The Syntax of Psalm 45:6

From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Jump to: navigation, search

Back to Psalm 45

Introduction

The Masoretic Text of Psalm 45:6 reads as follows:[1]

חִצֶּ֗יךָ שְׁנ֫וּנִ֥ים
עַ֭מִּים תַּחְתֶּ֣יךָ יִפְּל֑וּ
בְּ֝לֵ֗ב אוֹיְבֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃


The primary difficulty in this verse lies in the final prepositional phrase of the third line, "in the heart of the enemies of the king." Most modern versions understand the phrase to modify the first line. In order to show this, the JPS, for example, presents the "Order of Heb. clauses inverted for clarity," while others, such as the NASB, supply a second "your arrows":

  • Your arrows, sharpened, [pierce] the breast of the king’s enemies; peoples fall at your feet. (JPS)
  • Your arrows are sharp; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies. (NASB)[2]

Both of these understand the syntax in similar manner to the Vertical Grammar with parenthesis, which also interprets v. 6c to modify v. 6a, yet this can also be explicit in the linear presentation of the text, as in the ELB:

  • Your sharpened arrows—nations fall beneath you—into the hearts of the king's enemies![3]

Other translations have tried to make sense of the verse in other ways.[4]

  • [Your right hand will perform awesome deeds:] your arrows are sharp; nations lie beneath your feet. The hearts of the king's enemies fail. (REB)
  • [Let your right hand strike terror:] your barbed arrows. Under you shall fall peoples, the king's enemies struck through the heart. (TOB)[5]

The REB places the נפל verb with the third clause and emends the MT's יִפְּל֑וּ בְּ֝לֵ֗ב to read יִפֹּל לְבֵב.[6] The TOB provides struck ("frappés") in the final line, such that it does not modify the first line, which, itself, modifies the final clause of v. 5.


Argument Maps

Textual Emendation

Some have suggested that the MT's יִפְּל֑וּ בְּ֝לֵ֗ב should be emended to read יִפֹּל לְבֵב, such as the REB: "[Your right hand will perform awesome deeds:] your arrows are sharp; nations lie beneath your feet. The hearts of the king's enemies fail."[7] 


SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 6 alternative 1]
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Clause
        Subject
          ConstructChain <gloss="your arrows">
            noun: חִצֶּי arrows
            suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
        Predicate
          verb: are
          Complement
            verb-participle: שְׁנוּנִים sharp
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Clause
        Subject
          noun: עַמִּים peoples
        Predicate
          verb: are
          Complement
          Adverbial
            PrepositionalPhrase
              Preposition
                preposition: תַּחְתֶּי under
              Object
                suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
    Fragment <status="alternative">
      Clause
        Subject 
          ConstructChain
            noun: לְבֵב heart <status="emendation">
            ConstructChain
              noun: אוֹיְבֵי enemies
              Nominal
                article: הַ the
                noun: מֶּלֶךְ king
        Predicate
          verb: יִפֹּל fall >> fail <status="emendation"> 
  




===
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
=== 
[Emendation]: The MT's יִפְּל֑וּ בְּ֝לֵ֗ב should be emended to read יִפֹּל לְבֵב, such that the נפל verb belongs in the third and final clause of the verse (Brockington 1973, 130 :M:). #dispreferred
 + <Idiom>: There is idiomatic use of the heart "falling" in Biblical Hebrew in reference to losing courage or resolve (Mulder 1972 :M:).#dispreferred
  + [Heart as courage]: See, e.g., 1 Sam 17:32, "Let no man's heart fall on account of him (Goliath) (אַל־יִפֹּ֥ל לֵב־אָדָ֖ם עָלָ֑יו); cf. Gen 42:28; Jer 4:9; Ezek 21:12; 22:14.#dispreferred
 - <Ancient versions>: None of the ancient witnesses preserve this reading.
 - <Manuscripts>: There is no Hebrew manuscript evidence for this reading.


Argument Mapn0EmendationThe MT's יִפְּל֑וּ בְּ֝לֵ֗ב should be emended to read יִפֹּל לְבֵב, such that the נפל verb belongs in the third and final clause of the verse (Brockington 1973, 130 🄼). n1Heart as courageSee, e.g., 1 Sam 17:32, "Let no man's heart fall on account of him (Goliath) (אַל־יִפֹּ֥ל לֵב־אָדָ֖ם עָלָ֑יו); cf. Gen 42:28; Jer 4:9; Ezek 21:12; 22:14.n2IdiomThere is idiomatic use of the heart "falling" in Biblical Hebrew in reference to losing courage or resolve (Mulder 1972 🄼).n1->n2n2->n0n3Ancient versionsNone of the ancient witnesses preserve this reading.n3->n0n4ManuscriptsThere is no Hebrew manuscript evidence for this reading.n4->n0


Continuity with v. 5

Some argue that v. 6a is in apposition to the "awesome deeds" of v. 5c, so the v. 6c is not dependent on v. 6a, as illustrated by the TOB: "[Let your right hand strike terror:] your barbed arrows. Under you shall fall peoples, the king's enemies struck through the heart. (TOB)[8] 



===
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
=== 
[Verse re-division]: "Your sharp arrows" belongs syntactically and poetically with v. 5, not v. 6 (Dahood 1966, 272 :C:). #dispreferred 
 - <Ancient versions>: None of the ancient versions preserve this division of the text.
 - <Verse divisions and accents>: The pausal form and silluq accent on יְמִינֶֽךָ in v. 5 generally suggests a clause division.
 - <v. 6a>: The words חִצֶּ֗יךָ שְׁנ֫וּנִ֥ים in v. 6 do not naturally read as a noun phrase "your sharp arrows," for which we would expect חִצֵּי שְׁנוּנֶיךְ.
 - <v. 6c>: Little sense of v. 6c is made under this reading.


Argument Mapn0Verse re-division"Your sharp arrows" belongs syntactically and poetically with v. 5, not v. 6 (Dahood 1966, 272 🄲). n1Ancient versionsNone of the ancient versions preserve this division of the text.n1->n0n2Verse divisions and accentsThe pausal form and silluq accent on יְמִינֶֽךָ in v. 5 generally suggests a clause division.n2->n0n3v. 6aThe words חִצֶּ֗יךָ שְׁנ֫וּנִ֥ים in v. 6 do not naturally read as a noun phrase "your sharp arrows," for which we would expect חִצֵּי שְׁנוּנֶיךְ.n3->n0n4v. 6cLittle sense of v. 6c is made under this reading.n4->n0


Vertical Grammar (preferred)

A simple reading of the MT results in the third line syntactically modifying the first line, with the second line as a parenthetical. The majority of modern English versions reflect this reading, whether employing strategies of an elided constituent, reordering of the lines, or strictly following the parenthetical, as the ELB: "Your sharpened arrows—nations fall beneath you—into the hearts of the king's enemies!"[9] 


SimpleGrammar
DiscourseUnit [v. 6]
    Fragment 
      Clause
        Subject
          ConstructChain <gloss="your arrows">
            noun: חִצֶּי arrows
            suffix-pronoun: ךָ you
        Predicate
          verb: are
          Complement
            verb-participle: שְׁנוּנִים sharp
          Adverbial
            PrepositionalPhrase <gloss="in the heart of the king's enemies">
              Preposition
                preposition: בְּ in
              Object
                ConstructChain
                  noun: לֵב heart
                  ConstructChain
                    Nominal
                      noun: אוֹיְבֵי enemies
                      adjective: אֶלֶף a thousand <status="alternative emendation">
                    Nominal
                      article: הַ the
                      noun: מֶּלֶךְ king
    Fragment
      Clause
        Subject
          noun: עַמִּים peoples
        Predicate
          verb: יִפְּלוּ fall
          Adverbial
            PrepositionalPhrase
              Preposition
                preposition: תַּחְתֶּי under
              Object
                suffix-pronoun: ךָ you 
  




===
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
=== 
[Vertical Grammar]: "Now, the sequence is as follows: 'Your arrows are sharp... in the heart of the king's enemies;' the phrase 'people will fall under you' has been inserted in the middle, however" (Chrysostom and Hill 1998, 271 :C:; cf. Ḥakham 1979, 258 :C:; Weisman 1996, 200 :C:; Böhler 2021, 815 :C:)
 + <Characteristic of Hebrew poetry>: Vertical grammar with an A / X / B structure in a three-line unit is common in Biblical Hebrew poetry (Watson 2001, 181 :M:; Tsumura 2023 :M:; Atkinson 2025 :A:).
  + [1 Sam 2:2]: "There is none holy like the LORD / for there is none besides you / there is no rock like our God" (ESV).
  + [Ps 44:2]: "God, with our ears we have heard—our fathers told us—of the work which you carried out in their days, in ancient days" (Atkinson 2025, 15–16 :A:).
  + [Ps 93:4]: "More than the sound of many waters—though the waves of the sea are majestic—YHWH is majestic in the high place" (Atkinson 2025, 16 :A:)
 + <Semantic coherence>: It makes sense to say that sharp arrows penetrate the hearts of the king's enemies.


Argument Mapn0Vertical Grammar"Now, the sequence is as follows: 'Your arrows are sharp... in the heart of the king's enemies;' the phrase 'people will fall under you' has been inserted in the middle, however" (Chrysostom and Hill 1998, 271 🄲; cf. Ḥakham 1979, 258 🄲; Weisman 1996, 200 🄲; Böhler 2021, 815 🄲)n11 Sam 2:2"There is none holy like the LORD / for there is none besides you / there is no rock like our God" (ESV).n4Characteristic of Hebrew poetryVertical grammar with an A / X / B structure in a three-line unit is common in Biblical Hebrew poetry (Watson 2001, 181 🄼; Tsumura 2023 🄼; Atkinson 2025 🄰).n1->n4n2Ps 44:2"God, with our ears we have heard—our fathers told us—of the work which you carried out in their days, in ancient days" (Atkinson 2025, 15–16 🄰).n2->n4n3Ps 93:4"More than the sound of many waters—though the waves of the sea are majestic—YHWH is majestic in the high place" (Atkinson 2025, 16 🄰)n3->n4n4->n0n5Semantic coherenceIt makes sense to say that sharp arrows penetrate the hearts of the king's enemies.n5->n0


Conclusion (A)

The interpretation of v. 6c modifying v. 6a is the most plausible reading of the MT's syntax, as exhibited also in the ancient versions. This reading is both coherent and consistent with a well-attested technique of Hebrew poetry.[10] The translator may choose to reflect the poetics of this parenthetical strictly linearly (such as the ELB above), or make the semantics optimally clear by reordering the lines (such as the JPS above) or provided an elided constituent, whether a verb (such as the CJB above) or simply the repetition of "arrows" (such as the NASB above).

Research

Translations

Ancient

  • LXX: τὰ βέλη σου ἠκονημένα, δυνατέ, —λαοὶ ὑποκάτω σου πεσοῦνται— ἐν καρδίᾳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ βασιλέως.[11]
    • NETS: Your arrows are sharp, O powerful one, —peoples shall fall under you— in the heart of the king’s enemies.[12]
  • Jerome (Hebr.): sagittae tuae acutae populi sub te cadent in corde inimicorum regis
    • "Your arrows are sharp; under you shall people fall; into the hearts of the king’s enemies."
  • Targum Psalms: גִרְרָךְ שְׁלִיפִין עַמְמִין תְּחוֹתָךְ יִפְּלוּן וּבְנֵי קַשְׁתָּךְ יִשְׁתַּלְחוּן בְּלֵב סָנְאֵי מַלְכָּא[13]
    • "Your arrows are drawn to slay armies; peoples fall beneath you, and the sons of your bow are dispatched into the heart of those who hate the king."[14]
  • Peshitta: ܓܐܪ̈ܝܟ ܫܢܝܢܝܢ ܘܥܡ̈ܡܐ ܢܦܠܘܢ ܬܚܘܬܝܟ܂ ܒܠܒܐ ܕܒ̈ܥܠܕܒܒܘܗܝ ܕܡܠܟܐ[15]
    • "Your arrows are sharp; the peoples will fall beneath you, in the midst of the enemies of the king."[16]

Modern

Emendation

  • "your arrows are sharp; nations lie beneath your feet. The hearts of the king's enemies fail." (REB)

Continuity with v. 5

  • Que ta droite lance la terreur: 6 tes flèches barbelées. Sous toi tomberont des peuples, les ennemis du roi frappés en plein cœur. (TOB)

v. 6c modifies v. 6a

Constituent supplied
  • "Your arrows are sharp. The people fall under you, as they penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies." (CJB)
  • Your arrows are sharp; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies. (NASB)
  • tus saetas agudas, con que caerán pueblos debajo de ti, penetrarán en el corazón de los enemigos del rey. (RVR 1995)
  • Tes flèches sont aiguës, des peuples tomberont sous toi; elles frapperont au cœur les ennemis du roi. (SG21; cf. NBS, NFC)
  • Scharf sind deine Pfeile, dass Völker vor dir fallen; sie dringen ins Herz der Feinde des Königs. (LUT 2017; cf. ZÜR)
  • Deine Pfeile sind scharf, / unter dir fallen Völker; ins Herz getroffen sind die Feinde des Königs. (EÜ)
Reorder lines
  • Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you. (ESV; cf. CSB, JPS, NET, NIV, KJV)
  • Tes flèches sont pointues, elles percent le cœur de tes ennemis. Oui, tout le monde tombe sous tes coups! (PDV)
  • Los pueblos caen a tus pies, oh rey; 
tus flechas son agudas y se clavan
 en el corazón de tus enemigos. (DHH; cf. RVC)
Parenthetical
  • Deine geschärften Pfeile – Völker fallen unter dir – ins Herz der Feinde des Königs! (ELB)


Secondary Literature

Atkinson, Ian. 2025. "Parentheticals in Biblical Hebrew Prophetic and Poetic Literature." Vetus Testamentum. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685330-bja10226.
Böhler, Dieter. 2021. Psalmen 1-50. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder Verlag.
Brockington, L. H. 1973. The Hebrew Text of the Old Testament: The Readings Adopted by the Translators of the New English Bible. Malta: St Paul's Press.
Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. Psalms I: 1–50. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company.
Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. The Book of Psalms: Books 1-2 (Hebrew; ספר תהלים: ספרים א–ב). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.
John Chrysostom, and Robert C. Hill. 1998. St. John Chrysostom Commentary on the Psalms. Brookline, Mass: Holy Cross Orthodox Press.
Mulder, Jan. 1972. Studies on Psalm 45. Nijmegen, Netherlands: Karmel Doddendaal.
Patterson, Richard D. 1985. “A Multiplex Approach to Psalm 45.” Grace Theological Journal 6 (1): 29–48.
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 (האקדימיה האמריקאנית למדעי היהדות).
Theodoret, and Robert C. Hill. 2000. Commentary on the Psalms. The Fathers of the Church, a New Translation, v. 101-102. Washington, D.C: Catholic University of America Press.
Tsumura, David Toshio. 2023. Vertical Grammar of Parallelism in Biblical Hebrew. Ancient Israel and Its Literature 47. Atlanta: SBL Press.
Watson, Wilfred G. E. 2001. Classical Hebrew Poetry A Guide to Its Techniques. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.
Weisman, Zeev. 1996. "(Chapter 45)"(Hebrew; פרק מה). Pages 197–202 in Psalms: Volume 1. Olam HaTaNaKh (Hebrew; תהלים א׳ עולם התנ׳׳ך). Tel Aviv: דודזון–עתי.


References

Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 45

45:6

  1. ↑ Text from OSHB.
  2. ↑ Alternatively, the repetition of your arrows could be left implicit, though required by the grammar, such as in the CJB: "Your arrows are sharp. The people fall under you, as they penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies." Saadia, on the other hand, both reorders the clauses and understands יִפְּל֑וּ to syntactically contribute to both the second and third lines: "Your arrows are sharp; they fall into the hearts of the enemies of the king; and the peoples will fall under you" (וסהאמך מסנונה תקע פי קלוב אעדא אלמלך, ואלאממם יקעון תחתך; Qafaḥ 1965, 128; cf. Ḥakham 1979, 258).
  3. ↑ Deine geschärften Pfeile – Völker fallen unter dir – ins Herz der Feinde des Königs!
  4. ↑ One commentator has claimed, “the last line of v 6 defies final solution" (Richard Patterson, "A Multiplex Approach to Psalm 45," Grace Theological Journal 6.1 (1985):29–48.
  5. ↑ [Que ta droite lance la terreur:] tes flèches barbelées. Sous toi tomberont des peuples, les ennemis du roi frappés en plein cœur.
  6. ↑ Brockington 1973, 130.
  7. ↑ Brockington 1973, 130.
  8. ↑ [Que ta droite lance la terreur:] tes flèches barbelées. Sous toi tomberont des peuples, les ennemis du roi frappés en plein cœur.
  9. ↑ Deine geschärften Pfeile – Völker fallen unter dir – ins Herz der Feinde des Königs!
  10. ↑ Cf. 1 Sam 2:2; Pss 44:2; 93:4; cf. Tsumura 2023; Atkinson 2025.
  11. ↑ Rahlfs 1931, 152.
  12. ↑ NETS.
  13. ↑ CAL
  14. ↑ Stec 2004, 196.
  15. ↑ CAL
  16. ↑ Taylor 2020, 175.