Psalm 4/Verbs
Verbs
Verb forms
Definition Feature being studied | Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent | Clustering | Intersection | Connections | Structure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | בְּקָרְאִי (v.2a), בְּקָרְאִי (v.4b) | first word of psalm | connects v.2 and v.4 | anaphora | |
imperative | עֲנֵנִי (v.2a), חָנֵּנִי (v.2c), וּשְׁמַע (v.2c), וּדְעוּ (v.4a), רִגְזוּ (v.5a), אִמְרוּ (v.5b), וְדֹמּוּ (v.5b), זִבְחוּ (v.6a), וּבִטְחוּ (v.6b), נְסָה (v.7b), | v.2, vv.4-6; absent in v.3 and vv.8-9 | beginning of psalm (v.2); first word of third section (v.4a); last word of third section (v.5b) | Gives cohesion to v.2 and vv.4-6 | |
jussive | וְאַל־תֶּחֱטָאוּ (v.5a) | only v.5a | the middle verb of the psalm | ||
yiqtol | תֶּאֱהָבוּן (v.3b), תְּבַקְשׁוּ (v.3c), יִשְׁמַע (v.4b), יַרְאֵנוּ (v.7a), וְאִישָׁן (v.9a), תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי (v.9c) | vv.3, 9 | parallelism (v.3bc, 9ac); parallel with qatal (v.4ab) | Gives cohesion to vv.3, 9 | |
qatal | הִרְחַבְתָּ (v.2b), הִפְלָה (v.4a), נָתַתָּה (v.8a), רָבּוּ (v.8b) | parallelism (v.8ab); strengthens connection between v.2 and v.4 |
v.2b. הִרְחַבְתָּ – Some scholars have argued that the qatal verb in v.2b (הִרְחַבְתָּ) is precative,[1] "a directive mood that signals that the utterance is a request."[2] The qatal verb in v.2b fits the criteria proposed by Buttenwieser, namely, that precatives are "invariably found alternating with the imperfect or the imperative."[3] Goldingay argues that "the broader as well as the narrower context of the psalm supports the precative understanding," since there is no other "prayer" (תפלה, v.2c) in the psalm.[4] However, as in every other case of the so-called precative qatal, "it is also possible to postulate that one of the more typical senses of the qatal/perfect (e.g., present perfect) is involved."[5] In v.2b, the psalmist looks to past deliverance to ground his present requests (v.2ac). The psalmist's "prayer" (תפלה, v.2c) comes in v.7b as the king here takes up the priestly benediction of Num. 6.
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,
Person, gender and number
Definition Feature being studied | Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent | Clustering | Intersection | Connections | Structure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3rd person | הִפְלָה (v.4a), יִשְׁמַע (v.4b), יַרְאֵנוּ (v.7a), רָבּוּ (v.8b) | v.4; vv.7-8; absent elsewhere | beginning of sections 3 (v.4a) and 5 (v.7a) | parallelism (v.4ab) | Gives cohesion to v.3 and vv.7-8, which begin and end in 3rd person. |
2ms | עֲנֵנִי (v.2a), הִרְחַבְתָּ (v.2b), חָנֵּנִי (v.2c), וּשְׁמַע (v.2c), נְסָה (v.7b), נָתַתָּה (v.8a), תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי (v.9c) | v.2; absent vv.3-6 | beginning and ending of psalm | gives cohesion to v.2, vv.7-8; forms inclusio (v.2a, 9c) | |
1cs | אֶשְׁכְּבָה (v.9a), וְאִישָׁן (v.9a) | only in v.9a | beginning of final section | ||
2mp | תֶּאֱהָבוּן (v.3b), תְּבַקְשׁוּ (v.3c), וּדְעוּ (v.4a), רִגְזוּ (v.5a), וְאַל־תֶּחֱטָאוּ (v.5a), אִמְרוּ (v.5b), וְדֹמּוּ (v.5b), זִבְחוּ (v.6a), וּבִטְחוּ (v.6a) | vv.4-6 | Gives cohesion to vv.4-6, the address to the sons of men |
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,
Paragogic letters
Definition Feature being studied | Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent | Clustering | Intersection | Connections | Structure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
paragogic he | אֶשְׁכְּבָה (v.9a) | beginning of final section (v.9a) | |||
paragogic nun | תֶּאֱהָבוּן (v.3b) |
,
Verb stem types (binyanim)
Definition Feature being studied | Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent | Clustering | Intersection | Connections | Structure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Qal | The imperatives in vv.5-6 "have all been carefully selected from the Qal register."[6] | ||||
Piel | תְּבַקְשׁוּ (v.3c) | ||||
Hiphil | הִרְחַבְתָּ (v.2b), הִפְלָה (v.4a), יַרְאֵנוּ (v.7a), תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי (v.9c) | beginning of sections (v.4a; v.7a); final word of psalm (v.9c) | Verses 2-4 are connected in a number of ways (phonological, lexical, morphological). The recursion of the Hiphil stem strengthens this connection. The same is true of verses 2 and 9. |
Verse | Verb | Stem | Conjugation | Person | Gender | Number | Paragogic Suffix | Pronominal Suffix | Root |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2a | בְּקָרְאִי | Q | inf. cst. | 1cs | קרא | ||||
עֲנֵנִי | Q | impv. | 2 | m | s | 1cs | ענה | ||
2b | הִרְחַבְתָּ | H | qatal | 2 | m | s | רחב | ||
2c | חָנֵּנִי | Q | impv. | 2 | m | s | 1cs | חנן | |
וּשְׁמַע | Q | waw + impv. | 2 | m | s | שׁמע | |||
3b | תֶּאֱהָבוּן | Q | yiqtol | 2 | m | p | אהב | ||
3c | תְּבַקְשׁוּ | D | yiqtol | 2 | m | p | בקשׁ | ||
4a | וּדְעוּ | Q | waw + impv. | 2 | m | p | ידע | ||
הִפְלָה | H | qatal | 3 | m | s | פלה | |||
4b | יִשְׁמַע | Q | yiqtol | 3 | m | s | שׁמע | ||
בְּקָרְאִי | Q | inf. cst. | 1cs | קרא | |||||
5a | רִגְזוּ | Q | impv. | 2 | m | p | רגז | ||
וְאַל־תֶּחֱטָאוּ | Q | jus. | 2 | m | p | חטא | |||
5b | אִמְרוּ | Q | impv. | 2 | m | p | אמר | ||
וְדֹמּוּ | Q | waw + impv. | 2 | m | p | דמם | |||
6a | זִבְחוּ | Q | impv. | 2 | m | p | זבח | ||
6b | וּבִטְחוּ | Q | waw + impv. | 2 | m | p | בטח | ||
7a | אֹמְרִים | Q | ptc. | m | p | אמר | |||
יַרְאֵנוּ | H | yiqtol | 3 | m | s | 1cp | ראה | ||
7b | נְסָה | Q | impv. | 2 | m | s | נשׂא/נֵס? | ||
8a | נָתַתָּה | Q | qatal | 2 | m | s | נתן | ||
8b | רָבּוּ | Q | qatal | 3 | m | p | רבב | ||
9a | אֶשְׁכְּבָה | Q | cohortative | 1 | c | s | שׁכב | ||
וְאִישָׁן | Q | weyiqtol | 1 | c | s | ישׁן | |||
9c | תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי | H | yiqtol | 2 | m | s | 1cs | ישׁב |
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,
Other
Verbless Clauses
- v.3a
- v.7a (ptc)
Verbless clauses occur at the beginning of sections.
- ↑ IBHS, 30.5.4; Stephen Geller, "The ‘Precative Perfect’ in Psalms and the Struggle for Faith" in The Unfolding of Your Words Gives Light: Studies on Biblical Hebrew in Honor of George L. Klein (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2018).
- ↑ "Precative Mood," SIL Glossary of Linguistic Terms.
- ↑ Moses Buttenwieser, The Psalms: Chronologically Treated with a New Translation (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1938) 21.
- ↑ John Goldingay, “Psalm 4: Ambiguity and Resolution,” Tyndale Bulletin 57, no. 2 (2006): 161–72.
- ↑ BHRG, 19.2.5.2.
- ↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 59.