Monday, October 29, 2012

Psalm 8:6

וַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ מְּעַט מֵאֱלֹהִים וְכָבֹוד וְהָדָר תְּעַטְּרֵהוּ׃

Rough Word-by-word:
And you lacked him a little from God and honor and glory you will crown him.

Smooth Translation:
But you made him a little lacking from God, and with honor and glory you crown him.

וַתְּחַסְּרֵהוּ vav conversive and Piel imperfect 2ms from חָסֵר (he lacked) with 3ms pronominal suffix "and you have lacked him" (hard to put this in English as a transitive verb...)

מְּעַט adjective "a little"
מֵאֱלֹהִים preposition with noun mp "from God" (LXX translates "from angels")

וְכָבֹוד conjunction with noun ms "and heaviness or honor"

וְהָדָר conjunction with noun ms "and glory"

תְּעַטְּרֵהוּ Piel imperfect 2ms from עָטַר (he crowned) with 3ms pronominal suffix "you will crown him"

Friday, October 26, 2012

Psalm 8:5

מָה־אֱנֹושׁ כִּי־תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ וּבֶן־אָדָם כִּי תִפְקְדֶנּוּ׃

Rough Word-by-word:
What is man for you will remember him, and the son of man for you will number him?

Smooth Translation:
What is man that you remember him, and the son of man that you number him?

Notes:
I think the imperfect verbs here should be taken in a continuous sense - an ongoing remembrance and awareness of his being, thus able to be reckoned or numbered.

מָה־אֱנֹושׁ interrogative and noun ms "what [is] man"

כִּי־תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ preposition and Qal imperfect 2ms with 3ms pronominal suffix from זָכַר (he remembered) "for you will remember him"

וּבֶן־אָדָם conjunction and noun ms in construct with noun ms "and the son of man"

כִּי preposition "for"

תִפְקְדֶנּוּ Qal imperfect 2ms with 3ms pronominal suffix from פָּקַד (he numbered, he reckoned) "for you will number him"

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Psalm 8:4

כִּי־אֶרְאֶה שָׁמֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂי אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ יָרֵחַ וְכֹוכָבִים אֲשֶׁר כֹּונָנְתָּה׃

Rough Word-by-word:
As I will see the heavens of you, the works of fingers of you, the moon and stars which you established,

Smooth Translation:
When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and starts which you established,

כִּי־אֶרְאֶה preposition with Qal imperfect 1cs from רָאָה (he saw, he looked) "as I will see"

שָׁמֶיךָ noun mp with 2ms pronominal suffix "[the] heavens of you"

מַעֲשֵׂי noun mp in construct "[the] works of"

אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ noun fp with 2ms pronominal suffix "fingers of you"

יָרֵחַ definite article and noun ms "the moon" (I thought is was a feminine noun...but it is masculine.)

וְכֹוכָבִים conjunction and noun mp "and stars"

אֲשֶׁר relative pronoun "who, which, what"

כֹּונָנְתָּה Polel perfect 2ms from כוּן (he established) "you established"

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Psalm 8:3

מִפִּי עֹולְלִים ׀ וְיֹנְקִים יִסַּדְתָּ עֹז לְמַעַן צֹורְרֶיךָ לְהַשְׁבִּית אֹויֵב וּמִתְנַקֵּם׃

Rough Word-by-word:
From the mouth of little children and  sucking ones you have established strength because of the ones being hostile to you to cause to cease the one being an enemy and the one avenging himself.

Smooth Translation:
From the mouth of children and sucking ones you have established strength because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.

מִפִּי preposition with noun ms in construct "from [the] mouth of"

עֹולְלִים substantive adjective mp "little children"

וְיֹנְקִים conjunction with Qal active participle mp from יָנַק (he sucked) "and sucking ones"

יִסַּדְתָּ Piel perfect 2ms from יָסַד (he established) "you have established" (note: same root used in Psalm 2:2 talking about the rulers taking "counsel")

עֹז noun mp "strength"

לְמַעַן preposition "for the sake of, because of"

צֹורְרֶיךָ Qal active participle mp with 2ms pronominal suffix from צָרַר (he was hostile) "the ones being hostile to you"

לְהַשְׁבִּית hiphil infinitive construct from שָׁבַת (he rested, he ceased) "to cause to cease"

אֹויֵב Qal active participle ms from אָיַב (he was an enemy) "the one being an enemy"

וּמִתְנַקֵּם conjunction and Hithpael participle ms from נָקַם (he avenged) "and the one avenging himself"

Monday, October 22, 2012

Psalm 8:2

יְהוָה אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה־אַדִּיר מְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תְּנָה הֹודְךָ עַל־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃

Rough Word-by-word:
LORD, Lord of us how majestic is the name of you in all the earth which you give glory of you over the heavens.

Smooth Translation:
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, whose glory give over the heavens.

Notes:
Here is Greswell's commentary on the verb -
תּנה hast-set, this word is very perplexing; it may be Kal
2 m. s. imp. with ה parag. from נָתן (which Glory of Thine do
Thou set, &c.); according to some, תּנָה is an irreg. form of the
inf. constr. after the analogy of רדה Gen. xlvi. 3, (Thou, the
setting of whose Glory is above the heavens); whilst others, with
a change of vowel points, would read תּנָה Hoph. 3 f. s. pret.
from
נָתן; others again suppose תְנָה to be a defective form for
תָּנָה (Thou whose Glory is extended), תנה being supposed to be
kindred with תנן and the Indo-Germanic root tan, whence Gr. τείνω
Lat. tendere, tennis, and Ger. Dehnen.


יְהוָה Tetragrammaton - divine name "LORD"

אֲדֹנֵינוּ noun mp with 1cp pronominal suffix "Lord of us"

מָה־אַדִּיר interrogative with predicate adjective ms "how majestic [is]"

מְךָ noun ms with 2ms pronominal suffix "name of you"

בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ preposition with adjective fs and definite article with noun fs "in all the earth"

אֲשֶׁר relative pronoun "which, who, what"

תְּנָה Qal imperative 2ms from נָתַן (he gave) "give" (Greswell calls this verb "very perplexing," and Soncino says, "The meaning given to the verb is uncertain." Owens doesn't give the root. See the notes above.)

הֹודְךָ noun ms with 2ms pronominal suffix "glory of you"

עַל־הַשָּׁמָיִם preposition and definite article with noun mp "on or over the heavens"

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Psalm 8:1

לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל־הַגִּתִּית מִזְמֹור לְדָוִד׃

Rough Word-by-word:
To/for the overseeing one upon the Gittith; [a] Psalm of/for David.

Smooth Translation:
To the leader upon the Gittith; a Psalm of David.

Notes:
For "upon the Gittith" there are some interpretive issues:
Soncino says:
Two explanations are possible, alike based upon Jewish tradition. The Targum connects the term with the city named Gath, suggesting a musical instrument or melody which had a Philistine origin. The Midrash sees a connection with Hebrew gath, 'a winepress,' hence a tune associated with vintage songs. Modern scholars favour the second alternative.

The LXX translates with τῶν ληνῶν (the wine-presses), using the plural.

לַמְנַצֵּחַ preposition and definite article with Piel participle ms from נָצַח (he oversaw) "to/for the overseeing one"

עַל־הַגִּתִּית preposition with definite article and noun fs "upon the Gittith" (Owens parses this as a feminine plural noun while BibleWorks 4 parses it as a feminine singular - see notes above.)

מִזְמֹור noun ms "[a] psalm"

לְדָוִד preposition with proper name "to/for David"

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Psalm 7:18

אֹודֶה יְהוָה כְּצִדְקֹו וַאֲזַמְּרָה שֵׁם־יְהוָה עֶלְיֹון׃

Rough Word-by-word:
I will cause to thank the LORD for righteousness of him and intensely praise the name of the LORD most high.

Smooth Translation:
I will thank the LORD for his righteousness and intensely praise the name of the LORD most high.

Notes:
In Page Kelley's Biblical Hebrew on page 145 he talks about the Vav Consecutive or Vav Conversive saying:

The vav consecutive is a special form of the conjunction which can be prefixed to imperfect forms of Hebrew verbs to express the narrated past. A passage narrating consecutive events in past time will often begin with a perfect, and then be continued by a series of imperfects with vav consecutive. Because both perfects and imperfects in such a sequence are normally translated in the past tense, it is common for grammarians to refer to the vav consecutive as the "vav conversive" and to claim that it "converts" imperfect forms of the verb into perfects.
It would be simpler to say that imperfects prefixed with vav consecutives represent consecutive actions that from the reader's viewpoint took place in past time. They may be understood as either sequential ("and then") or consequential ("and so"), although it is not always possible to draw a sharp line of distinction between these two meanings, nor is it always necessary to express the distinction in translation.


אֹודֶה Hiphil imperfect 1cs from יָדָה (he thanked) "I will cause to thank" (I thought it was Qal, but all my resources say Hiphil)

יְהוָה Tetragrammaton - divine name "the LORD"

כְּצִדְקֹו preposition and noun ms with 3ms pronominal suffix "for righteousness of him"

וַאֲזַמְּרָה Piel imperfect 1cs with vav consecutive from זָמַר (he praised in song) "and intensely praise" (see note above on Vav consecutive)

שֵׁם־יְהוָה noun ms in construct with Tetragrammaton "[the] name of the LORD"

עֶלְיֹון adjective ms "most high" (Owens calls this a noun - "the most high")

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Psalm 7:17

יָשׁוּב עֲמָלֹו בְרֹאשֹׁו וְעַל קָדְקֳדֹו חֲמָסֹו יֵרֵד׃

Rough Word-by-word:
[He] It will return the labor of him on the head of him and on the crown of the head of him violence of him [he] it will go down.

Smooth Translation:
His labors will return on his head and his violence will go down on the crown of his head.

יָשׁוּב Qal imperfect 3ms from שׁוּב (he returned) "[he] it will return"

עֲמָלֹו noun ms with 3ms pronominal suffix "the labor of him" (Owens translates this as "his mischief")

בְרֹאשֹׁו preposition and noun ms with 3ms pronominal suffix "[in] on the head of him"

וְעַל conjunction and preposition "and on"

קָדְקֳדֹו noun ms with 3ms pronominal suffix "the crown of the head of him" (Owens calls it "his own pate.")

חֲמָסֹו noun ms with 3ms pronominal suffix "[the] violence of him"

יֵרֵד Qal imperfect 3ms from יָרַד (he went down) "[he] it will go down"

Monday, October 15, 2012

Psalm 7:16

בֹּור כָּרָה וַיַּחְפְּרֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל בְּשַׁחַת יִפְעָל׃

Rough Word-by-word:
a pit he digged and he digged out it and he fell in the hole he makes

Smooth Translation:
He digged and digged out a pit, and has fallen in the hole he makes.

בֹּור noun masculine singular "a pit"

כָּרָה Qal perfect 3ms from כָּרָה (he dug, he digged) "he digged"

וַיַּחְפְּרֵהוּ Qal imperfect 3ms with a vav conversive and 3ms pronominal suffix from חָפַר (he digged out) "and he digged out [him] it"

וַיִּפֹּל Qal imperfect 3ms with a vav conversive from נָפַל (he fell) "and he fell"

בְּשַׁחַת preposition with noun fs "in [the] hole"

יִפְעָל Qal imperfect 3ms from פָּעַל (he did, he made) "he will make" or "he makes" (note the imperfect - incomplete)

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Psalm 7:15

הִנֵּה יְחַבֶּל־אָוֶן וְהָרָה עָמָל וְיָלַד שָׁקֶר׃

Rough Word-by-word:
Behold, he will bind evil and he will conceive trouble and he will beget a lie.

Smooth Translation:
Behold, he will bind evil and conceive trouble, and beget a lie.

הִנֵּה interjection "behold"

יְחַבֶּל־אָוֶן Piel imperfect 3ms from הָבַל (he bound) with noun ms "he will bind evil"

וְהָרָה vav conversive with Qal perfect 3ms from הָרָה (he conceived) "and he will conceive"

עָמָל noun ms "trouble"

וְיָלַד vav conversive with Qal perfect 3ms from יָלַד (bear, beget) "and he will bear"

שָׁקֶר noun ms "a lie"

Monday, October 8, 2012

Psalm 7:14

וְלֹו הֵכִין כְּלֵי־מָוֶת חִצָּיו לְדֹלְקִים יִפְעָל׃

Rough Word-by-word:
And for him he caused to prepare vessels of death. The arrows of him for pursuing men he will do.

Smooth Translation:
And he caused to prepare vessels of death for him. His arrows for the pursuers he will make.

וְלֹו conjunction with preposition and 3ms pronominal suffix "and to/for him"

הֵכִין Hiphil perfect 3ms from כּוּן (he prepared) "he caused to prepare"

כְּלֵי־מָוֶת noun mp in construct with noun ms "vessels of death"

חִצָּיו noun mp in construct with 3ms pronominal suffix "[the] arrows of him"

לְדֹלְקִים preposition with Qal active participle mp from דָּלַק (he pursued) "to/for pursuing men"

יִפְעָל Qal imperfect 3ms from פָעַל (he did) "he will do"

Monday, October 1, 2012

A spot of tea?

Last Friday as we began looking at Proverbs 1 we noted the ת at he end of a number of infinitive constructs. I spoke with Dr. Staats about this and he told me this is just the form of some of the weak infinitive constructs and that Weingreen talks about it.

I could not find the form in Weingreen, but in Kelley on pages 180-181 he talks about Pe Vav and Pe Yod verbs and Gutturals that take this form. Also in  Pratico's grammar on pages 236-239 he also indicates this as the form for the infinitive construct of these verbs.