Psalm 68 continuing

I am glad to see continued interaction over the translation issues in Psalm 68 at BBB. The issue of who receives what from whom when is a small part of the discussion. Does God receive or give gifts? I was asked if I was making a theoretical statement about Christian translation.

I have a hard time following long comment strings so I thought I had better try and clarify some of my own bias in translation. Here is the interaction:

Bob: God receives gifts in response to having given them - so the reversal of the citation is not problematic.
J.K.Gayle: Are you making a theoretical statement about Christian translation of the Scriptures?

I don't think I have a position on 'Christian' translation at all. I try not to use such adjectives. If I have a theory of translation, it is pattern dependent: we must observe the repeating patterns and see if we can discern the contained and the containing. In the case of the psalms, there are several observable patterns. Finding the significant ones is still difficult.

Now to come to this particular question: As Suzanne points out, in Psalm 68 in this passage, God seems to be receiving gifts. This might mean that the armies were successful and there are captives in Jerusalem which are being received. I pointed out before that it is surprising that even the rebellious are being received. Is this a shame to them or a gift to them?

`ALithA LàMAROm ShAbithA ShEbi
עָלִיתָ לַמָּרוֹם שָׁבִיתָ שֶּׁבִי
you are gone up on high captives you have captured

LAQàXTA màTAnOth BA)ADAm
לָקַחְתָּ מַתָּנוֹת בָּאָדָם
you have received gifts of humanity

A few questions: what does the preposition and article BA mean? 'in the' (in the human) or 'of' or 'for' or 'when'? These Hebrew prepositions are difficult for non-natives to appreciate. So I need to look for clues in other references to gift in the poem: verses 30, 32, 33 and verses 4-5 - God receives praise and song - according to Psalm 50, these glorify God and so may be deemed gifts. There is further evidence of unity in the poem: the three mentions of the rider (verses 5, 18, 34). Note how these are bound to the sections we are already considering.

Briefly, the overall structure seems something like this:
Outer section: theophany, righteous rejoice, sing - chariot (the holy), theophany, blessing

Middle section: announcement, retreat, booty, God's hill - chariot (the holy), [passage under consideration], blessing, salvation and its cost (wound - see psalm 110), procession

Outer section: praise of Israel, praise of Gentiles, chariot (the holy), giving and gift summary, blessing

In this case, Psalm 68, we are still in the middle of understanding the whole. There seems to be a whole and this verse is near its centre. Was there a sudden freeing of a threat to the people, and the poet remembered the passage in Judges, and created this poem of praise as an elaboration of the song of Deborah and Barak?

See a prosodic image here

Note how the first section is bound together by the word 'presence' and the last section by the word 'strength'. I don't think I have marked quite enough connections in the word structure yet. Holiness and the chariot are in all three sections. Singing and praise - extending beyond Israel - form an outer circle as parts of sections 1 and 3. So in section 2 in the middle - what does the gift giving signify - by whom and to whom? Is the KJV justified in its use of 'for'?

How can God receive even the rebellious without the cost of redemption? If God receives someone, is that not gift in itself? If God receives a gift in a human, or a human as gift, is this a reflection of the gift of ourselves to God through the Spirit? If I were a first century reader, I would be inclined as I am now to read the psalm this way after the experience of the Spirit as groaning in us who believe, or as water abundant in our earth. This is in itself both gift from God and gift to God through his Son.

I think I would render it as:
you have received gifts in the human,
even the rebellious in the tent of Yah, God.

And I would hope people could see the cost to God of receiving such a gift and in doing so would glorify God in music and song. Then if I were citing this psalm to a first century Diaspora community, I would note how the ultimate gift of the Son resulted in the disbursement of the Principal sum (not a down payment) of the Spirit to those with whom God is pleased.

Psalm 68

Suzanne has posted part 11 of her series on Psalm 68, this time with a translation from Mary Sidney Herbert, a creative approach in an environment influenced by my favorite metaphysical poets. I am happy to see the posts continue. Some of my questions have been addressed; some still pending. I am not looking for conclusions, simply revelling in the continuing focus on psalms around this local pool in the blogosphere.

Ah, bright wings

A new table of contents emerging in my dreams - every one of its 300+ entries a bright star, a coat of many colours. Will I find it?

John has been encouraging us to learn to see without the Masoretic markings - perhaps it is the next necessary step. What patterns can I recognize without the points? Certainly plurals, often i and o vowels where the 'letter' is waw or yod - essentially a mater. There was a rule on pronouncing the leading waw - usually ve but sometimes u or va depending on what followed - I have forgotten. And when is the suffix waw like an O or like U? - it's a game of word recognition. How little we need to see a word in our native writing system. How we can struggle with the strange tongue? (Psalm 114 - In Exitu Israel de Aegypto, domus Iacob de populo barbaro.)

My ultimate table of contents will have to be at least 306 entries - two each per psalm (4 each for 119?) - each psalm with 2 diagrams: one in raw form exploring the inner verbal structure and one in prosodic form, compact, and without vowel points. The challenge for the ah-bright-wings of the table of contents is to fit 300+ links into a viewable form.

The silver dove with gold pinions of psalm 68 - is that the gift of the Spirit? If so, it would pair with verse 19. Here's a rough cut


יב )aDonAY YITEn )omER
אֲדֹנָי יִתֶּן אֹמֶר
My Lord gave a word

HàmbàsROth TsAbA) RAb
הַמְבַשְּׂרוֹת צָבָא רָב
the women publishing are a great host

יג màLkèY TsbA)Oth YIDoDUn YIDoDUn
מַלְכֵי צְבָאוֹת יִדֹּדוּן יִדֹּדוּן
kings of hosts gallop away (YIDoDUn YIDoDUn, YIDoDUn YIDoDUn)

UnVàth BàYIth TXàLèQ ShALAL
וּנְוַת בַּיִת תְּחַלֵּק שָׁלָל
she who remained at home shared the spoil


יד )Im TIShkbUn BèYn ShphàTAYIm
אִם תִּשְׁכְּבוּן בֵּין שְׁפַתָּיִם
if you rest between the ash-heaps

kànphèY YOnAH nEXPAH bàkESEph
כַּנְפֵי יוֹנָה נֶחְפָּה בַכֶּסֶף
- the wings of a dove covered with silver

V)EbROthEYHA BiRàQRàQ XARUTs
וְאֶבְרוֹתֶיהָ בִּירַקְרַק חָרוּץ
and her feathers with yellow-green gold


טו BphARès ShàDàY mLAkim BAH TàShLèg BTsàLmOn
בְּפָרֵשׂ שַׁדַּי מְלָכִים בָּהּ תַּשְׁלֵג בְּצַלְמוֹן
the Almighty will spread the kings there white as snow in Salmon


טז HàR )eLoHim HàR BAShAn HàR GàbnuNim HàR BAShAn
הַר אֱלֹהִים הַר בָּשָׁן הַר גַּבְנֻנִּים הַר בָּשָׁן
The hill of God the hill of Bashan the hill of mountain peaks the hill of Bashan


יז LAMAH TRàTsDUn HARim GàbnuNim
לָמָּה תְּרַצְּדוּן הָרִים גַּבְנֻנִּים
Why be jealous O hills of mountain peaks

HAHAR XAmàD )eLoHim LShIbTO
הָהָר חָמַד אֱלֹהִים לְשִׁבְתּוֹ
This hill is God's delight for his dwelling

)àph YY YIShkon LAnETsàX
אַף יְהוָה יִשְׁכֹּן לָנֶצַח
Indeed, the LORD will make his tent here in perpetuity


יח REkEb )eLoHim RIBothàYIm )àLphèY ShIn)An
רֶכֶב אֱלֹהִים רִבֹּתַיִם אַלְפֵי שִׁנְאָן
the chariot of God - tens of thousands, thousands, myriads

)aDonAY bAm SinàY BàQoDESh
אֲדֹנָי בָם סִינַי בַּקֹּדֶשׁ
the Lord is there, [as at] Sinai, in the holy place


יט `ALithA LàMAROm ShAbithA ShEbi
עָלִיתָ לַמָּרוֹם שָׁבִיתָ שֶּׁבִי
you are gone up on high captives you have captured

LAQàXTA màTAnOth BA)ADAm
לָקַחְתָּ מַתָּנוֹת בָּאָדָם
you have received the gifts of humanity

V)àph SORRim LIShkon YAH )eLoHim
וְאַף סוֹרְרִים לִשְׁכֹּן יָהּ אֱלֹהִים
even the rebellious, in the tent of Yah God

------------------------------------------------

New and changed diagrams in the last 10 days
Psalm -28 September 2007 (96)
Psalm -68 September 2007 (310)
Psalm 108 September 2007 (98)
Psalm 110 September 2007 (65)
Psalm 111 September 2007 (74)
Psalm 112 September 2007 (79)
Psalm 113 September 2007 (60)
Psalm 114 September 2007 (52)
Psalm 115 May 2007 (135)
Psalm 116 August 2007 (131)
Psalm 117 March 2007 (17)
Psalm 135 August 2007 (167)
Psalm 144 September 2007 (130)
Psalm 146 May 2007 (85)
Psalm 147 June 2007 (141)
Psalm 148 June 2007 (111)
Psalm 149 July 2007 (63)
Psalm 150 December 2006 (37)



Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
Gerard Manley Hopkins

The precipices in Psalm 68

I suppose I should be cautious, for I don't think we ever exhaust the 'meaning' or the application of a psalm. This is not just a matter of translation, but of the work of the psalm in our lives, a liturgy of transformation, our smoke dissipating in the presence of fire. But still I am asking, what parts of the psalm do I seem to 'understand' and what parts are difficult to understand?

Some of my questions are simple.
1. There are a number of repeated words - as if this poet likes to repeat words. Are some of them figures of speech or common conventions or are they innovations in the poet's language?
2. The word Adonai gets frequent use. Is this a northern convention? (Does Korah own a piece of this psalm?)
3. Of the difficulties: verses 14, 21, 24, and perhaps 31 stand out for me.

Returning to my original purpose in examining the psalms: how would a first century writer such as the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews read the psalm - would he or she see our difficulties? This writer used words from the psalms as dialogue between the Father and the Son. Is there any hint of such dialogue in Psalm 68? It can be granted that the original poet(s) would not have had such an explicit referent - but are there hints that allow for such a possibility at a different level of apprehension than that of the first century?

Taking just verse 14 (13 in English)
אִם תִּשְׁכְּבוּן בֵּין שְׁפַתָּיִם
)Im tishkbun bein shepataim

Available translations:
Weiser: Do you want to camp among the sheepfolds?
Dahood: O that they would empty out between the sheepfolds.
Jerusalem Bible (1962): Meanwhile you others were lolling in the sheepfolds.
KJV: Though ye have lien among the pots.
RSV: though they stay among the sheepfolds.
Iyov's post of Alter's translation: If you lie down among sheepfolds . . .
Robert Davidson: no translation given - only notes

It's a rather wide field of possibilities. The woman of the prior verse is described as נְוַת (nvat). I think this is being read as a singular participle, a word that suggests a pastoral environment. BDB translates 'she that is abiding at home'.

Here is the phrase in its wider context:
Weiser
The Lord gives utterance with a loud voice
great is the host of maidens who bring glad tidings
The kings of the armies flee, they flee,
and the women at home divide the spoil
Do you want to camp among the sheepfolds?

Weiser's next sentence is not a sentence - it is meaningless to me - it must have lost in the translation from the German.
The wings of a dove covered with silver
and its pinions with green gold,
when the almighty scattered kings therein
thou causest (sic) snow to fall on Zalmon.

Dahood
Let the Lord send forth the word
rejoicing a numerous host.
May the kings of the hosts bow themselves, bow themselves,
the country's pasture land share the boon;
O that they would empty out between the sheepfolds!
The wings of the dove are plated with silver,
and her pinions with yellow gold.
When Shaddai covered the kings,
then snow fell on Zalmon.

Alter
The Master gives word
--the women who bear tidings are a great host:
"The kings of armies run away, run away,
and the mistress of the house shares out the spoils."
If you lie down among sheepfolds . . .
The wings of the dove are inlaid with silver,
and her pinions with precious gold.
When Shaddai scattered the kings there,
it snowed on Zalmon.

(What would Handel do with these!)

The simplest resolution - to guess at the meaning - seems to be to take the approach that contrasts the women (singular or plural?) with the kings fleeing, and the threats with the division of booty which is then perhaps referred to in "the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold." This, Weiser suggests, is what the RSV has done, allowing a reading similar to KJV but without the period at the end of the prior verse.

The women at home
divide the spoil,
though they stay among the sheepfolds --
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with green gold.

It is an obscure verse - as dark as that mountain at Salmon. I leave this one as unresolved for the moment - all questions outstanding. Maybe the dish ran away with the spoon. Perhaps we are missing the irony or humour in the piece.

Some Commentaries on psalm 68

I looked at a dozen books referring to psalm 68 last night. Unfortunately Fokkelman does not treat this psalm. From him I would expect a serious structural argument and lots of counting. I brought home Weiser (1962), Dahood (1968), and Robert Davidson (1998). We know that Dahood will give us some alternatives to think about. For instance, with respect to two of the occurrences of Elohim, he suggests that the lamedh of verse 5 is a vocative lamedh - and to be fair, he justifies it with an appeal to the parallel in verse 33 (suggesting things with structure is at least a visible reason).

The transcriptions are copied per his text - so no practice working back to the Hebrew letters - maybe John can help here.

So verse 5 becomes:
Sing, O gods, chant, O his heavens,
[shemo becomes shamaw - defective spelling]
pave the highway for the Rider of the Clouds [cf Isaiah 40:3]
Delight in Yahweh and exult before him
[beyah shemo makes no sense according to Dahood - so it becomes beyah semu, qal masculine plural of *ysm - my old Jerusalem Bible has the same 'correction'.]

and verse 33
O kings of the earth, sing,
O gods, sing praises to the Lord
Behold the Rider of his heavens,
the primeval heavens

Weiser is more traditional. All three have the rider upon the clouds - not the desert.

Much to learn here - pondering ...

(At least I didn't bring home the Commentary on the Psalms from primitive and mediaeval writers : and from the various office-books and hymns of the Roman, Mozarabic, Ambrosian, Gallican, Greek, Coptic, Armenian, and Syriac rites / by J.M. Neale and R.F. Littledale. The imaging of Christ in the psalter knows no bounds in the heights of Christendom.)

More on Psalm 68

I have attempted to massage the psalm according to the prosodic general rule. You can see it here. I hope you will agree that the stress-units, versets, lines and strophes are viewable. By painting the Hebrew and English differently instead of as a mirror, I think I have allowed some viewing of both internal and external structures together.

I have altered some parts of the translation from the raw word for word which the draft represented. I have sometimes used normal English word order and I have allowed the jussive to replace the indicative as suggested by John and most of the translations I have seen. I have no compunction about praying in this fashion - let your requests be made known.... Equally, I am always aware that salvation must be the result for the enemies I have created if it is to be for me as rebellious (I fit verse 22 - you cannot escape these psalms). Our salvation requires that we be conformed to the scattering of our pretensions by the exaltation of Christ on the cross and at the right hand of the Holy. There is nothing better that I can desire for my enemies.

My results:
section 1: 1-11, 3 stanzas, 3, 3, and 2 strophes, 11 lines.

section 2: 12-26, 3 stanzas 2, 2, and 3 strophes, 15 lines.

section 3: 27 to 36, 2 stanzas, 3 and 2 strophes, 12 lines - the last very short, only one verset.

John counted 52 lines - so I must have put some 2's into 3's. He also did not split the sections where I did.

(The computer counted a total of 310 words including the inscription. My section word counts appear to be 88, 124, and 90. Section 1 and 3 are equal in length apart from the 2 word final verset.)

God's chariot is in the centre of each section. Emphasis in section 1 is on presence (faces). Section 2 has the rare language of wounding - מחץ - (machats). The same rare word for wound is twice in Psalm 110 (5,6). (Deuteronomy 32:39 is particularly instructive - approaching as it does the for us central issue of theodicy. I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither [is there any] that can deliver out of my hand.) Section 3 is bound by the word bless, and has an emphasis on strength.

I searched out a number of commentaries last night and will report a few of them later. If I were looking for unity, which some of the commentaries deny, I would want to be convinced based on the inclusios and emphases in the text. The prosodic structure might also provide confirmation.

Psalm 68

I have a few more psalms drafted

Psalm -68 September 2007 (310) update: see also prosodic
Psalm -86 August 2007 (147)
Psalm 103 August 2007 (167)
Psalm 116 August 2007 (131)

Psalm 68 is the subject of several recent posts from Suzanne, John, and Lingamish who allows the psalm to stand as "one of the most difficult of all psalms to understand and interpret".

For some time the mantra - psalms are more than poems - has been in my head - with instruction to write. What shall I write? Psalms happen to you. Poems can be interpreted. Sometimes when I approach a psalm, I deliberately ask that it not 'happen' to me (now that I know this truth). But equally - let Psalm 139 happen and 86 and let us be able to know the signs of the times.

If I had to note a suggestion I received while musing so far, I would reference Christopher Smart and the Jubilate Agno Fragment B, 2 (set in part by Benjamin Britten)

For at that time malignity ceases and the devils themselves are at peace. (Check this poem out if you don't know it.) Even the rebellious get a benefit in Psalm 68. Do you know anywhere else that this happens?

My draft of Psalm 68 identifies a few structural aspects - perhaps they will help in the understanding:

The word I translated presence (literally faces) occurs 8 times in the first 9 verses. If this psalm isn't something about presence, I would be surprised. This word does not occur again - so if it is a prelude, it is not balanced. If not perhaps there is a centre in the first 9 verses to look for. It is likely balanced by the end sections on strength (6 uses in the last 8 verses).

Selah interrupts a thought each time it occurs - so it is not marking cadences as it often does.

Sing, make music, and God riding a chariot occur twice - once in the desert, the second time in the heavens - the centre of the concentric structure on strength.The centre also encompasses the fate of the kings who are the ones singing and making music to God at the end. So the righteous of verse 4 are not parochial. A third referent to the chariot is in the middle section.

The place of God's holiness occurs 4 times.

God as El, Eli, Elohim, Elohay (31 times), Yah(2), YHWH (2), Shaddai (1), Adonai(7) - I wonder about the density (12.5%) and variety of the names of God in the Psalm.

Verse 12 - My Lord gave a word; those publishing are a great host

This verse seems to head the rest of the poem. The content is about kings fleeing and yet further on kings returning with gifts and homage. In the middle is where the triumph of God is recorded: Adonai desires to make his permenant home on mount Zion, Even the rebellious are in the tent of Yah Elohim.

Verse 21(20) may be the centre of the poem - I have no idea what to do with the last word of that verse which I have rendered exeunts. The tetragrammeton occurs only here.

verse 22-24 uses rare language (= Psalm 110).

There are many allusions that are used by New Testament writers.

There are some really odd verses that maybe if they happen to you, you will sing about. So what does it mean to lie down between the whatevers - as KJV has it - though ye have a lien among the pots! Or what has the snow of Salmon to do with kings? (Except as an image of forgiveness of course).

I look forward to future posts and resolution of some of these difficulties - maybe.