The Wolf and the Lamb by Phaedrus

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by memoirandremains in Literature

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Fable, Latin, Oppression, Phaedrus, The Wolf and the Lamb, Translation

Oskar Seyffert explains that Phaedrus was born and Macedonia and was brought to Rome as a slave. He introduced fable writing in Latin. He was set free by Augustus. But his writing did not bring him “relief from his miserable position, nor recognition on the part of the educated public; his patron seem to have bee only freedman life himself. In fact, he even drew upon himself, by first two published books, the illiill and persuetuio of the all-powerful favorite of Tiberius, Sejannus who suspected in them malicious references to contemporary events. In consequence, he did not publish the remaining books till after the fall of Sejannus in 31 A.D. and the death of Tiberius in 37.”

This first fable concerns the one who will use any excuse — even if the excuse is merely a false accusation — to destroy another.

THE WOLF AND THE LAMB

BY thirst incited; to the brook

The Wolf and Lamb themselves betook.

The Wolf high up the current drank,

The Lamb far lower down the bank.

Then, bent his ravenous maw to cram,

The Wolf took umbrage at the Lamb.

“How dare you trouble all the flood,

And mingle my good drink with mud?”

“Sir,” says the Lambkin, sore afraid,

“How should I act, as you upbraid?

The thing you mention cannot be,

The stream descends from you to me.”

Abash’d by facts, says he, ” I know

‘Tis now exact six months ago

You strove my honest fame to blot”-

“Six months ago, sir, I was not.”

“Then ‘twas th’ old ram thy sire,” he cried,

And so he tore him, till he died.

To those this fable I address

Who are determined to oppress,

And trump up any false pretence,

But they will injure innocence.

And here is the Latin originals with my rough translation notes.

Lupus et agnus.

Ad rivum eundem lupus et agnus venerant

A wolf and a lamb came to a river at the same time

Siti compulsi; superior stabat lupus

Being compelled by thirst; the wolf stood above, higher up

Longeque inferior agnus. Tunc fauce improba

And further below the lamb. Then by his wicked mouth

Latro incitatus iurgii causam intulit.

He barked his cause to fight.

[5] Cur, inquit, turbulentam fecisti mihi

Why, he said, are you making a mess of my

Aquam bibenti? Laniger contra timens:

Water I am drinking? The wooly one fearing

Qui possum, quaeso, facere, quod quereris, lupe?

What ability, I beg, to to that of which you complain wolf?

A te decurrit ad meos haustus liquor.

From you it flows down to me this water to drink.

Repulsus ille veritatis viribus:

Set back by the power of this true

[10] Ante hos sex menses male, ait, dixisti mihi.

After six bad months you say this to me?

Respondit agnus: Equidem natus non eram.

The lamb responded, truly was I not at that time.

Pater hercle tuus, ille inquit, male dixit mihi.

By Hercules, your father he said the evil to me.

Atque ita correptum lacerat iniusta nece.

And then he quickly, unjustly tore him to pieces.

Haec propter illos scripta est homines fabula,

For such people I wrote these fables.

[15] Qui fictis causis innocentes opprimunt.

Who fashion a charge against the innocent.

Translation Lamentations 1:1-2

15 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by memoirandremains in Lamentations, Uncategorized

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Hebrew Translation, Lamenations 1, Lamentations, poem, Poetry, Translation

305150

Translating Lamentations 1:1-2

Oh!
Lonely now she sits — the city.
Great with people
now a widow
Great with power
now a slave.

Weeping weeping in the dark
All her loves turn away
All her friends now turn against
Every-one her enemy.

The poem is written as a lament after the complete destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 586 B.C.My translation does not capture every word (the Hebrew text and a more “literal” translation are found below) However, I tried to capture of some of the word-play and create the compression of thought which can make a poem jarring. I also sought to chanting rhythm by starting each line with an accented syllable, and repetition of words. The hope was to make it sound more like an English poem, and thus to convey some of the poetic feel. Every translation is a compromise — this is especially so with poetry which has its linguistic and cultural conventions.

Lamentations 1:1–2 (LHB)
1 אֵיכָ֣ה׀ יָשְׁבָ֣ה בָדָ֗ד הָעִיר֙ רַבָּ֣תִי עָ֔ם הָיְתָ֖ה כְּאַלְמָנָ֑ה רַבָּ֣תִי בַגּוֹיִ֗ם שָׂרָ֙תִי֙ בַּמְּדִינ֔וֹת הָיְתָ֖ה לָמַֽס׃ ס
2 בָּכ֨וֹ תִבְכֶּ֜ה בַּלַּ֗יְלָה וְדִמְעָתָהּ֙ עַ֣ל לֶֽחֱיָ֔הּ אֵֽין־לָ֥הּ מְנַחֵ֖ם מִכָּל־אֹהֲבֶ֑יהָ כָּל־רֵעֶ֙יהָ֙ בָּ֣גְדוּ בָ֔הּ הָ֥יוּ לָ֖הּ לְאֹיְבִֽים׃ ס

The Hebrew more literally reads
Alas
She sits alone the city
She was full of people; she has become like a widow
She was great among the nations a princess among the provinces
She has become a slave.

Weeping she weeps in the night and tears are on her cheeks
There is not to her comfort form all her lovers
All her friends/neighbors acted treacherously to her
They are to her enemies.

If you want to know more about this poem, I heartily recommend Abner Chou’s commentary. Here is a bit:

Line 1: Solitude. The first line begins with אֵיכָה (“how”), which typically poses shock at the current situation as well as intense bewilderment and anguish (cf. Isa 1:21; Jer 48:17; see Hillers, 18). The word is onomatopoeic, sounding like a cry of desperation.82 For this reason, it commonly initiates a funeral lament (Berlin, 49). It fittingly also begins chapters 2 and 4, and is the Hebrew title of this book. The writer expresses his pain and amazement at how Jerusalem has fallen. He notes how the city sits in solitude. The pf. verb יָשְׁבָה denotes the state of Jerusalem at this time. It sits on the hill, unable to do or be anything but alone (בָדָד). This does not merely refer to the idea that Jerusalem is by itself but rather stresses the city’s isolation and exclusion from joy (Jer 15:17; 49:31). This is in contrast with the city that once was full of people (רַבָּתִי עָם).83 In sum, the first line communicates the writer’s shock that the city full of life has become a ghost town.

Abner Chou, Lamentations: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary, Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), La 1:1.

Marcus Aurelius, Book 1.7 (From Rusticus)

15 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by memoirandremains in Greek, Greek Translation, Marcus Aurelius, New Testament Background

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Greek Translation, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, New Testament Background, Reading, Translation

From Rusticus:
Accept the fact that I will need straightening and correction of my character; and to not be turned aside after hot, pointless arguments; neither to write about speculations; nor prepare silly little speeches; nor pose as the greatest moral athlete nor the hardest working man; and to eschew rhetoric, poetry and fancy words — oh, don’t walk around the house in robes — and to write plain letters (like the one which he sent to my mother from Sinuses): just don’t do those things.

And be willing to be easily called and reconciled to those who have been angry and struck the wrong note, when they are willing to quickly return: be in that state of mind.

And read carefully: don’t be content with a general overview — and don’t agree too quickly with every chatterer.

And hold a conversation with the Memoirs of Epictetus (he gave me a copy from his own library).

Greek Text & Notes: Continue reading →

Jesus was laid in the manger because there was no room in the guest room

07 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Luke, New Testament Background

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inn, Jesus, Jesus' Birth, Joseph, kataluma, KJV, Luke, Luke 2:7, manger, Mary, New Testament Background, Translation, William Varner

Luke 2:7 reads: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Modern English translations keep the word “inn” at the end of the word, apparently due to the fame of the KJV translation at this point. However, the word is not “inn” as in a public accommodation. As the article cited below from Biblical Archaeology makes plain, the idea that Mary and Joseph would desire a “private” place to have a baby may just be a western cultural prejudice.

Dr. William Varner (Professor The Masters College) posted on facebook:

“How Greek can mess up our Christmas plays.”

Where did Joseph and Mary stay in Bethlehem? Luke tells us that after the birth, Mary put the baby in a “manger,” or feeding trough, because there was “no room for them in the καταλυμα – kataluma” (Luke 2:7). While this term was translated as “inn” by the KJV, Luke elsewhere uses it to mean a “guest room” (Luke 22:11, the site of the Last Supper). When Luke does wants to speak about an “inn,” he uses the Greek word πανδοχειον – pandocheion (Luke 10:34, in the parable of the Good Samaritan).

Thus there was no mean innkeeper denying them access at the door of a non-existent inn. The passage doesn’t mention him anyway!

The comments helpfully posted links to two articles:

Bible Archaeology gives an extended examination of the text and explains how the baby was laid in a manger — a feeding trough — kept inside the house where the animals were kept at night (a very different world from most people today). The “inn” was the guest room, apparently already occupied by another guest:

The article provides a wealth of information, weighs through the evidence and ancient traditions, and interacts with the cultural understanding of middle eastern peasants and European professors. If you want to understand the matter fully, it is a good place to start:

https://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/11/08/The-Manger-and-the-Inn.aspx#Article

The second link was to a review of Kenneth Bailey’s Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes:

Part 1 is “The Birth of Jesus”, and the first chapter incorporates material that had previously been accessible only in a journal article, expanding and supplementing it not only with additional text but also with more sketches of what typical rural homes in Palestine are like. Among scholars, Bailey’s argument about the cultural background of these stories, and in particular the likelihood that Jesus was born in a rural peasant home rather than an “inn”, has been found persuasive not only because of the points Bailey makes about the cultural setting (including the nature of hospitality and travel in this part of the world in the first century and even today, and the fact that feeding troughs (or mangers) were and are typically found in homes rather than separate barns or stables), but also because the term for a commercial “inn” is not found in the story. The presentation of the evidence and the likely meaning of the relevant details in Luke’s story are here made available to a wider audience. This material alone would be worth the price of the book.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2008/06/review-of-kenneth-e-bailey-jesus-through-middle-eastern-eyes.html

Catullus, Carmina 1. Translation and Notes

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Latin Translation, New Testament Background

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Carmina 1, Catullus, Catullus Translation, Latin Poetry, Latin Translation, Literature, literature, New Testament Background, NT Background, poem, Poetry, Translation

Catullus, Carmina 1:

Cui dono lepidum novum libellum

arido modo pumice expolitum?

Corneli, tibi; namque tu solebas

Meas esse aliquid putare nugas

Iam tum cum ausus es unus Italorum

Omne aevum tribus explicare chartis,

doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis!

quare habe tibi quidquid hoc libelli

qualecumque, quod, o patrona virgo,

plus uno maneat perenne saeclo.

Translation:

To whom shall I give this beautiful book

Just now printed, polished, perfect — come look!

Cornelius, to you: for you did think

My little roll of words, poems, didn’t —

Just now, you – from all of Italy! – dare

In three volumes to unfold all of time;

It’s genius, by Jove! The labour of a life.

Now please, take this book, whatever it is;

Such as it is. You, Patron Virgin,

See that it remains for all the ages.

Smithers:

To whom inscribe my charming new book—just out and with ashen pumice polished? Cornelius, to you! for you used to deem my triflings of account, and at a time when you alone of Italians dared unfold the ages’ abstract in three chronicles—learned, by Jupiter!—and most laboriously written. Therefore take this booklet, such as it is, and, O Virgin Patroness, may it outlive generations more than one.^{^[1]}

Burton’s translation:

Burton has no translation for lines 1-3.

To thee (Cornelius!); for wast ever fain

To deem my trifles somewhat boon contain;

[5] E’en when thou single ‘mongst Italians found

Daredst all periods in three Scripts expound

Learned (by Jupiter!) elaborately.

Then take thee whatso in this booklet be,

Such as it is, whereto O Patron Maid

[10] To live down Ages lend thou lasting aid!^{^[2]}

Notes:

Line 1

Dono: I give as a present, bestow. Dono: the indicative present with future meaning is sometimes used to express the imminence of decision in questions implying great anxiety or eagerness;

Lepidum: charming, lovely

lepidum novum: of the external rather than of the internal character of the book;

libellum: a small book, appropriate for a collection of poems. Liber was used for longer prose works.

lipedum/libellum: alliteration: bright/book.

libellum/exploitum: An end rhyme for the first two lines. Here: book/look!

Line 2:

arido … pumice expolitum: polished with airid pumice. “The ends of the papyrus-roll were rubbed smooth with pumice-stone;”^{^[3]}. Polishing with pumice is inexplicable without a footnote. Aside the Wasteland, footnotes don’t work with poems. While the thought may rightly take work to digest, the thought needs to be conveyed in the poem itself. Both “book” and “printing” are anachronistic. The poems were printed by hand on a scroll. The codex, a “book”, was invented later by Christians for the Bible. I could keep “polished” as a picture for final construction, but could see no sensible way to keep “airid pumice”.

come look!: This does not answer to any precise words of the original. However, the first lines convey excitement and invitation. Catullus the author is excited and pleased with his final product. Thus “come look” is implied in the tone.

Line 3:

Corneli: Cornelius, vocative. Cornelius Nepos.

Tibi: to you (dative)

Namque: “for” introduces the explanation for the gift.

Tu: you

Solebas: imperfect: you are/have been accustomed to. Quinn, “You are always saying you think ….”

Solebas/nugas: a rhyme.

He sends this book to Cornelius, whose greatness in composing such a work, Catullus contrasts with his own self-deprecation.

Line 4:

Meas: my

Esse: infinitive, to be.

Aliquid: an indefinite pronoun: something, etc. Here, “aliquid, of some value” (Merrill).

Putare: Infinitive, to think.

Nugas: the word basically means trifles, jokes, jests, foolishness, nonsense, etc. Merrill has it as “short, slight, sportive poems”.

Literally, for you used to consider my sportive poems to be something. I tried to work the idea as a joke to make the point – without going to the rhyme and making it trivial.

Line 5:

Iam: now.

Tum: it designates a particular moment in time: then, etc.

Cum: with

iam tum cum: etc., i.e. even then, at the beginning of my career, when you were already well known and engaged on your great work.^{^[4]}

Ausus: hazard, attempt. Related verb, audeo, to hazard, attempt, be bold enough to do something.

Unus: one

Italorum: genitive plural, of all Italians.

Line 6:

Omne: All

Aevum: of time; noun pl neut gen poetic.

Tribus: in three (dative)

Explicare: to spread out, unfold (explain)

Chartis: paper, that which is on the paper

Possibly ironic: three sheets of paper to contain all of time!?

Line 7:

Doctis: dative participle: to instruct, explain, teach. As a substantive, a man of skill & taste.

Iuppiter: Jupiter

Et: and

Laboriosis!: full of much labor.

Line 8:

Quare: By what means? How? So?

Habe: you have, imperative: i.e., take

Tibi: For you, to you

habe tibi: an expression of the conveyance of rights in property, to the formal effect of which the preceding quare contributes: cf. the formula of divorce quoted from the Twelve Tables ^{^[5]}

Quidquid: whoever, whatever

Hoc: this

Libelli: book

Line 9:

Qualcumque: quails, what sort of with what, what sort it is.

Quod: interrogative pronoun

O patrona virgo: O patron Virgin! The muse of lyric poetry (?). He is asking the muse to protect his work – not to inspire; interesting.

Line 10:

Plus: more

Uno: one

Maneat: remain, stay

Perenne: everlasting, unceasing, perennial

Saeclo: ablative singular, race, breed, generation.

^{^[1]} C. Valerius Catullus, The Carmina of Gaius Valerius Catullus., ed. Leonard C. Smithers (Medford, MA: Smithers., 1894).

^{^[2]} C. Valerius Catullus, Carmina, ed. Sir Richard Francis Burton (Medford, MA: For translator for private use, 1894).

^{^[3]} Catullus, Catullus, ed. E. T. Merrill (Medford, MA: Harvard University Press, 1893).

^{^[4]} Catullus, Catullus, ed. E. T. Merrill (Medford, MA: Harvard University Press, 1893).

^{^[5]} Catullus, Catullus, ed. E. T. Merrill (Medford, MA: Harvard University Press, 1893).

Translation and Notes: 1 Clement 10:3

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Clement, Church History, Greek, Uncategorized

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1 Clement, Church History, Greek, Greek Translation, LXX, New Testament Background, NT Background, Translation, Translation 1 Clement, Uncategorized

Ἄπελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καἰ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου εἰς τὴν γῆν ἥν ἄν σοι δείξω, καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ εὐλογήσω σε καὶ μεγαλυνῶ τὸ ὂνομά σου, καὶ ἔσῃ εὐλογημένος· καὶ εὐλογήσω τοὺς εὐλογοῦντάς σε καὶ καταράσομαι τοὺς καταρωμένους σε, καὶ εὐλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαἱ τῆς γῆς.

Go out from your land and from your family and from the house of your father, into a land which I shall show to you. And I will make you a great people, and I shall bless you and make your name great: You will be blessed. And I shall bless those who bless you, and I shall curse those who curse you. Because of you, all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.

Lake has:

“Depart from thy land and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house to the land which I shall show thee, and I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and I will magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed; and I will bless those that bless thee, and I will curse those that curse thee, and all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed in thee.”

Translation notes:

This section contains extended quotations from the LXX

Ἄπελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καἰ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου

Go out from your land and from your family and from the house of your father.

Ἄπελθε: imperative, go out from. Interestingly, Clement deviates from the LXX (Rahlfs, vol. 1, p. 16) which has Ἔξελθε at this point. The difference is minor, the two words being essentially synonymous in this context.

Genitives are used through this clause. The land, the family, the house, the father are all genitive due to the preposition ek. The genitive “your” (sou) marks relationship to Abraham.

The article may function here to indicate the possession: This was Abraham’s land: “The article is sometimes used in contexts in which possession is implied. The article itself does not involve possession, but this notion can be inferred from the presence of the article alone in certain contexts” (Wallace, 215). Here, possession is plainly marked by the personal pronoun “your” attached to each noun. However, the dual possessive (if such it is) would emphasize the pain of parting for Abraham.

εἰς τὴν γῆν ἥν ἄν σοι δείξω

to the land which I shall show you

The preposition eis controls the use of accusative in “the land”.

The use of the “an” ἄνwith the subjunctive marks an “indefinite relative clause” (Wallace, 660). This use is interesting, because the verb “I shall show” is glossed as an indicative.

ἥν: feminine accusative pronoun: she.

The clause literally reads, to the land, the one which I shall show to you.

καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ εὐλογήσω σε καὶ μεγαλυνῶ τὸ ὂνομά σου,

and I shall make you a great nation and I shall bless you and magnify your name

The use of the kais (and) mark the elements of the blessing as all parallel and cumulative.

The use of the article with “name” along with the possessive pronoun (your) emphasizes the blessing coming to Abraham himself.

καὶ ἔσῃ εὐλογημένος: and you shall be blessed

The construction uses a future indicative “you shall be” with the perfect passive participle “blessed”. This is a periphrastic construction (“An anarthrous participle can be used with a verb of being … to form a finite verbal idea” Wallace, 647). A present verb plus a perfect participle has the finite tense equivalent of a perfect tense.

It seems that the promise is so absolutely certain that the future can be spoken of as already past.

καὶ εὐλογήσω τοὺς εὐλογοῦντάς σε καὶ καταράσομαι τοὺς καταρωμένους σε,

and I shall bless those blessing you and I shall curse those cursing you

The actors who bless or curse are designated by substantive participles. The participle emphasizes the concrete particular actors involved – they are real persons and their action is their defining characteristic.

The fact that the participles are present tense does not mean that the actors are continually blessing or cursing Abraham, “Third, the aspect of the present participle can be diminished if the context requires it. Fn: This is not as common with the participles of other tenses. The reason seems to be that the present participle is well suited to a generic notion, lending itself to a gnomic tense use” (Wallace, 620 & fn. 19).

καὶ εὐλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαἱ τῆς γῆς

and they shall be bless in you, all the tribes of the earth

Here is an example of a divine passive: God has already identified himself as the actor, the one who will bless. Now, God, to emphasize the locus of the blessing as being in Abraham, uses a passive to emphasize the role of Abraham.

The dative has a potential ambiguity at this point: For example, one could argue that this is a dative of interest, They shall be blessed for the benefit of you. Or a dative of reference, They shall be blessed with respect to you. Or perhaps a dative of association, They shall be blessed with you.

However, most likely the dative answers to the mechanics of the blessing, it answers the question, How will this be? They will be blessed by your agency.

Thus, the blessing of Abraham becomes the means of the entire world being blessed.

Translation Notes on Psalm 15

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Hebrew, Psalms

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Greek Translation, Hebrew, Hebrew Translation, Latin Translation, LXX, Psalm 14, Psalms, Translation

Psalm 15:1 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

¹מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָ֫וִ֥ד יְ֭הֹוָה מִי־יָג֣וּר בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ מִֽי־יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן בְּהַ֣ר קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃

A Psalm of David

O Lord, Who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

O Lord: vocative

The addressee is usually designated by the ordinary form of the noun with the article. (Cf. §24.4/3(i).) The ‘vocative’ occurs only in direct speech. It often stands in apposition to a pronoun in the second person or with the built-in subject of an imperative. In other respects it is syntactically separate from the rest of the clause. Syntactically it can be regarded as an adjunct.

Christo Van der Merwe, Jackie Naudé, Jan Kroeze et al., A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, electronic ed. (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), 249. Here, the vocative has no article, because it is the proper noun, “Lord” (YHWH). The vocative need not be prefaced by the article:

3. Syntactic functions of the article31

(i) The article is sometimes used in the construction of the vocative to designate a specific addressee. (Cf. §34.4.)

חֵי־נַפְשְׁךָהַמֶּלֶךְ

‍As your soul lives, O king (1 Sam. 17:55).

It may be omitted.

לֵךְ־אֶל־נְמָלָהעָצֵל

‍Go to the ant, O sluggard (Prov. 6:6).

Christo Van der Merwe, Jackie Naudé, Jan Kroeze et al., A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar, electronic ed. (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), 189. Moreover, being a proper noun it lacks the article:

Rem. 1. Proper names of persons are always without the Art., and so names of peoples called after a personal ancestor, as Moab, Edom. Many names of places, rivers, &c., however, were originally appellatives and sometimes retain the Art., as הַלְּבָנוֹן Lebanon (the white mountain?), הַיַרְדֵּן Jordan (the river ?), הַגִּבְעָה Gibeah (the hill), הָעַי Ai (the mound). Usage fluctuates.

A. B. Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar Hebrew Syntax, 3d ed. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1902), 24.

Who shall sojourn …. who shall dwell …..

The imperfect forms function as subjunctives:

(b) In dependent clauses to represent actions, &c., which from some point of time in the past are to be represented as future, e.g. Gn 43:7 could we in any wise know that he would say (יֹאמַר)? 2:19, 43:25, Ex 2:4, 2 K 3:27 אֲשֶׁר־יִמְלֹךְ gui regnaturus erat; 13:14, Jon 4:5, Jb 3:3, Ec 2:3, Ps 78:6 that the generation to come might know, בָּנִיםיִוָּ֫לֵדוּ the children which should be born (qui nascituri essent; the imperfect here with the collateral idea of the occurrence being repeated in the future).

Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch and Sir Arthur Ernest Cowley, 2d English ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910), 316.

Who shall sojourn:

HALOT has “to dwell as a resident alien” –which is captured by the LXX.

The question is what to make of this particular verb. The verb has the feel of someone who is not at home. For example, Number 9:14, “if a stranger sojourn” (ESV). In Deuteronomy 18:6, it is used of the Levite living in a town of Israel (but he is one who does not own land). In Isaiah 11:6, “The wolf shall dwell (gur) with the lamb”, which still has an unusual feel to the living relationship. In Psalm 5:5, evil may not “dwell” with the Lord (again, it is an unnatural living relationship!).

A parallel usage appears in Psalm 61:4 (Heb., 5) “Let me dwell in your tent forever!” From these uses, it seems that David in Psalm 15 (and 65) uses the verb for poetic variety – but also with a connotation of leaving from the natural abode of humanity to be with God, just as the strangers who sojourned among Israel, “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” Leviticus 19:34 (ESV).

LXX: 1 Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυιδ. Κύριε, τίς παροικήσει ἐν τῷ σκηνώματί σου καὶ τίς κατασκηνώσει ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ ἁγίῳ σου;

The Vulgate tracks the Hebrew, although habitabit seems more settled than sojourn: 1 Psalmus David. Domine, quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo ? aut quis requiescet in monte sancto tuo ?

Psalm 15:2 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

²הוֹלֵ֣ךְ תָּ֭מִים וּפֹעֵ֥ל צֶ֑דֶק וְדֹבֵ֥ר אֱ֝מֶ֗ת בִּלְבָבֽוֹ׃

The one walking perfectly, even the one doing righteousness

The one speaking truth in his heart.

This verse uses three active participles as substantives: walking, doing, speaking:

§ 97. The ptcp. or nomen agentis partakes of the nature both of the noun (adj.) and the verb. It presents the person or subj. in the continuous exercise or exhibition of the action or condition denoted by the verb. The pass. ptcp. describes the subj. as having the action continuously exercised upon him, or at least differs from the adj. in presenting the state of the subj. as the result of an action.

Rem. 1. The ptcp. carries the notion of action, operation, like the verb, while the quality expressed by the adj. inheres in the subj. as a mere motionless characteristic. On the other hand the ptcp. differs from the impf. in that the continuousness of the impf. is not unbroken, but mere repetition of the action. The ptcp. is a line, the impf. a succession of points.

It is but natural, however, that act. ptcps. expressing conditions or operations which are habitual should come to be used as nouns, as אהב friend, איב enemy, שׁפט judge, שׁמר watchman, חזת seer, &c., and that pass. ptcps. should in usage become adjectives. The ptcp. niph. in particular has the sense of the Lat. gerundive and adj. in bilis, as נוֹרָא to be feared, terrible, נֶחְשָׁב æstimandus, נֶחְמָד desirable, נִחְעָב detestable, נִכְבָּד honourable. Occasionally ptcp. Pu., מְהֻלָּל laudandus, Ps. 96:4. Possibly Kal, Ps. 137:8 (some point שָׁדוֹדָה). Jer. 4:30, Is. 23:12, are real or imagined pasts. See Is. 2:22, Ps. 18:4; 19:11; 22:32; 76:8; 102:19, Job 15:16. In like manner the difference between ptcp. and impf. is often scarcely discernible in usage. Gen. 2:10, Ex. 13:15, Lev. 11:47, Nu. 24:4, 16. Cf. Jud. 4:22 with 2 K. 6:19.

A. B. Davidson, Introductory Hebrew Grammar Hebrew Syntax, 3d ed. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1902), 130.

Since the participles are verbs they properly take objects:

The participles active, in virtue of their partly verbal character, possess the power of governing like verbs, and consequently, when used in the absolute state, may take after them an object either in the accusative, or with the preposition with which the verb in question is elsewhere usually construed, e.g. 1 S 18:29 אֹיֵבאֶת־דָּוִד hating David; Gn 42:29; with the suffix of the accusative, e.g. עשֵׂ֫נִי that made me Jb 31:15; מִירֹאֵ֫נוּ who seeth us? Is 29:15 (in Is 47:10 רֹאָ֫נִי is abnormal); רֹדֵם ruling them Ps 68:28, sometimes also with the article, e.g. Ps 18:33 הַֽמְאַזְּרֵ֫נִי that girdeth me (LXX ὁ κραταιῶν με); Dt 8:14–16, 13:6, 11, 20:1, 2 S 1:24, Is 9:12 (where, however, Cheyne omits the article), 63:11, Ps 81:11, 103:4, Dn 11:6; followed by a preposition, e.g. 1 K 9:23 הָֽרֹדִיםבָּעָם which bare rule over the people; 2 K 20:5 הִֽנְנִירֹפֵאלָךְ behold, I will heal thee.2

By an exhaustive examination of the statistics, Sellin (see the title at the head of § 113), p. 40 ff., shows that the participle when construed as a verb expresses a single and comparatively transitory act, or relates to particular cases, historical facts, and the like, while the participle construed as a noun (see g) indicates repeated, enduring, or commonly occurring acts, occupations, and thoughts.

So also the verbal adjectives of the form qāṭēl may take an accusative of the person or thing, if the finite verb from which they are derived governs an accusative, e.g. Dt 34:9 מָלֵארוּחַחָכְמָה full of the spirit of wisdom; Ps 5:5 חָפֵץרֶ֫שַׁע that hath pleasure in wickedness.

Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch and Sir Arthur Ernest Cowley, 2d English ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910), 357. Note that The Walking One (walking) did not take a noun as a direct object, because “to walk” does not take an object; rather, walking was modified by “perfect”, tamim.

Psalm 119:1 provides a parallel, Psalm 119:1 ¹אַשְׁרֵ֥י תְמִֽימֵי־דָ֑רֶךְ הַֽ֝הֹלְכִ֗ים בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָֽה׃

Psalm 14:2 (LXX)

²πορευόμενος ἄμωμος καὶ ἐργαζόμενος δικαιοσύνην, λαλῶν ἀλήθειαν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ,

Psalm 14:2 (VGCLEM)

²Qui ingreditur sine macula,et operatur justitiam ;

For the final clause, see note in verse 3.

Psalm 15:3 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

³לֹֽא־רָגַ֨ל׀ עַל־לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ לֹא־עָשָׂ֣ה לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה לֹא־נָשָׂ֥א עַל־קְרֹֽבוֹ׃

He does not slander with his tongue

He does do evil to his neighbor

He does not raise a reproach against the one who is near.

The lamed is used in multiple ways in this verse: by means of the tongue, to his neighbor.

Psalm 14:3 (LXX)

³ὃς οὐκ ἐδόλωσεν ἐν γλώσσῃ αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ ἐποίησεν τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ κακὸν καὶ ὀνειδισμὸν οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἔγγιστα αὐτοῦ,

The LXX differs from the Hebrew slightly: “he does not receive a reproach” (elaben).

Psalm 14:3 (VGCLEM)

³qui loquitur veritatem in corde suo :qui non egit dolum in lingua sua,nec fecit proximo suo malum,et opprobrium non accepit adversus proximos suos.

The Latin makes the verse break at different point, who speaks truth in his heart is joined to verse 3, not 2.

Psalm 15:4 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

⁴נִבְזֶ֤ה׀ בְּֽעֵ֘ינָ֤יו נִמְאָ֗ס וְאֶת־יִרְאֵ֣י יְהוָ֣ה יְכַבֵּ֑ד נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לְ֝הָרַ֗ע וְלֹ֣א יָמִֽר׃

Despising in his eyes one rejected

But he honors the one who fears the LORD (YHWH).

Having sworn to his hurt, he does not change.

The “one rejected” is the niphal participle meaning one despised or rejected.

Psalm 14:4 (LXX)

⁴ἐξουδένωται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πονηρευόμενος, τοὺς δὲ φοβουμένους κύριον δοξάζει, ὁ ὀμνύων τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἀθετῶν,

Psalm 14:4 (VGCLEM)

⁴Ad nihilum deductus est in conspectu ejus malignus ;timentes autem Dominum glorificat.Qui jurat proximo suo, et non decipit ;

Psalm 15:5 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

⁵כַּסְפּ֤וֹ׀ לֹא־נָתַ֣ן בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮ וְשֹׁ֥חַד עַל־נָקִ֗י לֹ֥א לָ֫קָ֥ח עֹֽשֵׂה־אֵ֑לֶּה לֹ֖א יִמּ֣וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃

His silver he does not give (lend) at interest

And a bribe for the innocent he will not receive

The one doing these things will not ever be made to sway.

Psalm 14:5 (LXX)

⁵τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔδωκεν ἐπὶ τόκῳ καὶ δῶρα ἐπ̓ ἀθῴοις οὐκ ἔλαβεν. ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα οὐ σαλευθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

The LXX here has “shall [not] be shaken”.

Psalm 14:5 (VGCLEM)

5 qui pecuniam suam non dedit ad usuram, et munera super innocentem non accepit : qui facit hæc non movebitur in æternum.

The verb translated “sway” (ESV “moved”) has an interesting range which may have some bearing here:

<Lemma = lls/he/מוט>

BHS/WHM 4.2

English Standard Version

Lev 25:35

וְכִֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָ֥טָה יָד֖וֹ עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃

“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.

Deut 32:35

לִ֤י נָקָם֙ וְשִׁלֵּ֔ם לְעֵ֖ת תָּמ֣וּט רַגְלָ֑ם כִּ֤י קָרוֹב֙ י֣וֹם אֵידָ֔ם וְחָ֖שׁ עֲתִדֹ֥ת לָֽמוֹ׃

Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’

Isa 24:19

רֹ֥עָה הִֽתְרֹעֲעָ֖ה הָאָ֑רֶץ פּ֤וֹר הִֽתְפּוֹרְרָה֙ אֶ֔רֶץ מ֥וֹטהִֽתְמוֹטְטָ֖ה אָֽרֶץ׃

The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.

Isa 40:20

הַֽמְסֻכָּ֣ן תְּרוּמָ֔ה עֵ֥ץ לֹֽא־יִרְקַ֖ב יִבְחָ֑ר חָרָ֤שׁ חָכָם֙ יְבַקֶּשׁ־ל֔וֹ לְהָכִ֥ין פֶּ֖סֶל לֹ֥א יִמּֽוֹט׃

He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.

Isa 41:7

וַיְחַזֵּ֤ק חָרָשׁ֙ אֶת־צֹרֵ֔ף מַחֲלִ֥יק פַּטִּ֖ישׁ אֶת־ה֣וֹלֶם פָּ֑עַם אֹמֵ֤ר לַדֶּ֙בֶק֙ ט֣וֹב ה֔וּא וַיְחַזְּקֵ֥הוּ בְמַסְמְרִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִמּֽוֹט׃ ס

The craftsman strengthens the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good”; and they strengthen it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

Isa 54:10

כִּ֤י הֶֽהָרִים֙ יָמ֔וּשׁוּ וְהַגְּבָע֖וֹת תְּמוּטֶ֑נָה וְחַסְדִּ֞י מֵאִתֵּ֣ךְ לֹֽא־יָמ֗וּשׁ וּבְרִ֤ית שְׁלוֹמִי֙ לֹ֣א תָמ֔וּט אָמַ֥ר מְרַחֲמֵ֖ךְ יְהוָֽה׃ ס

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Ps 10:6

אָמַ֣ר בְּ֭לִבּוֹ בַּל־אֶמּ֑וֹט לְדֹ֥ר וָ֝דֹ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־בְרָֽע׃

He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”

Ps 13:5

פֶּן־יֹאמַ֣ר אֹיְבִ֣י יְכָלְתִּ֑יו צָרַ֥י יָ֝גִ֗ילוּ כִּ֣י אֶמּֽוֹט׃

lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

Ps 15:5

כַּסְפּ֤וֹ׀ לֹא־נָתַ֣ן בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮ וְשֹׁ֥חַד עַל־נָקִ֗י לֹ֥א לָ֫קָ֥ח עֹֽשֵׂה־אֵ֑לֶּה לֹ֖א יִמּ֣וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃

who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Ps 16:8

שִׁוִּ֬יתִי יְהוָ֣ה לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמּֽוֹט׃

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Ps 17:5

תָּמֹ֣ךְ אֲ֭שֻׁרַי בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶ֑יךָ בַּל־נָמ֥וֹטּוּ פְעָמָֽי׃

My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

Ps 21:8

כִּֽי־הַ֭מֶּלֶךְ בֹּטֵ֣חַ בַּיהוָ֑ה וּבְחֶ֥סֶד עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט׃

For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

Ps 30:7

וַ֭אֲנִי אָמַ֣רְתִּי בְשַׁלְוִ֑י בַּל־אֶמּ֥וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃

As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”

Ps 38:17

כִּֽי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי פֶּן־יִשְׂמְחוּ־לִ֑י בְּמ֥וֹט רַ֝גְלִ֗י עָלַ֥י הִגְדִּֽילוּ׃

For I said, “Only let them not rejoice over me, who boast against me when my foot slips!”

Ps 46:3

עַל־כֵּ֣ן לֹא־נִ֭ירָא בְּהָמִ֣יר אָ֑רֶץ וּבְמ֥וֹט הָ֝רִ֗ים בְּלֵ֣ב יַמִּֽים׃

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

Ps 46:6

אֱלֹהִ֣ים בְּ֭קִרְבָּהּ בַּל־תִּמּ֑וֹט יַעְזְרֶ֥הָ אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים לִפְנ֥וֹת בֹּֽקֶר׃

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

Ps 46:7

הָמ֣וּ ג֖וֹיִם מָ֣טוּ מַמְלָכ֑וֹת נָתַ֥ן בְּ֝קוֹלֹ֗ו תָּמ֥וּג אָֽרֶץ׃

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

Ps 55:4

מִקּ֤וֹל אוֹיֵ֗ב מִפְּנֵ֣י עָקַ֣ת רָשָׁ֑ע כִּי־יָמִ֥יטוּ עָלַ֥י אָ֝֗וֶן וּבְאַ֥ף יִשְׂטְמֽוּנִי׃

because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

Ps 60:4

הִרְעַ֣שְׁתָּה אֶ֣רֶץ פְּצַמְתָּ֑הּ רְפָ֖ה שְׁבָרֶ֣יהָ כִי־מָֽטָה׃

You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters.

Ps 62:3

אַךְ־ה֣וּא צ֭וּרִי וִֽישׁוּעָתִ֑י מִ֝שְׂגַּבִּ֗י לֹא־אֶמּ֥וֹט רַבָּֽה׃

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Ps 62:7

אַךְ־ה֣וּא צ֭וּרִי וִֽישׁוּעָתִ֑י מִ֝שְׂגַּבִּ֗י לֹ֣א אֶמּֽוֹט׃

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

Ps 82:5

לֹ֤א יָֽדְע֨וּ׀ וְלֹ֥א יָבִ֗ינוּ בַּחֲשֵׁכָ֥ה יִתְהַלָּ֑כוּ יִ֝מּ֗וֹטוּ כָּל־מ֥וֹסְדֵי אָֽרֶץ׃

They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Ps 93:1

יְהוָ֣ה מָלָךְ֮ גֵּא֪וּת לָ֫בֵ֥שׁ לָבֵ֣שׁ יְ֭הוָה עֹ֣ז הִתְאַזָּ֑ר אַף־תִּכּ֥וֹן תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל בַּל־תִּמּֽוֹט׃

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

Ps 94:18

אִם־אָ֭מַרְתִּי מָ֣טָה רַגְלִ֑י חַסְדְּךָ֥ יְ֝הוָ֗ה יִסְעָדֵֽנִי׃

When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

Ps 96:10

אִמְר֤וּ בַגּוֹיִ֨ם׀ יְה֘וָ֤ה מָלָ֗ךְ אַף־תִּכּ֣וֹן תֵּ֭בֵל בַּל־תִּמּ֑וֹט יָדִ֥ין עַ֝מִּ֗ים בְּמֵישָׁרִֽים׃

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”

Ps 104:5

יָֽסַד־אֶ֭רֶץ עַל־מְכוֹנֶ֑יהָ בַּל־תִּ֝מּ֗וֹט עוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃

He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.

Ps 112:6

כִּֽי־לְעוֹלָ֥ם לֹא־יִמּ֑וֹט לְזֵ֥כֶר ע֝וֹלָ֗ם יִהְיֶ֥ה צַדִּֽיק׃

For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.

Ps 125:1

שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת הַבֹּטְחִ֥ים בַּיהוָ֑ה כְּֽהַר־צִיּ֥וֹן לֹא־יִ֝מּ֗וֹט לְעוֹלָ֥ם יֵשֵֽׁב׃

A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

Ps 140:11

יִמּ֥֯יֹטוּ עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם גֶּֽחָ֫לִ֥ים בָּאֵ֥שׁ יַפִּלֵ֑ם בְּ֝מַהֲמֹר֗וֹת בַּֽל־יָקֽוּמוּ׃

Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise!

Job 41:15

מַפְּלֵ֣י בְשָׂר֣וֹ דָבֵ֑קוּ יָצ֥וּק עָ֝לָ֗יו בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט׃

The folds of his flesh stick together, firmly cast on him and immovable.

Prov 10:30

צַדִּ֣יק לְעוֹלָ֣ם בַּל־יִמּ֑וֹט וּ֝רְשָׁעִ֗ים לֹ֣א יִשְׁכְּנוּ־אָֽרֶץ׃

The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.

Prov 12:3

לֹא־יִכּ֣וֹן אָדָ֣ם בְּרֶ֑שַׁע וְשֹׁ֥רֶשׁ צַ֝דִּיקִ֗ים בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט׃

No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

Prov 24:11

הַ֭צֵּל לְקֻחִ֣ים לַמָּ֑וֶת וּמָטִ֥ים לַ֝הֶ֗רֶג אִם־תַּחְשֽׂוֹךְ׃

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

Prov 25:26

מַעְיָ֣ן נִ֭רְפָּשׂ וּמָק֣וֹר מָשְׁחָ֑ת צַ֝דִּ֗יק מָ֣ט לִפְנֵֽי־רָשָֽׁע׃

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

1 Chron 16:30

חִ֤ילוּ מִלְּפָנָיו֙ כָּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אַף־תִּכּ֥וֹן תֵּבֵ֖ל בַּל־תִּמּֽוֹט׃

tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

Translation Notes Psalm 39

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by memoirandremains in Psalms

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Hebrew Translation, Psalm 39, Psalms, Translation

Here are a day’s translation notes:

Psalm 39 (ESV)

To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. ¹ I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.” ² I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse. ³ My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: ⁴ “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! ⁵ Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah ⁶ Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! ⁷ “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. ⁸ Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool! ⁹ I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it. ¹⁰ Remove your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of your hand. ¹¹ When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah ¹² “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. ¹³ Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!”

Translation Notes:

¹לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ לִֽיד֯יּת֗וּן מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד

To the choirmaster, to Jeduthun.

A Psalm of David.

Delitzsch notes that Jeduthun was one of David’s three musicians (1 Chronicles 16:41 & 25:1). Thus, the name Jeduthun must be the choirmaster addressed.

²אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֶֽשְׁמְרָ֣ה דְרָכַי֮ מֵחֲט֪וֹא בִלְשׁ֫וֹנִ֥י

I said, I will guard my ways/words from sin with my tongue

The second אשׁמרה “I will guard” is probably a scribal error; the translation is based on the reading אשׂימה, implied by G.

Peter C. Craigie, vol. 19, Psalms 1–50, 2nd ed., Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville, TN: Nelson Reference & Electronic, 2004), 307.

מֵחֲט֪וֹא

Min (from) + ha (the) tu’ (to sin). Jouon notes that “Like the infinitive absolute, the infinitive construct is a verbal noun of action” (sec. 124 (a)). Jouon’s notes regarding the infinitive construction with the lamed seem appropriate here, albeit, this concerns a min: The infinitive used with a [lamed] after a verb to express an action which gives more details about or explains the preceding action (Jouon sec. 124(o)).

The guarding is for the purpose of not sinning.

Accents:

2. ( ֥֫) עוֹלֶהוְיוֹרֵד ʿÔlè weyôrēd, 1 a stronger divider than

3. (֑) ʾAthnâḥ (see above, I, 2). In shorter verses ʾAthnâh suffices as principal distinctive; in longer verses ʿÔlè weyôrēd serves as such, and is then mostly followed by ʾAthnâḥ as the principal disjunctive of the second half of the verse.

Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch and Sir Arthur Ernest Cowley, 2d English ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910), 61. Since this verse contains three lines, there is a need for three levels of distinction. The athnah will come in the next colon.

אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה לְפִ֥י מַחְס֑וֹם

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle.

Line c has a word that appears nowhere else in the Old Testament, “muzzle, bridle,” a picturesque description of the psalmist’s firm resolve to keep silent. In English it is more natural to speak of a “muzzle” rather than a bridle on one’s mouth: “I will keep a muzzle on my mouth” (NEB, NJB). Translators who are attempting to keep poetic images will need to find a receptor language equivalent for I will bridle my mouth. The context makes it clear that the term refers to keeping silence, not to subjection, as a bridle may imply. In some languages this is expressed “I will keep my hand on my lips” or “I will tie my lips.”

Robert G. Bratcher and William David Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991), 374.

בְּעֹ֖ד רָשָׁ֣ע לְנֶגְדִּֽי

As long as the evil ones are before me/in my presence.

Note on the beth + ‘od:

1. a) sbst. duration: בְּעוֹד as long as (? Ph. bodi, Poenulus 933, 941; Sznycer Poenulus 105; Friedrich Phön. Gramm.2 §248b), בְּעוֹדהַיּוֹם while it was still day 2S 335 = בְּעוֹדיוֹמָם Jr 159; בְּעוֹדִי as long as I am Ps 10433 and 1462 (parallel with בְּחַיַּי); while Gn 256 2S 1222 Jb 116f.18 (BHS); בְּעוֹדשְׁלֹשֶׁתיָמִים within three days Gn 4013.19 Jos 111; בְּעוֹדשְׁנָתַיִםיָמִים within two years Jr 283.11; בְּעוֹדשָׁנָה (rd. with 1QIsa בעודשלוששנים) Is 2116;

Ludwig Koehler, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J. Richardson and Johann Jakob Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill, 1999), 796.

The expression for “in my presence” is a bit odd: the expression here is literally in front of me/opposite to me. I found only 10 examples in the BHS2. The expression seems to entail more than physical presence: there is also a matter of intent and interaction: the presence causes some subjective response in the speaker.

.לְנֶגְדִּֽי

BHS/WHM 4.2

English Standard Version

Num 22:32

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה עַל־מָ֗ה הִכִּ֙יתָ֙ אֶת־אֲתֹ֣נְךָ֔ זֶ֖ה שָׁל֣וֹשׁ רְגָלִ֑ים הִנֵּ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ יָצָ֣אתִי לְשָׂטָ֔ן כִּֽי־יָרַ֥ט הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ לְנֶגְדִּֽי׃

And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.

2 Sam 22:23

כִּ֥י כָל־ מִשְ֯פָּטָ֖ו לְנֶגְדִּ֑י וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו לֹא־אָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃

For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside.

Hab 1:3

לָ֣מָּה תַרְאֵ֤נִי אָ֙וֶן֙ וְעָמָ֣ל תַּבִּ֔יט וְשֹׁ֥ד וְחָמָ֖ס לְנֶגְדִּ֑י וַיְהִ֧י רִ֦יב וּמָד֖וֹן יִשָּֽׂא׃

Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.

Ps 16:8

שִׁוִּ֬יתִי יְהוָ֣ה לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד כִּ֥י מִֽ֝ימִינִ֗י בַּל־אֶמּֽוֹט׃

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Ps 18:23

כִּ֣י כָל־מִשְׁפָּטָ֣יו לְנֶגְדִּ֑י וְ֝חֻקֹּתָ֗יו לֹא־אָסִ֥יר מֶֽנִּי׃

For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.

Ps 39:2

אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֶֽשְׁמְרָ֣ה דְרָכַי֮ מֵחֲט֪וֹא בִלְשׁ֫וֹנִ֥י אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה לְפִ֥י מַחְס֑וֹם בְּעֹ֖ד רָשָׁ֣ע לְנֶגְדִּֽי׃

I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”

Ps 50:8

לֹ֣א עַל־זְ֭בָחֶיךָ אוֹכִיחֶ֑ךָ וְעוֹלֹתֶ֖יךָ לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִֽיד׃

Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.

Dan 8:15

וַיְהִ֗י בִּרְאֹתִ֛י אֲנִ֥י דָנִיֵּ֖אל אֶת־הֶחָז֑וֹן וָאֲבַקְשָׁ֣ה בִינָ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֛ה עֹמֵ֥ד לְנֶגְדִּ֖י כְּמַרְאֵה־גָֽבֶר׃

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

Dan 10:13

וְשַׂ֣ר׀ מַלְכ֣וּת פָּרַ֗ס עֹמֵ֤ד לְנֶגְדִּי֙ עֶשְׂרִ֣ים וְאֶחָ֣ד י֔וֹם וְהִנֵּ֣ה מִֽיכָאֵ֗ל אַחַ֛ד הַשָּׂרִ֥ים הָרִאשֹׁנִ֖ים בָּ֣א לְעָזְרֵ֑נִי וַאֲנִי֙ נוֹתַ֣רְתִּי שָׁ֔ם אֵ֖צֶל מַלְכֵ֥י פָרָֽס׃

The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,

Dan 10:16

וְהִנֵּ֗ה כִּדְמוּת֙ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָ֔ם נֹגֵ֖עַ עַל־שְׂפָתָ֑י וָאֶפְתַּח־פִּ֗י וָאֲדַבְּרָה֙ וָאֹֽמְרָה֙ אֶל־הָעֹמֵ֣ד לְנֶגְדִּ֔י אֲדֹנִ֗י בַּמַּרְאָה֙ נֶהֶפְכ֤וּ צִירַי֙ עָלַ֔י וְלֹ֥א עָצַ֖רְתִּי כֹּֽחַ׃

And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength.

3 נֶאֱלַ֣מְתִּי ד֭וּמִיָּה הֶחֱשֵׁ֣יתִי מִטּ֑וֹב

I was dumb/mute [and] silent, I caused to hesitate/kept silent from good

This colon uses three separate words convey a lack of speaking. The second is a noun which is not preceded by a copulative: it reads I made myself mute, silence; I caused to keep silent from good. It is difficult to convey the feeling of the language into English:

‎ESV	‎NASB95	‎NIV	‎NIV84	‎NET	‎HCSB
‎‎Ps 39:2 I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.	‎‎Ps 39:2 I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse.	‎‎Ps 39:2 So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased;	‎‎Ps 39:2 But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.	‎‎Ps 39:2 I was stone silent; I held back the urge to speak. My frustration grew;	‎‎Ps 39:2 I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from speaking good, and my pain intensified.

וּכְאֵבִ֥י נֶעְכָּֽר׃

But my pain stirred up.

The verb in the qal means to entangle, throw into confusion. In the niphal (here), Halot has “stirred up” for this verse with “ruined” in Proverbs 15:6. The image is one of great confusion, agitation: his silence did not work.

חַם־לִבִּ֨י׀ בְּקִרְבִּ֗י

Hot my heart within me.

בַּהֲגִיגִ֥י תִבְעַר־אֵ֑שׁ

In my meditations/groans there burned a fire.

Do the meditations/sighing kindle the fire (a possible translation) or are they place expression for the burning?

דִּ֝בַּ֗רְתִּי בִּלְשֽׁוֹנִי

I spoke with my tongue:

Beth + tongue: by means of, the agency of my tongue.

—Where will this distress go? What will he break out against?

⁵הוֹדִ֘יעֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֨ה׀ קִצִּ֗י

Cause me to know Lord (YHWH) my end.

This is the only instance of “my end” in BHS2. The word “end” typically means a place of termination. Job 6:11 is an appropriate reference here:

What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? Job 6:11 (ESV)

Here is a powerful biblical counseling insight: The difficulty of life can best be responded to when it is seen and understood in a context, within the course of a story. Stories give events meaning. An event, alone, means nothing. Only in the context of a story does an event have significance.

וּמִדַּ֣ת יָמַ֣י מַה־הִ֑יא

And the measure of my days, what is it?

Measure (middath) is definite, because it is in a construct form and thus has the level of definiteness as the head noun. “A noun with a pronominal suffix is definite” (Ross, 116).

אֵ֝דְעָ֗ה מֶה־חָדֵ֥ל אָֽנִי׃

That I should know what fleetingness/transience I am.

That I should know how fleeting I am.

The word for “fleeting” is little used and has some interesting examples:

<Lemma = lls/he/חָדֵל>

BHS/WHM 4.2

English Standard Version

Isa 53:3

נִבְזֶה֙ וַחֲדַ֣ל אִישִׁ֔ים אִ֥ישׁ מַכְאֹב֖וֹת וִיד֣וּעַ חֹ֑לִי וּכְמַסְתֵּ֤ר פָּנִים֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ נִבְזֶ֖ה וְלֹ֥א חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ׃

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Ezek 3:27

וּֽבְדַבְּרִ֤י אֽוֹתְךָ֙ אֶפְתַּ֣ח אֶת־פִּ֔יךָ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כֹּ֥ה אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֑ה הַשֹּׁמֵ֤עַ׀ יִשְׁמָע֙ וְהֶחָדֵ֣ל׀ יֶחְדָּ֔ל כִּ֛י בֵּ֥ית מְרִ֖י הֵֽמָּה׃ ס

But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

Ps 39:5

הוֹדִ֘יעֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֨ה׀ קִצִּ֗י וּמִדַּ֣ת יָמַ֣י מַה־הִ֑יא אֵ֝דְעָ֗ה מֶה־חָדֵ֥ל אָֽנִי׃

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!

The verb is much more common and refers to things which are refused, something from which one desists.

⁶הִנֵּ֤ה טְפָח֨וֹת׀ נָ֘תַ֤תָּה יָמַ֗י

Behold (mere) handspans you give/gave my days.

The “behold”, while strange English, does draw direct attention to the thing which follows: Look here!

וְחֶלְדִּ֣י כְאַ֣יִן נֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ

And the duration of my life is nothing before you.

A slight vowel change and the word “duration” is the word “mole”. Spelling counts!

The LXX has καὶ ἡ ὑπόστασίς μου ὡσεὶ οὐθὲν ἐνώπιόν σου : and the substance of me is like nothing before you.

אַ֥ךְ כָּֽל־הֶ֥בֶל כָּל־אָ֝דָ֗ם נִצָּ֥ב סֶֽלָה

Surely all is hebel, all adam stands.

Hebel: The word “vanity” (NIV meaningless, Eccl. 1:2); transitory, a mere breath or vapor.

Adam: In Genesis 2-5, the proper noun Adam. It means humankind and is derived from the word for “dirt”.[1]

⁷אַךְ־בְּצֶ֤לֶם׀ יִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־אִ֗ישׁ

Surely as a shadow a man goes about.

The word “man” here is the word for “man” as opposed to “woman”.

Delitzsch notes, the beth is a beth essentiae, he walks on, consisting only of an unsubstantial shadow (vol. 2, 34).

The verb is a hithpael of the common (qal) verb “to walk” (hlk).

Like a shadow: the word shadow, selem, also means image: as in Genesis 1:27. Thus the irony of the usage. The verb sounds like Ecclesiastes 6:12: For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

The word “shadow” in Ecclesiastes 6:12 is sel, shadow. Sel, sounds like image, selem. The words also bear a relationship to one-another:

Sel, comes from the root verb s-l-l, to be shaded or dusky.^{^[2]} The words by sound and concept are related to the word for shadow^{^[3]} – hence either an image or something insubstantial.^{^[4]} Hence a pun on the nature of Adam: He was created the image of God (selem) but became a mere shadow (sel). Man created for eternity becomes insubstantial and false (selem, a mere image, an idol).^{^[5]}

אַךְ־הֶ֥בֶל יֶהֱמָי֑וּן

Surely hebel they are in turmoil

Hebel: see above.

יִ֝צְבֹּ֗ר וְֽלֹא־יֵדַ֥ע מִי־אֹסְפָֽם׃

They heap up and do not know who will gather.

There is no object for the verb “to heap”.

The sense of verse 6c is that a person will spend all his life and strength in acquiring possessions (heaps up), but will die without knowing who will get all he accumulated (who will gather). It is all futile, all useless.

Due to the very great differences in the way a dead person’s property is disposed of, translators should make clear that heaps us refers to becoming the owner of physical property and not to a season’s harvest. In some cases it will be necessary to drop the agricultural figures as TEV has done. In order to make clear that who will gather takes place after the wealthy man’s death, it may be necessary to say, for example, “A person gets wealth while he is alive, but after he dies, he does not know who gets it.” Some languages have proverbs which will fit this passage.

Robert G. Bratcher and William David Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991), 376.

⁸וְעַתָּ֣ה מַה־קִּוִּ֣יתִי אֲדֹנָ֑י תּ֝וֹחַלְתִּ֗י לְךָ֣ הִֽיא

But now, why do I wait/hope O Lord! My expectation/hope is you.

The sentence contains only one finite verb qwh, which means to wait or to hope. The second clause/colon reads: My hope in you – it (is).

Of the difference between the two words for hope, HALOT states:

Although the etymology is different the more common תִּקְוָה and the rarer תּוֹחֶלֶת are synonymous, and the most prominent idea of both is the aspect of waiting and expectation, so Zimmerli Der Mensch und seine Hoffnung im Alten Testament (1968) 15: expectation, hope.

Ludwig Koehler, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J. Richardson and Johann Jakob Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill, 1999), 1697.

As for the “she” (it) which ends the sentence, “When an independent personal pronoun stands in apposition to suffixed pronoun, it serves an emphatic role” (Waltke, 16.3.4, p. 299).

⁹מִכָּל־פְּשָׁעַ֥י הַצִּילֵ֑נִי חֶרְפַּ֥ת נָ֝בָ֗ל אַל־תְּשִׂימֵֽנִי׃

From all my transgressions, deliver me;

Shame/disgrace of the fool [construct relationship] do not set to me.

Pesha‘ means a crime or offense, something deserving of punishment.

Shame/disgrace is related to the verb to taunt/mock.

The verb to save, has the feeling of pulling someone/thing out of a circumstance, a rescue; salvation. The LXX has rhusai: rescue.

¹⁰נֶ֭אֱלַמְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶפְתַּח־פִּ֑י כִּ֖י אַתָּ֣ה עָשִֽׂיתָ׃

I am tied, I do not open my mouth

For you acted.

The first verb was previously used in v. 3, I am dumb/mute.

The “you” is emphatic.

¹¹הָסֵ֣ר מֵעָלַ֣י נִגְעֶ֑ךָ מִתִּגְרַ֥ת יָ֝דְךָ֗ אֲנִ֣י כָלִֽיתִי׃

Remove [hiphil imperative] from you your affliction/blow [the affliction/blow which comes from you]

Your hand, I [am] destroyed/spent/consumed.

The “I” is emphatic.

¹²בְּֽתוֹכָ֘ח֤וֹת עַל־עָוֹ֨ן׀ יִסַּ֬רְתָּ אִ֗ישׁ וַתֶּ֣מֶס כָּעָ֣שׁ חֲמוּד֑וֹ

אַ֤ךְ הֶ֖בֶל כָּל־אָדָ֣ם סֶֽלָה׃

In the punishment for sin, you chastise a man and cause to melt/consume like a moth his desire/treasure

Surely hebel is all adam. Selah.

The language of the first clause sounds like Psalm 6:1-8. There is some linguistic similarity between the passages.

Psalm 39:13 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

¹³שִֽׁמְעָ֥ה־תְפִלָּתִ֨י׀ יְהוָ֡ה

Listen to my prayer, Lord (YHWH)

This precise phrase, hear my prayer also appears in 84:9 and 102:2

וְשַׁוְעָתִ֨י׀ הַאֲזִינָה֮ אֶֽל־דִּמְעָתִ֗י אַֽל־תֶּ֫חֱרַ֥שׁ

And to my cry for help, give ear, unto my tears, do not be deaf.

Echoes Psalm 5:1-2

¹ Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. ² Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

כִּ֤י גֵ֣ר אָנֹכִ֣י עִמָּ֑ךְ

For a stranger/sojourner I am with you.

תּ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב כְּכָל־אֲבוֹתָֽי׃

One who dwells/a foreigner, like all my fathers.

The LXX has

Psalm 38:13 (LXX)

ὅτι πάροικος ἐγώ εἰμι παρὰ σοὶ καὶ παρεπίδημος καθὼς πάντες οἱ πατέρες μου.

The phrase paroikos kai parepidemos is used 1 Peter 2:11, Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and exiles …. (ESV).

Psalm 39:14 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

¹⁴הָשַׁ֣ע מִמֶּ֣נִּי וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה בְּטֶ֖רֶם אֵלֵ֣ךְ וְאֵינֶֽנִּי׃

Look away from me, and I will be cheerful

Before I go and I am not.

The verb sh‘h means to gaze, look at; but with min in the object, it means to avert one’s gaze.

[1] m.—(1) man (perhaps so called from the idea of redness, compare דָּם [“The Arabs distinguish two races of men; one red, ruddy, which we call white, the other black.” Gesen. add. But both these races are sprung from Adam]). It has neither const, state, nor plural form; but it is very often used collect. to denote men, the human race, Gen. 1:26, 27; 6:1; Ps. 68:19; 76:11; Job 20:29; כָּל־אָדָם “all men,” Job 21:33. Sometimes it is put as a genitive after adjectives, as אֶבְיוֹנֵי אָדָם “the needy of men,” i.e. needy men, Isa. 29:19; comp. Hos. 13:2; and with בְּ between, as בֹּגְדִים בְּאָדָם Pro. 23:28.—Specially used—(a) for other men, the rest of mankind, as opposed to those in question; Jer. 32:20, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבָאָדָם “in Israel and in other men,” Jud. 16:7; 18:28; Ps. 73:5; Isa. 43:4.—(b) of common men, as opposed to those of better condition. So כְּאָדָם nach der (gemeinen) Menfchen Weife, Job 31:33; Hos. 6:7; Ps. 82:7. Opposed to אִישׁ viri (more noble), Isa. 2:9; 5:15; שָׂרִים Ps. 82:7; comp. Isa. 29:21, and in pl. בְּנֵי אִישׁ Ps. 49:3; Pro. 8:4.—(c) used of slaves, like נֶפֶשׁ Nu. 16:32.—(d) of soldiers, Kriegsmannfchaft, Isa. 22:6; comp. אִישׁ No. 1, letter (h).

(2) a man, vir, i.q. אִישׁ Ecc. 7:28, “a man (i.e. one emphatically, worthy of the name) I have found one of a thousand, but a woman in all their number I have not found.”

(3) any one, Lev. 1:2; with a negative particle, no one, Job 32:21; comp. אִישׁ No. 4.

(4) [Adam], pr.n.—(a) of the first man made, Gen. 2:7, seq. 3, 4. In these passages at least אָדָם assumes somewhat the nature of a proper name, as denoting the man as the only one of his kind; as הַבַּעַל Baal, lord; κατʼ ἐξ., הַשָּׂטָן Satan (Lehrg. p. 653, 654). Hence LXX. Ἀδάμ, Vulg. Adam.—(b) a town on the Jordan, Josh. 3:16.

Wilhelm Gesenius and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2003), 13.

[2]

צֵל m. (f. Isa. 37:8, compare the form צִלָּה), with suff. צִלִּי (from the root צָלַל No. III) a shadow (Arab. ظِلُّ), Jud. 9:36; Ps. 80:11, etc. Metaph. Job 17:7, “all my members (are) like a shadow,” i.e. scarce a shadow of my body remains. Also—(a) used of anything fleeting and transient, Job 8:9; Psal. 102:12; Ecc. 8:13.—(b) of a roof which affords shade and protection (compare Lat. umbra); hence used for protection and defence; preserving sometimes however the image of a shadow, Psalm 17:8; 36:8; Isa. 16:3, “make thy shadow at noon as in the night,” i.e. afford a safe refuge in glowing heat. Isa. 23:4, “thou (O Jehovah) art a shadow in heat;” sometimes not retaining the image, Nu. 14:9; Ecc. 7:12. In plur. is used the form צְלָלִים.

Wilhelm Gesenius and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2003), 709.

[3]

צֵל: probably a primary noun (Bauer-L. Heb. 454b), > III צלל; SamP. ṣål (Babylonian vocalisation צַל); MHeb., DSS (Kuhn Konkordanz 187); JArm. טֻלָּא, טוּלָּא, טְלָלָא; Sam. טל (Ben-H. Lit. Or. 2:578), טלל (see 3/2:240); טל and similarly in the comparable dialects of Aramaic, → BArm. parallel with טלל; Ug. ẓl (Gordon Textbook §19:1052; Aistleitner 2371; Fisher Parallels 1: p. 220 entry 270; on ẓlm (Dietrich-L.-S. Texte 1, 161:1) see Dietrich-Loretz UF 12 (1980) 382); Akk. ṣillu shade, covering, protection (AHw. 1101; CAD Ṣ: 189); cf. ṣillûlu cover (AHw. 1102; CAD Ṣ: 194) and ṣulūlu roof, canopy (AHw. 1111; CAD Ṣ: 242); Arb. ẓill; ? OSArb. ẓlt (Conti Chrest. 160b, uncertain) roof, roofing; Eth. ṣĕlālōt (Dillmann Lex. 1257); Tigr. ṣĕlāl (Littmann-H. Wb. 632a) shadow: shadow: sf. צִלִּי, צִלְּךָ, צִלֵּךְ, צִלּוֹ, צִלֲּלוֹ (Jb 4022, Bauer-L. Heb. 570t), צִלָּהּ, צִלָּם; pl. צְלָלִים (Bauer-L. Heb. 570t), cs. צִלְלֵי־; (Bauer-L. Heb. 570t), Is 388 and 2K 2011 (gloss) fem. :: 2K 209.10 masc. (THAT 2:223: 53 times); Bordreuil RHPhR 46 (1966) 372-387.

Ludwig Koehler, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J. Richardson and Johann Jakob Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill, 1999), 1024-25.

[4]

צָלַם an unused root, Æth. ጸልመ፡ TO BE SHADY, Arab. ظَِاَِم to be obscure, ظامةُ darkness. Hence—

צֶלֶם m. with suff. צַלְמוֹ—(1) a shadow, Psalm 39:7; metaph. used of any thing vain, Psal. 73:20. Hence—

(2) an image, likeness (so called from its shadowing forth; compare σκία, σκίασμα, σκιαγραφέω), Genesis 1:27; 5:3; 9:6; an image, idol, 2 Kings 11:18; Am. 5:26. (Syr. and Chald. ܨܠܰܡܐܳ, צַלְמָא id., Arab. صَنَمُ an image, the letters נ and ל being interchanged.)

צֶלֶם, צְלֵם Ch. emphat. state, צַלְמָא m. an image, idol, Dan. 2:31, seqq.; 3:1, seqq.

צַלְמוֹן (“shady”), [Zalmon, Salmon], pr.n.—(1) of a mountain in Samaria, near Shechem, Jud. 9:48; this apparently is the one spoken of as covered with snow, Ps. 68:15.

(2) of one of David’s captains, 2 Sa. 23:28.

צַלְמוֹנָה (“shady”), [Zalmonah], pr.n. of a station of the Israelites in the desert, Nu. 33:41.

צַלְמָוֶת f. pr. shadow of death (comp. of צֵל shadow, and מָוֶת death), poet. for very thick darkness, Job 3:5; 10:21; 28:3; 34:22; 38:17, שַׁעֲרֵיצַלְמָוֶת “the gates of darkness.”

צַלְמֻנָּע (perhaps for צֵלמְמֻנָּע “to whom shadow is denied”), [Zalmunna], pr.n. of a prince of the Midianites, Jud. 8:5; Ps. 83:12.

Wilhelm Gesenius and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2003), 710-11.

[5]

: I *צלם (Bauer-L. Heb. 458s; THAT 2:556f :: W.H. Schmidt WMANT 172 (1967) 1331: צֵל + מ‍); SamP. ṣā̊låm; MHeb. image, statue, idol; DSS (Kuhn Konkordanz 187; THAT 2:562); JArm. צַלְמָא; Sam.; Ph. (Jean-H. Dictionnaire 245; THAT 2:556); EmpArm. ṣlmʾ, ṣlmh the effigy, his effigy (Donner-R. Inschriften text 225:3, 6; text 226:2; Jean-H. Dictionnaire 245; Hoftijzer-Jongeling Dictionary 968: statue); Ug. ṣlm pny (Gordon Textbook text 1002:59 = Dietrich-L.-S. Texte 2, 31:61; Aistleitner 2319; cf. Gordon Textbook §19:2059); Akk. sbst. ṣalmu statue, figurine, image (AHw. 1078f; CAD Ṣ: 78): in particular: 1. the statue of a god; 2. the statue of a king; 3. a statue in general; 4. a figurine; 5. a relief, bas-relief; 6. metaphorical, a constellation, shape, likeness, representation; BArm. →צְלֵם; Syr. ṣalmā, ṣəlemtā; CPArm. ṣlm; Mnd. ṣilma (Drower-M. Dictionary 393b) image, idol, shape, form; Nab., Palm. Hatra ṣlm, ṣlmʾ and ṣlmtʾ statue (Jean-H. Dictionnaire 245; Hoftijzer-Jongeling Dictionary 968, ṣlm I; see also BArm. under צְלֵם); OSArb. ẓlm (Conti Chrest. 161a) and ṣlm (Conti Chrest. 224b) likeness, statue; Arb. ṣanam idol (Arm. loanword, see Fraenkel Fremdwörter 273): cs. צֶלֶם, sf. צַלְמוֹ, צַלְמֵנוּ, צַלְמָם; pl. cs. צַלְמֵי, sf. צְלָמָיו, צַלְמֵיכֶם: THAT 2:556-563.

—1. statue, inscribed column 2K 1118/2C 2317.

—2. idol Nu 3352 Ezk 720, Am 526 (text uncertain) צַלְמֵיכֶם probably meaning effigies of the Kēwān, Babylonian astral deities (see AHw. 420b kajjamānû; CAD Ṣ: 38a line 6ff kajamānu adj. b: “steady” as a name of Saturn) and sakkut (Sumerian dSAG.KUD, see E. Reiner Šurpu tablet 2 line 180; Rudolph KAT 13/2:207; Wolff BK 14/2:304; THAT 2:557).

—3. pl.: —a. images, figures: צַלְמֵיזָכָר effigies of men Ezk 1617, צַלְמֵיכַשְׂדִּים pictures of the Chaldaeans carved into the wall Ezk 2314; —b. replicas, likenesses of the boils and mice 1S 65.11 (see THAT 2:557f).

—4. a. transitory image Ps 397 (parallel with הֶבֶל), Ps 7320 text uncertain (parallel with חֲלוֹם) cj. for צַלְמָם prp. צַלְמוֹ (BHS) :: Würthwein Wort und Existenz 169: MT “their idol”; —b. the צֶלֶם of Ps 397 7320 belongs to II *צלם rather than to I, and so means silhouette, fleeting shadows, so e.g. Humbert Études sur le récit du paradis et de la chute 156; cf. Kopf VT 9 (1959) 272 and in general W.H. Schmidt WMANT 172 (1967) 1331.

—5. likeness: —a. of a man as the צֶלֶם of God Gn 126f 96: for bibliography see Westermann BK 1/1:203-214; see further Barr BJRL 51 (1968) 11-26; Stamm “Zur Frage der Imago Dei im Alten Testament” (in Humanität und Glaube. Gedenkschrift für Kurt Guggisberg 243-253); Mettinger ZAW 86 (1974) 403-24; O.H. Steck FRLANT 115 (1975) 140567; O. Loretz Die Gottebenbildlichkeit des Menschen; THAT 2:558-562: man, God’s likeness, God’s image, i.e. he is God’s viceroy, representative or witness among the creatures; —b. the son as the צֶלֶם of his father Gn 53. †

Ludwig Koehler, Walter Baumgartner, M. E. J. Richardson and Johann Jakob Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, electronic ed. (Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill, 1999), 1028-29.

Translation and Notes 1 Clement 10:1-2

18 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in 1 Clement, Ante-Nicene, Biblical Counseling, Church History, Greek

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Ἀβραάμ, ὁ φίλος προσαγορευθείς, πιστὸς εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν ὑπήκοον γενέσθαι τοῖς ῥήμασιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. ² οὗτος δι ̓ ὑπακοῆς ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ὅπως γῆν ὀλίγην καὶ συγγένειαν ἀσθενῆ καὶ οἶκον μικρὸν καταλιπὼν κληρονομήσῃ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Translation:

Abraham was greeted as “friend.” He was found faithful in his obedience to the words of God. In obedience, he went out from his own country and from his family and from his father’s house; so that by leaving a little country and a feeble family and a small house he would inherit the promises of God!

Lightfoot: Abraham, who was called the ‘friend,’ was found faithful in that he rendered obedience unto the words of God. 2He through obedience went forth from his land and from his kindred and from his father’s house, that leaving a scanty land and a feeble kindred and a mean house he might inherit the promises of God.

Counseling/Pastoral notes: Clement seeks to win the Corinthians to obedience through biblical examples (1 Clement 9:2). Here Clement provides the example of Abraham. The section translated below opens the argument: Abraham a friend of God (and who would not want to be a friend of God) was found faithful in his obedience. He left his little land, weak family, small house to inherit the promises of God! (Clement in the following lines proves the point of Abraham’s blessing).

The pastor and counselor may take a lesson here: It is appropriate to lay out the consequences of one’s decisions with respect to the rule of God. The Proverbs use this model throughout:

The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,

but the path of the upright is a level highway. Proverbs 15:19 (ESV)

The counselor aids the fellow brother or sister by laying out the consequences of a decision. Further note the Scriptural intensity of Clement’s barrage: Clement has a ready arsenal of Scriptural examples (and exhortations) to press home his point with the Corinthians.

By referencing something beyond his own wisdom and experience, Clement also puts the Corinthians’ bad behavior into focus: you are in rebellion against God, himself. Do you see what the Lord commands? — and, in the section at hand, Do you see how the Lord blesses?

Translation notes:

Ἀβραάμ, ὁ φίλος προσαγορευθείς: Abraham, the one greeted as friend.

Ho prosagoreutheis: substantive passive participle: the one greeted (as).

Philos: friend, the content of the address

23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. James 2:23 (ESV)

A question exists as to whether Clement references James at this point. The language “friend of God” is not found in the OT. However, Clement uses a different word for called than is used by James. In addition, the phrase had some currency at the time:

Third, while καὶ φίλος θεοῦ ἐκλήθη is not a direct biblical citation, James apparently uses it as a paraphrase of the biblical sense (in such passages as Is. 41:8 and 2 Ch. 20:7), a paraphrase that had already become the common title in Judaism for Abraham as a result of his faithful deeds (Jub. 19:9; 30:20; 2 Esd. 3:14; Philo Abr. 273; cf. 1 Clem. 10:1; Cantinat, 154; Bowker, 209, 212; J. Jeremias, TDNT I,8). Thus it rounds off his biblical citation with a summary which is itself biblical in a loose (midrashic) sense.*

Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982), 130. The LXX references are not exact: 2 Chronicles 20:7 uses the address “beloved” τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ (ESV, friend). Isaiah 41:8 has Abraham, the one beloved, Αβρααμ, ὃν ἠγάπησα (ESV, Abraham, my friend). Thus, the OT LXX is not a precise parallel, either.

In short, an allusion can be proved or discounted.

πιστὸς εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν ὑπήκοονγενέσθαι τοῖς ῥήμασιν τοῦ Θεοῦ: faithful he was found in obedience to have been to the words (spoken words) of God.

While the first allusion to “friend” does not prove the point of an allusion to James, the coupling of “obedience” and “faith” does more strongly suggest a relationship, in that it brings the three elements of James’ use together in the same manner.

Grant and Graham write: “Clement is obviously using Hebrews (which he knew) or James or perhaps a traditional Jewish pattern which lies behind both.”

The aorist middle infinitive here functions as a complementary/supplementary infinitive to the finite verb “he was found”: thus, he was found to be/to have been.

οὗτος δι ̓ ὑπακοῆς ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ: thus, through obedience he went out from his land

Houtos: demonstrative pronoun: this one, that is Abraham.

dia + genitive: by means of obedience

καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ: and from his kindred, and from the house of his father

The use of kai/and places each of these elements in parallel.

Of the house of the father of him: second attributive position with a trailing genitive to indicate the familial relationship.

ὅπως γῆν ὀλίγην καὶ συγγένειαν ἀσθενῆ καὶ οἶκον μικρὸν καταλιπὼν: in order that [by leaving] a little land and a weak kindred and a small house [leaving the verb comes at the end of the sentence]

κληρονομήσῃ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Θεοῦ: he might inherit the promises of God.

This is an indication of the loss of the optative in Koine Greek. Since the verb in the main clause is in the aorist (albeit a participle), one could have expected the optative in the purpose clause: he left that he might inherit …..

Augustine Confessions 1.1.1a (Translation and Notes)

19 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by memoirandremains in Augustine, Church History, John Calvin, Prayer

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Confessions 1.1.1

magnus es, domine, et laudabilis valde. magna virtus tua et sapientiae tuae non est numerus

Notes:

It is interesting that in seeking to confess his own life, Augustine begins with a confession of the Lord’s greatness.[1] This is praise draws heavily upon Scripture, as noted below.

Magnus es: Great are you

Domine: God, vocative

Et laudabilis valde: and praiseworthy intensely so.

magna virtus tua: Great is your strength

et sapientiae tuae: and your wisdom

non est numerous: not is numbered (cannot be numbered, infinite, exceedingly great).

Translation:

Great are you Lord, and worthy of praise. Great is your strength, and your wisdom has no end.

Pusey: Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and Thy wisdom infinite.

Biblical Cross-References:

Great are you Lord:

Magnus Dominus, et laudabilis nimis, et magnitudinis ejus non est finis. Psalm 144:3 (VGCLEM)

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of his greatness there is no end. Psalm 144:3 (D-R)

1 Aperiens autem Tobias senior os suum, benedixit Dominum, et dixit : Magnus es, Domine, in æternum, et in omnia sæcula regnum tuum : Tobit 13:1 (VGCLEM)

1 AND Tobias the elder opening his mouth, blessed the Lord, and said: Thou art great O Lord, for ever, and thy kingdom is unto all ages. Tobit 13:1 (D-R)

The Wisdom of God:

Psalm 146:5 (Vulgate, D-R):

5 Magnus Dominus noster, et magna virtus ejus,

et sapientiæ ejus non est numerus.

Great is our Lord, and great is his power:

and of his wisdom there is no number.

Isaiah 40:8:

28 Numquid nescis, aut non audisti ? Deus sempiternus Dominus, qui creavit terminos terræ : non deficiet, neque laborabit, nec est investigatio sapientiæ ejus. Isaiah 40:28 (VGCLEM)

28 Knowest thou not, or hast thou not heard? the Lord is the everlasting God, who hath created the ends of the earth: he shall not faint, nor labour, neither is there any searching out of his wisdom. Isaiah 40:28 (D-R)

Romans 11:33:

33 O altitudo divitiarum sapientiæ, et scientiæ Dei : quam incomprehensibilia sunt judicia ejus, et investigabiles viæ ejus ! Romans 11:33 (VGCLEM)

33 O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! Romans 11:33 (D-R)

[1] Calvin’s Institutes begin with this observation:

OUR wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone. In the second place, those blessings which unceasingly distil to us from heaven, are like streams conducting us to the fountain. Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility. For as there exists in man something like a world of misery, and ever since we were stript of the divine attire our naked shame discloses an immense series of disgraceful properties every man, being stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness, in this way necessarily obtains at least some knowledge of God. Thus, our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us (see Calvin on John 4:10), that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.

2. On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he have previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only, and not to the Lord alsoD2—He being the only standard by the application of which this conviction can be produced. For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself. And since nothing appears within us or around us that is not tainted with very great impurity, so long as we keep our mind within the confines of human pollution, anything which is in some small degree less defiled delights us as if it were most pure just as an eye, to which nothing but black had been previously presented, deems an object of a whitish, or even of a brownish hue, to be perfectly white. Nay, the bodily sense may furnish a still stronger illustration of the extent to which we are deluded in estimating the powers of the mind. If, at mid-day, we either look down to the ground, or on the surrounding objects which lie open to our view, we think ourselves endued with a very strong and piercing eyesight; but when we look up to the sun, and gaze at it unveiled, the sight which did excellently well for the earth is instantly so dazzled and confounded by the refulgence, as to oblige us to confess that our acuteness in discerning terrestrial objects is mere dimness when applied to the sun. Thus too, it happens in estimating our spiritual qualities. So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness will become polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy will be condemned as the most miserable impotence. So far are those qualities in us, which seem most perfect, from corresponding to the divine purity.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 1997).