Psalm 89/Notes/Grammar.v. 19.678482

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  • Most modern translations agree on the syntax of this verse: "For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel" (NETS, cf. NIV, ESV, NRSV, CSB, NJPS, REB, LUT, ELB, EÜ, ZÜR; see v. 19 preferred diagram). According to this interpretation, "shield >> protection" = "king" (so Radak; cf. HFA: "to you belongs our king who protects us;" cf. NGÜ). The Septuagint gives a different interpretation of the grammar when it translates the phrase the whole verse as a single clause in which "our king" is in apposition to "the Holy one of Israel": "because support is of the Lord and of the Holy one of Israel, our king" (LXX, trans. NETS; cf. Jerome [iuxta Hebr.]; see v. 19 alternative diagram). The parallelism and the focus in the following verses on the human "king" supports the interpretation of the modern translations above.