Psalm 68/Grammar
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About the Grammar Layer
The grammar layer visually represents the grammar and syntax of each clause. It also displays alternative interpretations of the grammar. (For more information, click "Expand" to the right.)
The grammatical diagram provides a way to visualise how different parts of a sentence work together. It represents the “surface-level” grammar, or morphosyntax, of a sentence. Morphosyntax includes both the form of words (morphology) and their placement in the sentence (syntax). This approach to visualising the text, based on the Reed-Kellogg diagramming method, places the grammatical subject in one slot, the verb in another slot, and modifiers and connectives in other slots.
For a detailed description of our method, see the Grammar Creator Guidelines.
Grammar Visuals for Psalm 68
v. 1
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 1]
Fragment
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לַ for
Object
Nominal
article: ה the <status="elided">
verb-participle: מְנַצֵּחַ director
Fragment
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="(written) by David">
Preposition
preposition: לְ of
Object
noun: דָוִד David
Fragment
noun: מִזְמוֹר psalm
Fragment
noun: שִׁיר song
Note for v. 1
V. 1 The Grammatical Relationship Between מזמור and שיר. Among those translations that do not construe מזמור as in construct with שיר. The main difficulty is that any semantics that one option can express, the other can as well. Thus whichever construction prototypically expresses the intended semantics will be preferred.
Options 1&3 - Apposition ('A psalm—A shīr') OR independent words.
- NET, ELBBK, NGU2011; BDS; LSG;
- The grammatical interpretations behind these translations are not clear one way or the other, since both options would generally appear the same in the surface, depending on the graphemic punctuation used in that translation.
Option 2 - Construct ('A psalm of shīr)
- SCH2000 ('Ein Psalmlied'); ELBBK footnote ('eig. ein Lied-Psalm').
We have chosen to diagram them as independent words and not as modifying one another in any way. Consider the following:
- The terms שׁיר and מִזְמוֹר can appear in either order, מִזְמ֥וֹר שִֽׁיר as is the case here (cf. 67:1; 87:1; 92:1), or שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר (e.g., 48:1; 66:1; 83:1; 88:1). If one term further determined the other, we would not expect such even distribution between the two word orders. Additionally the terms can take non-adjacent positions within superscriptions, e.g., לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָוִ֥ד שִֽׁיר׃ (Psa 65:1; cf 75:1; 76:1)
- The indication of use accompanies the co-occurrence of both words twice in the Psalter ( מִזְמ֡וֹר שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּ֖ת הַבַּ֣יִת לְדָוִֽד׃‘A mizmor; The shīr of the celebration of the house; by David’ [Psa 30:1]; מִזְמ֥וֹר שִׁ֗יר לְי֣וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת׃ ‘A mizmor; A shīr for the day of the Sabbath’ [Psa 92:1]'). In both instances, the occasion seems to (syntactically) modify shīr, not mizmor, suggesting that they are completely separate semantic domains.
- When the co-occurrence of both terms is accompanied by indication of authorship, that element can appear anywhere among/between the two words—after (שִׁ֥יר מִ֝זְמוֹר לִבְנֵי־קֹֽרַח [Psa 48:1]), in between (מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָוִ֥ד שִֽׁיר [Psa. 65:1]), or before (לִבְנֵי־קֹ֭רַח מִזְמ֣וֹר שִׁ֑יר [Psa 87:1]). This again suggests that each term adds its own type of information to the superscription, rather than modifies one another.
Note for v. 1
'A psalm of David'? A number of translations reflect a grammatical analysis whereby the word מִזְמ֥וֹר is the first member of a construct phrase and לְדָוִ֗ד is the second, despite the fact that the word order is reversed viz., something like,‘A song of David’ (e.g., KJV; NKJV; NASB; HCSB; ASV; JPS1917; WEB; DELUT; BCC1923; BDS; LBLA; RVR95; NVI). A few other translation simply have something like ‘of/for David’ (e.g., NIV; ELBBK; SCH2000; LSG).
- The word מִזְמוֹר follows the word דָוִד seven times in scripture. In X of those instances, the two area separated by a disjunctive accent (24:1; 68:1; 101:1; 110:1) while in the other three cases the two are joined prosodically by a conjunctive accent (40:1; 109:1; 139:1)
- Syntactically 'A song of David' does not work. There is not one example in BH of the head noun preceding the construct noun. According to GKC (§129c): ‘Such a case as לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר (Ps 24:1, &c.) is not to be regarded as a transposition, but מִזְמוֹר is used epexegetically for the general term omitted before לְדָוִד (as it were, a poem of David, a psalm).’
- τῷ Δαυιδ ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς (LXX) 'pertaining to Dauid. A psalm. of an Ode’ (NETS); τῷ νικοποιῷ τοῦ Δαυὶδ μελῴδημα ᾄσματος (Aquilla), translation ambiguous although the last two members certainly form one phrase 'A melody of lyric’ (cf. the Syro-Hexapla ܡܙܡܘܪܐ ܕܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ.
Most likely there is an elided element before לדוד; cf. וַיְהִ֤י בְכוֹרוֹ֙ אַמְנ֔וֹן לַאֲחִינֹ֖עַם הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִֽת ‘and his firstborn was Amnon, (a son) of Ahinoam the Jezereelite’ (2 Sam. 3:2)
Note for v. 1
The Masoretic accents join לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ to לְדָוִ֗ד as if the latter was in apposition to the former. Typically when these two phrases are joined to each other there is a strong disjunctive separating them (Psa. 11:1; 14:1; 40:1; 70:1; 109:1; 139:1; cf. 18:1; but 36:1). However, they should probably be analyzed as separate clauses.
- David often appointed others לְנַצֵּחַ ‘to supervise’ (e.g., 1 Chron. 15:16–21; cf. 1 Chron. 23:1–4) but never, as far as we know, performed this duty himself.
- Most four-word superscriptions have this exact same pattern , and so the accents must be constrained by the rules governing a four-word poetic superscription (Psa. 4:1; 5:1; 8:1; 12:1; 53:1; 54:1; 55:1; 58:1; 62:1; 65:1; 67:1). The In Psalm 58:1 in particular, the לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ is syntactically disjunctive with what follows (אַל־תַּשְׁחֵ֗ת 'do not destroy') despite carrying a conjunctive accent.
v. 2
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 2]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Predicate
verb: יָקוּם arise* >> take action
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his enemies">
noun: אוֹיְבָי enemies
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Predicate
verb: יָפוּצוּ scatter
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
verb-participle: מְשַׂנְאָי those who hate
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Predicate
verb: יָנוּסוּ flee
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="from the front of him >> from his presence">
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פָנָי front
suffix-pronoun: ו him
v. 3
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 3]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִּנְדֹּף drive away
verb: יִנָּדֵפוּ they are driven away <status="emendation">
Object
noun: אֹתָם (them) <status="elided">
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="as the being driven away of smoke >> as smoke is driven away">
Preposition
preposition: כְּ as
Object
Clause
Subject <located="after infinitive construct">
Predicate
ConstructChain
verb-infinitive: הִנְדֹּף driven away
noun: עָשָׁן smoke
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Nominal
adjective: רְשָׁעִים wicked (people)
Predicate
verb: יֹאבְדוּ perish
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="from the presence of God >> because of God >> before God">
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פּנֵי presence
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: כְּ as
Object
Clause
Subject <located="after infinitive construct">
Predicate
ConstructChain
verb-infinitive: הִמֵּס melt
noun: דּוֹנַג wax
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פְּנֵי face
noun: אֵשׁ fire
Note for v. 3
Who is the grammatical subject of תנדף? Both ancient and modern translations differ as to the grammatical subject of this verb, (although the semantic patient remains the same, viz., the enemies). Bound up with this difficulty is a potential textual problem.
Versions: LXX: ὡς ἐκλείπει καπνός, ἐκλιπέτωσαν 'As smoke vanishes, let them vanish (NETS) Vulgate: sicut deficit fumus deficiant ‘as smoke runs out, may they run out’ Peshitta: ܘܐܝܟ ܕܡܬ݁ܛܠܩ ܬܢܢܐ ܢܬܛܠܩܘܢ ‘as smoke vanishes, may they vanish’. Targum: הֵיכְמָא דִשְׁקִיף תְּנָנָא יִשְׁקְפוּן ‘As smoke is driven away, may they drive away(?)!’. The active form ישקפון is perplexing. White (1988) lists no variants.
Option 1: ‘You’ (viz., YHWH)
- ESV, ASV, GNT, HCSB, KJV, NASB1995, NIV, NLT, RSV, DELUT, ELBBK, NGU2011, BCC1923, BDS, LSG, SCH2000, LBLA, NTV, RVR95, NET
- The more natural candidate, with an elided object[1]
Option 2: ‘They’ (viz., the enemies in v.2)
- NVI, PDV2017, DHH94I, PDT, LXX, Jerome, Peshitta, Targum This option requires either
- revocalisation[2] or
- textual emendation (e.g., to something like יִתְנַדְּפוּ: ils se dissipent [La Sainte Bible]) or
- reanalysis of תנדף (qal) as intransitive, so Jerome (deficiant ‘may they fail’) LXX ἐκλιπέτωσαν ‘let them vanish’ (NETS).
Barthelemy (2005) argues that the versions saw the consonants תנדף and assimilated to כהנדף which clearly looks niphal (parallel with כהמס in the next phrase). Thus they must have read a passive (licensed by the preceding niphal) and a plural (necessitated by the context). But this is not quite right. Only one version uses a formal passive (peshitta), which is middle in meaning. The rest of the versions render תנדף not as if it was passive, but as if it was intransitive/middle. Is the Hebrew verb נדף transitive? It does not seem so. Every instance of the niphal has a semantic patient, usually foliage (Lev 26:36; Job 13:25; Isa 19:7; Psa 41:2; Prov 21:6). In the qal, which only occurs twice, נדף takes a direct object, both times a suffix (Psalm 1:4; Job 32:13). It is striking that all the versions read a plural active verb here, even where it doesn't make any sense (cf. Targums). It's unlikely that the versions would have ‘heard’ תִּנָּדֵף and translated with a plural patient (lit., ‘they are driven’ >> ‘they vanish’. If they really saw תנדף the obvious candidate for a grammatical subject is the Lord.
v. 4
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 4]
Fragment
conjunction: וְ and >> but
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Nominal
adjective: צַדִּיקים righteous (people)
Predicate <gloss="exult joyfully">
Predicate
verb: יִשְׂמְחוּ rejoice >> shout
Predicate
verb: יַעַלְצוּ exult
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פְנֵי before
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Fragment
conjunction: וְ and
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: יָשִׂישׂוּ rejoice
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
noun: שִׂמְחָה joy
Note for v. 4
What does לפני אלהים modify? It seems that a few interpret the phrase לפני אלהים as modifying both יעלצו and ישמחו (e.g., GNT, HCSB, NIV, DELUT). We have chosen to diagram the verb phrases as independent clauses because
- The verb שמח in the qal is never modified by a phrase indicating the place where the verb happened. If it is modified, it is usually with ב to indicate the reason for rejoicing (e.g., 31:8; 32:11; 40:17; 64:11, etc.) (cf. 58:11 where the reason is introduced by כי).
- עלץ is modified by a locative one other time—in the very next verse עִלְז֥וּ לְפָנָֽיו (with the byform of עלץ)
v. 5
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 5]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: שִׁירוּ sing
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לֵ to
Object
noun: אלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: זַמְּרוּ sing praise
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="his name">
noun: שְׁמ name
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: סֹלּוּ bank up* >> extol
Object <status="elided">
noun: דֶּרֶך a way
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לָ for
Object
Nominal
article: ה the
verb-participle: רֹכֵב rider
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
Nominal
article: ה the
noun: עֲרָבוֹת desert
Adverbial <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
Apposition
noun: יָהּ YAH
ConstructChain
noun: שְׁם name
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his name">
noun: שְׁמ
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="YAH">
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
noun: יָהּ YAH
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: עִלְזוּ celebrate
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פָנָי before
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Note for v. 5
All the ancient versions were clearly reading ביה שׁמו.[3] There is therefore no need to emend the text in any way. The challenge is interpreting this strange phrase.
Option 1: It's own clause (preferred) (viz.,. something like ‘Yahweh is his name’
- Nearly every translation, both ancient and modern, reflect this option:
- ASV, ESV, GNT, HCSB, NIV, NLT, RSV, DELUT, ELBBK, NGU2011, NVI, BCC1923, BDS, LSG, PDV2017, SCH2000, NTV, PDT, RVR95, NET, LXX, Peshitta.
- Symmachus (διὰ τοῦ ἸᾺ ἡ ὀνομασία αὐτοῦ.) and Jerome (In Domino nomen eius) appear simply to calque the construction. ‘Lord’ is not in apposition to ‘name’ in either case since both Latin and Greek require the two appositive words to agree in case.
- A known function of ב—bet essentia ('bet of identity') with proper names (Exod. 6:3; Isa. 26:4; so Jenni 1992, 89, Waltke O'Conner §11.2.5; Manross 1954)
- So Hupfeld (1860), Delitzsch (1871), Hengstenberg (1863)
Option 2: Adverbial Phrase subordinate to סלו
- KJV: ‘Extol him that rideth upon the heavens By his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
- So Hossfeld and Zenger (2005, 158) although they give no justification. Ehrlich (1905, 152) cites Job 28:16 and 19, but the root there appears to be סלה, not סלל.
Option 3: Relative clause modifying רֹכֵב
- So LBLA: 'cuyo nombre es el Señor' (cf. NASB1995)
- No support from commentators (as far as I can tell).
Other
- Goldingay (2013, s.v. verse 5), following Whitely (1972) analyses the ב as emphatic. Not only would this result in the same analysis grammatically, but Whitely has since been refuted by Boulet (2020).
- Briggs (1906) emends the text to ערבות שמיו ‘the clouds of his heavens’. This emendation is unfoudned textually.
v. 6
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 6]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Apposition
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: אֲבִי father
noun: יְתוֹמִים fatherless
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
ConstructChain
noun: דַיַּן judge
noun: אַלְמָנוֹת widows
Predicate
verb:
Object
noun:
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="in the dwelling place of the holiness of him >> in his holy dwelling place">
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain
noun: מְעוֹן dwelling place
noun: קָדְשׁ holiness
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Note for v. 6
The grammar of אבי יתומים ודין אלמנות
Option 1: Apposition
- A number of translations, especially the ancient versions, reflect a reading according to which the epithets בי יתומים and דין אלמנות are in apposition to the previous suffix of לפניו (so LXX, Peshitta, Aquilla [δικαστοῦ χηρῶν], Symmachus [καὶ ὑπερδικοῦντος χηρῶν].
- According to Hupfeld, the appositives give the reasons for the praise commanded in v. 5.[4]
- Appositives are attested at the beginning of verses (Gen 13:4; Exod 35:11; Lev 14:31; Num 31:23; Isa 43:21; Psalm 8:8).
Option 2: Subject-Predicate
- Nearly every modern translation regards the first half of the verse as the subject and the second half as the predicate (ASV, ESV, HCSB, KJV, NASB 1995, NIV, RSV, ELBBK, NGU2011, NVI, SCH2000, DHH94I, LBLA, RVR95)
- "The cola come in the opposite order in the Hebrew, because the subj. comes in its regular position after the predicate."[5]
Option 3: Extraposition-Resumption
- A few translations seem to analyze the epithets as extraposed and resumed by an elided pronoun, viz., 'A father...(this) is God, whose...' (NLT, LSG, NTV, BDS).
Option 4: Circumstantial clause
- Two translations in particular (PDV2017, PDT) seem like they analyze במעון קדשו as a circumstantial clause, viz., ‘God, (while) in his holy habitation, is a...’
- Unless במעון קדשו is metaphorical, this option is unlikely since it implies that God's capacity as helper of the poor is dependent on his physical location.
v. 7
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 7]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
ConstructChain <gloss="settler of the desolate >> the one who settles the desolate">
Nominal
verb-participle: מוֹשׁיב settler
Adverbial
noun: בַּיְתָה house-ly >> in a house
Nominal
noun: יְחִידִים lonely >> desolate
Clause
Predicate
verb: he is
Complement
ConstructChain
Nominal
verb-participle: מוֹצִיא bring out >> release
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="skillfully">
Preposition
preposition: בַּ with
Object
article: ה the <status="elided">
noun: כוֹשָׁרוֹת skill
Nominal
noun: אֲסִירִים prisoners
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="skilfully">
Preposition
preposition: בַּ with
Object
article: ה the <status="elided">
noun: כוֹשָׁרוֹת skill
Conjunction
conjunction: אַךְ however
Clause
Subject
verb-participle: סוֹרֲרִים rebels
Predicate
verb: שָׁכְנוּ dwell
Adverbial <gloss="(in) a parched land">
noun: צְחִיחָה parched land
Note for v. 7b
Is שכנו בצחיח a relative clause?
- The LXX translates the final two clauses as follows:
- ἐξάγων πεπεδημένους ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ, ὁμοίως τοὺς παραπικραίνοντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν τάφοις ‘leading out prisoners with manliness, likewise those who embitter them that live in tombs’ (NETS).
- On external grounds, however, this is unlikely, as it was corrected by all the revisors:
- Aquilla: πλὴν ἀφιστάμενοι ἐσκήνωσαν λεωπετρίανδε ‘but those who turn away have pitched tents in’
- Symmachus: οἱ δέ ἀπειθεῖς κατοικήσουσι καύσωνος ξηρότητα ‘but the disobedient will dwell in the dryness of the burning heat’
- Theodotian: πλὴν ἐκκλίνοντες κατεσκήνωσαν πεποιθότες
- Finally, all the ancient versions and nearly every modern translation see three independent clauses here (except DELUT and SCH2000, who analyze אלהים as the antecedent of which the following clauses are relative clauses).
Alternative
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 7 alternative]
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Subject
noun:
Predicate
verb-participle: מוֹצִיא bring out
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ with
Object
article: ה the
noun: כוֹשָׁרוֹת skill
Object
noun: אֲסִירִים prisoners
Conjunction
conjunction: אךְ indeed
Clause
Subject
noun: הוא <status="elided">
Predicate
verb-participle: מוֹצִיא <status="elided">
Object
Nominal
noun: סוֹרֲרִים prisoners
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר who
Clause
Subject
Relative
Predicate
verb: שָׁכְנוּ dwell
Adverbial
noun: צְחִיחָה parched land
vv. 8-9
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [vv. 8-9]
Fragment
Vocative
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
ClauseCluster
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
noun: אֶרֶץ earth
Predicate
verb: רָעָשָׁה quake
Conjunction
conjunction: אַף also
Clause
Subject
noun: שָׁמַיִם heavens
Predicate
verb: נָטְפוּ drip >> pour
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="because of God, the God of Israel >> before God the God of Israel">
Preposition
preposition: מִ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פְּנֵי before
Apposition
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
ConstructChain
noun: אֱלֹהֵי God
noun: יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="because of God, the (one) of Sinai >> before God the (one) of Sinai">
Preposition
preposition: מִ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פְּנֵי before
Apposition
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
ConstructChain
noun: זֶה the (one)
noun: סִינָי Sinai
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
Clause
Subject <located="after infinitive construct">
Predicate
ConstructChain <gloss="in the going out of you >> when you went out">
verb-infinitive: צֵאתְ going out
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לִ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: פְנֵי before
noun: עַמֶּ people
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="in the marching of you >> in your marching >> when you marched through the wilderness">
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
Clause
Subject <located="after infinitive construct">
Predicate
ConstructChain
verb-infinitive: ְצַעַדּ march
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בִּ in
Object
noun: ישִׁימוֹן wilderness
Fragment
noun: סֶלָה selah
Note for vv. 8-9
Ancient versions and modern translations, on the whole, represent two ways of understanding the phrase זה סיני in v. 9
- Option 1: Divine Title (apposition)
- Those that understand זה סיני as a title treat it grammatically as standing in apposition to the preceding אלהים (although notice that this does not reflect the division of the accents).
- Symmachus (ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ τούτου τοῦ Σιναΐ;) and the ESV (God, the One of Sinai) render the זה an independent personal pronoun whereas the majority of other translations gloss the epithet by simply tranlating ‘God of Sinai’ (so GNT; HCSB; NIV; NLT; NVI; BDS; PDV2017; NTV; NET )
- Option 2: Independent clause with elided verb
- The LXX and a few modern translations (DELUT, ELBBK) leave the difficulty in their translations, perhaps reflecting that זה סיני is an independent clause with an elided verb. The modern translations make this elision explicit (e.g., ASV ‘Yon Sinai trembled at the presence of God, ’; cf. KJV, NASB1995, RSV, BCC1923; LSG; DHH94I; LBLA; RVR95)
v. 10
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 10]
Fragment
Vocative
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun:
Predicate
verb: תָּנִיף sieve
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="rain characterised by generosity >> a generous (amount) of rain >> abundant rain">
noun: גֶּשֶׁם rain
noun: נְדָבוֹת willingness >> generosity
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="your inheritance">
noun: נַחֲלָתְ inheritance
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Complement
verb-participle: נִלְאָה wearied
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אַתָּה you
Predicate
verb: כוֹנַנְתָ establish
Object
suffix-pronoun: הּ it
Note for v. 10
The division of נחלתך The Septuagint (and, it seems, Symmachus) groups נחלתך with what precedes, as if it was further determining the verb תניף: βροχὴν ἑκούσιον ἀφοριεῖς, ὁ θεός, τῇ κληρονομίᾳ σου, καὶ ἠσθένησεν, σὺ δὲ κατηρτίσω αὐτήν 'Spontaneous watering, O God, you will ordain for your heritage, and it languished, but you restored it; (NETS) (So Peshitta ܠܝܪܬܘܬܟ). However, nearly every other ancient and modern version (with the exception of NET) groups נחלתך with what follows. Additionally, no medieval MSS show any variation in accentuation here.[6]
- Aquilla: τὴν κληροδοσίαν σου καὶ μεμοχθηκυῖαν σὺ ἣδρασας αὐτήν your distribution of land and, though it was wearied, you set it'
- Symmachus: ἣν ἐξεπόνησας καὶ ἣδρασας 'which you completed and set in place'
v. 11
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 11]
Fragment
Vocative
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="your living creatures">
noun: חַיָּתְ living creature
noun: ךָ you
Predicate
verb: יָשְׁבוּ inhabit
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בָּ in
Object
suffix-pronoun: הּ it
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: תָּכִין prepare
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="with your goodness">
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
ConstructChain
noun: טוֹבָתְ goodness* >> rain
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לֶ for
Object
Adjectival
adjective: עָנִי afflicted
article: ה the
v. 12
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 12]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֲדֹנָי Lord
Predicate
verb: יִתֶּן give
Object
noun: אֹמֶר word
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Nominal
article: הַ the
verb-participle: המְבַשּׂרוֹת messengers
Complement
Nominal
noun: צָבָא army
adjective: רָב large
Note for v. 12
The relationship between the two lines
- Nearly every modern translation takes these as two simple clauses ‘The Lord gives the word’ and ‘those who bring great news are a great host’. This reading is also sound textually.[7]
- Every ancient version, however, tries to relate the clauses in some way.
- The LXX makes המבשרות the indirect object and the phrase צבא רב the direct object of that verbal idea: κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ, 'The Lord will give a word to those who bring good news to a large host' (cf. Symmachus). This, however, requires too much elision.
- Jerome translates המבשרות צבא רב as one big construct chain acting as the indirect object of יתן (...adnuntiatricibus fortitudinis plurimae). Neither is this as parsimonious as two separate clauses
- The Peshitta takes אמר המבשרות evidently as a construct chain functioning as the direct object of יתן. This division, however, does not respect the masoretic accents.
Note for v. 12
Is אדני a proper name? Elitzur (2015) that אדני in this psalm should be considered a proper name. By his estimation, the form went from a submissive address to a proper name in the 8th century, the date to which he dates this psalm: "Mention is made of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem (v. 30), thus apparently teaching that the psalm postdates David; and of the princes of Zebulun and Naphtali (v. 28), showing that it most likely predates the exile of the northern tribes during the reign of Tiglath-pileser III (732 BCE)."[8]
v. 13
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 13]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="kings of armies >> kings that are over armies">
noun: מַלְכֵי kings
noun: צְבָאוֹת armies
Predicate
verb: יִדּודוּן flee
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: מַלְכֵי kings <status="elided">
noun: צְבָאוֹת armies <status="elided">
Predicate
verb: יִדֹּדוּן flee
Conjunction
conjunction: וּ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
Nominal
adjective: נְוַת beautiful (one)
Nominal
noun: בַּיִת house
Predicate
verb: תְּחַלֵּק divide
Object
noun: שָׁלָל spoil
Note for v. 13
The text: One ידדון or two?
- The LXX appears to only have read one verb here: ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν δυνάμεων τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ, 'The king of the hosts of the beloved, (NETS)
- Fields (1875, 201), however, notes that Origin supplied another τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ with an asterisk, indicating that it was present in the Hebrew text but not in his version of the LXX. Augustine also comments ‘not all codices have the repetition, but the most pristine (codices) mark them (viz., the two words repeated) with a nearby star...’ (reptitionem non omnes codices habent, et eam diligentiores stella apposita praenotant; see (Rahlfs 1931, 189).
- Symmachus indeed read two verbs here, although he translated them differently perhaps to avoid repetition βασιλεῖς τῶν στρατιῶν ἠγαπήθησαν, ἀγαπητοὶ ἐγένοντο ‘the kings of the armies were loved, they became beloved
- The Vulgate, Targum and nearly every modern translation reflects two verbs here (but Peshitta ܡ̈݁ܠܟܐ ܕܚܝ̈ܠܘܬܐ݂ ܢܬ݁ܟܢܫܘܢ ‘kings of armies assembled’)
Note for v. 13
The function of נות בית
- Although LXX translates as a dative of indirect object here (ὡραιότητι τοῦ οἴκου ‘...for the beauty of the house’ [NETS]), all other ancient versions and modern translations understand this phrase as the subject of the following verb.
- Aquilla: καὶ ὡραιότης οἴκου μερίζεται λάφυρα
- Symmachus: καὶ ἡ δίαιτα τοῦ οἴκου διανέμει λάφυρα
v. 14
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 14]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: כַּנְפֵי wings
noun: יוֹנָה dove
Complement
verb-participle: נֶחְפָּה covered
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַ with
Object
noun: כֶּסֶף silver
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: אֶבְרוֹתֶי pinions
suffix-pronoun: הָ it
Complement
verb-participle: נֶחְפָּה covered <status="elided">
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בִּ with
Object
ConstructChain
Nominal
adjective: ירַקְרַק yellow
Nominal
noun: חרוֹץ gold
SubordinateClause
Conjunction
conjunction: אִם if
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: תִּשְׁכְּבוּן lie down
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בֵּין between
Object
noun: שְׁפַתָּיִם stakes >> allotments
Alternative
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [vv. 14–15 alternative]
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: תַּשְׁלֵג snow
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ on
Object
noun: צַלְמוֹן Zalmon
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
Clause
Subject <located="after infinitive construct">
Predicate
ConstructChain
verb-infinitive: פָרֵשׁ scatter
noun: שַׁדַּי Shaddai
Object
Nominal
noun: מְלָכִים kings
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ָּב in
Object
suffix-pronoun: הּ it
SubordinateClause
Conjunction
conjunction: אִם if
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: תִּשְׁכְּבוּן lie down
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בֵּין between
Object
Apposition
noun: שְׂפַתָּיִם stakes>>allotments
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: כַּנְפֵי wings
Nominal
noun: יוֹנָה dove
Adjectival
verb-participle: נֶחְפָּה covered
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ב with
Object
noun: כֶּסֶף silver
Conjunction
conjunction: ו and
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: אֶבְרוֹתֶי pinions
Apposition
suffix-pronoun: הָ it
Nominal
noun: יוֹנָה dove <status="elided">
Adjectival
verb-participle: נֶחְפָּה covered <status="elided">
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ב with
Object
noun: כֶּסֶף silver
v. 15
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 15]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: תַּשְׁלֵג snow
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ on
Object
noun: צַלְמוֹן Zalmon
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="in Shaddai's scattering kings in it >> when Shaddai scatters kings on it">
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
Clause
Subject <located="after infinitive construct">
Predicate
ConstructChain
verb-infinitive: פָרֵשׁ scatter
noun: שַׁדַּי Shaddai
Object
Nominal
noun: מְלָכִים kings
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ָּב in
Object
suffix-pronoun: הּ it
v. 16
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 16]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: הַר mountain
noun: בָּשָׁן Bashan
Complement
ConstructChain
noun: הַר mountain
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: הַר mountain
noun: בָּשָׁן Bashan
Complement
ConstructChain
noun: הַר mountain
Nominal
adjective: גַּבְנֻנִּים many-peaked
Note for v. 16
Many versions have translated this verse in many ways. As Emerton (1993) notes, ‘Verse 16 has...been interpreted in a varity of ways in English translations of the Bible’. He notes the following (note that in some of these, אלהים is understood as a superlative [cf. Jonah 3:3]).
- Statement: e.g., ‘A Mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan’ (RV)
- Exclamation/Vocative: e.g., ‘O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan’ (RSV)
- Question-Exclamation: e.g., ‘That peak of Bashan, a mountain of God? Rather, a mountain of pride, that peak of Bashan!’ (Jerusalem Bible)
- Comparative Statement: ‘e.g., The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan’ (AV).
"The advantage of understanding verse 16a as a question is that it gives full value to the expression "a mountain of God" . Mount Bashan (Hermon? ) is not the mountain which God has chosen, and to which verse 17 refers. In verse 17 various mountains, probably including Mount Bashan of verse 16, are told not to look with envy (if that is what the verb means) on the mountain on which God has been pleased to establish his dwelling."[9]
v. 17
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 17]
Fragment
Vocative
Apposition
noun: הָרִים mountains
Nominal
adjective: גַּבְנֻנִּים many-peaked
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: תְּרַצּדוּן watch intently
adverb: לָמָּה why
Object
Nominal
article: הָ the
noun: הָר mountain
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that <status="elided">
Clause
Subject
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Predicate
verb: חָמָד desire
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ to
Object
Clause
Subject <located="after infinitive construct">
Predicate
ConstructChain
verb-infinitive: שִׁבְת settle
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial
adverb: שָׁם there <status="elided">
Fragment
Vocative
noun: אַף indeed
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Predicate
verb: יִשְׁכֹּן dwell
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ for
Object
noun: נֶצַח forever
v. 18
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 18]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="God's chariotry">
noun: רֶכֶב chariotry
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Complement
Apposition
Nominal
adjective: רִבֹתַיִם myriad >> countless
ConstructChain <gloss="thousands of repetition >> thousands upon thousands">
noun: אַלְפֵי thousands
noun: שִׁנְאָן repetition
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֲדֹנָי Lord
Complement
Nominal
noun:
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בָּ among
Object
suffix-pronoun: ם them
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: אֲדֹנָי Lord <status="elided">
noun: סִינַי Sinai
Complement
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <status="elided">
Preposition
preposition: בָּ among
Object
suffix-pronoun: ם them
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
Nominal
article: הַ the <status="elided">
noun: קֹּדֶשׁ holiness
Note for v. 18
18a and b must be treated together since some versions depart from the common understanding of a due to a textual problem in b.
- The LXX, Vulgate and any modern translations (ESV, ASV, HCSB, KJV, NASB1995, NIV, DELUT; ELBBK; BCC1923; LSG; cf. BDS; NET [both of which have two clauses, perhaps reflecting the same grammar] PDV2017; LBLA) translate the first half of the verse as if it were a verbless clause, viz., ‘The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands’
- However, some translations subordinate the first half of the verse to the second half as a consequence of emending the word בָם to בא, e.g., ‘With his many thousands of mighty chariots, the Lord comes from Sinai into the holy place’ (GNT, cf. NLT; RSV). Note that this is perhaps how Symmachus is understanding the verse as a whole, since his translation of 18a does is fragmentary on its own (ὄχησις τοῦ θεοῦ μυριάδων, χιλιάδες ἠχούντων ‘riding of the god of myriads—thousands of those pealing’.)
- There is no textual basis for this emendation. Every version reflects a text containing the consonants בם: LXX (ἐν αὐτοῖς); Gallican Psalter (in eis); Vulgate (in eis); and the Peshitta (ܒܗܘܢ).
- Barthélemy proposes an attractive interpretation. The 3mp suffix on בם refers back to רכב אלהים (perhaps construed collectively).[10] The host to which the רכב אלהים refers is ostensibly that mentioned in Deut. 33:2 and 2 Kings 6:17. The parallelism between סיני and אדני (not to mention the sound correspondence) also suggest that the סיני here is to be read as the previous זה סיני; thus, ‘he of Sinai'.
v. 19
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 19]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: עָלִיתָ go up
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="to the height >> on high">
Preposition
preposition: לַ to
Object
Nominal
article: ה the <status="elided">
noun: מָּרוֹם height
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: שָׁבִיתָ take captive
Object
noun: שֶׁבִי captive
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Nominal
noun: סוֹרְרִים rebels
adjective: אַף also
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לִ for
Object
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb-infinitive: שְׁכֹּן dwell
Adverbial
Nominal
Apposition
noun: יָהּ Yah
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: לָקַחְתָּ receive
Object
noun: מַתָּנוֹת gifts
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בָּ among
Object
Nominal
article: ה <status="elided">
noun: אָדָם mankind
Note for v. 19
לשכון argument structure The translations of this verse vary to a large degree. Whatever grammatical analyses underlie this variation, the difficulty seems to come down to the argument structure לשכן. The major options may be consolidated into the following. Note there are a few idiosyncratic attempts at translating, such as that of the LXX: ἔλαβες δόματα ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ, καὶ γὰρ ἀπειθοῦντες τοῦ κατασκηνῶσαι ‘you received gifts by a person, indeed, when they were disobedient to encamp’ (NETS). The LXX analyses סוררים as the main predicate of a temporal clause itself complemented by לשכון. It is not clear how Jerome understands the verse. Similarly, Aquilla seems to treat אף as an adversative particle and סוררים as the predicate complement in the concessional clause; the לשכן is complementing לקחת (καίπερ ἀπειθεῖς τοῦ κατασκηνῶσαι '...although disobedient—to dwell᾽.
- Option 1: סוררים subject, יה אלהים adverb(ial accusative)
- The Peshitta translates v.19b as its own clause ܐܦ ܡܪ̈ܘܕܐ ܠܐ ܢܥܡ݂ܪܘܢ ܩܕܡ ܐܠܗܐ. ‘But, the rebellious will not dwell before the Lord’—perhaps reading לא ישכנו. In any case, סוררים is the subject and יה אלהים is an adverbial idea.
- A few modern translations adopt this strategy, although without the negation, e.g., ‘Même les rebelles habiteront près de Yahweh Dieu’ (BCC1923, LSG).
- Option 2: לשכן purpose, יה אלהים apposition to subject of לקח, and סוררים as another adverbial phrase to לקח.
- The majority of translations reflect this analysis, where לשכון a purpose clause to לקח and סוררים is another adjunct with באדם, but in focus. The focus is marked by אף.
- ‘...and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there’ (ESV, so ASV, NLT, HCSB, NIV, DELUT, NVI, BDS, LBLA, RVR95, NTV, PDV2017)
- Note that in this case the complement of לשכון is elided, viz., ‘...dwell with them....’ (ASV), ‘...live there...'
- Option 3: יה אלהם as subject and סוררים as adverbial
- Targum (וּבְרַם סַרְבָּנַיָא דִי מִתְגַיְירִין וְתָיְבִין בִּתְתוּבָא שְׁרָת עֲלֵיהוֹן שְׁכִינַת יְקָרָא דַייָ אֱלֹהִים ‘But, the stubborn who are converted and turn in repentance—the precious shekhinah of the Lord rests upon them’) and Symmahcus (ἔτι καὶ ἐν ἀπειθοῦσι κατασκηνῶσαι ‘yet also among the the disobedient to dwell’) seem to reflect an analysis similar to the previous suggestion semantically, but differing in its details. Here, it seems that סוררים is directly modifies לשכן.
Note that options 1 and 3 involve the so-called asseverative lamed[11]
Eichler (2022) has recently proposed to emend לִשְׁכֹּ֤ן ׀ יָ֬הּ אֱלֹהִֽים in 68:19 to ואף סוררים לשכני האהלים ‘Yes, and prisoners from the nomads’ (136) on the basis of a similar name in found in Judges 8.11 דרך הַשְּׁכוּנֵי באהלים ‘by the Road of the Tent Dwellers’. The significance of the parallel stems from the fact both the road in Judges 8 leads to Bashan—a prominent place in Psalm 68. The proposal is pure conjecture, however, with no external support from the versions.
v. 20
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 20]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֲדֹנָי Lord
Complement
verb-participle: בָרוּק blessed
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Apposition
Nominal
article: הָ the
noun: אֵל God
ConstructChain <gloss="our salvation">
noun: יְשׁוּעָתֵ salvation
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
Predicate
verb: יַעֲמָס bear
Adverbial
noun: יוֹם day
Adverbial
noun: יוֹם day >> daily
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לָ for
Object
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
Fragment
Vocative
noun: סֶלָה Selah
v. 21
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 21]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Nominal
article: הָ the
noun: אֵל God
RelativeClause <status="alternative">
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר who <status="elided">
Clause
Subject
Relative
Complement
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לָ for
Object
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
Predicate
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לָ for
Object
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
Complement
noun: אֵל God
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="A God belonging to deliverance >> A God who performs deliverance >> A God of deliverance">
Preposition
preposition: לְ for
Object
noun: מוֹשָׁעוֹת deliverance
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
noun: תּוֹצָאוֹת ways of escape
Adjectival <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לַ to >> of
Object
noun: מָּוֶת death
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Subject
Relative
Complement
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="escapings of death >> ways of escape from death">
Preposition
preposition: לַ to >> of
Object
noun: מָּוֶת death
Complement
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לֵ for
Object
Apposition
noun: יהוִה YHWH
noun: אֲדֹנָי Lord
Note for v. 21
לנו Option 1: Possession
- The majority of translations, both ancient and modern, take לנו as the predicate of an asyndetic relative clause, viz., ‘the god that is to us’ >> ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν 'our God (So, e.g., ESV, KJV, NVI, NIV, PDV 2017, Symmachus, Jerome)
Option 2: Dative of Benefit
- Some translations understand אל למושעות as the predicate and the לנו as marking the beneficiary. Vis., ‘God is unto us a God of deliverances’ (ASV; so e.g., NASB1995, DELUT, ELBBK, BCC1923, Targum?) (So Jenni 2000, 67)
- Morphologically, the noun is probably from the ma/iqtal-pattern denoting, among other things, the concrete result of a verbal action, viz., 'deliverances' (NASB1995). The subject and predicate seem to say that God is a god of acts of salvation, which would raise the question, 'for whom'? The לנו supplies the answer to this question.
Note for v. 21
למות תוצאות A number of translations translate the phrase לַמָּ֗וֶת תּוֹצָאֽוֹת as if the second member were in construct to the first: αἱ διέξοδοι τοῦ θανάτου ‘the escape routes of death’ (LXX). Many modern translations have something like ‘escape routes from death’ which may or may not reflect a construct. In any case, for a construct chain ‘die Wortstellung nicht spricht.’[12] Much more likely is that the phrase represents an asyndetic relative clause (so Symmachus αἱ εἰς θάνατον ἔξοδοι).
v. 22
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 22]
Fragment
particle: אַךּ indeed
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Predicate
verb: יִמְחַץ strike >> crush
Object
Apposition
ConstructChain <gloss="heads of his enemies">
noun: רֹאשׁ head
noun: אֹיְבָי enemies
suffix-pronoun: ו him
ConstructChain <gloss="the hairy crown of the one who walks about">
noun: קַדְקֹד crown
noun: שֵׂעָר hair
Nominal
verb-participle: מִתְהַלֵּךְ walk about
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="in his guilt">
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
ConstructChain
noun: אֲשָׁמָי guilt
suffix-pronoun: ו him
vv. 23-24
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [vv. 23-24]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֲדֹנָי Lord
Predicate
verb: אָמַר said
Object
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: אָשִׁיב bring back
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
noun: בָשָׁן Bashan
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: אָשִׁיב bring back
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
ConstructChain
noun: מְּצֻלוֹת depths
noun: יָם sea
SubordinateClause
Conjunction
conjunction: לְמַעַן so that
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="your foot">
noun: רַגְלְ foot
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Predicate
verb: תִּמְחַץ strike >> wade
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in >> through
Object
noun: דָם blood
Clause
Subject
Nominal
ConstructChain <gloss="its portion">
noun: מִנֵּ part >> portion
Apposition
suffix-pronoun: הוּ it
ConstructChain <gloss="the tongues of your dogs">
noun: לְשׁוֹן tongue
noun: כְּלָבֶי dogs
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Complement
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מֵ from
Object
noun: אֹיְבִים enemies
Clause <status="alternative">
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="the tongues of your dogs">
noun: לְשׁוֹן tongue
noun: כְּלָבֶי dogs
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Predicate
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מֵ from
Object
Apposition
noun: אֹיְבִים enemies
ConstructChain <gloss="their portion">
noun: מִנֵּ part >> portion
suffix-pronoun: הוּ it
Note for vv. 23-24
How to interpret מִנֵּהוּ in v. 24
- Option 1: Apposition for distributive
- Symmachus seems to have translated as a distributive, viz., ἀπὸ ἑκάστου ‘from each...’. This reading is most likely idiomatically rendering an apposition of מנהו to מאיבים
- Option 2: Emendation of מאיבים
- Some translations make sense of מנהו by adopting an emendation of the previous word viz., GNT ‘as much as they want’ ([?]מאיבים >> מְיַאֲבִים).
- Option 3: מנהו = מֵן 'portion'
- 'It is more natural...to refer מִנֵּהוּ back to לְשׁוֹן (word which is usually fem., but sometimes perhaps in masc., xxii. 16, Prov. xxvi. 28); and, since side by side with מִמֶּנּוּ only מֶנהוּ occurs anywhere else, to take it in the signification pars ejus (מֵן from מָנַן = מָנָת, after the form גֵּז, הֵן, קֵץ, of the same meaning as מָנָה, מְנָת, lxiii. 11).'[13]
- E.g., 'the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe' (ESV cf. ASV, HCSB, NASB1995, NIV, NLT, ELBBK, NVI, BCC1923, LSG, NTV)
- Option 4: Delete
- It seems that some translations simply delete the מנהו.
- 'And the tongue of thy dogs in the same' (KJV), Peshitta
- Some translations seem like they delete מאיבים : DELUT, NGU2011
- Option 5: 'From him'
- The preposition מן + the 3ms suffix, (so LXX, Jerome), but this would be a novel form (cf. Delitzsch's statement above in Option 3).
Note for vv. 23-24
The grammar of 24b
- Option 1: Elided verb
- Symmachus supplies a verb phrase of which ‘the tongues of your dogs' is the subject: ὅπως συγκατεάξῃ ὁ πούς σου μετὰ αἵματος καὶ λάψῃ ἡ γλῶσσα τῶν κυνῶν σου ἀπὸ ἑκάστου τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου ‘so that you may break your foot with blood and that the tongue of your dogs will lap (it?) from each of your enemies’ (Retroverted from: ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܐܟܚܕܐ ܬܬܒܘܪ ܪܓܠܟ ܥܡ ܕܡܐ ܘܢܠܘܥ ܠܫܢܐ ܕܟܠܒܝܟ ܡܢ ܟܠܚܕ ܡܢ ܒܥܠܕܒܒܝܟ 'so that you may break your foot with blood and that the tongue of your dogs will lap (it?) from each of your enemies’).
- This is more likely an interpretation rather than a textual variant, since Symmachus retains the more difficult MT readings in two places (viz., רחץ and מאֹיבים).
- So GNT 'and your dogs may lap up as much as they want', NET 'and your dogs may eat their portion of the enemies’ corpses.”'
- Option 2: Verbless Clause
- Some translations read a verbless clause here. This often involves interpreting מנהו as 'its portion', referring back to לשון. In this case לשון כלבים would be in extraposition. A translation along these lines seem to be the preference of the modern translations.
- 'the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe' (ESV, cf. ASV, HCSB, NASB1995, NIV, NLT, ELBBK, NVI, BCC1923, LSG, NTV
v. 25
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 25]
Fragment
Vocative
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: רָאוּ they see >> seen
Object
Apposition
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: הֲלִיכוֹתֶי processions
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Nominal
ConstructChain <gloss="the procession of the God of me >> the procession of my God">
Nominal
noun: הֲלִיכוֹת procession
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַ into
Object
noun: קֹּדֶשׁ holiness >> temple
Nominal
Apposition
Nominal
ConstructChain <gloss="my God">
noun: אֵלִ God
suffix-pronoun: י me
Nominal
ConstructChain <gloss="my king">
Nominal
noun: מַלְכּ king
RelativeClause <status="alternative">
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר who
Clause
Subject
Relative
Predicate
Complement
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
noun: קֹּדֶשׁ holiness >> temple
Nominal
suffix-pronoun: י me
Note for v. 25
Is God in the sanctuary or coming into the sanctuary?
- Some translations read בקדש as the predicate of what must be an asyndetic relative clause, viz., ‘τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ. ‘the King in the holy place ’’ (NETS).
- Others, however, seem to understand בקדש as complementing the verbal substantive הליכה,[14] viz., 'the procession of God, my king, into his sanctuary' (ESV)
v. 26
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 26]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
verb-participle: שָׁרִים singers
Predicate
verb: קִדְּמוּ go in front
Clause
Subject
verb-participle: נֹגְנִים musicians
Predicate
Adverbial
adverb: אַחַר behind
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="among all the young women who drum">
Preposition
preposition: בְּ תוֹךְ among
Object
Nominal
noun: עֲלָמוֹת young women
Adjectival
verb-participle: תּוֹפֵפוֹת drumming
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Subject
verb-participle: שָׁרִים singers
Predicate
verb: קִדּמוּ go in front
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: אַחַר behind
Object
Nominal
verb-participle: נֹגְנִים musicians
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Subject
noun: עַלָמוֹת young women
Predicate
verb-participle: תּוֹפֵפוֹת drumming
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּתוֹךְ among
Object
noun:
Note for v. 26
Who goes first, the singers or the musicians? The preposition אחר seems like it maintains its normal sense in ABH (אַחֲרֶ֥יךָ) Judges 5:14. But it does not make much sense for X to precede after Y (so Peshitta, Targums). Various strategies are employed to get around this, viz, praecesserunt cantores eos qui post tergum psallebant 'and the singers went before them who sing hymns behind the rear’. So Hupfeld (1860, 232) 'אַחַר] nicht Praep.....sondern Adv. darnach’ (cf. 1 Chron 15:19, 21, where the singers precede instrumentalists, assuming the discourse reflects the order of procession. On אחר as an adverb, see Gen 22:13; Exodus 5:1).
Note for v. 26
Who is in the midst (בתוך) whom?
- Option 1: Adverb modifying תופפות?
- Are the women in the midst of the singers and musicians ('the women are playing tambourines בתוך 'in the midst'?)
- So GNT, ESV, HCSB, KJV, NIV, NLT, RSV, BCC1923, PDV2017, NTV.
- Option 2: Adverb modifying קרבו
- Are the woman flanking the singers and musicians? ('...approach בתוך 'amdist' the women...')
- So Peshitta, LXX, Jerome, ASV, NASB1995, DELUT, ELBBK, NGU2011, NVI, BDS, LSG, NET.
- 'so daß die vorhergenannten von solchen eingefaßt waren; nicht "in der Mitte Jungfrauen", als ob diese zwischen den Sängern u. Spielern gegangen wären’ (Hupfeld 1860, 231) so NET 'to celebrate military victory, women would play tambourines (see Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34; 1 Sam 18:6)'
v. 27
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 27]
Fragment
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
ConstructChain
noun: מְּקוֹר source
noun: יִשׂרָאֵל Israel
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: בָּרְכוּ bless
Object
Apposition
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
noun: מַקְהֵלוֹת assembly
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <status="alternative">
Preposition
preposition: מִ in
Object
ConstructChain
noun: מְּקוֹר source
noun: יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel
Note for v. 27
ממקור ישראל
- Option 1: Independent (asyndetic) relative clause (with verb elided)
- E.g., 'the LORD, O you who are of Israel's fountain' (ESV, so Targum, ASV, GNT, NASB1995, RSV, DELUT, ELBBK, NGU2011, NVI, BCC1923, BDS, LSG)
- This interpretation is likely if מקור here refers to a water source (cf. Isa 48:1; 51:1 so Hupfeld 1860, 232; Baethgen 1904, 209)
- Option 2: Modifies an elided verb
- E.g., 'Praise the Lord from the fountain of Israel' (HCSB, so KJV, NIV)
- Option 3: Relative clause modifying יהוה
- In a few translations, the phrase modifies יהוה. This analysis could either be parsed as a dependent asyndetic relative clause (viz.., ...YHWH, who is of the fount of Israel) or an independent asyndetic relative clause in apposition to YHWH (viz., '...YHWH—he who is...)
- E.g., ...τὸν θεόν, τὸν κύριον ἐκ πηγῶν Ισραηλ. ‘...God—the Lord from Israel's fountains' (LXX so NLT, NTV ['la fuente de vida de Israel'])
v. 28
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 28]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Apposition
Nominal
noun: צָעִיר small >> young
Nominal
noun: בִּנְיָמִן Benjamin
Nominal <status="alternative">
ConstructChain
verb-participle: רֹדֵ rule
suffix-pronoun: ם them
Predicate
verb:
Adverbial
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb-participle: רֹד ruler
Object
suffix-pronoun: ם them
Complement
Adjectival
adverb: שָם there
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Apposition
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: שָׂרֵי princes
noun: יְהוּדָה Judah
Nominal <status="alternative">
ConstructChain
noun: רִגְמָתָ nobility
suffix-pronoun: ם them
Predicate
Adverbial
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: רִגְמָתָ nobility
suffix-pronoun: ם their
Complement
Adjectival
adverb: שָם there
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: שָׂרֵי princes
noun: זְבֻלוּן Zebulun
Complement
Adjectival
adverb: שָׁם there
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: שָׂרֵי princes
noun: נַפְתָּלִי Naphtali
Complement
Adjectival
adverb: שָׁם there
Note for v. 28
The grammar regarding רֹדֵם The ancient versions are virtually unanimous in agreeing that שם should be the predicate of 28a, viz., ‘there is benjamin’ (on adverbial predicate see Waltke & O'Conner §4.5). The contentious point in 28a is the word רֹדֵם
- Option 1: Circumstantial clause from the root רד"ם
- The LXX (ἐν ἐκστάσει) and Peshitta (ܒܫܠܝ݂ܐ) seem read the consonants רדם as a participle functioning as a circumstantial clause (unless they were reading as a noun from the same root) Both LXX and Peshitta translated this as prepositional phrases.
- Option 2: Participle from רד"ה (many options). Both Jerome and Aquilla reflect a participle plus 3ms suffix here. This analysis gives rise to a number of readings, depending on whether or not the action of the verb is in view ('there is benjamin leading them' [circum.]) or if the verb is substantivised (there is benjamin—their leader [app.])
- Jerome seems to also read as a circumstantial clause (continens eos).
- Aquilla parses this as the dependent noun of a construct phrase, the head of which is צעיר, itself in apposition to Benjamin.
- Note that the expectation of רדָם with qamets does not impair this reading. The form הַֽמַּעֲלֵ֣ם in Isa 63:11 also has a tsere connecting vowel.
- So GNT?, ESV(circum.), ASV(app.), KJV(circum.) HCSB(circum.), NASB(circum.), NIV(circum)., NLT (circum.), DELT(circum.), NGU20111(circum), LSG(circum.), BDS(circum.), LBLA(circum.), NTV(circum)
Note for v. 28
The grammar regarding רִגְמָתָ֑ם
Another point in the verse at which versions diverge in their understanding. To some extent, the grammar of this word will depend on its lexical meaning (see Lexical Semantics).
- Option 1: The LXX evidently read the word to mean something like ‘authority’ and so placed it in apposition to what preceded (so, Peshitta, Symmachus?,)
- Option 2: Jerome interpreted the reference of the word as to some sort of article of clothing in which case we are then dealing with an adverbial describing their condition
- Option 3: Many modern translations interpret as ‘throng’ or 'group' or 'council' which would also lend itself to an adverbial reading. (so GNT, ESV, ASV, KJV, HCSB, NASB1995, DELUT, NGU2011, LSG, BDS, LBLA, NTV cf. NLT, NIV).
v. 29
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 29]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="your God">
noun: אֱלֹהֶי God
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Predicate
verb: צִוָּה command
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="your strength">
noun: עֻזֶּ strength
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Fragment
Apposition
Vocative
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Vocative
Nominal
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: זוּ who
Clause
Subject
Relative
Predicate
verb: פָּעַלְתָּ acted
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לָּ for
Object
noun: נוּ us
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: עוּזָה show (yourself) strong >> show your strength
Note for v. 29
אלהים or אלהיך The LXX, Symmachus, Peshitta and Targum all reflect and imperative צַוֵּה here, which must have resulted from a graphic confusion between ך and מ at the end of אלהיך in a particular script viz., אלהיך is more likely the subject of a perfect, whereas אלהים an imperative. Barthélemy (2005) does point out a number of important facts.
- The vocalization צִוָּה is supported by a masoretic note in A, L and the Cairo codex.
- Few of the medieval MSS mentioned by Kennicot as attesting אלהים actually contain this reading, since, apparently unnoticed by Kennicot, many of the stated instances are corrected by a second hand.
In any case, beyond אלהים vs. אלהיך this is more a question of verbal semantics and does not really affect the grammar of these first two words.
Note for v. 29
עוּזָּה is it a verb or a noun?
- Option 1: A verb (preferred)
- ASV, HCSB, KJV, NASB1995, DELUT(?), ELBBK, LSG, BCC1923, DHH94I, LXX, Jerome, Peshitta, Symmachus.
- Option 2: A noun
- GNT, ESV, LBLA.
- It's not entirely clear how they are reading a substantive here, seeing that the substantive from this root is usually masculine, as shown by the previous word.
v. 30
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 30]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: מְלָכִים kings
Predicate
verb: יוֹבִילוּ bring
Object
noun: שָׁי gift
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ to
Object
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="because of your temple">
Preposition
preposition: מֵ from
Object
ConstructChain
Nominal
noun: הֵיכָלֶ temple
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל above
Object
noun: יְרוּשָׁלָםִ Jerusalem
Nominal
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
v. 31
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 31]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: גְּעַר rebuke
Object
Nominal
ConstructChain <gloss="the beast who lives among the reed >> the beast associated with the reed >> the beast of the reed">
noun: חַיַּת beast
noun: קָנֶה reed
conjunction:
Nominal
ConstructChain
Nominal
noun: עֲדַת herd
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר which <status="elided">
Clause
Subject
Relative
Complement
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ among
Object
ConstructChain
noun: עֶגְלֵי calves
noun: עַמִּים people
Nominal
noun: אַבִּירִים bulls
Adjectival
verb-participle: מִתְרַפֵּס trample continuously>>trample down
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
ConstructChain
noun: רַצֵּי crushings
noun: כָסֶף silver
conjunction:
Nominal <status="alternative">
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ among
Object
ConstructChain
noun: עֶגְלֵי calves
noun: עַמּים people
conjunction:
Nominal <status="alternative">
verb-participle: מִתְרַפֵּס trample continuously >> trample down
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
ConstructChain
noun: רַצֵּי crushings
noun: כָסֶף silver
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb-participle: מִתְרַפֵּס trample continuously >> trample down
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
ConstructChain
noun: רַצֵּי crushing
noun: כָסֶף silver
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: בִּזַּר scatter
Object
noun: עַמִּים people
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר that
Clause
Subject
Relative
Predicate
verb: יֶחְפָּצוּ delight (in)
Object
noun: קְרָבוֹת battles
Note for v. 31
בעגלי עמים: Emendation? If not what is the grammar? The difficulty with this phrase is how to account for the ב-prepositions. For that reason, Baethgen (1904, 211) comments 'Sehr ansprechend ist die Konjektur von Matthes bei Cheyne בַּעֲלֵי עַמִּים »Völkerfürsten« (vgl. Jes 16s)
- There are probably no real variants here. Resorting to בעלי is unnecessary because עגל already meatphorically refers to this, as Saadya Gaon already noticed: ופסרת בעגלי אג׳לא מת׳ל חרבו כל פריה 'I have interpreted בעגלי as 'Honoured/lofty ones' as in חִרְבוּ֙ כָּל־פָּרֶ֔יהָ 'put all her bulls to the sword' (Jer 50:27)'. (Qafiḥ 164). Additionally the MT reading has formal support in Jerome, Symmachus and the Targum. Symmachus translated συστροφῶν 'a dense mass' most likely becuase this was the meanign of עִגוּל in the then-contemporary form of Hebrew (Mishnaic) (Barthélemy 2005, 456–7).
- All the versions cited above formally attest to the ב-preposition. The question here, then, is how to interpret this grammatically?
- Option 1: Complement to the verb?
- Jenni (1992, 264) who points out a striking number of examples where גער is complemented by ב (Gen 37:10; Isa 17:13; 54:9; Jer 29:27; Nah 1:4, etc) as well as other verbs within the same semantic domain (עיט, כהה, נתן דֱפִי, יכה, etc)
- Option 2: Predicate to a relative clause the subject's antecedent of which is עדת אבירים?
- Most modern translations.
- Option 1: Complement to the verb?
Note for v. 31
The form and grammar of מתרפס LXX reads a negative purpose clause here (so τοῦ μὴ...), perhaps interpreting the mem as the preposition מן followed by an infinitive in order to express the movement away from a negative situation (cf. Van der Merwe §39.14) Jerome and Symmachus do reflect semantics similar to 'trampling', but Bartélemy (2005, 457) argues that it does not approximate the hitpael. Many commentators deem the problem too complex (Baethgen 1904 leaves this line blank in his translation). The solution will largely depend on the meaning of the word (Hupfeld 1860 argue that the word is active [Prov 6.30] and not reflexive). Modern translations generally reflect the following grammatical options:
- Option 1: Independent clause (although the TAM of the verb varies, and some understand an elided conjunction)
- GNT, NLT, HCSB, KJV, NLT, RSV, ELBBK, BDS, NTV, NET.
- This option is difficult to reconcile with the morphology, especially given that Psa 68 probably reflects Archaic Hebrew.
- Option 2: Adverbial to גער (sometimes; viz., 'rebuke...trampling')
- ASV, NASB1995, NIV.
- Option 3: Attributive phrase describing עמים
- DELUT, LSG, LBLA.
v. 32
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 32]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: חַשְׁמַנִּים blue-green >> nobles
Predicate
verb: יֶאֱתָיוּ come
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מִנִּי from
Object
noun: מִצְרָיִם Egypt
Adverbial <status="alternative">
noun: חַשְׁמַנִּים blue-green >> nobles
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: כוּשׁ Cush
Predicate
verb: תָּרִיץ hasten
Object
Adverbial
ConstructChain <gloss="his hands">
noun: יָדָי hands
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לֵ towards
Object
noun: אלֹהִים God
Note for v. 32
The grammar of חשמנים This hapax is often a candidate for emendation. Based on the LXX (πρέσβεις 'nobles') some want to emend to הַשְׁמַנִּים ‘the study ones' (viz., leaders), but I don't see why this is necessary since it means the exact same thing as the traditional understanding of the MT.
The grammar of this verse depends on the meaning of חשמנים (DCH has 'envoy, or bronze, or red cloth').
- Option 1: If it refers to people then they are a fitting subject for יאתיו (so ESV, ASV, HCSB, KJV, etc).
- Option 2: If it refers to some sort of non-human entity, then it will probably be adverbial (so NLT: 'Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals', cf. RSV [although the revocalize the verb], NTV, PDT [revocalizes the verb], NET)
v. 33
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 33]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Vocative
ConstructChain
noun: מַמְלְכוֹת kingdoms
Nominal
article: הָ the
noun: אָרֶץ earth
Predicate
verb: שִׁירוּ sing
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לֵ to
Object
noun: אלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: זַמְּרוּ sing praise
Object
noun: אֲדֹנָי the Lord
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="to the rider on the heavens of heavens of ancient times >> to the rider of the highest heavens of old >> to him who rides on the highest heavens of old">
Preposition
preposition: לָ to
Object
Nominal
verb-participle: רֹכֵב rider
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ on
Object
ConstructChain
noun: שְׁמֵי heavens
noun: שְׁמֵי heavens
noun: קֶדֶם ancient times
article: ה the <status="elided">
Fragment
particle: סֶלָה selah
v. 34
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 34]
Fragment
particle: הֵן behold
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: יִתֵּן set >> raise
Object <status="alternative">
ConstructChain
noun: קוֹל voice
noun: עֹז him
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="his voice">
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
Apposition
ConstructChain
noun: קְוֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
ConstructChain <gloss="mighty voice">
noun: קוֹל mighty
noun: עֹז voice
Note for v. 34
What is the grammatical function of קול עוז?
- Option 1: Apposition to קולו
- Peshitta (ܩܠܐ݂ ܥܫܝܢܐ '(his) strong voice'), Targum (בְּקָלֵיהּ קָל רוּחַ נְבוּאֲתָא '...his voice—the voice of the spirit of prophetcy), ESV, ASV, KJV, BDS, LSG, LBLA, RVR95.
- Option 2: Adverbial (viz., 'with a mighty shout')
- LXX ( δώσει ἐν τῇ φωνῇ αὐτοῦ φωνὴν δυνάμεως 'he will let out, with his voice, a voice of power [NETS]), Jerome (voci suae 'with ihs voice'), GNT, HCSB, NIV, ELBBK.
- DELUT takes בקולו as the indirect object (er wird seinem Donner Kraft geben.)
Note for v. 34
The object of יתן is introduced with בְּ in this expression (so DCH), see Jer. 12.8; Psa 46.7; 1QH11.35
v. 35
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 35]
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Predicate
verb: תְּנוּ give >> ascribe
Object
noun: עֹז strength
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לֵ to
Object
noun: אלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his greatness">
noun: גַּאֲות greatness
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Complement
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל over
Object
noun: יִשְרָאֵל Israel
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his strength">
noun: עֻזּ strength
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Complement
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
Nominal
article: הַ the <status="elided">
noun: שְּׁחָקִים skies
v. 36
Preferred
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 36]
Fragment
Vocative
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
Complement
verb-participle: נוֹרָא awesome
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="from your sanctuary">
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
ConstructChain
noun: מִקְדָּשֶׁי sanctuary
suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
Adverbial <status="emendation">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: מִ from
Object
ConstructChain
noun: מִקְדָּשֶׁי sanctuary
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Fragment
Clause
Subject
Apposition
noun: הוּא he
Vocative
ConstructChain
noun: אֵל God
noun: יִשׂרָאֵל Israel
Predicate
verb: נֹתֵן gives
Object
noun: עֹז strength
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
noun: תַעֲצֻמוֹת might
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לָ to
Object
Nominal
article: הַ the <status="elided">
noun: עָם people
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: אֱלֹהִים God
Complement
verb-participle: בָרוּךְ blessed
Note for v. 36
מקדשיך - 'Your temples'? 'Your temple'? 'His temple'? Many of the versions either read ‘his X’ (LXX, S, Jerome; but Peshitta and Targum retain MT) or they parse מקדשיך as a singular rather than a plural noun (LXX, Symmachus?, Peshitta, Jerome, Targum). However, neither of these emendations need be adopted. The first is 'évidemment facilitante’ (Barthélemy 2005, 469), and the second is rejected by the Masorah, which notes that this and Ezekiel 28:18 are the only two instances where this form is written plene, suggesting that this is indeed the plural form (since the singular would never be written with a yod). Levitics 26:31 and Amos 7:9 speak of Israel's sanctuaries (plural). Additionally, it's possible that that the 2nd person suffix refers to Israel (Baethgen 1904, 212). Modern translations diverge as follows:
- 'His sanctuary': GNT, ESV, NLT, RSV, DELUT, PDV2017, NTV,
- 'Your sanctuaries': ASV, KJV, HCSB, ELBBK, RVR95,
- 'Your sanctuary': NASB1995, NIV, NGU2011, NVI, BCC1923, BDS, LSG, SCH2000, DHH94I, LBLA, PDT, NET
- ↑ So Hupfeld 1860.
- ↑ E.g., Brockington 1973, 137: תִּנָּדֵף (so NEB ‘driven away’).
- ↑ See Barthelemy 2005, 430ff.
- ↑ Hupfeld 1868, 205; cf. Baethgan 1904, 202.
- ↑ Goldingay 2013.
- ↑ See Ginsburg 1913, 136.
- ↑ Barthélemy 2005, 436.
- ↑ Elitzur 2015, 105.
- ↑ Emerton 1993, 37.
- ↑ Barthélemy 2005, 438.
- ↑ Waltke O'Conner §11.2.10.
- ↑ Hupfeld 1860, 228.
- ↑ Delitzsch 1871, 265.
- ↑ Note that the qātîl pattern here expresses "the action or quality defined by the verbal root" (Huehnergard 2007, 4*).