The Grammar and Meaning of Ps. 12:6c

Back to Psalm 12

Introduction

The last line in Ps. 12:6 has long been a source of confusion. The traditional Hebrew text (MT, Leningrad Codex) reads as follows: אָשִׁ֥ית בְּ֝יֵ֗שַׁע יָפִ֥יחַֽ לֽוֹ׃. Ancient versions and modern versions alike disagree on how to interpret this line. Compare, for example, the KJV and ESV.

"I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him" (KJV; cf. NIV, CEV, ELB, HFA, NGÜ, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR, NVI, NBS, NVS78P, TOB, BDS, PDV2017, NFC)

"I will place him in the safety for which he longs" (ESV, NEB; cf. NRSV, REB, GNT, NET, NJB, NLT, LUT, RVR95, DHH)

While these two interpretations agree that יָפִיחַ לוֹ is an asyndetic relative clause ("[the one who] puffs/longs at/for him/it") which functions as the object of אָשִׁית, they disagree on the meaning of the relative clause יָפִיחַ לוֹ.

Argument Maps

The meaning of יָפִיחַ לוֹ

"Sigh/long for it"

Many modern translations reflect the view that יָפִיחַ לוֹ means "to sigh/long for it" (i.e., to long for YHWH's salvation). According to this view, v. 6c has been translated as “I will place him in the safety for which he longs" (ESV, NEB).

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["Long for it"]:The phrase יָפִיחַ לוֹ means "he longs for it" (i.e., for YHWH's salvation) (BDB :L:, SDBH :L:, DCH :L:). #dispreferred
 + <Hab. 2:3>: In Hab. 2:3, the phrase "הפיח ל occurs in the sense of panting or hasting towards an end" (Delitzsch :C:; cf. BDB :L:, DCH :L:). #dispreferred
  <_ <Hab. 2:3 difficult>: The phrase in Hab. 2:3 is difficult and so does not provide solid evidence for the meaning of the phrase in Ps. 12:6.
   + It is translated variously as "to speak" (NIV NRSV) "witness" (NJPS) "testify" (REB) "to hasten" (RSV NJB ESV).
 + <Parallelism>:'According to this exposition, the second member ("to pant/long for") is quite parallel to the first ("sighing of the poor")' (Hengstenberg :C:).#dispreferred
 - <Meaning doubtful>: "It is doubtful whether יפיח can have this meaning" (Baethgen :C:, cf. Miller :A:).

"Snort/Sneer at him"

Others have argued that the phraseיָפִיחַ לוֹ means "he snorts/sneers at him." According to this view, v. 6c has been translated "I will protect them from those who malign them" (NIV), or, more simply, "I will liberate the oppressed" (HFA).

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["Snort/sneer at him"]:The phrase יָפִיחַ לוֹ means "he snorts/sneers at him" (HALOT :L:). #dispreferred
 + <Ps. 10:5>: The verb means "snort" or "sneer" in Ps. 10:5 (BDB :L:, DCH :L:, SDBH :L:), and this meaning works well in Ps. 12:6. #dispreferred
  + [Ps. 10:5]
 - <Beth instead of lamed>: If this interpretation were correct, then we would have expected a beth preposition instead of a lamed preposition (Hupfeld 1855:255-256 :C:; Delitzsch :C:).
  + [Ps. 10:5]: Ps. 10:5 – כָּל־צ֝וֹרְרָ֗יו יָפִ֥יחַ בָּהֶֽם
  + "The verbs pwh and nph in the sense of "blow at/upon/ against" take a direct object (e.g. pwh—Prov. 24:8; Cant, 4:16; nph—Mal. 1:13), or *beth* + noun/pronoun (pwh—Ps. 10:5; nph—Isa. 54:16; Ezek. 37:9; and Hag. 1:9), or *'al* + noun/pronoun (pwh —Ezek. xxi 36; nph —Ezek. xxii 20, 21)" (Miller 1979:498 :A:).
 - <Difficult syntax>: "The syntax of such a sentence is in no way simple, compounded by the fact that both subject and object are singular whereas the presumed antecedents in the preceding verse are all plural" (Miller 1979:498 :A:).
 - <Not suitable to context>: "The puffing is here not at all suitable. The wicked in the Psalm are not scornful tyrants, but sleek hypocrites and flatterers" (Hengstenberg :C: 1863:191).

  

"Set traps for him" (preferred)

This view is rarely discussed today, and it is not represented in modern translations. It is the view, however, of some premodern commentators (e.g., Radak, Calvin), and it has much to commend it. According to this view, v. 6c might be translated "I will place in safety the one for whom someone sets traps."

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["Set traps"]: The phrase יָפִיחַ לוֹ means "set traps for him" (Radak :C:; Calvin :C:); the verb יָפִיחַ is a denominative from the noun פח ("trap").
 + <Denominative from פח>: The denominative verb הָפֵחַ (infinitive absolute, "to lay traps" from the noun פח) occurs in Isa. 42:22 (so BDB :L:, HALOT :L:, DCH :L:). 
  + [Isa. 42:22]:הָפֵ֤חַ בַּֽחוּרִים֙ כֻּלָּ֔ם וּבְבָתֵּ֥י כְלָאִ֖ים הָחְבָּ֑אוּ הָי֤וּ לָבַז֙ וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּ֔יל מְשִׁסָּ֖ה וְאֵין־אֹמֵ֥ר הָשַֽׁב
  - <Geminate verb>:The denominative verb from פח is פחח not פוח (BDB :L:, HALOT :L:, DCH :L:), and the long *i* does not occur in hiphil verbs of this type (cf. JM §82d). #dispreferred
   <_ <II-waw Verb>: There is no reason why the hiphil infinitive absolute הָפֵחַ in Isa. 42:22 could not instead be a II-waw verb (פוח). Cf. הָקֵם in Deut. 22:4; Judges 7:19.
 + <Preposition>: The noun פח is frequently accompanied by the preposition ל to refer to the person for whom the trap is set.
  + [פח + ל]: E.g., Ps. 140:6 טָֽמְנֽוּ־גֵאִ֨ים׀ פַּ֡ח לִ֗י; Ps. 141:9 שָׁמְרֵ֗נִי מִ֣ידֵי פַ֭ח יָ֣קְשׁוּ לִ֑י; Ps. 142:4 טָמְנ֖וּ פַ֣ח לִֽי. Cf. Hos. 5:1.
 + <Psalm 11>: The noun פַּח occurs in the previous psalm (Ps. 11:6), and adjacent psalms are sometimes connected by shared themes and words.
  + [Pss. 11-12]: E.g., the image of refining appears in both Ps. 11:4-5 and Ps. 12:7.
  + [Pss. 3-4]: E.g., the words/roots ישן, שכב, צר, רבב, קרא occur in both Ps. 3 and Ps. 4.
 + <Trapping the poor>: Elsewhere in the Psalms, the oppression of the poor is described in terms of their being trapped. This would be an appropriate image in this context.
  + [Trapping the poor]: E.g., Pss. 124:7; 140:6; 142:4; cf. Ps. 10:9.
 - <Difficult syntax>: "The syntax of such a sentence is in no way simple, compounded by the fact that both subject and object are singular whereas the presumed antecedents in the preceding verse are all plural" (Miller 1979:498 :A:).#dispreferred
 - <Geminate>: The noun פַח reflects a geminate root, whereas the verb יפיח reflects a hollow root.#dispreferred
  <_ <Hollow root by-form>: Some geminate roots have hollow roots as a by-form.
   + [צרר/צור]: E.g., the noun צר reflects a geminate root צרר (HALOT :L:) and has a geminate denominative verb צרר which has a hollow verb (צור) as a by-form.

Conclusion

In the case of this difficult verse, we reject the two main options represented in the majority of modern translations.

The first option ("I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him," KJV) is syntactically difficult; a beth prepositional phrase rather than a lamed prepositional phrase might have been expected (cf. Ps. 10:5). Furthermore, this interpretation is somewhat difficult in the context of the psalm, where the wicked oppress the poor through smooth speech rather than scornful sneers.

The second option ("I will place him in the safety for which he longs," ESV) is semantically difficult. It is questionable whether or not this verb can mean "long for;" evidence for this view rests largely on the difficult passage in Hab. 2:3.

We prefer the view that the phrase יָפִיחַ לוֹ means "set traps for him" (cf. Radak, Calvin). The hiphil denominative of פח ("trap") is clearly attested in Isa. 42:22. This interpretation works well in the immediate syntactic context (for פח with a lamed preposition see e.g., Pss. 140:6; 141:9; 142:4; Hos. 5:1), in the wider context of the psalm (which refers to the oppression of the poor – something that is often depicted in terms of setting traps), and in the context of the canonical arrangement of the Psalter (note the use of the word פח "trap" in the previous Psalm [11:6], with which there are other connections).

We have rendered Ps. 12:6c as "I will place in safety the one for whom someone sets traps."

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: θήσομαι ἐν σωτηρίᾳ, παρρησιάσομαι ἐν αὐτῷ
  • "I will place in safety; I will speak freely against it" (NETS)
• Sym.: ταξω σωτηριον εμπφανες
• Syr.: ܘܐܥܒܕ ܦܘܪܩܢܐ ܓܠܝܐܝܬ܂
  • "And I shall work salvation openly" (Bauscher 2019)
• Jer.: ponam in salutari auxilium eorum
• Tg.: אשוי פורקן לעמי ולרשיעי אסהיד‬ בישותא להון‭
  • "I will give deliverance to my people; but as for the wicked, I will make evil testify against them" (Stec 2004).

Modern

Option 1

• "I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him" (KJV)
• "I will protect them from those who malign them" (NIV)
• I'll rescue all who suffer" (CEV) (?)
• »ich will in Sicherheit stellen den, den man bedroht« (ELB)
• »Ich werde die Unterdrückten befreien!« (HFA)
• »und denen Rettung bringen, die bedrängt werden« (NGÜ)
• »ich bringe Rettung dem, gegen den man wütet« (EÜ)
• »Ich bringe den Misshandelten Befreiung« (GNB)
• »und bringe Rettung dem, den man hart bedrängt« (ZÜR)
• «y los pondré a salvo de quienes los oprimen» (NVI)
• j'apporte le salut à ceux sur qui l'on souffle (NBS)
• J'apporte le salut à ceux contre qui l'on souffle (NVS78P)
• je mets en lieu sûr celui sur qui l’on crache (TOB)
• pour accorder le salut ╵à ceux qui sont méprisés (BDS)
• je vais aider celui qu’on méprise (PDV2017)
• Je porte secours à celui qu'on écarte d'un revers de main (NFC)

Option 2

• “I will place him in the safety for which he longs" (ESV, NEB)
• “I will/shall place them in the safety for which they longs" (NRSV/REB)
• "I will give them the security they long for" (GNT)
• "I will provide the safety they so desperately desire." (NET)
• "I will grant salvation to those who sigh for it" (NJB)
• "to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do" (NLT)
• »ich will Hilfe schaffen dem, der sich danach sehnt« (LUT)
• «pondré a salvo al que por ello suspira» (RVR95)
• «y les daré la ayuda que tanto anhelan» (DHH)

Option 3

• "'I will give help,' He affirms to him" (JPS85)

Secondary Literature

Lexicons

• BDB – פּוּחַ vb. breathe, blow... c. לוֹ ψ 12:6 puff, = pant for it (so most; Thes Hi al. against whom men puff; Bae אֹפִיעַ לוֹ I will shine forth to him)
• HALOT - פוח ... b. Ps 12:6 אָשִׁית בְּיֵשַׁע יָפִיחַ לוֹ: —i. if I פוח, usually “the security for which he longs” (Gesenius-B.; RSV; NRSV; REB); better “against whom someone rages” (Kraus BK 15/5:234, 238; Jeremias WMANT 35 (1970) 112) :: Mowinckel Psalmenstudien 1:23, 54f; 2:173: against whom someone has breathed (magical breathing); cj. מִתְיַפֵּחַ לוֹ the one who groans (or sighs) for it (KBL following Gunkel Ps. 45)
• DCH - פוח I vb. blow... blow, i.e. sigh in longing, <SUBJ> עָנִי poor one Ps 12:6 (or em. יָפִיחַ he blows to מִתְיַפֵּחַ one who blows)
• SDBH - verb qal literally: to blow -- to long for; to sigh for (Ps 12:6; Hab 2:3a)

Articles

• Miller, Patrick D. "Yāpiah in Psalm XII 6", Vetus Testamentum 29, 4 (1979): 495-501.

Commentaries

• Rashi – I will grant them salvation, He will speak concerning them (ידבר עליהם). יפיח is an expression of speech. There are many [examples] in the Book of Proverbs, and in Habakkuk (2:3): “and He shall speak (יפח) of the end, and it shall not fail.”
• Radak – אשית העניים בישע מאשר יפיח להם כלומר: אושיעם מאשר יציבו להם פחים ללכדם (cf. Prov. 29:8)
• Ibn Ezra – והטעם אשית ישע אשר יפיח לו – ידבר, כמו: יפיח כזבים והוא דבק עם הפסוק הבא אחריו
• Calvin – The word פוה, phuach, which we have rendered to lay snares for, sometimes signifies to blow out, or to puff, — at other times to ensnare, or to lay snares for; and sometimes, also, to speak. Those who think it is here put for to speak also differ among themselves with respect to the meaning. Some render it God will speak to himself; that is to say, God will determine with himself; but as the Psalmist had already declared the determination of God, this would be an unnecessary and vain repetition... God declares he will arise to restore to safety those who seem on all sides to be environed by the snares of their enemies, and even caught in them. The import of the language is this: The ungodly may hold the poor and afflicted entangled in their snares as a prey which they have caught; but I will set them in safety. If it should be replied, that the reading in the Hebrew is not for whom, but for him, I would observe, that it is no new thing for these words, him, for him, to be used instead of whom and for whom. If any one prefer the sense of puffing at, I am not disposed greatly to oppose him. According to this reading, David would elegantly taunt the pride of the ungodly, who confidently imagine they can do any thing, 265 even with their breath, as we have seen in the tenth psalm, at the fifth verse.
• Delitzsch: We must not interpret it: him at whom he, the boaster, puffs, which would be יפיח בו (cf. Ps. 10:5), but with Ew., Hengst., Olsh, and Böttch., after Hab. 2:3, where הפיח ל occurs in the sense of panting or hasting towards an end: him who years for it... יפיח לו is... a relative clause taking the place of the object, such as occurs in Job 24:29; Isa. 41:2, 25 and in many other passages.
• Baethgen 1904:33 – Die Worte יפיח לי werden meistens als Objekt zum Vorhergehenden betrachtet: »denjenigen welcher sich danach (nämlich nach dem Heil) sehnt.« Ob יפיח efflare diese Bedeutung haben kann, ist sehr zweifelhaft. Hitzig: »gegen den man schnaubt«. Von den alten Übersetzern hat keiner diesen oder einen ähnlichen Sinn gefunden. LXX παρρησιάσομαι ἐν αὐτῷ. Dies Wort gebrauchen sie 94:1 für הופיע. Die erste Person statt der dritten hat auch das Targum noch gelesen (אסהיד d. i. testificabor). Sym. und ähnlich Syr. übersetzen das ganze Versglied ταξω σωτηριον εμφανης, womit zu vergleichen 50:2 הופיע LXX εμφαινως ηξει, und 80:2 הופיעה LXX εμπφανηθι. Hiernach ist es wohl gewiss, dass LXX אפיע (defektiv geschrieben für אופיע) gelesen haben, und dass Sym. Syr. jedenfalls auch eine Form von הופיע vorfanden. Für die Verwechselung von ע und ה vgl. zu 97:11; für die von י und א z. B. II Sam. 7:13 יסור vgl. mut 1 Chron 17:13 אסיר. Der Satz אופיע לו ist ein verbaler Umstandsatz (G-K 156d), den Sym. durch ein auf ישע bezogenes Adjektiv, Syr. durch ein Adverb (גליאית = εμφανως) wiedergab. Der Singular לו neben vorhergehendem Plural, und das Fehlen des Objekts bei אשית בישע eklärt sich gut bei Ewalds Annahme, dass die hier angeführten Worte Jahves einem älteren, von dem Dichter entlehnten Orakel angehören, was durch die glaubensvolle Bestätigung in v. 7 nur noch wahrscheinlicher wird. Freilich ist es auch nicht unmöglich, dass der ganze Versglied nicht zum ursprünglichen Psalm gehört.
• Kraus 1988:207 – The translation of יפיח לו had for a long time been disputed. It was usually translated: "for which he longs." Better is: "against whom people fret and fume" (= "who is hard pressed"); cf. Ps. 10:5 and Hab. 2:3 for the meaning of the verb and its construction with ל. But we will also have to take into the suffix of the third person singular in תצרנו (v. 7). There are textual emendations, for instance, following Gk (παρρησιασομαι εν αυτω): אופיע (Ps. 94:1). But we expect to see the object of אשית.
• Zenger 1993:94 – "...ich bringe Rettung dem, gegen dem man schnaubt." Andere (weniger wahrscheinliche) Übersetzungmöglichkeit: "ich bringe Rettung dem, der sich danach sehnt." Wegen der ungewöhnlichen Konstruktion gibt es zahlreiche Textkorrekturn.

References

12:6 Approved