Sunday, March 07, 2010

Psalm 119 - Part 18 Grammar

צַדִּיק אַתָּה יְהוָה
וְיָשָׁר מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ
So just you are יְהוָה
and your judgments are straightforward
צִוִּיתָ צֶדֶק עֵדֹתֶיךָ
וֶאֱמוּנָה מְאֹד
Set you have the righteousness of your testimonies
and great faithfulness
צִמְּתַתְנִי קִנְאָתִי
כִּי שָׁכְחוּ דְבָרֶיךָ צָרָי
Struck me out did my zeal
for my troublers forgot your words
צְרוּפָה אִמְרָתְךָ מְאֹד
וְעַבְדְּךָ אֲהֵבָהּ
Smeltered greatly is your promise
and your servant loves it
צָעִיר אָנֹכִי וְנִבְזֶה
פִּקֻּדֶיךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי
Small am I and of no account
I have not forgotten your precepts
צִדְקָתְךָ צֶדֶק לְעוֹלָם
וְתוֹרָתְךָ אֱמֶת
Saving righteousness - yours - is righteousness for ever
and your teaching is truth
צַר וּמָצוֹק מְצָאוּנִי
מִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי
Strain and struggle stress me
your commandments are my delight
צֶדֶק עֵדְו‍ֹתֶיךָ
לְעוֹלָם הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֶחְיֶה
Such righteousness of your testimonies is everlasting
let me understand and I will live
Alas, English has no corresponding initial sound to Tsade so I am reduced to an S. Look for my compensating repetition of s's and t's. Above is my usual grammar colour and a few keywords in this segment of the poem. Below I will try and indicate subject and predicate.

Details
càdyqצַדִּיקso justpredicate
)àtahאַתָּהyou subject
yyיְהוָהO LORDsubject, apposition
vyasharוְיָשָׁרand straightforwardconjunction+predicate
mishpa+eykaמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָyour judgmentssubject
civuytaצִוִּיתָset (commanded, constituted, appointed) you haveverb second person singular
cedeqצֶדֶקthe righteousness ofCan righteousness modify testimonies as an adjective when it is not in agreement in number? I don't think so - so I am taking this as construct
`édoteykaעֵדֹתֶיךָyour testimoniescompleting the construct predicate - usual plural noun with second person possessive pronoun
ve)emvunahוֶאֱמוּנָהand faithfulnessnow what does this phrase modify?
m)odמְאֹדgreatdoes it apply to the testimonies or does it stand alone as a second predicate? Adjective modifying faithfulness I think.
cimtàtnyצִמְּתַתְנִיstruck me outThis is a very amusing gloss - but it does mean what it says if you allow the baseball idiom!
qin)atyקִנְאָתִיmy zealsingular pronoun subject of the prior verb
ky shakxvuכִּי שָׁכְחוּfor they forgotthe reason for the strikeout
dbareykaדְבָרֶיךָyour wordsplural noun with second person possessive pronoun
carayצָרָיmy troublersplural noun with first person possessive pronoun
crvupahצְרוּפָהsmeltered ispure - so smeltered as refined
)imratkaאִמְרָתְךָyour promisesingular noun with second person possessive pronoun
m)odמְאֹדgreatlymodifying the verb
v`àbdkaוְעַבְדְּךָand your servantsingular noun with second person possessive pronoun
)ahébahאֲהֵבָהּloves itThird person singular qal perfect with feminine object pronoun. I sometimes miss these. Of course you have to read the entire Lambdin before you can start on anything. It's not the way I live. I learn by doing and my sieve has holes in it so I miss things.
ca`yrצָעִירsmallPredicate
)anokyאָנֹכִיam Isubject - stand-alone pronoun
vnibzehוְנִבְזֶהand of no accountconnector+niphal participle
piqudeykaפִּקֻּדֶיךָyour preceptsplural noun with second person possessive pronoun object of the verb to come
lo)לֹאnotnegative particle
shakaxtyשָׁכָחְתִּיhave I forgottenfirst person qal perfect
cidqatkaצִדְקָתְךָsaving righteousness yourssingular noun with second person possessive pronoun
cedeqצֶדֶקis righteousnessimplied copula
l`volamלְעוֹלָםfor everto the age, preposition+noun
vtvoratkaוְתוֹרָתְךָand your instructionconnector+singular noun with second person possessive pronoun
)emetאֱמֶתis truthimplied copula+noun
càr vumacvoqצַר וּמָצוֹקstrain and strugglethe poet is showing off assonance
mca)vunyמְצָאוּנִיstress meread the st backwards and you have ts! This is of course a third person plural with an object pronoun
micvoteykaמִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָyour commandmentsplural noun with second person possessive pronoun - subject
shà`ashu`ayשַׁעֲשֻׁעָיare my delightpredicate implied copula singular noun with first person possessive pronoun
cedeqצֶדֶקsuch righteousness ofNeed the s but 'such' isn't there
`édvoteykaעֵדְו‍ֹתֶיךָyour testimoniesplural noun with second person possessive pronoun - subject
l`volamלְעוֹלָםis everlastingpreposition+noun predicate with implied copula
habynényהֲבִינֵנִיhave me understandmust he a hiphil imperative+pronoun object
v)exyehוְאֶחְיֶהand I will liveconnector+first person imperfect

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