Psalm 28/Notes/Verbal.v. 6.244917
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
- Blessed be YHWH (בָּר֥וּךְ יְהוָ֑ה): "The exclamation, blessed be the Lord (bārûḵ YHWH), is a typical call for praise in the Psalter’s hymns (124:6; 135:21; 144:1)."[1]
- For he has heard (כִּי־שָׁ֝מַע): The כִּי introduces a causal clause that expresses the reason the psalmist blesses YHWH (i.e., YHWH has heard the psalmist's supplications).[2]
- The Qatal is typically past-perfective and indicative.[3] The lack of reference point movement prompts a present perfect translation in English (cf. ESV, NIV, NLT, NET, NEB, etc). Moreover, the clause "for he has heard the voice of my supplications" marks the turning point of the psalm. The psalmist has moved from "the place of not-being-heard to the place of being-heard."[4] Hence, the psalm has moved from prayer to thanksgiving. The imploring "Hear the sound of my supplications" in v.2 is here (v.6) an accomplished fact.[5]
- For a simple past rendering, "he listened to," see Terrien 2003, 270.
- For a simple present rendering, "he hears," see JPS, 1985.
- LXX: εἰσήκουσεν
- Jerome Heb.: audivit
- Jerome Gall.: exaudivit