Psalm 89/Notes/Grammar.v. 20.368600

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  • The word בָּחוּר could be either a qal passive participle from the verb בחר ("chosen one," cf. NLT, KJV, ESV, CSB, CEB; so LXX; Jerome iuxta Hebr.) (here preferred) or a noun ("young man," cf. NIV, NET; so Targum). Several arguments support the "chosen one" interpretation. (1) The word בחיר ("chosen one") has already appeared in the psalm's introduction, referring to David (v. 4); (2) Elsewhere, "chosen one" (בחור) and "warrior" (גבור) occur in the same context (e.g., Josh 8:3; cf. 2 Chr 13:3); (3) The following min prepositional phrase makes the most sense if it modifies בחור in the sense of "chosen from among" (cf. 2 Sam 6:21; 10:9; Job 36:21).