Psalm 32/Notes/Lexical.v. 9.751382

v. 9 – The common understanding of עֶדְי֣וֹ as from עֲדִי "adornment" has repeatedly been questioned in the scholarly literature, such that the word has been deemed "probably corrupt" (BDB). We consider the word to neither be corrupt, nor related to √עדה "adorn oneself." Castellino notes, "Psalm xxxii is not an easy one ... There is one passage which we deem rather important, and which the critics' guesses and corrections have not succeeded in patching up satisfactorily at all. We refer to v. 9" (1952, 37). Although the conjectural emendations suggested by Castellino are entirely unnecessary and his interpretation of the entire verse is erroneous, we agree entirely with his conclusion on עֶדְי֣וֹ, that "The general meaning of the verb is to be considered the one given in in Job xxviii 8" (ibid., 40). This verb is the homophonous root √עדה, "to walk along" (HALOT; cf. "pass over," DCH), is found in parallel with √דרך: "Proud beasts have not set foot on it (הִדְרִיכֻ֥הוּ), and no lion has passed along it (עָדָ֖ה עָלָ֣יו)" (NET), such that עֶדְי֣וֹ is best understood as the horse's walking along (cf. James 3:3).^[1]

↑ Cf. ʕdw/y in Official Aramaic as "pass" (qal; Hoftijzer & Jongeling 1995, 829) and in Old South Arabian as "to move, march" (del Olmo Lete & Sanmartín 2015, 148). The possibility that the noun is derived from the piel of this root, "to take off," is also intriguing. Although the form is not well-attested in Biblical Hebrew, appearing only in Prov 25:20: מַ֥עֲדֶה בֶּ֨גֶד׀ בְּי֣וֹם קָ֭רָה "one who takes off a garment on a cold day" (ESV), it is commonly attested in Rabbinic Hebrew (Jastrow 1903, 1043-1044), the D-stem (piel) in Ugaritic (del Olmo Lete & Sanmartín 2015, 148) and Official Aramaic (Hoftijzer & Jongeling 1995, 829) as "remove." Indeed, it is found with the removal of tʕr, "the cover of forehead ... of a horse" (ibid.) in Kyrieleis & Röllig (Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung. 103,1988, 65). In light of this common context (albeit on very sparse evidence), one could consider the noun to refer simply to that which can be taken off, i.e., the horse's/mule's equipment, rather than adornment. Nevertheless, although the common contextual domain with an Official Aramaic passage is intriguing, the analogy of the form עֲדִי as derived from the qal of √עדה "to adorn," the must also be, in all likelihood, derived from the qal "to walk along."

[1] Cf. ʕdw/y in Official Aramaic as "pass" (qal; Hoftijzer & Jongeling 1995, 829) and in Old South Arabian as "to move, march" (del Olmo Lete & Sanmartín 2015, 148). The possibility that the noun is derived from the piel of this root, "to take off," is also intriguing. Although the form is not well-attested in Biblical Hebrew, appearing only in Prov 25:20: מַ֥עֲדֶה בֶּ֨גֶד׀ בְּי֣וֹם קָ֭רָה "one who takes off a garment on a cold day" (ESV), it is commonly attested in Rabbinic Hebrew (Jastrow 1903, 1043-1044), the D-stem (piel) in Ugaritic (del Olmo Lete & Sanmartín 2015, 148) and Official Aramaic (Hoftijzer & Jongeling 1995, 829) as "remove." Indeed, it is found with the removal of tʕr, "the cover of forehead ... of a horse" (ibid.) in Kyrieleis & Röllig (Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung. 103,1988, 65). In light of this common context (albeit on very sparse evidence), one could consider the noun to refer simply to that which can be taken off, i.e., the horse's/mule's equipment, rather than adornment. Nevertheless, although the common contextual domain with an Official Aramaic passage is intriguing, the analogy of the form עֲדִי as derived from the qal of √עדה "to adorn," the must also be, in all likelihood, derived from the qal "to walk along."

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