Psalm 5:1

Hebrew

לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶֽל־הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃

Accent Commentary

The verse is divided in half by rebia (הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת). Both silluq and rebia are served by their licit conjunctive merekha.

Masorah

Main Take-aways

The word נחילות here may mean ‘inheritances' (pending research).

Details

• The Masorah Gedolah to Psalms 5:1 in the Leningrad Codex reads as follows:

כול לשון נחלת על קורין ב מ ג אל וסימנהון כי לא באתם עד עתה וילכו וישובו אל נחלתם למנצח אלהנחילות

‘Every instance of naḥalat/inheritance is read with 'ʾal' with the exception of three casis in which it is read with 'ʿel': כִּ֥י לֹא־בָּאתֶ֖ם עַד־עָ֑תָּה אֶל־הַמְּנוּחָה֙ וְאֶל־הַֽנַּחֲלָ֔ה ‘For you have not yet come to the rest and the inheritance…’ (Deut 12:0); וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙ אֶל־נַ֣חֲלָתָ֔ם ‘They returned to their inheritances' (Judg 21:23); לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶֽל־הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ ‘For the choir-master to ?; a Psalm of David’ (Psa 5:1).

It is not clear if the Masorah intends הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת to be interpreted as נַחֲלָה ‘inheritance' since it often groups words according to their sound not their meaning .

• The phrase למנצח אל is accented with merekha (א֥) followed by אֶל ‘to’ only twice in the psalms. This verse, and Psalm 80:1: לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶל־שֹׁשַׁנִּ֑ים עֵד֖וּת לְאָסָ֣ף מִזְמֽוֹר׃ ‘To the choirmaster according to the shoshanim; A testemony of Asaf; a Psalm.’ The purpose here is to prevent reading these verses the same as the superscriptions with identical consonants למנצח אַל ‘for the choir master do not…’ (Psa 57.1; 58.1; 59.1).

Versions

LXX

Main Take-away(s)

• The LXX understands הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת to refer to ‘inheritance’.

Details

Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονομούσης ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυιδ

‘Regarding completion. Over her that inherits. A Psalm. Pertaining to Dauid.

Revisors

Aquilla

τῷ νικοποιῷ ἀπὸ κληροδοσιῶν ψαλμὸς τοῦ