Psalm 3/Notes/Grammar.v. 3.585264

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  • The lamed preposition in the phrase לְנַפְשִׁי does not indicate the address of the speech ("saying to me," so NRSV) but the topic of the speech: "saying about me" (Jenni 2000, rubric 69; cf. Pss 41:6; 71:1; so Rashi: על נפשי; Radak and Ibn Ezra: בעבור נפשי).
  • The second lamed preposition in v. 3, for him (לוֹ), indicates the psalmist as the experiencer or beneficiary of YHWH's victory/protection (Jenni 2000, rubric 44; cf. Exod 15:2; 2 Sam 10:11; Isa 12:2; Pss 118:14, 21).