The Subject(s) in Ps. 21:9-13

Psalm Overview

Exegetical issues for Psalm 21:

The Subject(s) in Ps. 21:9-13

The Text and Meaning of Ps. 21:10a

The Meaning of Psalm 21:13

Introduction

The Hebrew text of Ps. 21:9-13 reads as follows:

תִּמְצָ֣א יָ֭דְךָ לְכָל־אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ יְ֝מִֽינְךָ תִּמְצָ֥א שֹׂנְאֶֽיךָ׃

תְּשִׁיתֵ֤מוֹ ׀ כְּתַנּ֥וּר אֵשׁ֮ לְעֵ֪ת פָּ֫נֶ֥יךָ יְ֭הוָה בְּאַפּ֣וֹ יְבַלְּעֵ֑ם וְֽתֹאכְלֵ֥ם אֵֽשׁ׃

פִּ֭רְיָמוֹ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ תְּאַבֵּ֑ד וְ֝זַרְעָ֗ם מִבְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃

כִּי־נָט֣וּ עָלֶ֣יךָ רָעָ֑ה חָֽשְׁב֥וּ מְ֝זִמָּ֗ה בַּל־יוּכָֽלוּ׃

כִּ֭י תְּשִׁיתֵ֣מוֹ שֶׁ֑כֶם בְּ֝מֵֽיתָרֶ֗יךָ תְּכוֹנֵ֥ן עַל־פְּנֵיהֶֽם׃

The second-person referent throughout Ps. 21:9-13 is unclear. Either the referent of the second-person verbs and pronominal suffixes in this section is YHWH (who is the identified referent of the second-person references earlier in the psalm vv.3-7), or there has been a change in referent, and the king previously referred to in the third-person singular is now addressed directly in the second person.

Some translations make it explicit that YHWH is the subject of this section.

"With your mighty arm, LORD, you will strike down all of your hateful enemies" (CEV)

Other translations make it explicit that the king is the subject:

"The king will capture all his enemies; he will capture everyone who hates him" (GNT)

The majority of translations leave the subject ambiguous:

"Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you" (ESV cf. NLT, NASB, NKJV).

Argument Maps

The following argument maps will outline the arguments for and against the two options for subject:

1. YHWH
2. King

YHWH

Some have argued that YHWH is the second-person referent in vv. 9-13. The argument for this view is as follows.

===
model:
    removeTagsFromText: true
    shortcodes:
      ":C:": {unicode: "🄲"}
      ":G:": {unicode: "🄶"}
      ":A:": {unicode: "🄰"}
      ":I:": {unicode: "🄸"}    
      ":L:": {unicode: "🄻"}
      ":D:": {unicode: "🄳"}    
      ":M:": {unicode: "🄼"}   
selection:
    excludeDisconnected: false
dot:
    graphVizSettings:
        rankdir: LR
        concentrate: true
        ranksep: 0.2
        nodesep: 0.2
=== 

[YHWH]: YHWH is the second-person referent in vv. 9-13. #dispreferred
 + <No indicated change of addressee>: YHWH is the referent of the preceding sequence of second-person references in vv. 3-7 and there is nothing to suggest a change of addressee for the second-person references that follow in vv 9-13 (Goldingay 2008:316 :C:; Kidner 2014:126 :C:). #dispreferred
  - <A change in addressee is indicated in v. 8>: Verse 8 is "the transition to the second half; for by its objective utterance concerning the king and God, it separates the language hitherto addressed to God, from the address to the king, which follows" (Delitzsch 1996:188 :C:). 
 + <'YHWH' as a vocative>: 'YHWH' in v. 10 is probably a vocative, which case it is clear that he is the subject of the second-person references that follow. #dispreferred
  + <MT manuscripts with 'YHWH' located end of v. 10b>: Some MT manuscripts have YHWH located at the end of v. 10a which would make 'YHWH' best understood as a vocative. #dispreferred
    + [EC1 line division]: in the manuscript EC1 (Codex Berlin Qu 680), יְהוָה is located at the end of v. 10a: לְעֵת פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה. #dispreferred
   - <Creates ambiguity>: If 'YHWH' is understood as a vocative on line 10a then it creates ambiguity in line 10b with who the subject of the 3ms verb יבלעם would then be.
  - <MT manuscripts with YHWH located beginning of v. 10c>: Some MT manuscripts (Sassoon 1053 and BL Or. 2373) have YHWH located as the subject at the beginning of the line in v. 10b.
  - [MT accents]: The MT accents place the strongest division of the verse between פָּ֫נֶ֥יךָ and יְ֭הוָה.
  - <Ancient versions>: Most of the ancient versions (LXX, Jerome, Peshitta, Targum) read YHWH as the third person subject of v. 10b, not as a vocative.
   + [Ancient versions]: LXX (Rahlfs): κύριος...; Jerome: Dominus...; Peshitta: ܡܪܝܐ ܒܪܘܓܙܗ ܢܘܩܕ ܐܢܘܢ܂; Targum: יהוה ברגזיה יסלעמינון.
   - [LXX manuscripts]: Codices Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and Alexandrinus read YHWH as a vocative (κυριε) on the second line with the verb συνταραξεις of 10b in 2ms form. #dispreferred
 - <Third person>: The third person reference to 'YHWH' in vv. 8, 10 suggests that he is not the second person referent in this section.
  - <'YHWH' as a vocative>
  - <Person shifting>: Person shifting—speaking to YHWH in the second person to speaking about him in the third person—is very common in the Psalms. #dispreferred
   + [Ps. 5:7]: E.g., תְּאַבֵּד֮ דֹּבְרֵ֪י כָ֫זָ֥ב אִישׁ־דָּמִ֥ים וּמִרְמָ֗ה יְתָ֘עֵ֥ב׀ יְהוָֽה׃ #dispreferred
 + <Language of divine acts>: Much of the language including the active "right hand" and the "appearance" in this section of the Psalm is suggestive of God's acts. #dispreferred
  + <YHWH's hand\/right hand>: "The active right hand of the Psalms is usually Yhwh's (so in 18:36; 20:7)" (Goldingay 2008:316 :C:). #dispreferred
      + [YHWH's right hand]: Exod. 15:6; Pss. 17:7; 44:3; 60:5; 98:1; 108:6; 138:7; 139:10 (Kidner 2014:126-127 :C:) #dispreferred
    <_ <Used with human kings>: YHWH promised that he would deliver Israel by the hand of David (2 Sam 3:18).
      + [2 Sam 3:18]: "By the hand of my servant David (בְּיַ֣ד׀ דָּוִ֣ד עַבְדִּ֗י) I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies" (2 Sam 3:18, ESV).
    <_ <Close relationship between king and YHWH>: "In this way, Ps 21 accents the close relationship between God and king" (Spieckermann 2023:264 :C:).
  <_ <פָנֶיךָ>: פָנֶיךָ is also used of human appearance in battle 2 Sam 17:11.
      + [2 Sam 17:11]: "But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person (וּפָנֶ֥יךָ הֹלְכִ֖ים בַּקְרָֽב)" (2 Sam. 17:11, ESV).
 + <Central theme of God's power>: In Ps. 21, "the central theme of God's power is praised, not the king's power" (Bratcher-Reyburn 1991:204 :C:). #dispreferred
  + [Central theme of God's power]: YHWH's "strength" (עֹז) is a key element in the inclusio that frames the whole Psalm (vv. 2, 14). #dispreferred
 + <Parallelism of intesification>: "Most of the parallel lines exhibit intensification as the dominant movement...Verse \[10\]... would not follow the movement of intensification if line \[10\]a referred to the king while \[10\]b and \[10\]c clearly refer to Yahweh" (Bratcher-Reyburn 1991:204 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Consistent references (v. 10)>: "It is natural to take the fire of v. \[10\]a and that of v. \[10\]b to have the same reference, and to take the presence of v. \[10\] to be the same as that of v. \[7\]" (Goldingay 2008:316 :C:). #dispreferred
 - <King not mentioned>: If YHWH is the subject, then the king, who is a central character in the psalm, is never mentioned in vv. 9–14.

King (preferred)

Some argue that the king is the second-person referent in vv. 9-13. The following argument map represents this view.

===
model:
    removeTagsFromText: true
    shortcodes:
      ":C:": {unicode: "🄲"}
      ":G:": {unicode: "🄶"}
      ":A:": {unicode: "🄰"}
      ":I:": {unicode: "🄸"}    
      ":L:": {unicode: "🄻"}
      ":D:": {unicode: "🄳"}    
      ":M:": {unicode: "🄼"}   
selection:
    excludeDisconnected: false
dot:
    graphVizSettings:
        concentrate: true
        ranksep: 0.2
        nodesep: 0.2
=== 
[King]: The king is the second-person referent in vv. 9-13. 
 + <Verse 8>: Verse 8 introduces the second major section of the psalm, to which vv. 9–13 belong (vv. 8-13; cf. van der Lugt 2006 :M:), and v. 8 is about the king (his trust and his stability). The whole section, therefore (vv. 8–13), is best interpreted with the king as the subject.
 + <Setting>: Psalm 21 can be understood as a liturgy prior to the king's departure for battle (Mowinckel PsStud III 1923:38–40 :C:). 
  - <Alternative setting possibilities>: Interpreting the psalm as a liturgy prior to the king's departure for battle "seems unsatisfactory in the light of the first half of the psalm. Verse 3 refers to the setting of a crown of fine gold on the head of the king, which has led others to see this as a coronation psalm. On the other hand, the rest of the psalm does not particularly suggest a coronation context. Possibly the psalm was sung at the anniversary of the king’s coronation" (Day 1999:96 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Enemies>: The language of 'enemies', and their plotting in vv. 9-13 makes better sense when understood as the king's enemies rather than YHWH's enemies (cf. Zenger 2011:140 :C:).
  + <Enemies in the Psalms>: 'Enemies' in the psalms are usually the enemies of the psalmist, or of the king.
   + [Enemies in the Psalms]: E.g., Pss. 3:8; 6:11; 9:4; 17:9; 18:1, 38, 41, 49; 25:2, 19; 27:2, 6; 30:2; 31:16, 19; 41:3, 6; etc. 
   <_ <Enemies of YHWH>: Sometimes, enemies in the psalms are the enemies of YHWH. #dispreferred
    + [Enemies of YHWH]: E.g., Pss. 8:3; 37:20; 66:3; 68:2, 22; etc. #dispreferred
 + <'Bowstrings'>: The plural בְּ֝מֵֽיתָרֶ֗יךָ (bowstrings) better fits the king's army rather than the single bow which YHWH would use (cf. Ps 7:13).
   + [Ps 7:13]: אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב  חַרְבֹּ֣ו יִלְטֹ֑ושׁ קַשְׁתֹּ֥ו דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכֹונְנֶֽהָ׃

Conclusion

It seems best to understand the subject of the second-person references in vv. 9-13 as the king. In the first place, the language around the enemies (v. 9) and their plotting (v. 12) seems best understood in terms of human opposition to the king. The plural term for bowstrings (v. 13) is also best understood as the multiple bows of the king’s army. Furthermore, the fact that v. 8 (the opening verse of the second section [vv. 8–13]) is about the king leads us to expect that the following verses will be about the king. But if YHWH is the subject of these verses, then, strangely, the king is not mentioned at all in the rest of the psalm.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: εὑρεθείη ἡ χείρ σου πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου, ἡ δεξιά σου εὕροι πάντας τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε. θήσεις αὐτοὺς ὡς κλίβανον πυρὸς εἰς καιρὸν τοῦ προσώπου σου· κύριος ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ συνταράξει αὐτούς, καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτοὺς πῦρ. τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῶν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀπολεῖς καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ἀπὸ υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι ἔκλιναν εἰς σὲ κακά, διελογίσαντο βουλήν, ἣν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται στῆσαι. ὅτι θήσεις αὐτοὺς νῶτον· ἐν τοῖς περιλοίποις σου ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν

May your hand be found for all your enemies; may your right hand find all those who hate you. You will make them like an oven of fire at the time of your presence. The Lord will confound them in his wrath, and fire will devour them. Their seed you will destroy from earth, and their offspring from sons of men, because they turned evil against you; they devised a plan they will never be able to realize, because you make them a back; in your survivors you will prepare their face.

• Peshitta: ܬܫܟܚ ܐܝܕܟ ܠܟܠܗܘܢ ܒ̈ܥܠܕܒܒܝܟ܂ ܘܝܡܝܢܟ ܬܫܟܚ ܠܣܢܐܝ̈ܟ܂ ܬܥܒܕ ܐܢܘܢ ܐܝܟ ܬܢܘܪܐ ܕܢܘܪܐ ܠܙܒܢܐ/ܒܙܒܢܐ ܕܪܘܓܙܐ܂ ܡܪܝܐ ܒܪܘܓܙܗ ܢܘܩܕ ܐܢܘܢ܂ ܘܬܐܟܘܠ ܐܢܘܢ ܢܘܪܐ܂ ܘܦܐܪ̈ܝܗܘܢ ܡܢ ܐܪܥܐ ܬܘܒܕ܂ ܘܙܪܥܗܘܢ ܡܢ ܒܢ̈ܝ ܐܢܫܐ܂ ܡܛܠ ܕܨܠܘ ܥܠܝܟ ܒܝܫܬܐ܂ ܘܐܬܚܫܒܘ ܬܪܥܝܬܐ ܘܠܐ ܐܬܡܨܝܘ ܚܝܠܐ܂ ܬܣܝܡ ܒܗܘܢ ܟܘܬܡܐ܂ ܘܛܘܝܒܟ ܬܬܩܢ ܥܠ ܦܪ̈ܨܘܦܝܗܘܢ܂
• Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): inveniet manus tua omnes inimicos tuos dextera tua inveniet odientes te pones eos ut clibanum ignis in tempore vultus tui Dominus in furore suo praecipitabit eos et devorabit eos ignis fructum eorum de terra perdes et semen eorum de filiis hominum quoniam inclinaverunt super te malum cogitaverunt scelus quod non potuerunt quia pones eos umerum funes tuos firmabis contra facies eorum
• Targum: תדבק מחת אידך לכל בעלי דבבך פורענות ימינך תשכח לכל סנאך׃ תשוינון היך אתון נורא לעידני רוגזך יהוה ברגזיה יסלעמינון ותיכלינון בעור גהנם׃ בניהון מארעא תהובד וזרעיתהון מבני נשא׃ מטול דחשילו עלך בישתא חשיבו מחשבן בישן ולא יכילונך׃ מטול דשויתינון לעמך כתף חד באיטוני משכניך תתקן אורחהון קדמיהון׃

The stroke of your hand will reach all your enemies; the retribution of your right hand will find all those who hate you. 10. You will make them like an oven of fire in the times of your anger. The Lord will burn them in the fire, and the fire of Gehenna will consume them. 11. You will destroy their children from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men. 12. For they have forged evil against you; they have devised evil plans, but they will not prevail against you. 13. For you will make them one back to your people; within the cords of your tabernacle you will establish the Law before them.

Modern

• YHWH as the explicit subject in vv. 9-13 (CEV, NVI)

"With your mighty arm, LORD, you will strike down all of your hateful enemies.

They will be destroyed by fire once you are here, and because of your anger, flames will swallow them.

You will wipe their families from the earth, and they will disappear.

All their plans to harm you will come to nothing.

You will make them run away by shooting your arrows at their faces." (CEV)

"Tu mano alcanzará a todos tus enemigos; tu diestra alcanzará a los que te aborrecen.

Cuando tú, SEÑOR, te manifiestes, los convertirás en un horno encendido.

En su ira los devorará el SEÑOR; ¡un fuego los consumirá!

Borrarás de la tierra a su simiente; de entre los mortales, a su posteridad.

Aunque tramen hacerte daño y maquinen perversidades, ¡no se saldrán con la suya!

Porque tú los harás retroceder cuando tenses tu arco contra ellos." (NVI)

• The king as the explicit subject in vv. 9-13 (GNT)

"The king will capture all his enemies; he will capture everyone who hates him.

He will destroy them like a blazing fire when he appears.

The LORD will devour them in his anger, and fire will consume them.

None of their descendants will survive; the king will kill them all.

They make their plans, and plot against him, but they will not succeed.

He will shoot his arrows at them and make them turn and run." (GNT)

• Ambiguous subject in vv. 9-13 (ESV, NLT and the majority of other English translations)

"Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.

You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear.

The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.

You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man.

Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.

For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows." (ESV)

"You will capture all your enemies. Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you.

You will throw them in a flaming furnace when you appear.

The LORD will consume them in his anger; fire will devour them.

You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they will never have descendants.

Although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed.

For they will turn and run when they see your arrows aimed at them." (NLT)

Secondary Literature

Bratcher, Robert G., and William David Reyburn. 1991. A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

Briggs, Charles A., and Emilie Grace Briggs. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Vol. 1. International Critical Commentary. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons.

Craigie, Peter C. 2004. Psalms 1–50. 2nd ed. Word Biblical Commentary 19. Nashville, TN: Nelson.

Day, J. 1999. Psalms. London; New York: T&T Clark.

Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. 1996. Commentary on the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.

Lugt, Pieter van der. 2006. Cantos and Strophes in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: With Special Reference to the First Book of the Psalter. Vol. 1. 3 vols. Oudtestamentische Studiën 53. Leiden: Brill.

Gerstenberger, Erhard. 1988. Psalms Part 1: With an Introduction to Cultic Poetry. Vol. 14. The Forms of the Old Testament Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Goldingay, John. 2006. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 1–41. Edited by Tremper Longman III. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

deClaissé-Walford, Nancy, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner. 2014. The Book of Psalms. Edited by E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Kidner, Derek. 1973. Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 15. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Kraus, Hans-Joachim. 1993. Psalms 1–59: A Continental Commentary. Minneapolis: Fortress.

Mowinckel, Sigmund. 1923 PsStud III: Kultprophetie und prophetische Psalmen Oslo: Kristiania.

Perowne, J. J. Stewart. 1870. The Book of Psalms: A New Translation, with Introductions and Notes Explanatory and Critical. London: Bell.

Spieckermann, Hermann. 2023. Psalmen. 1: Psalm 1 - 49. Das Alte Testament Deutsch, 14,1. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

VanGemeren, Willem A. 2008. "Psalms." In The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition), edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland. Vol. 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

References

21:9-13 Approved