Psalm 78/Notes/Lexical.v. 57.885972

v. 57 – For רְמִיָּה as a description of a "bow," see also Hos 7:16.^[1] There are perhaps three homophonous roots √רמה, though the sense "slack/useless" (cf. Akkadian ramû "slack, loose, limp"; CAD vol 14, 127-133) may very well be an extension from √רמה "deceive, deceitful." Aside from these two, there is an obvious wordplay with √רמה of נוֹשְׁקֵ֥י רוֹמֵי־קָ֑שֶׁת in v. 9 ("throw, hurl"). The point seems to be that the bow is slack and therefore useless in battle, as helpfully rendered by Jerome (Hebr.) incurvati sunt quasi arcus inutilis "they are made crooked like a useless bow."

↑ The ancient versions of our clause read as follows: καὶ μετεστράφησαν εἰς τόξον στρεβλὸν "they were twisted into a crooked bow" (NETS); conversi sunt in arcum pravum "they were turned aside as a crooked bow" (D-R); ܘܐܬܗܦܟܘ ܐܝܟ ܩܫܬܐ ܢܟܝܠܬܐ "they turned away like a deceitful/crooked bow" (Taylor 2020, 323); אתהפיכו היך קשתא דרמיא גיררין "they were turned back like a bow that shoots arrows" (Stec 2004, 154) ➞ apparently derived from √רמה, as in v. 9. Compare these to those attested in Hosea 7:16 (יָשׁ֣וּבוּ׀ לֹ֣א עָ֗ל הָיוּ֙ כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת רְמִיָּ֔ה): ἐγένοντο ὡς τόξον ἐντεταμένον "they became like a tightly stretched bow" (NETS); facti sunt quasi arcus dolosus "they became like a deceitful bow" (D-R) ܘܗܘܘ ܐܝܟ ܩܫܬܐ ܢܟܝܠܬܐ "they were like a faulty/deceitful bow" (Walter & Greenberg 2012, 29) דָמַן אִנוּן כְקַשַת נְכִילָא "they are like a deceitful bow" (Cathcart & Gordon 1989, 45).

[1] The ancient versions of our clause read as follows: καὶ μετεστράφησαν εἰς τόξον στρεβλὸν "they were twisted into a crooked bow" (NETS); conversi sunt in arcum pravum "they were turned aside as a crooked bow" (D-R); ܘܐܬܗܦܟܘ ܐܝܟ ܩܫܬܐ ܢܟܝܠܬܐ "they turned away like a deceitful/crooked bow" (Taylor 2020, 323); אתהפיכו היך קשתא דרמיא גיררין "they were turned back like a bow that shoots arrows" (Stec 2004, 154) ➞ apparently derived from √רמה, as in v. 9. Compare these to those attested in Hosea 7:16 (יָשׁ֣וּבוּ׀ לֹ֣א עָ֗ל הָיוּ֙ כְּקֶ֣שֶׁת רְמִיָּ֔ה): ἐγένοντο ὡς τόξον ἐντεταμένον "they became like a tightly stretched bow" (NETS); facti sunt quasi arcus dolosus "they became like a deceitful bow" (D-R) ܘܗܘܘ ܐܝܟ ܩܫܬܐ ܢܟܝܠܬܐ "they were like a faulty/deceitful bow" (Walter & Greenberg 2012, 29) דָמַן אִנוּן כְקַשַת נְכִילָא "they are like a deceitful bow" (Cathcart & Gordon 1989, 45).

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