Psalm 32/Notes/Grammar.v. 6.540051

v. 6 – The prepositional phrase לְ֭שֵׁטֶף מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים could be understood as one of specification, i.e., concerning, and thus left-dislocated (GKC §143e). This is perhaps supported by the accents, which place an atnakh on רַבִּ֑ים, and the Peshitta, which provides a conjunction ܘ after "heavy" left-dislocation: lit. "but the rush of many waters, and will not come near to him" (adapted from Taylor 2020, 113; ܚܐܦܐ ܕܝܢ ܕܡ̈ܝܐ ܣ̈ܓܝܐܐ ܘܠܘܬܗ ܠܐ ܢܬܩܪܒܘܢ). Nevertheless, the plural verb in the main clause, יַגִּֽיעוּ, leads one to expect a plural subject, though שֵׁטֶף מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים is grammatically singular, so cannot stand in apposition to a singular subject. Our preferred reading understands לְ֭שֵׁטֶף מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים as an adverbial, though the implied grammatical subject is "many waters" (מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים), as indicated by the plural verb.