Thursday 14 May 2015

A bit of Psalm 65 punctuated

I'm not sure it is a good idea to punctuate poetry, but I'm doing it anyway. While working through Psalm 65 I noticed that verse 8 (spanning page 1-2) has no atenach. The punctuation would suggest that this verse continues the sense of the prior verse. It seems that my punctuation shows verses 7 and 8 to be without verbs. They are a list of fearful actions that God, the trust of all the extremes of the earth and remote sea, will do.

Establishing mountains is certainly fearful given plate tectonics. We could do with some soothing the tumult of the tribes.
נ֤וֹרָא֨וֹת ׀ בְּצֶ֣דֶק תַּ֭עֲנֵנוּ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׁעֵ֑נוּ
מִבְטָ֥ח כָּל־קַצְוֵי־אֶ֝֗רֶץ וְיָ֣ם רְחֹקִֽים
6Fearful things in righteousness you will answer us, O God of our salvation,
the trust of all the extremes of the earth and remote sea,
16
11
24
21
מֵכִ֣ין הָרִ֣ים בְּכֹח֑וֹ
נֶ֝אְזָ֗ר בִּגְבוּרָֽה
7establishing mountains by his power,
girded with valour,
7
5
12
10
מַשְׁבִּ֤יחַ ׀ שְׁא֣וֹן יַ֭מִּים שְׁא֥וֹן גַּלֵּיהֶ֗ם וַהֲמ֥וֹן לְאֻמִּֽים8soothing the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the tribes.1832
וַיִּ֤ירְא֨וּ ׀ יֹשְׁבֵ֣י קְ֭צָוֺת מֵאוֹתֹתֶ֑יךָ
מ֤וֹצָֽאֵי־בֹ֖קֶר וָעֶ֣רֶב תַּרְנִֽין
9And those sitting at the extremes fear from your signs,
You will cause the outgoings of morning and evening to shout for joy.
13
9
21
17




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