My first detail grammar lesson

Here is Psalm 1:1 - any comments from those who really think grammar? For two years I have avoided learning the 'rules' but now the time has come. I am wondering if I can automate part of this long manual process...

Psalms Dictionary Report

Part of Speech Person Number Gender Sfx Root Pfx Form Aspect Tense Interjection Singular י אשׁר Noun Singular Non-specific אישׁ הָ Absolute Relative Pronoun Singular Non-specific אשׁר Negative Particle לא Verb 3 Singular הלך Qal Indeterminate Perfect Noun Singular Non-specific ת עץה בּ Construct Noun Plural Non-specific ים רשׁע Absolute Noun Singular Non-specific דרך וּבְ Construct Noun Plural Non-specific ים חטא Absolute Negative Particle לא Verb 3 Singular עמד Qal Indeterminate Perfect Noun Singular מושׁב וּבְ Construct Noun Plural Non-specific ים לץ Absolute Negative Particle לא Verb 3 Singular ישׁב Qal Indeterminate Perfect

Update: see here for a helpful presentation on grammar and gender. HT Suzanne.

Why biblical Hebrew

The disciplined Daniel and Tonya have asked a number of questions on the study of Biblical Hebrew. Here are my responses.

Why do you study biblical Hebrew?
To get to a better understanding of the experience of the life of the Spirit in the first century of this era. The writers of the NT, particularly the writer of Hebrews read the scripture is a way that is different from the ways I have seen in my culture.

What do you want to be able to do with your ability in biblical Hebrew?
I am doing a little teaching: 5 minutes a week in Sunday School and one mature student. I want them to enjoy the language as much as I have. I want the youngsters to say in their teens if they so desire - I can do this.

How does biblical language study relate to you as a confessor of Scripture?
It reveals to me that I do not have, nor does any tradition have all the answers in a nice pile.

Since we’re talking about reading this Hebrew Bible, what is the Hebrew Bible?
I don't feel the need to give it bounds at the moment. But I have only touched a few books.

Goals for 2009.
I have no set goals. In this third year of study, I hope to apply the tools of my trade to the problem of learning and researching biblical Hebrew - and hopefully presenting the results of my study more clearly. I would like to create a database with the properties of each word in the psalter. Although I am translating other books also, I do not expect to include them in the database in quite the same way.

Rarely used words in the Psalter - 7

I think I have improved my root algorithm. I added some tests for the possessive plurals and I scored 41 out of 39 for love. Not bad eh? Also I got 1 out of 1 for potentates in Psalm 2. In Psalm 2, those potentate rule-makers are unique. And I eliminated a lot of false unique hits by getting the love right. Evaluating an I'll go rhythm is an intensive musical experience concentrating on sequences of rules. (That was a joke.)

What is this turmoil in the-many nations?
and the-many peoples meditating on empty?
They set themselves - these kinglets of earth
these rule-makers וְרֹוזְנִים reasoning as one
against יְהוָה and against his anointed

Rarely used words in the Psalter - 6

For today of course מֹר and כתם each occur once only in the Psalms - in the joy of a wedding.

Your throne O God is now and for ever
a sceptre of equity the sceptre of your kingdom
You have loved righteousness and hate wickedness
therefore God your God has anointed you
with oil of rejoicing with your companions

All your garments are myrrh מֹר and aloes
cassia from palaces of ivory
lutes make you glad
kings' daughters are among your highly valued
a consort is placed at your right hand in gold כתם of Ophir

Be his consort indeed.

You have died to the law through the body of Christ,
so that you may belong to another,
to him who has been raised from the dead
in order that we may bear fruit for God.

קטרת occurs twice, Psalm 66:15 and Psalm 141:2. For frankincense, go to the Song especially chapter 4.

let my prayer be established as incense קטרת in your presence
a lifting up of my palms, the offerings of evening

I will complete for you my vows
which my lips have set free
and my mouth spoke in the trouble that was mine
whole offerings of marrow I will offer to you
with incense קטרת of a ram

Rarely used words in the Psalter - 5

OK - when is a word rare? What is a word anyway? One sequence of arbitrarily spaced letters? Or a useful phrase? Or something understood? A way into the relationship that is of everlasting significance no matter how short your life is or seems to be.

Well here's a unique letter trio מטה, the thing you take up and walk - your bed. It derives from a not so rare word - to stretch out נטה - the sort of thing you do on a bed. But in the Psalms it is most commonly applied to ears - when we implore God to stretch out an ear to listen.

I have a child - now 38 - who could never say milk - always said nilk. Even when prompted by a long mmmmmmm - he would say mmmmmm nilk. He's in good company. m's and n's don't go together that often and it seems m's occasionally trump n's.

So where's this unique word and what does it mean? It is in Psalm 6, the first penitential psalm - the place where we need to pay attention, because it is not a laughing matter to be rebuked by God is his wrath. But consider - would God bother if you were not really important to him?

I am weary with my groaning
I swim every night in my bed מטה
with my tears my couch ערש I water
consumed from grief my eye ages in all my straits

While we're here, we better follow up on the couch too - maybe the Most High has something to tell us when we are reclined and his ear is inclined usward. ערש is not too common either - occurring only 3 times in the psalms. No reclining till the work is done - so promises David

I will not enter the tent of my house
nor will I go up to my bed chamber עַל־עֶרֶשׂ יְצוּעָֽי
nor will I let my eyes sleep
my eyelids slumber
until I secure a place for יְהוָה
a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob

I think this is hyperbole from David - and two words for bed in a row - the second one rendered chamber and the pair perhaps meaning bedroom! The words for bed are multiplying like rabbits. When we follow this word, it occurs twice, once above in Psalm 132 and again in psalm 63

when I remember you on my bed עַל־יְצוּעָי
in the night-watches I groan in you
for you have been my help
and in the shadow of your wings I rejoice

my being clings to you

your right hand holds me

The third usage of ערש in the Psalms reveals yet another word for bed in the parallel colon

and he will be considered happy in the earth
and you will not give him into the will of his enemies
יְהוָה will confirm him on a bed ערש of sorrow
all his couch משכב you change in his illness

I think this is a blessing but the English needs work... any suggestions?

משכב is more frequent than the other word for bed, occurring 4 times, Psalm 4:4, Psalm 36:4, and Psalm 149:5 - part of the final instruction and closing bracket of the Psalter. The word it is related to is to lie down, itself used 6 times. I'll leave that one for another day. First Psalm 4

Tremble and do not be missing the goal

speak with your heart

on your bed and be still

Then in Psalm 36, the writer does not necessarily speak of a different person on a bed. I, with some risk, think that the enemy is more within than objectified in someone else.

trouble he devises on his bed
he presents himself on a way that is not good
evil he does not reject

And finally - let us be joyful on our beds in every sense

Joy for the many under protection in glory
singing on their beds עַל־מִשְׁכְּבֹותָֽם
exaltations of God in their voice
a sword of many mouths in their hand

Rarely used words in the Psalter - 4

New wine (תירוש) is used once in the Psalter. It is rare in that it is a five letter word. But I suppose, given its derivation from ירש to inherit or possess, it is not really so rare. The new wine we had in Mons en Provence (Beaujolais Nouveau) was in our estimation the worst wine we tasted there. When we mentioned this to the local baker who sold us good local wine, he nodded his head in agreement. What the psalmist knows in Psalm 4 is in his estimation better than new wine.

You have put joy in my heart

more than when their grain

and their new wine increased

Rarely used words in the Psalter - 3

In Psalm 2 we have a rare root נסך. The traditional translation is of course

I myself have set וַאֲנִי נָסַכְתִּי that one - my own king in Zion, my holy hill

After all, what do you do with a king? You establish or set him up (qal perfect). But curiously, this is the only use of נסך with that translation. The other usage of נסך in the Psalter (Psalm 16:4 - qal imperfect) and most of the other uses in the rest of the canon are used for the act of pouring out an offering. The curious thing about the offering in Psalm 16 is that it is negative and can be conceptually matched with the negative expression of resurrection. The use of drink-offerings (same root) is unique to Psalm 16 but frequent (63 times) in the rest of the canon.

I will not offer their offerings בַּל־אַסִּיךְ נִסְכֵּיהֶם with blood
and I will not put their names on my lips
יְהוָה is the portion of my field and my cup
....

for you will not abandon my life to the place of the dead
You will not allow your righteous to see a pit
You will make known to me a path of Life
satisfaction of joys in your presence
pleasures unending at your right hand

The not's are matched only conceptually since a different particle (לֹא) is used in the second pair.

Another use of נסך with the translation 'set up' is in Proverbs 8:23 נִסַּכְתִּי (niphal) speaking of Wisdom. What if we translated that as

From everlasting I was poured out
From the beginning
Before ever the earth was

Blog list gadget fixed

Google had made it very awkward to add and update my blog list since they had restricted the auto-update to Google blogs only. Now they have repaired that problem so my blog list is back up.

Rarely used words in the Psalter - 2

In Psalm 1 there is a word used only once in the Psalter: וְעָלֵהוּ and its leaf. The leaf of the righteous will not fade. This is (perhaps) reflected in the vision of Ezekiel 47:12 which provides the inspiration for the Revelation of John and his vision of the tree of life.

like a tree transplanted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its time
and its leaf does not wither
and in all that it does, it prospers

Rarely used words in the Psalter - 1

In Psalm 2, there is a word used only twice נתק: Psalm 2:3, and Psalm 107:14. These are clearly closely connected.

The taunt of the kings is to break the bonds of יְהוָה and his anointed.

They set themselves - these kinglets of earth
these rule-makers reasoning as one
against יְהוָה and against his anointed
Let us break נְֽנַתְּקָה their monopoly מֹֽוסְרֹותֵימֹו
and kiss good-bye to their cartel

The bonds of the contentious in Psalm 107 are broken in mercy.

Sitting in darkness and shadow of death
bindings of affliction and iron
for they contended words of God
and the counsel of the Most High they spurned
and he will humble their heart with toil
they fell and there was no help
And they cry to יְהוָה in their trouble
and out of their distress he delivers them
He rescues them from darkness and shadow of death
and their bonds וּמֹוסְרֹותֵיהֶם he breaks יְנַתֵּֽק

The bonds word (מוסר) is rare also, occurring in these two passages as well as Psalm 116:16 (Here the word for loosed (פתח) is much more frequent - 18 times in the psalms).

Precious in the eyes of יְהוָה is the death of those under his protection
I pray יְהוָה for I myself am your servant
I myself your servant and child of your faithfulness
you have loosed my bonds לְמֹוסֵרָֽי

This sounds a little gentler than the breaking asunder of bonds - but perhaps strong willed and contentious folk need a more violent treatment.

How extensive is the language of the Psalms

My [very] rough count says there are about 1500 unique word-roots in the Psalter - about 19,551 words barring arguments from textual critics. There are 6,982 distinct words. So the average word is used about 3 times and the average root about 4 times.

Which words / roots are unique? Lots - about 360 roots [+/- 1 30% - the algorithm has many boundary failures] and about 4600 words are used only once [reasonably accurate - a pure count].

I am finding that short of writing a whole book on the story in the psalter, its structure is elusive - there are signs of structure but they are so manifold, the engine of their being is not easily summarized in a single image.

If I did one unique root a day, it would take a year. Does this seem like a project worth the effort? [Can I find them all accurately?]

Any project in the Scriptures is worth the effort - even the scoffer can enter the world of the saints.

And what about sitting?

Sit is the third verb in the psalms (skipping לוץ the scornful participle which occurs only twice in the psalter, Psalm 1:1, and Psalm 119:51). Again, this third verb is negatively phrased לֹא יָשָֽׁב and Qal perfect. My query returns 51 of 58 occurrences. I won't bore you with the details but will just fix the rows by hand. I have to add the conjugation column anyway.

The vav-conversive does not apply in my opinion to Psalm 1 but it does in Psalm 23:6. I phoned my Hebrew coach in Ottawa and he checked the Esperanto translation. Psalm 23:6 in Esperanto uses the future. His mother tongue is modern Hebrew but he confirmed this archaic usage of vav to reverse the aspect of a verb, though he indicated the vav should be attached to the verb (as in Psalm 23). But Psalm 29 violates this rule too with a preceding vav yet no reversal of aspect. And Psalm 47 has no preceding vav yet the common translation has its aspect reversed. (Go figure - as I said, do what you want with the aspect / tense of the verbs!)

Psalm	Root	English	Hebrew	Conjugation
Psalm 1:1	ישׁב	has not sat	לֹא יָשָׁב	Qal, perfect
Psalm 2:4	ישׁב	He sits	יוֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 4:8		make me live	תֹּושִׁיבֵֽנִי	Hiphil, imperfect
Psalm 9:4	ישׁב	remains	יֵשֵׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 9:7		you have remained	יָשַׁבְתָּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 9:11	ישׁב	dwelling	יֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 10:8	ישׁב	He sits	יֵשֵׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 17:12	ישׁב	sitting	יֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 22:3	ישׁב	seated on	יוֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 23:6	ישׁב	and I will live	וְשַׁבְתִּי	Qal, perfect
Psalm 24:1	ישׁב	and those living in	וְיֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 26:4		have not sat	לֹא־יָשַׁבְתִּי	Qal, perfect
Psalm 26:5		will not sit	אֵשֵֽׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 27:4		to dwell	שִׁבְתִּי	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 29:10	ישׁב	sat	יָשָׁב	Qal, perfect
Psalm 33:8	ישׁב	all those sitting of / i.e. living	כָּל יֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 33:14		where he lives	מְּכֹון־שִׁבְתֹּו	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 33:14	ישׁב	to all those sitting	אֶל כָּל יֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 47:8	ישׁב	sat on a throne of	יָשַׁב עַל כִּסֵּא	Qal, perfect
Psalm 49:1	ישׁב	all you living of	כָּל יֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 50:20		you sit	תֵּשֵׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 55:19		the one sitting	וְיֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 61:7	ישׁב	he will dwell	יֵשֵׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 65:8	ישׁב	those living of the extremes	יֹשְׁבֵי קְצָו‍ֹת	Qal, active participle
Psalm 68:6		placing	מֹושִׁיב	Hiphil, participle
Psalm 68:10	ישׁב	dwell there	יָשְׁבוּ בָהּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 68:16		for his dwelling	לְשִׁבְתֹּו	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 69:12	ישׁב	those sitting	יֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 69:25	ישׁב	be living	יֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 69:35	ישׁב	and they will live there	וְיָשְׁבוּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 75:3		all her inhabitants	וְכָל־יֹשְׁבֶיהָ	Qal, active participle
Psalm 80:1	ישׁב	you sitting on	יֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 83:7	ישׁב	and those living in	עִם יֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 84:4	ישׁב	those sitting	יוֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 91:1	ישׁב	One dwelling	יֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 98:7	ישׁב	and those living	וְיֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 99:1	ישׁב	he sits on	יֹשֵׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 101:7	ישׁב	he will not live	לֹא יֵשֵׁב	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 102:12		will remain	תֵּשֵׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 107:10	ישׁב	Sitting in	יֹשְׁבֵי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 107:34	ישׁב	and he will cause to live	וַיּוֹשֶׁב	Qal, active participle
Psalm 107:36	ישׁב	of those dwelling	יוֹשְׁבֵי	Hiphil, imperfect
Psalm 110:1		Sit	שֵׁב	Qal, imperative
Psalm 113:5		dwelling	לָשָֽׁבֶת	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 113:8		dwell	לְהֹושִׁיבִי	Hiphil, infinitive
Psalm 113:9		dwell	מֹֽושִׁיבִי	Hiphil, participle
Psalm 119:23	ישׁב	sat	יָשְׁבוּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 122:5	ישׁב	they sit	יָשְׁבוּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 123:1	ישׁב	the one sitting	הַיֹּשְׁבִי	Qal, active participle
Psalm 125:1	ישׁב	it will stay	יֵשֵׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 127:2		sit late	מְאַֽחֲרֵי־שֶׁבֶת	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 132:12	ישׁב	they will sit	יֵשְׁבוּ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 132:14		here will I stay	פֹּֽה־אֵשֵׁב	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 133:1		live	שֶׁבֶת	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 137:1	ישׁב	we sat	יָשַׁבְנוּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 139:2		my sitting	שִׁבְתִּי	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 140:13	ישׁב	will dwell	יֵשְׁבוּ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 143:3		he consigns me	הֹושִׁיבַנִי	Hiphil, perfect

Now for standing

Stand is the second verb in the psalms. Again, a negative - לֹא עָמָד has not stood, a qal perfect. Here beginneth the argument about vavs or waws if you prefer. Does the sequence of connected phrases change the aspect of this verb from completed (perfect) to ongoing (imperfect)? If it does then the vav allows you to connect these phrases in a narrative and reverse the aspect of the verbs.

I do not buy it at this stage of my learning at least not here in this psalm. Mostly I do not have enough information about the language to judge the fullness of thought behind the verb forms. The last instance in psalm 148 is a better argument for a vav-conversive since it occurs with the verb and not just as part of the phrase. But whether one translates psalm 148 as established or will establish now and forever, it seems to make little difference to the 'meaning'.

Warning, in my first raw translations - such as appear below from the database, I have often used 'past' tense to remind me that this verb was perfect and 'future' tense to remind me it was imperfect - but I have not bothered to be consistent either in the database - developed by hand over 18 months or in the second draft translations over the last year. What the verb does will be determined by the translation of the poetry. Continuous present is my favorite since it can almost be applied to everything!

I have no translation philosophy of literal (though I am mostly literal with respect to thought sequence) or dynamic equivalence or formal equivalence. I can barely pronounce these last two. My philosophy is - can I make sense of the writer's experience - psychological, verbal, and physical to the extent that the words can illustrate the historical or cultic situation of the writer and have some relationship to our own covenant dialogue? I will translate to that question - and I will keep on asking it. I cannot believe I should lock in my answer - whether for cultic power, religious power, social control, or fear of loss. There is no fear in love. There is no human power base for the covenant. I have had to use words. Only by words can I reach out and touch in this medium. The anointing is more than words.

There are some curious false positives from my root algorithm - so I have left them showing. I missed three (at least according to this list), always the Hiphil since it adds a yod and the computer cannot create data or match from nothing (yet - i.e. until I figure out the condition when a rule should test for hiphil).

Psalm	Root	English	Hebrew	Conjugation
Psalm 1:1	עמד	has not stood	לֹא עָמָד	Qal, perfect
Psalm 10:1	עמד	will you stand	תַּעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 18:33	missed	he stands me	יַעֲמִידֵֽנִי	Hiphil, imperfect
Psalm 19:9	עמד	is clean standing	טְהוֹרָה עוֹמֶדֶת	Qal, active participle
Psalm 23	עמד	for you are with me	כִּי-אַתָּה עִמָּדִי	This is a curious accident - a false positive? or a verb?
Psalm 26:12	עמד	stands	עָמְדָה	Qal, perfect
Psalm 30:7	עמד	you made to stand	הֶעֱמַדְתָּה	Hiphil, perfect
Psalm 31:8	עמד	but have set	הֶעֱמַדְתָּ	Hiphil, perfect
Psalm 33:9	עמד	and it stands	וַיַּעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 33:11	עמד	will stand	תַּעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 38:11	עמד	they stand	יַעֲמֹדוּ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 38:11	עמד	they stand	עָמָדוּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 50	עמד	are mine	עִמָּדִי	More false positives
Psalm 55	עמד	with me	עִמָּדִי
Psalm 69	עמד	foothold	מָעֳמָד
Psalm 75	עמד	its pillars	עַמּוּדֶיהָ	different false positives
Psalm 76:7	עמד	and who can stand	וּמִי יַעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 99	עמד	in the pillar of	בְּעַמּוּד
Psalm 101	עמד	with me	עִמָּדִי
Psalm 102:26	עמד	you will stand	תַעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 104:6	עמד	they stood	יַעַמְדוּ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 105:10	missed	and stood by it	וַיַּֽעֲמִידֶהָ	Hiphil, imperfect
Psalm 106:23	עמד	stood	עָמַד	Qal, perfect
Psalm 106:30	עמד	and stood up	וַיַּעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 107:25	עמד	and will raise up	וַיַּעֲמֵד	Hiphil, imperfect
Psalm 109:6	עמד	let stand at his right hand	יַעֲמֹד עַל יְמִינוֹ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 109:31	עמד	for he will stand	כִּי יַעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 111:3	עמד	stands	עֹמֶדֶת	Qal, active participle
Psalm 111:10	עמד	stands	עֹמֶדֶת	Qal, active participle inclusio
Psalm 112:3	עמד	standing	עֹמֶדֶת	Qal, active participle
Psalm 112:9	עמד	standing	עֹמֶדֶת	Qal, active participle inclusio
Psalm 119:90	עמד	and she stands	וַתַּעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 119:91	עמד	lo they stand	עָמְדוּ	Qal, perfect - adjacent to each other
Psalm 122:2	עמד	standing	עֹמְדוֹת	Qal, active participle
Psalm 130:3	עמד	who will stand	מִי יַעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 134:1	עמד	those standing	הָעֹמְדִים	Qal, active participle
Psalm 135:2	עמד	who are standing	שֶׁעֹמְדִים	Qal, active participle
Psalm 147:17	עמד	will stand	יַעֲמֹד	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 148:6	missed	established	וַיַּעֲמִידֵם	Hiphil, imperfect

Getting the walk right

To begin my investigation of verbs in Hebrew I started with the first verb in the Psalms - walk. The first verb is in a negative expression -

Happy is the one who has not walked לֹא הָלַךְ

in the advice of the wicked

Has not walked is my rendering of the qal perfect 3rd person singular of HLK - with the negative particle. How should the tense / mood / aspect of this verb be expressed? Is has not walked better than did not walk? Or should it be is not walking or does not walk? These questions catch the problem of the verb related to its time - past, present, or future, and its ongoing or complete nature. To be blunt, after two years of messing about with Hebrew, it seems to me that one can do almost anything with a verb. To see if this is true, or not, I will painstakingly list all occurrences of HLK in the psalms and see if I can decipher a pattern of usage.

To make things more interesting, this first verb is very similar to another verb YLK which is also sometimes translated 'walk' - so here is my first cut at all the instances of these two roots (HLK first then YLK) in the psalms (missing a few rows and columns which I will have to add by hand and containing a few rows I will have to delete since my root algorithm needs so many exceptions - O brute force!).

Walk is frequently used in Hithpael, that rare conjugation - right away an interesting statistic. Also one can see that the KJV translates the perfect as 'walketh' in psalm 1 and the imperfect as 'walketh' in psalm 91. There is no 1 to 1 mapping of English to Hebrew tenses / moods / aspect / conjugation.

This is impossible to read. But constructing it was a good first exercise in verbs. I think I maintain my first impression - you can almost do what you want in English whatever the form of the verb is in Hebrew. Occasionally, as the YLK example shows, come, lead, and walk are dependent on the binyan in Hebrew - lead is a kind of causative walk and come a commanding walk.

Psalm	Root	English	Hebrew	Conjugation
Psalm 1:1	הלך	has not walked	לֹא הָלַךְ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 12:8	הלך	are walking	יִתְהַלָּכוּן	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 15:2	הלך	Walking	הוֹלֵךְ	Qal, active participle
Psalm 26:1	הלך	I have walked	הָלַכְתִּי	Qal, perfect
Psalm 26:3	הלך	and I have walked myself	וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי	Hithpael, perfect
Psalm 35:14	הלך	I walked	הִתְהַלָּכְתִּי	Hithpael, perfect
Psalm 38:6	הלך	I walk	הִלָּכְתִּי	Qal, perfect
Psalm 39:6	הלך	so walks a man	יִתְהַלֶּךְ אִישׁ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 43:2	הלך	will I walk	אֶתְהַלֵּךְ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 55:14	missed	we walked	נְהַלֵּךְ	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 56:13	missed	so I will walk	לְהִֽתְהַלֵּךְ	Hithpael, infinitive
Psalm 58:7	הלך	wandering about them	יִתְהַלְּכוּ לָמוֹ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 58:8	הלך	he will go away	יַהֲלֹךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 68:21	הלך	hair of one walking	שֵׂעָר מִתְהַלֵּךְ	Hithpael, participle
Psalm 73:9	הלך	will strut	תִּהֲלַךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 77:17	הלך	also walked about	יִתְהַלָּכוּ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 78:39	הלך	walking	הוֹלֵךְ	Qal, active participle
Psalm 81:13	הלך	would walk	יְהַלֵּכוּ	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 82:5	הלך	they are walking	יִתְהַלָּכוּ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 84:11	הלך	from those walking	לַהֹלְכִים	Qal, active participle
Psalm 85:13	הלך	will go	יְהַלֵּךְ	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 86:11	הלך	I will walk	אֲהַלֵּךְ	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 89:15	missed	they will walk	יְהַלֵּכֽוּן	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 91:6	הלך	he walks	יַהֲלֹךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 101:2	הלך	I will walk continually	אֶתְהַלֵּךְ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 101:6	הלך	walking	הֹלֵךְ	Qal, active participle
Psalm 104:3	missed	walking on the wings of the wind	הַֽמְהַלֵּךְ	Piel, participle
Psalm 104:10	missed	they run	יְהַלֵּכֽוּן	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 104:26	missed	there go	יְהַלֵּכוּן	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 105:13	הלך	and they were going	וַיִּתְהַלְּכוּ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 105:41	הלך	they ran	הָלְכוּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 115:7	הלך	will they walk	יְהַלֵּכוּ	Piel, imperfect
Psalm 116:9	הלך	I will walk	אֶתְהַלֵּךְ	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 119:1	הלך	those walking	הַהֹלְכִים	Qal, active participle
Psalm 119:3	הלך	they walk	הָלָכוּ	Qal, perfect
Psalm 119:45	הלך	walk I will	וְאֶתְהַלְּכָה	Hithpael, imperfect
Psalm 126:6	missed	going he will go out	הָלֹוךְ יֵלֵךְ	Qal, infinitive see also below
Psalm 128:1	הלך	those walking	הַהֹלֵךְ	Qal, active participle
Psalm 131:1	הלך	nor do I walk	וְלֹא הִלַּכְתִּי	Piel, perfect
Psalm 142:3	הלך	I walk	אֲהַלֵּךְ	Piel, imperfect
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Psalm 23:4	ילך	even if I walk in the valley	כִּי-אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 26:11	ילך	I will walk	אֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 32:8	ילך	you will go	תֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 34:1	ילך	and he went	וַיֵּלַךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 34:11	ילך	come children	לְכוּ בָנִים	Qal, imperative
Psalm 39:13	ילך	I go	אֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 42:9	ילך	do I walk	אֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 46:8	ילך	Come see	לְכוּ-חֲזוּ	Qal, imperative
Psalm 66:5	ילך	Come	לְכוּ	Qal, imperative
Psalm 66:16	ילך	come and hear	לְכוּ שִׁמְעוּ	Qal, imperative
Psalm 78:10	missed	to walk	לָלֶֽכֶת	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 80:2	missed	come	וּלְכָה	Qal, imperative
Psalm 81:12	ילך	and they walk	יֵלְכוּ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 83:4	ילך	they have said come	אָמְרוּ לְכוּ	Qal, imperative
Psalm 84:7	ילך	They will go	יֵלְכוּ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 89:30	ילך	remain	יֵלֵכוּן	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 95:1	ילך	Walk	לְכוּ	Qal, imperative
Psalm 97:3	ילך	goes	תֵּלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 106:9	missed	he led them	וַיֹּולִיכֵם	Hiphil, imperfect
Psalm 107:7	missed	to walk	לָלֶכֶת	Qal, infinitive
Psalm 122:1	ילך	we will go	נֵלֵֽךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 125:5	missed	he will lead them	יֹולִיכֵם	Hiphil, imperfect
Psalm 126:6	ילך	he will go out	יֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 136:16	missed	for leading	לְמֹולִיךְ	Hiphil, participle
Psalm 138:7	ילך	Though I walk	אִם-אֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 139:7	ילך	will I go	אֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect
Psalm 143:8	ילך	I should walk	אֵלֵךְ	Qal, imperfect