Introduction

The Masoretic text of Psalm 3:8 says:^[1]

ק֘וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ הוֹשִׁ֘יעֵ֤נִי אֱלֹהַ֗י

כִּֽי־הִכִּ֣יתָ אֶת־כָּל־אֹיְבַ֣י לֶ֑חִי

שִׁנֵּ֖י רְשָׁעִ֣ים שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ׃

The verbs in the first line (קוּמָה and הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי) are clearly imperative: "rise up... save me!" The qatal verbs in the next two lines (הִכִּיתָ and שִׁבַּרְתָּ) will be the focus of this exegetical issue. The semantics of these verbs have been interpreted and translated in many ways:

Some interpret the qatal verbs as having imperatival force (the so-called precative qatal):
- E.g., Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. (NIV)

Some English translations render them with the present perfect tense:
- For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked. (NASB)

Most modern translations reflect the so-called gnomic use of the qatal and consequently translate with the equivalent of the English generic present.
- For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. (ESV)

A few translations and commentaries assign the verbs future time reference and speak of a rhetorical use qatal:
- Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked. (NET)

Argument Maps

Precative qatal

Some translations have analysed the qatal verbs as instances of the so-called precative qatal. This is a verb with qatal morphology that carries the modal nuance of obligation. It is generally translated with the English imperative. The NIV, for example, says, "Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked" (cf. NLT, CEV, CEB, NVI).


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[Precative Qatal]: The verbs הִכִּיתָ and שִׁבַּרְתָּ are precative qatals: "Strike... break!" #dispreferred
 + <Expected literary context>: Precative *qatals* are "invariably found alternating with the imperfect or the imperative" (Buttenwieser 1938, 21 :M:; cf. IBHS §30.5.4d :G:), and the verbs in the parallel line 3:8a (קוּמָה and הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי) are clearly imperatives. #dispreferred
  + [Precative qatal with imperatives]: E.g., Ps 4:2—"Why I cry out, answer me (עֲנֵנִי), O my righteous God. In my distress, bring me relief (הִרְחַבְתָּ). Be gracious to me (חָנֵּנִי) and hear my prayer" (cited and translated in IBHS §30.5.4d :G:).#dispreferred
 - <כִּי with an imperative>: The particle כִּי followed by a verb with the force of an imperative is very rare.
  <_ <Asseverative כִּי>: The כִּי here has asseverative force, "yea, indeed" (NET notes). #dispreferred
   + <Atypical grounds>: "The motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here" (NET notes). #dispreferred
   - <Speech-act כִּי>: The כִּי in v. 8b is probably grounding the speech-act of v. 8a. That is, the psalmist is giving the reasons for his act of summoning YHWH to rescue (see Locatell 2017, 162 :M:)
 - <Dubious category>: The notion that qatal can function as a precative perfect is "dubious" (Cook 2024, 182 :M:; cf. Robar 2020, 633 :A:). "In most of these instances it is also possible to postulate that one of the more typical senses of the qatal/perfect (e.g., present perfect) is involved" (BHRG §19.2.5.2 :G:).

Present Perfect (Preferred)

Some translations analyse the verbs as having present time reference but perfect aspect and translate with a construction equivalent to the English present perfect. The NASB, for example, says "For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked" (cf. NGÜ, EB, EÜ, ZÜR, PDV2017).


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[Present perfect]: The verbs הִכִּיתָ and שִׁבַּרְתָּ are past tense, with relevance in the present: "you have struck... you have broken."
  +<Typical use of Qatal>: ‘The qātal/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 §19.2.1.2).
  +<Grounding the request>: The combination of כִּי and the qatal verbs in v. 8bc suggests that the psalmist is giving the reasons why God should heed his request (v. 8a). He has delivered him from his enemies before (and should therefore do it again). 
    +<Expected with כִּי>: In the Psalms, the particle כִּי is very often followed by qatal in order to ground the previous speech act by presenting past evidence that supports the legitimacy of the request.
      + [כִּי in the psalms]: E.g., Pss 5:11; 6:3, 9; 10:3; 12:2; 16:1; 22:9, 17; 25:19-21; 27:12; 28:6; 31:10-11, 18, 22; 40:13; 41:5 (cf. Locatell 2017, 162 :M:)
    +<Context>: It makes good sense of the context that the psalmist's request "bases itself on the way Yhwh has acted in the past" (Goldingay 2006, 113 :C:). "The help experienced in the past justifies the current request" (Baethgen 1904, 8 :C:; cf. Delitzsch 1883, 140 :C:).
  + <Ancient versions>: All of the ancient versions translate the qatal verbs in v. 8 with past-tense forms.
   + [Ancient versions]: E.g., LXX: ἐπάταξας... συνέτριψας (cf. Aquila and Symmachus); Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): percussisti...confregisti.

Gnomic qatal

The majority of modern translations reflect the so-called gnomic (viz., ‘timeless’) use of the qatal and consequently translate with the equivalent of the English generic present. The ESV, for example, says "For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked."


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[Gnomic qatal]: The verbs הִכִּיתָ and שִׁבַּרְתָּ are gnomic qatals. They express timeless statements: "You strike... you break." #dispreferred
  +<Gnomic qatal>: "Qatal/perfect is sometimes used to refer to an event that is not time-bound—these are also called gnomic events" (BHRG §19.2.4)#dispreferred
   <_ <Discourse type>: "Gnomic qatal" typically occurs in proverbs, and even then, "in a good many cases qatal does not require a general present interpretation but should be understood as past tense" (Rogland 2003, 20-48, here: 46 :M:).
   <_ <Rare use of qatal>: ‘Habitual actions are typically referred to by means of the yiqtōl/imperfect or participle' (BHRG §19.2.4), not qatal. 
  +<Context>: Verse 8bc grounds v. 8a (כִּי), and it makes good sense that the psalmist's request for action (v. 8a) should be grounded in YHWH's characteristic activity (v. 8bc). #dispreferred

Rhetorical use of qatal

A few translations and commentaries assign the verbs future time reference and speak of a rhetorical use qatal. The NET, for example, says, "Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked" (cf. HFA, DHH94I).


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[Rhetorical use of qatal]: The verbs הִכִּיתָ and שִׁבַּרְתָּ refer to future events that ar certain. The qatal is used as a rhetorical device to express the imminence and certainty of this event: "you will strike... you will break!" #dispreferred
  -<Incoherent as grounds>: Verse 8b begins with כִּי ("for"), and so the clauses in v. 8bc ground the request in v. 8a. But it would not make any sense for the Psalmist to request that God would act and then ground the request in the fact that God will act imminently.
    <_<Asseverative כִּי>: The כִּי here has asseverative force "yea, indeed" (NET notes). #dispreferred
      + <Atypical grounds>: Elsewhere in the Psalms, "the motivating argument usually focuses on the nature of the psalmist’s dilemma or the fact that he trusts in the Lord. For this reason it is unlikely that כִּי has its normal force here" (NET notes). #dispreferred
      - <Speech-act כִּי>: The כִּי in v. 8b is probably grounding the speech-act of v. 8a. That is, the psalmist is giving the reasons for his act of summoning YHWH to rescue (see Locatell 2017, 162 :M:)

Conclusion (A)

The verbs in Psalm 3:8bc have been interpreted in many different ways. This verse is a good illustration of the ad hoc manner with which some modern translations have tended to approach the Hebrew verbal system in poetry. Many of these interpretations, however, are open to serious objections. The "precative qatal" is a dubious category in and of itself, and, in this verse, it depends on the equally dubious category of asseverative כִּי (as does the "rhetorical qatal" interpretation). So-called "gnomic qatals" are rare, and the clearer cases occur in particular literary environments (e.g., proverbs). If the psalmist wanted to make a timeless, or gnomic statement about YHWH's characteristic activity, he could have used yiqtol verbs.

Whenever כִּי is preceded by imperatives and followed by qatals, the כִּי clause with its qatals regularly grounds the speech act by recounting past actions congruent with the content of the request. The qatals in the ground clause are then best analyzed as expressing a present state of affairs that has resulted from one or multiple actions completed in the past, best translated into English with the present perfect: "you have struck... you have broken."

Research

Translations

Ancient

LXX: ὅτι σὺ ἐπάταξας πάντας τοὺς ἐχθραίνοντάς μοι ματαίως, ὀδόντας ἁμαρτωλῶν συνέτριψας^[2]; because you are the one who struck all who are hostile to me for nothing; the teeth of sinners you shattered.^[3]

Aquilla: ὅτι ἐπάταξας συμπάντων ἐχθρῶν μου σιαγόνα^[4]; because you struck (the) cheek of the whole of my enemies

Symmachus: ὅτι ἐπάταξας πάντας τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου κατὰ σιαγόνα^[5]; because you struck all my enemies on the cheek

Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): quia percussisti omnium inimicorum meorum maxillam; dentes impiorum confregisti^[6]; because you struck the jaw of all my enemies; you shattered the teeth of the enemies

Peshitta: ܡܛܠ ܕܐܢܬ ܡܚ݂ܝܬ ܠܟܘܠܗܘܢ ܒ̈ܥܠܕܒܒܝ݂ ܥܠ ܦܟܝ̈ܗܘܢ. ܘܫ̈ܢܐ ܕܪ̈ܫܝܥܐ݂ ܬܒ݁ܪ݂ܬ^[7]; because you struck all my enemies on their cheeks; and you broke the teeth of the wicked

Targum: ארום מחיתא כל בעלי־דבבי עַל ליסתהון ככי רשׁיעי תברתא׃^[8]; For you smite all my enemies upon the cheek, you break the teeth of the wicked.^[9]

Modern

Precative Perfect

NIV: Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
NLT: Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
CEV: Break my enemies' jaws and shatter their teeth,
NVI: ¡Rómpeles la quijada a mis enemigos! ¡Rómpeles los dientes a los malvados!

Present Perfect

NASB: For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
NGÜ: Bisher hast du noch allen meinen Feinden ins Gesicht geschlagen, ja, diesen Rechtsbrechern hast du die Zähne ausgebrochen!
EB: Denn du hast alle meine Feinde auf die Backe geschlagen; die Zähne der Gottlosen hast du zerschmettert.
EÜ: Denn all meinen Feinden hast du den Kiefer zerschmettert, hast den Frevlern die Zähne zerbrochen.
ZüB: Allen meinen Feinden hast du das Kinn zerschmettert, die Zähne der Frevler hast du zerschlagen.
PDV2017: Oui, tu as frappé tous mes ennemis à la mâchoire, tu as cassé les dents des gens mauvais.

Gnomic Perfect

ESV: For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
HCSB: You strike all my enemies on the cheek; You break the teeth of the wicked.
GNT: You punish all my enemies and leave them powerless to harm me.
NEB: Thou dost strike all my foes across the face and breakest the teeth of the wicked
REB: You strike all my foes across the face; you break the teeth of the wicked.
NRSV: For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
NJB: You strike all my foes across the face, you break the teeth of the wicked.
JPS: For You slap all my enemies in the face; You break the teeth of the wicked
LUTER2017: Denn du schlägst alle meine Feinde auf die Backe und zerschmetterst der Frevler Zähne.
GNB: Ich weiß, du schlägst ihnen aufs freche Maul, du brichst meinen Feinden die Zähne aus.
TOB: toi qui frappes tous mes ennemis à la mâchoire et casses les dents des méchants
NBS: Car tu frappes à la joue tous mes ennemis, tu brises les dents des méchants.
NVS78P: Car tu frappes à la joue tous mes ennemis, Tu brises les dents des méchants
BDS: Tu gifles tous mes ennemis: tu casses les dents aux méchants.
NFC: Oui, tu frappes à la joue tous mes ennemis, tu casses les dents aux méchants.
S21: Tu gifles tous mes ennemis, tu brises les dents des méchants
BTX: Porque Tú eres el que golpea a todos mis enemigos en la mejilla, Y quebrantas los dientes de los malvados

Rhetorical use of the Perfect (future time reference)

NET: Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw; you will break the teeth of the wicked.
HFA: Du wirst meinen Feinden ins Gesicht schlagen und diesen Gottlosen die Zähne ausbrechen.
DHH94I: Tú golpearás en la cara a mis enemigos; ¡les romperás los dientes a los malvados!

Simple past (aorist)

RVR95: Tú heriste en la mejilla a todos mis enemigos; los dientes de los perversos rompist

Secondary Literature

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

Cook, John A. The Biblical Hebrew Verb: A Linguistic Introduction. Learning Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024.

Buttenwieser, Moses. 1938. The Psalms: Chronologically Treated with a New Translation. Chicago: University of Chicago.

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

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

Locatell, Christian S. 2017. “Grammatical Polysemy in the Hebrew Bible: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach to כי.” PhD Dissertation, Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch.

Robar, Elizabeth. 2020. “Ethan C. Jones (Ed.), The Unfolding of Your Words Gives Light: Studies on Biblical Hebrew in Honor of George L. Klein.” Journal of Semitic Studies 65 (2): 633–39.

Rogland, Max. Alleged Non-Past Uses of Qatal in Classical Hebrew. Assen, The Netherlands: Royal van Gorcum, 2003.

References

3:8

↑ Hebrew text from OSHB, based on the Leningrad Codex.
↑ Rahlfs 1931, 83.
↑ NETS.
↑ Field 1875, 90.
↑ Field 1875, 90.
↑ Weber-Gryson 5th edition.
↑ Walter 1980, 3.
↑ CAL
↑ Stec 2004, 31.

[1] Hebrew text from OSHB, based on the Leningrad Codex.

[2] Rahlfs 1931, 83.

[3] NETS.

[4] Field 1875, 90.

[5] Field 1875, 90.

[6] Weber-Gryson 5th edition.

[7] Walter 1980, 3.

[8] CAL

[9] Stec 2004, 31.

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The Verbal Semantics of Psalm 3:8b–c