פְּלָאוֹת עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ עַל כֵּן נְצָרָתַם נַפְשִׁי | Plenty of wonders are your testimonies therefore my being will observe them |
פֵּתַח דְּבָרֶיךָ יָאִיר מֵבִין פְּתָיִים | Penetration of your words gives light making wise the peon |
פִּי פָעַרְתִּי וָאֶשְׁאָפָה כִּי לְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ יָאָבְתִּי | Part I my mouth and sigh heavily for to your commandments is my desire |
פְּנֵה אֵלַי וְחָנֵּנִי כְּמִשְׁפָּט לְאֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ | Put your face to me and have mercy on me according to the judgment of those loving your name |
פְּעָמַי הָכֵן בְּאִמְרָתֶךָ וְאַל תַּשְׁלֶט בִּי כָל אָוֶן | Place my steps in your promise and do not let any mischief have grasp over me |
פְּדֵנִי מֵעֹשֶׁק אָדָם וְאֶשְׁמְרָה פִּקּוּדֶיךָ | Preserve me from the oppression of a human and I will keep your precepts |
פָּנֶיךָ הָאֵר בְּעַבְדֶּךָ וְלַמְּדֵנִי אֶת חֻקֶּיךָ | Pyre your face on your servant and teach me Oh! your statutes |
פַּלְגֵי מַיִם יָרְדוּ עֵינָי עַל לֹא שָׁמְרוּ תוֹרָתֶךָ | Pouring streams run down from my eyes that they do not keep your teaching |
Details - in line with my reading of the Verbless Cause in Biblical Hebrew book, I am going to begin to identify the subject / predicate in each of the cola. Some results that I see in narrative verses from the subject book I find quite unexpected - like places where the adjective is postponed till the end of the sentence. E.g. Numbers 32:1 - where's the subject? Where's the predicate? I think there is a mistranslation when the translator collects all the bits of the subject together and makes it sound like 'natural' English. If you are translating a story, then don't mess up the original story-teller's drama. How would you phrase this opening of the chapter?
and livestock many there were to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad - substantial - lots
וּמִקְנֶה רַב הָיָה לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְלִבְנֵי־גָד עָצוּם מְאֹד
Here's my suggestion
And there were many livestock belonging to the children of Reuben and the children of Gad,
a substantial amount.
pla)vot | פְּלָאוֹת | Plenty of wonders | plural adjective feminine form - predicate |
`édvoteyka | עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ | are your testimonies | plural noun with second person personal possessive pronoun - subject |
`àl kén | עַל כֵּן | therefore | conjunction |
ncaratàm | נְצָרָתַם | will observe them | third person singular with pronoun object - predicate |
nàpshy | נַפְשִׁי | my being | soul, life, me, singular noun with possessive first person pronoun - subject |
pétàx | פֵּתַח | Penetration of | Opening construct subject |
dbareyka | דְּבָרֶיךָ | your words | completing the construct plural possessive - subject |
ya)yr | יָאִיר | gives light | predicate (hiphil?) singular third person imperfect |
mébyn | מֵבִין | making wise | hiphil participle |
ptayym | פְּתָיִים | the simple | peon and penetrate match the sound game in the Hebrew - the phrase is consequential, the word is plural masculine form |
py pa`àrty | פִּי פָעַרְתִּי | Part I my mouth | object-verb (perfect) |
va)esh)apah | וָאֶשְׁאָפָה | and sigh heavily | connector + preterite both verbs first person |
ky | כִּי | for | conjunction |
lmicvoteyka | לְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ | in your commandments | predicate plural feminine possessive singular second person - this needs some longing for an effective translation |
ya)abty | יָאָבְתִּי | I have longed | perfect first person |
pnéh )élày | פְּנֵה אֵלַי | Put your face to me | qal imperative with preposition and first person pronoun as object |
vxanény | וְחָנֵּנִי | and have mercy on me | qal imperative with first person object |
kmishpa+ | כְּמִשְׁפָּט | for judgment | the kaf preposition makes me want to get across the 'like' aspect rather than a 'causative' aspect - that forces me into construct thinking |
l)ohabéy | לְאֹהֲבֵי | to those loving | the lamed preposition makes me wonder if I have missed the point - what kind of vindication does the poet have in mind? |
shmeka | שְׁמֶךָ | your name | predicate noun with possessive second person singular pronoun |
p`amày | פְּעָמַי | my steps | This is a tall order - plural noun object with first person possessive pronoun thus truncating the usual plural ending |
hakén | הָכֵן | Place | imperative |
b)imrateka | בְּאִמְרָתֶךָ | in your promise | what a secure place |
v)àl tàshle+ | וְאַל תַּשְׁלֶט | and let not have grasp | conjunction + negative particle + imperfect jussive |
by | בִּי | over me | preposition + pronoun |
kal )aven | כָל אָוֶן | any mischief | subject of the prior verb |
pdény | פְּדֵנִי | preserve me | imperative |
mé`osheq | מֵעֹשֶׁק | from the oppression | preposition + construct as object |
)adam | אָדָם | of a human | rest of the construct |
v)eshmrah | וְאֶשְׁמְרָה | and I will keep | qal imperfect first person |
piqvudeyka | פִּקּוּדֶיךָ | your precepts | plural possessed noun |
paneyka | פָּנֶיךָ | your face | singular possessed noun |
ha)ér | הָאֵר | pyre | hiphil - from the fire of creation - let there be light |
b`àbdeka | בְּעַבְדֶּךָ | on your servant | you can do this one |
vlàmdény | וְלַמְּדֵנִי | and teach me | and this one |
)et xuqeyka | אֶת חֻקֶּיךָ | Oh your statutes | the 'Oh' is not needed! |
pàlgéy màyim | פַּלְגֵי מַיִם | pouring streams | these flowing waters remind us of Psalms 1, 42, 46 |
yardvu | יָרְדוּ | descend from | descending - flowing - running down like the dew of Hermon in Psalm 133 |
`éynay | עֵינָי | my eyes | clear grammar, right? |
`àl lo) shamrvu | עַל לֹא שָׁמְרוּ | that they do not keep | there is no because here - the preposition is simpler |
tvorateka | תוֹרָתֶךָ | your instruction | teaching or instruction is preferable to law |
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