Introduction[ ]

The traditional Hebrew text of Ps. 111:6 reads as follows:^[1]

כֹּ֣חַ מַ֭עֲשָׂיו הִגִּ֣יד לְעַמּ֑וֹ

לָתֵ֥ת לָ֝הֶ֗ם נַחֲלַ֥ת גּוֹיִֽם׃

The following two translations illustrate the exegetical difficulty in this verse.

'He has shown his great power to his people by giving them the lands of other nations' (NLT, so most modern translations).

'He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people, giving them a land that belonged to other nations' (NET, cf. NGÜ).

These two translations disagree on the meaning of the Hebrew word הִגִּיד ('show' vs 'announce') as well as on the way in which the two lines of this verse relate to one another semantically/syntactically. According to the NLT and most translations, the second line specifies the way in which YHWH showed his power. According to the NET, however, the second line specifies the content of the announcement. There are thus two issues in this verse: (1) the lexical issue (הִגִּיד), and (2) the syntactic issue (the function of the ל PP). Because these two issues are so closely related, they will be treated together in the argument maps below.

Argument Maps[ ]

"He showed... by giving..." (preferred)[ ]

Most translations understand the lamed prepositional phrase as specifying the way in which YHWH showed his people just how powerful he is: "he showed his people the strength of his works by giving to them an inheritance of nations" (cf. NIV, NLT, GNT, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NJB, JPS85, REB, HFA, GNB, RVR95, BTX4, NVI, DHH94I, S21, TOB, PDV2017, NBS, NVS78P, BDS, NFC). The argument for this view is as follows.


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["He showed... by giving..."]: The infinitival clause (לָתֵת) is explanatory ("he showed... by giving...") (cf. Rashi :C:; Calvin :C:; Hupfeld 1871 :C:; Duhm 1899 :C:; Baethgen 1904 :C:; Ehrlich 1905 :C:; Gunkel 1926 :C:; Dahood 1970 :C:; Jenni 2000 :G:).
 + <Explanatory lamed>: "The infinitive with ל is very often used after a verb to express an action which gives more details about or explains the preceding action" (JM 124o :G:; cf. Jenni 2000:155ff :G:). 
  + [Explanatory lamed]: E.g., Gen. 43:6; Ex. 31:16; Ezek. 20:9; etc.
 - <Meaning of הִגִּיד>: The verb הִגִּיד in the main clause (v. 6a) "as a rule... indicates audible, verbal communication" (NIDOTTE :C:), and it is difficult to see how "giving an inheritance of nations" could be considered a form of verbal communication (cf. Allen 2002 :C:). #dispreferred
  <_ <Nonverbal act>: "Although נָגַד usually denotes an act that involves speaking orally, it may convey figuratively the nonverbal act of showing or attesting" (NIDOTTE :L:). This use of the word seems to be a development of Late Biblical Hebrew, which continues into the Mishnaic period.
   + [Ezra/Nehemiah]:  "The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent (וְלֹ֣א יָֽכְל֗וּ לְהַגִּ֤יד בֵּית־אֲבוֹתָם֙ וְזַרְעָ֔ם), whether they belonged to Israel" (Ezra 2:59/Neh. 7:61, ESV).
   + [Mishnah Sanhedrin]: YHWH's creation of Adam in his image serves "to show his greatness" (וּלְהַגִּיד גְּדֻלָּתוֹ) (Snh. IV, 5; cf. Jastrow 1926 :L:).

"He announced that he would..."[ ]

Others have argued that the lamed prepositional phrase in v. 6b specifies the content of the announcement (v. 6a): "He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people, giving them a land that belonged to other nations" (NET; cf. NGÜ, LUT?). According to this view, the lamed prepositional phrase does not modify the verb הִגִּיד, but instead modifies the phrase "power of his deeds." The argument for this view is as follows.


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["He announced that he would..."]: The infinitival clause (לָתֵת) specifies the content of the announcement: "He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people, giving them a land that belonged to other nations" (NET; cf. Radak :C:, Briggs 1907 :C:; cf. Zenger 2011 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Meaning of הִגִּיד>: The verb הִגִּיד in the main clause (v. 6a) "as a rule... indicates audible, verbal communication" (NIDOTTE :C:). The subordinate clause (v. 6b), then, naturally refers to the content of that verbal communication (cf. Allen 2002 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Echoes of Exodus 34>: Psalm 111 echoes Exodus 34, and in that chapter, YHWH tells his people that he will give them the land of Canaan (Ex. 34:10-11). "Not only does v 4b cite the formula of Exod 34:6... but there are no fewer than five links of vocabulary with Exod 34:10, one with Exod 34:5, and one with Exod 34:11" (Allen 2002 :C:). #dispreferred
  + ["Merciful and gracious"]: Ps. 111:4b חַנּ֖וּן וְרַח֣וּם יְהוָֽה; Ex. 34:6 יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן. #dispreferred
  + ["Covenant"]: Ps. 111:5b יִזְכֹּ֖ר לְעוֹלָ֣ם בְּרִיתֽוֹ; Ex. 34:10a הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִי֮ כֹּרֵ֣ת בְּרִית֒ #dispreferred
  + ["Wonders"]: Ps. 111:4a; Ex. 34:10 אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה נִפְלָאֹ֔ת #dispreferred
  + ["YHWH's work"]: Ps. 111:2a מַעֲשֵׂ֣י יְהוָ֑ה (cf. vv. 6a, 7a); Ex. 34:10 מַעֲשֵׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ #dispreferred
  + ["Awesome"]: Ps. 111:9; וְנוֹרָ֣א שְׁמֽוֹ; Ex. 34:10 כִּֽי־נוֹרָ֣א ה֔וּא #dispreferred
  + ["People"]: Ps. 111:6a, 9a לְעַמּוֹ ; Ex. 34:10 נֶ֤גֶד כָּֽל־עַמְּךָ֙ #dispreferred
  + ["Name"]: Ps. 111:9c שְׁמֽוֹ; Ex. 34:5 בְשֵׁ֖ם יְהוָֽה #dispreferred
  <_ <Allusion still maintained>: The allusion in Ps. 111:6 to the land promise in Ex. 34:10–11 is still maintained if we interpret v. 6 to refer to a demonstration of strength by giving the land.

"...in order to give..."[ ]

Some have argued that the lamed prepositional phrase in v. 6b indicates purpose. The EÜ translation, for example, has a purpose clause: "um ihm das Erbe der Völker zu geben." The argument for this view is as follows.


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["in order to give"]: The infinitival clause (לָתֵת) indicates purpose (Kiel 2022 :A:). #dispreferred
 + <Purpose>: Lamed + infinitive construct very often indicates purpose, including instances when the main clause involves an act of communication (cf. BHRG 39.11(3)(b) :G:). #dispreferred
  + [Purpose (following verb of communication)]: E.g., Ex. 6:27; Pss. 50:4; 61:9; etc (cf. Jenni 2000:199–200 :G:). #dispreferred
  + <Metastructure>: "The meta-structure of the poem favors a translation indicating purpose" (Kiel 2022 :A:). The psalm's first cycle of praise (vv. 2–6) "begins with a description of the works
of the Lord (vv. 2–3), crescendos with illustration (vv. 4–6a), and concludes with purpose (v. 6b). The psalm’s syntax and theme combine to create this crescendo effect. Moving from simple declarative statements of the works of the Lord, to more concrete finite verbs describing the Lord’s actions, the cycle culminates here in the ל-line by providing the purpose for these actions. The Lord has worked, 'In order to give them,' that is, his people, 'an inheritance' of nations" (Kiel 2022 :A:). #dispreferred
 - <Incoherence>: It is difficult to understand how YHWH demonstrating or announcing his power would result in his giving his people the nations. Furthermore, it is not clear what the demonstration of power refers to if not the giving of the nations.
  - <v. 6b as conclusion>: Verse 6b gives the purpose, not only of the action in v. 6a, but of all of the actions in vv. 4–6a (Kiel 2022 :A:). #dispreferred

Post-exilic[ ]

The likelihood of the above preferred conclusion ("He showed... by giving...") depends on a usage of Hebrew that would be most at home in the post-exilic period. If Psalm 111 is post-exilic, then the word הִגִּיד might readily refer to a non-verbal demonstration. If, however, Psalm 111 is early and belongs to the corpus of Classical Biblical Hebrew, then הִגִּיד more likely refers to verbal communication. The consensus of most scholars is that Psalm 111 is late (post-exilic). The argument for this view is given below.


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[Post-exilic]: Psalm 111 is post-exilic.
 + <Location in Book V>: Many of the psalms in Book V of the Psalter belong to the post-exilic period.
 + <Alphabetic sequence>: The acrostic of Psalm 111 clearly follows the 'ayin-pe sequence, and this sequence probably became standard only sometime after the exile (cf. First 2014 :A:).
  + <Biblical acrostics>: In several early biblical acrostics, pe precedes ayin.
   + [Lamentations 2-4]: In the MT, the three acrostic poems in Lam. 2-4 are arranged in the order pe-ayin (Lam 2:16-17; 3:46-51; 4:16-17).
   + [Prov. 31 (LXX)]: In the LXX, the acrostic poem in Prov. 31 reflects the pe-ayin order (Prov. 31:25-26; MT: עֹז... פִּ֭יהָ. LXX: στόμα... ἰσχὺν).
   + [Lam. 1 (4QLam)]: According to 4QLam, pe precedes 'ayin in the acrostic poem of Lam. 1.
  + <Ancient abecedaries>: In every one of "the abecedaries in the traditional aleph-bet scheme that have been discovered in ancient Israel that date from the period of the Judges and the First Temple and that span the letters ayin and pe... pe precedes ayin" (First 2014:476 :A:).
   + [Izbet Sartah ostracon]: An ostracon from Izbet Sartah (c. early 12th century BC) contains the alphabet written with pe before 'ayin (see Cross 1980 :A:).
    <_ <Many mistakes in the abecedary>: "Some, if not all, of its pecularities must be ascribed to error: the replacement of waw with mem and omission of waw, the interchange of het and zayin, the repetition of qop, and displacement of resh" (Cross 1980:13 :A:).#dispreferred
   + [Kuntillet 'Ajrud jar]: Three abecedaries on a jar from Kuntillet 'Ajrud (c. 800 BC) have the order pe-'ayin.
   + [Tel Zayit stone]: An abecedary from Tel Zayit (c. 10th century BC) "seems to follow the order of pe preceding 'ayin" (First 2014:475 :A:).
    <_ [Mistakes in the abecedary?]: "The Tel Zayit abecedary departs from the traditional order in three other instances: (1) waw precedes he, (2) het precedes zayin, and (3) lamed precedes kaf. As to the last, there is evidence that the author of the abecedary realized that this was a mistake" (First 2014:475 :A:).#dispreferred
   + [Additional ostracon]: An ostracon of unknown provenance (c. early 6th century BC) contains three abecedaries in which pe precedes ayin (cf. First 2014 :A:).
 + <Lexemes>: Some words in Ps. 111 have meanings that are only otherwise attested in later texts.
  + <טֶרֶף as "food">: The word טֶרֶף in v. 5 does not mean "prey" but "(human) food" (so BDB :L:, HALOT :L:, DCH :L:), and this meaning of the word is "late" (BDB :L:; cf. Allen 2002 :C:).
   + [טֶרֶף as "food"]: E.g., Mal. 3:10; Prov. 31:15.
  + <דרשׁ as "study">: The word דרשׁ in v. 2b probably means "study" (with reference to studying Scripture), and this meaning of the word is late (cf. Hurvitz 2016:98-99 :L:).
   + [דרשׁ as "study"]: E.g., Ps. 119:155; Ezra 7:10.
  + <פִּקּוּדִים>: The word פִּקּוּדִים occurs "only in the later psalms" (HALOT :L:).
 + <חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם>: In earlier texts, the order of the phrase tends to be רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן, while in later texts in tends to be חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם (BDB :L:).
  + [חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם]: The order חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם occurs in Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Pss. 111:4; 112:4; 145:8; Neh. 9:17, 31; 2 Chron. 30:9. The order רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן occurs in Ex. 34:6; Pss. 86:15; 103:8.

Conclusion[ ]

The lamed prepositional phrase in v. 6b probably specifies the way in which YHWH demonstrated the strength of his works. The main objection to this majority position is the fact that הִגִּיד usually refers to verbal communication and cannot mean "show" or "demonstrate." There is evidence to suggest, however, that Psalm 111 belongs to the corpus of Late Biblical Hebrew (LBH), and that in LBH, as in Mishnaic Hebrew, the word הִגִּיד came to refer to non-verbal communication as well. Thus, we have translated the verse as follows: He showed his people the power of his deeds, by giving them nations as an inheritance.

Research[ ]

Translations[ ]

Ancient[ ]

LXX: ἰσχὺν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἀνήγγειλεν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς κληρονομίαν ἐθνῶν^[2]
- "Strength of his works he proclaimed to his people, to give them heritage of nations"^[3]
Peshitta: ܚܝܠܐ ܕܒ̈ܥܒܕܘܗܝ ܚܘܝ ܠܥܡܗ܂ ܕܢܬܠ ܠܗܘܢ ܝܪܬܘܬܐ ܕܥܡ̈ܡܐ܂^[4]
- "He has shown his people the power that is in his works, so that he might give them the inheritance of the peoples"^[5]
Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): fortitudinem operum suorum adnuntiabit populo suo, ut det eis hereditatem gentium^[6]
Targum: חיל עובדוי חוי לעמיה למתן להון אחסנת עממיא׃^[7]
- "He has declared to his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the peoples"^[8]

Modern[ ]

Giving nations (v. 6b) as the means of showing strength (v. 6a)[ ]

"He has shown... giving..." (NIV)
"He has shown... by giving..." (NLT, GNT)
"He has shown... in giving..." (RSV, NRSV, ESV; cf. NJB)
"He revealed... in giving..." (JPS85)
"He showed his people what his strength could do, bestowing..." (NEB)
"He showed his people how powerfully he worked by bestowing" (REB)
"Er bewies ihnen seine große Macht: Die Länder anderer Völker gab er ihnen zum Besitz" (HFA)
"Er zeigte seinem Volk, wie mächtig er ist: er gab ihm die Länder anderer Völker" (GNB)
"Die Macht seiner Werke hat er seinem Volk kundgetan, da er ihnen das Erbe der Völker gab."
"...manifestó...dándole..." (RVR95, BTX4)
"Ha mostrado... al darle..." (NVI)
"Mostró... dándole..." (DHH94I)
"Il a montré... en lui donnant..." (S21, TOB, cf. PDV2017)
"Il a révélé... en lui livrant..." (NBS, NVS78P)
"Il a manifesté... en agissant pour lui quand il lui a donné..." (BDS)
"... il a montré sa force en action quand il lui donna..." (NFC)

Giving nations (v. 6b) subsequent to the announcement of strength (v. 6a)[ ]

Giving nations (v. 6b) content of the announcement (v. 6a)[ ]

"He announced that he would do mighty deeds for his people, giving them a land that belonged to other nations" (NET)
"Er hat sein Volk erfahren lassen, wie mächtig sein Handeln ist, ihnen hat er verkündet, dass er ihnen die Länder anderer Völker geben werde" (NGÜ)

Giving nations (v. 6b) purpose/result of the announcement (v. 6a)?[ ]

"Er lässt verkündigen seine gewaltigen Taten seinem Volk, dass er ihnen gebe das Erbe der Völker" (LUT)
"Die Kraft seiner Taten hat er seinem Volk kundgemacht, ihnen das Erbe der Nationen zu geben" (ELB)
"Die Macht seiner Werke hat er seinem Volk kundgetan, um ihm das Erbe der Völker zu geben" (EÜ)

Secondary Literature[ ]

Allen, Leslie. 1983. Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco: Word Books.

Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. Die Psalmen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Calvin, John. 1949. Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Volume 4. Translated by Rev. James Anderson. Grand Rapids: WM B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Cross, Frank Moore. “Newly Found Inscriptions in Old Canaanite and Early Phoenician Scripts.” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 238 (1980): 1–20.

Dahood, Mitchell J. 1970. Psalms III, 101-150. AB 17A. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Duhm, Bernhard. 1899. Die Psalmen. Mohr.

Ehrlich, Arnold B. 1905. Die Psalmen; neu übersetzt und erklärt. Berlin: Poppelauer.

First, Mitchell. “Using the Pe–Ayin Order of the Abecedaries of Ancient Israel to Date the Book of Psalms.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 38, no. 4 (2014): 471–485.

Gunkel, Hermann. 1926. Die Psalmen. 4th ed. Göttinger Handkommentar Zum Alten Testament 2. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Hengstenberg, Ernst Wilhelm. 1849. Commentar über die Psalmen. Vol. 4. Berlin: Verlag von Ludwig Oehmigke.

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. 2011. Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101-150. Edited by Klaus Baltzer. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.

Hupfeld, Hermann. 1871. Die Psalmen. Vol. 4. Gotha: F.A. Perthes.

Hurvitz, Avi. A Concise Lexicon of Late Biblical Hebrew: Linguistic Innovations in the Writings of the Second Temple Period. Brill, 2016.

Jastrow, Marcus. 1926. Dictionary of Targumim, Talmud and Midrashic Literature.

Jenni, Ernst. 2000. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 3: Die Präposition Lamed. Stuttgart: Verlag W. Kohlhammer.

Kiel, Jonathan M. 2022. “A New Thematic Structure for Psalm 111.” In Like Nails Firmly Fixed (Qoh 12:11): Essays on the Text and Language of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, Presented to Peter J. Gentry on the Occasion of His Retirement. Contributions to Biblical Exegesis and Theology. Leuven: Peeters.

Mishnah Sanhedrin.

Radak. Radak on Psalms.

Rashi. Rashi on Psalms.

Scoralick, Ruth. 1997. “Psalm 111 : Bauplan Und Gedankengang.” Biblica 78 (2): 190–205.

Zvi Brettler, Marc. “The Riddle of Psalm 111.” In Scriptural Exegesis, edited by Deborah A. Green and Laura S. Lieber, 62–73. 1st ed. Oxford University PressOxford, 2009.

References[ ]

111:6

↑ Hebrew text from OSHB, based on the Leningrad Codex.
↑ Rahlfs 1931.
↑ NETS
↑ CAL
↑ Taylor 2020:473.
↑ Weber-Gryson 5th edition
↑ CAL
↑ Stec 2004:204

[1] Hebrew text from OSHB, based on the Leningrad Codex.

[2] Rahlfs 1931.

[3] NETS

[4] CAL

[5] Taylor 2020:473.

[6] Weber-Gryson 5th edition

[7] CAL

[8] Stec 2004:204

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The Syntax and Meaning of Ps. 111:6

Contents