Psalm 8/Particles

Particles

Prepositions

2a
2b	בְּכָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ
2c		עַל־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם
3a			מִפִּ֤י
3b				לְמַ֥עַן צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָ
3c					לְהַשְׁבִּ֥ית
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a			מֵאֱלֹהִ֑ים
6b
7a	בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣י יָדֶ֑יךָ
7b						תַֽחַת־רַגְלָֽיו
8a
8b
9a
9b
10a
10b	בְּכָל־הָאָֽרֶץ

• vv.2c, 7b. The downward motion of the psalm is underscored by the prepositions עַל (v.2c) and תַּחַת (v.7b).
• v.6a. "חסּר מן signifies to cause to be short of, wanting in something, to deprive any one of something (cf. Ecclesiastes 4:8). מן is here neither comparative (paullo inferiorem eum fecisti Deo), nor negative (paullum derogasti ei, ne esset Deus), but partitive (paullum derogasti ei divinae naturae).",

Waw/Vav

Coordinating Words/Phrases

• v.3a: עֽוֹלְלִ֨ים ׀ וְֽיֹנְקִים֮
• v.3c: א֝וֹיֵ֗ב וּמִתְנַקֵּֽם
• v.4b: יָרֵ֥חַ וְ֝כוֹכָבִ֗ים
• v.6b: וְכָב֖וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר
• v.8a. צֹנֶ֣ה וַאֲלָפִ֣ים
• v.9a. צִפּ֣וֹר שָׁ֭מַיִם וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם

Coordinating Lines

• v.5a --(וּבֶן־אָ֝דָ֗ם)--> v.5b
• v.6a --(ָּוְכָב֖וֹד)--> v.6b
• v.8a --(ָּוְ֝גַ֗ם)--> v.8b

Coordinating Sections

• vv.4-5 --(וַתְּחַסְּרֵ֣הוּ)--> vv.6-7,

Other particles

2a
2b	מָֽה־אַדִּ֣יר
2c		אֲשֶׁ֥ר
3a
3b
3c
4a			כִּֽי־אֶרְאֶ֣ה
4b		אֲשֶׁ֣ר
5a	מָֽה־אֱנ֥וֹשׁ		כִּֽי־תִזְכְּרֶ֑נּוּ
5b			כִּ֣י תִפְקְדֶֽנּוּ
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b				וְ֝גַ֗ם
9a
9b
10a
10b	מָֽה־אַדִּ֥יר

• vv.2b,5a,10b. - מָה – "The psalmist does not ask, 'Who are human beings?' even though 'who' is the normal pronoun for animate beings. Rather, the poet uses מה, the pronoun normally reserved for inanimate objects. The resulting connotation is derisive: 'What are measly human beings...?'" "The interrogative pronoun מה that occurs in the first and last lines of the psalm, occurs here in the middle of the psalm. The result is a poetic echo between the start, middle, and end of the psalm." "Thus vv. 5 and 6 form the central point of the psalm."
• v.2c. אֲשֶר as a relative is somewhat awkward as the antecedent would be either the pronominal suffix on שִׁמךָ or the vocative יהוה אדנינו. It is quite possible that אֲשֶׁר is a causal conjunction (LXX: ὅτι). "The start of the body of the proper is striking as the first word of strophe 2 is the relative pronoun. This means there is a certain enjambment on the transition from envelope to the body of the poem, but that is neither unique nor illegal. Beginning a strophe with אשׁר is uncommon, but it does happen elsewhere: Pss.71:20, 89:22a and 105:9a." Note the phonological connection between אשׁר and ארץ, which might explain this unexpected use of אשׁר.
• v.4a. כִּי is cataphoric; v.4ab forms the protasis and v.5ab the apodosis. "Instead of the apodosis I exclaim which we should expect, the exclamation itself follows."