The Verbal Semantics of הֹושִׁיעַ in Psalm 20:7

Back to Psalm 20

Introduction

The Hebrew text of Ps. 20:7 reads as follows:

עַתָּ֤ה יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י הוֹשִׁ֥יעַ ׀ יְהוָ֗ה מְשִׁ֫יח֥וֹ

יַ֭עֲנֵהוּ מִשְּׁמֵ֣י קָדְשׁ֑וֹ

בִּ֝גְבֻר֗וֹת יֵ֣שַׁע יְמִינֽוֹ

Modern translations diverge on their rendering of the qatal verb הֹושִׁיעַ.

1. Some translations render it as present perfect: "Now I know that the Lord has given victory to his anointed one: he will answer him from his holy heaven with the victorious might of his right hand" (REB).
2. Others as a present verb: "Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand" (NIV).
3. Still others as a simple future: "Now I am sure that the Lord will deliver his chosen king; he will intervene for him from his holy heavenly temple, and display his mighty ability to deliver" (NET).

These modern translations render the same qatal verb three different ways, and each choice has interpretive impact on the rest of the psalm. The present perfect (REB) has often been understood to demonstrate that the psalmist has in mind past events that instill him with confidence that YHWH will answer in the future. The present (NIV) communicates a timeless truth about YHWH, namely that he is a God who saves. Finally, the future (NET) tense highlights the nuance that YHWH will save in the future.

Argument Maps

Present Perfect

A few modern translations understand the qatal verb הֹושִׁיעַ as referring to actions that happened in the past and have implications for the present. This understanding is often translated in English with the present perfect. The following translation illustrates this view: "Now I know that the Lord has given victory to his anointed one: he will answer him from his holy heaven with the victorious might of his right hand" (REB).

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[Present Perfect]: The verb הֹושִׁיעַ refers to action in the past ("YHWH has saved").#dispreferred
 + <Morphology>: "The qatal/perfect often refers to events that happened prior to a point y, and the effects of what happened are still relevant at point y" (BHRG §19.2.2 :G:; cf. GKC §106g :G:).#dispreferred
 + <Ancient versions>: The LXX, Peshitta and Targum are probably interpreting the verb הֹושִׁיעַ as a past or present perfect.#dispreferred
  + [LXX, Peshitta and Targum]: LXX (ἔσωσεν), Peshitta (ܕܦܪܩ) and Targum (פריק).#dispreferred
 + <Parallel with v. 9>: This reading is parallel with v. 9 which describes the past deliverance.#dispreferred
  + [Psalm 20:9]:הֵ֭מָּה כָּרְע֣וּ וְנָפָ֑לוּ וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ קַּ֝֗מְנוּ וַנִּתְעֹודָֽד׃ #dispreferred
  - <Equally ambiguous>: The tense of the qatal verbs in v. 9 is equally ambiguous; they could be future (NRSV, NET, GNT, CEV, NLT), present/timeless (JPS85, NIV), or present-perfect (NASB).
 - <Context>: The context of the psalm does not indicate that salvation has taken place; on the contrary, it implies action taking place in the future (cf. v. 10).
  <_ <The past informs the future>: The confidence that YHWH will answer (יַעֲנֵהוּ - v.7) could be based upon past experiences (הֹושִׁיעַ "YHWH has saved" - v.7). In other words, YHWH did x (in the past) and will do y (in the future). Therefore, Psalm 20:7 would be understood as "Now I know that YHWH has saved his anointed (in the past) and he will answer him (in the future)."#dispreferred
   - <'Now I know'>: The words 'now I know' (עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי) imply that the speaker has just come to realize the fact that YHWH 'saves/has saved/will save' his anointed (cf. Gen. 22:12; Ex. 18:11; Jdg. 17:13; 1 Kgs. 17:24; cf. Eaton 1996:116 :M:). It would make no sense in the context for the speaker to suddenly realize that YHWH has saved his anointed in the past.
    <+ <Other Use of עַתָּ֤ה>: The particle עַתָּ֤ה is not limited to a temporal use, but it can also be used, for instance, to mark a logical or emphatic framework (cf. IBHS §29f,667 :G:). In psalm 20, the discourse marker עַתָּ֤ה (now) acts as a rhetorical turning point signaling a shift in the speaker's frame of mind (from hopefulness to confidence in YHWH's answer). (Cf. also Ps 39:7, in which עַתָּה signals the speaker shifting his attention to YHWH in desperate prayer, Jacobson and Tanner 2014:218 :C:).#dispreferred
   + <Prayer>: The past informs the future is a common phenomenon of prayer in the psalms (cf. Pss. 3:8; 4:2).#dispreferred
  <_ <Dream/vision>: The qatal could be used to describe past "events which occurred in a vision or dream" (Rogland 2003:71 :M:) (cf. Ps. 110:5-7).#dispreferred
   - <Vision/dream not explicit>: The psalm itself makes no mention of a vision or dream.
   + <Sacrifices (v. 4)>: The speaker in v. 7 is probably the king (cf. Zenger 1993:135 :C:; Ross 2011:501 :C:) who has just offered sacrifices before the battle (cf. v. 4), and the offering of sacrifices was sometimes accompanied by the reception of an oracle (Num. 23:1ff; Ezek. 21:21; cf. 1 Sam. 13:9; 28:6).#dispreferred
  <_ <Content of רננה>: The words in vv. 7ff could be what the people will 'shout' (נְרַנְּנָה, v. 6) in their victory celebration (Rashi :C:).#dispreferred
   - <v. 7 begins new section>: Verse 7 begins the second half of the psalm and is, therefore, not closely connected to v. 6 (Gunkel 1926:84 :C:).

Present

The majority of modern translations understand the qatal verb הֹושִׁיעַ as expressing an action that is true of all times. This understanding is often translated in English with the general present. The following translation illustrates this view: "Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand" (NIV).

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[Present/gnomic]:The verb הוֹשִׁיעַ refers to characteristic action ("YHWH saves").#dispreferred
 - <Morphology>: Qatal verbs, which are prototypically past tense (cf. Andrason 2013:7 :A:; BHRG 19.1.5. :G:), are used less frequently than other verb forms to express the present time. For present or gnomic semantics we would expect the use of either the participle or yiqtol forms (BHRG §19.1.4. :G:). 
  + [Ps. 140:13]: Ps. 140:13a: יָדַ֗עְתִּ‬ כִּֽי־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יְ֭הוָה-I know that YHWH will make/makes . . . (יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה yiqtol).
 + <Gnomic (True of all time)>: "A generalizing, 'gnomic,' qatal is rather commonly used in a poetical register to express timeless truths. It is best translated with the English present tense" (Bergström 2022:121 :M:).#dispreferred
 + <Context>: In the context of Psalm 20, it makes sense that the speaker would be expressing a general truth about God's relationship with his anointed; i.e., God saves and protects his anointed (cf. Kirkpatrick 1916:109 :C:).#dispreferred
 + <Verbal merism>: "The poetic device of deliberately placing a yiqtol and a qatal together may be similar to the literary figure of speech called merism. Using two contrasting verbal forms, it conveys one entirety" (Robar 2019:19). This poetic device provides "a sense of timelessness or insistence that a statement is irrefutable" (Robar 2019:21). In the case of Psalm 20:7, the placement of the qatal (הוֹשִׁ֥יעַ) and yiqtol (יַ֭עֲנֵהוּ) together could have been intended to provide a sense that there is no denying that YHWH saves. #dispreferred

(Semantic) Present perfect used as (Pragmatic) Future (Preferred)

A distinction needs to be made between the tense of the verb and the time reference of the event referred to by the verb. In this case, the verb is understood as present perfect but referring to initiating an action that is future.

Such modern translations understand the qatal verb הֹושִׁיעַ as referring to an event with future time reference. A translation that focuses exclusively on the time of the event would then be in the future: "Now I am sure that the Lord will deliver his chosen king; he will intervene for him from his holy heavenly temple, and display his mighty ability to deliver" (NET).

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[Future]: The verb הוֹשִׁיעַ refers to a future action.
 + <Parallel verb>: The qatal verb is followed, in the parallel line, by a yiqtol verb (יַעֲנֵהוּ, "he will answer"), which points to a future event.
  - <יַעֲנֵהוּ as past tense>: The yiqtol verb in v. 7b is better understood as a past tense form (so Targum; cf. Ps. 8:6b-7a and Dahood 1966:126,128 :C:).#dispreferred
   + [Targum]: קביל צלותיה 'he has accepted his prayer' (Stec 2004:55).#dispreferred
   + [Ps. 8:6b-7a]: "And you caused him to lack (וַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ) being a heavenly being by a little, and you crowned him (תְּעַטְּרֵהוּ) with honour and majesty. You caused him to rule (תַּמְשִׁילֵהוּ) that which your hands made. You placed (שַׁתָּה) everything under his feet."#dispreferred
 + <'Future of certainty'>: A qatal verb may be used as a future of certainty (*perfectum confidentiae*) when the stated action is "judged as inevitable and therefore described as already having occurred" (Andrason 2013:9, 12 :A:; cf. IBHS §30.5.1e :G: ; so Briggs 1906:176,179; Ross 2011:490 :C:; Brueggemann and Bellinger 2014:104 :C:; Jacobson and Tanner 2014:216 :C:; and Kuntz 2013:158,159 and 168 :A:).
  + ['Future of certainty']: The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! (גָּוַ֛עְנוּ) We are lost (אָבַ֖דְנוּ), we are all lost (כֻּלָּ֥נוּ אָבַֽדְנוּ)! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die (יָמ֑וּת). Are we all going to die (תַּ֖מְנוּ לִגְוֺֽעַ)?” (Num. 17:27 NIV; cf. Gen. 17:20; 30:13; examples cited in IBHS §30.5.1e :G: as 'accidental perfectives', where "a speaker vividly and dramatically represents a future situation both as complete and as independent").
   <_ <First person>: This rhetorical device is mostly used in the first person, not the third person (JM §112g :G:). #dispreferred
   <_ <Verbs of perishing>: This rhetorical device is somewhat common with verbs of perishing (cf. Isa. 6:5; Lam. 3:54), but not with verbs of salvation (cf. JM §112g :G:). #dispreferred
 + <Jerome (iuxta Hebraeos)>: Jerome understood the verb to refer to future salvation.
  + [Jerome (iuxta Hebraeos)]: Nunc scio quoniam *salvabit* Dominus christum suum. (Now I know that the Lord *will save* his anointed.)
 - <Morphology>: Future semantics are typically indicated by yiqtol, not qatal (BHRG 19.3.1. :G:; GKC §106 :G:). If the psalmist wanted to indicate future time in v. 7a, he would have used a yiqtol form. #dispreferred
  <_ <Rhetorical device to express certainty>: The psalmist wanted to indicate more than just future time. He wanted to indicate the certainty of the future event: "Now I know that YHWH's anointed is as good as saved".
   + ['Future of certainty']
 + <Future oriented context>: Most of the psalm is future-oriented, including the king's 'salvation' which the people pray for (cf. yiqtol verbs in vv. 1–6, 7b, 10b and imperative הושיעה in v. 10a).

Conclusion

Throughout the psalm, the king's salvation is presented as a future event (cf. vv. 1–6, 7b, 10). The verb 'save, grant victory' in v. 7a, therefore, probably refers to a future event (cf. Jerome salvabit and many modern translations). The use of a semantically present perfect (or past tense) (qatal) verb form to refer pragmatically to a future event is a known rhetorical device to convey as good as done or begun with a guarantee of finishing.

Because the CBC represents the semantics of the Hebrew wherever possible, we retain the present perfect semantics in translation ("YHWH has granted victory to his anointed") while recognizing the pragmatic future time reference of the event itself ("YHWH will certainly grant victory to his anointed").

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: νῦν ἔγνων ὅτι ἔσωσεν Κύριος τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπακούσεται αὐτοῦ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ, ἐν δυναστείαις ἡ σωτηρία τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ. ("Now I know that the Lord has saved his Christ: he shall hear him from his holy heaven: the salvation of his right hand is mighty"). ("Now I knew that the Lord saved his anointed; he will hearken to him from his holy heaven; the deliverance of his right hand is with acts of dominance").
• Peshitta: ܡܟܝܠ ܝܕܝܥܐ ܗܝ ܕܦܪܩ ܐܠܗܐ ܠܡܫܝܚܗ܂ ܘܥܢܝܗܝ ܡܢ ܫܡܝܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܗ܂ ܒܚܝܠܐ ܕܦܘܪܩܢܐ ܕܝܡܝܢܗ ("Now therefore it is known that God has saved his anointed; he has answered him from his holy heaven by the strength of the salvation of his right hand").
• Targum: השתא ידעית ארום פריק ייי משיחיה קביל צלותיה ממותבי<ה> דשמיא קדישיה בגבורן פורקן ימיניה ("Now I know that the Lord has delivered his anointed one; he has accepted his prayer from his holy dwelling place of heaven, with the mighty acts and the deliverance of his right hand").
• Jerome (Psalmi Iuxta Hebr.): nunc scio quoniam salvabit Dominus christum suum exaudiet eum de caelo sancto suo . . . .(now I know that the Lord will save his anointed and will hear him from his holy heaven . . .).
• Jerome (Psalmi Iuxta LXX): nunc cognovi quoniam salvum fecit Dominus christum suum exaudiet illum de caelo sancto suo . . . .(now I know that the Lord has saved his anointed and will hear him from his holy heaven . . .).

Modern

Present Perfect

• English
  • Now I know that the Lord has given victory to his anointed one: he will answer him from his holy heaven with the victorious might of his right hand. (REB)
  • Now I know that Yahweh has given victory to his anointed king: He will answer him from his holy heaven with the victorious might of his right hand. (NEB)
  • Now I know that the LORD has delivered his anointed; he has answered him from his sanctuary with the strength of his right hand of deliverance. (ISV)
  • May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord has saved his Christ. He will hear him from his holy heaven. The salvation of his right hand is in his power. (CPDV)
  • Now I have known "" That YHWH has saved His anointed, "" He answers him from His holy heavens, "" With the saving might of His right hand. (LSV)

Present

• English
  • Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. (ESV)
  • Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. (NIV)
  • Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his chosen king; he answers him from his holy heaven and by his power gives him great victories. (GNT)
  • Now I know that the LORD rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power. (NLT)
  • Now I know that YHWH gives victory to his anointed. He will respond from his holy heavens with great deeds of victory from his right hand. (NJB)
• French
  • Maintenant je le sais: le Seigneur donne la "victoire à son messie; il lui répond de son sanctuaire céleste, par les prouesses victorieuses de sa droite. (TOB)
  • Je reconnais maintenant que l'Éternel sauve son messie; Il lui répondra de son sanctuaire céleste par le secours puissant de sa droite. (NVSR)
  • Maintenant, je le sais: le Seigneur sauve le roi qu’il a choisi. Il lui répond depuis son temple du ciel. Sa main puissante fait des exploits pour le sauver. (PDV)
  • Maintenant je le sais: le Seigneur secourt le roi qu'il a mis à part, de son temple céleste, il lui répond, sa main droite fait un exploit pour le sauver. (NFC)
  • Je sais maintenant que l’Eternel sauve celui qu’il a désigné par onction; il lui répond du ciel, de sa sainte demeure, par le secours puissant de sa main droite. (S21)
• German
  • Jetzt weiß ich, dass der HERR seinem gesalbten König den Sieg gibt! Von seinem heiligen Himmel her wird er ihn erhören, durch mächtige Taten wird er ihm Rettung bringen. (NGÜ)
  • Nun hab ich erkannt: Der HERR schafft Rettung seinem Gesalbten. Er antwortet ihm von seinem heiligen Himmel her / mit der rettenden Kraft seiner Rechten. (EÜ)
  • Nun weiss ich: Der HERR hilft seinem Gesalbten, er erhört ihn von seinem heiligen Himmel her mit der rettenden Macht seiner Rechten. (ZÜR)
• Spanish
  • Ahora conozco que Jehová salva a su ungido; lo atenderá desde sus santos cielos con la potencia salvadora de su diestra. (RVR95)
  • Ahora sé que YHWH salva a su ungido, le responderá desde sus santos cielos, con las poderosas acciones de su diestra salvadora." (BTX4)
• Portuguese
  • Agora, sei que o Senhor salva o seu ungido; ele lhe responderá do seu santo céu com a vitoriosa força de sua destra. (ARA)
  • Agora sei que o Senhor dá a vitória ao rei que ele escolheu. Do seu santo céu, ele lhe responde e, com o seu grande poder, ele o torna vitorioso. (NTLH)

Future

• English
  • I am certain, LORD, that you will help your chosen king. You will answer my prayers from your holy place in heaven, and you will save me with your mighty arm. (CEV)
  • Now I am sure that the Lord will deliver his chosen king; he will intervene for him from his holy heavenly temple, and display his mighty ability to deliver. (NET)
  • Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. (NRSV)
  • Now I know that the LORD will give victory to His anointed, will answer him from His heavenly sanctuary with the mighty victories of His right arm. (JPS, 1985)
• Spanish
  • Ahora sé que el Señor salvará a su ungido, que le responderá desde su santo cielo y con su poder le dará grandes victorias. (NVI)
  • Estoy convencido de que el Señor dará la victoria al rey que ha escogido; de que le contestará desde su santo cielo, dándole grandes victorias con su poder. (DHH)
• Portuguese
  • Agora sei que o Senhor dará vitória ao seu ungido; dos seus santos céus lhe responde com o poder salvador da sua mão direita. (NIV)

Secondary Literature

Article [A]

Andrason, Alexander. "Future Values of the Qatal and Their Conceptual and Diachronic Logic: How to Chain Future Senses of the Qatal to the Core of Its Semantic Network." Hebrew Studies, Vol. 54 (2013): 7-38.

Kuntz, J. Kenneth. "King Triumphant: A Rhetorical Study of Psalms 20 and 21." The University of Iowa (2013): 157-176.

Commentary [C]

Alexander, Joseph Addison. Commentary on Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1991.

Briggs, Charles A., and Emilie Grace Briggs. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on The Book of Psalms. Vol. I. New York, NY: C. Scribner’s sons, 1906.

Brueggemann, Walter, and William H. Bellinger, Jr. Psalms: New Cambridge Bible Commentary. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Bullock, C. Hassell. Psalms. Volume 1: Psalms 1-72. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Edited by Mark Strauss and John Walton. Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 2015.

Craigie, Peter C. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1–50. 2nd ed. Vol. 19. Nashville, TN: Nelson Reference & Electronic, 2004.

Dahood, Mitchell J. The Anchor Bible: Psalms I, 1-50. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966.

DeClaissé-Walford, Nancy L., Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth Tanner. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41,” in The Book of Psalms, ed. E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr.. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014.

Delitzsch, Franz Julius. A Commentary on the Psalms. New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1883.

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

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

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

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar and Erich Zenger. Die Psalmen I: Psalm 1 - 50. Würzburg: Echter, 1993.

Kirkpatrick, Alexander F. The Book of Psalms. London: Cambridge University Press, 1916.

Oesterley, W. O. E. The Psalms: Translated with Text-Critical and Exegetical Notes. London, S. P. C. K., 1959.

Olsen, Erling C. Meditations in the Psalms. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Loizeaux Brothers Printing CO, 1941.

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

Rashi. Rashi on Psalms.

Ross, Allen P. A Commentary on the Psalms 1-41. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2011.

Tesh, S. Edward, and Walter D. Zorn. The College Press NIV Commentary: Psalms. Vol. 1. Joplin, MN: College Press Publishing CO, 1999.

Weiser, Artur. The Psalms: A Commentary. Translated by Herbert Hartwell from the German Die Psalmen. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1962

Dictionary [D]

NIDOTTE — New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Edited by W. A. VanGemeren. 5 vols. Grand Rapids,1997.

Grammatical Resource [G]

BHRG — van der Merwe, Christo H. J., Jacobus A. Naudé, and Jan H. Kroeze. A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar. 2nd ed. New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017.

GKC — Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch. Translated by A. E. Cowley. 2d. ed. Oxford, 1910.

Monograph [M]

Bergström, Ulf. Aspect, Communicative Appeal, and Temporal Meaning in Biblical Hebrew Verbal Forms. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2022.

Eaton, J. H. Kingship and the Psalms: Studies in Biblical Theology. Second Series 32. London: SCM Press Ltd, 1976.

Paper [P]

Robar, Elizabeth. "Qatal and yiqtol in Poetic Parallelism: Opposites Attracting?" in the National Association of Professors of Hebrew's Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew session on 24 November, 2019.

References

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