There is a movement of the human psyche in this part. I have sketched it in the left hand column. At least that's my opinion at the moment. 66 verses in acrostic restraint has not been very easy. I may adjust a thing or two as time goes on. Especially if anyone cares to read with me and enjoy these astonishing poems.
| Verse | Hebrew text | A translation | What shall we say? |
| Aleph | אֲנִי הַגֶּבֶר רָאָה עֳנִי בְּשֵׁבֶט עֶבְרָתוֹ | A specific warrior am I He has seen humiliation through the sceptre of his fury | I was too strong a glottal for aleph - I tried it and changed it. The break between first and third person is striking. |
| Personal responsibility | אוֹתִי נָהַג וַיֹּלַךְ חֹשֶׁךְ וְלֹא אוֹר | Advanced me he has but driven into darkness and not light | I am taking the first word as an object marker with a mater and a first person singular pronoun. Strange construction! I could not confirm the example in either lexicon - but my eyes may have missed it. |
| אַךְ בִּי יָשֻׁב יַהֲפֹךְ יָדוֹ כָּל הַיּוֹם ס | Against me surely he has turned his hand every day | The poet had dozens of other possibilities for beginning with aleph and used none of them. Unfortunately, the poet could not use the future - there being none | |
| Bet | בִּלָּה בְשָׂרִי וְעוֹרִי שִׁבַּר עַצְמוֹתָי | Broke my bones aged my flesh and my skin | reversing the line order |
| בָּנָה עָלַי וַיַּקַּף רֹאשׁ וּתְלָאָה | Built against me and enclosed gall and fatigue | ||
| בְּמַחֲשַׁכִּים הוֹשִׁיבַנִי כְּמֵתֵי עוֹלָם ס | Bid me live in dark places as the dead of the age | ||
| Gimel | גָּדַר בַּעֲדִי וְלֹא אֵצֵא הִכְבִּיד נְחָשְׁתִּי | Guarded around me so I cannot escape making heavy my fetters | |
| גַּם כִּי אֶזְעַק וַאֲשַׁוֵּעַ שָׂתַם תְּפִלָּתִי | Groaning I cry and shout He stops my prayer | ||
| גָּדַר דְּרָכַי בְּגָזִית נְתִיבֹתַי עִוָּה ס | Guarded my ways with trenches my paths distorted | ||
| Dalet | דֹּב אֹרֵב הוּא לִי אֲרִי בְּמִסְתָּרִים | Dreadful lurking bear he is to me a lion in secret lairs | |
| All יְהוָה's doing | דְּרָכַי סוֹרֵר וַיְפַשְּׁחֵנִי שָׂמַנִי שֹׁמֵם | Dismembering me departing me from my ways making me desolate | |
| דָּרַךְ קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיַּצִּיבֵנִי כַּמַּטָּרָא לַחֵץ ס | Directing his bow and taking his stand with me as a target for the arrow | Compare Lam 2:4 | |
| He | הֵבִיא בְּכִלְיֹתָי בְּנֵי אַשְׁפָּתוֹ | He pierces my fires with the children of his quiver | |
| הָיִיתִי שְּׂחֹק לְכָל עַמִּי נְגִינָתָם כָּל הַיּוֹם | Hilarious I have become to all my people their string to play every day | ||
| הִשְׂבִּיעַנִי בַמְּרוֹרִים הִרְוַנִי לַעֲנָה ס | He has satisfied me with bitterness He has made me drunk with wormwood | ||
| Vav | וַיַּגְרֵס בֶּחָצָץ שִׁנָּי הִכְפִּישַׁנִי בָּאֵפֶר | Violence to my teeth he has done with ground up arrowheads He has covered me with ashes | How to make gravel sound like arrow - I think the poet is doing some sounds like free association in the pain of memory |
| lack of hope | וַתִּזְנַח מִשָּׁלוֹם נַפְשִׁי נָשִׁיתִי טוֹבָה | Very far is my life removed from peace I forget what is good | |
| וָאֹמַר אָבַד נִצְחִי וְתוֹחַלְתִּי מֵיְהוָה ס | Victory that was mine is perished I said also my hope from Yahweh | ||
| Zayin | זְכָר עָנְיִי וּמְרוּדִי לַעֲנָה וָרֹאשׁ | Zeroing in on my humiliation and my miseries wormwood and gall | This is a pivotal trio in the poem - a point of turnaround. Z is not a nice letter in English for it - in Psalm 119 I used Y since seven Z's in a row was impossible |
| memory rekindles hope | זָכוֹר תִּזְכּוֹר וְתָשׁוֹחַ עָלַי נַפְשִׁי | Zealous in memory and humbled within me is my life | |
| זֹאת אָשִׁיב אֶל לִבִּי עַל כֵּן אוֹחִיל ס | Zigzags this into my heart therefore I wait expectant | ||
| Chet | חַסְדֵי יְהוָה כִּי לֹא תָמְנוּ כִּי לֹא כָלוּ רַחֲמָיו | How by the mercies of Yahweh we are not completed for his compassions are not exhausted | Complete is normally a positive word. consume normally a negative one. I have let my usual glosses stand - think about it. (BDB has a suggested rereading - drop the nun - read tamu not tamnu. I don't see why but I haven't read any commentaries yet.) (I used to be confused between tamid and tamim - in the first the taf is grammatical and the root is mid, in the second and third, the taf is part of the root. See how important the splitting of the letters into two groups is!) |
| יְהוָה's character | חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ | He makes them new every morning great is your faithfulness | |
| חֶלְקִי יְהוָה אָמְרָה נַפְשִׁי עַל כֵּן אוֹחִיל לוֹ ס | He Yahweh is my portion says my life therefore I wait expectantly in him | ||
| Tet | טוֹב יְהוָה לְקֹוָו לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ | To those who wait for him Yahweh is good to the life that seeks him | |
| טוֹב וְיָחִיל וְדוּמָם לִתְשׁוּעַת יְהוָה | That one should wait is good - working and silent for the salvation of Yahweh | ||
| טוֹב לַגֶּבֶר כִּי יִשָּׂא עֹל בִּנְעוּרָיו ס | To the warrior, good it is to bear the yoke in one's youth | ||
| Yod | יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד וְיִדֹּם כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו | Yielding alone and silent for he bears with it | This is such an accurate portrayal of the elect bearing judgment |
| Acceptance | יִתֵּן בֶּעָפָר פִּיהוּ אוּלַי יֵשׁ תִּקְוָה | Yielding to the dust his mouth as if there is hope | |
| יִתֵּן לְמַכֵּהוּ לֶחִי יִשְׂבַּע בְּחֶרְפָּה ס | Yielding cheek to the smiter sated with reproach | ||
| Kaf | כִּי לֹא יִזְנַח לְעוֹלָם אֲדֹנָי | Kindness my Lord will not remove for ever | proleptic kindness for the K |
| essential mercy known | כִּי אִם הוֹגָה וְרִחַם כְּרֹב חֲסָדָיו | Kindness from him is manifold If he afflict he will be compassionate | |
| כִּי לֹא עִנָּה מִלִּבּוֹ וַיַּגֶּה בְּנֵי אִישׁ ס | Kids he does not humiliate from his heart nor afflict humanity | בְּנֵי אִישׁ kids of humanity :) | |
| Lamed | לְדַכֵּא תַּחַת רַגְלָיו כֹּל אֲסִירֵי אָרֶץ | Look at the breaking under foot of all the prisoners of earth | |
| The anointed and the elect one is not alone | לְהַטּוֹת מִשְׁפַּט גָּבֶר נֶגֶד פְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן | Look at the turning aside the judgment of the warrior in front of the face of the Highest | |
| לְעַוֵּת אָדָם בְּרִיבוֹ אֲדֹנָי לֹא רָאָה ס | Look at the perversion of a person's cause Does my Lord see? | ||
| Mem | מִי זֶה אָמַר וַתֶּהִי אֲדֹנָי לֹא צִוָּה | My Lord does not command it Who is it who speaks and it happens? | |
| No second power | מִפִּי עֶלְיוֹן לֹא תֵצֵא הָרָעוֹת וְהַטּוֹב | Might it not be that from the mouth of the Highest comes both the evils and the good? | |
| good question | מַה יִּתְאוֹנֵן אָדָם חָי גֶּבֶר עַל חֲטָאָו ס | May living dust complain? a warrior about his sin? | |
| Nun | נַחְפְּשָׂה דְרָכֵינוּ וְנַחְקֹרָה וְנָשׁוּבָה עַד יְהוָה | Now let us consider our ways and investigate and return to Yahweh | |
| re- engagement | נִשָּׂא לְבָבֵנוּ אֶל כַּפָּיִם אֶל אֵל בַּשָּׁמָיִם | Now let us lift up our heart with open palms to the One in the heavens | |
| נַחְנוּ פָשַׁעְנוּ וּמָרִינוּ אַתָּה לֹא סָלָחְתָּ ס | Note that it is we ourselves who have sinned and have disobeyed You have not forgiven | It occurs to me that this is the situation understood in Hebrews 10:26 ff - Exile is the result of sin after reaching the promised land. Of course history is more complex than this macro metaphor, but the strategy of the poet is to drink the cup and accept the judgment. The extenuating circumstances may not be evident even after a whole kingdom's failure. | |
| Samech | סַכּוֹתָה בָאַף וַתִּרְדְּפֵנוּ הָרַגְתָּ לֹא חָמָלְתָּ | Such anger you have overshadowed and persecuted us You have slain without pity | every phrase 'without pity' is preceded by a different verb the four times it is used in this lament. |
| Complaint made | סַכּוֹתָה בֶעָנָן לָךְ מֵעֲבוֹר תְּפִלָּה | Shadowed you are yourself with a cloud so prayer passes over | The second phrase is usually given with a negative, but the negative is not in the text. I stuck myself with a 'pass' + preposition for this word - maybe abandon concordance here. Concordance is a much bigger subject than one poem anyway - it encompasses quotations, references, allusions, and even shared culture over centuries - It may even be misleading. |
| סְחִי וּמָאוֹס תְּשִׂימֵנוּ בְּקֶרֶב הָעַמִּים ס | Scrapings and refuse you have made us in the midst of all the peoples | ||
| Peh | פָּצוּ עָלֵינוּ פִּיהֶם כָּל אֹיְבֵינוּ | Parted against us are their mouths all our enemies | Again Ayin and Peh are reversed Compare Lam 2:16 |
| פַּחַד וָפַחַת הָיָה לָנוּ הַשֵּׁאת וְהַשָּׁבֶר | Pit and dread are come upon us devastation and destruction | ||
| פַּלְגֵי מַיִם תֵּרַד עֵינִי עַל שֶׁבֶר בַּת עַמִּי ס | Plunging waters flood my eyes at the destruction of the daughter of my people | ||
| Ayin | עֵינִי נִגְּרָה וְלֹא תִדְמֶה מֵאֵין הֲפֻגוֹת | In my eye is pouring without ceasing or any intermission | |
| עַד יַשְׁקִיף וְיֵרֶא יְהוָה מִשָּׁמָיִם | If it may be that he will look down and Yahweh may see from heaven | ||
| עֵינִי עוֹלְלָה לְנַפְשִׁי מִכֹּל בְּנוֹת עִירִי ס | In my life my eye imposes on account of all the daughters of my city | ||
| Tsade | צוֹד צָדוּנִי כַּצִּפּוֹר אֹיְבַי חִנָּם | Chased - they chased me as a bird my enemies - without a cause | C is the letter I use to transcribe Tsade - it can sometime make a similar sound - e.g. incision, appropriate to these three verses. |
| צָמְתוּ בַבּוֹר חַיָּי וַיַּדּוּ אֶבֶן בִּי | Cut off my life have they in the pit and they throw a stone on me | ||
| צָפוּ מַיִם עַל רֹאשִׁי אָמַרְתִּי נִגְזָרְתִּי ס | Cascading waters are over my head I said, I am cut down | ||
| Qof | קָרָאתִי שִׁמְךָ יְהוָה מִבּוֹר תַּחְתִּיּוֹת | Queried I the name of Yahweh from the pit's lowest parts | |
| continuing engagement. | קוֹלִי שָׁמָעְתָּ אַל תַּעְלֵם אָזְנְךָ לְרַוְחָתִי לְשַׁוְעָתִי | Quest of mine you heard Do not hide your ear from my spirit in my crying | |
| response | קָרַבְתָּ בְּיוֹם אֶקְרָאֶךָּ אָמַרְתָּ אַל תִּירָא ס | Quite near you were in the day I called to you you said do not be afraid | |
| Resh | רַבְתָּ אֲדֹנָי רִיבֵי נַפְשִׁי גָּאַלְתָּ חַיָּי | Redeemed my life you have my Lord, you have pleaded the pleas of my being | promoted the last phrase to the first |
| penitence | רָאִיתָה יְהוָה עַוָּתָתִי שָׁפְטָה מִשְׁפָּטִי | Regarded you have Yahweh my distortion Judge my judgment | Note it is not that the warrior has been wrong but that we are ourselves each distorted - . that we might know mercy |
| but also a knowledge and need of vengeance | רָאִיתָה כָּל נִקְמָתָם כָּל מַחְשְׁבֹתָם לִי ס | Regarded you have all their vengeance all their devices about me | compare next verse |
| Shin. | שָׁמַעְתָּ חֶרְפָּתָם יְהוָה כָּל מַחְשְׁבֹתָם עָלָי | So hear their reproach Yahweh all their devices against me | there is a significant difference between about and against - these two verses reflect a judgment against enemies that is known because it is also an internally known sequence of thought |
| שִׂפְתֵי קָמַי וְהֶגְיוֹנָם עָלַי כָּל הַיּוֹם | Sneering lips and their chanting against me every day | ||
| Sin / Shin was easier than I expected | שִׁבְתָּם וְקִימָתָם הַבִּיטָה אֲנִי מַנְגִּינָתָם ס | See! their sitting and their rising I am their music | Oh those hiphil weak nun I verbs! I have improved my algorithm but it will be some time before I publish the diagrams on this book - I still can't fully handle deriving roots with missing letters! |
| Taf | תָּשִׁיב לָהֶם גְּמוּל יְהוָה כְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם | To them return a reward of growth Yahweh according to the work of their hands | Note how this word גְּמוּל can be both positive and negative in ancient and modern Hebrew. Compare Psalm 119 |
| Note the positive twist and be glad | תִּתֵּן לָהֶם מְגִנַּת לֵב תַּאֲלָתְךָ לָהֶם | To them give shield of heart your oath to them | Oh the double entendre. I am sure the original poet was as charitable as I am - a heart's shield could be a barrier but could also be a means to mercy - as for the oath, just consider Melchizedek and the oath of Psalm 110 as interpreted in Hebrews. |
| alas vengeance is mine, says the Lord and I accept your prayer | תִּרְדֹּף בְּאַף וְתַשְׁמִידֵם מִתַּחַת שְׁמֵי יְהוָה פ | To them be your persecution in anger and annihilate them from under the name of Yahweh | I hope you got this far and can see the joke! Under heaven my foot - it is the Name of יְהוָה the poet has invoked. You do not know of what spirit you are. |
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