Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Joel Stucki" <joel AT stucki.ws>]

On 7/24/06, Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com> wrote:
> Dear Steven:
>
> >Harold's b-hebrew commentary above says these
> >"dropped the maqqeph between "all" and "your name."
> >
> >NIV - exalted above all things your name and your word.
> >ESV - exalted above all things your name and your word.
> >NIV - exalted above all things your name and your word.
> >NRSV - exalted your name and your word above everything
> >JPS-1985 - exalted Your name, Your word, above all.
> >
> >The NIV justification is "theological"
> >www.ibs.org/niv/accuracy/NIV_AccuracyDefined.pdf
> >See page 22.
> >
> >
> >
Gosh, I must be missing some implication from this verse. I can't see
theological implications in any of the rendering proposed. Seems like
just a poetic statement of praise.

That being said here is a rendering I put together with the caveat
that the text does seem to be missing something and it may just be
that a word needs to be added for this to make sense. I don't see any
other proposed translations that think along these lines:

I will thank thy name; for thy mercy and for thy truth
Because thou hast increased thy word upon all thy name

Seems to make the two clauses fit nicely together to me. David is
thanking the name because the Lord has increased his word all over it.
Mercy and truth can then be considered attributes that the word gives
to the name. Definitely an exercise in abstract thought but no more so
than the other renderings.

Of course, a rendering I don't like but seems completely possible is:

I will thank thy name; more than thy mercy and more than thy truth
for thou hast increased all thy name more than thy word.

Seems like if you are going to stick with a comparative for the second
phrase, it should be rendered as a comparative in the first phrase as
well to give symmetry. Somehow though I don't think David would be
downplaying the mercy aspect too much.

Joel Stucki