O vav, you that begin all words and belong as first of one only
you that inhabit many words named as consonant and act as vowel
what shall I do with you - how shall I read you!
Now there's a vocative for you.Here's my translation with W (touched up a bit)
Well come to me your steadfast love יְהוָה your salvation like your promise | וִיבֹאֻנִי חֲסָדֶךָ יְהוָה תְּשׁוּעָתְךָ כְּאִמְרָתֶךָ |
Wherewith I will answer a word to one reproaching me for I trust in your word | וְאֶעֱנֶה חֹרְפִי דָבָר כִּי בָטַחְתִּי בִּדְבָרֶךָ |
Word of truth do not remove from my mouth utterly for I have hoped in your judgments | וְאַל תַּצֵּל מִפִּי דְבַר אֱמֶת עַד מְאֹד כִּי לְמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ יִחָלְתִּי |
Watch over your teaching I will continually to the age and for ever | וְאֶשְׁמְרָה תוֹרָתְךָ תָמִיד לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד |
Walk in maturity I will for your precepts I have sought | וְאֶתְהַלְּכָה בָרְחָבָה כִּי פִקֻּדֶיךָ דָרָשְׁתִּי |
Words of your testimonies before kings I will have and I will not be ashamed | וַאֲדַבְּרָה בְעֵדֹתֶיךָ נֶגֶד מְלָכִים וְלֹא אֵבוֹשׁ |
Wherefore my delight will be in your commandments which I have loved | וְאֶשְׁתַּעֲשַׁע בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהָבְתִּי |
Wave my hands I will to your commandments which I have loved and I will meditate on your statutes | וְאֶשָּׂא כַפַּי אֶל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהָבְתִּי וְאָשִׂיחָה בְחֻקֶּיךָ |
This poem divides into 4 and 4 - 1 a thesis, 2 a use thereof, 3 a negative command, 4 a promise and then 4 similarly structured outcomes perhaps conditioned on the fulfillment of the negative command and promise. See below for the somewhat similar structures in the last 4 lines.
Details - there are more questions occurring to me as I write what at first seems obvious - I am reading a fascinating set of essays on the verbless clause in Hebrew. I am thinking nothing of English grammar should be taken for granted in my analysis - subject predicate might turn out to be more like concept and comment. In fact even the retroactive nature of construct I am reconsidering. What if they were all comment like redefinitions - a word, of the truth, each subsequent phoneme redefining but not changing those that are already uttered.
vybo)uny | וִיבֹאֻנִי | Well come to me | Read this well come as two words not one - though 'well' is not in the Hebrew. As qal imperfect it can be read as future or as jussive - a third person 'imperative'. The verb is singular. Is the noun plural as AV translates? If so we must reconsider the whole for then perhaps it is Hashem, the nearest singular noun who comes and the noun phrases are appositional commentary. |
xasadeka | חֲסָדֶךָ | your steadfast love | noun (plural?) + second person possessive pronoun |
yy | יְהוָה | O LORD | forced English vocative if the proper name is not used in translation - that's why Adonai - my Lord or Hashem is preferable |
tshvu`atka | תְּשׁוּעָתְךָ | your salvation | This is one of many verbs forming a noun - as in English Save to salvation of course with the personal pronoun also attached. Is תשועה the equivalent of a gerund? I have not found a rule yet that would let me noun a verb. BDB lists this form with יָשַׁע the verb and יֵשַׁע the noun - deliverance. (You can see that without the pointing, you can't tell the difference between these words) In my Hebrew Latin concordance, the word is listed as a form of the noun - we will find it frequently in this psalm. |
k)imrateka | כְּאִמְרָתֶךָ | as your promise | preposition+noun+'construct' ending+pronoun - it seems to me that the nun and taf make the language 'smoother'. There were information processors and designers in those days - and if there weren't grammarians, there was still a sophisticated intuited grammar and linguistics. |
v)e`neh | וְאֶעֱנֶה | Wherewith I will answer | conjunction+ first person qal imperfect - note the sequence of gutturals aleph+ayin - this is not smoothed out! |
xorpy | חֹרְפִי | one reproaching me | Participle + first person pronoun as object (reproach joins this part with part 5) |
dabar | דָבָר | a word | noun - perhaps in construct with the prior word? |
ky ba+àxty | כִּי בָטַחְתִּי | for I trust | preposition + first person qal perfect |
bidbareka | בִּדְבָרֶךָ | in your word | preposition + noun + possessive pronoun |
v)àl tàcél | וְאַל תַּצֵּל | Wherefore do not remove | conjunction+negative particle+hiphil imperative - why hiphil? where's the 'he' - the verb is a I-nun and the nun does strange things to the 'he' in the hiphil! |
mipy | מִפִּי | from my mouth | preposition + noun + possessive pronoun |
dbàr )emet | דְבַר אֱמֶת | the?a word of truth | Is 'truth' a sufficient end to the construct chain to produce a definite article at the beginning? |
`àd m)od | עַד מְאֹד | utterly | adverb - to the max |
ky | כִּי | for | conjunction |
lmishpa+eka | לְמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ | in your judgments | preposition + plural noun + possessive pronoun |
yixalty | יִחָלְתִּי | I have hoped | first person qal perfect |
v)eshmrah | וְאֶשְׁמְרָה | Watch over I will | conjunction and first person imperfect |
tvoratka | תוֹרָתְךָ | your instruction | noun singular + possessive pronoun |
tamyd | תָמִיד | continually | adverb |
l`volam | לְעוֹלָם | to the age | preposition + noun used adverbial modifier |
va`d | וָעֶד | and for ever | conjunction + adverb |
v)ethàlkah | וְאֶתְהַלְּכָה | walk I will | conjunction and first person imperfect |
barxabah | בָרְחָבָה | in maturity | preposition + adverb |
ky | כִּי | for | conjunction |
piqudeyka | פִקֻּדֶיךָ | your precepts | noun + possessive pronoun |
darashty | דָרָשְׁתִּי | I have sought | first person qal perfect |
và)adàbrah | וַאֲדַבְּרָה | Words I will have | conjunction and first person imperfect |
b`édoteyka | בְעֵדֹתֶיךָ | of your testimonies | preposition + noun + possessive pronoun |
neged | נֶגֶד | before | preposition |
mlakym | מְלָכִים | kings | plural noun |
vlo) | וְלֹא | and I will not | conjunction with negative particle |
)ébvosh | אֵבוֹשׁ | be ashamed | first person imperfect (breaks the pattern) |
v)eshtà`ashà` | וְאֶשְׁתַּעֲשַׁע | Will my delight so be | conjunction and first person imperfect |
bmicvoteyka | בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ | in your commandments | preposition + noun + possessive pronoun |
)asher | אֲשֶׁר | which | relative pronoun |
)ahabty | אָהָבְתִּי | I have loved | first person qal perfect |
v)esa) kàpày | וְאֶשָּׂא כַפַּי | Wave my hands I will | conjunction and first person imperfect + noun + pronoun - plural |
)el micvoteyka | אֶל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ | to your commandments | separate preposition noun + possessive pronoun |
)asher | אֲשֶׁר | which | relative pronoun |
)ahabty | אָהָבְתִּי | I have loved | first person qal perfect |
v)asyxah | וְאָשִׂיחָה | and I will meditate | conjunction and first person imperfect |
bxuqeyka | בְחֻקֶּיךָ | on your statutes | preposition + noun + possessive pronoun |
2 comments:
I would say that truth, as an abstract quality, would be inherently definite. Or of course, you could take it qualitatively: "genuine speech."
Well done. Keep going!
Oh, and just so you know: most of what I say is intuition. I think I already said it, but I'm still a student, too.
Gary - please comment if you find any answers to my questions in these grammatical posts or on the letter series - (here)which I hope you are also reading 'cause it is a fun exercise.
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