The Text and Meaning of Ps 25:17a
Introduction[ ]
The Hebrew text of Ps 25:17, according to the Masoretic Text, reads as follows:[1]
- צָר֣וֹת לְבָבִ֣י הִרְחִ֑יבוּ
- מִ֝מְּצֽוּקוֹתַ֗י הוֹצִיאֵֽנִי׃
The interpretive difficulty in this verse centers around the word הִרְחִ֑יבוּ. The following three translations demonstrate this difficulty and illustrate three potential solutions:
- The troubles of my heart are enlarged (ESV)
- Troubles have filled my heart (cf. NBS)
- Relieve the troubles of my heart, and... (NRSV)
- Troubles overwhelm my heart (cf. ZÜR)
The issue in this verse is fundamentally a textual issue and most of the differences in the translations above result from reading different Hebrew texts. Both the ESV and the NBS follow the MT and read הִרְחִיבוּ. The ESV interprets the word in an intransitive sense ("are enlarged"), and the NBS appears to interpret it in a transitive sense ("has enlarged" >> "has filled"). The NRSV follows the popular emendation הַרְחֵיב וּ ("relieve... and...") (so BHS). The ZÜR translation follows a less popular emendation הַרְהִיבוּ ("overwhelm").
Argument Maps[ ]
Be enlarged >> Increase (הִרְחִיבוּ)[ ]
Many translations follow the Masoretic Text and read הִרְחִיבוּ, which they understand as an intransitive verb ("be enlarged"). The ESV, for example, says, "The troubles of my heart are enlarged." According to this view, צָרֹ֣ות לְבָבִ֣י is a construct chain that functions as the subject of the verb הִרְחִיבוּ. Other translations that adopt this reading and interpretation make it clear that "troubles being enlarged" is a metaphor for troubles increasing in intensity. The NLT, for example, says, "My problems go from bad to worse," and the NJPS translation says, "My deep distress increases."
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[Be enlarged (הִרְחִיבוּ)]: The earliest recoverable form of the text is הִרְחִיבוּ (so Barthélemy 2005), which should be understood in an intransitive sense ("be enlarged" >> "be many") (so Ibn Ezra :C:, Calvin :C:).#dispreferred
+ <External evidence>: Virtually all extant Hebrew manuscripts and most of the ancient versions read הִרְחִיבוּ.#dispreferred
+ [External evidence]: MT: הִרְחִ֑יבוּ; LXX: ἐπλατύνθησαν (so Aquila and Quinta); Symmachus: πλατεῖαι; Targum: פתיין (cf. Barthélemy 2005, 146)#dispreferred
<_ <Other ancient versions>: Some of the ancient versions say "become many" or "multiplied" instead of "be enlarged."
+ [Other ancient versions]: Peshitta: ܣܓܝ ("many"); Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): multiplicatae sunt ("multiplied"); Theodotion and Sexta (also some LXX mss): ἐπληθύνθησαν ("became many").
<_ <Idiomatic>: These ancient versions are giving an idiomatic translation of הִרְחִיבוּ (except for the Peshitta, which probably derives from the internal Greek corruption ἐπληθύνθησαν) (Barthélemy 2005, 145-146).#dispreferred
+ <Ancient translations>: All of the ancient translations which read הִרְחִיבוּ understood it as an intransitive verb meaning "be enlarged" >> "be many."#dispreferred
+ [External evidence]
+ [Other ancient versions]
- <Transitive>: Elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew, the verb הרחיב is always transitive ("enlarge") and never intransitive ("be enlarged") (cf. Baethgen 1904, 73 :C:). The intransitive sense ("be wide, enlarged") is covered by the qal stem.
+ [Transitive]: "I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge (תַרְחִיב) my heart!" (Ps 119:32, ESV; with direct object: Exod 34:24; Deut 12:20; 19:8; 33:20; 2 Sam 22:37; Isa 5:14; 54:2; 57:4, 8; Amos 1:13; Mi 1:16; Hab 2:5; Ps 18:37; 35:21; 81:11; with ל (beneficiary) and no direct object, though still with the sense "enlarge": Gen 26:22; Ps 4:2; Prov 18:16); no direct object or ל, but still probably in a transitive sense: Isa 30:33; intransitive qal: 1 Sam 2:1; Isa 60:5.
- <Isa 30:33>: The verb הרחיב in Isa 30:33 is probably intransitive.#dispreferred
+ [Isa 30:33]: "Topheth has been ready for the king for a long time. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide (הֶעְמִיק הִרְחִב), with plenty of fire and wood" (Isa 30:33, CSB; cf. Jerome: profunda et dilatata).#dispreferred
<_ <Post-biblical Hebrew>: In post-biblical Hebrew texts, the verb הרחיב can have an intransitive sense ("be enlarged") (see Jastrow 1926, 1465 :L:).#dispreferred
+ [Leviticus Rabbah (400-500 AD)]: "(the windows of the Temple) became narrow towards the inside and wider (וּמַרְחִיבוֹת) towards the outside..." (Leviticus Rabbah 31; see more examples in Jastrow 1926, 1465 :L:).#dispreferred
<_ <Intransitive Hiphil>: In Biblical Hebrew, the hiphil of stative intransitive verbs (like רחב) can also be intransitive, either with an elative sense, which "places someone or something into an absolute superlative state" (Boyd 2017, 104 :G:; cf. Speiser 1952 :A:), or with an "intransitive causative" sense ("to become X") (JM §54d :G:).#dispreferred
+ <ארך>: The verb ארך (qal: "be long"), which belongs to the same semantic domain as רחב (qal: "be wide"), in the hiphil stem can mean both "make long" (transitive) and "be(come) long" (intransitive) (DCH :L:).#dispreferred
+ [האריך]: Transitive: "...so that you may prolong (תַּאֲרִיכוּ) your days on the land..." (Deut 11:9, NASB); Intransitive: "...that your days may be long (יַאֲרִכוּן) in the land..." (Exod 20:12, ESV).#dispreferred
<_ <Elided object>: The verb is transitive here as well, only the direct object has been elided: הרחיבו הצרות מושבם בלבי (Radak :C:).#dispreferred
- <Incoherent>: In Hebrew, "narrowness" (צָרָה, cf. מצוק in the following line) is a metaphor for distress. For that which is narrow to become "wide" (רחב) would mean for it to cease to be distressing, not for it to become more distressing.
Enlarge >> Fill (הִרְחִיבוּ)[ ]
Some translations follow the Masoretic Text and read הִרְחִיבוּ, which they understand in a transitive sense. According to this view, צָרֹות is the subject of the verb הִרְחִיבוּ and לְבָבִי is the direct object. The NBS translation appears to reflect this interpretation: "La détresse a rempli mon cœur" ("Distress has filled my heart"). In other words, as the heart becomes filled with distress, it becomes enlarged.
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[Enlarge (הִרְחִיבוּ)]: The earliest recoverable form of the text is הִרְחִיבוּ (so Barthélemy 2005), which should be understood in a transitive sense ("enlarge" >> "fill").#dispreferred
+ <External evidence>: Virtually all extant Hebrew manuscripts and most of the ancient versions read הִרְחִיבוּ.#dispreferred
+ [External evidence]: MT: הִרְחִ֑יבוּ; LXX: ἐπλατύνθησαν (so Aquila and Quinta); Symmachus: πλατεῖαι; Targum: פתיין (cf. Barthélemy 2005, 146)#dispreferred
<_ <Other ancient versions>: Some of the ancient versions say "become many" or "multiplied" instead of "be enlarged."
+ [Other ancient versions]: Peshitta: ܣܓܝ ("many"); Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): multiplicatae sunt ("multiplied"); Theodotion and Sexta (also some LXX mss): ἐπληθύνθησαν ("became many"). #dispreferred
<_ <Idiomatic>: These ancient versions are giving an idiomatic translation of הִרְחִיבוּ (except for the Peshitta, which probably derives from the internal Greek corruption ἐπληθύνθησαν) (Barthélemy 2005, 145-146).#dispreferred
+ <Transitive>: Elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew, the verb הרחיב is always transitive ("enlarge").#dispreferred
+ [Transitive]: "I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge (תַרְחִיב) my heart!" (Ps 119:32, ESV; with direct object: Exod 34:24; Deut 12:20; 19:8; 33:20; 2 Sam 22:37; Isa 5:14; 54:2; 57:4, 8; Amos 1:13; Mi 1:16; Hab 2:5; Ps 18:37; 35:21; 81:11; with ל (beneficiary) and no direct object, though still with the sense "enlarge": Gen 26:22; Ps 4:2; Prov 18:16); no direct object or ל, but still probably in a transitive sense: Isa 30:33; intransitive qal: 1 Sam 2:1; Isa 60:5.#dispreferred
+ <"Enlarge a heart">: Elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, to "enlarge" one's heart means to give "liberation, joy, confidence and insight" (HALOT :L:), and this meaning does not fit in the context.
+ [Ps 119:132]: "I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge (תַרְחִיב) my heart!" (Ps 119:32, ESV).
Relieve! And... (הַרְחֵיב וּ) (preferred)[ ]
Many translations follow the emendation הַרְחֵיב וּ (see BHS). This view follows the same consonantal text as the Masoretic Text, but it adopts a different vocalization and a different word division: it revocalizes הִרְחִיב to הַרְחֵיב, and it moves the waw at the end of הרחיבו to the beginning of the following word (וּמִמְּצוּקוֹתַי). The NRSV is representative of this view: "Relieve the troubles of my heart, and..." (NRSV)
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[Relieve (הַרְחֵיב וּ)]: The earliest recoverable form of the text is הַרְחֵיב וּ ("relieve! And...") (BHS, BDB :L:, HALOT :L:; Gesenius 2013 :L:; Hupfeld 1868 :C: Delitzsch 1996, 219 :C:).
- <External evidence>: Virtually all extant Hebrew manuscripts and most of the ancient versions read הִרְחִיבוּ, not הַרְחֵיב וּ. #dispreferred
+ [External evidence]: MT: הִרְחִ֑יבוּ; LXX: ἐπλατύνθησαν (so Aquila and Quinta); Symmachus: πλατεῖαι; Targum: פתיין (cf. Peshitta, Jerome, Theodotion and Sexta) (cf. Barthélemy 2005, 146). #dispreferred
<_ <Scribal error>: At a time when Hebrew texts were not vocalized and spacing between words and lines was not always clearly indicated (cf. Tov 2022, 279-280), it is easy to see how הַרְחֵיב וּ (the earlier reading) might have been misread as הִרְחִיבוּ (the reading of most witnesses).
+ <Parallelism>: Reading an imperative in v. 17a creates a nice parallel with the imperative in v. 17b (Hupfeld 1868, 123 :C:; Hossfeld 1993, 164 :C:; Spieckermann 2022, 297 :C:).
+ [v. 17ab]: "Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish" (NIV).
- <Unparalleled expression>: The expression "enlarge distress >> grant relief" is unparalled. "In Hebrew, one can say תַּרְחִיב לִבִּי (Ps 119:32) or הִרְחַבְתָּ לִי (Ps 4:2), but not הִרְחִיב צָרוֹת" (Baethgen 1904, 73 :C:). #dispreferred
<_ <הרחיב צרות as relieving distress>
- <Spelling>: If הרחיב were an imperative, then we would expect it to be spelled הרחב (without a yod). #dispreferred
<_ <Imperatives with yod>: Masculine singular hiphil imperatives sometimes have a yod in the ultimate syllable (cf. GKC §53m :G:)
+ [Imperatives with yod]: 2 Kgs 8:6 (הָשֵׁיב); Ps 142:5 (הַבֵּיט)
+ <Coherent in context>: This reading makes the best sense in the context in which the psalmist is praying for relief from his distress (vv. 16, 17b, 18-19).
+ <הרחיב צרות as relieving distress>: Because narrowness is a metaphor for distress and spaciousness is a metaphor for relief (cf. Ps 4:2), it makes sense that enlarging something narrow (הרחיב צרות) would mean relieving distress (cf. SDBH :L:).
+ [Ps 4:2]: "You have given me relief (הִרְחַבְתָּ לִי) when I was in distress (בַּצָּר)" (Ps 4:2, ESV).
Overwhelm (הִרְהִיבוּ)[ ]
Some translations follow the emendation הִרְהִיבוּ. This view follows the Masoretic Text with one exception: it replaces the ח in הִרְחִיבוּ with a ה. The ZÜR translation is representative of this view: "Ängste bestürmen mein Herz," i.e., "Anxieties overwhelm my heart." In a footnote, the translation indicates that "the Masoretic Text has been corrected."
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[Overwhelm (הִרְהִיבוּ)]: The earliest recoverable form of the text is הִרְהִיבוּ ("overwhelm") (Baethgen 1904, 73 :C:; Kittel 1922, 98-99 :C:): "distresses overwhelm my heart." #dispreferred
- <External evidence>: Virtually all extant Hebrew manuscripts and most of the ancient versions read הִרְחִיבוּ, not הִרְהִיבוּ.
+ [External evidence]: MT: הִרְחִ֑יבוּ; LXX: ἐπλατύνθησαν (so Aquila and Quinta); Symmachus: πλατεῖαι; Targum: פתיין (cf. Peshitta, Jerome, Theodotion and Sexta) (cf. Barthélemy 2005, 146).
<_ <Interchange of ה and ח>: The letters ה and ח are often confused and interchanged. It is easy to see how הִרְהִיבוּ (the earlier form of the text) might have become הִרְחִיבוּ (the reading of most witnesses). #dispreferred
+ <Context>: The verb הִרְהִיב means "overwhelm" (DCH :L:; cf. TDOT :D:) or "confuse" (HALOT :L:) (see Song 6:5; cf. cognates in HALOT :L:), and this meaning fits best in the context: "distresses overwhelm my heart." #dispreferred
+ [Song 6:5]: "Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me" (הִרְהִיבֻנִי) (Song 6:5, ESV). #dispreferred
- <Narrow vs wide>: The image of "narrowness" dominates the immediate context (צָרוֹת v. 17a, מְצוּקוֹת, v. 17b) so that the verb רחב ("wide") is a better fit.
PROVISIONAL Conclusion[ ]
The reading הַרְחֵיב וּ ("relieve! and...") is probably the earlier reading. This reading makes the best sense in the context, in which the psalmist is praying for relief from his distress (vv. 16, 17b-19). See especially the parallel line (v. 17b): "free me from my anguish" (NIV). The image would be similar to the image in Ps 4:2: "You have given me relief when I was in distress (בַּצָּר הִרְחַבְתָּ לִי)" (ESV).
There are two strong objections this interpretation: (1) no Hebrew manuscript or ancient version reads the text in this way; (2) the yod in הרחיב does not seem to fit with the vocalization הַרְחֵיב. But neither of these objections is decisive. Regarding the first objection, although no Hebrew manuscript or ancient version reads הַרְחֵיב וּ, virutally all of them support the consonantal text of this reading: הרחיבו. The difference between the preferred reading (הַרְחֵיב וּ) and the majority reading (הִרְחִיבוּ) is only a matter of vocalization and word division. Vocalization was not indicated in the earliest manuscripts, and although the earliest manuscripts do indicate word-division, "the spaces between words were not always indicated well, causing later generations of scribes to make wrong decisions on word division."[2] Regarding the second objection, there are other examples of this spelling in the Masoretic Text (e.g., הָשֵׁיב in 2 Kgs 8:6; cf. GKC §53m).
Research[ ]
Hebrew manuscripts[ ]
Translations[ ]
Ancient[ ]
- LXX: αἱ θλίψεις τῆς καρδίας μου ἐπλατύνθησαν·[4]
- "The afflictions of my heart were broadened;"[5]
- Aquila: ἐπληθύνθησαν(?)[6]
- "They were many"(?)
- Symmachus: πλατεῖ‹αι›[7]
- "wide"
- Quinta: ἐπληθύνθησαν(?)[8]
- "They were many"(?)
- Sexta: ἐπληθύνθησαν[9]
- "They were many"
- Theodotion: ἐπληθύνθησαν[10]
- "They were many"
- Other (Ἄλλος): πλατεῖαι[11]
- "wide"
- Peshitta: ܥܩܬ̈ܗ ܕܠܒܝ ܣܓܝ܂[12]
- "The griefs of my heart are many."[13]
- Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): tribulationes cordis mei multiplicatae sunt[14]
- "The troubles of my heart have multiplied."
- Targum: עקתין דלבבי פתיין[15]
- "The troubles of my heart are enlarged."[16]
Modern[ ]
Indicative[ ]
Are enlarged >> Have increased (הִרְחִיבוּ intransitive)[ ]
- The troubles of my heart are enlarged; (KJV/ESV)
- My deep distress[17] increases; (NJPS)
- My awful worries keep growing. (CEV)
- My problems go from bad to worse. (NLT)
- Las angustias de mi corazón se han aumentado; (RVR95)
- Crecen las angustias de mi corazón; (NVI)
- Mi corazón se aflige más y más; (DHH94I)
- Las angustias de mi corazón se han aumentado. (BTX4)
- Mon cœur étouffe de plus en plus, (PDV2017)
- Die Angst meines Herzens ist groß (LUT)
Enlarge >> Fill >> Burst (הִרְחִיבוּ transitive)[ ]
- La détresse a rempli mon cœur ;[18] (NBS)
- Les angoisses ont rempli mon cœur ;[19] (NVS78P)
- Ängste haben mein Herz gesprengt, (EÜ)
- Die Angst presst mir das Herz zusammen. (GNB)
Overwhelm (הִרְהִיבוּ)[ ]
- Ängste bestürmen mein Herz,[20] (ZÜR)
- Mes angoisses m’envahissent ; (TOB?)
Ambiguous[ ]
- Mir ist angst und bange (HFA)
- Mon cœur est dans l’angoisse, (BDS)
Imperative: Make wide >> Relieve (הַרְחֵיב וּ)[ ]
- Relieve the troubles of my heart, and...[21] (RSV/NRSV)
- Relieve the troubles of my heart and... (NIV)
- Relieve me of my worries and... (GNT)
- Relieve the sorrows of my heart, and... (NEB)
- Relieve the troubles of my heart, and... (REB)
- Relieve the distress of my heart,[22] (NJB)
- Deliver me from my distress;[23] (NET)
- Sprenge du die Fesseln,[24] die mir das Herz zusammenschnüren, (NGÜ)
- Die Enge[25] meines Herzens[26] mache weit, und... (ELB)
- Soulage mon cœur de ses angoisses, (NFC)
- Les angoisses de mon cœur augmentent: (S21)
Secondary Literature[ ]
References[ ]
25:17
- ↑ Text from OSHB.
- ↑ Tov 2022, 279-280.
- ↑ Kennicott 1776, 325.
- ↑ Rahlfs 1931. As Rahlfs notes in the apparatus, the preferred reading ἐπλατύνθησαν is supported by two Greek manuscripts from around the 7th century (U and Ra 1221), the Sahidic version, the St. Germain Old-Latin Psalter and the Roman Psalter. Most Greek witnesses read ἐπληθύνθησαν, including Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, the Verona Psalter, Augustine, the Bohairic translation, Jerome's Hexaplaric Psalter, and witnesses from the "Lucianic" text group. (Unfortunately, Ra 2110 has not preserved this word.) Rahlfs prefers the reading ἐπλατύνθησαν because (1) it agrees with the MT, and (2) the variant ἐπληθύνθησαν can be explained as a harmonization to v. 19a (cf. Dorival 2021, 373).
- ↑ NETS
- ↑ Göttingen Hexapla Database. From Vat.gr.754 (page 79). The note in the manuscript says ὁμοίως τοῖς ο´ ("same as the Septuagint"), which could also mean that Aquila read ἐπλατύνθησαν.
- ↑ Göttingen Hexapla Database. From Ra 264.
- ↑ Göttingen Hexapla Database. From Vat.gr.754 (page 79). The note in the manuscript says ὁμοίως τοῖς ο´ ("same as the Septuagint"), which could also mean that Quinta read ἐπλατύνθησαν.
- ↑ Göttingen Hexapla Database.
- ↑ Göttingen Hexapla Database.
- ↑ Göttingen Hexapla Database.
- ↑ CAL.
- ↑ Taylor 2020, 139.
- ↑ Weber-Gryson 5th edition.
- ↑ CAL.
- ↑ Stec 2004, 64.
- ↑ Translation footnote: Lit. "The distress of my heart."
- ↑ Translation footnote: rempli : litt. élargi ; certains modifient le découpage traditionnel des mots pour lire mets au large mon cœur en détresse (ou qui est à l'étroit ) ; cf. 4.2n ; voir aussi 34.20 ; 107.6,28.
- ↑ Translation footnote: Litt. : ont élargi mon cœur.
- ↑ Translation footnote: Der Massoretische Text wurde korrigiert; er lautet übersetzt: "Ängste haben mein Herz weit gemacht, ..."
- ↑ Translation footnote: Or The troubles of my heart are enlarged;...
- ↑ Translation footnote: 'relieve' conj.; ;theyhave relieved' Hebr.
- ↑ Translation footnote: Heb “the distresses of my heart, they make wide.” The text makes little if any sense as it stands, unless this is an otherwise unattested intransitive use of the Hiphil of רָחַב (rakhav, “be wide”). It is preferable to emend the form הִרְחִיבוּ (hirkhivu; Hiphil perfect third plural “they make wide”) to הַרְחֵיב (harkhev; Hiphil imperative masculine singular “make wide”). (The final vav [ו] can be joined to the following word and taken as a conjunction.) In this case one can translate, “[in/from] the distresses of my heart, make wide [a place for me],” that is, “deliver me from the distress I am experiencing.” For the expression “make wide [a place for me],” see Ps 4:1.
- ↑ Translation footnote: Oder: "Die Bedrängnisse meines Herzens weiten sich aus".
- ↑ Translation footnote: w. Die Engen (Mehrzahl).
- ↑ Translation footnote: Mas. T.: machen sie weit.