Psalm 89/Notes

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v. 1 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

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v. 2 (Method:Grammar)

  • There is a textual issue in the first line of the poem. Consider the differences between the ESV and the NRSV:
  1. "I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever" (ESV) (see v. 2 preferred diagram).
  2. "I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever" (NRSV, cf. NEB) (see v. 2 alternative diagram).
  • The ESV follows the MT, which reads חַֽסְדֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה (a construct chain): "YHWH's acts of loyalty" (cf. Symmachus, Aquila, Jerome, Peshitta, Targum). The NRSV, instead of חַסְדֵי, is reading חֲסָדֶיךָ (with a 2ms suffix), which requires interpreting יְהוָה as a vocative. The NRSV claims to be following the Septuagint (footnote: "Gk"). According to Rahlfs' 1931 edition, the Septuagint says: "Of your mercies, O Lord (τὰ ἐλέη σου, κύριε), I will sing forever" (NETS; cf. Theodotion). It is likely, however, that the Septuagint originally agreed with the MT and read "the Lord's mercies" (τὰ ἐλέη τοῦ κυρίου, so Ra 2110 [unknown to Rahlfs]) and that the reading "your mercies, O Lord" (τὰ ἐλέη σου, κύριε) is an inner-Greek corruption (see Barthélemy 2005, 614). This reading probably represents an attempt to smooth out the text—to make the otherwise third-person reference to YHWH in the a-line match the second person reference in the b-line (cf. Barthélemy 2005, 612–614). Some idiomatic modern translations do the same: "O LORD, I will always sing of your constant love; I will proclaim your faithfulness forever" (GNT, cf. CEV, HFA, GNB). The person-shifting in the MT (third person in the a-line --> second person in the b-line), although unusual in English, is a characteristic feature of Hebrew poetry and happens sometimes at the beginnings of psalms (see e.g., Pss 9:2; 92:2).

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v. 2 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The word חֶסֶד ("loyalty") (vv. 3, 15, 25, 29, 34) describes a "state in which humans or deities are committed towards fulfilling their obligations and show that by their actions" (SDBH). In Ps 89:2, 50, the plural form is used (חֲסָדִים). "It is most likely that the plural is used to denote a number of specific acts of חֶסֶד" (de Blois, "Love or Loyalty: A New Study in the Concept of חֶסֶד"; cf. HALOT: "proofs of mercy"; BDB: "the historic displays of lovingkindness to Israel"). Cf. Isa 63:7. In the context of Ps 89, the psalmist is probably thinking about all of the past acts of loyalty that YHWH has shown to David and his descendants—giving them victory in battle, rescuing them from their enemies time and time again, and granting generations of dynastic succession. In v. 20, the nominal form חֲסִיד occurs, referring to "someone who practices חֶסֶד" (SDBH).

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v. 2 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The word אֱמוּנָה, which occurs so often in this psalm (vv. 2, 3, 6, 9, 25, 34, 50), refers to a "state in which humans and deities are considered worthy of trust, because they are truthful and committed, with an unwavering disposition, which is reflected in their words and actions." We find a helpful illustration of the meaning of this word in 2 Kgs 12:15: "No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity (בֶאֱמֻנָה)" (CSB). In other words, the men were "considered worthy of trust" (SDBH); they were reliable and honest; their conduct was in accord with אֱמֶת. SDBH gives the same definition for both אֱמֻנָה and אֱמֶת (cf. v. 15). TDOT, however, sees a distinction between these two words. According to TDOT, whereas אֱמֶת refers to the abstract quality of "truth" or "faithfulness," אֱמוּנָה describes "the conduct growing out of אֱמֶת" (TDOT). As TDOT explains, "Whereas אֱמֶת is always used in relationship to something (or someone) on which (or whom) one can rely, אֱמוּנָה seems more to emphasize one’s own inner attitude and the conduct it produces. The frequently suggested translation, 'conscientiousness,' would seem to come closest to the meaning intended in many passages'" (TDOT). Thus, in relation to Ps 89, TDOT says, "Five times the psalmist calls attention to God’s אֱמוּנָה (vv. 2, 3, 6, 9, 50[1, 2, 5, 8, 49]), and twice God himself acknowledges it (vv. 25, 34[24, 33]). In this case, אֱמוּנָה would be conduct in which God acts in a way true to his character, as it were. Indeed, the concern of this psalm is that God be reminded of his deity, of his word, which he cannot break without forsaking his deity, himself, his very אֱמוּנָה, i.e., his conduct that is inseparably connected with faithfulness and reliability, which, therefore, also includes steadfast endurance" (TDOT).

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v. 2 (Phrasal)

  • The phrase לְדֹר וָדֹר (lit.: "for a generation and a generation"), which occurs both in v. 2 and in v. 5, is a Hebrew figure of speech that essentially means "forever" (see e.g., Isa 34:17; Joel 4:20; Pss 10:6; 33:11; 77:9; 79:13; 85:6; 102:13; 106:31; 119:90; 135:13; 146:10; Lam 5:19). It is often paralleled in poetry with the adverbial עוֹלָם or לְעוֹלָם. The NLT's translation of this phrase ("young and old") is inaccurate, because the phrase does not refer to groups of people but to a measurement of time. The ESV's translation ("to all generations," so also KJV, CSB, NET) is also inaccurate in our view, because the lamed preposition does not indicate the recipient of the speech ("I will make known to all generations"), but the temporal frame of the speech ("for/through all generations"), as in the common phrase לְעוֹלָם (see uses of לְדֹר וָדֹר listed above; cf. Jenni 2000, 275). More accurate in this regard is the translation of the NIV: "through all generations."

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v. 2 (Verbal)

The ה suffix on אָשִׁירָה, traditionally identified as the marker for the cohortative, is more likely a morpheme that expresses "an increasingly conventionalized reflexive-benefactive sense."[1] In the Psalms, the 1cs yiqtol from the root שִׁיר almost invariably has the he suffix (one exception: Ps 59:17).

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v. 3 (Method:Grammar)

  • There is a textual issue in v. 3. The MT reads the first person verb אָמַ֗רְתִּי: "I said" (cf. Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, Quinta, Targum; so most modern translations [see vv. 3-5 preferred diagram]). The Septuagint, Jerome (iuxta Hebr.), and some manuscripts of the Peshitta read the second person verb אָמַרְתָּ: "you said" (LXX: εἶπας; Jerome: dixisti; Peshitta: ܐܡܪܬ, see Taylor 2020, 362–3 [see vv. 3-5 alternative diagram]; other Peshitta manuscripts read a third person verb [ܐܡܪ], see Leiden Peshitta).
    • The first-person reading of MT (אָמַרְתִּי) results in a complex participant-reference situation: the psalmist speaks in v. 3, and then YHWH speaks (without introduction) in vv. 4-5. The second-person reading (אָמַרְתָּ) appears to simplify the situation. According to this reading, vv. 3-5 have a single speaker ("YHWH") who is clearly introduced in v. 3 ("you said"). Yet the second-person reading introduces a new participant-reference problem: "you said 'loyalty will be built up forever. The sky, you set up your faithfulness (אֱמוּנָתְךָ) in it.'" If God were the speaker in v. 3 (as implied by the 2ms reading אָמַרְתָּ), then we would expect "my faithfulness" (אֱמוּנָתִי) instead of "your faithfulness" (אֱמוּנָתְךָ). There are two ways around this problem. The first is to emend the text to אֱמוּנָתִי (cf. BHS), but there is no manuscript or versional evidence for this reading. The second is to understand the b-line as the psalmist's own speech interrupting YHWH's speech: "because you said, 'Forever mercy will be built.' In the heavens your truth will be prepared" (NETS; cf. Baethgen 1904, 274). But this explanation not only disrupts the otherwise clear parallelism in v. 3, it also interrupts YHWH's speech, which continues through vv. 4-5.
    • In the end, it seems best to follow the traditional reading אָמַרְתִּי. There are other clear examples in the Psalms of the psalmist reporting his past speech in this way (cf. כִּי אָמַרְתּי in Ps 38:17; see also Pss 16:2; 30:7; 31:15, 23; 41:5; 82:6; 116:11). Furthermore, although the shift to YHWH as speaker in vv. 4-5 is rather abrupt, the shift corresponds with the poetic structure; vv. 4-5 represent a new poetic sub-section, distinct from (though still closely bound to) vv. 2-3. "The words I have said, imply that the truth which the inspired writer propounds was deeply fixed in his heart. Whatever, as if he had said, has hitherto happened, it has never had the effect of effacing from my heart the undoubted hope of experiencing the Divine favor as to the future, and I will always continue steadfastly to cherish the same feeling" (Calvin).
    • Some propose to emend the text to read כְּאַדְמַת instead of כִּי אָמַרְתִּי (so e.g., BHS; NEB: "Thy true love is firm as the ancient earth"), but there is no manuscript support for this reading.

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v. 3 (Method:Grammar)

  • In addition to the 2ms reading אָמַרְתָּ, the Septuagint gives two other variants in vv. 3-5.
    • First, it vocalizes תכן as תִּכֹּן (niphal, instead of hiphil תָּכִן): "truth will be prepared (ἑτοιμασθήσεται)" (NETS; cf. Symmachus: ἑδρασθήσεται). The hiphil vocalization of MT is supported by Jerome (fundabis), the Targum (תתקין), and the numerous medieval manuscripts that read תכין (see Kennicott 1776, 384; including some outside of the Tiberian tradition, e.g., BL Or 1477, Neubauer 154, JTS 631). It is also guarded by the Masorah Parva, which notes that this is the only time this particular form appears with defective spelling (תָּכִן rather than תָּכִין). But the defective spelling of the consonantal text argues against the hiphil vocalization, since there are no other examples of hiphil הכין, יכין, תכין, מקין that are defective (see also the verb קום). Although the defective spelling is also rare with the niphal—we would have expected תִּכּוֹן—there are clear examples of it: 2 Kgs 2:12 (וַתִּכֹּ֥ן); 2 Chr 8:16 (וַתִּכֹּן֙). The niphal vocalization of תכן also makes for a nice parallel with יִבָּנֶה (niphal) in the a-line (see NEB for this vocalization). Thus, following the Septuagint, we have preferred the niphal vocalization.
    • The Septuagint also vocalizes לבחירי as לִבְחִירַי (plural suffix, instead of singular suffix לִבְחִירִי): "with my chosen ones (τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς μου)" (NETS). The singular vocalization (לִבְחִירִי) makes better sense in the context, which is about YHWH's oath to David (so also Aquila, Symmachus, Quinta, Jerome [iuxta Hebr.], Targum ["with Abraham, my chosen one"]).

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v. 3 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The word "build" (בנה) is used figuratively in vv. 3, 5. Loyalty will be "built" (v. 3a), and YHWH will "build" David's throne>>kingdom (v. 5b). Thus, "loyalty" is metaphorically conceived of as a material object (perhaps a house, specifically a temple?) that YHWH has built in the heavens (cf. v. 3b) and will forever maintain. Similarly, David's kingdom is depicted as something that YHWH constructs and maintains.
  • The parallel word "establish" (כון) (vv. 3, 5) is also an architectural term (cf. Jdg 16:26; Ps 24:2), referring here to a "process by which a condition becomes stable and can be expected to last for a long time" (SDBH). The permanent "establishing" of the structure is the result of its skillful "building."
  • The construction imagery and the two-fold use of the word "build // establish" at the beginning of the psalm alludes to YHWH's promise in 2 Sam 7 (so Hossfeld and Zenger 2005, 408)—"‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build (תִּבְנֶה) me a house (בַּיִת) to dwell in?...' Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house (בַּיִת)... and I will establish (וְכֹנַנְתִּי) the throne of his kingdom forever" (vv. 5, 11, 13 ESV). (Cf. Veijola 1982, 60-69 and Sarna 2000, who argue that Ps 89 is an exegetical adaptation of Nathan's oracle to David in 2 Sam 7.)

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vv. 3-5 (Verbal)

Modern European translations disagree on the tense of אָמַרְתִּי (qatal) in v. 3. Some translations have a simple past tense—"I said" (ESV, cf. ELB)—or a present perfect—"I have said" (KJV). Others have a future—"I will declare" (NIV, CSB, cf. CEV)—or a present—"I say" (NET, cf. LUT, EÜ, ZÜR). The future-tense interpretation is unlikely for a qatal verb. The past-tense interpretation ("I said" or "I have said") both respects the verbal form and makes sense in the context. As Goldingay writes, "When someone says 'I said' and does not tell us the addressee, this is commonly a way of saying 'I said to myself,' 'I thought' (e.g., Pss 30:7; 39:2), and that makes sense here. The line indicates the expectation the speaker verbalized inside, which lay behind the declaration in v. 1. The worshipper knows of Yhwh’s acts of commitment in the past and affirms that this commitment will last forever; the singing (v. 1) will thus match it."[2] His conviction (v. 3) is the basis for his commitment (v. 2). We might even paraphrase v. 3a, "For I am convinced/persuaded...":[3] "The words 'I have said,' imply that the truth which the inspired writer propounds was deeply fixed in his heart"). The present-tense translation "I say" (NET, LUT, EÜ, ZÜR) is also possible. The verb אמר in the qatal conjugation is sometimes performative, "introducing a message that is being uttered."[4]

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vv. 3-5 (Verbal)

"יִבָּנֶה means not so much to be upheld in building, as to be in the course of continuous building (e.g., Job 22:23, Mal 3:15, of an increasingly prosperous condition). Loving-kindness is for ever (accusative of duration) in the course of continuous building."[5] "It is surprising that the verbs to describe the building and establishing are yiqtol, but it is difficult to justify RSV’s having past tense in the first colon and present in the second or TNIV’s having the opposite; both seem unprincipled. The NRSV and NJPS translate both as present. I assume the yiqtols declare what Yhwh will carry on doing (which will indeed be in continuity with what Yhwh did in the past and keeps on doing in the present). Yhwh will continue to manifest commitment and truthfulness in the cosmos. In light of where the psalm will go, the yiqtols also draw attention to what is needed in the present, when Yhwh’s commitment and truthfulness have apparently collapsed."[6]

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v. 4 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • YHWH's "loyalty" and "reliability" mean that he will keep his covenant with David and his descendants (cf. vv. 4, 29, 35, 40). The word "covenant" (בְּרִית) refers to "an enduring agreement which defines a relationship between two parties involving a solemn, binding obligation(s) specified on the part of at least one of the parties toward the other, made by oath under threat of divine curse, and ratified by a visual ritual" (Gentry and Wellum 2012, 132, adapted from Lane 2000, 314). The narrative account of the origin of this agreement is given in 2 Sam 7. Psalm 89 makes clear the covenantal nature of this agreement as well as the obligations that bind each party: David's descendants swear an oath to keep YHWH's instruction (vv. 31-33), and YHWH swears an oath to forever establish David's "kingdom" (lit. "throne") and "dynasty" (lit.: "offspring") (vv. 5, 36-38), i.e., to ensure the permanence of David's kingdom and dynasty.

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v. 4 (Phrasal)

  • The lamed prepositions (לִבְחִירִי...לְדָוִד) in v. 4 indicate, respectively, the person with (or for) whom the covenant is made ("dative lamed") and the person to whom the oath is sworn (lamed of communication) (Jenni 2000, rubrics 32, 64). See e.g., ESV: "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant." Cf. Josh 9:15: "And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them (וַיִּכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית), to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them (וַיִּשָּׁבְעוּ לָהֶם)" (ESV).

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v. 5, (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • "Throne" (vv. 5, 15, 30, 37, 45) in this context, is a symbol, "representing someone's position as monarch..." (SDBH), i.e., "kingdom." Cf. 2 Sam 7:13—"the throne of his kingdom" (כִּסֵּא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ).

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v. 6 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The adjective "holy" (קָדוֹשׁ) means "belonging to the realm of the divine" (DCH). The plural "holy ones" (קְדֹשִׁים) can refer to YHWH's people (e.g., Ps 34:10) or to the heavenly beings who surround his throne (e.g., Zech 14:5; Job 5:1). The context of Ps 89 makes clear that the reference in vv. 6, 8 is to heavenly beings (cf. the parallel "heavens" in v. 6a and the phrase "sons of god >> heavenly beings" in v. 7).

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v. 6 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The singular noun פֶּלֶא is a collective: "wonders" (cf. Pss 77:12; 88:13; so LXX: τὰ θαυμάσιά σου; Jerome: mirabilia tua).

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v. 6 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • "Sky" is a metonymy for "the heavenly beings who live in the sky" (cf. vv. 6b-8).

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v. 6 (Verbal)

Verse-initial waw, when followed by a yiqtol, is often a discourse marker, signalling "text level disjunction or transition... It marks the beginning of thematic sub-units over against other thematic sub-units within a composition."[7] This function of waw is especially clear when it occurs, as it does here, after Selah.[8] Thus, the form וְיוֹדוּ in this verse is not a weyiqtol, but waw + yiqtol. Most translations omit the conjunction altogether (e.g., LXX, Jerome [iuxta Hebr.], NIV, NLT, ESV, CSB, NET, GNT, NJPS, HFA, NGÜ, EÜ, ZÜR, et al.). It is doubtful in these cases whether the translators read a different text, one without waw (though there are some Hebrew manuscripts that omit the waw). More likely the translations omit the conjunction for the sake of naturalness, since its function can be adequately conveyed by asyndeton (and/or by a paragraph division).

Most translations render the yiqtol verb יוֹדוּ (v. 6) as indicative "the heavens praise" (NIV, CSB, NET, cf. GNT, NLT, NJPS, LUT, HFA, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB; so LXX, Jerome [iuxta Hebr.]), but some translations render it as a jussive: "let the heavens praise!" (ESV, NRSV, cf. ZÜR). The verb-subject word supports the jussive reading.[9] The jussive reading also makes sense in the context. Similar hymns of praise typically include some kind of imperatival summons to praise (often with the verb ידה hiphil), followed by כִּי introducing reasons for praise.[10] Furthermore, other passages in the Psalter summon the heavenly beings to praise YHWH (e.g., Ps 29:1-2).

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v. 7 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • "The basic meaning of ערך is 'lay out, arrange, set in order'" (TDOT). The meaning "compare" is an extension of this basic sense (cf. Isa 40:18; Ps 40:6), since people lay out objects beside one another in order to compare them (cf. BDB: "compare [as result of arranging in order]"). Cf. Symmachus: "Who can parallel (ἀντιπαραθήσει) the Lord?"

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v. 7 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The word שַׁחַק occurs in v. 7 and v. 38, forming a frame around the central section of the psalm (vv. 6-38). The precise referent of the word is not clear. Some Hebrew lexica say that it means "clouds" (e.g., HALOT, BDB, Gesenius 2013; so LXX in v. 7: ἐν νεφέλαις; Jerome in v. 7: in nubibus), but this meaning is difficult to maintain in some of the word's uses (cf. Job 37:21; 2 Sam 22:12; Ps 18:12; Prov 8:28; cf. Walton 2011, 156-9), including here in Ps 89 where the word is singular. In Ps 89, the meaning "sky" or "heaven" makes better sense (so DCH, BDB; LXX in v. 38: ἐν οὐρανῷ; Jerome in v. 38: in caelo). Perhaps שַׁחַק, which occurs only in poetry, is a poetic synonym of שָׁמַיִם (cf. the numerous instances of שׁחק // שׁמים; e.g., Pss 36:6; 57:11; 78:23; 108:5; Job 35:5; 38:37), or maybe it is a hyponym of שָׁמַיִם, referring to a particular part of the sky (cf. Walton 2011, 156-9, who argues that שׁחקים refers to the multi-layered solid dome of the sky, whereas רקיע refers to the expanse between the earth and this solid structure; together the שׁחקים and the רקיע constitute שׁמים). Although the denotation of the word is unclear, it has clear connotations with the divine realm and YHWH's incomparable majesty (unlike שׁמים, it is never used in a purely 'secular' or cosmological sense; the context is always theological). See esp. Deut 33:26—"There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies (שְׁחָקִים) in his majesty" (ESV). Given the word's theological associations, "heaven" is an appropriate English gloss.

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v. 7 (Phrasal)

  • The phrase בְּנֵי אֵלִים (lit.: "sons of the gods," so NAB) occurs also in Ps 29:1. It refers here to "heavenly beings" (NIV, ESV, NET, GNT). Cf. the more common Hebrew phrase בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים (Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7) and the Aramaic phrase בַר אֱלָהִין (Dan 3:25). All of these phrases refer to divine beings. Cf. the phrase "the assembly of the sons of the gods (bn . ilm .)" in the Ugaritic Baal Myth (COS I, 258; KTU 1.4, III:14). YHWH's heavenly court consists of lesser divine beings (cf. 1 Kgs 22:19; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Ps 82). The word "sons" (בְּנֵי) in this phrase does not refer to biological descendants but to members of a class. Compare, for example, the phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ ("humans") in Ps 4:3.

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v. 7 (Phrasal)

  • The word שַׁחַק is vocalized as definite (בַשַּׁחַק) in the Masoretic Text (so also in v. 38), because it refers to something unique, i.e., "the sky" or "heaven" (see note on lexical semantics).

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vv. 7-8 (Verbal)

The yiqtol's in vv. 7-19 describe habitual events (⟲⟲⟲). Occasionally, the habitual semantics are explicit in the context (e.g., "always" in v. 17a and "whenever they rise" in v. 10b), but, for the most part, they are implied by the context. These verses constitute a hymn of praise to YHWH, describing who YHWH is and what he characteristically, or habitually, does.

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vv. 7-8 (Verbal)

The yiqtol's in v. 7 have a modal nuance (ability): "can" (KJV, NIV, NLT, ESV, NET, NJPS, cf. LUT, ZÜR).

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v. 8 (Method:Grammar)

  • Another issue in v. 8 is whether אֵל is in apposition to ליהוה from the previous line, the subject of a new clause, or a vocative. Contrast, for example, the following three translations:
  1. "Who... is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared..." (ESV) (see the alternative reading in the vv. 7-8 preferred diagram).
  2. "Who is like the LORD...? ...God is greatly feared" (NIV; cf. LXX) (see vv. 7-8 preferred diagram)
  3. "Who is like the Lord...? O God (θεὲ), fearsome one..." (cf. Symmachus) (see v. 8 alternative diagram).
  • The apposition interpretation (so ESV) seems unlikely, not only because there is an intervening constituent between the two phrases (לַ֝יהוָ֗ה בִּבְנֵ֥י אֵלִֽים׃ אֵ֣ל), but also because לַיהוָה is a prepositional phrase and אֵל is a noun phrase. If אֵל were in apposition to לַיהוָה, then we might have expected לְאֵל. The vocative interpretation is possible, but this would be a very long vocative phrase (all of v. 8), and there is no clear signal in the text that it should be understood as such. By contrast, the third-person references to YHWH in the previous line (לַיהוָה) make it more natural to read v. 8 as a third-person statement about God, rather than a vocative. The NIV interpretation is the most viable syntactically. The only issue with this interpretation is that the divine epithet אֵל reads more naturally as a description the kind of "god" YHWH is (cf. Pss 5:5 ["a god who delights in wickedness"]; 7:12 ["a god who expresses indignation"]; 29:3; 31:6; 42:3, 9; 50:1; 57:3; 94:1; etc.), than as a bare reference to YHWH himself (though see, e.g., Pss 10:12; 16:1; 17:6; 19:2; 78:18; etc.). Thus, a fourth option (here preferred) is to interpret אֵל as a predicate complement with the subject elided: "[He is] a god who is terrifying in the council of holy ones."

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v. 8 (Method:Grammar)

  • There is an issue of text, line division, and grammar in v. 8. Consider the differences among the following translations:
  1. "a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, // and awesome above all who are around him?" (ESV, cf. NJPS, NIV)
  2. "a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly, // and more awesome than all who surround him?" (NET)
  3. "a God feared in the council of the holy ones, // great and awesome above all that are around him?" (NRSV, LUT, ELB, EÜ, ZÜR) (preferred).
  • The ESV reads the text as רַבָּה ("greatly)," groups it with the first line (so MT), and interprets it as an adverb (cf. Radak: "they dread a great dread and a great fear" [מערצה רבה ויראה רבה יעריצו]; Hupfeld 1860, 470). This interpretation has a clear parallel in Job 31:34—כִּ֤י אֶֽעֱר֨וֹץ׀ הָ֘מ֤וֹן רַבָּ֗ה, "because I so feared the crowd" (NIV) (so Barthélemy 2005, 618). See also Ps 78:15—וַ֝יַּ֗שְׁקְ כִּתְהֹמ֥וֹת רַבָּֽה, "and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep" (ESV) (see also Ps 62:3).
  • The NET also reads the text as רַבָּה ("greatly)" and groups it with the first line, but it interprets it as an adjective modifying "assembly" (סוֹד) (cf. Symmachus: ἐν ὁμιλίᾳ...πολλῇ; Jerome [iuxta Hebr.]: in arcano...nimio [though possibly an adverb]; Ibn Ezra: ורבה תואר לסוד "and 'great' is an adjective modifying 'assembly'").
  • The NRSV reads the text as רַב (or רַב הוּא), groups it with the second line, and interprets it as an adjective describing YHWH (cf. LXX: μέγας; Aquila: πλῆθος; Peshitta: ܪܒ; Targum: ורבא). The NRSV's line division follows the Septuagint, which, in turn, probably preserves an ancient Hebrew manuscript division (see also the graphic division in the Babylonian manuscript BL Or 2373). If the division in the Septuagint is secondary, it might have arisen from a scribe placing רבה at the beginning of the following row of his manuscript because he had run out of space at the end of the preceding row. But the Septuagint might preserve the correct division here, and it is possible to follow this division without emending the text. The adjective רַבָּה, instead of being a feminine adjective, could be an Aramaism (= רַבָּא) and thus a masculine adjective. Cf. Ezra 4:10— אָסְנַפַּר֙ רַבָּ֣א וְיַקִּירָ֔א; TAD D.22.49:3—אלהא רבא. Similarly, Aramaic רַבַּת occurs several times in the Psalms (e.g., Pss 65:10; 120:6; 123:4; 129:1). Note also the Aramaism חֲסִין in the very next verse. Thus, we can follow the line division of the Septuagint and arrive at the same interpretation as the Septuagint and the NRSV, but without the need to emend the text.

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v. 8 (Phrasal)

  • The עַל preposition in v. 8 indicates "superiority" (Mena 2012, 85-87; cf. Pss 95:3; 96:4; 1 Chron 16:25): "awesome above all who are around him" (ESV, cf. NRSV) >> "more awesome than all who surround him" (NIV, cf. NLT, CSB, NET). Alternative interpretation: "held in awe by all around Him" (NJPS, cf. KJV).

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v. 9 (Method:Grammar)

  • Translations disagree on the line division (and thus on the syntax) of this verse. See, for example, the following translations:
  1. "Who is like you, Lord God of heavenly forces? Mighty Lord, your faithfulness surrounds you!" (CEB; cf. Jerome iuxta Hebr.; Dahood 1968, 308; see v. 9 preferred diagram, though, in addition to reading "Mighty Lord" as a vocative, the preferred diagram sees the question "who is like you" elided in the b-line).
  2. "O Lord God of hosts, who is as mighty as you, O Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds you" (NRSV, cf. NJPS, NLT, ESV, GNT, ELB, HFA, GNB; so also Peshitta, Targum; see v. 9 alternative 2 diagram).
  3. "O Lord God of hosts, who is like you? You are powerful, O Lord, and your truth is around you" (LXX, trans. NETS; cf. NIV, LUT, NGÜ, EÜ, ZÜR; so Baethgen 1904, 275; see v. 9 alternative 3 diagram).
  4. "Lord God of Hosts, who is like you? Your strength and faithfulness, Lord, are all around you" (REB, emending the text to חָסְנְךָ)
  • The Masoretic accents suggest the following line division (cf. de Hoop and Sanders 2022, §6.2): יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י צְבָא֗וֹת // מִֽי־כָֽמ֖וֹךָ חֲסִ֥ין ׀ יָ֑הּ // וֶ֝אֱמֽוּנָתְךָ֗ סְבִיבוֹתֶֽיךָ׃. According to this division, we would understand the text as NRSV et al. above. Cf. Exod 15:11—מִֽי־כָמֹ֤כָה בָּֽאֵלִם֙ יְהוָ֔ה מִ֥י כָּמֹ֖כָה נֶאְדָּ֣ר בַּקֹּ֑דֶשׁ.
  • The Septuagint preserves a different line division: יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת מִי־כָמוֹךָ // חֲסִין יָהּ וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ. The line division of the Septuagint, which probably preserves an ancient Hebrew line division, is a better fit in the poetic context: every other verse in vv. 2-19 is a two-line verse. If we follow the Septuagint's line division, then there are three options for interpreting the syntax.
    • We could understand the text similar to how the LXX and the NIV have understood it (with an elided 2ms pronoun): "Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you" (NIV).
    • We could understand "Yah" (rather than an elided 2ms pronoun) as the subject of the clause: "Yah is mighty, and your faithfulness is all around you." The sudden shift in person within the same line (3rd person "Yah" --> 2nd person "you") is somewhat jarring but not totally unprecedented (see e.g., Gen 49:4c [MT]; Ps 22:9 [MT]).
    • We could understand חֲסִין יָהּ as a vocative, "Mighty Yah" (cf. Jerome iuxta Hebr.: fortissime Domine), resulting in a nice AB//AB parallelism for v. 9. It could be that חֲסִין modifies יָהּ as an adjective, or, more likely, it could be that חֲסִין is a substantival adjective ("mighty one") in apposition to יָהּ: "Mighty one, Yah >> "Mighty Yah." For a substantival adjective functioning as a vocative, see e.g., Ps 32:11 (צַדִּיקִים); Ps 33:1 (צַדִּיקִים); Prov 1:22 (פְּתָיִם).

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v. 9 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The word חָסִין is an adjective (borrowed from Aramaic) meaning "strong" (HALOT, DCH, BDB). See the entry on חסין in CAL. Cf. Amos 2:9: "strong (חָסֹן) as the oaks" (NIV). The Samaritan Aramaic Targum uses this word in its translation of Exod 15:11 (a passage that is very similar to Ps 89:9): "who is like You among the mighty? who is like You mighty (חסינה = נֶאְדָּר) in his holiness?"

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v. 9 (Phrasal)

  • The phrase יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאֹות is an "epithet of God with focus on his being in charge of the host of heavenly beings surrounding his throne, praising him, and carrying out his will on earth; ≈ as an epithet it relates to God's power and control of the cosmos as the divine king and warrior" (SDBH).

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v. 10 (Method:Grammar)

  • The form שׂוֹא is unique in the Bible. Most interpreters understand it to be an infinitive construct from the common verb נשׂא ("rise"): "when its waves rise, you still them" (ESV; cf. KJV, NIV) >> "When its waves surge, you calm them" (NET). Elsewhere, however, the infinitive construct of נשׂא is usually שֵׂאת and sometimes נְשֹׂא, but never שׂוֹא (cf. GKC 76b). Furthermore, the qal of נשׂא is usually transitive ("to lift something"), whereas here it is intransitive or reflexive ("to be lifted, to lift themselves;" cf. Rashi: "= בהנשא גליו"; Ibn Ezra and Radak: "=בהתרומם;" Targum: מִתְנַטְלִין גַלוֹי) (though for examples of intransitive נשׂא qal, see e.g., Ps 24:9b; Nah 1:5). For these reasons, some interpreters emend בְּשׂוֹא ("at the rising") to בִּשְׁאֹן ("at the roaring," BHS, HALOT; so NEB; cf. the phrase שְׁאֹון גַּלֵּיהֶם in Ps 65:8; see also Isa 17:12; Jer 51:55). It is possible that the Septuagint supports this reading (בִּשְׁאֹן). The Septuagint uses the noun σάλος, which refers to the "surge" or "rolling swell of the sea" (Liddell, Scott, Jones, et al., 1996, 1582): "and the surge of its waves you calm" (LXX, trans. NETS). It is also possible, however, that the Septuagint is giving a dynamic equivalent of בְּשׂוֹא (so also Symmachus, Jerome [iuxta Hebr.]). In either case—whether the waves are "rising" or "roaring"—there is little difference in meaning.

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v. 10 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The verb שׁבח (piel) in v. 10b means to "calm" or "still" (so BDB, HALOT, DCH, cf. Prov 29:11; Ps 65:8 [hiphil]). LXX: καταπραΰνεις, "soften down, appease" (LSJ).

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v. 10 (Verbal)

The participle indicates continuous action (cf. BHRG §20.3.3). YHWH is the ruler of the sea, and he is constantly governing its swelling.

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v. 11 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • "Rahab is one of the names in the OT of the chaos [sea] monster(s) (cf. also Leviathan, Tannin, Tehom, and Yam" (Spronk 1999, 684; cf. Isa 51:9-10; Job 26:12).

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v. 11 (Phrasal)

  • The phrase כֶחָלָל in the Masoretic Text has the definite article, lit.: "like the slain one." The article is generic, not referring to a specific or unique individual but rather to "a kind, species, or class" (Bekins 2017, 31; cf. IBHS §13.5.1f, who note that this use of the article is "especially common in comparisons"). Thus, "like those who are slain" (cf. the Peshitta which also uses the plural: ܐܝܟ ܕܠܩ̈ܛܝܠܐ܂). Note also that the same word occurs in the previous psalm (Ps 88:6): "just like the slain (כְּמוֹ חֲלָלִים) who are lying in the tomb."

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v. 11 (Phrasal)

  • The three-member construct chain in v. 11b is literally "the arm of strength of you." The second member of the construct chain ("strength") characterizes the first member ("arm") (= "arm of strength" >> "strong arm"), and the third member of the chain ("you") indicates possession ("your strong arm," so NIV, CEB, NET, cf. NLT, ESV, CSB, CEV, NJPS).

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v. 12 (Phrasal)

  • The lamed prepositions in v. 12 indicate possession: "belong to you" (NET), "are yours" (NIV, NLT, ESV). See also vv. 14a, 19. Cf. BHRG §39.11(1), "relationship of belonging."

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v. 13 (Method:Grammar)

  • The pronominal suffix "them" (ם) resumes the left-dislocated nouns צָפוֹן וְיָמִין (cf. BHRG §36.1.5.2(c)).

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v. 13 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • Hermon is a "mountain and mountain range stretching from southern Syria to northern Palestine" (DCH; cf. Röllig 1999, 411-412), also called שִׂיאֹן (Deut 4:48), שִׂרְיֹן (Deut 3:9), and שְׂנִיר (Deut 3:9). It was associated with divine activity (cf. 1 Enoch 6:5; 2 Enoch 18:4) and with the storm god Baal in particular (cf. "Baal of Hermon" in Jdg 3:3; 1 Chr 5:23).
  • "Tabor is the name of a mountain in Lower Galilee" (Mussies 1999, 827; cf. Jdg 4:6, 12, 14; 8:18; Josh 19:22; Jer 46:18; Hos 5:1). Mount Tabor, like Hermon, might have also been associated with the worship of foreign gods (cf. Hos 5:1; Frankel 1992, 305).
  • Whereas people worshiped gods other than YHWH on Hermon and Tabor, Ps 89:13b says that these mountains "rejoice in your name," i.e., the mountains recognize YHWH as their creator and Lord and gladly accept his rule.
  • In light of the mythological mountains mentioned in the b-line, it is tempting to understand the words צפון and ימין in the a-line as referring to mountains as well (rather than simply "north and south," so most English translations). Zaphon (צפון), the Hebrew word for "north," is also the name of a mountain north of Israel, "the sacred mountain of the storm god Baal" (Roth 1992, 1040; cf. COS 1.98: "Temple of Baal-Zaphon"). In fact, it was "the cosmic mountain par excellence in Northwest-Semitic religions" (Niehr 1999, 152). Thus, "the name 'Baal-zaphon' was even transferred to further Baal-sanctuaries outside Ugarit," such as in Egypt (Niehr 1999, 152; cf. "Baal-Zaphon" in Exod 14:2; Num 33:7).
  • Some have identified "Yamin" (ימין) in Ps 89:13 with the mountain "Amana" (אמנה) mentioned in Song 4:8 where it is associated with Mt. Hermon (so e.g., Dahood 314)—"Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana (אֲמָנָה), from the peak of Senir and Hermon" (Song 4:8). Dahood argues that ימן in Ps 89 is an alternative spelling for אמן. The NEB translators emend וְיָמִין to וַאֲמָנָה (see Brockington 1971, 144): "Thou didst create Zaphon and Amanus; Tabor and Hermon echo thy name" (cf. NAB).
  • Even if we follow the MT and read "north and south" in v. 13a, it is likely that there is also an allusion to the mountains of Zaphon and Amanus: "Behind the compass directions, especially in connection with Tabor and Hermon, lie the traditional Ugaritic mountains of the gods, Zaphon and Amanus, near the city of Ugarit" (Hossfeld and Zenger 2005, 409).

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v. 13 (Phrasal)

  • The bet prepositional phrase "at your name" (בְּשִׁמְךָ) is a bet of cause (Jenni 1992, 107). YHWH's name (i.e., his identity or character) is the cause, or source, of the mountains' joy, and their joy is directed towards it. This construction is normal for verbs of rejoicing (cf. Jenni 1992, 106-108; e.g., 1 Sam 2:1—עָלַץ לִבִּי בַּיהוָה). English can use various prepositions to express this relationship, e.g., "at your name" (NIV, CSB), "in your name" (NET), or "because of your name."

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v. 14 (Phrasal)

  • Many modern translations render v. 14a as "You have a mighty arm" (e.g., NRSV). The Hebrew text says more literally, "You have an arm together with (עִם) strength." Normally, Hebrew would express a phrase like "mighty arm" by using a construct chain: זְרוֹעַ גְּבוּרָה ("arm of might," see e.g., זְרוֹעַ עֻזְּךָ in v. 11). In this case, however, it has the preposition "(together) with" (עִם), indicating accompaniment or addition. This use of עִם to join two nouns ("this together with that") occurs "chiefly in poetry" (BDB). E.g., Ps 83:7—"Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia together with (עִם) the inhabitants of Tyre." Thus, we should probably understand "arm" as a figure of speech (metonymy) for "strength" and interpret the whole clause as saying "strength together with might are yours" or "strength is yours, and might in addition." Cf. the Peshitta: "The arm belongs to you (ܕܝܠܟ) and strength belongs to you (ܘܕܝܠܟ)" (Taylor 2020, 365).

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v. 15 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • YHWH's "loyalty" and "reliability" are personified as servants in his royal court (cf. Pss 23:6; 40:12; 42:9; 43:3; 57:4; 59:11; 61:8; see also Ps 21:4; cf. Eaton 1975, 153).

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v. 16 (Method:Grammar)

  • The b-line could be read as an independent clause or as an asyndetic relative clause: "they shall walk... in the light of thy countenance" (KJV; cf. LXX, Jerome, Targum, CSB, ELB, EÜ, ISV, LUT, NASB, NBS, NET, NFC, NJPS, PDV, SG21, TOB, ZÜR; see v. 16 alternative diagram) or "who walk in the light of your presence" (NIV, cf. ESV; see v. 16 preferred diagram). Our understanding of the nature of parallelism ("one thought/sentence across two lines," cf. Tsumura 2023) leads us to prefer the relative clause interpretation (cf. Ps 112:1). The ESV even continues the relative clause into the next verse: "Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted."

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v. 16 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • The noun תּרוּעָה describes a "loud sound... used to express an emotion or to communicate something to a community" (SDBH). It could simply be an expression of joyful emotion (cf. the following verse יגילון, but the fact that it is the object of the verb "know" (ידע) suggests that it has a communicative function; it is a "signal" (cf. Symmachus: σημασίαν, "the giving a signal or command" [LSJ]), the significance of which is "known" only to YHWH's people. The תּרוּעָה probably signals "victory" (Jerome, trans. Risse) or, more specifically, YHWH's royal presence on the battlefield with his people to give them victory. This interpretation makes sense in the context: the parallel line mentions the light of YHWH's presence (v. 16b), and the following lines use military language (vv. 18-19). This interpretation also coheres well with the use of תּרוּעָה outside of this psalm. In 1 Sam 4:5-6, the people shout to signal YHWH's presence with them in battle: "As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout (תְּרוּעָה), so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting (הַתְּרוּעָה), they said, 'What does this great shouting (הַתְּרוּעָה) in the camp of the Hebrews mean?'" In 1 Sam 4, only YHWH's people understand the significance of the "shout;" the Philistines do not understand. Thus, in Ps 89, "those who know the signal" is a way of referring to YHWH's people, who experience his presence with them in battle.
  • Shouting (or blowing a horn) to signal YHWH's presence is probably related to the practice of hailing a king (cf. 1 Sam 10:24; Num 23:21; cf. Gesenius 2013, 1458: "Königsjubel;" so Ibn Ezra, Radak). Thus, the word is used "especially in contexts where Yahweh is acclaimed as king" (TDOT) (cf. Num 23:21; Pss 47:2, 6; 95:1; 98:4; 150:5). YHWH's kingship is clear in this context as well; the previous verse of Ps 89 mentioned YHWH's "throne" (v. 15).

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v. 16 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • Whereas the qal verb הלך simply means "walk" or "go," in the (pluractional) piel stem it means "go about" or "walk around" (Penney 2023, 84-87). The action of "walking" is "repeated or extended in different locations" (Penney 2023, 84).

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v. 16 (Phrasal)

  • Verse 16 is essentially one big construct chain: "The happiness of the people, those knowing the signal, who go about in the light of your presence, YHWH!" On the meaning and function of אַשְׁרֵי at the head of a construct chain, see notes on Ps 1:1.

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v. 16 (Verbal)

Note the nun suffix in vv. 16b, 17a, 31b.

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v. 17 (Method:Grammar)

  • BHS proposes emending יָרוּמוּ to either יְרַנֵּנוּ ("they shout for joy;" cf. v. 13) or יָרוּמוּ קוֹלָם ("they raise their voices"). But there is no manuscript evidence for these emendations. The MT is clearly supported by all of the ancient witnesses (see Barthélemy 2005, 622-3), and it makes sense in the context. The clause either says that the people are/will be "exalted by your righteousness" (CSB, cf. KJV, CEV, NET, NJPS; so LXX, Targum, Jerome [iuxta Hebr.]) or that the people "celebrate your righteousness" (NIV, cf. NRSV, NLT; cf. Dahood 1966, 315).

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v. 17 (Method:Lexical Semantics)

  • יָרוּמוּ: "literally: to be, become high; hence: = process by which humans or deities acquire an elevated status" (SDBH). Cf. LXX: ὑψωθήσονται.

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v. 17 (Phrasal)

  • For the bet prepositional phrase "because of your name" (בְּשִׁמְךָ), see note above on v. 13.
  • The bet preposition in the phrase וּבְצִדְקָתְךָ is similarly causal: "because of your righteousness" (Jenni 1992, rubric 1635). Cf. NJPS: "they are exalted through Your righteousness."
  • The adverbial phrase translated always (כָּל־הַיּוֹם) is, literally, "all day long" (NIV, ESV, GNT, NJPS), which is a figurative way of saying "always" (cf. EÜ, ZÜR: allezeit; see e.g., Ps 37:26).

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... further results

  1. ↑ Cook 2024, 216; cf. Gentry 1998.
  2. ↑ Goldingay 2006, 667.
  3. ↑ cf. Gejerus, cited in Poole 1678, 1061; cf. Calvin.
  4. ↑ Andrason §3.1.1; e.g., Job 9:22; 32:10; 2 Sam 19:30; cf. the same function with other verbs of speaking like הגיד, העיד, and ספר.
  5. ↑ Delitzsch 1996, 585.
  6. ↑ Goldingay 2006, 667–668.
  7. ↑ Bandstra 1995, 52, also 49; e.g., Ps 5:11-12.
  8. ↑ cf. Bandstra 1995, 50; for waw + yiqtol after selah, see e.g., Pss 52:8; 59:15.
  9. ↑ See Cook 2024, 119-120, who notes that "V-S order with morphologically distinctive JUSS forms occurs 4 times as often as S-V order;" cf. Gentry 1998, 22-24.
  10. ↑ Cf. Gunkel and Begrich 1998, 23-24; 29-30. For examples of יוֹדוּ as a jussive, see Pss 67:4, 6; 99:3; 145:10.