Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Kevin Buchs" <buchs AT lutheran.com>]

Hello,

I am back again with another question on my translation work on Psalm 18
after having fully digested the answers I received on verse 18.  I did
mention that I am very slow!

I would like to share my translation of verses 19-21.  I have no specific
questions on the first two verses, but on 21 I have taken the road less
traveled, I believe.  I would love to hear comments and feedback on my
translation or suggested alternates.  I have little experience upon which to
justify my translation of 21, but I will share what I have below the
translation.

19.  They will meet me in the day of my final diaster
            and Yahweh will serve as a support for me.
20.  He will make him go out to the open spaces,
            He will save me for He takes pleasure in me.
21.  Yahweh will finish me in regard to my righteousness
            He will restore my hands as pure to me.

My justification on verse 21 is as follows.  The phrase "my righteousness"
is taken as the area in which the subject is to be finished, rather than as
an attribute which the subject already posseses and is an example of  how
some other area of the subject will be finished by Yahweh.   In addition,
the prepositional prefix k: is not translated as "on the basis of" which
would be to suggest that the righteousness of the subject is the cause of
the action to be taken by Yahweh.  Further, the second clause of that verse
suggests that the subject does not currently possess righteousness, for he
is not the possessor of purified hands.  I take "purified hands" as a
parallel phrase to "my righteousness."

Your comments are appreciated!

Kevin Buchs  buchs AT lutheran.com  Rochester, MN

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Buchs" <buchs AT lutheran.com>
To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 6:03 AM
Subject: Questions on Psalm 18:18


> I am a student of Hebrew, having struggled while taking a seminary course
> and now trying to retain some knowledge and perhaps add a bit.  However, I
> am only able to devote 10 minutes every other day - so it comes very
slowly.
> I have spent almost a year now working on a translation of Psalm 18:18-27,
> as I found it very difficult.  There were several problems I was not able
to
> resolve.  I resorted to my copy of Beall/Banks/Smith Parsing Guide at
> several points, but for most of those, I am not able to justify the
> conclusions this book reached.  I would appreciate a dose of the expertise
> of this group as I post some of my questions over the next several
> days/weeks.  Any grammar insights would be appreciated.