Psalm 7/Particles
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Particles
Negative markers
- v.3a. – פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל
- v.13a. – אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב,
Independent personal pronouns
No independent personal pronouns in this psalm.,
Prepositions
| 2a | בְּךָ֣ | |||||
| 2b | מִכָּל־רֹ֝דְפַ֗י | |||||
| 3a | כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה | |||||
| 3b | ||||||
| 4a | ||||||
| 4b | בְּכַפָּֽי | |||||
| 5a | ||||||
| 5b | ||||||
| 6a | ||||||
| 6b | לָאָ֣רֶץ | |||||
| 6c | לֶעָפָ֖ר | |||||
| 7a | בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ | |||||
| 7b | בְּעַבְר֣וֹת | |||||
| 7c | אֵ֝לַ֗י | |||||
| 8a | ||||||
| 8b | לַמָּר֥וֹם | וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ | ||||
| 9a | ||||||
| 9b | ||||||
| 9c | כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י | עָלָֽי | ||||
| 10a | ||||||
| 10b | ||||||
| 10c | ||||||
| 10d | ||||||
| 11a | עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים | |||||
| 11b | ||||||
| 12a | ||||||
| 12b | בְּכָל־יֽוֹם | |||||
| 13a | ||||||
| 13b | ||||||
| 14a | וְ֭לוֹ | |||||
| 14b | לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים | |||||
| 15a | ||||||
| 15b | ||||||
| 16a | ||||||
| 16b | בְּשַׁ֣חַת | |||||
| 17a | בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ | |||||
| 17b | וְעַ֥ל קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ | |||||
| 18a | כְּצִדְק֑וֹ | |||||
| 18b |
Connections
- כְּצִדְקִ֖י (v.9c) - כְּצִדְק֑וֹ (v.18a)
- לָאָ֣רֶץ // לֶעָפָ֖ר (v.6bc) - לַמָּר֥וֹם (v.8b)
Comments
- v.7c. עוּרָה אֵלַי – The preposition אֶל may be used with active and stative intransitive verbs to indicate the direction in which an activity/state is performed/experienced (Gen. 42:28; 43:33; Jdg. 14:5; 15:14; 19:3; Isa. 11:10; 13:8; 41:1; Jer. 41:7; 2 Chron. 31:1).[1] The clause עוּרָה אֵלַי might thus be translated, "wake up turned towards me" (i.e., "wake up ready to act on my behalf"). Barthélemy suggests the translation, "eveille-toi en ma faveur" ("wake up in my favor").[2] The LXX reads אֵלִי (ὁ θεός μου) instead of אֵלַי (see below).
- v.9c. וּכְתֻמִּ֣י עָלָֽי – The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי in this line has been interpreted and emended in a number of ways. According to Ross, "it could be taken with an understood jussive, 'Let it be done to me,' or it may simply be 'my integrity which is within me.'"[3] This latter option is taken by the Vulgate (simplicitatem meam quae est in me) as well as Aquila and Symmachus (την απλοτητα μου την επ εμοι). A third option is to read עלי as a divine title, "Most High," instead of a preposition.[4] A fourth option, similar to the first, is to acknowledge the ellipsis of a verb (2ms impv) in this line (עָלָֽי [x] וּכְתֻמִּ֣י). The Targum has פרע ("pay/punish"). The verb גמל, often used with the preposition עַל, has also been suggested.[5] The verb שׁפט (v.9b) is unlikely, as it does not occur with the preposition על.
- The unexpected use of עלי here might be explained in terms of the text's poetic structure. Verses 8b-9c form a chiasm: a וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה b יְהוָה֮ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים / b' שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה a' כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י עָלָֽי. The inner constituents of the chiasm are connected lexically (שׁפט // דין) as well as syntactically (word order: יהוה V O // V-o יהוה). Recursion of the preposition על forms a connection between v.8b and v.9c. This chiasm is parallel to a very similar construction in vv.10cd-11ab: a וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת b אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק / b' מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים a' מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב. If v.9c is connected chiastically to v.8b, then the poetic structure may support reading the prepositional phrase in v.9c with the verb שׁוּב/שׁוּבָה (v.8b) implied/elided: a וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה b יְהוָה֮ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים / b' שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כְּצִדְקִ֖י a' וּכְתֻמִּ֣י [שֽׁוּבָה] עָלָֽי.
- v.11a. מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים – "my shield is on God", i.e., "God is my shield-bearer." BHS, BDB and HALOT propose reading עָלַי, but the evidence weighs heavily in favor of עַל (see below).[6] For a shield to be "on" (עַל) someone is for it to be worn by that person (cf. 1 Chron. 18:7). Thus, in Ps. 7:11, God is depicted as wearing David's shield, acting as his shield-bearer (cf. Goliath's shield bearer in 1 Sam. 17:41).,
Waw/Vav
Waw appears 22 times in the MT of this psalm. This is a large number compared with other nearby psalms of similar length: Ps. 5 (7x); Ps. 9 (9x); Ps 10 (11x); Ps. 17 (x3). Waw functions consistently in this psalm to mark continuity, grouping lines into bicola (vv.5, 8, 9bc[?], 12, 15, 16, 17, 18), tricola (vv.6, 7), and tetracola (v.10), and grouping units into sections (vv.7-8; 13-14). The absence of waw (vv.4ab, 7ab, 9ab, 10d-12a) indicates discontinuity and cooccurs with section divisions.
Coordinating Words/Phrases within a Line
- v.9c(?): כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י
- v.10c: לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת
Coordinating Clauses within a Line
- v.2b: הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי...וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי
- v.3b: פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל
- וְאֵין + participle often indicates "subordinate circumstantial or descriptive clauses."[7]
- v.6a: יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף...וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג
- v.13b: דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ
- v.15b: וְהָרָ֥ה...וְיָ֣לַד
- v.16a: כָּ֭רָֽה וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ
Coordinating Lines
- v.5a --(wayyiqtol verb [וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה)--> v.5b
- v.6a --(weyiqtol verb [וְיִרְמֹ֣ס])--> v.6b
- v.6b --(waw + noun [וּכְבוֹדִ֓י])--> v.6c
- v.7b --(waw + impv [וְע֥וּרָה])--> v.7c
- This waw suggests that v.7c is to be grouped with v.7ab to form a tricolon.
- v.8a --(waw + prepositional phrase [וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ])--> v.8b
- v.9b(?): --(waw + noun phrase [וּכְתֻמִּ֣י])--> v.9c(?)
- v.10a --(weyiqtol verb [וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן])--> v.10b
- v.10b --(waw + participle [וּבֹחֵ֣ן])--> v.10c
- This waw is omitted in some manuscripts and versions (see below on ). Its presence may suggest that v.10cd be grouped with v.10ab to form a tetracolon. The semantic value of waw here is ambiguous. Citing this verse as a possible example, GKC notes that clauses beginning with waw may sometimes give the reason for a preceding proposition (cf. Ps. 60:13; 108:13).[8]
- v.12a --(waw + noun [וְ֝אֵ֗ל])--> v.12b
- v.15a --(weqatal verb [וְהָרָ֥ה)--> v.15b
- v.16a --(wayyiqtol verb [וַ֝יִּפֹּ֗ל)--> v.16b
- v.17a --(waw + prepositional phrase [וְעַ֥ל קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ])--> v.17b
- v.18a --(waw + cohortative [וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה])--> v.18b
Coordinating Units within a Section
- v.7 --(waw + noun phrase [וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים)--> v.8
- v.13 --(waw + prepositional phrase [וְ֭לוֹ)--> v.14,
Other particles
| 2a | |||||
| 2b | |||||
| 3a | פֶּן | ||||
| 3b | |||||
| 4a | אִם | ||||
| 4b | אִם | ||||
| 5a | אִם | ||||
| 5b | |||||
| 6a | |||||
| 6b | |||||
| 6c | |||||
| 7a | |||||
| 7b | |||||
| 7c | |||||
| 8a | |||||
| 8b | |||||
| 9a | |||||
| 9b | |||||
| 9c | |||||
| 10a | נָא | ||||
| 10b | |||||
| 10c | |||||
| 10d | |||||
| 11a | |||||
| 11b | |||||
| 12a | |||||
| 12b | |||||
| 13a | אִם | ||||
| 13b | |||||
| 14a | |||||
| 14b | |||||
| 15a | הִנֵּה | ||||
| 15b | |||||
| 16a | |||||
| 16b | |||||
| 17a | |||||
| 17b | |||||
| 18a | |||||
| 18b |
- אִם clusters in vv.4-5.
- Its reappearance in v.13a along with a negative marker (only in vv.3a, 13a) may indicate a structural connection between the first (vv.2-6) and final (vv.11-17) major sections (stanzas) of the psalm.
- נָא occurs in the middle line of the psalm (v.10a)
- הנה (v.15a) initiates a new section (vv.15-17).
- ↑ GKC, 119gg.
- ↑ Dominique Barthélemy, Critique textuelle de l’Ancien Testament: Tome 4. Psaumes, https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-150304.
- ↑ Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Kregel Acadeic, 2011), 275.
- ↑ Peter Craige, Psalms 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary 19 (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1983), 98.
- ↑ Jacob Leveen, “Textual Problems of Psalm 7,” Vetus Testamentum 16, no. 4 (October 1966): 439–45.
- ↑ Dominique Barthélemy, Critique textuelle de l’Ancien Testament: Tome 4. Psaumes, https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-150304
- ↑ GKC, 152l.
- ↑ GKC, 158a.