Psalm 32 Exegetical Issues

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Psalm 32/Exegetical Issues
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Exegetical Issues Video

Introduction to Exegetical Issues

Presented here are the top three Exegetical Issues that any interpreter of the psalm—whether they’re reading the text in Hebrew or looking at a number of translations—are likely to encounter. These issues usually involve textual criticism, grammar, lexical semantics, verbal semantics, and/or phrase-level semantics, though they sometimes involve higher-level layers as well.

Exegetical Issues for Psalm 32

The NIV understands "God," the recipient of the prayer, to be the implied object of מְ֫צֹ֥א "finding." The JPS understands "sin," mentioned in the previous verse, to be the implied object. The NET's "window of opportunity" indicates it is the "time" (עֵת) itself that is being found. The REB has followed a conjectural emendation of the MT's לְעֵ֪ת מְ֫צֹ֥א רַ֗ק to לְעֵת מָצוֹק "time of anxiety."
While David (the psalmist) is unambiguously addressing YHWH in v. 6, there are multiple participant ambiguities throughout vv. 7–9.
  1. Who is the speaker in v. 7?
  2. Who is the speaker in v. 8?
  3. Who is the addressee in v. 8?
  4. Who is the speaker in v. 9?
In vv. 3–4 the psalmist describes his own stubbornness to confess his sin, which resulted in suffering. In vv. 9–11, a section which our present verse begins, he turns to exhort others to not be like a stubborn horse/mule. Translations differ on the syntax and meaning of the third line in this verse, בַּ֝֗ל קְרֹ֣ב אֵלֶֽיךָ.