Psalm 88/Notes/Grammar.V. 2.825823

• v. 2b The preferred reading follows the one found in most modern translations and which sounds more plausible content-wise being a merism (‘day and night’). It is still a difficult reading for two reasons: (a) יוֹם used adverbially without a preposition, which does not seem to be attested elsewhere in the Bible; (b) יוֹם... לַיְלָה are asyndetic and separated from each other, a very unusual construction. We therefore analyse this hard verse as made of two asyndetic clauses, with the verb elided in the second one, to get "I have been crying out by day [and I have been crying] at night before you". For the sake of simplicity though, we rendered this verse in the CBC as "I have been crying out day and night before you". BHS emends MT to אֱלֹהַי שִׁוַּעְתִּי יוֹמָ֑ם צַעֲקָתִי בַלַּיְלָה נֶגְדֶּךָ with dittography assumed in יְשׁוּעָתִי and haplography in יוֹם, but that reading is not supported by any of the Ancient Versions.

• v. 2b alt #1 This alternative is similar in meaning to the preferred reading, but assuming one clause, with יום and לילה being separated and asyndetic, and yet forming one phrase, which is less plausible than our preferred reading.

• v. 2b alt #2 This reading is suggested by NLT, GNT and ZÜR, and may also be understood that way in LXX. It considers this verse as made of two asyndetic clauses, with the second one being a nominal one with an adverbial predicate ("I am before you at night"). It is less preferable semantically, as it abolishes the elegant merism and in general makes less sense ("crying in the day while [standing] in front of YHWH at night"). Another fact that speaks against this reading (namely, two distinct clauses) is the absence in MT of a dagesh lene in the ב of בלילה and the conjunctive accent (טרחא) in preceding word צָעַקְתִּי.

• v. 2b alt #3 Alternative is suggested by both Targum and NET, but not supported by either the MT or LXX and may therefore be a case of intentional emendation or harmonisation with the next verse, that has the explicit noun תְּפִלָּתִי in both MT and LXX.

• v. 2b & v. 3a alt #4 Alternative is suggested by CEV and NRSV. This reading assumes 2b to be a subordinate temporal clause of the main clause in 3a. It is thus understood as "When at night I cry out before you, may my prayer come before you!" The syntactic structure underlying this reading is of a construct chain with a verb, namely a predicate, as the nomen rectum. This particular usage of the construct chain is very common with time-determinators as nomen regens, and particularly following בְּיוֹם (N.B. our verse lacks the preposition), cf. Gesenius §131d. Interesting similar cases in Psalms are 102:3 and 56:10.