Who Are the Subjects in Psalm 7:13–14?

Back to Psalm 7

Introduction

Probably the most difficult question in Psalm 7 that of the subject of the verbs in vv. 13–14:

1. Who is the subject of the verb יָ֭שׁוּב 'to (re)turn back, to repent' in v. 13?.
2. Who is the subject of the verbs יִלְט֑וֹשׁ 'he will whet' (v. 13), דָ֝רַ֗ךְ 'he has bent'(v. 13), וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ 'and he has prepared...'(v. 13), הֵכִ֣ין 'he has prepared' (v. 14) and יִפְעָֽל׃ 'he will make' (v. 14)?

Comparing translations reflects this confusion:

• The wicked person alluded to in the previous verse is the subject of both sets of verbs.
  • 'If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.' (NIV; cf. JPS, NGU2011).
• The wicked alluded to in the previous verse or man in general is the subject just of ישוּב, while God is the subject of the rest of the verbs.
  • 'If anyone does not repent, God will sharpen His sword' (HCSB; cf. ASV, ESV, KJV, NASB1995, NET, NLT, HFA, DHH94I, NTV)

Argument Maps

Who is the Subject of יָ֭שׁוּב?

God

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[God]: God is the subject of יָ֭שׁוּב. #dispreferred
 + <Nearest Mention>: God is the nearest-mentioned participant and must therefore be the subject (so Hossfeld and Zenger 1993 :C:). #dispreferred
  <_ <Not Mentioned *in the Text*>: The wicked are cognitively active  as the semantic patients of זֹעֵם in the previous verse (Hupfeld 1888 :C:; cf. Craigie 1983,  99 :C:; etc.).
 + <God Relents?>: אם לא ישוב then points out that God, although he expresses his wrath every day (v. 12b), may have reason s not to carry out the actions resulting from his indignation at the wicked's behaviour immediately' (Kwakkel 2002, 51 :M:). #dispreferred
  <_ <God's Justice>: 'The point of the psalm is that God is righteous and judges according to his character. If God relented from exacting justice, he would not be righteous' (Waltke 2014, 82 :M:)

Enemies (preferred)

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[The Wicked]: The wicked is the subject of יָ֭שׁוּב. The clause אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב should therefore be translated 'if he does not _repent_.' (KJV, cf. Aquilla, Jerome, ASV, ESV, HCSB, NASB1995, NET, NLT, NTV). 
 - <Nearest Mention>: God is the nearest-mentioned participant and must therefore be the subject (so Hossfeld and Zenger 1993 :C:). #dispreferred
  <_ <Not Mentioned *in the Text*>: The wicked are cognitively active  as the semantic patients of זֹעֵם in the previous verse (Hupfeld 1888 :C:; cf. Craigie 1983,  99 :C:; etc.).
 - <Unlikely Scenario>: 'what reason could the psalmist have had to suppose that such a cruel person as his enemy would change his mind or repent?' (Kwakkel 2002 :M:). #dispreferred
  <_ <Incredulity Fallacy>: Regardless of whether or not it makes sense to us, 'God may relent from his engaging in divine warfare when a person repents (Waltke 2014, 82 :M:).
   + Exod. 34:6; Psalm 51; Prov. 28:13.
 + <Coherence>: Accepting God as the subject of the following verbs, an ultimatum conforms to the expected pattern in the Hebrew Bible (Alonso-Schökel 1992 :C:)
  + Deut 20:1–13; Psalm 2

Who is the Subject of the Verbs in vv. 13–14?

God (preferred)

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[God]: God is the subject of יִלְט֑וֹשׁ 'he will whet' (v. 13), דָ֝רַ֗ךְ 'he has bent'(v. 13), וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ 'and he has prepared...'(v. 13), הֵכִ֣ין  'he has prepared' (v. 14) and יִפְעָֽל׃ 'he will make' (v. 14) (LXX, Aquilla, Jerome, ESV, HCSB, KJV, NASB1995, NET, NLT, NTV).
 + <Continuity of Metaphor>: God is carrying a shield in v. 12, which invokes the metaphor 'God is a Warrior'. This metaphor is picked up in vv. 13–14 via the mention of the weapon. 'The military imagery of vv. 12–13 can be understood as a continuation of the metaphor of God as shield introduced in v. 10' (Jacobson 2014 :C:).
 + <Chastisement Imagery>: 'For the comparison of divine chastisement with swords and arrows cf. 38:3; 58:8; 64:8; Isa 34:6; Jer. 12:12 (Kissane 1953, 31 :C:).

Enemies

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[The Wicked]: The wicked person is the subject of יִלְט֑וֹשׁ 'he will whet' (v. 13), דָ֝רַ֗ךְ 'he has bent'(v. 13), וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ 'and he has prepared...'(v. 13), הֵכִ֣ין  'he has prepared' (v. 14) and יִפְעָֽל׃ 'he will make' (v. 14) (e.g., NGU2011, BDS). #dispreferred
 + <Verse 14>: The subject is probably the wicked 'since verse 14 obviously refers to the evildoer and no chagne of subject is indicated' (Anderson 1981 :C:).#dispreferred
  <_ <Explicit Change of Subject>: The הנה in v. 14 explicitly marks the change of subject to what is obviously the wicked person (Goldingay 2006, 143 :C:).
 - <'But'>: Regardless of the subject of ישוּב, many translations insert 'but' in here in order to indicate that the wicked is preparing his weapons: 'NJB has "but," taking vv. 12–13 as a description of the wrongdoer (cf. NIVI). But the Hebrew has no "but" (Goldingay 2006, 143n.m :C:)

Conclusion

YHWH is a king (Psa 10:16). Part of being a king was performing the functions of warrior (1 Sam 8:20) and Judge (1 Sam 8:5; 2 Sam 12:1–15; 14:1–24; 15:1–6; 1 Kgs 3, etc), both of which we see here in Psalm 7. God the divine warrior 'may relent from his engaging in divine warfare when a person repents' (Waltke 2014, 82). These background ideas are crucial for understanding vv. 13–14.

The subject of לא ישׁוּב is the wicked person. Although not explicitly mentioned in vv. 11–12, this participant is very much cognitively 'active' because of the phrase וְ֝אֵ֗ל זֹעֵ֥ם בְּכָל־יֽוֹם. For this reason, there is no need for an explicit change in subject. Within the imagery of God as warrior and God as judge throughout this psalm, the phrase is most coherent when taken as an ultimatum (cf. Psalm 2).

The subject of the verbs in vv. 13aβ–14 is God. God the warrior is introduced in v. 12. This metaphor is continued in vv. 13aβ–14 by mention of the weapons. The association between swords and arrows and chastisement is common in scripture (Psa 38:3; 58:8; 64:8; Isa 34:6; Jer. 12:12). In v. 14, the הנה explicitly signals a change in subject, and so the most straight-forward analysis of ילטוש, דרך ויכוננה הכין and יפעל is that God is the subject.

We therefore recommend translating something like, If he (the wicked) does not repent, he (God) will sharpen his (God's) sword. He (God) has drawn his (God's) bow and prepared it. For him (the wicked)he (God) has prepared deadly weapons; he has made his arrows firebrands.

Research

Monographs

Jacobson (2014)

The military imagery of vv. 12–13 can be understood as a continuation of the metaphor of God as shield introduced in v. 10.

Kwakkel (2002)

One can make the objection to this interpretation that in texts in which שוּב is used in that sense, the object of the act in question is never placed between שׁוב and the second verb, but always after it (cf., e.g., Josh. 5:2; Ps. 78:41; the same can be concluded from the survey in Holladay, Root Subh, 66-72).

As לוֹ has much emphasis as a result of its position at the beginning of v. 14, it is improbable that it is merely a dativus ethicus. Therefore, if God is the subject of הכין, the suffix must refer to the enemy...If, on the other hand, the enemy is the subject of the verbs in vv. 13-14, the purport on לו must be that the enemy prepares deadly weapons to his own destruction...But in that case it is not clear why לו is used instead of a more forceful term such as לנפשו.

If the enemy is taken as the subject of the verbs in vv. 13–14...v. 13aa then must consider the possibility that the enemy might abandon his plan to attack the psalmist. But this seems very strange. For what reason could the psalmist have had to suppose that such a cruel person as his enemy would change his mind or repent?

Commentaries

Hupfeld (1888)

Der Frevler ist zwar im Vorherg. nicht genannt, aber in dem „ Zürnen “ des vorherg. V. als Gegenstand enthalten.

Der Versuch, den Personenwechsel dadurch zu vermeiden, dass man אם לא als Versicherungspartikel ansieht und שוב von der Rückkehr Gottes zur richterlichen Thätigkeit versteht, hat sein Bedenken, weil der Zweck einer solchen Versicherung nach v. 11, 12 hier nich ersichtlich ist.

V. 14 wo das Bild fortschreitet zu den Pfeilen u. ihrer Zubereitung, muss demnach auch das Subjekt dasselbe sein, also לו der Gegenstand des Zielens, der Frevler, ob er gleich vorher nicht ausdrücklich genannt ist ; hier , wo der Zweck u. das Ziel aller dieser Anstalten endlich genannt ist, mit Nachdruck vorangestellt .

Baethgen (1904)

Dass aber der Dichter einen solchen fortwährenden Wechsel des Subjekts durch nichts angedeutet haben sollte, ist kaum denkbar. Daher wird man besser überall den Frevler d. i. die Kollektivperson desselben als Subjekt betrachten"

Rogerson and McKay (1977)

"No subject change has been indicated, so presumably He is God"

Anderson (1981)

[Verse 12] and the following verse are very problematic. Is the subject God...or the wicked man?...Probably the latter since vese 14 obviously refers to the evildoer, and no change of subject ias indicated.

Alonso-Schöckel (1992)

Despues de repetir ampliada la afirmacion de 10b, el texto se fija en la colera, es decir, la accion judicial contra los culpables z'm es sinónimo de 'p y 'brh (v 7), y aqui equivale ya a la condena. Ahora bien, por una parte, el juez despacha puntualmente, diariamente, por otra parte, da tiempo a la «conversion» del culpable. Es diligente, puntual (cf 2 Sm 15,1-4, Jr 21,12), no da largas, aunque da tiempo. Son coherentes las afirmaciones?

Si lo son si leemos como ultimátum «si no se convierte», pues por esa frase va a saltar a la imagen belica, en la cual encaja mejor el ultimatum:

Dt 20 10-13 11 Si la ciudad te responde 'Paz' y te abre las ' puertas 12 pero si no acepta tu propuesta de paz sino que mantiene las hostilidades le pondras sitio

Implicito en Jue 20 La colera = sentencia esta dictada (v 12), la ejecucion sucedera si no se convierten (v 13s). No me convence la union del sintagma «si no se convierten» simplemente con lo anterior, con el resultado Dios sentencia si no se convierten, pues el juez no rehusa la sentencia, sino que suspende la ejecucion.

Hossfeld and Zenger (1993)

Die Syntax votiert für Gott (anders EU), weil er das nächste Subjekt ist, auf das sich das Verb zurückbeziehen kann. Das Verb beschreibt dieselbe Tätigkeit Gottes wie 8b. Der Kontext in I3f berichtet von kriegerischen Tätigkeiten, die zu den kriegerischen Konnotationen in den Tätigkeiten Gottes aus dem Vorhergehenden passen. - Ist die einleitende Partikel 'im lō' deiktisch (fürwahr) oder konditional (wenn nicht) zu übersetzen? Beides ist grammatikalisch möglich. Der Kontext läßt das konditionale Verständnis vorziehen. Dann übernimmt der erste Satz die Funktion der Protasis ( = EÜ). Die Apodosis ist im zweiten Satz zu finden (anders EÜ). Der folgende Vers 14 behält das göttliche Subjekt bei und beschreibt, wie JHWH die Waffen des Feindes gegen ihn wendet. Die Präpositionalverbindung am Anfang von 14 wird nicht als dativus ethicus, sondern als normaler Dativ »und für ihn (den Feind)« verstanden. Wenn er (Gott) nicht zurückkehrt (von seinem strafenden Richteramt), dann schärft er sein (des Feindes) Schwert, seinen (des Feindes) Bogen hat er gespannt und ausgerichtet. Und ihm (dem Feind) hat er tödliche Waffen aufgestellt und seine (des Feindes) Pfeile, zu brennenden wird er (sie) machen.

Goldingay (2006)

"So' ( hinnēh , v. 14) then marks the change of subject to the wrongdoer"

Translations

Ancient

LXX

¹³ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιστραφῆτε, τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ στιλβώσει· τὸ τόξον αὐτοῦ ἐνέτεινεν καὶ ἡτοίμασεν αὐτὸ.

¹⁴καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἡτοίμασεν σκεύη θανάτου, τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ τοῖς καιομένοις ἐξειργάσατο.

¹³If you do not turn back, he will make his sword gleam; his bow he bent and prepared it,

¹⁴ and on it he prepared implements of death; he forged his arrows for those that are being burnt.

Aquilla

¹³ τῷ μὴ μετανοοῦντι τὴν μάχαιραν αὐτοῦ ἀκονήσει

¹³ He will whet his sword for whoever does not repent.

Symmachus

¹³ τὴν μάχαιραν αὐτοῦ ἀκονήσει

¹³ He will whet his sword...

Jerome

¹³ non convertenti gladium suum acuet acrum suum tetendit et paravit illum

¹⁴ et in ipso praeparavit vasa mortis sagittas suas ad conburendum operatus est

¹³ for/to whoever does not turn back, he will whet his sword. He has drawn his bow and prepared it;

¹⁴ and for him(self?) he has prepared deadly vessels, he has produced his arrows for the purpose of consuming with fire

Peshitta

¹³ ܐܠܐ݂ ܗ݁ܦܟ. ܣܝܦܗ ܠܛ݁ܫ ܘܩܫܬܗ ܡܬ݁ܚ. ܐ݁ܬܩܢ݂

¹⁴ ܘܡ݁ܬܩܢ ܠܗ ܡܐ̈ܢܐ ܕܪܘܓܙܐ. ܓܐܪ̈ܘܗܝ ܥܒ݂ܕ ܠܕܝ݁ܩܕܝܢ.

¹³ (lit.,) Not turning, he prepares his sword extends his bow; he established

¹⁴ and is establishing for him vessels of anger. He made his arrows for the burning ones.

Targum

¹³ אִם לָא יְתוּב לִדְחַלְתֵּיהּ סַיְפֵיהּ שְׁחִיז קַשְׁתֵּיהּ מְתִיחָא וּסְדִירָא

¹⁴ וּמְטוּלְתֵּיהּ תַּקֵין זְיָנֵי מוֹתָא גִירוֹי לְדָלְקֵי צַדִיקַיָא יַעְבֵּיד

¹³ If he/one does not return to his fear (viz., 'repent and fear [God?]'), his sword is sharpened, his bow is drawn and ready

¹⁴ and because of him, he has prepared deadly weapons, his arrows he has prepared for those who burn/pursue(?) the righteous.

Modern

English

ASV

¹² If a man turn not, he will whet his sword; He hath bent his bow, and made it ready;

¹³ He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; He maketh his arrows fiery shafts

ESV

¹² If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;

¹³ he has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.

HCSB

¹² If anyone does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has strung His bow and made it ready.

¹³ He has prepared His deadly weapons; He tips His arrows with fire.

KJV

¹² If he turn not, he will whet his sword; He hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

¹³ He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

NASB1995

¹² If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.

¹³ He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.

NET

¹² If a person does not repent, God sharpens his sword and prepares to shoot his bow.

¹³ He prepares to use deadly weapons against him; he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.

NIV

¹² If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.

¹³ He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.

NLT

¹² If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.

¹³ He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows.

JPS

¹³ If one does not turn back, but whets his sword, bends his bow and aims it,

¹⁴ then against himself he readies deadly weapons, and makes his arrows sharp.

German

DELUT

¹² Will man sich nicht bekehren, so hat er sein Schwert gewetzt und seinen Bogen gespannt und zielt

¹³ und hat darauf gelegt tödliche Geschosse; seine Pfeile hat er zugerichtet, zu verderben.

HFA

¹³ Wenn jemand vom Unrecht nicht ablässt, dann schärft Gott sein Schwert er spannt seinen Bogen und legt an.

¹⁴ Er rüstet sich mit tödlichen Waffen und macht seine Brandpfeile zum Schuss bereit.

NGU2011

¹³ Schärft der Feind nicht schon wieder sein Schwert, spannt seinen Bogen und zielt ´auf mich`?

¹⁴ Doch seine tödlichen Waffen kehren sich um, seine Brandpfeile treffen ihn selbst!

SCH2000

¹³ Wenn man nicht umkehrt, so schärft er sein Schwert, hält seinen Bogen gespannt und zielt

¹⁴ und richtet auf jenen tödliche Geschosse; seine Pfeile steckt er in Brand.

French

BCC1923

¹³ Certes, de nouveau il aiguise son glaive, il bande son arc et il vise ;

¹⁴ il dirige sur lui des traits meurtriers, il rend ses flèches brûlantes.

BDS

¹³ à qui ne revient pas à lui. L’ennemi aiguise son glaive, il tend son arc ╵et se met à viser.

¹⁴ Il se prépare des armes meurtrières, et il apprête des flèches enflammées.

LSG

¹³ Si le méchant ne se convertit pas, il aiguise son glaive, Il bande son arc, et il vise;

¹⁴ Il dirige sur lui des traits meurtriers, Il rend ses flèches brûlantes.

PDV2017

¹³ Si l’ennemi ne change pas sa vie, il aiguise sa lance, il tend son arc et il vise.

¹⁴ Il prépare des armes qui tuent, il allume des flèches pour mettre le feu.

Spanish

DHH94I

¹³⁽¹⁴⁾Si el hombre no se vuelve a Dios, Dios afilará su espada; ya tiene su arco tenso,

¹⁴⁽¹⁵⁾ya apunta sus flechas encendidas, ¡ya tiene listas sus armas mortales!

LBLA

¹² Y si el impío no se arrepiente, Él afilará su espada; tensado y preparado está su arco.

¹³ Ha preparado también sus armas de muerte; hace de sus flechas saetas ardientes.

NTV

¹² Si una persona no se arrepiente, Dios afilará su espada, tensará su arco y le pondrá la cuerda.

¹³ Preparará sus armas mortales y disparará sus flechas encendidas.

RVR95

¹² Si no se arrepiente, él afilará su espada; armado tiene ya su arco y lo ha preparado.

¹³ Asimismo ha preparado armas de muerte y ha hecho saetas ardientes.

References

7:13-14 Approved