The Syntactic Function of קוֹל יְהוָה in Ps 29

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Introduction

The construct phrase קוֹל יְהוָה occurs seven times in Ps. 29:

ק֥וֹל יְהוָ֗ה עַל־הַ֫מָּ֥יִם (v. 3a)
קוֹל־יְהוָ֥ה בַּכֹּ֑חַ (v. 4a)
ק֥וֹל יְ֝הוָ֗ה בֶּהָדָֽר׃ (v. 4b)
ק֣וֹל יְ֭הוָה שֹׁבֵ֣ר אֲרָזִ֑ים (v. 5a)
קוֹל־יְהוָ֥ה חֹצֵ֗ב לַהֲב֥וֹת אֵֽשׁ (v. 7)
ק֣וֹל יְ֭הוָה יָחִ֣יל מִדְבָּ֑ר (v. 8a)
ק֤וֹל יְהוָ֨ה׀ יְחוֹלֵ֣ל אַיָּלוֹת֮ (v. 9a)

Modern translations generally agree that the phrase means "the voice of YHWH" and that it functions as the subject of each clause in which it occurs.[1] It is possible however, as both modern scholars and ancient translations have suggested, that the phrase functions syntactically not as the subject of the clauses in which it occurs but as an exclamation.

Argument Maps

קוֹל יְהוָה as Subject

The general consensus among modern translations is that קוֹל יְהוָה is the subject of each clause in which it occurs. 


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[Subject]: The phrase קוֹל יְהוָה is the subject of the clauses in vv. 3a, 4ab, 5a, 7, 8a, 9ab. #dispreferred
 - <Participle (vv. 5a, 7)>: If קוֹל יְהוָה is the subject, then participles function as finite verbs with present progressive semantics in vv. 5a, 7. Yet this use of the participle is rare in ancient texts like Ps. 29.
  + <Ps. 29 Early>:Ps. 29 gives several indicators of being among Israel's earliest poems (along with Exodus 15, Judges 5, etc.) (Cross 1950 :A:).
   + <Climactic parallelism>:E.g., verse patterns such as ABC/ABD ("repetitive" or "climactic parallelism") are characteristic of early Canaanite poetry (cf. Ps. 29:1-2, 5, 8) (Albright 1950 :A:).
  + <Participle in Archaic BH>:"The active participle in predicate position is practically absent in the main archaic corpus (Song of Moses, Song of Deborah, Blessing of Jacob, and Song of the Sea) and is never used in one of the 'classical' verbal uses, namely as present tense, progressive, immediate future, etc." (Notarius 2010 :A:).
 - <Prepositional phrases (v. 4ab>: If קוֹל יְהוָה is the subject of v. 4ab, then it is difficult to explain the syntactic function the prepositional phrases in these clauses ("the voice of the Lord is in power/majesty"?).

<Possible explanation>: 'The employment of a substantive as predicate of a noun-clause is especially frequent, either when no corresponding adjective exists... or when the attribute is intended to receive a certain emphasis.... The same naturally applies to most of those cases... where a preposition precedes the substantival predicate, as Ps. 29:4 "the voice of the Lord is with power" i.e., "powerful"' (GKC §141c :G:). #dispreferred
 _> <Prepositional phrases (v. 4ab>


Argument Mapn0SubjectThe phrase קוֹל יְהוָה is the subject of the clauses in vv. 3a, 4ab, 5a, 7, 8a, 9ab. n1Participle (vv. 5a, 7)If קוֹל יְהוָה is the subject, then participles function as finite verbs with present progressive semantics in vv. 5a, 7. Yet this use of the participle is rare in ancient texts like Ps. 29.n1->n0n2Ps. 29 EarlyPs. 29 gives several indicators of being among Israel's earliest poems (along with Exodus 15, Judges 5, etc.) (Cross 1950 🄰).n2->n1n3Climactic parallelismE.g., verse patterns such as ABC/ABD ("repetitive" or "climactic parallelism") are characteristic of early Canaanite poetry (cf. Ps. 29:1-2, 5, 8) (Albright 1950 🄰).n3->n2n4Participle in Archaic BH"The active participle in predicate position is practically absent in the main archaic corpus (Song of Moses, Song of Deborah, Blessing of Jacob, and Song of the Sea) and is never used in one of the 'classical' verbal uses, namely as present tense, progressive, immediate future, etc." (Notarius 2010 🄰).n4->n1n5Prepositional phrases (v. 4abIf קוֹל יְהוָה is the subject of v. 4ab, then it is difficult to explain the syntactic function the prepositional phrases in these clauses ("the voice of the Lord is in power/majesty"?).n5->n0n6Possible explanation'The employment of a substantive as predicate of a noun-clause is especially frequent, either when no corresponding adjective exists... or when the attribute is intended to receive a certain emphasis.... The same naturally applies to most of those cases... where a preposition precedes the substantival predicate, as Ps. 29:4 "the voice of the Lord is with power" i.e., "powerful"' (GKC §141c 🄶). n6->n5


קוֹל יְהוָה as Sentence Fragment / Exclamation

Others have argued that קוֹל יְהוָה is an exclamation: "the voice of YHWH!" or "the sound of YHWH!"[2] In this case, the prepositional phrases in vv. 3-4 and the participles in vv. 5a, 7 do not modify קוֹל יְהוָה but only יְהוָה (e.g. v. 5 – "the sound of YHWH [who is] breaking the cedars!"). The same may be true of the yiqtols in vv. 8-9 (e.g., v. 8 – "the sound of YHWH [who] causes deer to give birth"), though it may be that קוֹל יְהוָה is actually the subject in these clauses. 


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[Exclamation]: The phrase קוֹל יְהוָה is an exclamation in vv. 3a, 4ab, 5a, 7, 8a, 9ab ("the voice/sound of YHWH...!").
 + <קוֹל + genitive>: "The word קול, 'voice', 'sound' followed by a genitive, is quite often used as an exclamatory particle: the sound of ..!" (JM §162e :G:, although JM explicitly excludes Ps. 29 from this category; cf. GKC §146b :G:; IBHS §40.23 :G:). This usage can often be distinguished by the absence of a finite verb, though the exclamation may be followed by a participle or prepositional phrase. The fact that there is no finite verb following קול יהוה in Ps. 29:3a, 4ab, 5a, 7 makes it likely that קוֹל יְהוָה is an exclamation in these instances and perhaps in vv. 8a, 9a as well.
  + [קוֹל + genitive]: Gen. 4:10; 1 Kgs. 18:41; Ct. 2:8; 5:2; Isa. 66:6; 40:3; 13:4; 40:6; 52:8; Jer. 8:19; 10:22; 25:36; 50:28; 51:54; Mic. 6:9.
 + <Ancient Greek Versions>: The ancient Greek versions explicitly indicate that the subject of the participles in vv. 5a, 7 is not קוֹל יְהוָה but יְהוָה, which implies their understanding of קוֹל יְהוָה as an exclamation.
  + [LXX]: v. 5a – φωνὴ κυρίου συντρίβοντος; v. 7 – φωνὴ κυρίου διακόπτοντος; v. 8a – φωνὴ κυρίου συσσείοντος ἔρημον; v. 9a – φωνὴ κυρίου καταρτιζομένου
  + [Aquila, Symmachus, Quinta]: v. 5a – συγκατεαξοντος (S); v. 7 – καταδιαιρουντος (S); v. 8a – ωδινοντος (A), εκτοκιζοντος (S); v. 9a – ωδινοντος (A), πληθυνοντος (S), μαιουμενου (Q); v. 9b – γυμνουντος (S)
 + <YHWH most likely agent>: "In every case 'Yahweh' is the logical subject, as is clear from the parallel clause" (Kissane 1953:127 :C:).
  <_ <YHWH and his voice>: "The fact that Yhwh himself is the subject of the parallel clauses does not preclude his voice being the subject of the initial clauses. What Yhwh’s voice does, Yhwh does, and synonymous parallelism does not require absolute synonymity" (Tigay 2021 :A:). #dispreferred
   + [Prov. 22:12; Isa 41:20]:"There are, in fact, other verses in the Bible in which parts of Yhwh’s anatomy are parallel to Yhwh" (e.g., Prov. 22:12; Isa. 41:20) (Tigay 2021 :A:). #dispreferred
 - <No explicit reference to sound>: "if קול does not mean ‘voice’, there is no explicit reference to a sound in vv. 4–9; only in v. 3 is a sound mentioned explicitly and in vv. 4–9 the listener must supply the audible phenomenon mentally. This is problematic because almost everywhere else in the Bible where קול has been understood as ‘Hark!’ it is followed by an explicit reference to a sound... Without reference to an audible phenomenon, it is unlikely that קול means ‘Hark!’" (Tigay 2021 :A:). #dispreferred
  + <No sound in v. 7>: "If v. 7 means 'Hark, Yahweh cleaves flames of fire' (Kissane) or 'Hark! Yhwh – his arrows are flames of fire” (Greenstein), and the verse 'refers to lightning, not thunder,' what is the listener supposed to hear? (Tigay 2021 :A:, quoting Greenstein). #dispreferred
   - <Hewing in v. 7>: Verse 7 refers to "hewing (stone for a temple) with lightning bolts" (see argument map on Ps. 29:7), and this activity does indeed make a sound.
  + <No sound in v. 9>: "in the case of v. 9, what is the sound of hinds giving birth prematurely (as distinct from the sound that induces it, or the sound of panicked bleating that may precede parturition)" (Tigay 2021 :A:). #dispreferred
   <_ <Different syntax in vv. 8-9>: In vv. 8-9, the verbs following קול יהוה are, for the first time, yiqtols and not, as in the previous clauses, participles (vv. 5, 7) or prepositional phrases (vv. 3-4). It is possible, then, that קול יהוה *is* the subject in vv. 8-9 and not in vv. 3-7. Indeed, the activities in vv. 8-9 are appropriate to "YHWH's voice."
  - <Explicit in v. 3>: The reference to sound is explicit in the first occurrence of the phrase in v. 3: "YHWH has thundered..." This initial use of the phrase in which there is explicit reference to sound is then followed by others in which the sound is implicit.
   + [Isa. 66:6]: In Isa. 66:6, קול + genitive with an explicit reference to sound is followed by a series of instances of קול + genitive in which the sound is implicit.
  - <Implicit reference to sound>: The reference to sound may be implicit, as in Ct. 2:8 (Tigay 2021 :A:).


Argument Mapn0ExclamationThe phrase קוֹל יְהוָה is an exclamation in vv. 3a, 4ab, 5a, 7, 8a, 9ab ("the voice/sound of YHWH...!").n1קוֹל + genitiveGen. 4:10; 1 Kgs. 18:41; Ct. 2:8; 5:2; Isa. 66:6; 40:3; 13:4; 40:6; 52:8; Jer. 8:19; 10:22; 25:36; 50:28; 51:54; Mic. 6:9.n6קוֹל + genitive"The word קול, 'voice', 'sound' followed by a genitive, is quite often used as an exclamatory particle: the sound of ..!" (JM §162e 🄶, although JM explicitly excludes Ps. 29 from this category; cf. GKC §146b 🄶; IBHS §40.23 🄶). This usage can often be distinguished by the absence of a finite verb, though the exclamation may be followed by a participle or prepositional phrase. The fact that there is no finite verb following קול יהוה in Ps. 29:3a, 4ab, 5a, 7 makes it likely that קוֹל יְהוָה is an exclamation in these instances and perhaps in vv. 8a, 9a as well.n1->n6n2LXXv. 5a – φωνὴ κυρίου συντρίβοντος; v. 7 – φωνὴ κυρίου διακόπτοντος; v. 8a – φωνὴ κυρίου συσσείοντος ἔρημον; v. 9a – φωνὴ κυρίου καταρτιζομένουn7Ancient Greek VersionsThe ancient Greek versions explicitly indicate that the subject of the participles in vv. 5a, 7 is not קוֹל יְהוָה but יְהוָה, which implies their understanding of קוֹל יְהוָה as an exclamation.n2->n7n3Aquila, Symmachus, Quintav. 5a – συγκατεαξοντος (S); v. 7 – καταδιαιρουντος (S); v. 8a – ωδινοντος (A), εκτοκιζοντος (S); v. 9a – ωδινοντος (A), πληθυνοντος (S), μαιουμενου (Q); v. 9b – γυμνουντος (S)n3->n7n4Prov. 22:12; Isa 41:20"There are, in fact, other verses in the Bible in which parts of Yhwh’s anatomy are parallel to Yhwh" (e.g., Prov. 22:12; Isa. 41:20) (Tigay 2021 🄰). n9YHWH and his voice"The fact that Yhwh himself is the subject of the parallel clauses does not preclude his voice being the subject of the initial clauses. What Yhwh’s voice does, Yhwh does, and synonymous parallelism does not require absolute synonymity" (Tigay 2021 🄰). n4->n9n5Isa. 66:6In Isa. 66:6, קול + genitive with an explicit reference to sound is followed by a series of instances of קול + genitive in which the sound is implicit.n15Explicit in v. 3The reference to sound is explicit in the first occurrence of the phrase in v. 3: "YHWH has thundered..." This initial use of the phrase in which there is explicit reference to sound is then followed by others in which the sound is implicit.n5->n15n6->n0n7->n0n8YHWH most likely agent"In every case 'Yahweh' is the logical subject, as is clear from the parallel clause" (Kissane 1953:127 🄲).n8->n0n9->n8n10No explicit reference to sound"if קול does not mean ‘voice’, there is no explicit reference to a sound in vv. 4–9; only in v. 3 is a sound mentioned explicitly and in vv. 4–9 the listener must supply the audible phenomenon mentally. This is problematic because almost everywhere else in the Bible where קול has been understood as ‘Hark!’ it is followed by an explicit reference to a sound... Without reference to an audible phenomenon, it is unlikely that קול means ‘Hark!’" (Tigay 2021 🄰). n10->n0n11No sound in v. 7"If v. 7 means 'Hark, Yahweh cleaves flames of fire' (Kissane) or 'Hark! Yhwh – his arrows are flames of fire” (Greenstein), and the verse 'refers to lightning, not thunder,' what is the listener supposed to hear? (Tigay 2021 🄰, quoting Greenstein). n11->n10n12Hewing in v. 7Verse 7 refers to "hewing (stone for a temple) with lightning bolts" (see argument map on Ps. 29:7), and this activity does indeed make a sound.n12->n11n13No sound in v. 9"in the case of v. 9, what is the sound of hinds giving birth prematurely (as distinct from the sound that induces it, or the sound of panicked bleating that may precede parturition)" (Tigay 2021 🄰). n13->n10n14Different syntax in vv. 8-9In vv. 8-9, the verbs following קול יהוה are, for the first time, yiqtols and not, as in the previous clauses, participles (vv. 5, 7) or prepositional phrases (vv. 3-4). It is possible, then, that קול יהוה is  the subject in vv. 8-9 and not in vv. 3-7. Indeed, the activities in vv. 8-9 are appropriate to "YHWH's voice."n14->n13n15->n10n16Implicit reference to soundThe reference to sound may be implicit, as in Ct. 2:8 (Tigay 2021 🄰).n16->n10


Conclusion

We conclude that in vv. 3-7 the phrase קוֹל יְהוָה is probably an exclamation, and in vv. 8a, 9a it is probably the subject of the finite verbs.[3]

The sound of YHWH against the waters! (v. 3a)
The sound of YHWH (thundering) in power! (v. 4a)
The sound of YHWH (thundering) in majesty! (v. 4ab)
The sound of YHWH breaking the cedars! (v. 5a)
The sound of YHWH hewing with lightning bolts! (v. 7)
The voice of YHWH causes the wilderness to tremble (v. 8a)
The voice of YHWH causes fallow deer to give birth (v. 9a)

This interpretation makes the best sense of the grammar. In vv. 3-7, the phrase קוֹל יְהוָה is followed either by participles (vv. 5a, 7) or by prepositional phrases (vv. 3-4), not by finite verbs. This is typical of קוֹל + genitive functioning as an exclamation (e.g., Gen. 4:10; Isa. 13:4; Isa. 66:6; Ct. 5:2; etc.). By contrast, taking קוֹל יְהוָה as the subject involves grammatical difficulties (e.g., the prepositional phrases in v. 4ab and the apparently anachronistic use of the participle with present progressive semantics in vv. 5a, 7a). Furthermore, the view that קוֹל יְהוָה is an exclamation is also attested among the ancient translations (especially the LXX and the Greek revisers, but also Jerome in v. 5a). Finally, the view that קוֹל יְהוָה is an exclamation in vv. 3-7 makes better sense than if it were the subject. What would it mean for YHWH's voice to break cedars or to hew stone? It is better to see these as activities of YHWH himself.

In the last two occurrences of קוֹל יְהוָה (vv. 8a, 9a) it is both grammatically and semantically preferable to see the phrase as the subject. The finite yiqtol verbs suggest viewing the phrase as the subject.[4] Furthermore, unlike v. 5a and v. 7, it makes sense for YHWH's voice to be the subject of these activities: causing the wilderness to writhe and causing deer to give birth.

Research

Translations

Ancient

  • LXX
    • 3a. φωνὴ κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων
    • 4. φωνὴ κυρίου ἐν ἰσχύι, φωνὴ κυρίου ἐν μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ
    • 5a. φωνὴ κυρίου συντρίβοντος κέδρους
    • 7. φωνὴ κυρίου διακόπτοντος φλόγα πυρός
    • 8a. φωνὴ κυρίου συσσείοντος ἔρημον
    • 9a. φωνὴ κυρίου καταρτιζομένου ἐλάφους
  • Aquila
    • 8a. ωδινοντος
    • 9a. ωδινοντος
  • Symmachus
    • 5a. συγκατεαξοντος
    • 7. καταδιαιρουντος
    • 8a. εκτοκιζοντος
    • 9a. πληθυνοντος
    • 9b. γυμνουντος
  • Quinta
    • 9a. μαιουμενου
  • Peshitta
    • 3a. ܩܠܗ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܥܠ ܡ̈ܝܐ܂
    • 4. ܩܠܗ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܒܚܝܠܐ ܘܩܠܐ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܒܫܘܒܚܐ܂
    • 5a. ܩܠܗ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܕܡܚܛܦ ܐܪ̈ܙܐ܂
    • 7. ܩܠܗ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܕܦܣܩ ܫܠܗܒܝܬܐ ܕܢܘܪܐ܂
    • 8a. ܩܠܗ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܕܡܙܝܥ ܡܕܒܪܐ܂
    • 9a. ܩܠܗ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܕܡܙܝܥ ܐ̈ܝܠܬܐ
  • Targum
    • 3a. קלא דייי שמיע על מיא
    • 4. קלא דייי שמיע בחילא קלא דייי שמיע בשיבהורא
    • 5a. קלא דייי מתבר ארזיא
    • 7. קלא דייי מנסר שלהובין דינור
    • 8a. קלא דייי מרטט מדברא
    • 9a. קלא דייי מבטין איילתא
  • Jerome
    • 3a. vox Domini super aquas
    • 4. vox Domini in fortitudine, vol Domini in decore
    • 5a. vox Domini confringentis cedros
    • 7. vox Domini dividens flammas ignis
    • 8a. vox Domini parturire faciens desertum Cades
    • 9a. vox Domini obsetricans cervis

Modern

v. 3. "The voice of the Lord is over the waters" (NIV, ESV); "The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas" (GNT, cf. NET); "Yahweh's voice over the waters" (NJB, cf. RVR95); ELB footnote on v. 3a: o. Horch, der HERR; so auch in den Versen 4–9

v. 4. "The voice of the Lord is powerful... is majestic" (NIV, NLT, cf. ESV, NET, CEV); "The voice of the Lord is heard in all its might and majesty" (GNT); "The voice of the Lord in power... in majesty" (REB, cf. NJB, RVR95)

v. 5. "The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars" (NIV, ESV, NEB, cf. NLT, CEV, GNT, NET, REB, NJB); Voz de Jehová que quiebra los cedros (RVR95)

v. 7. "The voice of the Lord flashes/strikes/hews..." (cf. NIV, NLT, ESV, CEV, GNT, NET, NEB, REB, NJB); Voz de Jehová que derrama llamas de fuego (RVR95)

v. 8. "The voice of the Lord shakes the desert" (NIV, cf. NLT, ESV, GNT, NET, NEB, REB, NJB); voz de Jehová que hace temblar el desierto (RVR95)

v. 9. "The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth" (ESV, cf. NIV, NLT, GNT, CEV, NET, NEB, REB, NJB); Voz de Jehová que desgaja las encinas (RVR95)

Secondary Literature

Grammars

  • GKC §146b – "The cases in which קול (voice, sound) with a following genitive stands at the beginning of a sentence, apparently in this construction, are really of a different kind. The קול here is to be taken as an exclamation, and the supposed predicate as in apposition to the genitive, e.g., Gen. 4:10 the voice of thy brother's blood, which crieth (prop. as one crying)...!=hark! thy brother's blood is crying, et; Isa. 13:4; 66:6. In Isa. 52:8 an independent verbal-clause follows the exclamation the voice of thy watchman!; in Jer. 10:22 and Ct. 2:8 an independent noun-clause; in Isa. 40:3 קול קורא the voice of one that crieth! i.e., hark! there is one crying is followed immediately by direct speech; in Mic. 6:9 קול hark! may be used disconnectedly (cf. the almost adverbial use of קול in §144m) and יהוה be taken as the subject to יקרא."
  • JM §162e – "The word קול, voice, sound followed by a genitive, is quite often used as an exclamatory particle: the sound of ..!, which may be translated by I hear!, Listen! according to the context: 1 Kgs. 18:41; Ct. 2:8; 5:2; Isa. 66:6; 40:3; 13:4; 40:6; 52:8; Jer. 8:19; 10:22; 25:36; 50:28; 51:54; Mic. 6:9." Footnote: "But Ps. 29:3 The voice of YHWH on the waters! This usage of קול could resolve the difficulty of the lack of concord in Gen. 4:10..."
  • IBHS §40.23 - "A third group of nominal exclamations is more complex: the nouns in this group introduce phrases of some complexity. Among these are אשרי... and קול 'O the voice of, hark!', a noun ('voice') widely used elsewhere but capable of heading an independent phrase."
  • Ewald §286.

Articles

References

29:0 Approved

  1. ↑ The RVR95 stands out by translating the phrase "the voice of the Lord" as an exclamation rather than as the subject. See also the footnote in ELB.
  2. ↑ The exclamation קוֹל + genitive may be short for "the sound of x is heard" (cf. Jer. 31:15; Targum Ps. 29:3-4).
  3. ↑ The exclamation קוֹל + genitive may be short for "the sound of x is heard" (cf. Jer. 31:15; Targum Ps. 29:3-4).
  4. ↑ See, however, the ancient Greek versions. Cf. Mic. 6:9 for קוֹל + genitive followed by yiqtol and the note in GKC §146b.
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