Psalm 33 Verse-by-Verse

Back to Psalm 33 overview page.

Welcome to the Verse-by-Verse Notes for Psalm 33!

The Verse-by-Verse Notes present scholarly, exegetical materials (from all layers of analysis) in a verse-by-verse format. They often present alternative interpretive options and justification for a preferred interpretation. The Verse-by-Verse Notes are aimed at consultant-level users.

The discussion of each verse of this psalm includes the following items.

1. A link to the part of the overview video where the verse in question is discussed.
2. The verse in Hebrew and English.
3. An expanded paraphrase of the verse.
4. A grammatical diagram of the verse, which includes glosses for each word and phrase.
5. A series of notes on the verse, which contain information pertaining to the interpretation of the psalm (e.g., meaning of words and phrases, poetic features, difficult grammatical constructions, etc.).

Sing with a Blast! (vv. 1-3)

Notes

• There is no superscription identifying the author or speaker of this psalm; several ancient translations supply one but these are probably not original. The unidentified speaker could be a single chorus leader or the entirety of Israel/Righteous People singing to one another, as in vv. 20-21. In other psalms a single Chorus Leader leads the people in praise (cf. Psalm 118), and this was probably the conventional method for worship and is the preferred reading here.
  • How were the speakers and addressees organized to perform this psalm? 1 Chr 25:1-8 may be instructive. There, David appointed certain Levitical families to prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbols. Additionally, David established these temple musicians with the help of military officers, which comports with the notion that a military threat was the impetus for this psalm (cf. vv. 10, 16-17, 20).
• Psalm 33 may be divided into three main sections: vv. 1-3, 4-19, and 20-22.
• The opening and closing sections of the psalm form an inclusio of direct address focused on the audience's response to YHWH. In vv. 1-3 the psalm leader(s) address the people, while in vv. 20-22 the people address YHWH.
• Vv. 1-3 are a call to praise. These verses are characterized by plural imperatives (shout for joy [רַנְּנ֣וּ], give praise [הֹודוּ], make a song [זַמְּרוּ], sing [שִֽירוּ], and do well/skillfully [הֵיטִיבוּ]) and the language of song (praise [תְהִלָּה], lyre [כִּנּוֹר], ten-stringed harp [נֵבֶל עָשֹׂור], play [נַגֵּן], and blast [תְּרוּעָה]). The verses also contain multiple lamed prepositions (לְ) in vv. 1a, 2a, 2b, and 3a:

• The psalmist believes that "praise is fitting" (נָאוָ֥ה תְהִלָּֽה) and vv. 4-19 give the reasons why YHWH is worthy of worship. So, the imperatives in vv. 1-3 are not requests in which the speaker believes the hearer has discretion about whether to obey. Rather, they are commands, which is the dominant use of the imperative.

v. 1

Watch the Overview video on v. 1.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
1a	רַנְּנ֣וּ צַ֭דִּיקִים בַּֽיהוָ֑ה	Shout for joy in YHWH, righteous people!
1b	לַ֝יְשָׁרִ֗ים נָאוָ֥ה תְהִלָּֽה׃	Praise is fitting for upright people.

Expanded Paraphrase

YHWH established his covenant with Abraham's offspring, and YHWH's covenantal word is upright. YHWH's people keep the covenant, so they become righteous and upright. They assemble for worship, and the leaders say: Shout for joy in YHWH, righteous people who have kept YHWH's covenant! Praise to YHWH, who keeps his covenant, is fitting for upright people like you.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• Shout for joy is a single word in Hebrew (רנן). SDBH glosses it simply "to shout," but this English gloss by itself connotes a negativity rarely associated with the Hebrew verb. "Joy" is part of the lexical semantics of the Hebrew word.
• Righteous people (צַ֭דִּיקִים) has some important features:
  • The word righteous (צַדִּיק) is an adjective that refers to "a pattern of behavior by humans or deities that is in accordance with the requirements of the divine law." Here the adjective functions substantivally, referring to righteous people. It shares the same root as the term "righteousness" in v. 5.
  • Righteous people (צַ֭דִּיקִים) is in the vocative, meaning that it designates the one to whom the speaker is addressing a statement. The term does not function grammatically as a (clausal) subject, but it is the same as the implied subject of the verb "shout for joy." The term righteous people is therefore in apposition to the implied subject.
  • Righteous people (צַ֭דִּיקִים) comes between an imperative verb ("Shout for joy!") and its direct object ("to YHWH"). This word order emphasizes that the rejoicing should happen "in YHWH."
• Modern translations render the preposition attached to YHWH (בְּ) in a variety of ways. Among the most common renderings are "in," "to," and "about." The phrase בַּֽיהוָה occurs 107 times in the HB, but the meaning of the preposition may vary widely based primarily on the governing verb. English translations almost always render the preposition "in" when it is combined with similar verbs of praise like "rejoice" (גיל), "be glad" (שׂמח), "exult/rejoice" (עלז), and "exult" (עָלַ֤ץ).
• The expression praise is fitting for upright people is a declaration that functions as an indirect exhortation. The people are meant to identify themselves as "upright" and to respond with the appropriate behavior for such people (i.e., by praising).
• Here is a Venn diagram comparing English praise with the underlying Hebrew term (תְּהִלָּה):

• The word here rendered fitting (נָאוֶה) most ordinarily means "beautiful" (HALOT) or "comely" (DCH).
• For upright people (לַ֝יְשָׁרִ֗ים) is in non-default position. In a verbless clause, the grammatical subject (in this case, "praise" תְהִלָּֽה) would be expected in the first position. The reason for the non-default position is likely "tail-head" linkage, in which the last term of one clause and the the first term of the next clause are linked. In this case, the linking is that both "in YHWH" and "for upright people" are prepositional phrases.
• The preposition for (lamed, לְ) in v. 1b has been interpreted in three main ways: as a vocative, as denoting authorship, or as denoting interest/advantage. Among the three options, the last option is the most common function of the Hebrew lamed preposition, and it makes good sense in context, so it is preferred. The lamed marks that the action (being "fitting") is directed at "upright people."
• Upright people (לַ֝יְשָׁרִ֗ים) is a synonym for the righteous people who have just been mentioned in the previous clause. The adjectives righteous (צַדִּיק) and upright (יָשָׁר) occur together frequently in the Bible.
• The word righteous (root: צַדִּיק) describes the audience in v. 1a, and the related term righteousness (root: צְדָקָה) describes what YHWH loves in v. 5a. The word upright (יָשָׁר) describes the audience in v. 1b, and the same root describes YHWH's word in v. 4a. It looks like this:Thus, psalm depicts the audience in terms of YHWH's good character. The terms appear in a mirror ab||ba pattern in the section. These terms do not appear elsewhere in the psalm.

v. 2

Watch the Overview video on v. 2.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
2a	הוֹד֣וּ לַיהוָ֣ה בְּכִנּ֑וֹר	Give YHWH praise with a lyre!
2b	בְּנֵ֥בֶל עָ֝שׂ֗וֹר זַמְּרוּ־לֽוֹ׃	Make a song for him with a ten-string harp!

Expanded Paraphrase

As the people gather to worship, the leaders say to the musicians: Give YHWH praise with a lyre! Make a song for him with a ten-string harp!

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• When following the Hebrew word order, the phrase with a ten-stringed harp in v. 2b is out of the typical order, fronted within its clause. This causes the clauses of v. 2 to form a poetic mini-chiasm. In this mini-chasm, both prepositional phrases are emphasized at the center:

• As an act of communication, the root of the Hebrew term here translated praise (ידה) may mean either "confess" or "praise". The context, which speaks of music, lends itself to the "praise" interpretation, and most of the time (89 times) it means "praise" rather than "confess" (23 times).

"Kinnor played before a Canaanite king"

• The lyre (kinnor כִנֹּור; for a video of a lyre in use click here) is "a musical instrument consisting of a sound box made of wood, out the ends or sides of which projected two arms; the arms supported by a crosspiece; strings descended from the crosspiece over the sound box and the number of strings could vary." King David "played on the kinnor with his hand," and this is the term traditionally rendered in English as David's "harp." The kinnor was most often played with other instruments as a part of a group, as it is here in Ps. 33:2, and as a part of the temple orchestra. It was played at major ceremonies and celebrations, notably during the celebration of victory over an enemy.
• The word harp (נֵ֫בֶל) is uncertain. The harp "seems to have been a rarer, more solemn instrument than the kinnor." In addition to a musical instrument, it can refer to a skin-bottle (5 times) or an earthenware vessel (6 times). Some propose that it was a soundbox made of wood with animal intestines stretched over the top. The number of strings could vary; in Ps 32:2 the word "ten" refers to the number of strings.
• The combination of lyre (כִנּ֑וֹר) and harp (נֵ֫בֶל) was common in worship. Craigie argues that "these two instruments merely symbolize the entire array of instruments." While this is possible, both of these instruments are stringed instruments. If the psalmist had wanted to symbolize more kinds of instruments, he had many other kinds to choose from (cf. Ps 150:3-5).
• As a part of the ceremony in which Solomon succeeded David (1 Chron 22:1-29:25), David appointed certain Levitical families to prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbols (1 Chron 25:1-8), and so it is the Levites who are being addressed to play the harps and lyres here. Additionally, David established these temple musicians with the help of military officers (1 Chr 25:1), which comports with the notion that a military threat was the impetus for this psalm (cf. vv. 10, 16-17, 20).

v. 3

Watch the Overview video on v. 3.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
3a	שִֽׁירוּ־ל֭וֹ שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֑שׁ	Sing a new song to him!
3b	הֵיטִ֥יבוּ נַ֝גֵּ֗ן בִּתְרוּעָֽה׃	Play skillfully with a blast!

Expanded Paraphrase

Sing a new song to him! Play skillfully with a blast!

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• A new song (שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֑שׁ) could be sung in anticipation of the "new things" that YHWH was about to do for his people (Isa 42:9-10), in response to being rescued from the pit (Ps 40:2-3), so that all the earth would know the greatness of YHWH and that his judgment is coming soon (Pss 96, 98), or as a battle cry before the people execute judgment on the nations with swords (Ps 149). Interestingly, in Ps 144:9 the psalmist sings (אֲזַמְּרָה) a new song while playing on a ten-stringed harp (בְּנֵ֥בֶל עָ֝שֹׂ֗ור) in anticipation of YHWH saving the psalmist from attacking foreigners, as he had saved king David. The lexical similarities between Ps 33:2 and Ps 144:9 may suggest thematic or situational parallels between the two psalms. Some have suggested that a new song is only an eschatological hymn reserved for a cataclysmic future moment, but the inclusion of the phrase in psalms about specific references to personal rescue that has already occurred speak against this interpretation. Ross says that the new song is "more than a new composition; it is a call for a new experience for praise (so a metonymy of effect)... with renewed enthusiasm."
• The verb to play (an instrument) (root: נגן) occurs 15 times in the MT; 7 of these are in the story of David playing the lyre (כִנֹּור, cf. v. 2) for Saul. This verb only occurs one other time in the Psalms, which is somewhat surprising given the theme of making music throughout the book.
• The syntax of the hiphil verb "to do well" (הֵיטִ֥יבוּ) followed by the infinitive construct of "to play" (נַ֝גֵּ֗ן) occurs 3 other times in the MT, where it means "play skillfully/well." Normally the object of a hiphil verb expressing an adverbial idea is introduced with a lamed, but not here.
• The lexical semantics of the word blast (תְרוּעָֽה) indicates that its most important feature is not who or what is making the sound, but how loud the sound is. The heightened volume expresses joy or gladness in this cultic context.

Because YHWH is Powerful (vv. 4-19)

• The middle section (vv. 4-19) provides the grounds for the praise in the first section (vv. 1-3) "by elaborating certain representative acts of God in creation and history." This middle section is characterized by descriptions of YHWH; there is no direct address or first-person language in this section.
• The middle section of the Psalm begins with a summary statement (vv. 4-5) and then proceeds to unfold in mirroring subsections that each tackle a different theme. Vv. 6-9 and vv. 16-19 are four lines each, with the third line in each subsection focusing on fear of YHWH. Vv. 10-12 and vv. 13-15 are three lines each, with the first two lines in each subsection presenting a contrast (the nations' plan vs. YHWH's plan; YHWH in heaven vs. people on earth).

• The word for (כִּֽי) opens the section and serves as a discourse marker and not a marker of a grammatically subordinate clause. In other words, it has "scope over larger segments of text" (in this case, vv. 4-19) than just a single clause. It indicates a logical connection between the section that preceded and what follows, acting as an "argument coordinator." In Ps 33:4, what follows are the reasons for the call to praise in vv. 1-3. As a discourse marker that joins large segments of text, it indicates a section break.
• The middle section describes YHWH in relation to creation (vv. 5-7,9), all people (vv. 8, 13-15), Israel's enemies (v. 10), and Israel (v. 12). The only place in this section that YHWH does not appear as a participant is vv. 16-17, which are dominated by "agents of war." It is therefore likely that the comparisons of vv. 5-15 prepare the audience for vv. 16-17, to show YHWH's power in war.
• The verse lines in vv. 4–19 "are composed of an uninterrupted series of 2-line strophes." These strophes (or "couplets") consistently display parallelism, oftentimes with a single verb serving double-duty over both clauses.

Summary of Reasons (vv. 4-5)

• Vv. 4-5 contain a summary statement of YHWH's character (his "moral qualities)."
• Faithfulness (אֱמוּנָֽה; v. 4) and loyal-love (חֶ֥סֶד, v. 5) are often coupled in the Psalms.
• There is a parallelism of uprightness/justice (i.e. adherence to a standard: vv. 4a, 5a) and faithfulness/loyalty (i.e. adherence to relationship: vv. 4b, 5b).

v. 4

Watch the Overview video on v. 4.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
4a	כִּֽי־יָשָׁ֥ר דְּבַר־יְהוָ֑ה	Because YHWH’s word is upright,
4b	וְכָל־מַ֝עֲשֵׂ֗הוּ בֶּאֱמוּנָֽה׃	and all of his work is [done] in faithfulness.

Expanded Paraphrase

Here is a summary of the reasons we should praise him: Because YHWH’s word is morally upright, and all of his work in creation and in history is [done] in faithfulness for the benefit of his covenant people.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• For this Psalm, an interpretive question is: does word (דְּבַר) refer 1) to YHWH's creative word (cf. Gen 1), 2) to all of his communication, or 3) to all of his activities (i.e., a "pattern of behavior")? The description of the word as upright in this verse suggests YHWH's moral instruction, i.e., his communication. But the term takes on the meaning of YHWH's creative word in vv. 6-7 and 9a. Here is a diagram that compares the meaning of this Hebrew term with the modern English "word":

• The phrase YHWH's word (דְבַר־יְהוָ֤ה) is a construct relationship of product-source/origin (i.e., the word coming from YHWH). YHWH's word promised Abram that his son would be his heir (Gen 15:4). The covenant with Abram developed into a covenant with Israel (cf. esp. Exod 19-20; Deut 5; 28-30), and this relationship is referenced in v. 12 and in the multiple references to YHWH's loyal-love (vv. 5, 18, 22).
• Work (alternatively: deeds/activities/actions; מַ֝עֲשֵׂ֗ה), though singular in Hebrew, here connotes plural acts or "a pattern of activities," as the attached quantifier all (כָל) demands. Does YHWH's work refer only to YHWH's creative acts? Or does it refer to all of his interactions with the world and his people? Ps. 33 likewise includes many references to YHWH's creative acts (vv. 6-7, 9, 15); for example, the word work (מַעֲשֶׂה) shares a root with the verb "to do" (עָשָׂה), which in v. 6 describes YHWH's act of creating the heavens. However, this Psalm also describes other actions of YHWH in the world beyond those of manipulating creation (vv. 10, 13-15, 18-19), and the term should be understood to include those things also.
• Several translations render His work (מַ֝עֲשֵׂ֗הוּ) as "he does," which is a construct relationship of verbal notion-subject. Some translations supply a verb to make "his work is done." Although the introduction of a verbal idea here is possible, it is not altogether necessary. Translating these words as nouns makes good sense. So, the simplest approach is to render the construct relationship as one of product-source/origin (i.e, "the work produced by YHWH").
• The word faithfulness (אֱמוּנָֽה) describes "a state in which humans and deities are considered worthy of trust, because they are truthful and committed, with an unwavering disposition, which is reflected in their actions." According to Jack B. Scott, "the basic root idea is firmness or certainty," but it often refers to the conduct of persons, whether man or God. When applied to God, it expresses "his total dependability." Although in this verse it is YHWH's works and not himself that is in view, his works take on his character. Therefore, the word could also be translated as "trustworthiness."

v. 5

Watch the Overview video on v. 5.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
5a	אֹ֭הֵב צְדָקָ֣ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט	He loves righteousness and justice;
5b	חֶ֥סֶד יְ֝הוָ֗ה מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃	the earth is full of YHWH’s loyalty.

Expanded Paraphrase

Because He loves righteousness and justice, he ensures that this is what fills the earth. When sin fills the earth with violence, he responds with judgment and cleansing, so that, in the end, it’s always true that the earth is full of YHWH’s loyalty not just in loyal-love to his own but also faithfulness to judge the wicked.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• In Israel, the love (חֶסֶד), the righteousness (צְדָקָה), and the name (שֵׁם, v. 21) of Yahweh appear in place of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian deities who fill heaven and earth.
• The phrase He loves is a single participle in Hebrew (אֹ֭הֵב). In theory, this participle could be taken substantivally ("lover"), though no translation treats it that way. Translations treat this participle as a predicative, and render it in the simple present tense: loves. The main syntactic issue with taking this participle in the verbal sense is that participles functioning as verbs normally must have an explicit subject. However, the 3ms independent personal pronoun (הוּא) is frequently omitted in these constructions. The present tense may be inferred from the context, which describes the characteristics of the subject. Additionally, since there has been no past or future tense verb introduced into the discourse prior to this participle, the present tense is most likely.
• The noun righteousness (צְדָקָ֣ה) shares the same root as the adjective "righteous (people)" (צַ֭דִּיקִים) in v. 1. Thus, the audience is addressed by the psalmist as those whose character YHWH loves.
• According to SDBH, the noun justice (מִשְׁפָּ֑ט) refers to practices that conform to the laws of God. Put another way, the term refers to wise decisions that are made according to godly character and principles when the law does not explicitly say what to do.
• The combination of righteousness (צְדָקָה) and justice (מִשְׁפָּט) occurs in 46 verses in the HB, where it regularly describes the ideal behavior of Israel's people, its kings, or its Messiah. In English, the former connotes character, while the latter connotes external impact, i.e., on society.
• The phrase the earth is full (מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָֽרֶץ) has resonances elsewhere in the HB. At creation, God tells man to "fill the earth" with his image, but by the time of Noah the "the earth was full" of violence. Thus, the HB contains a tension between YHWH's ideal for the earth and its present state, which may be explained by humanity's failure to bear YHWH's image. After the flood, God tells Noah again to "fill the earth" and by Exodus, the people do so. The theme continues in cycles throughout the Hebrew Bible.
• The verb is full (מָלְאָ֥ה) is stative (or quasi-stative) and therefore "cannot express a 'once-off,' complete action" despite the qatal being a perfective. It "represents a state flowing from an earlier situation." In direct speech, the stative qatal "often indicates a condition at the moment of speaking" and "at times, context may suggest that the action [of a qatal verb] is in progress or that it is a general truth." The verb most often carries a passive sense even though it is active in form (cf. DCH). Many English translations render the verb in its active sense in v. 5 However, this rendering is grammatically unfeasible. The verb is feminine and so the subject of the verb must be the feminine noun "earth" and not the masculine noun hesed, loyal-love.
• The term loyal-love is a single word in Hebrew (hesed, חֶסֶד) that encompasses a number of concepts that are difficult to translate into one English word. It refers to loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, love, and mercy (DCH) and the fulfilling of obligations (SDBH). The two most essential of these are "loyalty" and "love," or "loyal-love."
  • For a helpful diagram that shows the similarities and differences between hesed and the English word "loyalty" click here.
  • For a diagram on the similarities and differences between hesed and the English word "love" click here.
  • Anderson points out that the noun hesed (חֶסֶד) is primarily a covenant word. Specifically, it refers to the way YHWH keeps his covenant. Anderson writes, "This hesed or 'Covenant loyalty' is the unceasing outworking of the Covenant relationship, the essence of which is summed up in 'I will be your God and you shall be my people' (Jer. 7:23). Notably, Ps 33:12 refers to this very same relationship in similar language.
• While the CEV renders the construct chain behind YHWH's loyal-love as one of verbal notion-subject relationship ("he is kind"), it is simpler not to introduce a verbal idea unless necessary. Therefore, it is best to render this construct chain as one of product-source/origin, as most translations do; in other words, "the loyal-love that comes from YHWH."
• The term earth (אֶ֫רֶץ) can refer either to the "earth as opposed to the sky" (for a helpful diagram click here) or it can refer only to a specific land, i.e., the land of Israel. The psalmist could be attempting to differentiate Israel from the surrounding nations, as the contrasts in vv. 10, 12 suggest. Yet the references to the heavens in v. 6 and the waters of the sea in v. 7, along with the same term earth (הָאָרֶץ) in parallel with inhabited world (תֵּבֵל) in v. 8, suggest that the scope of the Hebrew word אֶ֫רֶץ in v. 5 is the whole earth.
• The combination of righteousness, justice, loyal-love, and land also occurs in Jer 9:23-24, which says "Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord" (ESV). Ps 33:5 is an actualization of Jer 9:23-24's command to boast.

YHWH Controls Creation (vv. 6-9)

• Vv. 6-9 contain the language of creation: the heavens (v. 6a), the sea waters and deeps (v. 7), and the earth (v. 8), as well as the phrase "he spoke and it was" which is a clear reference to the creation story in Gen 1. The triad of heaven, earth, and sea appears quite frequently in the Psalms.
• Structurally, there are parallels between verses 6-9 and verses 16-19:
  • Both subsections are four verses long.
  • The unifying theme in each subsection is YHWH's power: over creation (vv. 6-9) and in battle (vv. 16-19).
  • The 3rd verse in each section is about YHWH's relationship: with humanity (v. 8) and with his people (v. 18).
  • In both subsections, the third line contains the word "fear."

v. 6

Watch the Overview video on v. 6.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
6a	בִּדְבַ֣ר יְ֭הוָה שָׁמַ֣יִם נַעֲשׂ֑וּ	The heavens were made by YHWH’s word,
6b	וּבְר֥וּחַ פִּ֝֗יו כָּל־צְבָאָֽם׃	and all their hosts [were made] by the breath of his mouth.

Expanded Paraphrase

Here is what we mean in more detail: YHWH has power over all of creation. On the first day of creation, The heavens were made by YHWH’s word, and on the fourth day, all their hosts (meaning the sun, moon, and stars) [were made] by the breath of his mouth.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• YHWH's word (דְבַ֣ר יְ֭הוָה) and the heavens (שָׁמַ֣יִם) are both fronted within the first clause of v. 6. One indicates a new topic, and the other indicates focus. Since YHWH's word already appeared in v. 4a, it is not likely a new topic in v. 6a. In contrast, the semantic domain that includes the heavens was activated in v. 5b by the earth, and so the heavens is accessible as a new topic. YHWH's word is in focus, answering the question, "how were the heavens made?" Its usage also includes a surprising piece of information about the nature of YHWH's word, which in v. 4a was described in terms of its moral character and not its creative power.
• The two terms in the phrase YHWH's word are in a construct relationship of possession-possessor or product-source/origin. YHWH is the owner or, more likely, origin of the word. In Jer 18:11, YHWH says his word "shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose (מַֽחֲשָׁבָ֑ה)." The word translated as "purpose" in Jer 18:11 is the same word translated as "intention(s)" in Ps 33:10-11. These connections suggest that the activities accomplished by YHWH's word are the manifestation of his intentions.
• For a helpful diagram on the meaning of the Hebrew word heavens (שָׁמַיִם) click here. This verse is an echo of when God created the heavens by speaking and separating the waters above from the waters below (Gen 1:6-8).
• YHWH's word (דְבַ֣ר יְ֭הוָה ) and the breath of his mouth (ר֥וּחַ פִּ֝֗יו) have a vertical grammatical relationship of apposition, so that the meaning of the word of YHWH from v. 5 is recast from the domain of moral instruction to that of creation. God created the hosts of heaven by speaking (Gen 1:14-19). 
• Though the term breath (ר֥וּחַ) may mean "spirit" or "wind" in other contexts, here the combination with "of his mouth" suggests that the term refers to breath. This Venn diagram compares the English and Hebrew words:

"The heavens were made by YHWH’s word, and all their hosts [were made] by the breath of his mouth." (v. 6).

• The translations are divided as to whether to render the Hebrew word (צְבָאָֽ) as host, which has military connotations, as "stars," or as "sun, moon, and stars." Some translations include both concepts: NIV has "starry host"; NGÜ has "das Heer der Sterne" ("the host of the stars"). The term most often appears in conjunction with the divine name to form the epithet (moniker) "YHWH of hosts." In a minority of cases, the host are divine beings that praise YHWH's name (9 times). 25 times, the term applies specifically to the sun, moon, and stars, and given the emphasis of the Psalm on God's power over creation and the suffix pronoun connecting the host to the heavens, that is probably the sense here. This is a better fit for the context than angels and other spiritual beings. Still, the Psalm contains elements that speak of YHWH's military activities; yet it ascribes these activities to YHWH himself, not to his hosts (vv. 16-17, 20), and the emphasis is not on victory but on rescue.
• The terms in the phrase their host are in a construct relationship of entity-location, that is "the hosts in them; i.e., in the heavens."
• Gen 2:1 uses the same expression all their host as Ps 33:6 (וְכָל־צְבָאָֽם), which is probably "an archaic expression to refer to what is otherwise generally called 'all that is in it.'" The suffix pronoun "their" renders the entire construct chain definite. When the Hebrew word all (כֹּל) modifies a plural and definite noun, it refers to the totality of an identifiable group. The expression denotes vastness; in Gen 15:5, YHWH challenges Abram to number the stars, but he cannot. The stars are innumerable.
• This clause and all their host [were made] is governed by the verb from the previous clause. Both vv. 6 and 11 contain one verb that governs both clauses, but is elided in the second clause for economy of style and poetic effect.

v. 7

Watch the Overview video on v. 7.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
7a	כֹּנֵ֣ס כַּ֭נֵּד מֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם	The one who gathers the sea water as a heap!
7b	נֹתֵ֖ן בְּאֹצָר֣וֹת תְּהוֹמֽוֹת׃	The one who places the deeps into storehouses!

Expanded Paraphrase

On the second day of creation, YHWH separated the waters above from the waters below, and on the third day, he separated the water from dry land. Therefore, YHWH is The one who gathers the sea water as a heap! Not only did this show his power to create, but the separation of water from dry land on the third day was a preview of YHWH's later saving acts for his people: At the Exodus, YHWH piled the water as a heap so that his people could walk through on dry land; and the same thing happened at the crossing of the Jordan. At the crossing of the Red Sea, the enemy Egyptians were destroyed by the collapse of the waters upon them. Therefore, the one who gathers the sea water as a heap is powerful and compassionate to save his people from military threats. YHWH caused the Flood by allowing spring of the deeps to burst forth along with opening the windows of heaven, then stopped the Flood by shutting the deeps and the windows of heaven. So, we might easily say that YHWH is The one who places the deeps into storehouses! His control of the deeps saves righteous people like Noah but destroys YHWH's enemies, like the Egyptians.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• YHWH's dominance of the waters is a common theme in the HB, especially in poetry. For example, Ps. 89:9 says: "You rule over the surging sea, when its waves mount up, you still them." See also Ps 89:10-18 for many verbal and thematic parallels with Ps 33.
• The phrases the one who gathers and the one who places are both single words in Hebrew (participles). They could be rendered as verbal (predicates; i.e., "he is gathering"/"he is placing"), but the preferred reading is to take both of these participles as nouns (substantival). As such, they describe the gathering of the sea waters as a heap and the placing of the deep oceans into storehouses as well-known characteristics of YHWH. For a more detailed discussion of the options, see the Exegetical Issue Participles in Ps 33:7.
• There are two main options for understanding the phrase sea waters like a heap.
  • First is as a reference to YHWH's separation of the seas from dry land on the third day of creation (Gen 1:9: "let the waters be collected (יִקָּו֨וּ) in one place"). Other texts likewise extol this creative act by YHWH. However, none of these passages contain the specific wording of Ps 33:7a, and their contexts have few lexical or thematic parallels with Ps 33 as a whole.
  • The other option is to understand Ps 33:7a as a reference to specific miraculous events in Isreal's history: the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod 15:8; cf. Ps 78:13) and the crossing of the Jordan (Josh 3:13, 16). In both of these events, God gathered the sea waters as a heap. The Exodus episode in particular contains lexical and thematic parallels with the whole of Psalm 33:

• The inclusion of a unique reference to the Song of the Sea, along with so many verbal and thematic parallels throughout the psalm, probably means that the narrative arc of the Song of the Sea events was in the mind of the psalmist.
  
  This narrative included the psalmist's concerns of threats by enemies (cf. v. 10), trust in YHWH (vv. 20-21), and his miraculous rescue (v. 19). If the Song of the Sea lurked beneath the surface of Ps 33, it would also explain the rather surprising reference to famine in v. 19 (cf. Exod 16:3). The basic storyline looked like this:

• The phrase like a heap has some interesting features:
  • The the noun heap (נֵד) has the definite article. This article does not indicate a specific heap, but rather a class. Therefore, it is best to gloss this term as an indefinite noun: a heap.
  • It is likely that this phrase contains an elided preposition בְּ meaning "into," since after the preposition like/as (כְּ) an expected preposition is often omitted The similarity of כ and ב affects the whole verbal event, which typically involves gathering into a (resultative) heap. The result is that many languages will need to supply their own locative preposition on top of the כְּ of similarity.
• The MT reading like a heap has support from the Qumran manuscript 4QPs-q. However, it is followed in the ancient translations only by Quinta. The LXX and other ancient Greek translations read "like a wineskin" and the Targum, Peshitta, and Vulgatefollow suit. As an alternative to "wineskin" and heap, some scholars have proposed that the word should be read "jar" or "bottle" based on parallels with Ugaritic. The MT reading is very close to Exod 15:8 and Ps 78:13, and the verse makes good sense this way. So, the MT reading is preferred. For a more detailed discussion, see the arguments in the Exegetical Issue Heap, Wineskin, Or Jar?
• The phrase the waters of the sea is a construct chain signifying not just any water, but the water of the sea. So, the expression could be rendered "ocean waters." The waters of the sea does not appear to be a reference to the waters above, which are never referred to as the sea.
• There are two main interpretive options for the phrase places the deep oceans into storehouses. First, it could refer to "the permanance of the sea in its place" that was established at creation. The second interpretation views the clause as denoting unusual, miraculous events in subsequent history, specifically the Noah account. The deep ocean burst forth to cause Noah's flood (Gen 7:11) until God shut them up again (Gen 8:2), which is similar to him placing the deep oceans into storehouses. There are several lexical and thematic echoes to the Flood story in Ps 33:

• As with the Song of the Sea echo in the previous clause, inclusion of a unique reference to the Flood narrative, along with many verbal and thematic parallels throughout the psalm, probably means that the narrative arc of the Flood events was in the mind of the psalmist. This narrative included the psalmist's concerns of threats by enemies (cf. v. 10), trust in YHWH (vv. 20-21), and his miraculous rescue (v. 19). The basic storyline looked like this:

• The term deep ocean (תְּהוֹם) occurs in the HB 36 times. Important aspects of the deep are that it is ancient, vast, intimidating, volatile, and dangerous - making God's power over it here in Ps 33:7 all the more impressive. Here is a Venn diagram comparing the English and Hebrew words:
• The term storehouses (אוֹצָר) refers to "treasure" (14 times), or "treasury/storehouse" (66 times). This is the only instance in the HB of YHWH keeping the deeps in storehouses. YHWH keeps the rain, wind, and snow and hail in storehouses. He also keeps his vengeance and retribution and his weapons of wrath in storehouses, which fits with his placing of the deep ocean - an instrument of his judgment in the Flood narrative - in storehouses.

v. 8

Watch the Overview video on v. 8.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
8a	יִֽירְא֣וּ מֵ֭יְהוָה כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ	All the earth should be afraid of YHWH!
8b	מִמֶּ֥נּוּ יָ֝ג֗וּרוּ כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י תֵבֵֽל׃	All the dwellers of the inhabited world should be in dread because of him!

Expanded Paraphrase

YHWH's power over creation and history to save and destroy means that all the earth should be afraid of YHWH! All the dwellers of the inhabited world should be in dread because of him!

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• Israel is the audience throughout all of the psalm except for the final verse, where it is YHWH: While the psalmist declares that all the earth should fear and all the dwellers of the inhabited world should dread, it is unlikely that there is a shift in the audience to include those outside Israel (who has been clearly addressed since v. 1). Such a shift would be the only occurrence in the whole psalm, and other nations would have been unlikely to accept any of the propositions of vv. 4-7, upon which v. 8 is based. The statements about YHWH frustrating the nations plans in v. 10 and the uselessness of conventional means of warfare (vv. 16-17) were likewise probably not spoken directly to other nations. The statements of v. 8 instead make sense as rhetorically-charged declarations to Israel about the power and supremacy of YHWH.
• Both verbs in this verse are deontic, meaning that they express what "ought" to happen. They are also indirect speech acts that are technically jussives, but do function as commands. In other words, the commands to all the earth to fear and dread YHWH probably were not said expecting that all the earth would have heard them and obeyed; rather, the statement serves as an assertion that everyone needs to fear and dread YHWH. It is an assertion of the scope of YHWH's power. This assertion likely would have been understood by the audience, who was Israel, as a command that they themselves should fear and dread. Most modern translations render with "Let..." (or equivalent). The problem with this rendering in English is that it sounds like the psalmist is granting permission rather than expressing how things ought to be.
• The psalmist likely feels superiority to the nations due to his place in the covenant people of YHWH, who have YHWH's special revelation. He may feel concern for the nations, wishing that they would respond to YHWH in the proper way though this is not explicit in the psalm.
• Verse 8a has an interesting example of subject-verb agreement. All the earth is a singular feminine noun serving as a collective term which takes a 3rd person masculine plural verb. It could also be argued that the 3mp verb belies a metonymy: that all the earth stands for "all the people who live in it".
• With a singular and definite noun, the Hebrew term כֹּל can be glossed all in the phrase all the earth. Here it can also be glossed "whole": "the whole earth." This expression is common in the prophets in an eschatological context. The phrasing of the term all the earth in v. 8 may be intentionally ambiguous. As the psalm was heard for the first time, listeners would think that it refers to the earth itself, as the word earth does in v. 5b. Only when the rest of the phrase was heard would the interpretation turn to a metonymy, in which earth refers to those who dwell in it. The parallelism with v. 8b confirms that the term means "people," and synonyms for this participant are found in vv. 13-15, where they are the objects of YHWH's actions.
• To fear God (be afraid) is to be in awe and reverence of him (Mal 2:5) and to trust him (Ps 40:3; 115:11). After the crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptians, the people "feared YHWH" and believed "in YHWH" (בַּֽיהוָ֔ה, cf. v. 1a; Exod 14:31). This Venn diagram compares the English and Hebrew words:
• The prepositional phrase afraid because of (ירא + מִין) is a common expression in the Hebrew Bible. It occurs with God as the object of the fear in Exod 9:30 (cf. 3:6); Lev 19:14, 32; 25:17,36, 43; and Ecc 8:12. In Exod 9:30, Moses tells Pharaoh that he and his servants "do not yet fear YHWH Elohim." In the Leviticus passages, fearing "your Elohim is the basis for treating others ethically.
• The participle dwellers (יֹשְׁבֵי) is substantival here. The Hebrew word is only rendered with the English root "dwell" in one English translation most English translations render it with "inhabitant." Here we have chosen to render it as dwellers in order to highlight the connection with the similar terms in v. 14, where YHWH gazes upon the dwellers of the earth from his dwelling place (all of these words share the same Hebrew root).
• In the phrase all the dwellers of the inhabited world, the final absolute noun is definite, and this renders the construct noun dwellers definite also.
• The single Hebrew word rendered inhabited world (תֵבֵֽל) means "the earth as opposed to the sky, with special focus on the area that is inhabited by humans" More specifically, it refers to the "bright, life-sustaining 'mainland' of 'productive land,' such as (according to the ancient cosmogonies) was reclaimed from the sea of chaos."
• The Hebrew root rendered be in dread (גור) may be one of three different, perhaps unrelated, homonyms: "to sojourn," "to attack," or "to be afraid" Since the verb is in parallel with be afraid, context strongly suggests the the third sense. In fact, it is probably "an even stronger" version "to be afraid" in which "it means to be intimidated by something [or someone] superior and more powerful." The LXX translates it with the verb "to be shaken," and the Peshitta has "to be disturbed/shake/tremble." If these ancient translations are any indication, then the majority of English translations, with their renderings of "stand in awe," "revere," and "honor" undersell the powerful effects of the verb upon a person.
• Seven of the ten times the verb dread (גור) appears in the HB, it uses the preposition because of (מִן) on its object. The combination refers to being afraid of an army (Num 22:3), of someone who brings a dispute (Deut 1:17), of a false prophet (Deut 18:22), Saul's fear of David in his success (1 Sam 18:15), Israelites who fear and praise the Lord at the end of Psalm 22 (Ps 22:24), and being afraid of the sword (Job 19:29).

v. 9

Watch the Overview video on v. 9.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
9a	כִּ֤י ה֣וּא אָמַ֣ר וַיֶּ֑הִי	For he spoke, and it was;
9b	הֽוּא־צִ֝וָּ֗ה וַֽיַּעֲמֹֽד׃	he commanded, and it came about.

Expanded Paraphrase

For we should remember that he spoke saying, "let there be..." on the seven days of creation, and it was; he commanded both in creation and in history, such as at the Flood and crossing of the Red Sea, and it came about.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• Verse 9 acts as a hinge verse in which YHWH's creative power through his spoken word extends to all that he does in history. V. 9a describes the power of YHWH's word in creation, which is the theme of the previous three verses (vv. 6-8), while v. 9b describes the power of YHWH's word in human history, which is the theme of the following three verses (vv. 10-12). As Calvin writes, "For until God be acknowledged the creator and maker of the world, who will believe that He regards men's affairs, and that the state of the world is governed by His wisdom and power? And the creation of the world leads us as straight as a line to the providence of God." Vv. 9b and 11a are bound by the common Hebrew word "stand" (עמד).
• The word for (ki, כִּי) has "scope over larger segments of text" (in this case, vv. 6-8), it "is not required for the grammaticality" of vv. 8-9, and it "does not add to the propositional content" of v. 8. The combination of these three factors means that it serves as a discourse marker and not a marker of a grammatically subordinate clause. Still, it indicates a logical connection between the section that preceded and what follows as an "argument coordinator."
• In both vv. 9a and 9c, the independent personal pronoun he (ה֣וּא) appears in a non-typical place within the clause: both precede the finite verb. This structure often indicates focus, answering the question, "who spoke?" or "who commanded?" It emphasizes that YHWH is the one who spoke and commanded, an no one else. Verse 17 is a polemic against reliance upon oneself or upon conventional means of power, and these may be the target of an antithesis with YHWH in verse 9.
• The simple past-tense rendering of the qatal verb rendered he spoke (אָמַ֣ר) is supported by the meaning of the clause, which is most likely a reference to creation (cf. v. 6; Gen 1). There is another possible rendering also. The previous clause (v. 8b) contained irrealis, in other words, something that is not currently reality. This clause (v. 9a) introduces the grounds for the desire expressed in the previous clause. It is possible, therefore, that the qatal verb in v. 9a should be treated as habitual present, and the following wayyiqtol verb treated as a continuous present: "he speaks, and it is." This is the rendering of a few translations. It ties the verse not solely to the events of creation in vv. 6-8, but also to the victorious plans and intentions of YHWH described in vv. 10-12. It is possible that the Hebrew grammar is intentionally ambiguous, allowing this verse to serve as a hinge between two sections of the psalm.
• The verb And it was (וַיֶּ֑הִי) is in the wayyiqtol stem. A verb in this stem draws its tense from the main verb of the sentence. In this case the main verb is the immediately preceding qatal form, which is translated as past tense (he spoke, אָמַ֣ר). Therefore, the preferred reading is to take this wayyiqtol form as past tense also. The aspect of the verb is inchoate, meaning that it indicates a change in state. This inchoate aspect results in the rendering "happened," but the interpreter should bear in mind that the Hebrew matches the wording of Genesis 1, where YHWH spoke "and it was."
• The simple past-tense rendering he commanded (צִ֝וָּ֗ה) treats this qatal verb according to its default tense, aspect, and movement. This rendering is supported by the semantic content of the clause, which we take as referring to creation (v. 6). Here the word for (כִּי) functions as a clausal adverb marking the action of the sentence as the grounds for the previous clauses. There is another possible rendering also. Since clauses 9cd are in synonymous parallel with 9ab, it is possible that the comments about the verbs in those clauses serving in the present tense apply here as well. Thus, the qatal verb in this clause could be treated as habitual present, and the following wayyiqtol verb treated as a continuous present: "he commands, and it comes about."
• The Hebrew word translated and it came about (וַֽיַּעֲמֹֽד) most literally means "and it stood." Here is a Venn diagram comparing the English and Hebrew words:

The wayyiqtol form of and it came about (וַֽיַּעֲמֹֽד) draws its tense from the main verb. In this case the main verb is the immediately preceding qatal form, which is translated as past tense. Therefore, the preferred reading is to take this wayyiqtol form as past tense also. The aspect of the verb is inchoate, meaning that it indicates a change in state.

YHWH's plan, not the nations' plan (vv. 10-12)

• Vv. 10-12 are the most prominent part of the psalm, for several reasons:
  • These verses are positioned at the structural centre of the psalm. Verses 11-12 are both preceded and followed by 10 verselines consisting of 72 words.
  • It is the only section in which the divine name YHWH is mentioned in every verse.
  • V. 10 speaks of the nations' plan and intentions, which are contrasted with YHWH's plan and intentions in the next verse (v. 11). V. 10 also refers specifically to the the nations (גוים) and peoples (עמים), which are contrasted with Israel, YHWH's nation (הגוי) and people (העם) in v. 12. The word play in these central verses present a reversal, where the nations' plan and intentions do not last, but are thwarted. The location of this reversal at the structural centre of the psalm reflects the central message of the psalm to trust in YHWH's plan instead of military strength.
  • This centre point may also be framed by further mirroring devices, with repeated expressions including the word "all" (כֹּל). In v. 4b and v. 15b we have the repeated phrase all work(s). In 4b the all the work is YHWH's, while in 15b they are all the works of people. This appears to be a deliberate contrast. Furthermore, in v. 8 all people are twice exhorted to fear YHWH, while and 14-15 YHWH twice regards all people.
  • Verse 10a, which begins this section, presents an unexpected, new state of affairs. The nations, their plan, and the fact that YHWH has thwarted their plan were previously unmentioned in the psalm.
  • The name YHWH is fronted at the very beginning of v. 10a, and this is the only time this phenomenon happens within the psalm, despite YHWH's name appearing 13 times.

For more details and implications of this prominence feature, see Poetic Features #2 and #3.

• Ross argues that vv. 10-12 develops the theme that "all his work is done in faithfulness" (v. 4b) as the plan of YHWH for human history, which "will be fulfilled in spite of many human plans to oppose it."
• Vv. 10-12 are three lines, mirroring the three lines of vv. 13-15. The first 2 verses contain contrast YHWH's plans vs. the nations' plans (vv. 10-11) and YHWH dwelling in heaven vs. humanity dwelling on earth (vv. 13-14). The 3rd verse in the section is about YHWH's relationship: with his people (v. 12) and with all humanity (v. 15). This is the inverse order of relationships described in the third verses in vv. 6-9 and vv. 16-19.

v. 10

Watch the Overview video on v. 10.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
10a	יְֽהוָ֗ה הֵפִ֥יר עֲצַת־גּוֹיִ֑ם	YHWH has thwarted the nations’ plan;
10b	הֵ֝נִ֗יא מַחְשְׁב֥וֹת עַמִּֽים׃	he has blocked the peoples’ intentions.

Expanded Paraphrase

Even though the nations have a plan to destroy YHWH's people and dishonor YHWH, YHWH has thwarted the nations’ plans; he has blocked the peoples’ intentions which have been evil from the time of the Flood.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• This verse is the first hint in the psalm that there is an existential threat to the people of God. Although a subset of all the earth/humanity, the nations and peoples are distinct enough participants to warrant their own set. They are distinct from Israel / Righteous People (v. 1). YHWH actively opposes their plans and intentions. Some commentators describe these nations not as "rebellious" against YHWH but merely "disruptive" to Israel. However, the allusions to a military threat in vv. 16-19 imply that the nations and peoples pose an existential threat to Israel. The particular identity of these nations and peoples is not stated in the psalm. After v. 10, they are never mentioned again.
• Before the flood, YHWH saw that "all the form/purpose (יֵ֨צֶר֙, cf. v. 15) of the intentions (מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת) of his (i.e., the peoples') heart (לִבֹּ֔ו, cf. v. 15) was only evil all the time" (Gen 6:5). This verse may have influenced both vv. 10b and 15a, and there are other lexical parallels with the Flood narrative at other points in the psalm. If so, then YHWH's act of blocking the people's intentions through the Flood is in view here.
• The subject YHWH (יְֽהוָ֗ה) precedes the verb and is therefore in non-default word order. It is not in focus, since the question "who thwarted the nations' plan?" is not prompted by the preceding discourse. Instead, the nations' plan and has thwarted are entirely unexpected within the discourse. Therefore, the entire phrase "YHWH has thwarted the nations' plan" is thetic, which means that it introduces an unexpected topic and therefore indicates a section break. The previous echoes of the Flood and the Red Sea may have prepared the Hebrew audience for the statements of this verse, but the connections are made at the level of common cultural understanding and are not overt within the psalm.
• The Hebrew verb translated has thwarted (פור) is related to the verb (פרר) which means "to break, perhaps by bursting from within rather than by smashing from without." The hiphil form which is represented here "takes exclusively nonconcrete objects." Examples include Ezek 17:19 (in reference to someone breaking the covenant) and Ps 89:34 (where YHWH will not violate his hesed loyal-love, cf. v. 5).
• The verb has thwarted is a qatal verb. When a qatal verb refers to past action, it refers to a "single or instantaneous act." According to an isolated reading of the grammar of clause 10a, then, the qatal verb refers to the single past act of YHWH thwarting the singular plan of the nations. However, as the discussion below indicates, this plan has a collective sense, referring to the aggregate of a multitude of specific plans by specific nations. According to the HB, this aggregate was not thwarted in a singular act, but in all manner of representative acts by YHWH throughout history.
• For a helpful diagram comparing the Hebrew words for nation (גוי) and the parallel people (עַם), click here. The combination of goyim and ammim is frequent in the prophets. It is often in the context of judgment of the peoples. The prophets frequently speak of YHWH thwarting the Gentiles' plans. Calvin writes, "Although men conspire among themselves, and determine to attempt this or that with great hosts, yet shall their purposes be to none effect, because it shall be no more trouble unto God to scatter a great multitude, than to restrain a few."
• The word plan (עֵצָה) in Hebrew is singular, and should be rendered as a singular plan even though in v. 10 it is the purview of multiple nations. The various plans of the nations against Israel is a recurring theme in the HB. That the nations share a single plan against Israel is attested in Ps 83:3-9 (English 83:2-8), where the nations surrounding Israel conspire together, they make a covenant against YHWH, and they call upon one another to wipe out Israel as a nation. The combination of enemies listed in Ps 83:7-8 is unique within the NT, and there was probably no time in history when all of these nations threatened Israel at once. How then did all of these nations conspire to have the same plan? The answer is probably that they shared the same goal (the annihilation of Israel) and the same methods (military force), even though the various nations' plans manifested themselves at different points in history.
• The verb has blocked (נוא) occurs almost exclusively in Numbers 30 and 32. Psalm 33:10 is the only time that a deity "hinders" or blocks a human; normally the one performing the action is another human being. The word highlights YHWH's involvement in, and power over, human affairs in Ps 33.
• The word rendered intentions (מַחְשְׁבֹ֥ות) has "thought" as its first definition in many standard lexicons but to characterize this term as expressing mere thought is misleading. SDBH instead defines it as a "procedure for achieving a certain purpose, originating from someone's mind" and glosses it as "plan, plot, scheme." Either "plans" or "intentions" is acceptable; whichever term was not chosen for the preceding parallel clause should be used here.

v. 11

Watch the Overview video on v. 11.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
11a	עֲצַ֣ת יְ֭הוָה לְעוֹלָ֣ם תַּעֲמֹ֑ד	YHWH’s plan stands forever;
11b	מַחְשְׁב֥וֹת לִ֝בּ֗וֹ לְדֹ֣ר וָדֹֽר׃	the intentions of his heart [stand] forever and ever.

Expanded Paraphrase

In contrast, YHWH’s plan to bless his people so that they may bless the earth stands forever; the intentions of his heart [stand] forever and ever.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• Both vv. 6 and 11 contain one verb (v. 6: נַעֲשׂ֑וּ; v. 11: תַּעֲמֹ֑ד) that is elided in the second clause for poetic effect.
• YHWH's plan and intentions:
  • are of a different sort than that of people: "For my thoughts (מַחְשְׁבֹותַי֙) are not your thoughts (מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ותֵיכֶ֔ם), neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts" (Isa 55:8-9 ESV).
  • are good for his people, i.e., "For I know the plans (הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹ֗ת) I have for you, declares the LORD, plans (מַחְשְׁבֹ֤ות) for shalom and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer 29:11 ESV; cf. Ps 40:6).
  • overpower the nations so that in their defeat their cry will be heard to the Red Sea.
• The most basic sense of the Hebrew word rendered stands (תַּעֲמֹד; cf. v. 9) is "stand." However, since the subject ("the intentions of his heart") is abstract, a concrete action like standing may not be the best fit here. Ideally, whatever word the translator chooses here will match the final word of clause 9b, which shares the same Hebrew root. The repeated roots add thematic cohesion to the psalm. The yiqtol verb form encodes incomplete or undefined aspect and may represent an act occurring either in the present ("stands") or future time ("will stand"). The discourse does not suggest that the audience should expect another action to happen after this verb, and so the former option, stands, is preferred. The presence of the term forever (לְעוֹלָם) corroborates that the verb denotes continuous action with no expectation that the narrator should describe further action taking place after the action of the verb. One verb governs both clauses in this verse.
• In v. 11a, both the terms YHWH's plan and forever in are in non-default word order, appearing before the verb. If YHWH's plan were in focus, it would answer the question, "what stands forever?" But this question has not been suggested by the preceding dicourse. Therefore, YHWH's plan is a marked topic. It is accessible in the discourse, which has already spoken of the nations' plan in v. 10a. The term "forever" is in focus, responding to the question, "What happens to YHWH's plan?" with the answer "it stands - forever!"
• Though the word heart (לֵב) literally means the blood-pumping organ "heart," the Hebrew term in the abstract has more wide-ranging connotations than the English word "heart." In English the abstract sense is limited to the seat of emotions and desires of a person. The Hebrew word, by contrast, is "the seat of knowledge, human reasoning, planning, intelligence, skill, affection and hatred, desire and satisfaction, humility and pride, courage and fear, joy and grief."
• By itself, the Hebrew word דור "generation" does not always have time in view (click here for a diagram). However, when used in combination with itself, as it is here, it emphasizes time/duration: forever and ever. The particular construction found here with the waw is very common in Psalms. Many times it appears with the term "forever" (עוֹלָם), as it does here in Ps 33:11.

v. 12

Watch the Overview video on v. 12.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
12a	אַשְׁרֵ֣י הַ֭גּוֹי אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו	Happy is the nation whose god is YHWH,
12b	הָעָ֓ם ׀ בָּחַ֖ר לְנַחֲלָ֣ה לֽוֹ׃	[happy] are the people [whom he] has chosen as a permanent possession for himself.

Expanded Paraphrase

YHWH chose us as a covenant people so that he "will be our god" and we will be his "people" or "treasured possession," and we will benefit from his blessing. So the people of YHWH can say: Happy is the nation whose god is YHWH, [happy] are the people [whom he] has chosen as a permanent possession for himself.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The participant all humanity dominates verses 8-15. The presence of Israel/Righteous People as a named participant at the center of these verses is striking.
• The Hebrew noun rendered happy (אשׁרי; literally: "happiness") is rendered in many prominent modern English translations as "blessed" in Ps 33:12. The LXX translates it with μακάριον, "happy." For a helpful diagram showing the differences between the Hebrew word and the English word "happiness" click here. For a helpful note see here.
• The term nation (גוי) often means non-Israelite nations, especially when it is plural. However, the term here is singular and therefore generic, so it can apply to Israel.
• Despite its appearance in most translations, the phrase Happy is the nation (אַשְׁרֵ֣י הַ֭גֹּוי) is not a complete sentence; it is a Hebrew construct chain (lit.: "the happiness of the nation" = "the happiness experienced by the nation"). As a sentence fragment, it functions not as an assertion, but as an exclamation which expresses "an attitude of admiration."' The term happy (אַשְׁרֵי) is "a petrified plural noun found only in construct phrases or with suffixes" and serves as a nominal exclamation meaning "O the blessings of, enviable the situation of." The translations, both ancient and modern, treat אַשְׁרֵי as though it governs not only clause 12a but also clause 12b, and this is reflected in the diagram. This is the only place in the HB where a nation (גוי) is said to be happy using this Hebrew word (אֹ֫שֶׁר). However, happy (אֹ֫שֶׁר) is used of the term people (עַם) elsewhere.
• The relative pronoun whose (אֲשֶׁר) is unusual for poetry. Witte writes that the particle often serves as a "stanza-introducing text marker in poetry." His view is to be preferred over that of Podechard, who thinks that the relative particle אשׁר is a useless grammatical gloss that overloads the verse.
• In the phrase the nation whose (הַ֭גֹּוי ‬אֲשֶׁר), the relative clause marker whose (אשׁר) restricts the meaning of nation, making a definite reading of the word necessary. Hence, the presence of the article on nation.
• This phrase its God represents a kinship/relationship-possessor relationship. The pronoun its is a resumptive pronoun, referring to the nation.
• The relative pronoun [whom] (אֲשֶׁר), which appeared in v. 12a, is elided in v. 12b. A relative pronoun may be supplied by the translator.
• In the Hebrew Bible, the people [whom] he [YHWH] chose were the people of Israel, and they were chosen in a one-time act to be his "permanent possession." Specifically, YHWH's one-time act of making the people his inheritance is said to be the Exodus out of Egypt. This may be another reason to see the Exodus story, and not just the creation story, behind Ps 33.
• Permanent possession is a single word (נַחֲלָה) in Hebrew, and is most often rendered "inheritance" in English. However, "inheritance" denotes receiving something by hereditary right, which is not the case here. With this word, "sometimes the idea of succession is absent but the 'possessing' carries with it a connotation of permanence." So, "permanent possession" is preferred here.

YHWH is Watching (vv. 13-15)

Notes

• Vv. 13-19 contains two subsections that describe YHWH's seeking justice and righteousness (vv. 5a, 13-15), and his acts of loyal love (v. 5b, 16-19).
• Vv. 13-15 are bound by several features:
  • a cluster of verbs of perception: "looks" (v. 13a), "sees" (v. 13b), "gazes" (v. 14a), "discerns" (v. 15b).
  • the preposition "from" (מן) in vv. 13a and 14a.
  • the term all (kol) in regular intervals, in vv. 13b, 14b, and 15b.
  • it is bound by the similar-sounding Hebrew words for "heaven" in v. 13a and "their works" in 15b.
• Ross says that vv. 13-15 develop the theme "YHWH loves righteousness and justice" from v. 5a. This love manifests itself in YHWH intently observing the activities of all of humanity from a perch of authority, to judge whether righteousness and justice are taking place.
• YHWH's act of "looking" is a regular motif throughout the HB. When humanity is the object, YHWH's looking is almost always an act of discernment (cf. v. 15b) that preludes an act of judgment which involves saving the righteous and punishing the wicked. The only time YHWH looks at "the earth" is in the opening of the Flood narrative, where he sees that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that the earth is corrupt This Psalm has several verbal parallels to the flood narrative (vv. 5b, 7b, 10b, 15b), which probably being evoked here as a paradigm for YHWH's onging action.

Grammatical Diagram

v. 13

Watch the Overview video on v. 13.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
13a	מִ֭שָּׁמַיִם הִבִּ֣יט יְהוָ֑ה	YHWH looks from heaven:
13b	רָ֝אָ֗ה אֶֽת־כָּל־בְּנֵ֥י הָאָדָֽם׃	he sees all of humanity,

Expanded Paraphrase

YHWH looks from heaven which is an elevated place, implying his power and authority over everyone on earth: from there he sees all of humanity much like he did before the Flood, as an act of discernment that leads to acts of saving the righteous and punishing the wicked. So, YHWH is not blind to wickedness, but is actively discerning people right now to judge,

Notes

• The phrases from heaven (v. 13a) and from his dwelling place (14a) are fronted in their respective clauses to create poetic repetition. The result is parallel abc || abc syntax in verses 13-14 that looks like this:

• The same combination of Hebrew words look and see often indicates evaluation based on their usage elsewhere. The combination occurs in 1 Sam 16:7 to contrast how man sees appearances, but YHWH looks at the heart. It also occurs with YHWH as the subject in Ps 80:15, where the king appeals to YHWH to "look from heaven" and "see," presumably to evaluate the king's predicament as a precursor to saving him.
• YHWH's power and judgment should induce fear in all people (cf. v. 8) since, as Ps 14:1-3 says, he "looks down from heaven upon humanity" and "there is none who does good" (cf. Ps 53:1-3). At the same time, those who are a protected by YHWH should feel relief that YHWH is watching and will judge those who oppose his plan, as Ps 33:10 explains.
• The word looked (נבט) entails not only looking, but a certain degree of engagement with the thing being looked at. Several times the word is used in requests that God would "look down (נבט) from heaven" and subsequently show engagement with his people who are suffering, likely due to their own disobedience.
• The phrase from heaven appears several times to refer to YHWH's location. Pss. 20:7 and 57:4 say that YHWH will save from heaven. Ps 76:9-10 adds that he will judge from heaven and save the weak. He is said to see before saving (Ps. 102:20-22 [English v. 19-21]). He looks down from heaven upon people to see if there are any who "understand" (Ps 14:2, 53:3; cf. v. 15). Thus, there is an element of supervision which comes from YHWH's authority as illustrated in his abode. As Briggs puts it, "Yahweh from his heavenly throne inspects all mankind."
• Humanity is an English gloss of a two-word relationship called a construct chain. Literally it says, "sons of [the] man," but it means humanity or "people." The noun "sons" is definite due to being in construct with a definite noun. There is a definite article on "man," but Hebrew sometimes uses the definite article to mark all the members of a certain class, and that is the case here. So, the article may be left untranslated. No specific "man" is in view here. A few manuscripts read "Aram" (ארם) instead of "Adam" (אָדָם; "man"), but this variant is not well-attested and is probably just a scribal error in copying similar letters.
• Before all of humanity there is a direct object marker (אֶת), which is usually left untranslated in English. This marker is rare in Hebrew poetry. So why does it appear here? Scholars are not sure, but one good suggestion is that it serves to help the audience track the participants in the poem. Perhaps the psalmist includes the marker to draw attention to YHWH looking at all people, not just his own people who were mentioned in the previous verse (v. 12).
• At the beginning of v. 13b, some Hebrew manuscripts and the Peshitta supply the word "and" (in Hebrew, a waw-conjunction), which some modern translations likewise include. This addition is not well-attested. The word "and" often does not appear in Hebrew poetry where one might expect it, and the verse makes good sense without it. For these reasons, "and" is a dispreferred reading.

v. 14

Watch the Overview video on v. 14.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
14a	מִֽמְּכוֹן־שִׁבְתּ֥וֹ הִשְׁגִּ֑יחַ	he gazed from his dwelling place
14b	אֶ֖ל כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָֽרֶץ׃	at all the dwellers of the earth.

Expanded Paraphrase

He gazed from his dwelling place which is also his kingly throne at all the dwellers of the earth.

Grammatical Diagram

The Grammatical Diagram is located under the section heading for vv. 13-15.

Notes

• In contrast to the roots for "look" and "see" in v. 13, the rare word he gazed (שׁגח) denotes fixing one's eyes on an object "for a prolonged period of time." As the third word in the progression of words for seeing, it adds an element of increased engagement on the part of YHWH. This progression will continue in v. 15, where YHWH is the one who discerns, and then again in v 18 where his eye is upon his people to protect them.
• The word dwelling is a substantival participle (a verb functioning as a noun) from the root meaning "to sit" or to "dwell, inhabit." A human king usually "sits" (from the same root, ישׁב) upon a throne. When applied to YHWH, the language of sitting "usually signifies his kingship." YHWH is "enthroned" between the cherubim on the ark, he "reigns" or "is enthroned" (ישׁב) forever, in Zion, over the flood and as King. In the HB, the word dwelling can refer to the mountain of YHWH, the temple, or heaven.
• The word translated dwelling in v. 14a and the word translated dwellers in 14b are from the same verbal root (ישׁב). This common root is not clear in any modern translation, but the Hebrew author used them build a contrast between the dwelling place of people on earth (cf v. 8) and the dwelling place of God in the heavens (cf. v. 13).

v. 15

Watch the Overview video on v. 15.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
15a	הַיֹּצֵ֣ר יַ֣חַד לִבָּ֑ם	The one who forms all their hearts!
15b	הַ֝מֵּבִ֗ין אֶל־כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם׃	The one who discerns all their works!

Expanded Paraphrase

and just as David said to Solomon that "YHWH searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought" [1 Chr 28:9], YHWH is the one who forms all their hearts no matter whether they acknowledge him or not, and the one who discerns all their works as good or evil, no matter whether they believe in his rules or not.

Grammatical Diagram

See above under the Grammatical Diagram for v. 13.

Notes

• The two phrases the one who forms and the one who discerns have several important features:
  • These two phrases are each a single word in Hebrew. They come from participles (which are verbal adjectives) that are treated as nouns (substantivally).
  • The definite articles on the participles mean that they must be substantival (treated as nouns: "the one who..."). The referent of the participle is YHWH and so the article is definite.
  • Both of these words are in grammatical apposition to YHWH in v. 13a ("YHWH looked from heaven..."). This means that the two participles describe YHWH in greater detail. In the grammatical diagram, they are related to YHWH with an equals sign.
• The phrase the one who forms has the root verb "to form/shape" (יצר). This verb often occurs as a substantive participle meaning "the one who forms, shapes," most often referring to God. It may denote "various forms of craftsmanship" and it is often used to describe YHWH as a "potter." It is used in Gen 2:7 to describe the creation of Adam using dust, which is then infused with YHWH's breath. It thus denotes YHWH's personal involvement and care in the creation process.
• The word rendered all (יחד) is an adjunct to the substantival participle the one who forms (הַיֹּצֵר) and it describes the method by which YHWH forms hearts. The word often means "together," but can also mean "all-inclusive" or "all" as it does here, in parallelism with כָּל "all" in v. 14b.
• While the noun heart (לֵב) can be the experiencer or seat of emotions, in Hebrew it carries stronger connotations of reasoning and intelligence than it does in English, where the focus is almost exclusively on the emotional For helpful diagrams showing the differences in the ways these two languages conceive of the term, click here and here. The word may be understood collectively, and such a rendering fits the context here, since the possessor (humanity) is plural (also in v. 21).
• This verse is the only place in the HB where the verb "to form/shape" (יצר) combines with heart (לֵב or לֵבָב). The phrase not only denotes YHWH's sovereignty in the creation of individuals, but also his intimate knowledge of them. When the noun form "form/shape" (יֵצֶר) occurs with heart, it means "intent" or "purpose" of the heart; the combination may also include "thoughts" (מַחֲשָׁבֹ֖ות). This usage further tightens the thematic connection between v. 15 and vv. 10-11, which speak of the intentions and thoughts of the nations and of YHWH's heart.
• The phrase the one who discerns has the root verb "to discern/understand" (בין). It most often means "to understand," but in 1 Kgs 3:9-11 it specifically refers to discerning good from evil. It occurs 49 times in the HB as a substantive participle, i.e., "one discerning/understanding," but remarkably, there is only one other time besides Ps 33:15 where the referent of the participle is God. This happens in 1 Chr 28:9, where David charges Solomon by telling him that "YHWH searches all hearts and understands every plan and all thoughts." The lexical parallels between 1 Chr 28:9 and Ps 33:15 are striking: "hearts" (לֵבָב), "purpose" (יֵצֶר, a noun from the same root as "creator"), and "thoughts" (מַחֲשָׁבֹ֖ות, cf. Ps 33:10, 11). Ps 33:15 appears to take the ideas in 1 Chr 28:9 a step further: not only does YHWH "search" all hearts, but he "forms" them. Therefore, he is in a unique position to understand what motivates people's works. Furthermore, the Chronicles passage concludes with the line, "If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever." This suggests that YHWH's act of discerning in Ps 33:15 could remind his people of their intimate, loyal relationship (cf. v. 12).
• In Hebrew there is a preposition (אֶל) following the participle the one who discerns..., which is a common occurrence with this verb. The preposition (אָל) in this construction may introduce the object, in which case it is untranslated in English, or it may mean "about," so that the entire phrase means "understand about." In Ps 33:15, the first option is smoother English and is the preferred reading.

YHWH Rescues (vv. 16-19)

• Vv. 16-19 contains several features that bind the subsection together:
  • the root "save" (ישׁא) in vv. 16a and 17a.
  • the word "force" (חיל) in vv. 16a and 17b.
  • the word "great" (רב) in vv. 16a, 16b, and 17b.
  • the root "to deliver" (נצל) in vv. 16b and 19a.
  • the similar sounding Hebrew words "not" (אין) and "eye" (עין) in vv. 16a and 18a.

Ross says that vv. 16-19 develop the theme of "YHWH's loyal love in all the world." The psalmist develops this theme of "loyal-love" (v . 18) in terms of military victory and provision against starvation.

v. 16

Watch the Overview video on v. 16.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
16a	אֵֽין־הַ֭מֶּלֶךְ נוֹשָׁ֣ע בְּרָב־חָ֑יִל	A king is not saved by a great force;
16b	גִּ֝בּ֗וֹר לֹֽא־יִנָּצֵ֥ל בְּרָב־כֹּֽחַ׃	a warrior is not delivered by great might.

Expanded Paraphrase

The nations believe that military might is what gives victory and salvation. Having a king is a sign of reliance upon military might and not YHWH, but A king is not saved by a great force; a warrior is not delivered by great might because YHWH has proven that he can crush a great army without help.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• YHWH appears in every verse of the psalm except vv. 16-17, where a new set of participants is introduced: agents of war. In the picture below, references to YHWH are highlighted in yellow; his absence is in red:

• The absence of YHWH is associated with the absence of victory. This creates a kind of poetic pause, which contrasts strongly with the command in v. 18 for the audience’s attention with a הִנֵּה. For more detail, see the Poetic Feature #1 on The Absence of YHWH.
• The theme of the futility of reliance on the strength of warriors and armies is common in the prophets but is first found in the Song of the Sea.
• King appeared in the first position because a predicate (verbal) participle is preceded by its subject. In the second clause, the term warrior, which would normally follow the indicative verb saved in Hebrew, is fronted to create parallelism between the two clauses. It looks like this:

• Does the Hebrew article on "king" mark it as definite (referring to someone specific: "the king") or part of a class (generic: A king)? Several modern Bible translations render it "the king" but the overall phrase may be taken as proverbial, so that the article refers to a class and is generic. The context of Ps 33:16 also suggests that the article refers to a class and is generic. The parallels warrior (v. 16b) and horse (v. 17a) are both clearly generic and therefore indefinite, despite the presence of the article on horse. So, no specific king is in view here.
• In Ps 33:16, does is not (אֵין) function as a particle showing non-existence, so that the phrase declares that no king exists who is saved ("there is no king saved")? This is how the NIV understands it:

• Or does it function as an adverb, so that the phrase means, "a king is not saved"? Modern translations are divided, with some taking the former reading, while others taking the latter. Ancient translations prefer the latter option a king is not saved, and so this is the preferred reading.
• The phrase is not saved is a single word in Hebrew. It is a participle (a verbal adjective) that is passive (it is in the niphal stem) and functions verbally (also known as "predicatively"). Participles are unbound by tense and duration, which contributes to the sense that this clause is proverbial in nature. The participle is in parallel with an indicative yiqtol verb in 16b. Both may express present and durative action, but the forms are not interchangeable. There are two main occurrences in the HB in which YHWH is explicitly said to save the king: David from Saul and Hezekiah from Sennacherib of Assyria It also happens in the Psalms, where God gives David "victory."
• Among the possible definitions of the word force (חָ֑יִל) are "power, might, strength" and "army." The phrase a great force in Hebrew is virtually the same as the one found in v. 17b to describe the strength of the horse, and our rendering seeks to provide a single gloss that makes sense in both verses in order to highlight the repetition: "by its great force." In v. 16, the Hebrew word force (חָיִל) probably does not refer to the force characteristic of the king, but rather to his army. In v. 17, the word obviously cannot refer to the horse's army, but instead must refer to the strength or force characteristic of the horse. Notably, unlike v. 17, here in v. 16 there is no pronominal suffix his attached to the word force, which may add to the case for taking the word not as a characteristic of the king himself but as a separate army.
• warrior: A survey of the 159 instances of the word (גִּבּוֹר) indicates that the term is overwhelmingly located in militaristic passages. This calls into question the rendering of this word as "athlete" or "hero" in the modern, non-violent senses of those words, especially in contexts that have militaristic overtones, such as here in Ps 33. In v. 16b, the term warrior is fronted in order to maintain the parallelism with king in the previous clause. King appears in the first position because a verbal participle (in this case, is saved; נֹושָׁ֣ע) is regularly preceded by its subject.
• The verb is not delivered (לֹֽא־יִנָּצֵ֥ל) is a yiqtol verb that is not part of a sequence of events (in other words, it has no "expected reference time movement") and describes simultaneous action to that of the main verb, which in this case is the participle in v. 16a. Since the participle is a timeless present, the yiqtol verb is likewise interpreted as a gnomic (characteristic or timeless) present.

v. 17

Watch the Overview video on v. 17.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
17a	שֶׁ֣קֶר הַ֭סּוּס לִתְשׁוּעָ֑ה	A horse is a deceptive means for victory,
17b	וּבְרֹ֥ב חֵ֝יל֗וֹ לֹ֣א יְמַלֵּֽט׃	and it will not rescue by its great force.

Expanded Paraphrase

The surrounding nations rely on horses, but the people of YHWH should not. At the Exodus, the horse and its rider were thrown into the sea, so: A horse is a deceptive means for victory, and it will not rescue by its great force.

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The subject "horse" has a generic sense and the clause is proverbial in character. So, the definite article denotes a class and therefore should be rendered as indefinite, a horse. Anderson argues that the horse "may be taken collectively as 'the mounted cavalry (of the king)' or '(his) chariotry'; it may also be taken symbolically (as a metonymy) of military power as a whole.
• The phrase a deceptive means comes from a single Hebrew word (שֶׁקֶר) who basic meaning has to do with deception and falsity. Though modern translations render the word in Ps 33:17 as a "a vain hope," "useless" or "disappointing those who trust in it," these renderings focus on the efficacy of the horse to save rather than the deceptive nature of the horse itself: its strength and its widespread usage as a weapon of war contribute to the deception. Renderings that highlight the deceptive quality of the horse (i.e., "false" or "deceptive") are to be preferred.
• Most of the poetic and prophetic texts do not provide enough context to determine whether the term rendered victory (תְּשׁוּעָ֖ה) means "salvation" (i.e., rescue) or victory (i.e., defeating enemies), and it is likely that the term could connote either or both concepts. In many psalms, it is given to those who are in trouble and need of help, favoring the "salvation" interpretation. The context of Ps 33 points in the direction of "salvation," with the verbs saved and delivered in v. 16, the parallel deliver in v. 17b, and deliver and keep alive in v. 19. However, elsewhere the term is collocated with "horse" with a different result. Close to Ps 33:17 is Prov 21:31, "the horse (סוּס) is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory (הַתְּשׁוּעָה) belongs to the YHWH" (ESV; cf. Prov 24:6). Here, the speaker is getting ready for battle, presumably not to be rescued but to emerge victorious by having defeated his enemies. In other contexts involving battle, the term overwhelmingly refers to victory over enemies. Briggs advocates for victory in Ps 33:17 on the basis that "save," "salvation," or "safety" are "too general, and not suited to the context" and this is the preferred reading.
• The verb rendered it does not rescue (לֹ֣א יְמַלֵּֽט) is a yiqtol verb that is not a step in a sequence (in other words, with no expected reference time movement) describes simultaneous action. It acts as a relative imperfective present to the preceding verb, which in this case is the participle in v. 16a. It is therefore interpreted as a gnomic (characteristic or timeless) present.

v. 18

Watch the Overview video on v. 18.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
18a	הִנֵּ֤ה עֵ֣ין יְ֭הוָה אֶל־יְרֵאָ֑יו	Consider: YHWH’s eye is upon those who fear him;
18b	לַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים לְחַסְדּֽוֹ׃	upon those who wait for his loyalty.

Expanded Paraphrase

Instead of relying on military strength like the nations do, Consider: YHWH’s eye of concern and protection is upon those who fear him as we do, who remember his previous acts; upon those who wait for his loyalty as we do, who are waiting for him to rescue us from our enemies.

Grammatical Diagram (for vv. 18-19)

Notes

• Vv. 18-19 are an indirect speech act in which the speaker gives a directive by means of a declaration (declarative-directive). The speaker's statement declares the reassuring news that YHWH cares for his people and will save them; with the declaration, the speaker indirectly exhorts the people to fear and wait for YHWH.
• Verse 18 contains three thematic elements that occurred in various places earlier in the psalm. They look like this:

• • YHWH's "eye" as a shorthand for the looking, seeing, and gazing that he has done in vv. 13-15.
  • "Those who fear" YHWH points back to the exhortation thall all people "should fear" YHWH in v. 8.
  • YHWH's loyalty is first mentioned back in v. 5b, and does not appear again until v. 18.
• Verse 18 ties together the features of YHWH's loyalty, fearing him, and YHWH's looking from earlier in the psalm as a prelude to applying them to the audience. The concepts appear in a chiastic abc||cba pattern within the psalm. It looks like this:

• There is repetition of three Hebrew vocabulary words in vv. 18-22.
  • Those who "wait" (root: יחל) in v. 18 are identified as the audience in v. 22b, who says "we have been 'waiting'"
  • "His loyalty" (חֶ֫סֶד) in v. 18 is called "your loyalty" in the direct address of v. 22a.
  • "Their lives" (נֶ֫פֶשׁ) in v. 19a are identified as "we ourselves" in v. 20a. These three words in vv. 18b-19a, which there describe the kind of people YHWH will help, are applied to the audience in vv. 20-22. The terms appear in an abc||cba chiasm in this section of the psalm.
• The particle consider(הִנֵּה) is rendered in a variety of ways in English. The common rendering "behold" has the advantage of communicating that the object is worthy of awe and attention, but it is archaic. Leaving the word untranslated does a disservice to the reader, who would otherwise have no reason to pay particular attention to this verse. "Look" does not necessarily connote mental engagement on the part of the one looking. While no English word captures the Hebrew word entirely, some good options are "consider" and "notice." The (הִנֵּה) serves two important functions:
  • It "introduces something new into the discourse" instead of re-establishing "knowledge that is already commonly shared before the moment of speech":
    • The discourse has established that YHWH has the power to control events (vv. 6-11), that a nation that belongs to YHWH is happy (v. 12), and that YHWH looks at everyone to discern their hearts (vv. 13-15). In v. 16-17, the discourse acknolwedges that the people are facing military destruction, but trusting in conventional means of warfare is out of the question. What options do they have?
    • The new information of v. 18 is that what YHWH has been looking for is a heart that reveres and depends upon him; in finding it, YHWH will respond with protection and care in the face of disaster.
  • It serves "to call the especial attention of the hearer or reader to a certain statement." It functions to demand that the audience apply the information in the preceding discourse to themselves. This focus permeates the section that follows (vv. 18-22). The particle therefore indicates an informational section break. It belies the psalmist's eagerness not only for his audience to know the content of the message, but also his eagerness for the content of the message to achieve its intended purpose.
• YHWH's eye is personification language that builds upon the multiple times YHWH is said to see in vv. 13-15. Here the "eye" symbolically represents (as a metonymy) the act of seeing. V. 19 suggests that "the eye of the Lord" refers to the "providential care of YHWH." Thus the language of YHWH "seeing" takes on a slightly different nuance here than it did in vv. 13-14, where YHWH's looked from a position of authority and judgment over the peoples of the earth. Ross observes that in v. 18, YHWH's sight is no longer set on all people, but it is fixed upon "those who fear him, the faithful covenant believers. And if, according to v. 15, the LORD knows the hearts of the people, he certainly knows those 'who hope for his loyal love.'"
  • Textual issue: A single Hebrew manuscript and the LXX and Peshitta make the noun "eye" plural. A great many translations simply substitute a verb such as "watches." Not much is gained or lost from pluralizing the "eye" in many languages (though one might want to check on any connotations a singular "eye" may have with "the evil eye" in many modern cultures).
• The Hebrew prepositions in this verse (אֶל and לְ) regularly mark the object of the most common Hebrew word for seeing, and therefore have been rendered upon.
• See v. 8 for a discussion of the phrase fear YHWH.
• The phrase Those who wait is a single word that is a participle in Hebrew. The lamed (לְ) prefix on the participle suggests that it is substantival, along with the definite article. The article marks a generic class, in other words, anyone who waits; no specific "ones who wait" are in view here. This allows the statement to function as a general call to anyone. The verb also occurs in v. 22, where the people identify themselves as having waited for YHWH.
• See the note on loyal-love (חֶ֫סֶד) in v. 5. Everything in the discourse since v. 5 has made the case for waiting upon YHWH's loyalty.

v. 19

Watch the Overview video on v. 19.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
19a	לְהַצִּ֣יל מִמָּ֣וֶת נַפְשָׁ֑ם	To deliver their lives from death,
19b	וּ֝לְחַיּוֹתָ֗ם בָּרָעָֽב׃	and to keep them alive during famine.

Expanded Paraphrase

When YHWH's people suffer, as we are now, he will soon act To deliver their lives from death, and to keep them alive during famine as he has many times before, especially when he fed his people with manna after the parting of the Red Sea.

Grammatical Diagram

The Grammatical Diagram is located under the section heading for v. 18.

Notes

• The two phrases in this verse give examples of the ways that the eye of YHWH will work for those who fear him and wait for him. It is likely that they form a poetic device in which two representative parts symbolize a larger whole (a merism); in this case, they indicate YHWH's total protection.
• Both phrases in this verse contain verbs in the infinitive construct (to deliver and to keep) that are grammatically dependent on v. 18. The infinitive verb has no tense on its own.
• The noun lives (נֶפֶשׁ) means "throat, neck, breath, living being, life, soul, person, being"; the basic idea is the animating aspects of a person. Though it is singular, it may be taken collectively, which fits the context here.
• The noun death (מָוֶת) may have one of four possible meanings: "death," "dying," "Death (personified)," or "the realm of the dead" There is nothing in the context to suggest either "Death (personified)" or "the realm of the dead" as the meaning here. The prospect of a military defeat introduced in vv. 16-17 suggests that the word means the state of death or the act of dying.
• Famine was a regular threat in the agrarian Middle East, and it could last for years. Jeremiah regularly used it in combination with the term "sword" (denoting battle) as a shorthand for YHWH's judgment. Still, the presence of this term in the Psalm at such a late stage, when most of the threat has been construed as military in nature (v. 10, 16-17), comes as a surprise. The connection can perhaps be explained by remembering that the narrative arc of the Song of the Sea, which has been evoked earlier in the psalm (cf. v. 7), also included a famous episode of hunger at the end (Exod 16:3). This narrative framework probably informed the audience's interpretive grid for how events transpire, so that the same kind of hunger experienced in Exodus could also apply to them now. Thus, the article on hunger is generic.

We Anticipate (vv. 20-22)

• Vv. 20-22 are personal application. This section is characterized by the first person: we, our, and us. The first two verses appear to be a direct address to the people of God, reminding them of the reasons to desire YHWH. The final verse is a direct address to YHWH.

v. 20

Watch the Overview video on v. 20.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
20a	נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ חִכְּתָ֣ה לַֽיהוָ֑ה	We ourselves wait longingly for YHWH;
20b	עֶזְרֵ֖נוּ וּמָגִנֵּ֣נוּ הֽוּא׃	he is our help and our shield,

Expanded Paraphrase

We ourselves wait longingly for YHWH: he is our help to rescue us and our shield to protect us from military threats,

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The phrase we ourselves is in non-default word order, appearing before the verb. It is in focus, answering the question "who longs for YHWH?" This question has been prompted in vv. 18-19, which speaks of "those who wait for YHWH" but does not identify who they are. Consider the following rendering, which accounts for the word order:

Thus, the audience identifies themselves as those who fulfill the requirements of vv. 18-19. They use the same word (נֶ֫פֶשׁ; cf. 19a for more detail) to describe ourselves was just used in v. 19a to describe the lives of those whom YHWH would deliver from death.

• The verb wait longingly (חכה) denotes an "action by humans or deities remain in a particular state -- to defer action; to wait; to lie in wait; to delay; to hesitate; to long." The "longing" aspect of the verb is apparent in a shocking verse from Job 3:21, in which a miserable person "longs (חכה) for death, but it comes not, and they dig for it more than for hidden treasures."
  • Within the context of this psalm, the word does not denote mere inaction, but rather a deliberate choice to depend upon YHWH rather than other means of deliverance. "The response of the people is one of confidently waiting on the LORD...'help' and 'shield' provide a clue to the reason for their waiting."
  • It is an active verb expressing a state of mind and therefore is treated like a stative verb. Perfective is the primary form for simple present-tense stative verbs, so that the qatal form of stative verbs, as is the form of this verb, usually conveys present tense state. It is possible, then, to translate the verb as present tense (similarly in v. 21b, 22b).
  • The only other instance in the Psalms is in Ps 106:13, where it refers to ones who forgot YHWH's work at the crossing of the Red Sea (Ps 106:6-12) and did not wait for the Lord's counsel. This adds to the case that the Exodus event is in the background on the psalm.
• The word shield (מָגֵן) "was a smaller type of defensive armor" and was "probably round-shaped and made either of metal or, more often, of a wooden frame covered with leather which was coated with fat or oil." The word is used figuratively here "to describe God's protection from attacks." As the prelude to the promise that Abram's descendants will be like the stars in the sky, YHWH tells Abram that he is Abram's shield, and that he should not be afraid (Gen 15:1).
• Though the noun help does not inherently connote warfare, elsewhere it denotes a participant in war, and its coupling with shield in v. 20 means that it should be understood here as a participant in war.
• YHWH himself is ascribed two monikers (our help and our shield) that mark him as an agent of war - albeit a defensive one. These two words appear together first in Deut 33:29, where they are in a construct relationship ("the shield of your help"). They also appear together in a construction similar the one here in Ps 33:20 - with an intervening waw and suffix prounouns on each noun - three times in Ps 115:9-11 ("their help and their shield"; cf. also Ps 28:7). Anderson suggests that this combination could be a hendiadys meaning "protective shield." While Anderson's translation is possible, "our help and our shield" represents the Hebrew syntax more simply and still makes good sense in English, so it is preferred.
• The clause (he is our help and shield) has several noteworthy features:
  • The independent personal pronoun normally occupies the subject slot when no verb indicates the subject, so the order in this clause in Hebrew is predicate-subject. This order comports with identifying this verbless clause as a clause of classification. In such clauses, "the predicate refers to a general class of which the subject is a member... Clauses of classification answer the question, 'What is the subject like?'" In this case, YHWH is like a help and a shield.
  • Most modern translations put the pronoun at the beginning of the clause.
  • Importantly, this clause is parenthetical. Therefore, the subsequent clause (v. 21a) is logically related to v. 20a, not this clause (see v. 21 for further implications).
• Interestingly, the LXX and Peshitta both supply the conjunction "because" at the beginning of v. 20b. If this reading were original, then the Hebrew of v. 20 would read: "We will wait for YHWH, since he is our help and our shield." Though this addition is not followed by any of the modern translations, this possibility is significant for the meaning of vv. 20-21 and the theology of the Psalm. Furthermore, the "double instance" of the conjunction "in v. 21 makes it plausible it dropped out" in v. 20. See the Exegetical Issue Praise for Salvation? for more detail.

v. 21

Watch the Overview video on v. 21.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
21a	כִּי־ב֭וֹ יִשְׂמַ֣ח לִבֵּ֑נוּ	because our hearts will rejoice in him;
21b	כִּ֤י בְשֵׁ֖ם קָדְשׁ֣וֹ בָטָֽחְנוּ׃	because we have come to trust in his holy name.

Expanded Paraphrase

because our hearts delight in him since we are so happy that he is our god; because we have come to trust in his holy name since he is powerful to rescue us from military threats, as he has shown before in the Exodus.

Notes

• The first particle in v. 21, therefore (כִּי), marks purpose or result due to the construction of the clause; this particle is similar to a Hebrew "causal כִּי" in that it marks a logical connection between two clauses. However, the verb in the clause, "rejoice" (יִשְׂמַ֣ח), is a yiqtol. This form indicates time after the verb of the main clause (which is "long" in v. 20a), rendering strict cause improbable as the function of the כִּי particle. This rendering understands clause 20b to be parenthetical.
• The phrases in him and in his name are fronted before their respective verbs. They are in poetic parallelism, but are also marked for focus. They answer the question, "in whom will we rejoice?" and "in whom will we trust?" These questions are prompted by the underlying narrative of vv. 16-17, which are a polemic against trusting in typical means of warfare, but which leave open the question of what (or who) is worthy of trust when in danger. The following rendering brings out the focus:

• The Hebrew verb rejoice (שׂמח) does not normally refer to mere internal joy or being glad, but to "articulated expressions of joy." It is often found in cultic settings, community festivals, or major public events. In the prophets, the word almost always refers to the rejoicing that will happen in future, and this could possibly be the case here given the yiqtol stem of the verb in v. 21. Rejoicing after deliverance is a common theme in the Psalms. However, it is more likely is that the word in v. 21a refers to the singing and music to the Lord that is commanded in the first three verses of this psalm - in a sense, the people are to perform the future eschatological rejoicing in YHWH right now. So, a remarkable aspect of this psalm is that it calls for praise before the current need for salvation is met (vv. 1-3). Other psalms that speak of praising now based upon expectation of future salvation are Pss 16:9; 40:17; 64:11; and 118:24. In the Psalms, the word is most often "associated with YHWH's 'help' (cf. v. 20b) and/or 'righteousness'" (as it is here: cf. vv. 1, 5).
• The second particle because (כִּי) marks cause, which is the most common usage of כִּי. Thus, v. 21b is subordinate to v. 21a.
• The verb we trust (בָטָֽחְנוּ) is an active one that has a stative or quasi-stative meaning, and therefore may be treated like a stative verb, whose "primary meaning is that of the present." Perfective is the primary form for present-tense stative verbs.

v. 22

Watch the Overview video on v. 22.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-Clear
22a	יְהִֽי־חַסְדְּךָ֣ יְהוָ֣ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ	YHWH, may your loyalty be upon us,
22b	כַּ֝אֲשֶׁ֗ר יִחַ֥לְנוּ לָֽךְ׃	just as we have been waiting for you!

Expanded Paraphrase

So now, YHWH, may your loyalty in other words, your acts of loyal-love be upon us to rescue us and judge our enemies, just as we have been waiting for you to save us from threats!

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• YHWH (יְהוָ֣ה) is in the vocative:
  • The Psalm begins and ends with a vocative. In v. 1a the Chorus Leader addressed the righteous people; here the righteous people address YHWH.
  • The vocative YHWH in v. 22 comes within the core of the clause, and the constituent(s) immediately following are marked for information focus. In this case, the constituent in focus is us, reflecting the psalmist's desire that YHWH should favor his people among the nations (cf. vv. 12, 18-19).
• Context suggests that the verb may ... be (יְהִֽי) expresses a wish or desire, not a prediction. The Psalms often end with a request to YHWH. Additionally, sentence-initial yiqtol verbs are often modal, strengthening the case that these verbs represent irrealis and are in the jussive mood.
• The word just as (כַּאֲשֶׁר) marks v. 22b as a comparative subordinate clause.
• The Hebrew verb rendered we have been waiting (יִחַ֥לְנוּ) has several important features:
  • The root "wait" (יחל) reflects "a state in which humans are confident that their longings will be fulfilled" and it "always involves a specific expectation." So, it involves not only waiting but hope. Witte writes that the psalmist "challenges the reader... to connect Israel's historical experiences with present experiences and hopes for the future."
  • This same verb appeared in v. 18a, where it was promised that those who wait (מְיַחֲלִ֥ים) for YHWH's loyal-love will receive his protective care. Thus, the people explicitly state that they fill the expectations of v. 18.
  • The comparative term כַּאֲשֶׁר indicates that the verb derives its sense in part from being contrasted with the immediately preceding jussive verb. That verb indicated a request for a new ongoing situation or state of affairs. Thus, we may infer that the verb in 22b likewise refers to an ongoing state of affairs and should not be rendered as punctiliar. The only question is whether to render the verb as present perfect or simple present tense. In English, the present perfect tense implies an expectation by the speaker that the time of waiting should soon be over, thus increasing the urgency of the request. For this reason, we have rendered the verb as a present perfect.

Legends

Grammatical diagram

For legend, click "Expand" to the right

Grammatical Term	Definition	Diagram	Example
Clausal Additions
Subject	The subject performs the action of the active verb or receives the action of a passive verb. With intransitive verbs	Indicated at the beginning of the main clausal line, and followed by a vertical line that crosses over the main clause line (separating the subject from the predicate).
Direct Object	Object that receives the direct action of a (transitive) verb	Indicate with a vertical line up from main clausal line
Predicate adjective/ Subject complement	A word used with a linking verb (ex. "to be"), renaming or restating the subject. Can be a whole prepositional phrase.	Indicate with a vertical slanted line up from the main clausal line. It can be on a stand if it is an embedded clause.
Object Complement	Word following a direct object to state what it has become.	Indicate with a vertical slanted line up from the main clausal line.
Infinitives	Can be subject, adverbial, or an infinitive construct.	Indicate with double vertical lines that cross the main clausal line. If used adverbially (ie. an embedded clause), place on a stand.
Participles	A verbal noun/adjective that can be used in three positions: (1) substantival; (2) attributive; (3) predicative.	Indicate with a round vertical line. Substantival participles are placed on a stand (they are embedded). Attributive participles are placed with a rounded line underneath what is modified.
Modifiers
Adjectives	A word modifying a noun to indicate quality, quantity, extent, or differentiating something from something else.	Indicate with a slanted line down from what is modified.
Adverbs	A word that modifies a verb, adverb, adjective, prepositional phrase, clause, or sentence to express a relation (ex. manner, quality, or time).	Indicate with a slanted line down from what is modified.
Construct relationships	Construction can express many different relationships between two (or more) nouns. English grammarians call this construction a ‘Construct’ (our term) or ‘Genitive’ phrase; Hebrew grammarians call it smīḵūt (סְמִיכוּת).	Indicate with a stair-step down from the modified word/clause/phrase.
Prepositional phrases	A phrase that consists of a preposition and its object and has adjectival or adverbial value	Indicate with a slanted vertical line connecting to a new clause.
Connectives	(1) Coordinating conjunctions join together words or word groups of equal grammatical rank (2) Subordinating conjunctions join a main clause and a clause which does not form a complete sentence by itself.	Indicate with a dashed line down from a vertical line marker.
Embedded clause	A clause inside another clause which can include substantival participles, adverbial infinitives, and prepositional phrases.	Indicate using stilts.
Particles
Subordinating particle	Indicates a dependent clause.	Indicate with a dashed line down from the antecedent to the pronoun.
Apposition	A word that is functioning as an explanatory equivalent as another in the sentence	Place on a line apart from the diagram but next to the word it is the equivalent of with an equal sign in between.
Vocative	Indicating a person being addressed (usually with a 2nd person verb)	Place on a line apart from the diagram next to the '()' indicating the gapped subject an equal sign in between.

Master Diagram

Shapes and colours on grammatical diagram

For legend, click "Expand" to the right

	Prepositional phrase	Construct chain	Construct chain within a prepositional phrase	Phrase-level waw	Article and כֹּל
Diagram Shading
Definition	- A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus its object. The phrase usually modifies the clause or another constituent in the clause.	- A construct chain, also called a 'genitive phrase', is a grammatical encoding of the relationship 'A of B,' in which A is a phonologically modified noun (in the construct state), and B is a phonologically unmodified noun (the absolute state).	- Some construct chains occur within prepositional phrases	- A waw conjunction can join units of all sizes. Phrase level waw join units at the word or phrase level (i.e., below the level of the clause).	- Definite articles tell you something about the identifiability or inclusiveness about the word it is attached to - כֹּל is a quantifier that tells you about the scope of a word it is attached to

Expanded paraphrase

For legend, click "Expand" to the right

• Close but Clear (CBC) translation
• Assumptions which provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences

Bibliography

Aejmelaeus, Anneli. 1993. On the Trail of Septuagint Translators: Collected Essays. Kampen: Kok Pharos Pub. House.

Aejmelaeus, Anneli. 1986. “Function and Interpretation of כי in Biblical Hebrew.” Journal of Biblical Literature 105. Society of Biblical Literature:193–209.

Anderson, A. A. 1972. The Book of Psalms Volume 1: Psalms 1-72. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Auffret, Pierre. 2009. “‘Rendez Grace a YHWH Avec La Harpe’. Etude Structurelle Du Psaume 33.” ESTUDIOS BÍBLICOS LXVII: 85–100.

Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. Die Psalmen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Bekins, Peter. 2014. Object Marking in Biblical Hebrew Poetry. SBL San Diego.

Berlin, Adele. 2007. The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism. 2nd ed. Eerdmans.

Blau, Joshua. 1976. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Otto Harrassowitz.

Boda, Mark J. 2010. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: 1-2 Chronicles. Vol. 5. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Bratcher, Robert G., and William D. Reyburn. 1991. A Handbook on Psalms. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

Briggs, Charles A., and Emilie Grace Briggs. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. International Critical Commentary. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons.

Calvin, John. 1965. A Commentary on the Psalms. Edited by T.H.L. Parker. Translated by Arthur Golding. Vol. 1. London: Camelot Press Ltd.

Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1–50. Vol 19 of Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. “Vocative Lamedh in the Psalter.” Vetus Testamentum, 16, no. 3: 299–311.

Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. Psalms I: 1-50. Anchor Yale Bible Commentary. Garden City: Doubleday.

deClaissé-Walford, Nancy, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner. 2014. The Book of Psalms. Edited by E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Deissler, Alfons. 1956. “Der Anthologische Charakter des Psalmes 33 (32).” Pages 225–33 in Mélanges Bibliques: Rédigés en L’Honneur de Andre Robert. Edited by Pierre Casetti et al. Travaux de l’Institut Catholique de Paris: 4. Paris: Bloud & Gay.

Duhm, Bernhard. 1899. Die Psalmen. Vol. XIV of Kurzer Hand-Commentar Zum Alten Testament. Leipzig und Tübingen: Mohr (Paul Siebeck).

Fokkelman, J.P. 2000. Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis (Vol 2: 85 Psalms and Job 4–14). Vol. 2 of Studia Semitica Neerlandica. Van Gorcum.

Garr, W. Randall. 2004. “ןה.” Revue Biblique 111:321–44.

Hallo, William W., and K. Lawson Younger, eds. 2003. The Context of Scripture: Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World. Vol. 1. Leiden ; Boston: Brill.

Hallo, William W., and K. Lawson Younger, eds. 2000. The Context of Scripture: Monumental Inscriptions from the Biblical World. Vol. 2. Leiden ; Boston: Brill.

Hendel, Ronald S. 1996. In the Margins of the Hebrew Verbal System: Situation, Tense, Aspect, Mood. Vol. 9 of Zeitschrift Für Althebraistik.

Huehnergard, John. 1983. “Asseverative *la and Hypothetical *lu/Law in Semitic.” Journal of the American Oriental Society, 103, no. 3: 569–93.

Humbert, Paul. 1946. La Terou’a: Analyse d’un Rite Biblique. Neuchatel: Université de Neuchatel.

Hupfeld, Hermann. 1868. Die Psalmen. Vol. 2. Gotha: Friedrich Andreas Perthes.

Janzen, Waldemar. 1965. “’Ašrê in the Old Testament.” The Harvard Theological Review 58:215–26.

Keel, Othmar. 1997. The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns.

Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. 1996. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Kennicott, Benjamin. 1775. Vetus Testamentum Hebraicum Cum Variis Lectionibus. Cancellar: North.

Kim, Young Bok. 2022. “Hebrew Forms of Address: A Sociolinguistic Analysis.” University of Chicago.

Kirkpatrick, A. F., ed. 1902. The Book of Psalms. London: Cambridge University Press.

Kittel, Rudolf. 1922. Die Psalmen. Leipzig: A. Deichertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung Dr. Werner Scholl.

Kolyada, Yelena. 2013. A Compendium of Musical Instruments and Instrumental Terminology in the Bible. Translated by Yelena Kolyada and David Clark. Abingdon: Routledge.

König, Ekkehard, and Peter Siemund. 2007. “Speech Act Distinctions in Grammar.” Pages 276–324 in Language Typology and Syntactic Description. Edited by Timothy Shopen. Vol. 1 of 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kraus, Hans-Joachim. 1988. Psalms 1-59: A Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House.

Kugel, James L. The Idea of Biblical Poetry: Parallelism and Its History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981.

Labuschagne, C.J. 2020. "Numerical Features of the Psalms, a Logotechnical Quantitative Structural Analysis", https://doi.org/10.34894/XBDUJJ, DataverseNL, V1; ps033.pdf.

Locatell, Christian. 2017. “Grammatical Polysemy in the Hebrew Bible: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach to כי.” PhD Dissertation, University of Stellenbosch.

Locatell, Christian. 2019. “Causal Categories in Biblical Hebrew Discourse: A Cognitive Approach to Causal כי.” Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages, 45, no. 2: 79–102.

Lugt, Pieter van der. 2006. Cantos and Strophes in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: With Special Reference to the First Book of the Psalter. Vol. 1 of Oudtestamentische Studiën 53. Leiden: Brill.

Merrill, Eugene H. 2015. A Commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles: Commentary. Kregel Exegetical Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic.

Miller-Naudé, Cynthia L. 2010. “Vocative Syntax in Biblical Hebrew Prose and Poetry: A Preliminary Analysis.” Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages 36(1): 43–64.

Murray, Sarah. 2014. “Varieties of Update.” Semantics and Pragmatics 7:1–53.

Muraoka, Takamitsu. 1985. Emphatic Words and Structures in Biblical Hebrew. Leiden: Brill.

Niccacci, Alviero. 2006. “The Biblical Hebrew Verbal System in Poetry.” Pages 247–68 in Biblical Hebrew in Its Northwest Semitic Setting: Typological and Historical Perspectives. Edited by Steven E. Fassberg and Avi Hurvitz. Publication of the Institute for Advanced Studies, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1. Jerusalem: Hebrew University Magnes Press.

O’Connor, Michael Patrick. 1980. Hebrew Verse Structure. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.

Podechard, Emmanuel. 1949. Le Psautier: notes critiques: Psaumes 1-75. Vol. 1 of Bibliotèque de la Faculté Catholique de Théologie du Lyon 4. Lyon: Facultés Catholiques.

Ross, Allen P. 2001. Introducing Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Ross, Allen P. 2011. A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1: 1-41. Kregel Exegetical Library. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional.

Ryken, Leland, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, Colin Duriez, Douglas Penney, and Daniel G. Reid, eds. 1998. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press.

Stec, David M., ed. 2004. The Targum of Psalms. The Aramaic Bible v. 16. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press.

Strickman, H. Norman. 2009. Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra Commentary on the First Book of Psalms. Boston: Academic Studies Press.

Suderman, W. Derek. May 2015. “The Vocative Lamed and Shifting Address in the Psalms: Reevaluating Dahood’s Proposal.” Vetus Testamentum, 65, no. 2: 297–312.

Tate, Marvin E. 1998. Psalms 51–100. Vol. 20 of Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

Taylor, Richard A. 2020. The Syriac Peshitta Bible with English Translation. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press.

Vincent, Jean Marcel. 1978. “Recherches Exégétiques Sur Le Psaume 33.” 28 Vetus Testamentum: 442–54.

Witte, Markus. 2002. “Das Neue Lied--Beobachtungen Zum Zeitverständnis von Psalm 33” Zeitschrift Für Die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 114: 522–41.

Ziegert, Carsten. 2020. “What Is חֶ֫סֶד‎? A Frame-Semantic Approach.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44:711–32.

Footnotes

33