Psalm 93 Verse-by-Verse

Back to Psalm 93 overview page.

Welcome to the Verse-by-Verse Notes for Psalm 93!

The Verse-by-Verse Notes present scholarly, exegetical materials (from all layers of analysis) in a verse-by-verse format. They often present alternative interpretive options and justification for a preferred interpretation. The Verse-by-Verse Notes are aimed at consultant-level users.

The discussion of each verse of this psalm includes the following items.

1. A link to the part of the overview video where the verse in question is discussed.
2. The verse in Hebrew and English.
3. An expanded paraphrase of the verse.
4. A grammatical diagram of the verse, which includes glosses for each word and phrase.
5. A series of notes on the verse, which contain information pertaining to the interpretation of the psalm (e.g., meaning of words and phrases, poetic features, difficult grammatical constructions, etc.).

King forever (vv. 1-2)

v. 1

Watch the Overview video on v. 1.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-clear
1a	יְהוָ֣ה מָלָךְ֮ גֵּא֪וּת לָ֫בֵ֥שׁ	YHWH reigns! He is clothed with majesty.
1b	לָבֵ֣שׁ יְ֭הוָה עֹ֣ז הִתְאַזָּ֑ר	YHWH is clothed - he is armed with strength.
1c	אַף־תִּכּ֥וֹן תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל בַּל־תִּמּֽוֹט׃	What’s more: the world remains secure without moving.

Expanded Paraphrase

YHWH reigns (forever, over the nations and over other gods) (- unlike Marduk or Baal)! He is clothed with majesty (as evident in his majestic acts). YHWH is clothed [with majesty]; he is armed with strength (to control the forces of nature and provide stability for his creation). What's more: the world remains secure without moving (ever since YHWH rebuked the waters and set their limits).

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• While the discourse marker אַף indicates a macrosyntactic division before the final line of v. 1, the global speech act is unitary from vv. 1-4.

• Though lacking in the Masoretic text, the LXX of Psalm 93 begins with Regarding the day of the pre-Sabbath, when the earth had been settled. A laudation. Of an ode. Pertaining to David (NETS) and the Qumran text 11Q5, "Hallelujah" (הללויה). According to the MT, however, the psalm begins with YHWH reigns, which is a key theme in this section of the Psalter's fourth book (see also Pss 96:10, 97:1 and 99:1). Strictly speaking, the verbal semantics could be understood as inchoative, YHWH has begun to reign or stative, YHWH reigns. In light of the content of v. 2, that both YHWH and his throne stretch back to eternity past, it is unlikely that מָלָךְ֮ here indicates the beginning of his reign. Furthermore, the stative reading of YHWH currently reigning is preferred in the context of Ps. 93 because the majority of the verbs throughout the psalm are stative and all of them lack expected reference point movement (see the verbal semantics chart). As indicated in the diagram above, the complements of the stative verbs לבשׁ and התאזר, then, are considered nominal adverbs, i.e., clothes with majesty and armed with strength.

• Concerning the term majesty, probably best understood to refer to an "elevated status" or "sovereign power", there is significant wordplay at work in the psalm (see the poetic feature Wordplay).

• Furthermore, there is significant imagery at work in the mention of both clothed ("denoting an attribute properly belonging only to God"; Burton 2019: 298-299) and armed:

• Note that the hithpael stem of the verb אזר indicates that YHWH prepared himself (Tate 1990: 479), that is, no one provided his strength for him, which speaks of the following:

• The preferred reading of בַּל תִּמּוֹט is as a modifying subordinate clause, i.e. "circumstantial clause" (in the terminology of GKC §156g), "without shaking," though for the purpose of the diagram we have left the nature of this subordinate (manner) implicit..

• The following alternative reads תֵּבֵל as the direct object, so the verb is read as 3ms (following LXX, Jerome, CEB, NRSVA, RVA [2015], DHH, CEI; cf. Baethgen 1904: 289) piel qatal from the root תכן (cf. HALOT). See also the unambiguous 1cs form in Ps. 75:4 (אָנֹכִ֨י תִכַּ֖נְתִּי עַמּוּדֶ֣יהָ). Nevertheless, the only Hebrew manuscript evidence which could fit this reading in Ps. 93:1 is 11Q5's תכן, which is compatible with the MT, but strangely defective (we would expect the full holem waw form for the תִּכּ֥וֹן, just as the MT). Besides the possibility of 11QPsª, there is no Hebrew manuscript evidence to support this emendation of the MT. Kennicott mentions a number of manuscripts (74, 76, 97, 117, 113, 235, 245) with the consonants תיכון (where the yod is plausibly a full reading of hireq), which are incompatible with the 3ms piel qatal from the root תכן. The continuity of the niphal כון in this verse as a tail-head linkage with the initial נָכ֣וֹן of v. 2 also favors the MT. Barthélemy (2005: 661) gives the MT a {B}.

v. 2

Watch the Overview video on v. 2.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-clear
2a	נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז	Your throne has been secure from long ago;
2b	מֵֽעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃	You have existed from eternity.

Expanded Paraphrase

(Since the world's stability indicates the stability of YHWH's throne, therefore we can confidently proclaim:) Your throne has been secure from long ago; You have existed from eternity (and will reign forever).

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The addressee changes to YHWH in this verse (cf. also v. 5), as indicated by the second person forms, whereas vv. 1 and 4 refer to YHWH in the third person:

• A mentioned in v. 1 above, the juxtaposition of the verb כון at the end of v. 1 and beginning of v. 2 is probably intentional: the world is stable because YHWH's throne is stable. Since YHWH's throne is stable and established on justice and righteousness, the earth can rejoice (Ps. 97:1-2; יְהוָ֣ה מָ֭לָךְ תָּגֵ֣ל הָאָ֑רֶץ יִ֝שְׂמְח֗וּ אִיִּ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃ עָנָ֣ן וַעֲרָפֶ֣ל סְבִיבָ֑יו צֶ֥דֶק וּ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט מְכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֽוֹ). Note that the stative participle and verbless clause have been rendered as perfect in the CBC due to the adverbials מֵאָז (from long ago) and מֵאוֹלָם (from eternity).

• This verse is the only verse of the psalm which contains two poetic lines:

• For the semantics of כִּסֵּא and the gloss throne, see the following Venn diagram:

Futile threats (vv. 3-4)

v. 3

Watch the Overview video on v. 3.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-clear
3a	נָשְׂא֤וּ נְהָר֨וֹת ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה	The seas have lifted up [their voice], YHWH,
3b	נָשְׂא֣וּ נְהָר֣וֹת קוֹלָ֑ם	the seas have lifted up their voice;
3c	יִשְׂא֖וּ נְהָר֣וֹת דָּכְיָֽם׃	the seas would continually lift up their crushing (waves).

Expanded Paraphrase

The seas (that is, raiding and exiling enemies, just as those cosmic threats of legend,) have lifted up [their voice], YHWH, the seas have lifted up their voice (in vain), (threatening to attack us and take us away); The seas would continually lift up their crushing (waves) (to crush us and take us into exile among the nations). (If they thought this would threaten YHWH's rule, it was all is in vain since YHWH's throne is stable!)

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The big question regarding this verse is the identity of the seas. The chaotic nature of the seas has already been discussed in the exegesis of Psalms 24 and 29 (see the verse-by-verse notes there).

• What seems clear is that the lifting up their voice refers to verbal threats, while lifting up their crushing (waves) may speak of threatening actions. For the attritional effects of the waves, which are constant and ultimately, over time, devastating, see the exegetical issue https://psalms.scriptura.world/w/The_Text_and_Meaning_of_Ps_93:3).

• Note the alternation between the qatal and yiqtol verb forms (see Tatu 2006, 2008), resulting in the rendering would continually lift up for the latter.

• The Peshitta of the first and third verbs, however, are medio-passive ܐܬܬܪܝܡܘ (of the ethpeel verb stem; cf. BTX4ª's se elevan). This reading is made difficult with the object דָּכְיָֽם in the third clause, so the Syriac reads ܒܕܟܝܘܬܐ, "in purity."

• On this final word of the verse, see the full discussion in the exegetical issue https://psalms.scriptura.world/w/The_Text_and_Meaning_of_Ps_93:3).

v. 4

Watch the Overview video on v. 4.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-clear
4a	מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים	More than the sounds of many waters –
4b	אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם	the waves of the sea are mighty! –
4c	אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה׃	YHWH is mighty in the high place.

Expanded Paraphrase

More than the voices of many waters - the waves of the sea are mighty (; no one denies their power and persistence! Look what they did to the Egyptians!) - YHWH is mighty in the high place (, incomparable among the gods and majestic in holiness).

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• This verse conclude the first global speech act (as noted in v. 1) and concludes the second section of the poetic structure (vv. 3-4). The enemies find their final mention in the present verse, while the addressee returns to the congregation, before one final section directed to YHWH in v. 5 (as noted in the Participant Analysis text table at v. 2).

• For syntax of verse, see the exegetical issue https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Grammar_of_Ps._93:4, in which we prefer a parenthetical reading of the waves of the sea are majestic, in light of the grammatical difficulties otherwise.

• We understand the high place as "in heaven" (see the entries in BDB, DCH, HALOT; cf. also Pss 92:9; 102:20; 148:1 and, in the context of "many waters", Pss 18:17 and 144:7). Nonetheless, it is selected intentionally and contributes to the poetic feature, Falling Short, as the final מ–initial constituent (see further discussion in the poetic feature).

Trustworthy forever (v. 5)

v. 5

Watch the Overview video on v. 5.

v.	Hebrew	Close-but-clear
5a	עֵֽדֹתֶ֨יךָ ׀ נֶאֶמְנ֬וּ מְאֹ֗ד	Your decrees are entirely trustworthy.
5b	לְבֵיתְךָ֥ נַאֲוָה־קֹ֑דֶשׁ	Holiness is fitting for your house,
5c	יְ֝הוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃	YHWH, forever.

Expanded Paraphrase

(Since he is holy, his throne is stable both when he acts in judgment and when we are at peace, so we can be confident that everything that comes from him is equally stable. Thus:) Your (royal) decrees are entirely trustworthy(, in no way threatened by judgment or exile, in the same way your reign is not threatened by the instability of the seas.). (You remain faithful to your covenant in both blessing and curse, since) Holiness is fitting for your house, YHWH, (in that you are dedicated to the holiness of your kingdom and we, as your people, are expected to pursue this same holiness in the land you have returned us to) forever (, as you have promised).

Grammatical Diagram

Notes

• The final verse represents the only development in the global speech act. Although it is another celebration, the differences in the details have been considered significant enough to warrant this division.

• While the connection between vv. 1-4 and v. 5 may not be immediately clear, it is crucial to bear in mind that YHWH established (יסד) his decrees (see, e.g., Ps 119:152) the same way he established (יסד) the world (see, e.g., Ps 24:1-2), as justification for our expanded paraphrase.

• The final line of the third section of the poetic structure contains a line-initial YHWH, just as in the first line of the psalm, and concludes by picking up the temporal adverbs dominant in v. 2. Whereas previously they stretched into eternity past, the psalm ends on a note of assurance forever.

• The second clause, however, (holiness is fitting for your house, YHWH, forever) offers a final assertion within a passage of praise in the psalm's celebration.

• For discussion of the word נַאֲוָה, translated appropriate, see the exegetical issue https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/The_Meaning_of_Ps_93:5b. See, also, v. 1 above for discussion of the poetic feature, Wordplay, of which נַאֲוָה is the third and final lexeme discussed.

• The final line may alternatively be read "The Lord is forever". Such a reading is not followed by any translation, however, ancient or modern.

=Legends=
'''Grammatical diagram'''
{{Grammatical Legend}}
'''Shapes and colours on grammatical diagram'''
{{Phrasal Legend}}
'''Expanded paraphrase'''
{{Story Behind}}
=Bibliography=
=Footnotes=
[[Category:Verse-by-Verse Notes]]
[[Chapter::#]]