Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" <joel AT exc.com>]

>In Psalm 25:17 just about every translation takes the first word ZaROTH as a
>construct, depending on LBaBiY, which they then take as the subject of the
>verb HiRCHiYBU. But that requires them either 
>[...]
>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"?

I think this is the source of your confusion.  The "normal hiphil
sense" is two-fold: "enalrge [something else]" and "get bigger." Cf
HIGDIL, which means to make something else GADOL, or to "do GADOL."
This alternation is widespread throughout the languages of the world.
English does the same thing (e.g., "the farmer *grows* crops" and "the
crops *grow* every day.""); so does MH.  Hiphil in general does not
need an object.

The verse is straightforward.

>Thus the translation into English would be literally "Troubles enlarge my
>heart."
>
>This latter idiom is also used in Psalm 119:32 TaRCHiYB LiBBiY: "You will
>enlarge my heart."

But in Ps 119:32, TaRCHiYB LiBBiY is a good thing, while in Ps 25:17,
ZaROTH HiRCHiYBU is a bad thing.  They cannot mean the same thing.
And of course the Hebrew makes is clear that they do not.  In Ps 25,
troubles are growing, while in Ps 119, the author's mind (note - not
"heart" in English) is englarged.


-Joel Hoffman
 http://www.exc.com/JoelHoffman