Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Psalm 119 - Part 7 Grammar

You remember a word to your servant
by which you give me hope
Yes - this my comfortable word in my trouble
for your promise gives me life
Yet the presumptuous hold me in great derision
but from your teaching I have not fallen away
Your judgments I remember
from of old יְהוָה and I comfort myself
Yang of fire grasps me
from the wicked forsaking your teaching
Yin of songs your statutes have become to me
in the house of my lifetime
Your name I have remembered in the night יְהוָה
I have kept your teaching
You are mine
because I have observed your precepts
זְכֹר דָּבָר לְעַבְדֶּךָ
  עַל אֲשֶׁר יִחַלְתָּנִי
זֹאת נֶחָמָתִי בְעָנְיִי 
כִּי אִמְרָתְךָ חִיָּתְנִי
זֵדִים הֱלִיצֻנִי עַד מְאֹד
מִתּוֹרָתְךָ לֹא נָטִיתִי
זָכַרְתִּי מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ 
מֵעוֹלָם יְהוָה וָאֶתְנֶחָם
זַלְעָפָה אֲחָזַתְנִי 
מֵרְשָׁעִים עֹזְבֵי תּוֹרָתֶךָ
זְמִרוֹת הָיוּ לִי חֻקֶּיךָ 
בְּבֵית מְגוּרָי
זָכַרְתִּי בַלַּיְלָה שִׁמְךָ יְהוָה
וָאֶשְׁמְרָה תּוֹרָתֶךָ
זֹאת הָיְתָה לִּי 
כִּי פִקֻּדֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי

For zayin, I chose 'Y' - that makes both parts 7 and 10 have their verses begin with Y. Not very satisfactory, but Z would be quite unpoetic for 8 verses in English. This octet focuses on teaching / instruction, traditionally rendered law, but that word is usually misunderstood in this age.

Details
zkor dabar
זְכֹר דָּבָר
You remember a word
Imperative - the repetition of the pronoun is forced on me - but how does the poet command remembrance of a word. The noun is singular anarthrous - should it be an implied definite?
l`àbdeka
לְעַבְדֶּךָ
to your servant
preposition + noun + pronoun
`àl
עַל
by
preposition
)asher
אֲשֶׁר
which
relative pronoun
yixàltany
יִחַלְתָּנִי
you give me hope
Catching the conjugation with the implied subject and the added object pronoun as well can be really misleading when first learning this language. This is piel second person singular + the first person pronoun as object.
zo)t
זֹאת
Yes - this word
Yes for Y is no worse than zot for z. I repeated 'word' as the source of comfort
nexamaty
נֶחָמָתִי
of my comfort
Humans need this word and its ownership - it becomes more definite as the poem proceeds
b`anyy
בְעָנְיִי
in my trouble
preposition + singular noun + possessive pronoun
ky
כִּי
for
conjunction
)imratka
אִמְרָתְךָ
your promise
noun + possessive pronoun
xyatny
חִיָּתְנִי
gives me life
The object pronoun suffix needs a bunch of grammatical letters to attach itself to the verb
zédym
זֵדִים
Yet the presumptuous
plural noun

helycuny
הֱלִיצֻנִי
hold me in derision
When the object is added to the verb, sometimes the pronomial subject is obscured. This must be a third person plural with object first person pronoun. hiphil - the vowel is acting as the missing vav that would normally signal the third person!
`àd m)od
עַד מְאֹד
so great
we had this adverb - to the max - in part 6 also
mitvoratka
מִתּוֹרָתְךָ
from your instruction
preposition + singular noun + possessive pronoun
lo)
לֹא
not
negative particle
na+yty
נָטִיתִי
I have not fallen away
qal perfect - first person
zakàrty
זָכַרְתִּי
I remember
qal perfect - first person
mishpa+eyka
מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ
Your judgments
plural noun + possessive pronoun
mé`volam
מֵעוֹלָם
from of old
adverb with preposition
yy
יְהוָה
O LORD
va)etnexam
וָאֶתְנֶחָם
and I comfort myself
reflexive hithpael imperfect first person singular
zàl`apah
זַלְעָפָה
Yang of fire
Well - it's from a root meaning fret or vex. It's a noun and fiery.
)axazàtny
אֲחָזַתְנִי
grasps me
third person qal perfect with object pronoun
mérsha`ym
מֵרְשָׁעִים
from the wicked
preposition + plural noun
`ozbéy
עֹזְבֵי
forsaking
participle
tvorateka
תּוֹרָתֶךָ
your instruction
noun with possessive pronoun
zmirvot
זְמִרוֹת
Yin of songs
Plural noun
hayvu ly
הָיוּ לִי
have become to me
qal perfect with preposition and attached personal pronoun
xuqeyka
חֻקֶּיךָ
your statutes
plural noun with possessive pronoun
bbéyt
בְּבֵית
in the house of
preposition + noun
mgvuray
מְגוּרָי
my lifetime
noun with possessive pronoun
zakàrty
זָכַרְתִּי
I have remembered
first person qal perfect
bàlàylah
בַלַּיְלָה
in the night
preposition, definite, and noun
shimka
שִׁמְךָ
your name
noun with possessive pronoun
yy
יְהוָה
O LORD
va)eshmrah
וָאֶשְׁמְרָה
I have kept
is this a story line in a poem? preterite? or should it be I will keep?
tvorateka
תּוֹרָתֶךָ
your instruction
noun with possessive pronoun
zo)t
זֹאת
You
demonstrative pronoun
haytah ly
הָיְתָה לִּי
I have to me
qal perfect - What is the antecedent of zot? Perhaps I go beyond it in phrasing this verse similar to the Song
ky
כִּי
for
conjunction
piqudeyka
פִקֻּדֶיךָ
your precepts
plural noun with possessive pronoun
nacarty
נָצָרְתִּי
I have observed
first person qal perfect

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