The Meaning of Psalm 40:13b
Introduction
The Masoretic Text of Psalm 40:13 reads as follows:[1]
- כִּ֤י אָפְפ֥וּ־עָלַ֨י ׀ רָע֡וֹת עַד־אֵ֬ין מִסְפָּ֗ר
- הִשִּׂיג֣וּנִי עֲ֭וֺנֹתַי וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣לְתִּי לִרְא֑וֹת
- עָצְמ֥וּ מִשַּֽׂעֲר֥וֹת רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י וְלִבִּ֥י עֲזָבָֽנִי׃
The second clause in the second line literally reads "I am not able to see." It is not immediately clear, however, what this means and how the statement relates to the preceding context. Consider the following modern translations:
- my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. (NIV)
- My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up (NKJV)
- my sins have overtaken me; I cannot see past them (LUT2017)[2]
The NIV translates the clause literally as I cannot see, while the NKJV interprets the verb as looking up to God and facing him directly in prayer. God, then, is supplied as the understood object of the "looking," while the Luther Bibel 2017 suggests the sins themselves are what the psalmist cannot see. We examine the plausibility of these latter two interpretations in the argument maps below. Even if translated simply as I cannot see, however, the question remains whether this refers to a loss of discernment, a loss of health, or simply the consequential image of being "surrounded" by one's iniquities. These possibilities, too, are discussed below.
Argument Maps
"Look [up]"
Some translations interpret the verb לִרְא֑וֹת as "look up," suggesting the psalmist cannot bear to face God directly as he prays: "My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up" (NKJV).
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[Look [up]]: The clause וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣לְתִּי לִרְא֑וֹת means "I am not able to look up," that is, to God (Saadia :C:; Kraus 1993, 422 :C:). #dispreferred
+ <Idiom>: "To see, in this and other psalms, is to trust God" (Jacobson and Tanner 2014, 380 :C:).#dispreferred
- <Co-text>: Lack of trust of God makes little sense in the context, since the psalmist explicitly solicits YHWH's care in the previous verses and praises those who trust YHWH in v. 5.
+ [v. 12]: "You, YHWH, do not withhold your compassion from me; may your loyalty and your trustworthiness continually watch over me" (CBC).
+ [v. 5]: "How happy is the person who has made YHWH the object of his trust" (CBC).
"Look at [my sins]"
Some translations suggest an implied object of the verb לִרְא֑וֹת as the sins mentioned in the previous clause: "my sins have overtaken me; I cannot see past them" (LUT2017).[3]
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[Look [at my sins]]: The clause וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣לְתִּי לִרְא֑וֹת means "I am not able to look \[at my sins\]" (Radak :C:; Hitzig 1863, 228 :C:). #dispreferred
- <Lexical semantics>: This interpretation requires the verb ראה to have the sense of "look past" or "overlook".
<_ <Polysemy>: For lack of diverse "seeing" verbs, Biblical Hebrew made use of ראה to communicate "overlook" (Hitzig 1863, 228 :C:).#dispreferred
<_ <Ancient witnesses>: Greek and Latin both contain verbs with nuances of "overlook" (e.g., παροράω, neglegere), but do not use them here.
+ [Ancient witnesses]: "to see": βλέπειν (LXX), videre (Jerome).
+ <Previous clause>: "By stating that they \[his iniquities\] are more numerous than the hairs of his head ... the author makes it clear that he cannot overlook them" (Hitzig 1863, 228 :C:; cf. Radak :C:).#dispreferred
- <Object drop>: This interpretation "puts into the expression more than it really expresses in the common usage of the language" (Delitzsch 1871, 42 :C:), since it requires object drop, when the overt syntax of "I cannot see" is far simpler.
<_ <Discourse active>: The "many iniquities," activated in the previous clause, are the active topic of the following clause, also. Being discourse active in the present clause, then, object drop is not problematic.#dispreferred
+ [v. 13b-d]: "my iniquities have overtaken me so that I am not able to see. They \[my iniquities\] are more numerous than the hairs on my head" (CBC).#dispreferred
"See" (preferred)
Since the previous two interpretations are not without their problems, we now consider the intended sense of the plain phrase "I cannot see," whether as a loss of discernment, a loss of health/courage, or a result of the metaphorical "surrounding" in the previous clause.
Loss of discernment
Some argue that the psalmist's statement "I cannot see" communicates a lack of discernment.
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[Loss of discernment]: The clause "I cannot see" means the psalmist has lost his discernment (Malbim :C:; Gruber 1996, 180 :C:). #dispreferred
+ <Previous co-text>: The first two clauses present a parallel relationship between "troubles overwhelming" and "iniquities overtaking" the psalmist. The lack of discernment amounts to the psalmist not being able to recognize that the innumerable troubles he was experiencing were caused by his innumerable sins (Malbim :C:).#dispreferred
<_ <Surrounding verses>: This idea is not developed in the rest of the psalm, either preceding or following this verse, so is not ideal to draw up to explain the terse and obscure clause under question.
<_ <Lack of repentance>: If this sense were intended, one might expect to see the psalmist's repentance of this lack of discernment. This idea, however, is not present in the psalm.
Loss of health
Some argue that the psalmist's statement "I cannot see" communicates a lack of health/courage.
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[Loss of health/courage]: The clause "I cannot see" means the psalmist has lost his health/courage (Radak :C:; Ibn Ezra :C:; Kirkpatrick 1897, 214 :C:). #dispreferred
+ <Similar expressions>: A lack of sight and darkening of eyes is a common conceptual metaphor for fading health (Kirkpatrick 1897, 214 :C:).#dispreferred
+ [Psalm 38:11]: "My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes" (NIV). #dispreferred
+ [Psalm 69:4]: "I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God" (NIV). #dispreferred
+ <Parallel clause>: The clause "I cannot see" concludes its poetic line and the following poetic line ends with "and my courage has abandoned me." These two ideas should, thus, be understood in a near-synonymous parallel relationship. #dispreferred
- <Previous imagery>: This interpretation does not explain the resultative semantics of "so that I cannot see" (see CBC; cf. Symmachus) from the previous clause; the lack of health/courage is rather a secondary by-product of the metaphorical sense found there.
Continuation of metaphor (preferred)
Some argue that the psalmist's statement "I cannot see" communicates the result of his "iniquities overtaking him" in the same target domain of the previous clause's imagery, that is, physical space.
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[Metaphorical consequence]: The clause "I cannot see" "refers to the consequence of being completely overtaken" (Böhler 2021, 727 :C:), that is, it follows the previous clause in the same metaphorical target domain of physical space (Briggs and Briggs 1906, 356 :C:; Goldingay 2006, 576 :C:; Böhler 2021, 727 :C:).
+ <Flood imagery>: The image of a flood is suggested by the present phraseology (Briggs and Briggs 1906, 356 :C:).
+ [Psalm 18:5]: "The cords of death entangled me (אֲפָפ֥וּנִי)" (NIV).
+ <Similar expressions>: The consequence of physical surrounding/covering elsewhere is described as not being able to see (Ibn Ezra :C:; Ḥakham 1979, 232 :C:).
+ [Exodus 10:5]: "and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land (וְלֹ֥א יוּכַ֖ל לִרְאֹ֣ת אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ)" (ESV).
Conclusion (B)
In view of the arguments presented above, it is safe to conclude that the simple syntax of "I cannot see" should be followed. While it is possible that the clause refers to a lack of discernment concerning the psalmist's troubles being caused by his sins, this idea is not elaborated on or developed anywhere else in the psalm, so is quite speculative. More likely is the sense of a lack of health or courage. Nevertheless, this idea is not absent in the metaphorical image of sins overtaking the psalmist, but is a secondary by-product thereof. We recommend, therefore, understanding the clause as the simple consequence of the imagery developed in the previous clause.
Research
Translations
Ancient
- LXX: κατέλαβόν με αἱ ἀνομίαι μου, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθην τοῦ βλέπειν[4]
- "my acts of lawlessness overtook me, and I was unable to see"[5]
- Symmachus: ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι βλέπειν[6]
- "...so as to not able to see"
- Peshitta: ܘܐܕܪܟܘܢܝ ܚ̈ܛܗܝ ܘܠܐ ܐܫܟܚܬ ܠܡܚܙܐ[7]
- "my sins have overtaken me and I am unable to see"[8]
- Jerome (Hebr.): conprehenderunt me iniquitates meae et non potui videre
- "My iniquities covered me and I could not see"
- Targum: אדביקו יתי חובי ולא יכלית למחמי[9]
- "my sins have overtaken me and I cannot see"[10]
Modern
I cannot see
- my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. (NIV; cf. CJB, CSB, ESV, GNT, NABRE, NASB, NET, REB, RJPS)
- Mes fautes retombent sur moi, elles m’empêchent de voir clair. (PDV)
- mes fautes m'ont assailli, et j'en ai perdu la vue (TOB)
- Me han atrapado mis propias maldades; ¡hasta he perdido la vista! (DHH)
I cannot look [up]
- My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up (NKJV)
- me han alcanzado mis maldades y no puedo levantar la vista. (RVR95)
- meine Sünden haben mich erreicht, dass ich nicht aufzublicken vermag (ELB; cf. EÜ, ZÜR)
I cannot look [at my sins]
- je subis les conséquences de mes fautes, et je n’en supporte pas la vue (SG21; cf. NFC)
- Meine Sünden haben mich ereilt; ich kann sie nicht überblicken. (LUT 2017)
Secondary Literature
- Böhler, Dieter. 2021. Psalmen 1–50. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder Verlag.
- Briggs, Charles A. & Briggs, Emilie G. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Volume 1. New York, NY: C. Scribner’s Sons.
- Delitzsch, Franz. 1871. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
- Goldingay John. 2006. Psalms 1–41. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
- Gruber, Meir. 1996. "Chapter 40" (in Hebrew). Pages 176–180 in Psalms: Volume 1. Olam HaTaNaKh. Tel Aviv: דודזון–עתי.
- Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. The Book of Psalms: Books 1–2 (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.
- Hitzig, Ferdinand. 1863. Die Psalmen: übersetzt und ausgelegt. Erster Band. Leipzig und Heidelberg: C. F. Winterische Verlagshandlung.
- Ibn Ezra, Abraham. Ibn Ezra on Psalms.
- Jacobson, Rolf A. & Tanner, Beth. 2014. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41,” in The Book of Psalms (NICOT). Grand Rapids, MI; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
- Kraus, Hans-Joachim, 1993. A Continental Commentary: Psalms 1–59. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
- Kirkpatrick, Alexander, F. 1897. The Book of Psalms with Introduction and Notes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Malbim. Malbim on Psalms.
- Radak. Radak on Psalms.
- Saadia = Qafaḥ, Yosef. 1965. The Psalms with Translation and Commentary of Saadia Gaon (in Hebrew: תהלים עם תרגום פוירוש הגאון). Jerusalem: The American Academy for Jewish Research, p. 121.
References
40:13