1 Psalm 55 Some of the language is similar to that of Psalm 5. Long and difficult psalm with many unusual vocabulary words and many text critical issues. (55:1) (of, belonging to). The ל Grammatical note = Possessive למנצח... לדוד preposition ל can indicate that its object is owned or possessed by someone. The idea of possession is not necessarily literal; it may indicate a relationship other than possession This is also called periphrastic ל or the genitive.ל When the object of ל is someone who wrote something, it is sometimes referred to as the ל of author or the ל auctoris. See Williams, 270. So it is unclear that the superscription is attempting to express that David (or the director) is the author or if the psalm is associated with David (or the director). Hapax? (meaning unknown most conjecture flute ) under BDB 636a. = נ ח יל ה Root נחל I = give for one s own, bestow. music under BDB 618b. Note ABA root! Three letter roots in Hebrew are = נ ג ינ ה usually ABC or ABB or of course AvB or even AvA. I did not know ABA roots are possible. contemplative poem under BDB 968b. In superscription of several = מ שׂ כּ יל psalms. How much do superscriptions correlate with the genre of their psalms? By which I mean משׂכיל might mark something like a wisdom poem that reflects on how the world works. But that is not what we seem to have here. This is clearly a psalm of individual lament. (55:2) (denominative) Hiphil give ear, listen, hear (almost wholly poetry) under = אזן BDB 24a. prayer under BDB 813b. Common enough. Learn it. The main prayer = ת פ לּ ה.שׁערי תפלה book in many Reform synagogues is called Gates of Prayer or משׁכן תפלה However there is a new prayer book called Mishkan Tefila or
2 which I had a chance to use in 2010 when visiting United Jewish Congregation in Hong Kong. Speaking of which. oneself. I = "conceal" under BDB 761a. Here Hitpael so conceal עלם 337b. favour, supplication for favour under BDB = ת ח נּ ה (55:3) 904a. incline, attend (of ears) under BDB = קשׁב 773ab. = Niphal make answer; be answered, receive answer under BDB ענה OArm.ענה Arb ʿanā intend (by saying). Note form imperative 2ms + 1cs suffix. "wander restlessly, roam, Hiphil shew restlessness under BDB 923b. Arb = רוד rāda go to and fro r-w-d. 967a. complaint, musing under BDB = שׂ יח murmur, roar, discomfit, Hiphil shew disquietude under BDB 223a. Arb = הום hāma h-y-m rush about madly, be distracted. 1 2 אריד (55:4) (meaning = עוק pressure under BDB 734a. Aramaic word? Hapax. Root = ע ק ה dubious) totter, cause tottering? Small sign that this psalm is late? We need much more evidence. 536b. 3 totter, shake, slip under BDB = מוט 1 Septuagint (Symmachus, Hiernymous) εταπραχθην; read perhaps ואהמה or ואהומה and with c 4 (?). 2 Septuagint ελυπηθην, Symmachus κατηωεχθην, Hieronymous humiliates sum; read perhaps. אורד. י טּו Symmachus επερριψαν; propose 3
3 bear a grudge, cherish animosity, again under BDB 966a. Rare. Perhaps = שׂטם?שׂטן related to (55:5) 4 לבי dance, whirl, dance, writhe, Hiphil cause to be in anguish(?), Polel = חול חיל writhe (in travail) with, bear under BDB 296b. Arm dance. Arb ḥāla change, turn. Akk ḫîlu writhe (in fear). (Targum!?!). terrify = אים terror, dread under BDB 33b. Root = א ימ ה (55:6).ר ע ד trembling under BDB 944b. Very rare variant of very rare = ר ע ד ה 491a. = Piel cover under BDB כסה shudder. = פלץ shuddering under BDB 814a. Very rare. Root = פ לּ צוּת 5 ימיטו (55:7) = Akk abāru be אבר pinions (poetry and figurative) under BDB 7b. Root = א ב ר firm, strong. mourn? II = יון "dove" under BDB 401b. Root = יוֹנ ה 733b. = Polel fly about, to and fro under BDB עוף "settle down, abide, dwell, Piel make settle down, establish under BDB = שׁכן 1014b-. Ph.שכן Arm.שׁ כ ין Arb sakana rest, dwell. Akk šakānu set, lay, deposit, set up; be situated. BDB notes šakan šuma as Canaanism (Amarna). (55:8) 4 Syriac wnplt bj dḥltʾ wksjwnj ṭllj mwtʾ et cecidit in me pavor et operuerunt me umbrae mortis. 5 Septuagint has singular.
4 = Hiphil make or exhibit distance, be gone for; remove, put far away. Akk רחק.ר ח ק,ר ח יק Arm.רחק rûqu far. Arb raḥiyqu(n) choice wine. Sab 622a. retreat, flee, depart, stray, wander, flutter under BDB = נדד 533b. lodge, pass the night, abide under BDB = לין/לון (55:9) ḫâšu. haste, make haste under BDB 301b. Akk = חושׁ escape. = פלט escape, place of escape under BDB 312b. Hapax? Root = מ פ ל ט saʿa(w) rush (of storm wind) under BDB 703b. Perhaps Arb saʿa(y) and = סעה go quickly, run, be energetic. Hapax? 704a. tempest, storm under BDB = ס ע ר 6 מרוח סעה מסער 7 אחישׁה מפלט (55:10) 118b. = swallow down, swallow up under BDB בלע 8 אדני "split, divide" (chiefly in secondary meanings and derivative) under BDB = פלג 811a. Arb falaja divide, split. Arm.פ ל יג Akk palgu canal. Very rare. 9 329b. violence, wrong under BDB = ח מ ס 936a. strive, contend; criticize under BDB = ריב (סעה (dittography מרוח סערה read ;מרוח צערה וסער = καταιγιδος Septuagint απο ολιγοψυχιας και 6 compare Syriac.. ואחילה מפלּט = copula) Septuagint προσεδεχοµην τον σωζοντα (it Syriac, but with 7. עצתם Targum adds ʾṣthwn, insert ;יהוה Several manuscripts 8. פ ל ג Syriac hwpkʾ conversationem, propose 9
5 (55:11) 10 יסובבה 327a. wall under BDB = חוֹמ ה toil. labour, = עמל "trouble, labour, toil" under BDB 765b. Root = ע מ ל (55:12) 11 בקרבהּ become. Arb = הוה desire; chasm; destruction under BDB 217b. Root = ה וּ ה hawwā(y) desire. Arm gulf, chasm. What a strange word. I = depart, remove, Hiphil remove, take away under BDB 559a. Arb māsa מושׁ walk with elegant, proud, self-conceited gait. here? II = feel under BDB 559a. Any ambiguity מושׁ wide, be or grow = רחב I = broad, open place, plaza under BDB 932a. Root ר ח ב large. overcome, tread under = תכ ך "injury, oppression" under BDB 1067a. Root = ת ך foot, injure. 941a. deceit, treachery under BDB = מ ר מ ה (55:13) 12 לא = Piel reproach under BDB 357b. Note the form especially the vowels. How חרף did we get a U class vowel after the first root letter? 10 Septuagint has singular. 11 Septuagint, Syriac omit. 12 Septuagint ει compare 51:18a.
6 Literally not hating-me upon-me makes-great = not one who hates me who makes (himself) great against me? = Hiphil conceal, hide under BDB 711a. A little different. This time a סתר human being hides from someone or something else. 13 ואשּׂא 14 לא (55:14) arrange or set in = ער ך "order, row, estimate" under BDB 789b. Root = ע ר ך order. learn. So something = אלף tame; friend, intimate under BDB 48b. Root = א לּוּף like learned, someone I got to know? See מי דּע next word. My known one. (55:15) sweet. become or be sweet, pleasant under BDB 608b. Akk matāqu be = מת ק Arm מ ת ק be sweet. Arb m-ṭ-q (dissimilation t > ṭ before q) smack (the lips with pleasure). place מסוד converse? Sab = סוד council, counsel under BDB 691b. Roote = סוֹד of speaker, oracle. Arb sāda (y) be lord (speaker). commotion. be in tumult or = רגשׁ throng under BDB 921b. Hapax. Root = ר ג שׁ 15 נהל ך ברגשׁ (55:16) 13 Perhaps excise the verb(?). 14 Septuagint και ει compare note a (see 12 above). 15 Septuagint επορεθηµεν εν εµονοια; propose יהל ך or ; al trp 21-23 after 15.???
7 674a. II = Hiphil beguile, deceive under BDB נשׁא badly. treat = שׁוא - י שׁ ימוֹת Related to שׁוא I from which however the forms can hardly be derived. Basically this is difficult to parse or define. 16 2. This is unusual. Dialectal? Compare Psalm עלימו 158b. 17 sojourning-place, dwelling-places, sojourning under BDB = מ גוּר Sheesh. Litereally may death treat badly / sneak up(???) upon them / let them descend (to) Sheol alive / because evil is in their dwelling places and in their heart. ישׁימות עלימו ירדו שׁאול חיים כי רעות במגורם בקרבם (55:17) How do we interpret?יושׁעני That he will save? let him save? saves? 18 midday, noon under BDB 843b. So is = צ ה ר ים but only appears in the plural צ ה ר* the plural tsohoriym or tsahoriym? There was a whole session at the Society for Biblical Literature Annual Meeting about whether נ ע מ י is Noomi or Naomi. Serious question. I lean toward tsohoriym and noomi although the ambiguity might be part of the point. That qamets and qamets qaton are in fact pronounced the same. We only distinguish them in order to distinguish whether this vowel traces back to an A class or a U class vowel. 976a. (denominative) muse, complain, (poetry) talk (of) under BDB = שׂיח < 3 rd ה murmur, growl, roar, be boisterous under BDB 242a. Note form. 3 rd = המה returns. which *י (55:18) 19 וישׁמע.ישׁי מות = Qere read thus.,(ישׁיא = ישׁי) Several manuscripts and versions as qere 16 17 Syriac omits. 18 Septuagint εισηκουσεν µου = ישׁמעני so hears me. 19 Manuscript, Syriac וא שׁמ ע so I make hear.
8 (55:19) 804a. 20 ransom under BDB = פדה Root.ק ר ב Aramaism(!) "battle, war (hostile approach) under BDB 898a. = ק ר ב approach. come near, = קרב 21 מקרב 22 ברבים Note awkward syntax כי ברבּים = for (they are) as many? (55:20) Hiphil? II humble? ענה answer, respond under BDB 772b. Could this be = ענה away, pass on or = חלף Aramaic. a change under BDB 322a. Compare = ח ל יפ ה pass through (mostly poetry). Another Aramaism? 23 ישׁמע אל ויענים 24 ויענם וישׁב!?! - ל מוֹ This is a key verse. Why should Yhwh do this? Because they will not change and they do not fear God. Boom. (55:21) 25 שׁלח. פדה = psḥ Syriac,יפדה = λυτרωσεται Septuagint 20. מקרבים Septuagint απο των εγγιζοντων, read perhaps 21. בר בים Syriac bḥrjnʾ in contentione; read perhaps 22.אל compare Genesis 36:5. Yeah but then we lose ישׁמעאל ויעלם ישׁב Propose 23.?ויען מו ישׁב = υπαρχων Septuagint (Syriac) και ταπεινςσει αυτους, ο 24 25 Syriac has plural so they stretched. Who stretched whose hands?
9 26 ידיו 27 בשׁלמיו Awkward verse. Literally he stretched his hands against his peace/friends / he profaned his covenant. He turned against friends and somehow violated bonds of relationship. 28 חלל (55:22) lie, II = be smooth, slippery under BDB 325a. Arb ḫalaqa make smooth, חלק fabricate. 29 curd-like words, curds under BDB 563a. Hapax. Looks like = מ ח מ א ת < מ ח מ אוֹת BDB is not quite sure what this is. Root =??? 30.ר כ ך be tender, weak, soft under BDB 939b. Arb rakka. Arm = רכ ך 21:33, drawn sword(s) under BDB 836a. Very rare. Compare Ezekiel = פ ת יח ה Psalm 37:14. Root פתח = open. 31 פיו (55:23) burden? 32 So.והב Arb wahaba. Sab.י ה ב give under BDB 396b. Arm = יהב = Hiphil contain, hold, hold in, endure under BDB 465a. Note unusual Pilpel כול form. Compare 1 Kings 18. God does this for others. 26 A few manuscripts, Septuagint ידו so his hand.. בשׁ למ ו Syriac ʿl qrjbh; read?בשׁלּם = αποδιδοναι Septuagint εν τω 27 28 Septuagint, Symmachus, Syriac have plural which makes sense. 29 Read. חל ק Hunh? Why? 30 Two manuscripts ;מ חמ אות Symmachus βουτυρου compare Hieronymous, Targum, read. מ חמאָה 31 Septuagint (Syriac) του προσωπου αυτου =. פניו Okay so? 32 Aquila, Symmachus, E (=?) αγαησει σε =?יח ב ך Hieronymous caritatem tuam, Targum sjbrk spem tuam.
10 Somewhat awkward construction. Literally he will not give forever stumbling/shaking to (the) righteous. (55:24) suffix. 2ms + 3mp ירד Note construction of Hiphil תוֹרד ם two different spellings בּוֹר and בּ אר pit, cistern, well under BDB 92a. Are = בוֹר for the same noun? 33 1001b. pit under BDB = שׁ ח ת 941a. deceit, treachery under BDB = מ ר מ ה fortunate, divide, Niphal be divided under BDB 345a. Arb ḥaḍi(y)a be = חצה happy (with one s huband or wife, that is, have a share in happiness. 34 ב ך Literally will not divide their days = not live out half their days? 33 Syriac lgwbʾ, read לבור. (לבאר) Well yes I suppose. 34 Septuagint adds κυριε. So in you, Lord.