Thursday, November 29, 2012

Psalm 9:4

בְּשׁוּב־אֹויְבַי אָחֹור יִכָּשְׁלוּ וְיֹאבְדוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ׃

Rough Word-by-word:
In returning the ones who are enemies of me the place behind they will stumble and they will perish from the faces of you.

Smooth Translation:
My enemies are returned back. They will stumble and perish from your face.

בְּשׁוּב־אֹויְבַי preposition with Qal infinitive construct from שׁוּב (return) and Qal active participle mp in construct with 1cs pronominal suffix from אָיַב (be an enemy) "in returning the ones who are enemies of me"

אָחֹור noun ms "the place behind"

יִכָּשְׁלוּ Niphal imperfect 3mp from כָּשַׁל (he stumbled) "they will stumble" ("they will be stumbled?" - The English is difficult here.)

וְיֹאבְדוּ conjunction and Qal imperfect 3mp from אָבַד (he perished, he was detroyed) "and they will perish"

מִפָּנֶיךָ preposition and noun mp in construct with 2ms pronominal suffix "from the faces of you" (segol yod because of the pause)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Psalm 9:3

אֶשְׂמְחָה וְאֶעֶלְצָה בָךְ אֲזַמְּרָה שִׁמְךָ עֶלְיֹון׃

Rough Word-by-word:
I will rejoice and I will exult in you. I will intensely praise the name of you, most high.

Smooth Translation:
I will rejoice and exult in you. I will intensely praise your name, most high.

אֶשְׂמְחָה Qal imperfect 1cs from שָׂמַח (he rejoiced) "I will rejoice"

וְאֶעֶלְצָה conjunction and Qal imperfect 1cs from עָלַצ (he exulted) "and I will exult"

בָךְ preposition with 2ms pronominal suffix "in you" (this is ms not fs - it is accented causing a lengthening of the vowel under the preposition)

אֲזַמְּרָה Piel imperfect 1cs from זָמַר (he sang, he praised) "I will intensely praise"

שִׁמְךָ noun ms in construct with 2ms pronominal suffix "[the] name of you"

עֶלְיֹון adjective ms "most high"

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Psalm 9:2

אֹודֶה יְהוָה בְּכָל־לִבִּי אֲסַפְּרָה כָּל־נִפְלְאֹותֶיךָ׃

Rough Word-by-word:
I will cause thanks to God in all the heart of me. I will intensely recount all the being wonderful of you.

Smooth Translation:
I will give thanks to God with my whole heart. I will declare all your wonders.

אֹודֶה Hiphil imperfect 1cs from יָדָה (he gave thanks) "I will cause thanks" (note: not יָדַע , he knew)

יְהוָה tetragrammaton - divine name "God"

בְּכָל־לִבִּי preposition and adjective ms with preposition and noun ms with 1cs pronominal suffix "in all the heart of me"

אֲסַפְּרָה Piel imperfect 1cs from סָפַר (he recounted, he told) "I will intensely recount"

כָּל־נִפְלְאֹותֶיךָ adjective ms and niphal participle fp with 2ms pronominal suffix from פָלָא (he was wonderful) "all the being wonderful of you"

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Psalm 9:1

לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַלְמוּת לַבֵּן מִזְמֹור לְדָוִד׃

Rough Word-by-word:
To the overseeing one upon death to the son a psalm of David.

Smooth Translation:
To the leader upon the death to the son, a psalm of David.

Notes: עַלְמוּת לַבֵּן is hard to translate. I'm taking עַלְמוּת as a preposition prefixed to a noun,and some manuscripts actually have a maqqeph, but מָוֶת is the ms noun for "death." The verb, מוּת, means "die," but Owens says "prb. rd. על מוֹת לַבֵן as prep.-n.f. p." The LXX says, ὑπὲρ τῶν κρυφίων τοῦ υἱοῦ - "concerning the secrets of the son"
 
Here is Soncino's comment:
Muth-labben. lit. 'death to the son.' The old Jewish commentators explain that David composed this paean on the death of a neighbouring ruler, named Labben, who had oppressed Israel; but there is no record of him in the Bible history. By analogy it is most likely a direction to the leader of the orchestra, indicating the name of a song whose melody was to accompany the Psalm.

Here is Greswell's comment:
Verse 1. מוּת לַבֵּן Muth-labben, lit. Death of the son. Some
suppose this to be the name of a tune or of a musical instrument; others regard ל as servile and בֵּן as the prop, name of a
Levite, as in i Chron. xv. 1 8 ; whilst others suppose Absalom to
be meant, and render it 'On the death of the son;' whilst others
again take it as an anagram of Nabal, and render it 'On the
death of the fool.' See i Sam. xxv. 25.

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

עַלְמוּת prepostion with noun ms "upon death" (see notes above)

לַבֵּן prepostion and definite article with noun ms "to/for the son"

מִזְמֹור noun ms "[a] psalm"

לְדָוִד preposition with proper noun "to/for David"

Monday, November 19, 2012

Psalm 8:10

יְהוָה אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה־אַדִּיר מְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ ׃

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


Smooth Translation:
LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

Notes:

Soncino notes on this verse, "Repetition of the opening verse; 'but, as one may say, it sounds an octave higher, after the intervening melody--the thesis is reiterated with emphasis after the proof and illustration given' (Davison.)."
 
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"

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Psalm 8:9

צִפֹּור שָׁמַיִם וּדְגֵי הַיָּם עֹבֵר אָרְחֹות יַמִּים׃

Rough Word-by-word:
the bird of the heavens and fishes of the sea; ones passing over paths of the sea.

Smooth Translation:
the bird of the heavens and fish of the sea, the ones passing over the paths of the sea.

צִפֹּור noun fs in construct "[the] bird of" (but I think a collective singular)

שָׁמַיִם noun mp "[the] heavens"

וּדְגֵי conjunction and noun mp in construct "and fishes of"

הַיָּם definite article and noun mp "the sea"

עֹבֵר Qal active participle ms from עָבַר (he passed over) "ones passing over"

אָרְחֹות noun fp in construct "paths of"

יַמִּים noun mp "[the] sea"

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Psalm 8:8

צֹנֶה וַאֲלָפִים כֻּלָּם וְגַם בַּהֲמֹות שָׂדָי׃

Rough Word-by-word:
Sheep and Oxen, all of them, and even the beasts of the field.

Smooth Translation:
Sheep and Oxen, all of them, and even the beasts of the field.

צֹנֶה noun ms "sheep"

וַאֲלָפִים conjunction and noun mp "and oxen"

כֻּלָּם adjective ms in construct with 3mp pronominal suffix "all of them"

וְגַם conjunction "and even"

בַּהֲמֹות definite article and preposition with noun fp in construct "the beasts of"

שָׂדָי noun ms "[the] field" (Greswell says this word is the same as שָׂדֶה, but only used in poetry.)

Monday, November 12, 2012

Psalm 8:7

תַּמְשִׁילֵהוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ כֹּל שַׁתָּה תַחַת־רַגְלָיו׃

Rough Word-by-word:
You have caused to rule - him, in works of the hands of you. All you put under the feet of him.

Smooth Translation:
You have caused him to rule over the works of your hands. You have put every thing under his feet.

תַּמְשִׁילֵהוּ Hiphil imperfect 2ms with 3ms pronominal suffix from מָשַׁל (he ruled) "you caused to rule - him"

בְּמַעֲשֵׂי preposition with noun mp in construct "in works of"

יָדֶיךָ noun feminine dual in construct with 2ms pronominal suffix "the hands of you"

כֹּל adjective adjective ms "all"

שַׁתָּה Qal perfect 2ms from שִׁית (place, put) "you put"

תַחַת־רַגְלָיו preposition with noun feminine dual in construct with 3ms pronominal suffix "under the feet of him"