Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Joseph Brian Tucker, thank you for the provocative questions about Psalm 134:

>1. Does 134 contain a valid inclusio or is it a minor inclusio since it
>does not go the length on the poem?

I would not call the use of BRK an inclusio, but verses 1-2 have a chiastic
structure: 1) bless the Lord, 2) house of the Lord, 3) sanctuary, 4) bless
the Lord.
>
>2. Is HINNEH an interjection or an adverb here? "Behold or come"

The use of HINNEH here may be one that BDB does not fully cover. It may
have something of the sense of the Arabic cognate, which means "surely"
while having a literal sense of "lo." HINNEH seems to be an interjection,
perhaps one that points to the Lord in the sanctuary while encouraging a
worshipful response to Him. In other word, one might think of the sense as:
"Behold! (the Lord) Bless the Lord."
>
>3. How does the third BRK relate to the inclusio?

It seems that the third BRK is the counterpoint to the first two. The
Levites are to bless the Lord. The Lord in turn will bless them.
>
>4. Some see a stair-like parallelism here, what type of parallelism do you
>see?

Yes, staircase parallelism seems a good description of verses 1-2, as I
read about it in Classical Hebrew Poetry, by Wilfred Watson, JSOT Supl.
Ser. 26 (1986). There is usually an opening imperative, followed by a
vocative, and then another use of the imperative with additional
development of thought.
>
>5. Is there anything significant about the use of the imperatives here?

They are commands because the psalmist is simply calling on the Levites to
what one might expect them to do. He exhorts by imperative because all
Israel would understand that what he requests them to do is the duty of a
worshiper of God. Since the Levites represented the nation, the psalmist
asks them to do what he cannot do but evidently would do. He asks them to
represent well the people of Israel who worship their Lord.
>
>6. Is the third BRK (Pi Prefix 3ms 2ms obj suf) a jussive?

Yes, the third BRK is a jussive. The jussive can carry an optative sense,
expressing a wish, desire, or prayer (GKC 109b).
>
>7. I don't have access to Habel, JBL 91, (1971) 321-37 article which
>discusses the connection between "the maker of heaven and earth" with
>"Zion." Does anyone have insight concerning the connection?

The maker of heaven and earth chose Zion for His dwelling place:

Psa. 74:2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the
rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion,
wherein thou hast dwelt.
Psa. 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
Psa. 78:68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
Psa. 132:13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his
habitation.

Perhaps somebody else can add something on question 7.

>8. Is it best to construe "he who made" (Q act ptc in Cstr) as an
>adjectival use of the participle used as an equivalent of a relative
>clause?

The participle is in apposition to YHWH. The NIV translates it as an
apposition: "May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from
Zion."

                                Yours,
                                Harold Holmyard