical diagram in gray as an elided element. This rendering is reinforced by a similar case in Ps 15:2. It is also supported by the LXX, which reads τῶν λαλούντων εἰρήνην μετὰ τῶν πλησίον αὐτῶν, κακὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν - "those who speak peace with their neighbors, but evil in their hearts." The LXX treats וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as a second object of דֹּבְרֵי, "which fits the usual pattern of parallelism." Moreover, "those who speak peace with their neighbors" (דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם) is in apposition to "workers of evil >> evildoers" (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן). Hence, the appositive specifies a characteristic action of evildoers (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן): “. . . workers of evil, those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts >> "evildoers, who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts." Nevertheless, some modern translations as well as commentators have rendered דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as two coordinate (temporally simultaneous) clauses both subordinate as an asyndetic relative clause. In other words, the clause does not include an overt relative word; instead, it is connected to the main clause by being embedded within an adjectival modifier of workers of evil (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן), which in English is treated as a relative clause (“...workers of evil, who are speaking peace at the same time as evil is in their hearts” >> ". . . workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts." In addition, treating וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם as a verbless clause is supported by Jerome's Hebrew Psalter (qui loquuntur pacem cum amicis suis et est malum in corde eorum - "who speak peace with their friends but there is evil in their hearts"). This alternative reading is represented in pink in the grammatical diagram. Although we have two grammatical options of diagramming דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלֹום עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם, these options are semantically united (i.e., there is no change in interpretation).

• The Hebrew text דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם (speakers of peace >> those who speak peace) is a construct chain. Under our current diagramming convention, modifying participles that take direct objects (even if construct chains) and adverbials are encoded as embedded clauses, rather than construct chains with adjectival modifiers. Since דֹּבְרֵי is diagrammed as an embedded clause, שָׁלוֹם is diagrammed as the object rather than a construct relationship. So, for now, the diagram has דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם and דֹּבְרֵי) רָעָה) as embedded clauses, rather than construct chains.