Str. I. is a syn. tetrastich. 8. My mind is fixed], repeated in 57 but not in 108 H. It is amplification at the cost of the measure. The mind is firmly set and resolved to public praise. —With my mind ] belongs to the second line and not to the previous one. let me sing and let me make melody] with vocal and instrumental music in the temple; the mind expresses its religious emotion in worship.-9. My glory], poetic for the soul, the seat of honour in man, his noblest part, as 76 169 3013 1082. O wake with the harp], rouse thyself to the service of public praise || With the lyre let me waken the dawn]. The dawning sun preceded by the music of temple praise, is said to be aroused by that music. When the sun appears, it seems as if it had been summoned by the morning worship. 13 Str. II. has two syn. couplets. 10. Let me praise Thee among the peoples]. The public praise is to be not only in temple worship, but world-wide, wherever the people of Yahweh are assembled in their synagogues throughout the Dispersion.-11. For above the heavens is Thy kindness]. Above the heavens is the seat of Yahweh's throne; there is the source of His kindness, cf. 366. It comes from thence to mankind, and therefore extends over all beneath the heavens. This corresponds with the worldwide praise, as giving the reason for it. And unto the skies Thy faithfulness], as 366. This divine attribute extends in its vastness of reach up into the heights of the skies, cf. also 8511-14. LVII. A. IT 2. ] Qal pf. 3 f. non v. 212 for no Ges. 75. u Kö, I. 547. The original radical is preserved in the form in order to retract accent to antepenult. neglect of agreement, sg. vb. with abstr. pl. Ges. 145 (7); but Bi., ; change unnecessary. in ayy for the original idea. Du., rd. only pl., v. 510; Du. compares Is. 2620 by It is a similar thought, but in different relations, and there is no sufficient reason for dependence. — 3. by ons] originally by 8.—pi] Qal ptc.; so H, Aq.; but Tòv Eveрyeтhσαvтá μue, Street, Luzzato, Gr., Bi., Che., Du., deal bountifully with, is best suited to context and date of Ps. 3 ultorem is from same stem in bad sense. Σ ÉTITIμĤOAνтα = y. — 4. ] Hiph. impf. yor, v. 38, with subordinate expressing purpose, and not with coörd.] is dub. and difficult. Pi. pf. always man subj. DN is variously explained here as 562. 3. If subj., the clause must be rel. and most likely of time when, as Bä., Dr.; but 1. is incomplete and awkward, especially as closing 1. of Str. .pl לְבִיאִים for 6 xai épúσato tǹv from previous v. — es flaming fire 104*, edwкev eis Ŏveidos, so essentially F, J, S, T, give a mng. to appropriate enough in itself, but without usage to justify it. In that case it is better to rd., the initial · having fallen out by haplog. But still the 1. is defective. It is best to regard it as a gl. influenced by 562. 8. -5. D] mispointing lion Gn. 499 Dt. 3320 Ho. 138 +. 4vxýv μov ék μéoov okúμvwv; so essentially S, supply vb. ]ptc. pl. √ ‡unh † Qal blaze up, flame, elsw, on both dub. prob. Pi. burn, burn up, Dt. 3222 Pss. 8315 973 10618; so prob. here, Pi.ptc. with a “ɔ as obj., all the more that " is used of the humble and rather of strong enemies. 3 makes the ptc. adj. of lions, leonum ferocientium, but against mng.; G TeTapayμévos, V conturbatus, ptc. as sg. qualifying vb., usual rendering for a orn. †nn] adj. sharp, only f. sg.; elsw. Is. 492 Pr. 54 Ez. 51. LVII. B. 1082-6. 6 v.12 Rf. at beginning and end, but it goes with v.8-12, not with v.2-5. 7. pa nga] phr. a.λ. less graphic and later than the usual no 916 315 357. 8, cf. 140o. — pyp as 5811 743 1405, for idea, cf. Je. 1822. —p] Qal pf. t vb. Qal bend low down, inf. Is. 585 of head. Ptc. pass. D'DID those bowed down in distress Pss. 14514 1468, Niph. bow oneself Mi. 66. The pf. 3 ms. here difficult, for D is f. and the enemies pl. and the Qal is elsw. intrans. KatékaμYav тhv výν μov makes it trans. and pl., which may however be interpretation and not imply a different text. I ad incurvandam implies inf. as Is. 585, and that would explain & also; so Street. and is a gl.-8. :] phr. elsw. 11985 Je. 1822 (Kt.); 7 c. n Je. 1820, c. 12 Ps. 716. The v. is a pentameter couplet based on Je. 1829. 22, ] bis. 1082. omits second p, but it is given in . It is doubtless amplification. It impairs measure, as Street, Che. For phr. cf. 5112 7837 1127. —] Qal impf. cohort. || . MT. closes v. here, but 1082 with 2 8, omitting first 7 of 579. In 1082 ✪ has év Tŷ dókŋ μov, I sed et gloria mea. - and first אף are both gls. of amplification. 9. ] Qal imv. cohort. v. 77, invocation top for we, as 169 3018 1082. — ] i.p. the dawn, elsw. 221 1083 1399; here personified as Ra., Ew., Ols., Hu., Bä, Dr., Du., not acc. of time at dawn.-10. 778] Hiph. cohort., the sf. prevents the cohort. form from appearing, but context requires it.—N] is more אדני .1084 יהוה 77] with sf. 3013 1381, all || 771x, cf. 477; usually as measure requires, cf. 1011 1052. — 11 is fory of 5711; in other 36°. 1085 has one by this latter,אמתך for אמונתך and ,בשמים But 366 has a variation in form from same stem, and it omits which is certainly a gl., making 1. too long and interpretative. Sy is doubtless original. is assimilation to 1. 2. PSALM LVIII., 2 STR. 84, RF. 24. Ps. 58 was written in the early Hebrew monarchy: (1) complaining of unjust rulers for their violence, venomous lying, and deafness to the pleas of the people (v.2); (2) describing the punitive judgment of Yahweh upon them in several similes, concluding with a firm confidence in Yahweh as judge (v.7-10.12). A gloss expresses the joy of a Maccabean editor in bloody vengeance (v."). But do ye indeed speak justice? In equity judge the sons of mankind? NAY, in the mind ye do iniquity; In the land ye weigh violence with your hands. They are like a cobra, deaf and stopping his ear, Hath fire fallen, they do not behold the sun; Before they perceive it, they become like brambles; As still living, in hot anger, He sweeps them away in a storm. Ps. 58 was originally in the group of on, then in, subsequently in E and also in R, where it received the musical direction nnn (v. Intr. §§ 25, 27, 32, 33, 34). It has 2 Str. of 8 tetrameters each, with introductory and concluding couplets, which, while varying in detail, are yet of the nature of Rfs., cf. Pss. 8, 57. The language and style are primitive and difficult. It is rich in antique similes and expressions. The Ps. complains of unjust rulers in the style of the preëxilic prophets, and expresses confidence in the retributive judgment of Yahweh. The Ps. is doubtless one of the oldest in the Psalter. Str. I. has an introductory syn. couplet in form of a question, which receives a negative answer in four syn. couplets. This is of the nature of a Rf., beginning the Ps. as a corresponding Rf. closes it. 2. Do ye indeed speak justice ?]. The question is addressed, as the context shows, to the rulers of the people, || in equity judge? The couplet is not easy to render. Text and Vrss. differ. In the first line the same Hebrew consonants with varying vowels give four different interpretations. That which is here. sons of preferred is the interpretation of 6, 3, taking the word as adv. emphasizing more strongly the initial "indeed"; so JPSV, "Do ye in very deed." But, followed by most moderns, interprets the form as an unusual word, "in silence," RV., in accordance with the thought of v.8. Ki. interprets as Aram. word "band," so Calv., PBV., AV., "congregation." Many moderns interpret as still another word, "gods," for rulers, as 821.6. sons of mankind]. Those judged, as most moderns, referring, according to usage of the term, to the common people. But 6, 3, EV'., interpret as the rulers, as if it were the antithetical term, men."-3. Nay]. A strong asseveration in negative reply to the question. These rulers were the very reverse of what they ought to be.—in the mind], mentally, their secret resolution in antith. to the execution of their purpose. - in the land, and also with your hands]. The hands are graphically conceived as using scales and balances, and thus as weighing out what they are to deliver to others. This should have been in accordance with the conception of justice: just, equal, right measure, which could not be questioned. In fact, it was the reverse: weigh violence. 4. Become estranged || go estray], that is, from the principles of justice, the practice of equity.—from the womb || from the belly], so soon as they are born, they at once begin to stray from right to wrong. This does not refer, as older interpreters thought, to the impulses of original sin or innate depravity; but specifically to the wicked in antith. to the "righteous," v.12. They begin the practice of their wickedness in their earliest youth. The wicked are here especially judges: Those who speak lies]; not lies in general, in the later and higher ethical sense that the lie as such is wicked; but in the early sense, lies as injurious, such as accompany acts of violence, false witness before the judges, or false and lying decisions by the judges themselves against the common people, and in favour of the oppressors.—5-6. They have poison]. They are venomous in their violence and lies, and so they are like a serpent || a cobra], an especially venomous kind of serpent, which adds to its venom another dangerous characteristic, that it cannot be charmed by the charmers. The binder of spells, accustomed to charm all other serpents, can do nothing with this one. Though exceedingly skilful, expert in all the arts of the charmer, he utterly fails. This cobra is deaf, stopping his ear. So these wicked judges are so intent upon violence to the people and injurious lies, that no pleading, no arguments, however just and right, no influence whatever, can prevent them from executing their wicked will. Str. II. is an antistr., having a syn. couplet, then six syn. similes describing the divine judgment coming upon the wicked judges.-7. Yahweh doth break down their teeth || tear down the jaw teeth], so interpreting the vbs. as pfs., and the subsequent vbs. as impfs., describing the judgment itself; which is to be preferred to taking the vbs. as imvs., and the subsequent vbs. as jussives, imprecating the divine judgment, as MT. and most Vrss. and interpreters. The wicked rulers are first compared to young lions. Their teeth are all broken down to make them harmless. -8. They melt away as water]. Water is a frequent simile of instability and weakness. So here the first simile compares the judges to water melting away. So weak are they and unstable that they need no one to make them unstable; they flow of themselves, of their own inherent weakness and instability. Are they luxuriant as green grass]. The second simile compares them to green grass, which is the common symbol of rapid growth and speedy withering away, cf. 372 905. But, by the wrong attachment of a single letter to the previous instead of the following word, changed the former to the vb. " tread," and the latter to the word "his arrow," and so got a phrase for the usual "tread the bow," which cannot be explained satisfactorily in this context. An archer, aiming his arrows, even if their points are broken, is not a good simile of weakness from the point of view of the context. The grass is luxuriant enough in its growth, but it has a short duration; so these judges wither away. The rendering "cut off" is a possible translation of a Hebrew word cognate to that rendered above in the usual meaning "wither"; but no other example of such a meaning can be found. Some refer the cutting off to the arrows, as AV., RV., others to the wicked judges, as |