Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Mark:

Context.

Verse 9, the object is the vine, GPN, which the majority 
of the time I checked takes the feminine.

However, that only explains why others would take that 
as a third person. When reading the whole psalm, I 
agree with you that with a couple of exceptions most of 
the verbs fit better as second person, referring to God.

Context again, this time the whole psalm.

Yours, Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Eddy" <markeddy AT adams.net>
> 
> In Psalm 80:10 the first verb PiNNiYTha is 2nd person, with AeLoHiYM CBaAOTh
> from v. 8 as the subject: "You cleared [the ground] for it. Everyone seems
> to agree on this.
> 
> But the second verb WaThTha$Re$ is translated as 2nd person by LXX, Luther,
> KJV, and older translations, so that it reads: "You made it take [deep]
> root," while most newer translations read it as 3rd person: "it took [deep]
> root."
> 
> All translations take the third verb WaThThMaLLe( as 3rd person: "it filled
> the land", though in form it also could be 2nd person: "You filled the
> land."
> 
> Similarly in verse 12 the verb Th$aLLaCh could be read either as 2nd person:
> "You sent out its boughs" (with Luther) or as 3rd person: "It sent out its
> boughs" (everybody else).
> 
> Verse 13 complains with a 2nd person verb PaRaCTha, "Why did You [God] break
> down its walls."
> 
> Since the point of these verses seems to be the contrast between what God
> has done for Israel previously and what is happening to Israel at the time
> the psalm was written, it makes sense to me to take all these verbs as
> second person, addressed to God and describing God's actions.
> 
> What is there in the grammar or context that leads most
> translators/commentators to choose to take these verbs as third person
> rather than second person? Or is this more art than science?
> 
> I have looked at all three biblical instances of the hiphil of $R$ (Job 5:3;
> Ps. 80:10; Is. 27:6). And the sense "form a root system" (HALOT) or "send
> out roots" is something that people, plants, or God can do.
> 
> Mark Eddy

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