Psalm 6/Notes/Phrasal.v. 8.91514

• The min prepositional phrase in v. 8a (מִכַּעַס) indicates cause: "by vexation" (NJPS) or "because of grief" (KJV, ESV). Note that the prepositional phrase in the following line (בְּכָל־צוֹרְרָי) also indicates cause, though it uses a different preposition (בְּ): "because of all my adversaries." Staszak argues that there is a meaningful difference between the use of bet and min to express cause: "The difference is defined by the question of dominance: Prepositional constructions with מִן express causes of full dominance over a logical target point... מִן marks dominant causes, whereas ב marks non-dominant causes which do not have full effect" (Staszak 2024, 128). Applied to Psalm 6, this would mean that "vexation" (כַּעַס) rather than "adversaries" is the dominant cause of the psalmist's deteriorating condition.