Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Maurice A. O'Sullivan" <mauros AT iol.ie>]

At 23:36 23/09/2005, Mark Eddy wrote:
> Why should not the Hebrew text be read without emendation or changing the
> meaning of the verb by reading ZaROTH as the subject, LBaBiY as the object,
> and HiRCHiYBU in the normal hiphil sense "enlarge"?

But, Mark, the question is: which "Hebrew Text"?

Have you not noticed that the crit. app in BHS provides an 
alternative, without the waw?

Don't forget that you are dealing with what was originally a 
consonantal text ( see the UBS Handbook note below )

The note to v.17 in Dahood [ Psalms. Anchor Bible  3 vols. New York: 
Doubleday, 1970.] begins:
>> An uncertain version <<

Bratcher, R. G., & Reyburn, W. D. (1991). A translator's handbook on 
the book of Psalms. Helps for translators (Page 252). New York: 
United Bible Societies states:
>> In verse 17 _Relieve_ translates a verb meaning to enlarge, make 
room for (see 4.1b and comments). The Masoretic text is the perfect 
tense third plural form of the verb, ?they are enlarged? (see rsv 
footnote; spcl and njv translate this form, ?My deep distress 
increases?); tev, rsv, and most others read the Hebrew text as the 
imperative second singular ;Relieve; and join the final letter of the 
word, the waw, to the following verb (where it becomes 'and'), with 
no change in the Hebrew consonantal text.* The Masoretic text makes 
sense, and translators may prefer to follow it.<<

There is also the matter of your understanding of a Hebrew idiom. If 
you check Koehler, L., Baumgartner, W., Richardson, M., & Stamm, J. 
J. (1999, c1994-1996). The Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament.
you will see that >> to make wide << did not necessarily have the 
same 21st century U.S and European meaning of "enlarge" ( as you 
choose to translate it )

but that as HAL notes:
>> to make wide (meaning to lighten the needs of) my heart Ps 25 17. <<

This is made clear in the commentary of Malbim [ born 1809; died 1879 
-- thereby taking him outside the realm of "modern translations" ] 
when he notes:

>> At first, my heart [i.e. my desires and horizons] was constricted 
by a lust for the pleasures of this  world. But now, affliction has 
rid me of these frivolous cares and the interests of my heart have 
spread into greater things <<

As for the use of the past tense of the verb, the medieval 
commentator, Radak, noted on the same verb in Ps. 4:2:
>> David's use of the past tense is another demonstration of his 
shakeable faith. Even while he prayed for assistance, he was so 
confident of Hashern's response that he considered it like an already 
accomplished fact.<<

[  both rabbinic comments taken from Feur, Avrohom Chaim, trans. 
Tehillim: A New Translation with a Commentary Anthologized from 
Talmudic, Midrashic, and Rabbinic Sources. vol. 1 New York: Mesorah 
Publishers, 1987.
This I find to be an invaluable source when reading the Psalms in Herbrew,







Maurice A. O'Sullivan
Bray, Ireland