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"

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"