Monday, January 25, 2010

Psalm 119 - Part 9 Grammar

Too well you have dealt with your servant
יְהוָה through your word
Teach me good taste and discernment
for I have believed in your commandments
Time it was I was afflicted going astray
but now I have kept your promise
Too good are you and doing good
teach me your statutes
Those proud ones smear a lie against me
with a whole heart I will observe your precepts
Their heart is gross as fat
I will delight in your teaching
`Tis good for me that I was afflicted
so I would learn your statutes
The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver
טוֹב עָשִׂיתָ עִם עַבְדְּךָ
  יְהוָה כִּדְבָרֶךָ
טוּב טַעַם וָדַעַת לַמְּדֵנִי
  כִּי בְמִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָ הֶאֱמָנְתִּי
טֶרֶם אֶעֱנֶה אֲנִי שֹׁגֵג
וְעַתָּה אִמְרָתְךָ שָׁמָרְתִּי
טוֹב אַתָּה וּמֵטִיב
  לַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ
טָפְלוּ עָלַי שֶׁקֶר זֵדִים
  אֲנִי בְּכָל לֵב אֶצֹּר פִּקּוּדֶיךָ
טָפַשׁ כַּחֵלֶב לִבָּם
  אֲנִי תּוֹרָתְךָ שִׁעֲשָׁעְתִּי
טוֹב לִי כִי עֻנֵּיתִי
  לְמַעַן אֶלְמַד חֻקֶּיךָ
טוֹב לִי תוֹרַת פִּיךָ
  מֵאַלְפֵי זָהָב וָכָסֶף
What do you think about writing poetry like this in Hebrew? Could you improve on words beginning with ט and not use the same word in five of eight lines? But the sense of redemption is particularly strong in these verses. The poet knows personally how affliction produced unexpected positive results. One wonders, however, if good intentions and promises will have their follow-through. The acrostic seems child-like.

Details
+vobטוֹבToo wellWell, I had to have T to begin. Tov as adverb
`asytaעָשִׂיתָyou have dealtSecond person singular perfect (if it's qal or piel I won't always mention it.)
`im `àbdkaעִם עַבְדְּךָwith your servantpreposition + singular noun with possessive pronoun
yy יְהוָהO LORDnow this is vocative but the O is not needed with a name
kidbareka כִּדְבָרֶךָthrough your wordpreposition + singular noun with possessive pronoun
+vubטוּבgoodTov as adjective
+à`àmטַעַםtastenoun
vadà`àtוָדַעַתand discernmentconjunction + noun
làmdényלַמְּדֵנִיTeach meimperative with object
kyכִּיforconjunction
bmicvoteykaבְמִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָin your commandmentspreposition + plural noun + possessive pronoun
he)emantyהֶאֱמָנְתִּיhave I believedHiphil perfect
+eremטֶרֶםtime it wastemporal adverb
)e`nehאֶעֱנֶהafflicted wasfirst person imperfect
)anyאֲנִיIfirst person stand-alone  pronoun
shogégשֹׁגֵגgoing astrayparticiple
v`àtahוְעַתָּהbut nowconjunction + time marker
)imratkaאִמְרָתְךָyour promisenoun + possessive pronoun - more to say here
shamartyשָׁמָרְתִּיI have keptfirst person perfect - corrected from an earlier error in this post
+vob )àtahטוֹב אַתָּהToo good are youTov as adjective + second person singular stand alone pronoun
vumé+ybוּמֵטִיבand doing goodTov as verb
làmdényלַמְּדֵנִיteach meimperative with first person object pronoun
xuqeykaחֻקֶּיךָyour statutesplural noun with possessive pronoun
+aplvuטָפְלוּthey smearthird person perfect
`alàyעָלַיagainst mepreposition + object pronoun
sheqrשֶׁקֶרa lienoun
zédymזֵדִיםthose proud onesplural subject of preceding verb
)anyאֲנִיIstand-alone pronoun
bkal lébבְּכָל לֵבwith full heartpreposition with adjective and noun
)ecorאֶצֹּרwill observefirst person imperfect
piqvudeykaפִּקּוּדֶיךָyour preceptsplural noun and possessive pronoun
+apàshטָפַשׁtoo grossI don't need the t here - this is a verb reflecting the state of their heart - likely not a compliment. Note the singular heart but plural pronoun.
kàxélebכַּחֵלֶבas fatcomparative preposition + adjective
libamלִבָּםtheir heartsingular noun with possessive
)anyאֲנִיIstand-alone pronoun
tvoratkaתּוֹרָתְךָin your instructionthe 'in' in English does not represent a Hebrew preposition but perhaps should be seen as part of the gloss for the verb that follows
shi`asha`tyשִׁעֲשָׁעְתִּיwill delightpilpel ? perfect with root letters slipping around and doubling! If I find a reference for this, I will post it.
+vob lyטוֹב לִי`tis good for meTov as state in verbless clause
ky `unéytyכִי עֻנֵּיתִיthat I was afflictedthe conjunction is perhaps stronger than a relative - read 'that' perhaps as 'because' - but that's why I needed the contraction for the T.
lmà`ànלְמַעַןsocoordinating conjunction - therefore / in order that. I wonder if the long conjunction instead of a vav is for scansion?
)elmàdאֶלְמַדI will learnfirst person imperfect - could be translated as modal
xuqeykaחֻקֶּיךָyour statutesplural noun with possessive pronoun
+vob lyטוֹב לִיto me better isTov as comparative in verbless clause - see the mem below
tvoràt pykaתוֹרַת פִּיךָthe law of your mouthconstruct chain
mé)àlpéyמֵאַלְפֵיthan thousands ofsignal of comparative with plural noun beginning construct chain
zahabזָהָבgoldend of another construct chain
vakasephוָכָסֶףand silverwell - not quite the end of it since both these nouns are involved as a unit in English.

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