Sunday, March 14, 2010

Psalm 119 - Part 22 Grammar

תִּקְרַב רִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ יְהוָה
כִּדְבָרְךָ הֲבִינֵנִי 
To your presence let my cry come near יְהוָה
in your word give me understanding
 תָּבוֹא תְּחִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ
כְּאִמְרָתְךָ הַצִּילֵנִי
To your presence let my supplication come
in your promise deliver me
תַּבַּעְנָה שְׂפָתַי תְּהִלָּה
כִּי תְלַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ
Tumble will my lips with praise
for you teach me your statutes
תַּעַן לְשׁוֹנִי אִמְרָתֶךָ
כִּי כָל מִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָ צֶּדֶק
Testify will my tongue of your promise
for all your commandments are righteous
תְּהִי יָדְךָ לְעָזְרֵנִי
כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ בָחָרְתִּי
There your hand will be to help me
for I have chosen your precepts
תָּאַבְתִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ יְהוָה
וְתוֹרָתְךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי
To your salvation I have longed to come יְהוָה
and your teaching is my delight
תְּחִי נַפְשִׁי וּתְהַלְלֶךָּ
וּמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ יַעְזְרֻנִי
To live let my being and it will praise you
and you will help me from your judgments
תָּעִיתִי כְּשֶׂה אֹבֵד
בַּקֵּשׁ עַבְדֶּךָ
כִּי מִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי
Time and again I am straying like a sheep that has perished
seek your servant
for your commandments I do not forget

The 22nd part. And notice how that lost sheep knows what it says. Baaahhh ! And I managed to avoid saying the opposite of what I meant most of the time.

BTW, the blogger editor is full of bugs in the Firefox browser. I have no idea where to report them, but the keyboard and mouse in the WSIWIG component will not allow typing in a null table cell, but it will allow paste and then typing. They changed it a few weeks ago much for the worse. I wonder who's using this besides me. Certainly they have let loose a programmer on it who does not have adequate testers (I know the feeling).

Details - I am sure we could predict taf as the prefix to the verb in this poem - and sure enough, we get it. Taf occurs as the first letter of the second and third person singular and plural of the imperfect - right across the board.
tiqràbתִּקְרַבlet come nearthird person singular qal imperfect - read as jussive - must be feminine
rinatyרִנָּתִיmy crysingular noun with first person singular possessive pronoun
lpaneykaלְפָנֶיךָto your presencepreposition+singular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
yyיְהוָהO LORDDivine name
kidbarkaכִּדְבָרְךָin your wordpreposition+singular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun (in could be according to if you prefer)
habynényהֲבִינֵנִיgive me understandingImperative hiphil with first person pronoun as object
tabvo)תָּבוֹאlet come jussive - third person imperative (=imperfect form)
txinatyתְּחִנָּתִיmy supplicationsingular noun with first person singular possessive pronoun
lpaneykaלְפָנֶיךָto your presencepreposition+singular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
k)imratkaכְּאִמְרָתְךָin your promisepreposition+singular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
hàcylényהַצִּילֵנִיdeliver meImperative hiphil with first person pronoun as object
tàbà`nahתַּבַּעְנָהtumble willthird person plural feminine qal imperfect
spatàyשְׂפָתַיmy lips withplural noun subject
thilahתְּהִלָּהpraisesingular noun, object of verb
kyכִּיforconjunction
tlàmdényתְלַמְּדֵנִיyou have taught meimperfect second person singular with singular first person object
xuqeykaחֻקֶּיךָyour statutesplural noun with first person singular possessive pronoun
tà`ànתַּעַןtestify willthird person singular qal imperfect
lshvonyלְשׁוֹנִיmy tonguesingular noun with first person singular possessive pronoun
)imratekaאִמְרָתֶךָof your promisesingular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
ky kal micvoteykaכִּי כָל מִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָfor all your commandmentspreposition + adjective + plural noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
cedeqצֶּדֶקare righteousadjective predicate, implied copula
thy yadkaתְּהִי יָדְךָthere will be your handimperfect third person singular of 'to be' i.e. an explicit use of this verb + singular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
l`azrényלְעָזְרֵנִיto help mepreposition+infinitive+first person singular pronoun
kyכִּיforconjunction
piqvudeykaפִקּוּדֶיךָyour preceptsplural noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
baxartyבָחָרְתִּיI have chosenfirst person singular qal perfect
ta)àbtyתָּאַבְתִּיI have longed to comefirst person singular qal perfect
lyshvu`atkaלִישׁוּעָתְךָto your salvationpreposition+singular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
yyיְהוָהO LORDDivine name
vtvoratkaוְתוֹרָתְךָand your instructionconjunction+singular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
shà`ashu`ayשַׁעֲשֻׁעָיis my delightsingular noun with first person singular possessive pronoun - predicate, implied copula
txy nàpshyתְּחִי נַפְשִׁיTo live let my beingjussive - third person imperative + singular noun with first person singular possessive pronoun
vuthàllekaוּתְהַלְלֶךָּand it will praise youconnector+third person imperfect qal+second person pornoun as object
vumishpa+ekaוּמִשְׁפָּטֶךָand from your judgmentsconjunction+plural noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
yà`zrunyיַעְזְרֻנִיyou will help mesecond person imperfect qal with singular first person object
ta`ytyתָּעִיתִיTime and again straying II needed the T+ qal perfect first person
ksehכְּשֶׂהam like a sheeppreposition + singular noun
)obédאֹבֵדthat has perishedparticiple
bàqéshבַּקֵּשׁseekimperative
`àbdekaעַבְדֶּךָyour servantsingular noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
ky micvoteykaכִּי מִצְו‍ֹתֶיךָfor your commandmentspreposition+plural noun with second person singular possessive pronoun
lo)לֹאnotnegative particle
shakaxtyשָׁכָחְתִּיdo I forgetqal perfect first person

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shalom Bob, Thank you for posting Hebrew grammar and your translation on the book of Job (Iyob).Is there any way of getting a hard copy of your work? Currently, I, too am doing a translation/transliteration on the Bible and was wondering if you could offer some advice or input that may help. My name is Bobbymo my phone number is 712-323-3902 and email is bobbymo5@msn.com. Hope to hear from you. Thank you in advance. Shalom Aleichem, Bobbymo

Bob MacDonald said...

there is a PDF http://bmd.gx.ca/psalms/BOBJOB.PDF

With my translations, be cautious - I post to learn so there are probably many suggested glosses and phrasings that I may rethink at some point but not necessarily change. Job has gone through a lot of drafts and rethinking. Psalms only 2 or 3 drafts.

re my advice and opinions - they are scattered all over these blogs - help yourself - but I see that you are anonymous. Are you a student? Already know Hebrew a bit – a lot? Religious background or not? It is difficult to 'give' advice to the unknown.