Psalm 89/Diagrams/41-53

The word אַף is a discourse marker governing multiple clauses (see BHRG §40.14(1)).

Note for v. 44

The word צוּר in v. 44, which usually means "rock" (i.e., a large rocky hill or cliff) is difficult to understand in the context—what is the meaning of this word and what is its syntactic function? There are four main options:
- Interpret the phrase צוּר חַרְבּוֹ as a construct chain: "the flint of his sword >> the sharpness of his sword >> his sharp sword" (see v. 44 preferred diagram). According to this view, the word צוּר is not understood as "large rocky hill" or "cliff" but as a by-form of the word צֹר ("stone" or "flint"). This by-form occurs also in Josh 5:3 (חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים, "flint knives," NIV) and perhaps also in Job 22:24 (וּבְצוּר נְחָלִים, "[small] stones in the wadis," CSB). So Rashi, Radak, and Ibn Ezra, all of whom paraphrase the construction as חידוד חרבו ("the sharpness of his sword") and connect it to the form in Josh 5:3. See also Targum: "you have also turned back his sharp sword" (Stec 2004, 170, תתיב לאחורא סייפיה חריפא). All of the ancient versions likewise interpreted the phrase as a construct chain, though they ascribe various meanings to צוּר. E.g., LXX: "you turned away the help of his sword (τὴν βοήθειαν τῆς ῥομφαίας αὐτοῦ)" (LXX, trans. NETS); Symmachus: "the strength of his sword" (τὴν στερρότητα τῆς μαχαίρας αὐτοῦ); Quinta: "the strength of his sword" (τὴν στερρότητα τῆς ῥομφαίας αὐτοῦ); Peshitta: "you have turned back the help of his sword (ܥܘܕܪܢܐ ܕܣܦܣܝܪܗ)" (Taylor 2020, 370-1); Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): "you have turned away the strength of his sword" (avertisti robur gladii eius). This option seems the most plausible.
- Revocalize צוּר as צֹר/צוֹר and interpret the phrase צוֹר חַרְבּוֹ as a construct chain: "flint of his sword >> the sharpness of his sword >> his sharp sword" (DCH, HALOT; Gesenius 2013, 1136; see v. 44 alternative 1 diagram,). The end-result of this interpretation is the same as the previous interpretation. Most modern translations either reflect this option or the previous option—it is usually impossible to tell which one a modern translation reflects. E.g., "the edge of his sword" (NRSV, cf. KJV, ESV, NIV), "the blade of his sword" (NJPS), "the power of his sword" (LUT), "his sharp sword" (ZÜR). It seems better to interpret צוּר as a by-form of צֹר than to revocalize the text to צֹר/צוֹר, since all of our ancient witnesses appear to have vocalized the text as צוּר. The LXX translation τὴν βοήθειαν reflects צוּר, see Ps 19[18]:15. The second column of Origen's Hexapla also presents this vocalization: σουρ.
- Emend צוּר to מִצָּר ("from the adversary"): "You turn back his sword from the adversary" (NET; see v. 44 alternative 2 diagram). See NET note: "The present translation reflects the latter, assuming an original reading תָּשִׁיב מִצָּר חַרְבּוֹ, which was changed to תָּשִׁיב צָר חַרְבּוֹ by virtual haplography (confusion of bet/mem is well-attested) with צָר (“adversary”) then being misinterpreted as צוּר in the later tradition." This view makes sense, but there is no manuscript evidence to support it.
- Interpret צוּר as a vocative: "You, O Rock, turn back his sword" (Irvine 2019; see v. 44 alternative 3 diagram). But this is an awkward way of reading the text, and it is not reflected in any of the ancient or modern translations we consulted. When the psalmist addresses God elsewhere as צוּר, there is a pronominal suffix (e.g., "my rock") (e.g., Ps 19:15; perhaps the closest parallel to the interpretation proposed here is Deut 32:4: הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ). Also, the psalmist usually calls God his "rock" when he is expressing trust and confidence in YHWH (see e.g., Ps 18:3, 32, 47; 19:15; etc.), which does not make sense in this instance.

Lexical Notes

No Lexical notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44

In v. 44b, most English translations give an abstract rendering of the verb: "help" (NLT), "support" (NIV), "sustain" (NET) (so also LXX trans. NETS: "support" [ἀντελάβου]). But the image here is more vivid and concrete; the verb הֲקֵימֹתוֹ in v. 44 probably means "help up (from the ground after he has fallen)" (cf. Eccl. 4:10; Jer 50:32; so Rashi: מליפול, Ibn Ezra: בנפלו). The verse gives us the image of the king lying in the dust of the battlefield (perhaps injured) with no one to help him up.

Phrase-Level

No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44

In the Masoretic Text, the word "battle" appears to have the definite article: "in the battle" (בַּמִּלְחָמָה) (so e.g., KJV). The reference might be to the specific battle, inferrable from the preceding context, in which the king's walls and fortresses were destroyed (cf. v. 41). When the king fell in that battle, YHWH did not help him up. Most English translations, however, omit the article in their translation: "in battle" (NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB, CSB, GNT, NET, NJPS). Indeed, it is possible that בַּמִּלְחָמָה is not really definite at all. Sometimes, in the Masoretic Text, what appears to be the article in a prefixed prepositional phrase is not actually an article (cf. Huang 2015, 16-18, 136-137). In this case, however, the article makes sense, and it is confirmed by the Septuagint: "in the battle" (ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ).

Verbal Notes

No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.

Textual Notes

No Textual notes to display for this diagram.

Add Exegetical Note

Alternative 2

(Alternative); edit diagram

SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 44a alternative 2] 
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Clause
        Predicate
          verb: תָּשִׁיב you turn back
          Object
            ConstructChain
              noun: חַרְבּ sword
              suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
          Adverbial
            PrepositionalPhrase
              Preposition
                preposition: מִ from <status="alternative emendation">
              Object
                noun: צַּר adversary <status="alternative revocalization">

Diagram Code

 DiscourseUnit [v. 44a alternative 2] 
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Clause
        Predicate
          verb: תָּשִׁיב you turn back
          Object
            ConstructChain
              noun: חַרְבּ sword
              suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
          Adverbial
            PrepositionalPhrase
              Preposition
                preposition: מִ from <status="alternative emendation">
              Object
                noun: צַּר adversary <status="alternative revocalization">

Copy to display elsewhere

 {{Diagram/Display | Chapter=89|DiagramID=v-44-Alternative-2 }}

Grammar Notes

No Grammar notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44

The word אַף is a discourse marker governing multiple clauses (see BHRG §40.14(1)).

Note for v. 44

The word צוּר in v. 44, which usually means "rock" (i.e., a large rocky hill or cliff) is difficult to understand in the context—what is the meaning of this word and what is its syntactic function? There are four main options:
- Interpret the phrase צוּר חַרְבּוֹ as a construct chain: "the flint of his sword >> the sharpness of his sword >> his sharp sword" (see v. 44 preferred diagram). According to this view, the word צוּר is not understood as "large rocky hill" or "cliff" but as a by-form of the word צֹר ("stone" or "flint"). This by-form occurs also in Josh 5:3 (חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים, "flint knives," NIV) and perhaps also in Job 22:24 (וּבְצוּר נְחָלִים, "[small] stones in the wadis," CSB). So Rashi, Radak, and Ibn Ezra, all of whom paraphrase the construction as חידוד חרבו ("the sharpness of his sword") and connect it to the form in Josh 5:3. See also Targum: "you have also turned back his sharp sword" (Stec 2004, 170, תתיב לאחורא סייפיה חריפא). All of the ancient versions likewise interpreted the phrase as a construct chain, though they ascribe various meanings to צוּר. E.g., LXX: "you turned away the help of his sword (τὴν βοήθειαν τῆς ῥομφαίας αὐτοῦ)" (LXX, trans. NETS); Symmachus: "the strength of his sword" (τὴν στερρότητα τῆς μαχαίρας αὐτοῦ); Quinta: "the strength of his sword" (τὴν στερρότητα τῆς ῥομφαίας αὐτοῦ); Peshitta: "you have turned back the help of his sword (ܥܘܕܪܢܐ ܕܣܦܣܝܪܗ)" (Taylor 2020, 370-1); Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): "you have turned away the strength of his sword" (avertisti robur gladii eius). This option seems the most plausible.
- Revocalize צוּר as צֹר/צוֹר and interpret the phrase צוֹר חַרְבּוֹ as a construct chain: "flint of his sword >> the sharpness of his sword >> his sharp sword" (DCH, HALOT; Gesenius 2013, 1136; see v. 44 alternative 1 diagram,). The end-result of this interpretation is the same as the previous interpretation. Most modern translations either reflect this option or the previous option—it is usually impossible to tell which one a modern translation reflects. E.g., "the edge of his sword" (NRSV, cf. KJV, ESV, NIV), "the blade of his sword" (NJPS), "the power of his sword" (LUT), "his sharp sword" (ZÜR). It seems better to interpret צוּר as a by-form of צֹר than to revocalize the text to צֹר/צוֹר, since all of our ancient witnesses appear to have vocalized the text as צוּר. The LXX translation τὴν βοήθειαν reflects צוּר, see Ps 19[18]:15. The second column of Origen's Hexapla also presents this vocalization: σουρ.
- Emend צוּר to מִצָּר ("from the adversary"): "You turn back his sword from the adversary" (NET; see v. 44 alternative 2 diagram). See NET note: "The present translation reflects the latter, assuming an original reading תָּשִׁיב מִצָּר חַרְבּוֹ, which was changed to תָּשִׁיב צָר חַרְבּוֹ by virtual haplography (confusion of bet/mem is well-attested) with צָר (“adversary”) then being misinterpreted as צוּר in the later tradition." This view makes sense, but there is no manuscript evidence to support it.
- Interpret צוּר as a vocative: "You, O Rock, turn back his sword" (Irvine 2019; see v. 44 alternative 3 diagram). But this is an awkward way of reading the text, and it is not reflected in any of the ancient or modern translations we consulted. When the psalmist addresses God elsewhere as צוּר, there is a pronominal suffix (e.g., "my rock") (e.g., Ps 19:15; perhaps the closest parallel to the interpretation proposed here is Deut 32:4: הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ). Also, the psalmist usually calls God his "rock" when he is expressing trust and confidence in YHWH (see e.g., Ps 18:3, 32, 47; 19:15; etc.), which does not make sense in this instance.

Lexical Notes

No Lexical notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44

In v. 44b, most English translations give an abstract rendering of the verb: "help" (NLT), "support" (NIV), "sustain" (NET) (so also LXX trans. NETS: "support" [ἀντελάβου]). But the image here is more vivid and concrete; the verb הֲקֵימֹתוֹ in v. 44 probably means "help up (from the ground after he has fallen)" (cf. Eccl. 4:10; Jer 50:32; so Rashi: מליפול, Ibn Ezra: בנפלו). The verse gives us the image of the king lying in the dust of the battlefield (perhaps injured) with no one to help him up.

Phrase-Level

No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44

In the Masoretic Text, the word "battle" appears to have the definite article: "in the battle" (בַּמִּלְחָמָה) (so e.g., KJV). The reference might be to the specific battle, inferrable from the preceding context, in which the king's walls and fortresses were destroyed (cf. v. 41). When the king fell in that battle, YHWH did not help him up. Most English translations, however, omit the article in their translation: "in battle" (NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB, CSB, GNT, NET, NJPS). Indeed, it is possible that בַּמִּלְחָמָה is not really definite at all. Sometimes, in the Masoretic Text, what appears to be the article in a prefixed prepositional phrase is not actually an article (cf. Huang 2015, 16-18, 136-137). In this case, however, the article makes sense, and it is confirmed by the Septuagint: "in the battle" (ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ).

Verbal Notes

No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.

Textual Notes

No Textual notes to display for this diagram.

Add Exegetical Note

Alternative 3

(Alternative); edit diagram

SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 44a alternative 3] 
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Vocative
        noun: צוּר Rock
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Clause
        Predicate
          verb: תָּשִׁיב you turn back
          Object
            ConstructChain
              noun: חַרְבּ sword
              suffix-pronoun: וֹ him

Diagram Code

 DiscourseUnit [v. 44a alternative 3] 
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Vocative
        noun: צוּר Rock
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Clause
        Predicate
          verb: תָּשִׁיב you turn back
          Object
            ConstructChain
              noun: חַרְבּ sword
              suffix-pronoun: וֹ him

Copy to display elsewhere

 {{Diagram/Display | Chapter=89|DiagramID=v-44-Alternative-3 }}

Grammar Notes

No Grammar notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44

The word אַף is a discourse marker governing multiple clauses (see BHRG §40.14(1)).

Note for v. 44

The word צוּר in v. 44, which usually means "rock" (i.e., a large rocky hill or cliff) is difficult to understand in the context—what is the meaning of this word and what is its syntactic function? There are four main options:
- Interpret the phrase צוּר חַרְבּוֹ as a construct chain: "the flint of his sword >> the sharpness of his sword >> his sharp sword" (see v. 44 preferred diagram). According to this view, the word צוּר is not understood as "large rocky hill" or "cliff" but as a by-form of the word צֹר ("stone" or "flint"). This by-form occurs also in Josh 5:3 (חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים, "flint knives," NIV) and perhaps also in Job 22:24 (וּבְצוּר נְחָלִים, "[small] stones in the wadis," CSB). So Rashi, Radak, and Ibn Ezra, all of whom paraphrase the construction as חידוד חרבו ("the sharpness of his sword") and connect it to the form in Josh 5:3. See also Targum: "you have also turned back his sharp sword" (Stec 2004, 170, תתיב לאחורא סייפיה חריפא). All of the ancient versions likewise interpreted the phrase as a construct chain, though they ascribe various meanings to צוּר. E.g., LXX: "you turned away the help of his sword (τὴν βοήθειαν τῆς ῥομφαίας αὐτοῦ)" (LXX, trans. NETS); Symmachus: "the strength of his sword" (τὴν στερρότητα τῆς μαχαίρας αὐτοῦ); Quinta: "the strength of his sword" (τὴν στερρότητα τῆς ῥομφαίας αὐτοῦ); Peshitta: "you have turned back the help of his sword (ܥܘܕܪܢܐ ܕܣܦܣܝܪܗ)" (Taylor 2020, 370-1); Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): "you have turned away the strength of his sword" (avertisti robur gladii eius). This option seems the most plausible.
- Revocalize צוּר as צֹר/צוֹר and interpret the phrase צוֹר חַרְבּוֹ as a construct chain: "flint of his sword >> the sharpness of his sword >> his sharp sword" (DCH, HALOT; Gesenius 2013, 1136; see v. 44 alternative 1 diagram,). The end-result of this interpretation is the same as the previous interpretation. Most modern translations either reflect this option or the previous option—it is usually impossible to tell which one a modern translation reflects. E.g., "the edge of his sword" (NRSV, cf. KJV, ESV, NIV), "the blade of his sword" (NJPS), "the power of his sword" (LUT), "his sharp sword" (ZÜR). It seems better to interpret צוּר as a by-form of צֹר than to revocalize the text to צֹר/צוֹר, since all of our ancient witnesses appear to have vocalized the text as צוּר. The LXX translation τὴν βοήθειαν reflects צוּר, see Ps 19[18]:15. The second column of Origen's Hexapla also presents this vocalization: σουρ.
- Emend צוּר to מִצָּר ("from the adversary"): "You turn back his sword from the adversary" (NET; see v. 44 alternative 2 diagram). See NET note: "The present translation reflects the latter, assuming an original reading תָּשִׁיב מִצָּר חַרְבּוֹ, which was changed to תָּשִׁיב צָר חַרְבּוֹ by virtual haplography (confusion of bet/mem is well-attested) with צָר (“adversary”) then being misinterpreted as צוּר in the later tradition." This view makes sense, but there is no manuscript evidence to support it.
- Interpret צוּר as a vocative: "You, O Rock, turn back his sword" (Irvine 2019; see v. 44 alternative 3 diagram). But this is an awkward way of reading the text, and it is not reflected in any of the ancient or modern translations we consulted. When the psalmist addresses God elsewhere as צוּר, there is a pronominal suffix (e.g., "my rock") (e.g., Ps 19:15; perhaps the closest parallel to the interpretation proposed here is Deut 32:4: הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ). Also, the psalmist usually calls God his "rock" when he is expressing trust and confidence in YHWH (see e.g., Ps 18:3, 32, 47; 19:15; etc.), which does not make sense in this instance.

Lexical Notes

No Lexical notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44

In v. 44b, most English translations give an abstract rendering of the verb: "help" (NLT), "support" (NIV), "sustain" (NET) (so also LXX trans. NETS: "support" [ἀντελάβου]). But the image here is more vivid and concrete; the verb הֲקֵימֹתוֹ in v. 44 probably means "help up (from the ground after he has fallen)" (cf. Eccl. 4:10; Jer 50:32; so Rashi: מליפול, Ibn Ezra: בנפלו). The verse gives us the image of the king lying in the dust of the battlefield (perhaps injured) with no one to help him up.

Phrase-Level

No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram. Other notes for v. 44

Note for v. 44