DiscourseUnit [v. 15a]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: יְנוּבוּן they will bear fruit >> they will thrive
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
noun: שֵׂיבָה old age
adverb: עוֹד still
v. 15a – Note that an addition of the adjective טובה is found in 4Q84's עוד ינבון בשיבה טובה and that the LXX reads דְּשֵׁנִ֖ים as modifying בְּשֵׂיבָ֑ה (ἔτι πληθυνθήσονται ἐν γήρει πίονι), requiring the feminine singular form דְּשֵׁנָה, neither of which are present in any (other) Hebrew manuscript evidence.
v. 16a – The Syr ܘܢܚܘܘܢ ܕܬܪܝܨ ܗܘ ܡܪܝܐ ܥܫܝܢܐ ܘܠܝܬ ܒܗ ܥܘܠܐ ("They will declare that the Lord is upright; he is strong, and there is no iniquity in him" Taylor 2020, 385) is best understood as a paraphrase in the case of both the finite ܘܢܚܘܘܢ for the MT's infinitive לְ֭הַגִּיד and the adj. ܘܢܚܘܘܢ for the appositive צ֝וּרִ֗י. (See also the REB's finite "They declare that the Lord is just," missing the semantic connection of purpose from the preceding clause.)
Other translations, such as the NJPS ("attesting that the LORD is upright," cf. the DHH, NIV, TOB) and Jerome's and Symmachus' participles (adnuntiantes quia rectus Dominus; ἀπαγγέλλοντες ὅτι ὀρθὸς κύριος) are also cautious with the more natural purpose reading (as the CEB's "in order to proclaim," cf. the CSB, ELB, ESV, KJV, NASB, RVA, SG21, ZÜR). The NET's result ("So they proclaim...") is also plausible. Nevertheless, in light of the לְהַגִיד inclusio with v. 3, we have preferred an impersonal reading of the infinitive (cf. Gen 33:10; Ps 42:4; 119:4; 2 Chr 35:16; see Notarius and Atkinson, forthcoming).
v. 16b – As for the qere/ketiv question (עלתה vocalized as עְָלֲתָה), the dozens of manuscripts cited in Kennicott (389) with the consonantal עולתה removes any doubt about the intended text.[1]
Despite the temptation to read as a topic-comment structure with עַוְלָתָה as the subject ("injustice is not in him"), the presentational is preferred, explicitly followed by the Peshitta's use of ܠܝܬ and לית in the Peshitta (ܘܠܝܬ ܒܗ ܥܘܠܐ; "there is no iniquity in him," Taylor 2020, 385) and Targum Psalms (לית עוולתא ביה; "there is no unrighteousness in him," Stec 2004, 177). Likewise, neither the LXX nor Jerome read ἀδικία or iniquitas as the subject: although presentational copular clauses and topic-comment constructions are morphosyntactically ambiguous in Greek and Latin, the post-verbal position in both instances here points to the presentational reading. For another existential with לֹֹא (in place of the expected אֵין), see Job 29:12 (וְֽלֹא־עֹזֵ֥ר לֽוֹ).
SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 15a]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: יְנוּבוּן they will bear fruit >> they will thrive
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
noun: שֵׂיבָה old age
adverb: עוֹד still
Diagram Code
DiscourseUnit [v. 15a]
Fragment
Clause
Predicate
verb: יְנוּבוּן they will bear fruit >> they will thrive
Adverbial
PrepositionalPhrase
Preposition
preposition: בְּ in
Object
noun: שֵׂיבָה old age
adverb: עוֹד still
v. 15a – Note that an addition of the adjective טובה is found in 4Q84's עוד ינבון בשיבה טובה and that the LXX reads דְּשֵׁנִ֖ים as modifying בְּשֵׂיבָ֑ה (ἔτι πληθυνθήσονται ἐν γήρει πίονι), requiring the feminine singular form דְּשֵׁנָה, neither of which are present in any (other) Hebrew manuscript evidence.
v. 16a – The Syr ܘܢܚܘܘܢ ܕܬܪܝܨ ܗܘ ܡܪܝܐ ܥܫܝܢܐ ܘܠܝܬ ܒܗ ܥܘܠܐ ("They will declare that the Lord is upright; he is strong, and there is no iniquity in him" Taylor 2020, 385) is best understood as a paraphrase in the case of both the finite ܘܢܚܘܘܢ for the MT's infinitive לְ֭הַגִּיד and the adj. ܘܢܚܘܘܢ for the appositive צ֝וּרִ֗י. (See also the REB's finite "They declare that the Lord is just," missing the semantic connection of purpose from the preceding clause.)
Other translations, such as the NJPS ("attesting that the LORD is upright," cf. the DHH, NIV, TOB) and Jerome's and Symmachus' participles (adnuntiantes quia rectus Dominus; ἀπαγγέλλοντες ὅτι ὀρθὸς κύριος) are also cautious with the more natural purpose reading (as the CEB's "in order to proclaim," cf. the CSB, ELB, ESV, KJV, NASB, RVA, SG21, ZÜR). The NET's result ("So they proclaim...") is also plausible. Nevertheless, in light of the לְהַגִיד inclusio with v. 3, we have preferred an impersonal reading of the infinitive (cf. Gen 33:10; Ps 42:4; 119:4; 2 Chr 35:16; see Notarius and Atkinson, forthcoming).
v. 16b – As for the qere/ketiv question (עלתה vocalized as עְָלֲתָה), the dozens of manuscripts cited in Kennicott (389) with the consonantal עולתה removes any doubt about the intended text.[2]
Despite the temptation to read as a topic-comment structure with עַוְלָתָה as the subject ("injustice is not in him"), the presentational is preferred, explicitly followed by the Peshitta's use of ܠܝܬ and לית in the Peshitta (ܘܠܝܬ ܒܗ ܥܘܠܐ; "there is no iniquity in him," Taylor 2020, 385) and Targum Psalms (לית עוולתא ביה; "there is no unrighteousness in him," Stec 2004, 177). Likewise, neither the LXX nor Jerome read ἀδικία or iniquitas as the subject: although presentational copular clauses and topic-comment constructions are morphosyntactically ambiguous in Greek and Latin, the post-verbal position in both instances here points to the presentational reading. For another existential with לֹֹא (in place of the expected אֵין), see Job 29:12 (וְֽלֹא־עֹזֵ֥ר לֽוֹ).
↑On the form עַוְלָתָה: The waw appears to have merged with a vocalic long "o" on occasion, as Isa 61:8's בְּעוֹלָ֑ה for עַוְלָה and only וְ֝עֹלָ֗תָה in Job 5:16 (as the ketiv here, but without any qere; see also the plural עוֹלֹ֪ת in Pss 58:3; 64:7). On the presence of תָה–֫ with "the loss of the tone on the final syllable" as "an old accusative of direction or intention," see the discussion in GKC §90g (cf. צָרָ֫תָה in Ps 120:1; עֵיפָ֫תָה in Job 10:22 and עֶזְרָ֫תָה in Ps 44:7). For other instances with the vocalization of our preferred reading, see Ezek 28:15; Hos 10:13 and Ps 125:3.
↑On the form עַוְלָתָה: The waw appears to have merged with a vocalic long "o" on occasion, as Isa 61:8's בְּעוֹלָ֑ה for עַוְלָה and only וְ֝עֹלָ֗תָה in Job 5:16 (as the ketiv here, but without any qere; see also the plural עוֹלֹ֪ת in Pss 58:3; 64:7). On the presence of תָה–֫ with "the loss of the tone on the final syllable" as "an old accusative of direction or intention," see the discussion in GKC §90g (cf. צָרָ֫תָה in Ps 120:1; עֵיפָ֫תָה in Job 10:22 and עֶזְרָ֫תָה in Ps 44:7). For other instances with the vocalization of our preferred reading, see Ezek 28:15; Hos 10:13 and Ps 125:3.