Psalm 44/Notes/Lexical.V. 3.64480

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  • The meaning of יָדְךָ (your hand >> your strength): The bodily term יָד functions in the contextual domain of strength to denote one's power (SDBH). The imagery of God's hand is used figuratively to refer to his strength and power.
  • The sense of וַתִּטָּעֵם and וַתְּשַׁלְּחֵם: Depending on the referents of the 3mp pronominal suffixes on these verbs (see Method:Grammar notes), the connotations of these terms could either be positive (i.e., "you planted... and set free [our ancestors]") or negative (i.e., "you transplanted... and expelled [the nations]"). Although גּוֹיִם "nations" and לְאֻמִּים "peoples" are syntactically nearer to the verbs, the אֲבוֹתֵינוּ "our ancestors" of v. 2 constitute the major participants, or protagonists, of this section, and are thus more cognitively accessible (or proximate) to the reader (de Regt 2020, 8). Thus, these verbs most likely have the positive sense of God settling Israel in the land (cf. NIV, CSB, NET). See Participant Analysis for further discussion.
  • The meaning of וַתְּשַׁלְּחֵם: The core sense of the verb שׁלח appears to be "to send," from which other uses of the term radiate (NIDOTTE, 4:119). If taken in a positive sense (see note above), this verb could have the sense of "to let go free" (HALOT) or "to cause spread out" (DCH, 8:384). It has been suggested that וַתְּשַׁלְּחֵם should be connected with IV-שׁלח "to put forth shoots" (Ibid, 8:389; cf. VanGemeren 2008, 390). However, this would likely require an emendation from the piel form to an otherwise unattested hiphil of IV-שׁלח "to cause to put forth shoots" (DCH, 8:389, emphasis added). In absence of textual evidence for such an emendation, the most likely sense here is that of God setting Israel free to settle the land. In this vein, the piel שׁלח occurs as a thematic term in Exod 3–20 in reference to Pharaoh allowing Israel to go free from Egypt (NIDOTTE, 4:120, 121).