1 Psalm 84 Difficult to read and translate in places. Several difficult text critical issues especially around the middle of the text. (84:1) לדוד... – למנצחGrammatical note = “Possessive ( ְלof, belonging to). The preposition ְלcan indicate that its object is owned or possessed by someone. The idea of possession is not necessarily literal; it may indicate a relationship other than possession… This is also called periphrastic ְלor the genitive ְל. When the object of ְלis someone who wrote something, it is sometimes referred to as the ְלof author or the ְלauctoris. See §Williams, 270. So it is unclear that the superscription is attempting to express that David (or the director) is the author or if the psalm is associated with David (or the director). “ = גִתִּ יתgittite = lyre? melody? wine-presses?” under BDB 388a. Appears in three superscriptions. We are not sure what it means. (84:2) “ = י ָדִ ידbeloved” (poetry) under BDB 391b. Arb wadda “love”. Sab “ ודתlovingone, friend, amie”. “ = מִשְׁ כָּןdwelling-place, ‘tabernacle’” under BDB 1015b. Root “ = שׁכןsettle down, abide, dwell”. (84:3) “ = כסףlong (for)”, Niphal “long (for)” under BDB 493b. Arb kasafa “be colourless, obscure, be eclipsed (of sun or moon); be depressed (in appearance). “ = כלהbe complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent” under BDB 477a. “ = ָחצֵרenclosure, court” under BDB 346b. Grammatically masculine and more commonly feminine. = רנןPiel “give a ringing cry” under BDB 943a. (84:4) 2 “ = צִפּוֹרbird” under BDB 861b. דְ רוֹרII = “swallow” under BDB 204b. Very rare. “ = קֵןnest” under BDB 890a. שׁתָ ה ָ ֫ < שׁית. Note form. “ = ֶאפְר ֹ ַחyoung one, (plural) young ones, young (of birds)” under BDB 827a. Very rare. Root “ = פרחbud, sprout, shoot”. 1 את־מזבחותיָך (84:5) 2 עוד 3 בְָך (84:6) 4 אדם “ = עוֹזstrength, might” under BDB 738b. Root “ = עזזbe strong”. Plene form עוֹזis rare so…? “ = ְמ ִסלָּהhighway” under BDB 700b. Root סללI = “lift up, cast up”.5 6 בלבבם (84:7) 7 1 עברי “One manuscript has ”אל. “Septuagint εις τους αιωνων = ”לעדֵ י עד. Probably an expansion(?) of “ עודstill, continuously”. 3 “Septuagint adds κυριε”. 4 “Two manuscripts have ‘ העםthe people’”. 5 “Syriac adds 2s suffix, Symmachus της τριβου σου, Septuagint αναβασεις = מעלות, Targum has rwḥṣnwtʾ fiducia (=?), propose ” ִכסְלוֹת. 6 “Septuagint, Syriac, Hieronymous add singular suffix”. 2 3 “ = ֵעמֶקvale, valley” under BDB 770b. 8 הבכה “ = ַמ ְעי ָןspring” under BDB 745b.9 10 ישׁיתוהו עטהI = “wrap oneself, enwrap, envelop oneself”, Hiphil “wrap, enwrap, envelop” under BDB 741b. Arb ǵaṭā “cover, conceal”. Arm. Akk eṭû “be dark”.11 מוֹרה ֶ I = “(early) rain” under BDB 435b. Very rare. 12 גם־ברכות יעטה מורה (84:8) “ = ַחי ִלstrength, efficiency, wealth, army” under BDB 298b. Root “ = חול חילbe firm, strong”. (84:9) Note form Qal imperative 2ms + ?? שׁ ְמעָה ִ . “ = תְ ִפלָּהprayer” under BDB 813b. Common enough. Learn it. The main prayer book in many Reform synagogues is called Gates of Prayer or שׁערי תפלה. However there is a new prayer book called Mishkan Tefila or משׁכן תפלה which I had a chance to use in 2010 when visiting United Jewish Congregation in Hong Kong. ( = אזןdenominative) Hiphil “give ear, listen, hear” (almost wholly poetry) under BDB 24a. 7 “One manuscript ( עבריםdifferent syntax), Syriac ʿbrw, Septuagint διεθετο = ”ע ַָרְך. “A few manuscripts הבכה, compare versions, but MT probably name of a valley(?)”. 9 “Septuagint εις τοπον and Syriac bjt mʿmrʾ = ” ָמעוֹן. 10 “Many manuscripts, Septuagint ־תֵ הוּso ‘he makes/places’, a few manuscripts שׁתֵ הו ְ י, a few שׁתוהו ְ ִ ;יpropose שׁתּוּ ְ ִ ”י. So some confusion about (1) number and (2) verb root/form. 11 “Two manuscripts יעשׂה, Septuagint δωσει; propose ”)?=( טֹעִים. 12 “Corrupt”. Yeah this stych is difficult indeed. 8 4 (84:10) “ = ָמגֵןshield” under BDB 171a. Arb majinu(n). Arm ְמגִנָּא. Root גנןhence construct ְמגִנֵּי. = נבטHiphil “look” under BDB 613b. Arb nabaṭa “well, issue forth (of water)”. Akk nabāṭu “shine”. Sab נבטPN “protector”. (84:11) ( = ספףdenominative) Hitpolel “stand at, or guard, the threshold” under BDB 706b. Hapax? = דוּר1. “heap up, pile”, 2. “dwell” under BDB 189b. Arb dāru(n) “house (especially as group of buildings about a court”. Akk dûru “wall, fortress”. Arm דוּר. 13 אלהי (84:12) “ = מנעwithhold, hold back” under BDB 586a. “ = תָ מִיםcomplete, sound” under BDB 1071a. Root “ = תמםbe complete, finished”. (84:13) בטחI = “trust” under BDB 105a. Arb baṭaḥa “to throw one down upon his face”. 13 “Two manuscripts, Septuagint*, Syriac, Targum אלהיםso ‘God’ rather than ‘my God’”.
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