In order to understand the meaning and the consultation of the deed, I character reference the inventive Hebrew and how different versions translated the verse.
The Hebrew deed reads:
Inwards is how some of the English Bibles involve translated the text:
The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSV): "As well as Your hand, Noble, hindrance me from men, from men of the world, whose branch is in this life: You separate their bellies with what You involve in store, their sons are satiated, and they leave high and dry their flood to their children."
English Standard Mouthful (ESV): "from men by your hand, O Noble, from men of the world whose branch is in this life. You separate their womb with treasure; they are satiated with children, and they leave high and dry their abundance to their infants."
God's Word to the Nations (GWN): "As well as your power disentanglement me from mortals, O Noble, from mortals who habit their bequest on your own in this life. You separate their bellies with your gem. Their children are satiated with it, and they leave high and dry what shell to their children."
King James Mouthful (KJV): "From men which are thy hand, O Noble, from men of the world, which involve their branch in this life, and whose abdomen thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave high and dry the rest of their contemplation to their babes."
The Septuagint (LXX): "in the function of of the enemies of thine hand: O Noble, breach them from the earth; spread out them in their life, nonetheless their abdomen has been bursting with thy bass treasures: they involve been satiated with lewdness, and involve moved out the drop of their income to their babes."
New Mixed Mouthful (NIV): "O Noble, by your hand hindrance me from such men, from men of this world whose honor is in this life. You permanent the nostalgia of relatives you cherish; their sons involve plenty, and they store up wealth for their children."
New Revised Standard Mouthful (NRSV): "from mortals-- by your hand, O LORD-- from mortals whose branch in life is in this world. May their bellies be bursting with what you involve stored up for them; may their children involve expand than enough; may they leave high and dry something senior to their squat ones."
Jewish Press release Cultivation (Tanak): "from men, O Noble, with Your hand, from men whose share in life is midstream. But as to Your pricey ones, separate their bellies. Their sons too shall be satiated, and involve something to leave high and dry senior for their lime."
It is coarse from these different translations of verse 14 that scholars distinguish in their understanding of what the psalmist was estimated to network to his readers. Donate are two crucial issues of interpretation that make the accurate translation of verse 14 horrible.
New, in order to sever the double assignment of the reveal "from men" in the verse, various scholars involve stern to emend the deed. For calculate, Hans-Joachim Kraus (p. 244) translates v. 14 as follows:
May a bitter death at your hand, O Yahweh,
a bitter death put an end to their branch in life!
Michael Dahood (p. 93) translates the verse as follows:
Kill them with your hand, O Yahweh,
gun down them from the earth,
Flow them cease to exist from between the living!
I do not presume it is underlying to emend the deed to aim the accurate meaning of the deed. If one takes v. 14 as a life of the goal advanced in v. 13, the deed makes spot defective zealous emendation:
13 Climb, O LORD! due them, fall over them! Achieve something my life from the amiss by your sword, 14 [surpass me] from men by your hand, O Noble, from men whose branch in life is of the world.
Accordingly the psalmist is asking the Noble himself to surpass him from the power of the amiss. The reveal "surpass me" in v. 13 requisite equally be unsaid at the beginning of v. 14.
Assorted optimism is to hold the recur assignment of the reveal "from men" in its consonantal form and repoint the two words as a Hiphil Participle from (assassinate). This version follows the translation build in in the Septuagint. This is the view hectic by Dahood (see concluded) and Craigie (p. 160):
Kill them by your hand O Noble,
Kill them from the world.
Whichever options make good spot in the context of the whole psalm. I prefer to power the reading of the Hebrew Bible defective reponting the deed.
The split second feature that complicates the translation of verse 14 is whose abdomen is plug bursting by God. The decision of whose abdomen is plug bursting depends on whether the translation follows the Kethib or the Qere.
Translators that take up the Kethib understand that the abdomen that is bursting is the abdomen of the wicked:
"May their abdomen be bursting with what thou hast stored up for them" (NRSV).
Translators who take up the Qere, understand that the abdomen that is bursting is the abdomen of the righteous:
"But as to Your pricey ones, separate their bellies" (TNK).
God's cultivation are called "Your pricey ones" (), so the translation that sees God blessing the fine may be a split understanding of the deed. Accordingly, Psalm 17:13-14 requisite be translated as follows:
13 Climb, O LORD! due them, fall over them! Achieve something my life from the amiss by your sword, 14 [surpass me] from men by your hand, O Noble, from men whose branch in life is of the world. As for your pricey ones, you character separate their abdomen. Their children character involve expand than quite.
Psalm 17 is the prayer of an eccentric awake of his integrity near God who was plug browbeaten and persecuted by amiss cultivation. This eccentric approached God in prayer and asked to be right. The psalmist asked for protection opposed amiss cultivation whose honor is in this world. In his affidavit of standing, the psalmist notorious that God blesses the fine and provides for their children.
REFERENCES:
Peter C. Craigie. Psalms 1-50. Waco: Word Books, 1983.
Dahood, Micahel. Psalms 1-50. New York: Doubleday, 1965.
Kraus, Hans-Joachim. Psalms 1-59: A Continental Piece of writing. Minneapolis: Fort Plead, 1993.
Claude Mariottini
Educator of Old Testament
