The 'Word' in Ps 105:19

Introduction

The Hebrew text of Ps. 105:28 in the MT reads as follows:<ref>Hebrew text from OSHB.

עִנּ֣וּ בַכֶּ֣בֶל רגליו רַגְל֑וֹ בַּ֝רְזֶ֗ל בָּ֣אָה נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃

עַד־עֵ֥ת בֹּֽא־דְבָר֑וֹ אִמְרַ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה צְרָפָֽתְהוּ׃

They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true (NIV)

His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord kept testing him (NRSV)

His feet were kept in chains, and an iron collar was around his neck, until what he had predicted came true. The word of the Lord proved him right (GNT)

The question at hand is how does עד־עת בא־דברו (19a) factor in when interpreting the time reference to Joseph's life here.

Argument Maps

V. 19a as an Adverbial Clause to V. 19b (preferred)

1. "(18) His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; (19) until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him" (ESV, NRSV, NLT, REB; NVR95; DHH; HFA). Here, v. 19a is an adverbial clause to 19b, both of which are related to the events recounted in v. 18.

V. 19a as an Adverbial Clause to V. 18

2. "(18) The shackles hurt his feet; his neck was placed in an iron collar, (19) until the time when his predictions came true. The Lord’s word proved him right" (NET; cf. NIV, GNT; NBS, NVSR, NFC, S21; NVI; ZÜR, EÜ, GNB, Luther 2017). V. 19a is rendered as an adverbial clause to v. 18 and v. 19b is an indicative statement following on from the content of vv. 18-19a.

עד־עת Does Double Duty for V. 19b

3. "(18) They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, (19) till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true" (NIV). The phrase עד־עת is taken as having double duty for the second clause in v. 19.

References

105:19