Psalm 95/Diagrams
V. 1
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה | 1a | Come, let us shout for joy to YHWH! |
| נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ׃ | 1b | Let us cry out to the rock of our salvation! |
Macula
לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה לַיהוָ֑ה נָ֝רִ֗יעָה לְצ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 1]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: לְכוּ come
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נְרַנְּנָה let us shout for joy
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לַ to
Object
noun: יהוָה YHWH
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נָרִיעָה let us cry out
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ to
Object
ConstructChain
noun: צוּר rock
ConstructChain <gloss="our salvation">
noun: יִשְׁע salvation
suffix-pronoun: ֵנוּ us
Adverbial <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ to
Object
Apposition
noun: צוּר rock
Nominal
ConstructChain <gloss="our salvation">
noun: יִשְׁע salvation
suffix-pronoun: ֵנוּ us
DiscourseUnit [v. 1]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: לְכוּ come
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נְרַנְּנָה let us shout for joy
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לַ to
Object
noun: יהוָה YHWH
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נָרִיעָה let us cry out
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ to
Object
ConstructChain
noun: צוּר rock
ConstructChain <gloss="our salvation">
noun: יִשְׁע salvation
suffix-pronoun: ֵנוּ us
Adverbial <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לְ to
Object
Apposition
noun: צוּר rock
Nominal
ConstructChain <gloss="our salvation">
noun: יִשְׁע salvation
suffix-pronoun: ֵנוּ us
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-1-None }}
Grammar Notes
No Grammar notes to display for this diagram.
Alternative
v. 1b – For the alternative apposition, see the LXX and Syr.[1], whose interpretation may be influenced by their tendency to consistently read צוּר as an appellation for God. The NET is comparable: "Let us shout out praises to our Protector who delivers us" (cf. TOB) though the NJPS is a somewhat freer paraphrase: "raise a shout for our rock and deliverer" (cf. DHH).
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 1
v. 1 – For discussion of the initial verb לְ֭כוּ "come" and its structural parallel with בֹּ֭אוּ in v. 6, see the notes there.
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 1
v. 1 – The construct phrase צ֣וּר יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ could be understood as entity-synonym, as the NJPS "our rock and deliverer" (cf. DHH; PDV)[2] or, preferably, entity-goal, i.e., the rock [who brings about] our salvation (cf. the NET, "our Protector who delivers us"; TOB, "le rocher qui nous sauve"; cf. Ḥakham [1979, 198], אל המושׁיע אותנו ושׁהוא מקור ישׁועתנו "God, the one who saves us, and that he is the source of our salvation."
Note for 1
v. 1 – The asyndesis between the imperative and cohortative לְ֭כוּ נְרַנְּנָ֣ה (cf. בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה in v. 6), though less common than waw conjunction,[3] is nevertheless a construction for this shift from second- to first-person attested across the Bible (cf. Gen 19:32; 31:44; 1 Sam 9:10; 2 Kgs 14:8; Prov. 1:11; 7:18; Eccl 2:1).
Verbal Notes
No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
V. 2
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| נְקַדְּמָ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּתוֹדָ֑ה | 2a | Let us approach his presence with praise; |
| בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת נָרִ֥יעַֽ לֽוֹ׃ | 2b | in songs we will cry out to him |
Macula
נְקַדְּמָ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּתוֹדָ֑ה בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת נָרִ֥יעַֽ לֽוֹ׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 2]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נְקַדְּמָה let us approach
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="his presence">
noun: פָנָי face
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
noun: תוֹדָה praise
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נָרִיעַ we will cry out
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בִּ in
Object
noun: זְמִרוֹת songs
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
DiscourseUnit [v. 2]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נְקַדְּמָה let us approach
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="his presence">
noun: פָנָי face
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
noun: תוֹדָה praise
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נָרִיעַ we will cry out
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בִּ in
Object
noun: זְמִרוֹת songs
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-2-None }}
Grammar Notes
No Grammar notes to display for this diagram.
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 2
v. 2 – The בְּ prepositional phrases in this verse (בְּתוֹדָ֑ה and בִּ֝זְמִר֗וֹת) should be understood as a comitative (i.e., accompanying) action followed by a manner adverbial (see BHRG §39.6.(3e), (4), respectively), since the verb נָרִ֥יעַֽ already contains vocal projection. This differentiation can be seen in both the NET, "Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout out to him in celebration" and JPS, "let us come into His presence with praise; let us raise a shout for Him in song!"[4]
Verbal Notes
Note for V. 2
Led by the verb's morphology, we are inclined to view the return to an explicit indicative in נָרִ֥יעַֽ as intentional. See, however, the continuation of subjunctives in the LXX (ἀλαλάξωμεν); Symmachus (σημάνωμεν) and Jerome's Hebr. (iubilemus).
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 2
v. 2b – Despite a number of manuscripts exhibiting the cohortative he on the MT's נָרִ֥יעַֽ and both the LXX and Jerome's Hebr. maintain the cohortative (subjunctive) across both forms, the Masoretic tradition across both Tiberian and Babylonian manuscripts is quite consistent in intentionally lacking the he.
Add Exegetical Note
V. 3
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י אֵ֣ל גָּד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה | 3a | because YHWH is a great God |
| וּמֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | 3b | and a great king over all gods, |
Macula
כִּ֤י אֵ֣ל גָּד֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה וּמֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 3]
Fragment
particle: כִּי because
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Predicate
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
noun: אֵל God
adjective: גָּדוֹל great
Conjunction
conjunction: וּ and
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
Nominal
noun: מֶלֶךְ king
RelativeClause <status="alternative">
RelativeParticle
particle: who
ClauseCluster
Clause
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
adjective: גָּדוֹל great
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל over
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כָּל all
noun: אֱלֹהִים gods
adjective: גָּדוֹל great
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל over
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כָּל all
noun: אֱלֹהִים gods
DiscourseUnit [v. 3]
Fragment
particle: כִּי because
Fragment
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Predicate
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
noun: אֵל God
adjective: גָּדוֹל great
Conjunction
conjunction: וּ and
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
Nominal
noun: מֶלֶךְ king
RelativeClause <status="alternative">
RelativeParticle
particle: who
ClauseCluster
Clause
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
adjective: גָּדוֹל great
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל over
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כָּל all
noun: אֱלֹהִים gods
adjective: גָּדוֹל great
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: עַל over
Object
Nominal
quantifier: כָּל all
noun: אֱלֹהִים gods
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-3-None }}
Grammar Notes
No Grammar notes to display for this diagram.
Alternative
v. 3b – For the alternative relative clause, see the Syr. ܡܠܟܐ ܕܪܒ ܥܠ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܐ̈ܠܗܐ "a king who is great over all gods." The preferred diagram reflects a modification of the adjective גָּ֝ד֗וֹל as a superlative (see GKC §133i; cf. Mena 2012, 87).
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 3-5
v. 3 – Though one possible reading of עַל is that of vertical height "over" עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים, the preposition is better understood as superior quality (see Mena 2012, 85-87 for discussion). See, e.g., the NET: "a great king who is superior to all gods." Cf. the מִן of comparison in Exod 18:11 עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהוָ֖ה מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods" (NIV).
Note for 3-5
vv. 4-5 – As discussed in the lexical notes, the conclusions that מֶחְקְרֵי is best understood as unexplored depths and תוֹעֲפ֖וֹת as peaks indicate that the waw in מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים conjoins two nouns phrases as a merism. The same is more clearly the case in הַ֭יָּם ... וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת, which we understood as a syntactic relation of Vertical Grammar between the word pair (albeit more commonly יַבָּשָׁה) with a parenthetical intervening (see the discussion in the grammar notes).
Verbal Notes
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Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
V. 4
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ | 4a | in whose hand are the unexplored depths of the earth |
| וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים לֽוֹ׃ | 4b | and the peaks of the mountains are his; |
Macula
אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים לֽוֹ׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 4]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH <status="elided">
Predicate
verb: is <status="elided">
Complement
Nominal
noun: God <status="elided">
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר in whose
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: מֶחְקְרֵי unexplored depths
noun: אָרֶץ earth
Predicate
verb: are
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="his hand">
noun: יָד hand
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him <located="relative clause head">
Adverbial <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain
noun: יָדָי hands <status="emendation">
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Nominal
noun: God <status="elided">
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר to whom
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: תוֹעֲפוֹת peaks
noun: הָרִים mountains
Predicate
verb: are
Adverbial <gloss="his">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him <located="relative clause head">
DiscourseUnit [v. 4]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH <status="elided">
Predicate
verb: is <status="elided">
Complement
Nominal
noun: God <status="elided">
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר in whose
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: מֶחְקְרֵי unexplored depths
noun: אָרֶץ earth
Predicate
verb: are
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="his hand">
noun: יָד hand
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him <located="relative clause head">
Adverbial <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
ConstructChain
noun: יָדָי hands <status="emendation">
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Nominal
noun: God <status="elided">
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר to whom
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: תוֹעֲפוֹת peaks
noun: הָרִים mountains
Predicate
verb: are
Adverbial <gloss="his">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him <located="relative clause head">
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-4-None }}
Grammar Notes
Alternative
v. 4a – For the alternative emendation of plural "hands" in place of the MT's "hand," see the Syr. ܐ̈ܝܕܘܗܝ.
Note for 4-5
vv. 4-5 – As evident in the other ancient versions, the LXX's rendering of אֲשֶׁר with causal ὅτι,[5] while not impossible, is not necessary. Indeed, both Aquila and Symmachus have οὗ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ "in whose hand...", resuming "a God" from the previous verse, i.e., drawing attention to a particular feature of God, the noun that is being modified.
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 4
v. 4b – The word תּוֹעָפָה only appears elsewhere in the Bible to refer to wild oxen and probably their horns (see Num 23:22; 24:8; cf. Ben Sira (B) 45:7,[6] which clarifies in the margin that the תֹּואַר, "form, shape," i.e., stature, of the ox is in view). Thus, height (so the ancient versions, HALOT), and indeed (by analogy of the oxen's horns) peak is an appropriate gloss.[7]
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 3-5
v. 3 – Though one possible reading of עַל is that of vertical height "over" עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים, the preposition is better understood as superior quality (see Mena 2012, 85-87 for discussion). See, e.g., the NET: "a great king who is superior to all gods." Cf. the מִן of comparison in Exod 18:11 עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהוָ֖ה מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods" (NIV).
Note for 3-5
vv. 4-5 – As discussed in the lexical notes, the conclusions that מֶחְקְרֵי is best understood as unexplored depths and תוֹעֲפ֖וֹת as peaks indicate that the waw in מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים conjoins two nouns phrases as a merism. The same is more clearly the case in הַ֭יָּם ... וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת, which we understood as a syntactic relation of Vertical Grammar between the word pair (albeit more commonly יַבָּשָׁה) with a parenthetical intervening (see the discussion in the grammar notes).
Verbal Notes
No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
V. 5
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַ֭יָּם וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ | 5a | to whom belongs the sea —he made it— |
| וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃ | 5b | and the dry land which his hands formed. |
Macula
אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ הַ֭יָּם וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 5]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH <status="elided">
Predicate
verb: is <status="elided">
Complement
Nominal
noun: God <status="elided">
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר to whom
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יָּם sea
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ
Nominal
noun: יַבֶּשֶׁת dry land
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: which
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: יָדָי hands
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Predicate
verb: יָצָרוּ formed
Object <located="relative clause head">
Predicate
verb: belongs
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him <located="relative clause head">
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הוּא he
Predicate
verb: עָשָׂ made
Object
suffix-pronoun: הוּ it
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and <status="alternative">
Clause <status="alternative">
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his hands">
noun: יָדָי hands
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Predicate
verb: יָצָרוּ formed
Object
noun: יַבֶּשֶׁת dry land
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and <status="alternative">
Clause <status="alternative">
Subject
noun: יַבֶּשֶׁת dry land
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: which
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: יָדָי hands
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Predicate
verb: יָצָרוּ formed
Object <located="relative clause head">
Predicate <status="elided">
verb: belongs
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
DiscourseUnit [v. 5]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
noun: יְהוָה YHWH <status="elided">
Predicate
verb: is <status="elided">
Complement
Nominal
noun: God <status="elided">
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר to whom
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יָּם sea
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ
Nominal
noun: יַבֶּשֶׁת dry land
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: which
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: יָדָי hands
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Predicate
verb: יָצָרוּ formed
Object <located="relative clause head">
Predicate
verb: belongs
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him <located="relative clause head">
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הוּא he
Predicate
verb: עָשָׂ made
Object
suffix-pronoun: הוּ it
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and <status="alternative">
Clause <status="alternative">
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="his hands">
noun: יָדָי hands
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Predicate
verb: יָצָרוּ formed
Object
noun: יַבֶּשֶׁת dry land
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and <status="alternative">
Clause <status="alternative">
Subject
noun: יַבֶּשֶׁת dry land
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: which
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain
noun: יָדָי hands
suffix-pronoun: ו him
Predicate
verb: יָצָרוּ formed
Object <located="relative clause head">
Predicate <status="elided">
verb: belongs
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: ל to
Object
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-5-None }}
Grammar Notes
Alternative
v. 5 – For the asyndetic relative reading of וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת יָדָ֥יו יָצָֽרוּ, which understands וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת in parallel with הַ֭יָּם and וְה֣וּא עָשָׂ֑הוּ as a parenthetical, see the CEB, EÜ, GNT, NFC, NJPS, TOB, ZÜR. Such a reading would be supported by the likelihood of יָם and יַבֶּשֶׁת as a stock word pair (see Watson 1986, 128-144). Furthermore, Jerome’s Iuxta Hebraeos supports the parenthetical reading as it provides the conjunction "for" (enim fecit illud), indicating a semantically non-at-issue remark with a speech act of justification, rather than the assertion of the host sentence. The structure resembles Tsumura’s a-x // b-x’, in like manner to Psalm 18:42 (see Tsumura 2023, 53), though there the x’ (וְלֹ֣א עָנָֽם) is waw-conjoined, whereas here the parallel relationship is not as explicit, ידיו יצרו lacking syndesis.[8]
Note for 4-5
vv. 4-5 – As evident in the other ancient versions, the LXX's rendering of אֲשֶׁר with causal ὅτι,[9] while not impossible, is not necessary. Indeed, both Aquila and Symmachus have οὗ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ "in whose hand...", resuming "a God" from the previous verse, i.e., drawing attention to a particular feature of God, the noun that is being modified.
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 5
v. 5 – Although the lexeme יַבֶּ֫שֶׁת only occurs here and Exodus 4:9 in the Bible, it is unambiguously derived from the common root √יבשׁ, "be dry." The more typical form for "dry land" is יַבָּשָׁה (as read also in 4Q94 of our present text), though the context both here and in Exodus 4:9 show יַבֶּ֫שֶׁת simply to be a by-form with the same sense.
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for 3-5
v. 3 – Though one possible reading of עַל is that of vertical height "over" עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִֽים, the preposition is better understood as superior quality (see Mena 2012, 85-87 for discussion). See, e.g., the NET: "a great king who is superior to all gods." Cf. the מִן of comparison in Exod 18:11 עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהוָ֖ה מִכָּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods" (NIV).
Note for 3-5
vv. 4-5 – As discussed in the lexical notes, the conclusions that מֶחְקְרֵי is best understood as unexplored depths and תוֹעֲפ֖וֹת as peaks indicate that the waw in מֶחְקְרֵי־אָ֑רֶץ וְתוֹעֲפ֖וֹת הָרִ֣ים conjoins two nouns phrases as a merism. The same is more clearly the case in הַ֭יָּם ... וְ֝יַבֶּ֗שֶׁת, which we understood as a syntactic relation of Vertical Grammar between the word pair (albeit more commonly יַבָּשָׁה) with a parenthetical intervening (see the discussion in the grammar notes).
Verbal Notes
No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
V. 6
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה וְנִכְרָ֑עָה | 6a | Come, let us bow down and kneel! |
| נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה לִֽפְנֵי־יְהוָ֥ה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ׃ | 6b | Let us kneel down before YHWH, our maker, |
Macula
בֹּ֭אוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה וְנִכְרָ֑עָה נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה לִֽפְנֵי־יְהוָ֥ה עֹשֵֽׂנוּ׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 6]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: בֹּאוּ come
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
Predicate
verb: נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה let us bow down
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Predicate
verb: נִכְרָעָה kneel
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נִבְרְכָה let us kneel down
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לִפְנֵי before
Object
Apposition
Nominal
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Nominal
Clause
Predicate
verb-participle: עֹשֵׂ maker
Object
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
DiscourseUnit [v. 6]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: בֹּאוּ come
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
Predicate
verb: נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה let us bow down
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Predicate
verb: נִכְרָעָה kneel
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: נִבְרְכָה let us kneel down
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: לִפְנֵי before
Object
Apposition
Nominal
noun: יְהוָה YHWH
Nominal
Clause
Predicate
verb-participle: עֹשֵׂ maker
Object
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-6-None }}
Grammar Notes
No Grammar notes to display for this diagram.
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Note for v. 6
v. 6 – We have glossed both לְ֭כוּ in v. 1 and בֹּ֭אוּ in the present verse as "come," forming part of the compound cohortative, "Come and do x / let us do x," despite belonging to different verbal roots in Hebrew. For this construction, לְכוּ is much more common (see the second-person imperatives in Pss 34:12; 46:9; 66:5, 16, and the first-person cohortative following—as in the present instance—in Ps 83:5) than בֹּאוּ, which does not occur elsewhere in the Psalms (though see 1 Kgs 20:33; 2 Kgs 10:25; Ezek 33:30; Joel 1:13; 4:13, and the first-person cohortative in Jer 35:11; 50:5; 51:10). It is possible that בֹּאוּ was chosen here to form the inclusio with the root בוא in the second half of the psalm (see the poetic structure).
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Verbal Notes
No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for V. 6
Though the iii-ה morphology of נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֣ה makes ambiguous the indicative/cohortative reading, we have preferred the cohortative as that following the formulaic exhortation headed by the second-plural imperative בֹּ֭אוּ (and לְ֭כוּ in v. 1—see further the phrase-level notes there).
Textual Notes
Note for v. 6
v. 6 – Note that the LXX reads "and let us weep before the Lord" (NETS; καὶ κλαύσωμεν ἐναντίον κυρίου) for the MT's נִ֝בְרְכָ֗ה, apparently mistakenly overlooking the resh and reading נִבְכֶּה. The Syr. seems to have read the correct letters, but has mistaken the root "kneel down" for "bless" (ܘܢܒܪܟܝܘܗܝ ܠܡܪܝܐ "and let us bless the Lord").
Add Exegetical Note
V. 7a-b
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ | 7a | because he is our God |
| וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ | 7b | and we are the people he shepherds, the flock led by his hand. |
| הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | 7c | Today, if you want to obey his voice... |
Macula
כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ אִֽם־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 7]
Fragment
particle: כִּי because
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הוּא he
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
ConstructChain <gloss="our God">
noun: אֱלֹהֵי God
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
Conjunction
conjunction: וַ and
Clause
Subject
pronoun: אֲנַחְנוּ we
Predicate
Predicate
Complement
ConstructChain <gloss="the people he shepherds">
noun: עַם people
ConstructChain
noun: מַרְעִית pasture
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Predicate
Complement
ConstructChain <gloss="the flock led by his hand">
noun: צֹאן flock
ConstructChain
noun: יָד hand
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial <status="alternative">
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
SubordinateClause <status="alternative">
Conjunction
conjunction: אִם if
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you listen to
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
DiscourseUnit [v. 7]
Fragment
particle: כִּי because
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הוּא he
Predicate
verb: is
Complement
ConstructChain <gloss="our God">
noun: אֱלֹהֵי God
suffix-pronoun: נוּ us
Conjunction
conjunction: וַ and
Clause
Subject
pronoun: אֲנַחְנוּ we
Predicate
Predicate
Complement
ConstructChain <gloss="the people he shepherds">
noun: עַם people
ConstructChain
noun: מַרְעִית pasture
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Predicate
Complement
ConstructChain <gloss="the flock led by his hand">
noun: צֹאן flock
ConstructChain
noun: יָד hand
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial <status="alternative">
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
SubordinateClause <status="alternative">
Conjunction
conjunction: אִם if
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you listen to
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-7a-b-None }}
Grammar Notes
No Grammar notes to display for this diagram.
Alternative
v. 7c – The final clause of this verse could be understood as a calculated aposiopesis (see, e.g., the CEB's "If only you would listen to his voice!" cf. EÜ, NABRE, NET, ZÜR; so GKC §151e),[10] such that the focal content of the sentence (in this case the apodosis) is not explicitly voiced and is left for the addressee to fill in the consequence. Cf., e.g., אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע "Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!" (Ps 139:19, ESV). For a full discussion of the syntactic possibilities of this verse, see the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8. If read as the conditional protasis leading into v. 8, however (as our preferred reading), the RVC (as also discussed in Briggs & Briggs 1906-7, 295) emends the MT to provide the 1cs suffix on voice: "If today you hear my voice" (Si hoy escuchan ustedes mi voz). There is no Hebrew manuscript or ancient versional evidence for this emendation, so it has not been considered as a viable alternative reading.
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 7c-8 – Our preferred interpretation of the clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ involves הַ֝יּ֗וֹם as a sentence adverb (see the full treatment of sentence adverbs in Blau 1982), in similar manner to וְעַתָּה, as expressed explicitly by Ḥakham (1979, 200): "כלומר: עתה" "that is to say, now." The effect of this sentence adverb has been picked up in the rhetorical heart of the argument of the writer to the Hebrews: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb 3:12–13, ESV).[11] There is also a poetic motivation for using הַיּוֹם instead of the more frequent sentence adverb וְעַתָּה, as it contrasts with "the day of Massah" (כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה) in v. 8 (see Poetic Structure).
Alternative
v. 8 – A number of Hebrew manuscripts read בִּמְרִיבָה for the MT's כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה (see VTH vol. 4, 391), perhaps understanding מְרִיבָה as its abstract sense (cf. Gen 13:8; Num 27:14), rather than the proper name it came to attain, so "with strife."
Alternative
v. 9b – For the alternative plural פָעֳלָי "my works" in place of the MT's singular פָעֳלִֽי "my work," see the LXX and Syr.[12]
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 9-10 – For the alternative placement of אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה׀ "forty years," see the Syr. verse division, verse 9 containing ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ ܐܪ̈ܒܥܝܢ ܫܢܝ̈ܢ "they saw my works forty years" (cf. de-Rossi, Variae Lectiones, vol. 4, 64; reflected in the punctuation provided by the editors of the Leiden edition—Walter et al. 1980, 112). See also the interpretation of Heb 3:9-10, which supplies διό in διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ⸀ταύτῃ to the LXX's προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ, indicating a clausal separation and thus τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη with the preceding verse: "they saw my works for forty years."[13]
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – Following SDBH, we prefer to read מְרִיבָה and מַסָּה as the place names, Meribah and Massah, relating to the events related in Exodus 17, though this approach is not shared by the ancient versions.[14]
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9 – For the interpretation of אֲשֶׁר, see the discussion in the grammar notes.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9b – The particle גַּם is functioning on the clause level, as a scalar particle, in this case an entire proposition. The understanding of גַּם as a conjunction, creating a compound sentence (so Fassberg 2019, §346), though slightly similar functionally in this instance (and despite the LXX's καὶ and Jerome's et "and"), is not accurate. Further, the concessive sense provided by a number of modern translations is an implicature of the semantics of clause linkage, rather than belonging to the semantics of גַּם, per se (see, e.g., NIV: "though they had seen what I did").
Note for vv. 7c-9
Ps 95:9 is a rare instance in which בחן is used for humans testing God (perhaps only elsewhere in Mal 3:10, 15), not vice versa (as in Pss 7:10; 11:4f; 17:3; 26:2; 66:10; 81:6; 139:23, among others). The Venn diagram below shows the overlap between the English gloss of "test" and the meaning of בחן:
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 7c – The preposition בְּ in the verb phrase בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ is consistently employed to contribute the sense of intentionality or volition in "listening to" or "obeying" (cf. Gen 21:12; 22:18; 26.5; 27:8, 13, 43; Exod 4:1; 5:2; 18:19; 19:5; 23:21, 22; Num 14:22; 21:3; Deut 1:45; 4:30, among others).[15] For the semantics of the conditional, see the notes in verbal semantics and the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – The prepositional phrases כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה are exceedingly terse. Despite a number of manuscripts providing בְּ of location in במריבה and ביום (VTH: vol 4, 391), the comparative כְּ apparently took precedence over the locative—the idea of which was in no way absent—to communicate both the locative and temporal positions contained with the comparison,[16] as shown by the JPS: "as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah" (most other modern versions contain the same expansion).[17] In Modern Hebrew, this combination can be communicated by the combination of both כְּ and בְּ, which is precisely what we read in HaEdut: כמו במְרִיבָה, כמו ביום שהייתם במַסָה.
Verbal Notes
No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the past perfect interpretation of the qatal רָא֥וּ, see the CEB as illustrative (though this reading is shared by most modern translations): "they had already seen my acts."
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the modality of agent-oriented desire in the protasis of the conditional in v. 7c, see Khan (forthcoming, "Yiqṭol," 147; cf. IBHS §31.4h), in which case the protasis and apodosis often contain similar semantics, so there is no tautology involved. For similar examples, cf. "But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it" (Judg 13:16, NET); "If you want to take it for yourself, then take it" (1 Sam 21:10, CSB); "If you want to ask, ask" (Isa 21:12, NET); "Israel, if you want to come back, then come back to me" (Jer 4:1, ERV); "if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you" (Ruth 3:13, NIV); "If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so" (Ruth 4:4, NET). For further details, see the exegetical issue The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
V. 7c - alternative
(Alternative); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 7c alternative]
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you would obey
adverb: אִם if only
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
DiscourseUnit [v. 7c alternative]
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you would obey
adverb: אִם if only
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-7c-alternative }}
Grammar Notes
No Grammar notes to display for this diagram.
Alternative
v. 7c – The final clause of this verse could be understood as a calculated aposiopesis (see, e.g., the CEB's "If only you would listen to his voice!" cf. EÜ, NABRE, NET, ZÜR; so GKC §151e),[18] such that the focal content of the sentence (in this case the apodosis) is not explicitly voiced and is left for the addressee to fill in the consequence. Cf., e.g., אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע "Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!" (Ps 139:19, ESV). For a full discussion of the syntactic possibilities of this verse, see the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8. If read as the conditional protasis leading into v. 8, however (as our preferred reading), the RVC (as also discussed in Briggs & Briggs 1906-7, 295) emends the MT to provide the 1cs suffix on voice: "If today you hear my voice" (Si hoy escuchan ustedes mi voz). There is no Hebrew manuscript or ancient versional evidence for this emendation, so it has not been considered as a viable alternative reading.
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 7c-8 – Our preferred interpretation of the clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ involves הַ֝יּ֗וֹם as a sentence adverb (see the full treatment of sentence adverbs in Blau 1982), in similar manner to וְעַתָּה, as expressed explicitly by Ḥakham (1979, 200): "כלומר: עתה" "that is to say, now." The effect of this sentence adverb has been picked up in the rhetorical heart of the argument of the writer to the Hebrews: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb 3:12–13, ESV).[19] There is also a poetic motivation for using הַיּוֹם instead of the more frequent sentence adverb וְעַתָּה, as it contrasts with "the day of Massah" (כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה) in v. 8 (see Poetic Structure).
Alternative
v. 8 – A number of Hebrew manuscripts read בִּמְרִיבָה for the MT's כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה (see VTH vol. 4, 391), perhaps understanding מְרִיבָה as its abstract sense (cf. Gen 13:8; Num 27:14), rather than the proper name it came to attain, so "with strife."
Alternative
v. 9b – For the alternative plural פָעֳלָי "my works" in place of the MT's singular פָעֳלִֽי "my work," see the LXX and Syr.[20]
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 9-10 – For the alternative placement of אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה׀ "forty years," see the Syr. verse division, verse 9 containing ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ ܐܪ̈ܒܥܝܢ ܫܢܝ̈ܢ "they saw my works forty years" (cf. de-Rossi, Variae Lectiones, vol. 4, 64; reflected in the punctuation provided by the editors of the Leiden edition—Walter et al. 1980, 112). See also the interpretation of Heb 3:9-10, which supplies διό in διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ⸀ταύτῃ to the LXX's προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ, indicating a clausal separation and thus τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη with the preceding verse: "they saw my works for forty years."[21]
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – Following SDBH, we prefer to read מְרִיבָה and מַסָּה as the place names, Meribah and Massah, relating to the events related in Exodus 17, though this approach is not shared by the ancient versions.[22]
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9 – For the interpretation of אֲשֶׁר, see the discussion in the grammar notes.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9b – The particle גַּם is functioning on the clause level, as a scalar particle, in this case an entire proposition. The understanding of גַּם as a conjunction, creating a compound sentence (so Fassberg 2019, §346), though slightly similar functionally in this instance (and despite the LXX's καὶ and Jerome's et "and"), is not accurate. Further, the concessive sense provided by a number of modern translations is an implicature of the semantics of clause linkage, rather than belonging to the semantics of גַּם, per se (see, e.g., NIV: "though they had seen what I did").
Note for vv. 7c-9
Ps 95:9 is a rare instance in which בחן is used for humans testing God (perhaps only elsewhere in Mal 3:10, 15), not vice versa (as in Pss 7:10; 11:4f; 17:3; 26:2; 66:10; 81:6; 139:23, among others). The Venn diagram below shows the overlap between the English gloss of "test" and the meaning of בחן:
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 7c – The preposition בְּ in the verb phrase בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ is consistently employed to contribute the sense of intentionality or volition in "listening to" or "obeying" (cf. Gen 21:12; 22:18; 26.5; 27:8, 13, 43; Exod 4:1; 5:2; 18:19; 19:5; 23:21, 22; Num 14:22; 21:3; Deut 1:45; 4:30, among others).[23] For the semantics of the conditional, see the notes in verbal semantics and the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – The prepositional phrases כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה are exceedingly terse. Despite a number of manuscripts providing בְּ of location in במריבה and ביום (VTH: vol 4, 391), the comparative כְּ apparently took precedence over the locative—the idea of which was in no way absent—to communicate both the locative and temporal positions contained with the comparison,[24] as shown by the JPS: "as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah" (most other modern versions contain the same expansion).[25] In Modern Hebrew, this combination can be communicated by the combination of both כְּ and בְּ, which is precisely what we read in HaEdut: כמו במְרִיבָה, כמו ביום שהייתם במַסָה.
Verbal Notes
No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the past perfect interpretation of the qatal רָא֥וּ, see the CEB as illustrative (though this reading is shared by most modern translations): "they had already seen my acts."
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the modality of agent-oriented desire in the protasis of the conditional in v. 7c, see Khan (forthcoming, "Yiqṭol," 147; cf. IBHS §31.4h), in which case the protasis and apodosis often contain similar semantics, so there is no tautology involved. For similar examples, cf. "But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it" (Judg 13:16, NET); "If you want to take it for yourself, then take it" (1 Sam 21:10, CSB); "If you want to ask, ask" (Isa 21:12, NET); "Israel, if you want to come back, then come back to me" (Jer 4:1, ERV); "if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you" (Ruth 3:13, NIV); "If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so" (Ruth 4:4, NET). For further details, see the exegetical issue The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
vv. 7c-9
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ | 7a | because he is our God |
| וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ | 7b | and we are the people he shepherds, the flock led by his hand. |
| הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ | 7c | Today, if you want to obey his voice... |
| אַל־תַּקְשׁ֣וּ לְ֭בַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה | 8a | "Do not harden your heart as [at] Meribah, |
| כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ | 8b | as [on] the day of Massah in the wilderness, |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר נִ֭סּוּנִי אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם | 9a | where your ancestors put me to the test. |
| בְּ֝חָנ֗וּנִי גַּם־רָא֥וּ פָעֳלִֽי׃ | 9b | They tested me. They had even seen my work! |
Macula
כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ אִֽם־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃
V. 7c - alternative
(Alternative); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 7c alternative]
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you would obey
adverb: אִם if only
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
DiscourseUnit [v. 7c alternative]
Fragment <status="alternative">
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you would obey
adverb: אִם if only
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial
Nominal
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=V-7c-alternative }}
Grammar Notes
No Grammar notes to display for this diagram.
Alternative
v. 7c – The final clause of this verse could be understood as a calculated aposiopesis (see, e.g., the CEB's "If only you would listen to his voice!" cf. EÜ, NABRE, NET, ZÜR; so GKC §151e),[26] such that the focal content of the sentence (in this case the apodosis) is not explicitly voiced and is left for the addressee to fill in the consequence. Cf., e.g., אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע "Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!" (Ps 139:19, ESV). For a full discussion of the syntactic possibilities of this verse, see the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8. If read as the conditional protasis leading into v. 8, however (as our preferred reading), the RVC (as also discussed in Briggs & Briggs 1906-7, 295) emends the MT to provide the 1cs suffix on voice: "If today you hear my voice" (Si hoy escuchan ustedes mi voz). There is no Hebrew manuscript or ancient versional evidence for this emendation, so it has not been considered as a viable alternative reading.
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 7c-8 – Our preferred interpretation of the clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ involves הַ֝יּ֗וֹם as a sentence adverb (see the full treatment of sentence adverbs in Blau 1982), in similar manner to וְעַתָּה, as expressed explicitly by Ḥakham (1979, 200): "כלומר: עתה" "that is to say, now." The effect of this sentence adverb has been picked up in the rhetorical heart of the argument of the writer to the Hebrews: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb 3:12–13, ESV).[27] There is also a poetic motivation for using הַיּוֹם instead of the more frequent sentence adverb וְעַתָּה, as it contrasts with "the day of Massah" (כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה) in v. 8 (see Poetic Structure).
Alternative
v. 8 – A number of Hebrew manuscripts read בִּמְרִיבָה for the MT's כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה (see VTH vol. 4, 391), perhaps understanding מְרִיבָה as its abstract sense (cf. Gen 13:8; Num 27:14), rather than the proper name it came to attain, so "with strife."
Alternative
v. 9b – For the alternative plural פָעֳלָי "my works" in place of the MT's singular פָעֳלִֽי "my work," see the LXX and Syr.[28]
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 9-10 – For the alternative placement of אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה׀ "forty years," see the Syr. verse division, verse 9 containing ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ ܐܪ̈ܒܥܝܢ ܫܢܝ̈ܢ "they saw my works forty years" (cf. de-Rossi, Variae Lectiones, vol. 4, 64; reflected in the punctuation provided by the editors of the Leiden edition—Walter et al. 1980, 112). See also the interpretation of Heb 3:9-10, which supplies διό in διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ⸀ταύτῃ to the LXX's προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ, indicating a clausal separation and thus τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη with the preceding verse: "they saw my works for forty years."[29]
Lexical Notes
No Lexical notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – Following SDBH, we prefer to read מְרִיבָה and מַסָּה as the place names, Meribah and Massah, relating to the events related in Exodus 17, though this approach is not shared by the ancient versions.[30]
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9 – For the interpretation of אֲשֶׁר, see the discussion in the grammar notes.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9b – The particle גַּם is functioning on the clause level, as a scalar particle, in this case an entire proposition. The understanding of גַּם as a conjunction, creating a compound sentence (so Fassberg 2019, §346), though slightly similar functionally in this instance (and despite the LXX's καὶ and Jerome's et "and"), is not accurate. Further, the concessive sense provided by a number of modern translations is an implicature of the semantics of clause linkage, rather than belonging to the semantics of גַּם, per se (see, e.g., NIV: "though they had seen what I did").
Note for vv. 7c-9
Ps 95:9 is a rare instance in which בחן is used for humans testing God (perhaps only elsewhere in Mal 3:10, 15), not vice versa (as in Pss 7:10; 11:4f; 17:3; 26:2; 66:10; 81:6; 139:23, among others). The Venn diagram below shows the overlap between the English gloss of "test" and the meaning of בחן:
Phrase-Level
No Phrasal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 7c – The preposition בְּ in the verb phrase בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ is consistently employed to contribute the sense of intentionality or volition in "listening to" or "obeying" (cf. Gen 21:12; 22:18; 26.5; 27:8, 13, 43; Exod 4:1; 5:2; 18:19; 19:5; 23:21, 22; Num 14:22; 21:3; Deut 1:45; 4:30, among others).[31] For the semantics of the conditional, see the notes in verbal semantics and the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – The prepositional phrases כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה are exceedingly terse. Despite a number of manuscripts providing בְּ of location in במריבה and ביום (VTH: vol 4, 391), the comparative כְּ apparently took precedence over the locative—the idea of which was in no way absent—to communicate both the locative and temporal positions contained with the comparison,[32] as shown by the JPS: "as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah" (most other modern versions contain the same expansion).[33] In Modern Hebrew, this combination can be communicated by the combination of both כְּ and בְּ, which is precisely what we read in HaEdut: כמו במְרִיבָה, כמו ביום שהייתם במַסָה.
Verbal Notes
No Verbal notes to display for this diagram.
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the past perfect interpretation of the qatal רָא֥וּ, see the CEB as illustrative (though this reading is shared by most modern translations): "they had already seen my acts."
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the modality of agent-oriented desire in the protasis of the conditional in v. 7c, see Khan (forthcoming, "Yiqṭol," 147; cf. IBHS §31.4h), in which case the protasis and apodosis often contain similar semantics, so there is no tautology involved. For similar examples, cf. "But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it" (Judg 13:16, NET); "If you want to take it for yourself, then take it" (1 Sam 21:10, CSB); "If you want to ask, ask" (Isa 21:12, NET); "Israel, if you want to come back, then come back to me" (Jer 4:1, ERV); "if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you" (Ruth 3:13, NIV); "If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so" (Ruth 4:4, NET). For further details, see the exegetical issue The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [vv. 7c-9]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: תַּקְשׁוּ harden
adverb: אַל do not
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="your heart">
noun: לְבַבְ heart
suffix-pronoun: כֶם you
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="as at Meribah">
Preposition
preposition: כִּ as
Object
noun: מְרִיבָה Meribah
Adverbial <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בִּ with <status="emendation">
Object
noun: מְרִיבָה strife
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: כְּ as (on)
Object
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: יוֹם day
Nominal
noun: מַסָּה Massah
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
Nominal
article: ה the <status="elided">
noun: מִּדְבָּר wilderness
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר in which >> where
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss=your ancestors">
noun: אֲבוֹתֵי ancestors
suffix-pronoun: כֶם you
Predicate
verb: נִסּוּ put to the test
Object
suffix-pronoun: נִי me
RelativeClause <status="alternative">
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר in which >> where
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="your ancestors">
noun: אֲבוֹתֵי ancestors
suffix-pronoun: כֶם you
Predicate
verb: נִסּוּ put to the test
Object
suffix-pronoun: נִי me
SubordinateClause
Conjunction
conjunction: אִם if
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you want to obey
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="his voice">
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial
Nominal <gloss="today">
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: בְּחָנוּ they tested
Object
suffix-pronoun: נִי me
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: רָאוּ they had seen
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my work">
noun: פָעֳל work
suffix-pronoun: ִי me
Object <status="alternative">
ConstructChain
noun: פָעֳל works
suffix-pronoun: ָי me <status="revocalization">
adverb: גַּם even
Adverbial <status="alternative">
Nominal
quantifier: אַרְבָּעִים forty
noun: שָׁנָה years
DiscourseUnit [vv. 7c-9]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: תַּקְשׁוּ harden
adverb: אַל do not
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="your heart">
noun: לְבַבְ heart
suffix-pronoun: כֶם you
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="as at Meribah">
Preposition
preposition: כִּ as
Object
noun: מְרִיבָה Meribah
Adverbial <status="alternative">
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בִּ with <status="emendation">
Object
noun: מְרִיבָה strife
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: כְּ as (on)
Object
Nominal
ConstructChain
noun: יוֹם day
Nominal
noun: מַסָּה Massah
Adjectival
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בַּ in
Object
Nominal
article: ה the <status="elided">
noun: מִּדְבָּר wilderness
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר in which >> where
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss=your ancestors">
noun: אֲבוֹתֵי ancestors
suffix-pronoun: כֶם you
Predicate
verb: נִסּוּ put to the test
Object
suffix-pronoun: נִי me
RelativeClause <status="alternative">
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר in which >> where
Clause
Subject
ConstructChain <gloss="your ancestors">
noun: אֲבוֹתֵי ancestors
suffix-pronoun: כֶם you
Predicate
verb: נִסּוּ put to the test
Object
suffix-pronoun: נִי me
SubordinateClause
Conjunction
conjunction: אִם if
Clause
Predicate
verb: תִשְׁמָעוּ you want to obey
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="his voice">
noun: קֹל voice
suffix-pronoun: וֹ him
Adverbial
Nominal <gloss="today">
article: הַ the
noun: יּוֹם day
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: בְּחָנוּ they tested
Object
suffix-pronoun: נִי me
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: רָאוּ they had seen
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my work">
noun: פָעֳל work
suffix-pronoun: ִי me
Object <status="alternative">
ConstructChain
noun: פָעֳל works
suffix-pronoun: ָי me <status="revocalization">
adverb: גַּם even
Adverbial <status="alternative">
Nominal
quantifier: אַרְבָּעִים forty
noun: שָׁנָה years
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=vv-7c-9-None }}
Grammar Notes
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 7c-8 – Our preferred interpretation of the clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ involves הַ֝יּ֗וֹם as a sentence adverb (see the full treatment of sentence adverbs in Blau 1982), in similar manner to וְעַתָּה, as expressed explicitly by Ḥakham (1979, 200): "כלומר: עתה" "that is to say, now." The effect of this sentence adverb has been picked up in the rhetorical heart of the argument of the writer to the Hebrews: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb 3:12–13, ESV).[34] There is also a poetic motivation for using הַיּוֹם instead of the more frequent sentence adverb וְעַתָּה, as it contrasts with "the day of Massah" (כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה) in v. 8 (see Poetic Structure).
Alternative
v. 8 – A number of Hebrew manuscripts read בִּמְרִיבָה for the MT's כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה (see VTH vol. 4, 391), perhaps understanding מְרִיבָה as its abstract sense (cf. Gen 13:8; Num 27:14), rather than the proper name it came to attain, so "with strife."
Alternative
v. 9b – For the alternative plural פָעֳלָי "my works" in place of the MT's singular פָעֳלִֽי "my work," see the LXX and Syr.[35]
Note for vv. 7c-9
vv. 9-10 – For the alternative placement of אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה׀ "forty years," see the Syr. verse division, verse 9 containing ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ ܐܪ̈ܒܥܝܢ ܫܢܝ̈ܢ "they saw my works forty years" (cf. de-Rossi, Variae Lectiones, vol. 4, 64; reflected in the punctuation provided by the editors of the Leiden edition—Walter et al. 1980, 112). See also the interpretation of Heb 3:9-10, which supplies διό in διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ⸀ταύτῃ to the LXX's προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ, indicating a clausal separation and thus τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη with the preceding verse: "they saw my works for forty years."[36]
Note for vv. 8-9
vv. 8-9 – Since the Hebrew relative particle אֲשֶׁר is underspecified for case function, it has been interpreted in different ways in this verse. For the alternative placement of the relative clause, see the ESV's "when your fathers put me to the test," as modifying כְּי֥וֹם "as the day" of v. 8 (see also the CEB, CJB, DHH, JPS, NASB, PDV; Ḥakham 1979, 200). Our preferred view follows the LXX's οὗ ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν and Hebr. ubi temptaverunt me patres vestri "where your fathers tested me," as modifying the preceding בַּמִּדְבָּֽר "in the wilderness" (see the CSB, NBS, NET, NIV, RVC, SG21, TOB).[37]
Alternative
v. 7c – The final clause of this verse could be understood as a calculated aposiopesis (see, e.g., the CEB's "If only you would listen to his voice!" cf. EÜ, NABRE, NET, ZÜR; so GKC §151e),[38] such that the focal content of the sentence (in this case the apodosis) is not explicitly voiced and is left for the addressee to fill in the consequence. Cf., e.g., אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע "Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!" (Ps 139:19, ESV). For a full discussion of the syntactic possibilities of this verse, see the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8. If read as the conditional protasis leading into v. 8, however (as our preferred reading), the RVC (as also discussed in Briggs & Briggs 1906-7, 295) emends the MT to provide the 1cs suffix on voice: "If today you hear my voice" (Si hoy escuchan ustedes mi voz). There is no Hebrew manuscript or ancient versional evidence for this emendation, so it has not been considered as a viable alternative reading.
Lexical Notes
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – Following SDBH, we prefer to read מְרִיבָה and מַסָּה as the place names, Meribah and Massah, relating to the events related in Exodus 17, though this approach is not shared by the ancient versions.[39]
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9 – For the interpretation of אֲשֶׁר, see the discussion in the grammar notes.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 9b – The particle גַּם is functioning on the clause level, as a scalar particle, in this case an entire proposition. The understanding of גַּם as a conjunction, creating a compound sentence (so Fassberg 2019, §346), though slightly similar functionally in this instance (and despite the LXX's καὶ and Jerome's et "and"), is not accurate. Further, the concessive sense provided by a number of modern translations is an implicature of the semantics of clause linkage, rather than belonging to the semantics of גַּם, per se (see, e.g., NIV: "though they had seen what I did").
Note for vv. 7c-9
Ps 95:9 is a rare instance in which בחן is used for humans testing God (perhaps only elsewhere in Mal 3:10, 15), not vice versa (as in Pss 7:10; 11:4f; 17:3; 26:2; 66:10; 81:6; 139:23, among others). The Venn diagram below shows the overlap between the English gloss of "test" and the meaning of בחן:
Phrase-Level
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 8 – The prepositional phrases כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה are exceedingly terse. Despite a number of manuscripts providing בְּ of location in במריבה and ביום (VTH: vol 4, 391), the comparative כְּ apparently took precedence over the locative—the idea of which was in no way absent—to communicate both the locative and temporal positions contained with the comparison,[40] as shown by the JPS: "as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah" (most other modern versions contain the same expansion).[41] In Modern Hebrew, this combination can be communicated by the combination of both כְּ and בְּ, which is precisely what we read in HaEdut: כמו במְרִיבָה, כמו ביום שהייתם במַסָה.
Note for vv. 7c-9
v. 7c – The preposition בְּ in the verb phrase בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ is consistently employed to contribute the sense of intentionality or volition in "listening to" or "obeying" (cf. Gen 21:12; 22:18; 26.5; 27:8, 13, 43; Exod 4:1; 5:2; 18:19; 19:5; 23:21, 22; Num 14:22; 21:3; Deut 1:45; 4:30, among others).[42] For the semantics of the conditional, see the notes in verbal semantics and the exegetical issue, The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Verbal Notes
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the past perfect interpretation of the qatal רָא֥וּ, see the CEB as illustrative (though this reading is shared by most modern translations): "they had already seen my acts."
Note for vv. 7c-9
For the modality of agent-oriented desire in the protasis of the conditional in v. 7c, see Khan (forthcoming, "Yiqṭol," 147; cf. IBHS §31.4h), in which case the protasis and apodosis often contain similar semantics, so there is no tautology involved. For similar examples, cf. "But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it" (Judg 13:16, NET); "If you want to take it for yourself, then take it" (1 Sam 21:10, CSB); "If you want to ask, ask" (Isa 21:12, NET); "Israel, if you want to come back, then come back to me" (Jer 4:1, ERV); "if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you" (Ruth 3:13, NIV); "If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so" (Ruth 4:4, NET). For further details, see the exegetical issue The Syntax of Psalm95:7-8.
Textual Notes
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Add Exegetical Note
Vv. 10-11
| Hebrew | Verse | English |
|---|---|---|
| אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה ׀ אָ֘ק֤וּט בְּד֗וֹר | 10a | forty years I was disgusted with a generation |
| וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֤ם תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב הֵ֑ם | 10b | and I would think: 'They are a people whose heart strays |
| וְ֝הֵ֗ם לֹא־יָדְע֥וּ דְרָכָֽי׃ | 10c | and they do not recognize my ways. |
| אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי בְאַפִּ֑י | 11a | about whom I swore in my anger, |
| אִם־יְ֝בֹא֗וּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי׃ | 11b | "They will not enter into my place of rest!"'" |
Macula
אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה ׀ אָ֘ק֤וּט בְּד֗וֹר וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֤ם תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב הֵ֑ם וְ֝הֵ֗ם לֹא־יָדְע֥וּ דְרָכָֽי׃
Preferred
(Preferred, but not confirmed); edit diagram
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [vv. 10-11]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Predicate
verb: אָקוּט I was disgusted
Adverbial
Nominal <gloss="for forty years">
quantifier: אַרְבָּעִים forty
noun: שָׁנָה years
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
noun: דוֹר a generation
Conjunction
conjunction: וָ and
Clause
Predicate
verb: אֹמַר I would think
Object
ComplementClause
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הֵם they
Predicate
verb: are
Complement
Nominal
noun: עַם people
Adjectival
ConstructChain <gloss="whose heart strays">
verb-participle: תֹּעֵי going astray
noun: לֵבָב heart
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר about whom
Clause
Predicate
verb: נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי I swore
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my anger">
noun: אַפּ anger
suffix-pronoun: ִי me
Object
ComplementClause
Clause
Predicate
verb: יְבֹאוּן they will enter
adverb: אִם if
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: אֶל into
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my rest">
noun: מְנוּחָת rest
suffix-pronoun: ִי me
Conjunction
conjunction:
Clause <status="alternative">
Subject
pronoun: הֵם they
Predicate
verb-participle: תֹּעֵי go astray
Object
noun: לֵבָב heart
adverb: עַד always <status="emendation">
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הֵם they
Predicate
verb: יָדְעוּ recognize
adverb: לֹא not
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my ways">
noun: דְרָכ ways
suffix-pronoun: ָי me
DiscourseUnit [vv. 10-11]
Fragment
ClauseCluster
Clause
Predicate
verb: אָקוּט I was disgusted
Adverbial
Nominal <gloss="for forty years">
quantifier: אַרְבָּעִים forty
noun: שָׁנָה years
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ with
Object
noun: דוֹר a generation
Conjunction
conjunction: וָ and
Clause
Predicate
verb: אֹמַר I would think
Object
ComplementClause
ClauseCluster
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הֵם they
Predicate
verb: are
Complement
Nominal
noun: עַם people
Adjectival
ConstructChain <gloss="whose heart strays">
verb-participle: תֹּעֵי going astray
noun: לֵבָב heart
RelativeClause
RelativeParticle
particle: אֲשֶׁר about whom
Clause
Predicate
verb: נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי I swore
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְ in
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my anger">
noun: אַפּ anger
suffix-pronoun: ִי me
Object
ComplementClause
Clause
Predicate
verb: יְבֹאוּן they will enter
adverb: אִם if
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: אֶל into
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my rest">
noun: מְנוּחָת rest
suffix-pronoun: ִי me
Conjunction
conjunction:
Clause <status="alternative">
Subject
pronoun: הֵם they
Predicate
verb-participle: תֹּעֵי go astray
Object
noun: לֵבָב heart
adverb: עַד always <status="emendation">
Conjunction
conjunction: וְ and
Clause
Subject
pronoun: הֵם they
Predicate
verb: יָדְעוּ recognize
adverb: לֹא not
Object
ConstructChain <gloss="my ways">
noun: דְרָכ ways
suffix-pronoun: ָי me
{{Diagram/Display | Chapter=95|DiagramID=Vv-10-11-None }}
Grammar Notes
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 10b – For the alternative emendation עַד for the MT's עַ֤ם, see the LXX's Ἀεὶ "always," while the form עד is read in Kennicott ms 76 (see VTH vol. 4, 391). Nevertheless, as pointed out by Barthélemy et al. (2005, 669-671), ms 76 holds very little value, while the LXX's Vorlage most plausibly contained לְעוֹלָם, perhaps a theological correction over the risk of characterizing the "people" (עַם) as those who go astray. For further support of maintaining the MT's עַם, see the contrast with עַם in v. 7.
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 11 – Introduced by the verb of "swearing" (נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי), the final clause is an oath formula, with the unvoiced apodosis: "If they enter into my rest, ø" (Conklin 2011, 37-41). Thus, rendering the clause as negative is wholly appropriate (cf. also Jerome's Hebr. and the Syr., which render the introduction of the oath as ut non introirent and ܕܠܐ ܢܥܠܘܢ "so that...not"). In light of the instances of שׁבע with complementizer כִּי (see, e.g., Josh 2:12; 2 Sam 3:9; 1 Kgs 1:17; Jer 22:5; 49:13; Amos 4:2) or the quotative frame לֵאמֹר (see, e.g., 1 Kgs 1:13, 30), however, the interpretation of the final clause as direct speech is preferred.
Lexical Notes
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 10 – This is a unique instance of the verb קוט in the qal stem, though its semantic contribution is difficult to differentiate between that of the hithpolel found in Psalm 119:158; 139:21. (Indeed, in the latter case, it is found in parallel with piel שׂנא "to hate").[43]
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 11 – The three major interpretations of the אֲשֶׁר beginning this verse are as comparative "just as,"[44] result "so that" (see, e.g., CEB, CSB, ESV, NASB, NET, NIV, TOB);[45] or, more naturally, and our preferred reading, simply a relativizer (cf. TgPs's ד). Under this interpretation, the syntax of the relative clause requires the specification "about/concerning whom" (cf. the JPS) or "unto whom" (KJV), resuming "a people" from the previous verse, i.e., drawing attention to a particular feature of the people, the noun that is being modified.
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 11 – The use of the noun מְנוּחָה elsewhere in the Psalms (see Pss 23:2; 132:8, 14) indicates not the state of rest (e.g., "my rest," ESV), but rather "resting-place" (JPS; cf. CEB).[46]
Phrase-Level
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 10 – The lack of article on בְּד֗וֹר is consistent across larger Tiberian codices (Leningradensis, Aleppo, Sassoon; see also the attestation of this verse in the Cairo Genizah materials), but only half of the Babylonian witnesses lack the article. The other half are are unambiguously vocalized to contain a definite article (see JTS 631, Or 1477 and Oppenheim 4º 154, Bodleian Neubauer 2484). Though the article is less frequent in Biblical Hebrew poetry than prose (as has been generally observed for some time—see Lambert 1898), peculiarity usually arises in phrases with a proclitic preposition, such as בְּד֗וֹר, with the addition of the definite article, not the absence (see the discussion at Ps 78:52). The present verse has led Delitzsch to conclude that it "is anarthrous in order that the notion may be conceived of more qualitatively than relatively: with a (whole) generation" (1871, 88). Alternatively, Ḥakham (1979, 201) suggests it is indefinite because, due to their excessive rebellion, they became "unknown" to God (אינו מידע). Nevertheless, every ancient version contains either a demonstrative pronoun or relative modifier,[47] so it is not so clear that בְּד֗וֹר should be read with the lack of definiteness, since demonstratives functionally overlap with the definite article. If the Tiberian tradition is followed, however, as the vocalized manuscript tradition seems to (just about) favor, interpretations such as Delitzsch's and Ḥakham's seem the most plausible.
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 10 – The construct chain תֹּעֵ֣י לֵבָ֣ב has a semantic relation of characteristic-specification, i.e., going astray [with regard to] their heart = thoughts/affections,[48] as reflected in the NET, "These people desire to go astray" (cf. the CSB: "They are a people whose hearts go astray").[49]
Note for vv. 10-11
v. 11 – The construct chain מְנוּחָתִֽי could either be understood as verbal action-agent, i.e., the rest [enjoyed by] me, or entity-source, i.e., the rest [provided by] me. The former finds support in the parallel of Gen 2:2, as found in discussion of this verse in Hebrews 4. Nevertheless, the original discourse context probably referred to the promised land of Canaan, so entity-source is preferable. The paraphrase provided by the NET is particularly illuminating: "They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them." For suggestions of more specific locative readings of מְנוּחָתִֽי, see the lexical notes.
Verbal Notes
Note for Vv. 10-11
The temporal adverb אַרְבָּ֘עִ֤ים שָׁנָ֨ה׀ provides an uncontroversial habitual reading of the yiqtol אָ֘ק֤וּט. The past time context has led the LXX (προσώχθισα) and both Aquila and Symmachus (δυσηρεστήθην) to translate with aorists, and TgPs to employ a suffix conjugation (מאסית), as, also the Syr., with its impersonal ܡܐܢܬ ܠܝ "it was wearisome to me."
Note for Vv. 10-11
The wayyiqtol of וָאֹמַ֗ר adopts the TAM values of the previous finite verb, of which see the previous verbal note.
Note for Vv. 10-11
Modern translations vary on whether to display the speech of v. 11b as direct or indirect speech (see, e.g., RSV "Therefore I swore in my anger that they should not enter my rest" and the NJPS "Concerning them I swore in anger, 'They shall never come to My resting-place!'"). Meier opines that it is best rendered as direct discourse (hence our updated reference time), since "God in this case, as in the preceding DD in v. 10, is describing his earlier behavior and his oath that he enunciated at an earlier time" (1992, 201).
Note for Vv. 10-11
Note that the paragogic nun on יְ֝בֹא֗וּן is not present in the Pentateuchal predecessors of the present oath (see, e.g., Num 14:21-23; Deut 1:34-35), suggesting it was a contribution of the poet to add prominence to the content of the oath in the final line of the psalm.
Textual Notes
No Textual notes to display for this diagram.
Add Exegetical Note
Appendix
Files
Diagrams
Notes
- Grammar.1.618660
- Grammar.2-5.411917
- Grammar.3.49578
- Grammar.4.971481
- Grammar.5.575970
- Grammar.v. 7.364893
- Grammar.v. 7c.417604
- Grammar.v. 7c.460461
- Grammar.vv. 10-11.210859
- Grammar.vv. 10-11.51430
- Grammar.vv. 6-7b.458546
- Grammar.vv. 6-7b.666529
- Grammar.vv. 7c-9.352676
- Grammar.vv. 7c-9.450995
- Grammar.vv. 7c-9.466342
- Grammar.vv. 7c-9.552762
- Grammar.vv. 7c-9.604772
- Lexical.1.901906
- Lexical.2-5.108317
- Lexical.2-5.16265
- Lexical.2-5.425612
- Lexical.2-5.539319
- Lexical.v. 6.109181
- Lexical.vv. 10-11.529799
- Lexical.vv. 10-11.596112
- Lexical.vv. 10-11.929272
- Lexical.vv. 6-7b.786169
- Lexical.vv. 7c-9.161487
- Lexical.vv. 7c-9.317067
- Lexical.vv. 7c-9.656139
- Lexical.vv. 7c-9.822998
- Phrasal.1.67016
- Phrasal.1.719922
- Phrasal.2-5.416467
- Phrasal.2-5.822374
- Phrasal.2-5.951339
- Phrasal.v. 7.704269
- Phrasal.v. 7a-b.143116
- Phrasal.v. 7a-b.617048
- Phrasal.vv. 10-11.232387
- Phrasal.vv. 10-11.626856
- Phrasal.vv. 10-11.953931
- Phrasal.vv. 6-7b.617587
- Phrasal.vv. 6-7b.922016
- Phrasal.vv. 6-7b.962573
- Phrasal.vv. 7c-9.779445
- Phrasal.vv. 7c-9.884034
- Verbal.V. 2.2866
- Verbal.V. 6.524149
- Verbal.V. 7c.726226
- Verbal.Vv. 10-11.337923
- Verbal.Vv. 10-11.366275
- Verbal.Vv. 10-11.964873
- Verbal.Vv. 10-11.966969
- Verbal.vv. 7c-9.461015
- Verbal.vv. 7c-9.725125
Approvals
Current Grammar status is not set for version not set. Current Lexical status is not set for version not set.
References
- ↑ These read τῷ θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν "to God our savior" and ܠܐܠܗܢ ܦܪܘܩܐ "to God the savior", respectively.
- ↑ See, too, the LXX: τῷ θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν ("God, our savior," NETS) and the Syr. ܠܐܠܗܢ ܦܪܘܩܐ ("God the savior"). In similar manner, Jerome interprets as the proper name "Joshua/Jesus" with petrae Iesu nostro (cf. Deus Iesus noster for אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י יִשְׁעֵ֗נוּ in Ps 79:9). Note that these ancient versions render the noun יֵשַׁע as the one who brings about salvation > "savior," rather than the salvation itself, and so partially support our preferred interpretation as entity-goal.
- ↑ See, for example, Gen 37:20, 27; Judg 19:11, 13; 1 Sam 9:5, 9; 11:14; 14:1, 6; 20:11; 2 Kgs 7:4, 9; Isa 1:18; 2:3, 5; Jer 18:18; 48:2; Hos 6:1; Jon 1:17; Mic 4:2; Ps 83:5; Neh 2:17; 6:2, 7.
- ↑ Ḥakham paraphrases: נבוא אליו ובידינו קרבן תודה ובפינו שׁיר תודה "let us come to him and in our hands is an offering of thanksgiving and in our mouths is a song of thanksgiving" (1979, 198).
- ↑ See the NETS: "because in his hand are the ends of the earth and the heights of the mountains are his, because his is the sea and he made it and the dry land his hands formed!"
- ↑ https://www.bensira.org/images/Manuscripts/B/B_XIV_Verso.jpg
- ↑ The ancient versions have τὰ ὕψη (LXX), excelsa (Jerome's Hebr.); ܪܘܡܐ (Syr.) "the heights" and תוקפי רום (TgPs) "the mighty heights."
- ↑ Psalm 18:42 reads יְשַׁוְּע֥וּ וְאֵין־מוֹשִׁ֑יעַ עַל־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וְלֹ֣א עָנָֽם׃, which could be interpreted as They cry out—but there is no one rescuing—to YHWH, but he does not answer them. See further Atkinson ("Parentheticals in Biblical Hebrew Prophetic and Poetic Literature," Vetus Testamentum forthcoming).
- ↑ See the NETS: "because in his hand are the ends of the earth and the heights of the mountains are his, because his is the sea and he made it and the dry land his hands formed!"
- ↑ Aposiopesis is defined as a “Lapse into silence before the construction of a sentence is completed” (Matthews 2014). While the syntactic characteristic simply involves ‘an unfinished sentence’, the rhetorical motivations vary. Lausberg divides the function of aposiopesis into two groupings: the emotive aposiopesis, in which the presence of intense passion disrupts the utterance (see Dimit 2006) and the calculated aposiopesis, either as a politeness strategy (see Zago 2022), to avoid a sense of shame or taboo, or simply seeking “to spare the audience from having to listen to the contents of the section of the speech that is about to end, in order to gain immediately their all the stronger interest in the new section” (Lausberg 1998, §888). See further Atkinson, "Aposiopesis, Anacoluthon & Compound Subordinate Clauses," forthcoming),
- ↑ Βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος, ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ σήμερον καλεῖται, ἵνα μὴ σκληρυνθῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας (NA28).
- ↑ These read εἴδοσαν τὰ ἔργα μου and ܘܒܩܘ ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ, respectively (cf. also εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου in Heb 3:9).
- ↑ Other evidence for this interpretation is found in Acts 7:36, speaking of Moses, through whom YHWH would have performed the works: "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years (ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα)" (ESV). Nevertheless, the writer to the Hebrews was also aware of the MT and LXX's understanding of the syntax, when he later questions "And with whom was he provoked for forty years?" (3:17, ESV).
- ↑ The LXX translates the phrase according to their etymological sense: ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ ... κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ "as at the embittering ... like the day of the trial" (NETS). Likewise, Jerome (Hebr.) renders sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "like in the conflict, like the day of trial"; TgPs היך במצותא היך יומא דנסיתון אלהא "as at Strife, as in the day when you tested God" (Stec 2004, 179); Syr. ܐܝܟ ܡܡܪ̈ܡܪܢܐ ܘܐܝܟ ܝܘܡܐ ܕܢܣܝܘܢܐ "like the rebellious and like the day of testing" (Taylor 2020, 395).
- ↑ This sense can, occasionally, be communicated by the unflagged object קוֹל (see Gen 4:23; Num 20:16; Ps 119:149). For the more common שׁמע (את) קול in the sense of non-intentional "hear" see Gen 3:8; 21:17; Exod 32:17; Num 7:89; Deut 1:34; 5:23, 25, 26, 28; 18:16, among others.
- ↑ So JM §133h: "After כְּ the expected preposition is often omitted" (cf. Isa 28:21, among other examples cited there).
- ↑ See, also, the LXX "as at the embittering" (NETS, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ); Jerome's Hebr. sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "as in the strife, as in the day of temptation" and TgPs, היך במצותא "as at Strife" (Stec 2004, 179). The other clause of TgPs and the entire verse of the Syr. employ a paraphrastic approach. Saadia's rendering is equally illuminating: כמא כאן פי ד׳את אלכ׳צומה וד׳את אלמחנה פי אלבר "as it was/happened in Meribah and in Massah in the desert" (Qafaḥ 1965, 216).
- ↑ Aposiopesis is defined as a “Lapse into silence before the construction of a sentence is completed” (Matthews 2014). While the syntactic characteristic simply involves ‘an unfinished sentence’, the rhetorical motivations vary. Lausberg divides the function of aposiopesis into two groupings: the emotive aposiopesis, in which the presence of intense passion disrupts the utterance (see Dimit 2006) and the calculated aposiopesis, either as a politeness strategy (see Zago 2022), to avoid a sense of shame or taboo, or simply seeking “to spare the audience from having to listen to the contents of the section of the speech that is about to end, in order to gain immediately their all the stronger interest in the new section” (Lausberg 1998, §888). See further Atkinson, "Aposiopesis, Anacoluthon & Compound Subordinate Clauses," forthcoming),
- ↑ Βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος, ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ σήμερον καλεῖται, ἵνα μὴ σκληρυνθῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας (NA28).
- ↑ These read εἴδοσαν τὰ ἔργα μου and ܘܒܩܘ ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ, respectively (cf. also εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου in Heb 3:9).
- ↑ Other evidence for this interpretation is found in Acts 7:36, speaking of Moses, through whom YHWH would have performed the works: "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years (ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα)" (ESV). Nevertheless, the writer to the Hebrews was also aware of the MT and LXX's understanding of the syntax, when he later questions "And with whom was he provoked for forty years?" (3:17, ESV).
- ↑ The LXX translates the phrase according to their etymological sense: ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ ... κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ "as at the embittering ... like the day of the trial" (NETS). Likewise, Jerome (Hebr.) renders sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "like in the conflict, like the day of trial"; TgPs היך במצותא היך יומא דנסיתון אלהא "as at Strife, as in the day when you tested God" (Stec 2004, 179); Syr. ܐܝܟ ܡܡܪ̈ܡܪܢܐ ܘܐܝܟ ܝܘܡܐ ܕܢܣܝܘܢܐ "like the rebellious and like the day of testing" (Taylor 2020, 395).
- ↑ This sense can, occasionally, be communicated by the unflagged object קוֹל (see Gen 4:23; Num 20:16; Ps 119:149). For the more common שׁמע (את) קול in the sense of non-intentional "hear" see Gen 3:8; 21:17; Exod 32:17; Num 7:89; Deut 1:34; 5:23, 25, 26, 28; 18:16, among others.
- ↑ So JM §133h: "After כְּ the expected preposition is often omitted" (cf. Isa 28:21, among other examples cited there).
- ↑ See, also, the LXX "as at the embittering" (NETS, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ); Jerome's Hebr. sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "as in the strife, as in the day of temptation" and TgPs, היך במצותא "as at Strife" (Stec 2004, 179). The other clause of TgPs and the entire verse of the Syr. employ a paraphrastic approach. Saadia's rendering is equally illuminating: כמא כאן פי ד׳את אלכ׳צומה וד׳את אלמחנה פי אלבר "as it was/happened in Meribah and in Massah in the desert" (Qafaḥ 1965, 216).
- ↑ Aposiopesis is defined as a “Lapse into silence before the construction of a sentence is completed” (Matthews 2014). While the syntactic characteristic simply involves ‘an unfinished sentence’, the rhetorical motivations vary. Lausberg divides the function of aposiopesis into two groupings: the emotive aposiopesis, in which the presence of intense passion disrupts the utterance (see Dimit 2006) and the calculated aposiopesis, either as a politeness strategy (see Zago 2022), to avoid a sense of shame or taboo, or simply seeking “to spare the audience from having to listen to the contents of the section of the speech that is about to end, in order to gain immediately their all the stronger interest in the new section” (Lausberg 1998, §888). See further Atkinson, "Aposiopesis, Anacoluthon & Compound Subordinate Clauses," forthcoming),
- ↑ Βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος, ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ σήμερον καλεῖται, ἵνα μὴ σκληρυνθῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας (NA28).
- ↑ These read εἴδοσαν τὰ ἔργα μου and ܘܒܩܘ ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ, respectively (cf. also εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου in Heb 3:9).
- ↑ Other evidence for this interpretation is found in Acts 7:36, speaking of Moses, through whom YHWH would have performed the works: "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years (ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα)" (ESV). Nevertheless, the writer to the Hebrews was also aware of the MT and LXX's understanding of the syntax, when he later questions "And with whom was he provoked for forty years?" (3:17, ESV).
- ↑ The LXX translates the phrase according to their etymological sense: ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ ... κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ "as at the embittering ... like the day of the trial" (NETS). Likewise, Jerome (Hebr.) renders sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "like in the conflict, like the day of trial"; TgPs היך במצותא היך יומא דנסיתון אלהא "as at Strife, as in the day when you tested God" (Stec 2004, 179); Syr. ܐܝܟ ܡܡܪ̈ܡܪܢܐ ܘܐܝܟ ܝܘܡܐ ܕܢܣܝܘܢܐ "like the rebellious and like the day of testing" (Taylor 2020, 395).
- ↑ This sense can, occasionally, be communicated by the unflagged object קוֹל (see Gen 4:23; Num 20:16; Ps 119:149). For the more common שׁמע (את) קול in the sense of non-intentional "hear" see Gen 3:8; 21:17; Exod 32:17; Num 7:89; Deut 1:34; 5:23, 25, 26, 28; 18:16, among others.
- ↑ So JM §133h: "After כְּ the expected preposition is often omitted" (cf. Isa 28:21, among other examples cited there).
- ↑ See, also, the LXX "as at the embittering" (NETS, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ); Jerome's Hebr. sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "as in the strife, as in the day of temptation" and TgPs, היך במצותא "as at Strife" (Stec 2004, 179). The other clause of TgPs and the entire verse of the Syr. employ a paraphrastic approach. Saadia's rendering is equally illuminating: כמא כאן פי ד׳את אלכ׳צומה וד׳את אלמחנה פי אלבר "as it was/happened in Meribah and in Massah in the desert" (Qafaḥ 1965, 216).
- ↑ Βλέπετε, ἀδελφοί, μήποτε ἔσται ἔν τινι ὑμῶν καρδία πονηρὰ ἀπιστίας ἐν τῷ ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ζῶντος, ἀλλὰ παρακαλεῖτε ἑαυτοὺς καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ σήμερον καλεῖται, ἵνα μὴ σκληρυνθῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας (NA28).
- ↑ These read εἴδοσαν τὰ ἔργα μου and ܘܒܩܘ ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ, respectively (cf. also εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου in Heb 3:9).
- ↑ Other evidence for this interpretation is found in Acts 7:36, speaking of Moses, through whom YHWH would have performed the works: "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years (ἔτη τεσσεράκοντα)" (ESV). Nevertheless, the writer to the Hebrews was also aware of the MT and LXX's understanding of the syntax, when he later questions "And with whom was he provoked for forty years?" (3:17, ESV).
- ↑ Not only is the locative reading explicit in these ancient versions, but it is supported by the possible interpretation of "forty years" as modifying בְּ֝חָנ֗וּנִי גַּם־רָא֥וּ פָעֳלִֽי׃ in the Syr.: ܘܒܩܘ ܚܙܘ ܥܒ̈ܕܝ ܐܪ̈ܒܥܝܢ ܫܢܝ̈ܢ "They tried me and saw my works for forty years" (Taylor 2020, 395), which is not compatible with "the day... when."
- ↑ Aposiopesis is defined as a “Lapse into silence before the construction of a sentence is completed” (Matthews 2014). While the syntactic characteristic simply involves ‘an unfinished sentence’, the rhetorical motivations vary. Lausberg divides the function of aposiopesis into two groupings: the emotive aposiopesis, in which the presence of intense passion disrupts the utterance (see Dimit 2006) and the calculated aposiopesis, either as a politeness strategy (see Zago 2022), to avoid a sense of shame or taboo, or simply seeking “to spare the audience from having to listen to the contents of the section of the speech that is about to end, in order to gain immediately their all the stronger interest in the new section” (Lausberg 1998, §888). See further Atkinson, "Aposiopesis, Anacoluthon & Compound Subordinate Clauses," forthcoming),
- ↑ The LXX translates the phrase according to their etymological sense: ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ ... κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ "as at the embittering ... like the day of the trial" (NETS). Likewise, Jerome (Hebr.) renders sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "like in the conflict, like the day of trial"; TgPs היך במצותא היך יומא דנסיתון אלהא "as at Strife, as in the day when you tested God" (Stec 2004, 179); Syr. ܐܝܟ ܡܡܪ̈ܡܪܢܐ ܘܐܝܟ ܝܘܡܐ ܕܢܣܝܘܢܐ "like the rebellious and like the day of testing" (Taylor 2020, 395).
- ↑ So JM §133h: "After כְּ the expected preposition is often omitted" (cf. Isa 28:21, among other examples cited there).
- ↑ See, also, the LXX "as at the embittering" (NETS, ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ); Jerome's Hebr. sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis "as in the strife, as in the day of temptation" and TgPs, היך במצותא "as at Strife" (Stec 2004, 179). The other clause of TgPs and the entire verse of the Syr. employ a paraphrastic approach. Saadia's rendering is equally illuminating: כמא כאן פי ד׳את אלכ׳צומה וד׳את אלמחנה פי אלבר "as it was/happened in Meribah and in Massah in the desert" (Qafaḥ 1965, 216).
- ↑ This sense can, occasionally, be communicated by the unflagged object קוֹל (see Gen 4:23; Num 20:16; Ps 119:149). For the more common שׁמע (את) קול in the sense of non-intentional "hear" see Gen 3:8; 21:17; Exod 32:17; Num 7:89; Deut 1:34; 5:23, 25, 26, 28; 18:16, among others.
- ↑ The LXX has προσώχθισα, from προσοχθίζω "be wroth" (LSJ, 1522), while Aquila and Symmachus read δυσηρεστήθην, from δυσαρεστέω "be displeased, annoyed" (CGL vol 1, 399; cf. LSJ, 454). TgPs has מאסית "I loathed," while Syr. reads ܡܐܢܬ ܠܝ "I was weary of."
- ↑ Cf. the Syr. ܐܝܟ ܕ and Christian Palestinian Aramaic ܗܝܟ ܕ, both of which perhaps reflect the LXX's ὡς.
- ↑ So Holmstedt (2016, 233). This is also the most probable reading of the LXX's ὡς (see Smyth 1956, §2193; cf. Vul. ut).
- ↑ See also TgPs and the CPA versions of our present verse: אם יעלון לנייח בית מקדשי "they should not come into the rest of the house of my sanctuary" (Stec 2004, 179); ܐܢ ܝܥܘܠܘܢ ܠܒܝܬ ܢܝܚܝ "if they will enter the house of my rest."
- ↑ These read τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ "that generation"; Syr. ܒܕܪܐ ܗܘ "that generation"; Heb 3:10 τῇ γενεᾷ ⸀ταύτῃ "this generation"; Hebr. generatio illa "that generation"; TgPs דרא דמדברא "the generation which was in the wilderness." Similarly, Saadia provides only the definite article: ארבעין סנה אסתצגרת באלג׳יל, rendered by Qafaḥ as ארבעים שנה הקטנתי את הדור (Qafaḥ 1965, 217).
- ↑ See, similarly Isa 29:24: וְיָדְע֥וּ תֹֽעֵי־ר֖וּחַ בִּינָ֑ה ("And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding," ESV).
- ↑ Likewise, the following paraphrases are illustrative: עמא דטעותא בלבהון "a people in whose heart is error" (TgPs); ܥܡܐ ܗܘ ܕܛܥܐ ܠܒܗܘܢ "it is a people whose heart goes astray" (Syr.). Ḥakham, similarly, paraphrases, הם עם שׁלבבם תועה "they are a people whose heart goes astray" (1979, 201).
