The Text, Grammar, and Meaning of Psalm 11:1c

Exegetical Issues for Psalm 11:

• The Text, Grammar, and Meaning of Psalm 11:1c
• The Semantics of Psalm 11:3
• The Division of Psalm 11:5

Introduction

The Hebrew text of Psalm 11:1c reads as follows:

נ֝֗וּדִו הַרְכֶ֥ם צִפּֽוֹר׃

Multiple issues are involved in the interpretation of this verse. Although the issues are closely related to one another, it is helpful to untangle them and analyze them separately. They can be grouped into three categories.

• Textual
  • MT ketiv (נודו) vs MT qere (נוּדִי)
  • כמ as 2mp suffix (הַרְכֶם צִפּׂור) vs כמ as preposition (הֵר כְּמׂו צִפּוׁר)

• Grammatical. If the MT is retained, then the following grammatical issues remain to be decided.
  • צִפּוׂר as a vocative ("bird") vs צִפּׂור as an adverbial noun phrase ("like a bird").
  • One clause (e.g. "Flee to your mountain, bird!") vs two clauses ("Flee! To your mountain, bird!")

• Semantic. Regardless of how one decides the textual/grammatical issues (above), the following semantic issues may have to be decided.
  • צִפּׂור as a collective ("birds") vs צִפּׂור as a singular entity ("a bird").
  • הַרְכֶם/הַר as a collective ("[your] mountains") vs הַרְכֶם/הַר as a singular entity ("[your] mountain")
  • The adverbial noun phrase הַרְכֶם/הַר as terminative (to the/your mountain[s]) vs ablative (from the/your mountain[s])

These issues are discussed in the following argument maps.

Argument Maps

Ketiv (נודו) vs Qere (נוּדִי)

The first issue is whether the ketiv (נודו) (2mp imperative) or the qere (נוּדִי) (2fs imperative) is the correct reading.

Qere (נוּדִי)

The majority of translations (ancient and modern) follow the qere (נוּדִי) (2fs imperative). The arguments for and against this view are 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:
        concentrate: true
        ranksep: 0.2
        nodesep: 0.2
=== 
[Qere]: The MT *qere* (נוּדִי) (2fs) is the correct reading. #dispreferred
 + <Support of ancient versions>: "The *qere* נודי is the reading attested also by all ancient versions (LXX Aq. Quinta Hier. Syr. Targ.) and therefore probably the original" (Baethgen 1904, 30-31 :C:). #dispreferred
  <_ <Assimilation to feminine singular נפשי>
 + <Supported by context>: The *qere* (2fs imperative) makes good sense in the context, since both נפש and צפור are feminine singular. #dispreferred
  <_ <Assimilation to feminine singular נפשי>: The *qere* can be explained (in part) as "an assimilation to the immediately preceding word נפשי" (Barthélemy 2005, 43 :C:; cf. Olshausen 1853, 69 :C:, Hupfeld 1855, 234-236 :C:, Delitzsch 1883, 237-238 :C:).
 - <Masculine singular vs feminine singular>: "If the poet had wanted to use the singular, he would have said נוד (2ms), leaving aside נפש" (Ehrlich 1905, 22-23 :C:; cf. Barthélemy 2005, 43 :C:).
  + <Psalm 3:3>: "Cf. Ps 3:3, where, despite the gender of נפש, it is לו and not לה" (Ehrlich 1905, 22-23 :C:).
   + [Psalm 3:3]: רַבִּים֮ אֹמְרִ֪ים לְנַ֫פְשִׁ֥י אֵ֤ין יְֽשׁוּעָ֓תָה לֹּ֬ו בֵֽאלֹהִ֬ים סֶֽלָה׃

Ketiv (נודו) (preferred)

Other interpreters and a few translations follow the ketiv (נודו) (2mp imperative). The arguments for and against this view are 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:
        concentrate: true
        ranksep: 0.2
        nodesep: 0.2
=== 
[Ketiv]: The MT *ketiv* (נודו) (2mp) is the correct reading (cf. Barthélemy 2005, 43 :C:).
 + <צפור as collective>: "צפור as a noun of multitude with the plur.... so that the ''Ketib'' is correct" (Ewald 1880, 72 :C:; cf. Barthélemy 2005, 43 :C:).
  + <צפור as collective ("birds")>: צפור is a collective ("birds") (BDB :L:, HALOT :L:, Mannati 1979, 224 :A:)
 - <Error originating from MT plural suffix הרכם>: The *ketiv* can be explained as "an error of MT... which originated from 'your mountain'" (Briggs and Briggs 1906, 92-93 :C:).#dispreferred
 - <Singular addressee>: "In the context this doesn’t make much sense, since this command is directed to the psalmist" and not to multiple people (Bratcher and Reyburn 1991, 110 :C:; cf. Wilson 2002, 248-250 :C:). #dispreferred
  + <Individual psalmist as addressee>: The first person language of verse 1 ("I... me") seems to indicate that quoted speech is addressed to the psalmist (singular) and not to a group (plural) (Wilson 2002, 248-250 :C:). #dispreferred
  - <Royal court/family>: "נפשי 'me' refers to a royal figure, and the 2.m.p. suffix is a veiled reference to the royal court or royal family" (Sumner 2021, 87 :A:; cf. Hengstenberg 1869, 175-177 :C: who argues it is an "ideal person"; cf. Calvin :C: (David and his "companions"), Olshausen 1853, 69 :C: (Du und die Deinigen!), Hupfeld 1855, 234-236 :C:.
   + [Isaiah 7:11-13]: "The syntax and interpretation have an analogy in Isa 7:11-13. The passage in Isaiah records a dialogue between Isaiah/Yahweh and King Ahaz. In v. 7, Isaiah addresses Ahaz in the singular, and Ahaz alone responds (v. 12). However, in v. 13, Isaiah addresses the 'House of David' and uses the plural imperative" (Sumner 2021, 84 :A:).
   + [1 Samuel 22]: "David and his family fled to Moab from Saul where he took counsel from the prophet Gad on his next maneuver (1 Sam 22:1-5)" (Sumner 2021, 87 :A:).

MT (הַרְכֶם) vs emendation (הַר כְּמׂו)

The second, related, issue is whether the 2mp suffix in the MT (הַרְכֶם) ("your mountain") should be retained or slightly changed to read as a preposition (הַר כְּמׂו) ("mountain[s] like a bird").

Emendation (הַר כְּמׂו)

The majority of translations (ancient and modern) read a different text than the MT. Instead of הַרְכֶם ("your mountain"), they read הַר כְּמׂו ("mountain like..."). The arguments for and against this emendation are 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:
        concentrate: true
        ranksep: 0.2
        nodesep: 0.2
=== 
[MT emended ("mountains like")]: The MT (הַרְכֶם) ("your mountain") should be emended to הַר כְּמׂו ("mountain like a bird"). #dispreferred
 + <Ancient support>: The ancient versions (LXX, Aquila, Jerome Heb., Peshitta, Targum) unanimously support this reading. #dispreferred
 - <Versions smooth out the text>: The variant reading can be explained by the fact that "the change from *ketib* to *qere* makes the suffix כם unintelligible and leads to the facilitative form of the versions" (Barthélemy 2005, 43 :C:). By contrast, "Our difficult text could never have arisen from one whose meaning lies so plainly on the surface" (Hengstenberg 1869, 177 :C:).
  + [Ketiv]: The *ketiv* (נודו) is the correct reading (see above).
 - <Ungrammatical>: "הר without the suffix would not be able to stand independently but would have to take the article" (Hupfeld 1855, 234 :C:).

MT (הַרְכֶם) (preferred)

Some translations choose to translate the MT text as it stands ("your mountain[s]") (NIV, ESV, JPS1917, JB, DELUT, Eberfelder). The arguments for and against retaining the MT are 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:
        concentrate: true
        ranksep: 0.2
        nodesep: 0.2
=== 

[MT retained ("your mountains")]: The MT (הַרְכֶם) ("your mountain") should be retained.
 + <Concise and vivid>:"The MT is preferable because of its more concise and vivid expression" ("Flee! to your mountain, bird!" vs "flee to the mountains like a bird") (Baethgen 1904, 30 :C:).
 + <Ancient reading>: "MT was the only textual form that preserved the vestiges of an ancient reading" (Barthélemy 2005, 43 :C:). The variant texts can all be explained as having derived from the MT.
 - <Singular addressee>: "In the context this doesn’t make much sense, since this command is directed to the psalmist" and not to multiple people (Bratcher and Reyburn 1991, 110 :C:; cf. Wilson 2002, 248-250 :C:).#dispreferred
  + <Individual psalmist as addressee>: The first person language of verse 1 ("I... me") seems to indicate that quoted speech is addressed to the psalmist (singular) and not to a group (plural) (Wilson 2002, 248-250 :C:).#dispreferred
  - <Royal court/family>: "נפשי 'me' refers to a royal figure, and the 2.m.p. suffix is a veiled reference to the royal court or royal family" (Sumner 2021, 87 :A:; cf. Hengstenberg 1869, 175-177 :C: who argues it is an "ideal person"; cf. Calvin :C: (David and his "companions"), Olshausen 1853, 69 :C: (Du und die Deinigen!), Hupfeld 1855, 234-236 :C:.
   + [Isaiah 7:11-13]: "The syntax and interpretation have an analogy in Isa 7:11-13. The passage in Isaiah records a dialogue between Isaiah/Yahweh and King Ahaz. In v. 7, Isaiah addresses Ahaz in the singular, and Ahaz alone responds (v. 12). However, in v. 13, Isaiah addresses the 'House of David' and uses the plural imperative" (Sumner 2021, 84 :A:).
   + [1 Samuel 22]: "David and his family fled to Moab from Saul where he took counsel from the prophet Gad on his next maneuver (1 Sam 22:1-5)" (Sumner 2021, 87 :A:).

צפור as vocative ("bird[s]") vs adverbial accusative ("[like] a bird")

If the MT is retained (see above), then the syntactic role of צפור ("bird") is left to be determined. It is possible to read it either as a vocative ("flee..., bird") (e.g., JPS1917, JB, NRSVUE footnote, GNT footnote) or as an adverbial modifier ("flee... like a bird") (NIV, ESV). As the NET note explains, "'Bird' may be taken as vocative ('O bird') or as an adverbial accusative of manner ('like a bird'). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place."

===
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
=== 

[Vocative]:  צפור ("bird") is a vocative.
 + <Simpler explanation>: It is "simplest" to interpret צפור ("bird") as a vocative (Hupfeld 1855, 234-236 :C:). "There is no need to assume (fallen or implied) a 'like.' 'Bird' is a vocative..." (Mannati 1979, 224 :A:).
  -> [Adverbial accusative]
 - <Inappropriate address>: "This address sounds too derisive to be appropriate to the lips of those who are supposed to be speaking here...  This form of address is not appropriate to the idea of those who proffer their counsel" (Keil and Delitzsch 1900, 187 :C:).#dispreferred
  - <Formulaic>: The phrase may be a fixed expression to warn someone to seek security (Hupfeld 1855, 234-236 :C:).

[Adverbial accusative]: צפור ("bird") is an adverbial accusative ("like a bird"). "*Tzippor* should be interpreted as if written, *ke-tzippor* (like a bird)" (Ibn Ezra :C:).#dispreferred
 + <Adverbial accusative of manner>: "The accusative is used... in order to describe more precisely the manner in which an action or state takes place" (GKC 118m :G:). "The description of the external or internal state may follow, in poetry, in the form of a comparison with some well-known class" (GKC 118r :G:).#dispreferred
  + [Examples]: "E.g. Is. 21:8; cf. Ps. 22:14; Is. 22:18; Is. 24:22; Zech. 2:8; Ps. 11:1 (unless צפור be vocative); 58:9b (unless the force of the preceding כ is carried on, as in Ps. 90:4); Ps. 144:12; Job 24:5 (פראים, before the verb); 41:7..." (GKC 118r :G:).#dispreferred

הר as terminative ("to") vs ablative ("from)

The word הר ("mountain[s]") or הרכם ("your mountain[s]") functions in the clause as an adverbial modifier. Because there is no preposition on הרכם, the meaning of the phrase is ambiguous.

הר as terminative ("to") (preferred)

Virtually all translations (ancient and modern) translate this adverbial phrase as terminative ("to your mountain" or "to the mountains"). The arguments for and against this view are 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
=== 

[Terminative]: הר is terminative ("to") (so all translations).
 + <Ancient support>: All ancient translations interpret  הר as terminative ("to").
  + [Ancient translations]: LXX (ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη), Aquila (εις το ορος), Jerome Heb. (*in montem*), Peshitta (ܥܠ ܛܘܪ̈ܐ) Targum (לְטוּרָא).
 + <Accusative of place and motion verbs>: The verb נוד is a motion verb (SDBH :L:), and "after verbs of motion" "the accusative serves to define more precisely the place... in answer to the question wither?" (GKC §118d :G:).
  <_<The Accusative>: "The accusative is also used for the place from which one departs" (IBHS §10.2.2. :G:).#dispreferred
   + <Examples>: Gen 44:4; Exod 9:29, 33; Deut 14:22, cf. Jer 10:20 (IBHS §10.2.2. :G:).#dispreferred
  + [1 Samuel]: E.g., 1 Sam 20:11 (GKC §118e :G:).
 + <Accusative of place and verbs of fleeing>: The verb נוד is a motion verb (SDBH :L:), and when verbs of fleeing are followed by an accusative of place, the accusative indicates the place to which someone is fleeing.
  + [Verbs of fleeing + accusative]: E.g., 1 Kgs 12:18 (לָנוּס יְרוּשָׁלִָם); Second Kgs 9:27 (וַיָּנָס מְגִדּוֹ); Hos 12:13 (וַיִּבְרַח יַעֲקֹב שְׂדֵה אֲרָם); Isa 37:38=2 Kgs 19:37 (וְהֵמָּה נִמְלְטוּ אֶרֶץ אֲרָרָט).
 + <Common Motif>: The image of a bird fleeing to the mountains was a common motif in the ANE.
  + <Examples from the Bible>: Some Biblical texts employ the image of a bird escaping to and/or taking refuge in the mountains.
   + [Ezekiel 7:16]: "Their survivors will escape to the mountains and become like doves of the valleys" (NET).
   + [1 Sam. 26:20]: "...like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains" (ESV).
  + <Examples from Neo-Assyrian inscriptions>: "Analogies of the bird fleeing to the mountains language are found in Assyrian royal inscriptions from Tiglath-Pileser I (1111-1077) to Esarhaddon (680-669), usually symbolising flight and defeat in the face of Assyrian military forces." (Quine 2017, 474 :A:).
   + <Tiglath-Pileser I>: “They flew like birds to ledges on high mountains” (Quine 2017, 474 :A:; see Grayson 1991, 18 :M:).
   + <Sennacherib>: "...had flown away like (bir)ds to the peak of a (rug)ged mountain" (Quine 2017, 474 :A:; see Grayson and Novotny 2014, 100-101 :M:). 
   + <Esarhaddon>: ..."like a bird from the midst of the mountains..." (Quine 2017 :A:; see Leichty 2011, 29 :M:).
  <_ <Bird imagery diverse>: In the various instances of the image of birds fleeing, "the direction and destination of the retreat varied" (Sumner 2021, 82 :A:). Therefore, "the bird imagery itself does not require a terminative translation of Ps 11:1d" (Sumner 2021, 82 :A:).#dispreferred
   + [Isaiah 16:2]: E.g., "In Isa 16:2, Moabite women flee like birds to the Arnon River, not to a mountain: 'Like fleeing birds, like scattered nestlings are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon' (cf. Lam 3:52; Ps 124:7)" (Sumner 2021, 81 :A:).#dispreferred
   + <Merodach-baladan>: E.g., "In another text, Merodach-baladan flees like a bird *away from* Babylon: '[He] fled from Babylon to the city of Ikbi-Bêl, like a sudinnu-bird, at night'" (Sumner 2021, 82 :A:; see ARAB 2:34 § 66 (Sargon II)).#dispreferred
 + <Mountains as hiding places>: "The mountains, caves, and fastnesses of Palestine would be the natural hiding-place of persons in danger" (Perowne 1870, 164 :C:; cf. Briggs and Briggs 92-93 1906, Hupfeld 1855, 234-236 :C:).
  + [Examples]: "Cf. Jud. 6:2, 1 Sam. 13:6, 1 Macc. 2:28, Matt. 24:16" (Perowne 1870, 164 :C:).
 + <Allusion to Genesis 19>: Psalm 11 alludes to Genesis 19, which in which Lot is told to escape to the mountains (Gen 19:17) (cf. Hupfeld 1855, 236 :C:, Hengstenberg 1869, 175 :C:, Anderson 1972, 120-121 :C:).
 - <נוד never terminative>: The verbal root ''nwd'' wander, flee of the imperative ''nwdw/nwdy'' (K/Q) is never used with a terminative sense to identify the destination of the movement" (Sumner 2021, 83).#dispreferred
  + <נוד + lamed>: When נוד is followed by a *lamed* preposition, the preposition "marks the so-called dative of advantage," and not a terminative location (Sumner 2021, 83 :A:).#dispreferred

הר as ablative ("from")

A few interpreters, Rashi and Radak and some modern exegetes, understand הר as ablative ("from your mountain"). None of the translations consulted adopt this view. The arguments for this interpretation are 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
=== 

[Ablative]: הר is ablative ("from") (Rashi :C:, Radak :C:, Sumner 2021, 83-84 :A:; cf. Mannati 1979, 224 :A:).#dispreferred
 + <נוד + min>: The verb נוד can be followed by a *min* prepositional phrase ("flee from...").#dispreferred
  + [Jeremiah 50:8]: נֻ֚דוּ מִתֹּ֣וךְ בָּבֶ֔ל וּמֵאֶ֥רֶץ כַּשְׂדִּ֖ים יצֵ֑אוּ#dispreferred
  + [2 Kings 21:8]: וְלֹ֣א אֹסִ֗יף לְהָנִיד֙ רֶ֣גֶל יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה#dispreferred
  + [Proverbs 27:8 (cognate: נדד)]: כְּ֭צִפֹּור נֹודֶ֣דֶת מִן־קִנָּ֑הּ#dispreferred
 + <Si 34:2>: In one manuscript of Ben Sira 34:2, the verb נוד is used with an adverbial accusative in the sense of "flee (from)" (DCH).#dispreferred
  + [Si 34:2 (Bmg)]: רע נאמן תנוד חרפה "reproach flees (from) a faithful friend" (DCH)#dispreferred
 + <Ancient support>: The Midrash on Psalm 11 in 4Q Catena A "espouses an early understanding of the biblical text that supports an ablative rendering" (Sumner 2021, 83 :A:).#dispreferred
  + [4Q Catena A (midrash on Ps 11:1-2)]: "(Its interpretation:) the me(n of...) will flee (... like a b)ird from its spot (mmqwmw) and will be exi(led from his land)."#dispreferred
 + <Mt. Zion>: "Your mountain" refers to Mt. Zion. "Consequently, the protagonist in vv. 1-3 is advised to flee *from* Mount Zion and not to the hill country" (Sumner 2021, 84 :A:).#dispreferred
  + <"Mountain" singular>: "In the psalms, the singular הר 'mountain' almost always designates a specific mountain" (Sumner 2021, 83 :A:).#dispreferred
   + [Examples]: "E.g., Mount Zion/Jerusalem in Pss 2:6; 3:5; 15:1; 24:3; 43:3; 48:2; 68:16-17; 78:54; 87:1; 99:9." (Sumner 2021, 83 :A:; cf. Mannati 1979, 224 :A:).#dispreferred
  + <Refuge>: "The expression in Ps 11:1b— 'In Yahweh, I have taken refuge'— also supports the idea that Mount Zion was the point of origin" (cf. Ps 61:5) (Sumner 2021, 84 :A:).#dispreferred

Conclusion (B)

In terms of the text to be translated, we conclude with Barthélemy that the MT ketiv reading (נודו) along with the MT reading הַרְכֶם ("your mountain") is to be preferred. Despite the strong external evidence in favor of נודי הר כמו צפור , this easier reading is best explained as having derived from the more difficult and more "vivid" reading of the MT. The second person plural language is potentially confusing, but it may be explained in a number of satisfactory ways.

There is a good grammatical basis for interpreting צפור as an adverbial accusative of manner ("[like] a bird"). However, it is simpler to explain צפור, which does not have a preposition and occurs at the end of the clause, as a vocative. If this is correct, and if multiple people are being addressed (ketiv נודו), then this means that צפור is a collective ("birds").

Finally, although there are strong arguments for both the ablative and terminate interpretations of the adverbial הרכם, the terminative interpretation ("to your mountain") is more likely. When verbs of motion (including verbs of fleeing) are followed by an adverbial accusative, the accusative usually indicates the direction in which someone flees. This image of a bird seeking shelter in the mountains is a common motif in the biblical and broader ANE world. Furthermore, this is how all of the ancient translations understood the phrase (e.g., LXX: ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη).

In conclusion, we may translate Psalm 11:1b in English as "Flee to your mountain, birds!"

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: Μεταναστεύου ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ὡς στρουθίον
  • "Flee to the mountains like a sparrow"
• Aquila: αναστατου εις το ορος ως πετεινον
  • Flee to the mountain like a bird
• Jerome (Hebr.): transvola in montem ut avis
  • Flee to the mountain like a bird
• Targum: אִטַלְטְלֵי לְטוּרָא הֵיךְ צִפָּרָא
  • "Flee to the mountains like birds"
• Peshitta: ܢܘܕܝ ܘܫܟܢܝ ܥܠ ܛܘܪ̈ܐ ܐܝܟ ܨܦܪܐ܂
  • "Flee and dwell in the mountains like a bird"

Modern

MT qere (נוּדִי)

• "Flieh in die Berge wie ein Vogel!" (NGÜ, cf. LUTHEUTE, HFA, S21, PDV, NBS, NFC, Reina Valera, NVI, DHH)

MT Ketiv (נודו)

• "Fliehet wie ein Vogel auf eure Berge?" (DELUT, and ELB, Luther 1912)

Emendation (הַר כְּמׂו)

• "In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me, ‘Flee like a bird to the mountains,'" (NRSV, cf. NLT, GNT, CSB, CEV, NEB, NGÜ, LUTHEUTE, HFA, S21, PDV, NBS, NFC, RVR95, NVI, DHH)

MT (הַרְכֶם) preserved

• "In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: 'Flee like a bird to your mountain" (NIV, cf. ESV, JPS1917, JB, DELUT, ELB)

צפור ("bird") as a vocative

• "In the LORD have I taken refuge; How say ye to my soul: 'Flee thou! to your mountain, ye birds'?" (JPS1917, JB, NRSVUE footnote, GNT footnote).

צפור ("bird") as an adverbial modifier

• "In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: 'Flee like a bird to your mountain" (NIV, cf. ESV, NASB)

הר as terminative ("to")

• All modern translations consulted adopt the terminative interpretation of הַרְכֶם/הַר (to the/your mountain[s]).

הר as ablative ("from")

• Although a few interpreters, such as Rashi and Radak, understand הַרְכֶם/הַר as ablative (from the/your mountain[s]), none of the translations consulted adopts this interpretation.

Secondary Literature

Anderson, A. A. 1972. The Book of Psalms. Vol. 1. NCBC. Greenwood, SC: Attic.

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

Barthélemy, Dominique. 2005. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament. Vol. Tome 4: Psaumes. Fribourg, Switzerland: Academic Press.

Bratcher, Robert G., and William D. Reyburn. 1991. A Handbook on Psalms. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

Briggs, Charles A., and Emilie Briggs. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Vol. 1. ICC. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.

Calvin, John. Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Translated by James Anderson. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Delitzsch, Franz. 1883. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms. Vol. 1. Translated by Eaton David. Vol. 1. New York: Funk and Wagnalls.

Ehrlich, Arnold B. 1905. Die Psalmen. Berlin: Verlag Von M. Poppelauer.

Ewald, Heinrich. 1880. Commentary on the Psalms. Vol. 1. London: Williams and Norgate.

Grayson, A. Kirk. 1991. "Assyrian Rulers of the Early First Millennium BC I (1114–859 BC)." In The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia: Assyrian Periods. Vol. 2. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Grayson, A. Kirk, and Jamie Novotny. 2014. "The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (704–681 BC), Part 2." The Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period. Vol. 3/2. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.

Hengstenberg, Ernst W. 1869. Commentary on Psalms. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.

Hupfeld, Hermann. 1855. Die Psalmen. Vol. 1. Gotha: Friedrich Andreas Perthes.

Keil, Carl Friedrich, and Franz Delitzsch. 1900. "Psalms". In Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes. Vol. 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Mannati, Marina. 1979. "Le Psaume XI: Un Exemple Typique Des Liens Entre l’interprétation Du Genre Littéraire et l’étude Critique de Stiques Obscurs." Vetus Testamentum 29, no. 2: 222–228.

Olshausen, Justus. 1853. Die Psalmen. Leipzig: S. Hirzel.

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

Radak. Radak on Psalms.

Rashi. Rashi on Psalms.

Sumner, Stephen. 2019. “A Reanalysis of Psalm 11.” ZAW 131 (1): 77–90.

Wilson, Gerald H. 2002. The NIV Application Commentary: Psalms. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

References

Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 11

Psalm 11 Home

Bible Text

Hebrew & English

Structural Overlay

Expanded Paraphrase

Participant Tracking

Translation (forthcoming)

Academic

Overview

Layer by Layer ▸

View All Layers

Grammar & Semantics

Story Behind

Discourse

Poetry

Verse by Verse

Exegetical Issues

Book 1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

Book 2

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

Book 3

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

Book 4

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

Book 5

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

11:1 Approved