The Text of Ps 17:11a

Back to Psalm 17.

Exegetical issues for Psalm 17:

• The Form and Function of זמתי in Ps 17:3
• The Text of Ps 17:11a
• The Text and Meaning of Ps 17:14

Introduction

The Hebrew text of Psalm 17:11a, according the MT, reads as follows:

אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ עַתָּה סְבָבוּניּ

There are multiple text-critical issues in this line which affect interpretation. The following three translations illustrate these issues:

1. They have now surrounded our steps (ESV)
2. They have tracked me down, they now surround me (NIV)
3. They drove me out, now they surround me (Dead Sea Scrolls 11Q7)

These translations disagree, in the first place, on whether to read אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ ("our steps," ESV) or אִשְּׁרוּנִי ("They have tracked me down"), or whether another verb, גרשׁ ("to drive out"), should be read instead of either (Qumran 11Q7; cf. the LXX). The translations also disagree on whether the pronominal suffix attached to the verb סבב should be singular (סְבָבוּנִי, ketiv, "they surround me") or plural (סְבָבוּנוּ, qere, "they surround us"). The first textual issue (אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ vs אִשְּׁרוּנִי vs גרשוני) is the more fundamental issue, and it will be the focus of the argument maps below.

Argument Maps

Our Steps (אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ)

Many interpreters follow the MT's reading אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ and interpret it to mean "our steps." The ESV, for example, says, "They have now surrounded our steps." As a variation of this view, some interpreters choose to read אַשֻּׁרֵינִי ("my steps") instead of אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ ("our steps") (cf. DHH, NBS, BDS, NFC, EÜ, ZÜR). Most translations, however, read אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ ("our steps").

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[Our steps (אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ)]: The earlier reading is אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ ("our steps").#dispreferred
 - <Confusing>: The reading אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ ("our steps") is difficult to make sense of (Briggs 1906, 131 :C:).
  <_ <The Difficult Reading>: The more difficult reading is often the earlier reading, since scribes were more likely to make the text easier to read.#dispreferred
  - <An Accusative of Member>: The phrase אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ ("our steps"), is "an accusative of member" which employs a particular body part ("feet") in association with the 1cp suffix on סְבָבוּנוּ (Barthélemy 2005, 74-75 :C:; Delitzsch 1883, 299 :C:; Perowne 1870,  195 :C:).#dispreferred
   - <Word Order>: It is highly unlikely that the accusative of member would precede both the verb and the adverbial עַתָּה as it would have to do according to this interpretation (Barthélemy 2005, 75 :C:).
   + [Examples of Accusative of Member]: "he will crush your head (יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ), and you will strike his heel (תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵֽב)” (Gen 3:15, NIV); cf. Pss 3:8; 22:17; cf. Ps 73:2 (Delitzsch 1883, 299 :C:).#dispreferred
    <_ <Pronominal Suffix>: In these examples, with the possible exception of Ps 22:17 (which is textually problematic), the accusative of member does not have a pronominal. By contrast, אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ has a pronominal suffix (cf. Barthélemy 2005, 75 :C:).
   <_ <Not a Body Part>: The term (either אֲשׁוּר and/or אַשֻּׁר - "step, going") does not denote a body part (Delitzsch 1883, 299 :C:; BDB).
    <_ <Precedent for a Body Part>: Other occurrences of אַשֻּׁר in Psalms are "often used in parallel with a part of the body" and so it seems probable that אַשֻּׁר "refers to some part of the body, feet, or legs" (TWOT, 81 :D:).#dispreferred
     + [Precedent for a Body Part]: Pss 37:31; 40:3; 73:2#dispreferred
 + <Manuscript Evidence>: Most Hebrew manuscripts, along with the Targum, read אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ.#dispreferred
  + [Manuscript Evidence]: MT: אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ (so most Hebrew manuscripts; see Kennicott 1776, 317); Targum: אסתוורנא.#dispreferred
   - <Quality Not Quantity>: The proliferation of the reading אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ in the textual tradition of the MT merely evinces a sequence of dependence within a particular (proto-Masoretic) stream of the broader textual history in which Psalm 17 is situated. This means that citing the sheer quantity of manuscripts attesting this reading is not a sufficiently weighty premise from which to argue that אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ is, therefore, the best reading. What is arguably the oldest known variant (11Q7) in Hebrew is corroborated by the LXX and differs from the MT. In terms of extant textual evidence, such an alternative is equally plausible. 
    + [11Q7]: 11Q7: גרשׁוני 
    + [The LXX]: ἐκβάλλοντές με.
   <_ <אֲשׁוּר v. 5>: The reading of MT (אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ—'our footsteps') probably arose due to the influence of the same word אֲשׁוּר ('footstep') in v. 5 (cf. Barthélemy 2005,75 :M:).
 + <Body Part Imagery>: Body part imagery is a pervasive motif of Psalm 17 (Goldingay 2006, 237 :C:).#dispreferred
  + [Body Part Imagery]: עין (vv. 2, 6, 11), פה (vv. 3, 10), ימין (v. 7), בטן (v. 14), אזן (v. 6), כנף (v. 8), אישון (v. 8), and חלב (v. 10).#dispreferred
  <_ <Not a Body Part>

They Have Tracked Me Down (אִשְּׁרוּנִי) (preferred)

Other interpreters read the text as אִשְּׁרוּנִי (a 3cp verb with a 1cs pronominal suffix). Translations differ as to how this verb should be translated (e.g., "tracking," "hunting," "advancing against," "attacking," etc.). The following argument map will not explore every possible meaning, but will limit itself to the question of whether or not אִשְּׁרוּנִי is the earlier reading.

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[Verb (אִשְּׁרוּנִי)]: The earlier reading is אִשְּׁרוּנִי (a 3cp verb with a 1cs pronominal suffix). 
 - <Difficult Semantics>: If we read the verb אִשֵּׁר from the root for "walk" or "stride," the meaning of "track down" is somewhat dubious. When the piel of this root is used elsewhere with an object, it has the sense of "lead," rather than "pursue."#dispreferred 
  + [Difficult Semantics]: Isa 3:12; 9:15; Prov 23:18#dispreferred  
  <_ <Verb of Motion and Object>: The verb אשׁר can take an object as other verbs (בוא ,קדם) do.
   + [Verb of Motion and Object]: Isa 1:17: אַשְּׁר֣וּ חָמ֑וֹץ; Ps 17:13: קַדְּמָ֣ה פָ֭נָיו; Ps 18:6: קִ֝דְּמ֗וּנִי; Ps 35:8 תְּבוֹאֵ֣הוּ
 + <Historical Coherence>: Davidic authorship for Psalm 17 is credible and, historically, David's enemies (e.g., Saul, Doeg, Shimei, etc.) "tracked him down" (אשׁר) and "surrounded" him at different points in his life. In 11b, David refers to how his enemies “set their eyes to scan the land” which corresponds to how, after being driven out by Saul, David was hounded by Saul who was searching for him.
  + [David "Tracked Down" and "Surrounded"]: 1 Sam chs. 19-24, 27; 2 Sam 15-16
 + < אשר as a Verb>: Some ancient witnesses read אשׁר as a verb.
  + [Ancient versions]: Symmachus: μακαρίζοντές με; Jerome: incedentes adversum me; Peshitta: ܫܒܚܘܢܝ; one medieval Hebrew manuscript: אשׁרוני (see BHS). 
 + <Verb + Adverb>: That the adverb (עַתָּה) follows immediately after the constituent "is in favour of a verb rather than a noun" (Kissane 1953, 70 :C:).
 - <Transitivity>: "The verb (אשׁר) is not used with the accusative elsewhere" (Kissane 2008, 105-106 :C:).#dispreferred
  <_ <Not necessarily transitive>: Pronominal suffixes do not always indicate direct objects. They can indicate a variety of semantic roles (cf. Muraoka 1979 :A:).
   + [Ps 5:5]: E.g., לֹ֖א יְגֻרְךָ֣ רָֽע (Ps 5:5)  
 + <Poetic Development>: The reading אִשְּׁרוּנִי fits well within the poetic sequence of v. 11: first, the enemies advance, then they surround, then they keep watch throughout the land (Briggs 1906, 131 :C:).
  + [v. 11]: אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ עַתָּה סְבָבוּניּ עֵינֵיהֶם יָשִׁיתוּ לִנְטוֹת בָּאָרֶץ
  + <The Meaning of אשׁר>: When אשׁר is used in the Piel elsewhere in the OT it denotes advancement in an emphatic sense, whether used as a positive injunction to avoid wickedness/do justice/be wise or in negative description of the wicked. In light of the context here, wherein David is recounting the hostility of his enemies (vv. 9-12) and אָשַׁר takes a 1cs pronominal suffix, it seems likely that David's enemies "advance" on him threateningly or forcibly lead/direct him in some way.
   + [The Meaning of אשׁר]: Isa 1:17; 3:12; 9:15; Prov 4:14; 9:6; 23:19. Jerome (incedentes adversum me).
 + <Consistency of 1cs Language>: The singular pronominal suffix in אִשְּׁרוּנִי (vs the plural suffix in אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ) fits well in light of the first person singular voice that pervades the whole psalm (Kidner 2008, 105-106 :C:). 
  + [Consistency of 1cs Language]: Vv. 1bc, 2a, 3ac, 4b, 5ab, 6ab, 8ab, 9ab, 11a, 13b, 15ab.
 + <Anticipates v. 12>: The verbal sense of "tracking/hunting/advancing (against)" (NRSV, NIV, NLT, CEV) fits well in light of the following verse which compares David's enemy to a ravenous lion (Dahood 1966, 98 :C:).
  + [v. 12]:  דִּמְיֹנוֹ כְּאַרְיֵה יִכְסוֹף לִטְרוֹף וְכִכְפִיר יֹשֵׁב בְּמִסְתָּרִים
  + <The Meaning of אשׁר>: When אשׁר is used in the Piel elsewhere in the OT it denotes advancement in an emphatic sense, whether used as a positive injunction to avoid wickedness/do justice/be wise or in negative description of the wicked. In light of the context here, wherein David is recounting the hostility of his enemies (vv. 9-12) and אשׁר takes a 1cs pronominal suffix, it seems likely that David's enemies "advance" on him threateningly or forcibly lead/direct him in some way. 
   + [The Meaning of אשׁר]: Isa 1:17; 3:12; 9:15; Prov 4:14; 9:6; 23:19.
   + [Jerome's Translation]: Jerome has *incedentes adversum me*. 

They Drove/Cast Me Out (גרשוני)

Though this option is not attested by any modern translations, it does have the support of the two oldest witnesses to the text of Psalm 17:11a. The 11Q7 scroll from Qumran has גרשוני ("They drove me out") and the LXX has ἐκβάλλοντές με ("Casting me out").

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[They Drove Me Out (גרשוני)]: The earlier reading is גרשוני ("they drove me out").#dispreferred
 + <Syntactic context>: The verb גרש fits the syntactic context, where it is has a pronominal suffix as a direct object and is followed by an adverb (עַתָּה).#dispreferred 
 + <Historical Coherence>: David, the author of the psalm (cf. superscription), was "driven out" and "surrounded" at different points in his life. In 11b, David refers to how his enemies “set their eyes to scan the land” which corresponds to how, after being driven out by Saul, David was hounded by Saul who was searching for him.#dispreferred 
  + [David "Driven out" and "Surrounded"]: 1 Sam chs. 19-24, 27; 2 Sam 15-16#dispreferred
 + <Poetic Coherence>: Being "driven out" and then "surrounded" (Ps 17:11a) makes sense in the poetic context (the verbs comprise a "structure of intensification") (Alter 2000, ch. 3 :M:). Immediately after (v. 11b), David refers to how his enemies "set their eyes to scan the land" which coheres with the development of the threat: David is not only "driven out," but then pursued ("surrounded" 11a) and, when/if he successfully escapes, his enemies scour the land for him (11b) (e.g., 1 Sam 23:15, 19-26; 24:1-2 26:1-4; 27:1).#dispreferred 
 + <Textual Evidence>: Two of the oldest witnesses to the text read גרשׁוני.#dispreferred
  + [11Q7]: 11Q7: גרשׁוני#dispreferred 
  + [The LXX]: ἐκβάλλοντές με.#dispreferred 
  <_ <Common Word>: The word גרשׁ is a common word which a scribe probably used as a substitute for the more rare and poetic word אשׁר (DJD XXIII, 52 :M:).

Conclusion (C+)

The reading אִשְּׁרוּנִי (option #2; understood as "they have tracked me down" [NIV; cf. NRSV, NLT, CEV, NJB]) is probably the earlier reading. This option is poetically and historically coherent and fits the context well. The 1cs pronominal suffix with the verb which matches the first-person voice of the whole psalm. Although some of these arguments apply equally to option #3, the word גרשׁ in option #3 is a more common word which a scribe probably used as a substitute for the rarer, more poetic word אשׁר. It is more difficult to explain how אשׁר arose in the textual tradition as a secondary reading.

The significance of this conclusion is one of poetic import: In verse 11-12 David expresses how hunted prey might feel. Moreover, it contributes to the sequence in verse 11 (i.e., being "tracked down"-"surrounded"-the way of escape watched/[blocked]...) suggests the real possibility that this psalm was inspired by a historical martial threat in David's life and thus can provide a backdrop that mitigates its somewhat shrill self-righteous rhetoric (vv. 1-5).

Research

Translations

Ancient

• The LXX: ἐκβάλλοντές με νυνὶ περιεκύκλωσάν με,
  • "Casting me out, they then encircled me;"
• Symmachus: μακαρίζοντές με παραχρῆμα περιεκύκλουν με,
  • "As they were blessing me, immediately they were surrounding me"
• Jerome (IUXTA HEBR.): incedentes adversum me nunc circumdederunt me
  • "marching against me, they now surround me"
• Peshitta: ܫܒܚܘܢܝ ܘܗܫܐ ܟܪܟܘܢܝ
  • “They praised me, but now they have surrounded me.”
• Targum: אסתוורנא השתא חזרו
  • “They have now surrounded us in our steps”
• 11Q7 frg. 8, 2: [גרשוני עתה סבב[וני
  • "They have driven me out. Now they have surrounded me"

Modern

"Our steps" (אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ)

• They have now surrounded our steps; (ESV)
• now they hem our feet in on every side; (JPS 1985)
• Han cercado ahora nuestros pasos; (RVR95)
• han seguido de cerca mis pasos (DHH)
• En nuestros pasos nos han cercado ahora; (BTX4)
• Vigilan de cerca mis pasos, (NVI)
• Les voici sur nos talons; maintenant ils m’entourent, (TOB)
• Ils sont sur nos pas, déjà ils nous entourent, (NVSR)
• ils sont sur nos pas, déjà ils nous entourent, (NBS)
• Ils sont sur mes pas. Déjà, ils m’encerclent, (BDS)
• Ils ont suivi mes pas, les voilà qui m'entourent (NFC)
• Ils sont sur nos pas, déjà ils nous entourent, (S21)
• So eng hat der Feind uns umzingelt, dass wir keinen Schritt mehr ungehindert gehen können (NGÜ)
• Unsere Schritte – jetzt haben sie uns umringt (ELB)
• Auf Schritt und Tritt haben sie mich jetzt umzingelt, (EÜ)
• Sie sind mir auf den Fersen, schon haben sie mich umstellt, (ZÜR)

Verb (אִשְּׁרוּנִי)

• They have tracked me down, they now surround me, (NIV)
• They track me down and surround me, (NLT)
• They track me down; now they surround me; (NRSV)
• They have caught up with me! (CEV)
• They attack me, now they surround me; (NET)
• they press me hard, now they hem me in, (REB)
• They are advancing against me, now they are closing in, (NJB)
• Ils me suivent de très près, maintenant, ils m’entourent, (PDV)

Ambiguous

• They are around me now, wherever I turn, (GNT)
• Wo wir auch gehen, da umgeben sie uns; (Luther 2017)
• Wohin ich auch gehe – überall umringen sie mich (HFA)
• Jetzt umzingeln sie mich; (GNB)

Secondary Literature

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

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

Craigie, Peter C. and Marvin E. Tate. 1983. 2nd ed. Psalms 1-50. Vol. 19. WBC. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.

Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. Psalms. Vol. 1. Anchor Bible Commentary. New York: Doubleday.

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

García Martínez, Florentino, et al. 1998. 11Q7. 11QPsalmsc. Qumran Cave 11, II: 11Q2-18, 11Q20-31. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Goldingay, John. 2006. Psalms: Psalms 1–41. Vol. 1. BCOT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Kissane, Edward. 1953. The Book of Psalms. Vol. 1. Westminster: The Newman Press.

Muraoka, T. 1979. “On Verb Complementation in Biblical Hebrew.” Vetus Testamentum 29 (4): 425–35.

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

References

17:11