Lowth on Acrostics #1

I should have started my studies 60 years ago instead of whenever. The world is a product of random choices. I came across this comment almost by accident in Legaspi's dissertation on Lowth.

Lowth identifies twelve such acrostics in the Hebrew Bible, three of which are “perfectly” alphabetical, having twenty-two lines that each begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Psalms 111 and 112; Lamentations 2), and nine in which stanzas rather than lines begin with successive letters (Psalms 25, 34, 38, 119, 145; Proverbs 31:10 –31; Lamentations 1, 3, 4). In these poems, the structural principle is evident: each unit corresponds to a Hebrew letter. More important is the observation that the units are built from discrete lines “remarkably equal to one another in length,” or from stanzas that are made up of two, three, or four lines. In either case, the compact poetic line is the essential building block. Poetic lines can vary in length, being either short or long, but within compositions, they do not vary; “the Lines have the same congruity one with another in matter and form.”

Having studied the 13 acrostics, I am intrigued by the last line and wonder just how the 'congruence' can be measured. The thirteenth, not counted by Lowth according to this treatise of Legaspi'  is the pair of Psalms 9 and 10. The 7 poems preceding the 9 acrostics in the Psalter are in a chiastic relationship to each other. 8 and 144 preceding the first and last acrostics share two contrasting versions of the human and are in chiasm with 36 and 110, the two oracles in the Psalter, preceding the last acrostic of book 1 and the first of book 5.

So how would one measure these, especially considering that every acrostic in Book 1 is flawed, and every one in Book 4 is complete. And the four in Lamentations reverse two of the letters (peh and ayin).

Here is Psalms 111 - to start with an easy one. My syllable counts are 19, 16, 16, 16, 15, 19, 18, 17, 22, 25 for a total of 183. (The software counts them and it is not perfect. You can count them from the music also.) 

It's very clear we should give due weight to the revia in the final tricola. My software does not observe this pause, but singers would as a matter of course. [It's safe to say that not all revia in prose or poetry behave so strongly.]

הַ֥לְלוּ־יָ֨הּ ׀ אוֹדֶ֣ה יְ֭הוָה בְּכָל־לֵבָ֑ב בְּס֖וֹד יְשָׁרִ֣ים וְעֵדָֽה		1 ♪f Hallelu Yah. I will thank Yahweh with a whole heart, Before the council of the upright, and assembly.
a hllu-ih aodh ihvh bcl-lbb bsod iwrim vydh	11 8	hll\v ih av/dh ihvh b/cl lbb b/svd iwr\im v/ydh
גְּ֭דֹלִים מַעֲשֵׂ֣י יְהוָ֑ה דְּ֝רוּשִׁ֗ים לְכָל־חֶפְצֵיהֶֽם		2 ♪g Great are the deeds of Yahweh, Delight of all who search them out.
b gdolim mywi ihvh druwim lcl-kpxihm	8 8	gdl\im m/yw\i ihvh drvw\im l/cl kpx\ihm
הוֹד־וְהָדָ֥ר פָּֽעֳל֑וֹ וְ֝צִדְקָת֗וֹ עֹמֶ֥דֶת לָעַֽד		3 Honour and splendour his work, Verily his righteousness stands for ever.
g hod-vhdr poylo vxdqto yomdt lyd	7 9	hvd v/hdr pyl\v v/xdq\tv ymd\t l/yd
זֵ֣כֶר עָ֭שָׂה לְנִפְלְאֹתָ֑יו חַנּ֖וּן וְרַח֣וּם יְהוָֽה		4 ♪B Zoomed in to memory makes he his wonderful works, How gracious and compassionate is Yahweh.
d zcr ywh lnplaotiv knun vrkum ihvh	9 7	zcr ywh ln/pla\vtiv knvn v/rkvm ihvh
טֶ֭רֶף נָתַ֣ן לִֽירֵאָ֑יו יִזְכֹּ֖ר לְעוֹלָ֣ם בְּרִיתֽוֹ		5 ♪g To those who fear him he gives prey, Yea, he remembers forever his covenant.
h 'trf ntn liraiv izcor lyolm brito	7 8	'trp ntn l/ira\iv i/zcr l/yvlm brit\v
כֹּ֣חַ מַ֭עֲשָׂיו הִגִּ֣יד לְעַמּ֑וֹ לָתֵ֥ת לָ֝הֶ֗ם נַחֲלַ֥ת גּוֹיִֽם		6 ♪B Known to his people is the power of his deeds, Letting them have the heritage of the nations.
v cok mywiv hgid lymo ltt lhm nklt goiim	10 9	ck m/yw\iv h/gd l/ym\v l/tt l/hm nkl\t gvi\m
מַעֲשֵׂ֣י יָ֭דָיו אֱמֶ֣ת וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט נֶ֝אֱמָנִ֗ים כָּל־פִּקּוּדָֽיו		7 Mark the deeds of his hands: truth and judgment, Near and faithful are all his precepts,
z mywi idiv amt umwp't namnim cl-piqudiv	10 8	m/yw\i id\iv amt vm/wp't n/amn\im cl pqvd\iv
סְמוּכִ֣ים לָעַ֣ד לְעוֹלָ֑ם עֲ֝שׂוּיִ֗ם בֶּאֱמֶ֥ת וְיָשָֽׁר		8 Supported for ever, forever, All done in truth and upright.
k smucim lyd lyolm ywuiim bamt viwr	8 9	smvc\im l/yd l/yvlm yw\vim b/amt v/iwr
פְּד֤וּת ׀ שָׁ֘לַ֤ח לְעַמּ֗וֹ צִוָּֽה־לְעוֹלָ֥ם בְּרִית֑וֹ קָד֖וֹשׁ וְנוֹרָ֣א שְׁמֽוֹ		9 Purchase price he has sent to his people, So he commands his covenant forever, Quite holy and fearful his name.
't pdut wlk lymo xivvh-lyolm brito qdow vnora wmo	15 7	pd\vt wlk l/ym\v xvh l/yvlm brit\v qdw vnv/ra wm\v
רֵ֘אשִׁ֤ית חָכְמָ֨ה ׀ יִרְאַ֬ת יְהוָ֗ה שֵׂ֣כֶל ט֭וֹב לְכָל־עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם תְּ֝הִלָּת֗וֹ עֹמֶ֥דֶת לָעַֽד		10 ♪~ Right at the beginning of wisdom is the fear of Yahweh, Surely a good insight for all doing them, To stand his praise for ever.
i rawit kcmh irat ihvh wcl 'tob lcl-ywihm thilto yomdt lyd	16 9	raw\it kcm\h ira\t ihvh wcl 'tvb l/cl ywh\m t/hl\tv ymd\t l/yd

Psalms 111 is about Yahweh. Psalms 112 is about the the one who fears Yahweh.  

One can see how the one is the image of the other. Both these psalms reflect the glory and are a celebration of Psalms 110. This is not a hoped-for Messianic psalm, but a hoped for imitation of Yahweh by the people who know about sharing the characteristics of Yahweh. You might well ask, Does Yahweh fear Yahweh?

Psalms 112 has syllable counts of 19, 16, 16, 17, 16, 15, 17, 15, 23, 23 for a total of 177. In both poems, the dominant line length is 8 +/- 1 syllables. (My counts are likely short by 1 for hllu. I think the schwa should be an open syllable rather than closing the first syllable. One day maybe I will get around to coding that exception.)

 

הַ֥לְלוּ־יָ֨הּ ׀ אַשְׁרֵי־אִ֭ישׁ יָרֵ֣א אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה בְּ֝מִצְוֺתָ֗יו חָפֵ֥ץ מְאֹֽד		1 ♪f Hallelu Yah. A happy person fears Yahweh. By his commandments he has much delight.
a hllu-ih awri-aiw ira at-ihvh bmxvotiv kpx maod	11 8	hll\v ih awr\i aiw ira at ihvh bm/xv\tiv kpx mad
גִּבּ֣וֹר בָּ֭אָרֶץ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְע֑וֹ דּ֭וֹר יְשָׁרִ֣ים יְבֹרָֽךְ		2 Grandly valiant in the earth will be his seed. Days of the upright will be blessed.
b gibor barx ihih zryo dor iwrim iborç	9 7	gbr b/arx i/hih zry\v dvr iwr\im i/brc
הוֹן־וָעֹ֥שֶׁר בְּבֵית֑וֹ וְ֝צִדְקָת֗וֹ עֹמֶ֥דֶת לָעַֽד		3 High value and riches are in his house. Verily his righteousness stands for ever.
g hon-vyowr bbito vxdqto yomdt lyd	7 9	hvn v/ywr b/bit\v v/xdq\tv ymd\t l/yd
זָ֘רַ֤ח בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ א֭וֹר לַיְשָׁרִ֑ים חַנּ֖וּן וְרַח֣וּם וְצַדִּֽיק		4 ♪~ Zenith-bearing in the darkness there is light to the upright. He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.
d zrk bkowç aor liwrim knun vrkum vxdiq	9 8	zrk b/kwc avr l/iwr\im knvn v/rkvm v/xdiq
טֽוֹב־אִ֭ישׁ חוֹנֵ֣ן וּמַלְוֶ֑ה יְכַלְכֵּ֖ל דְּבָרָ֣יו בְּמִשְׁפָּֽט		5 This is a good person, gracious and lending. Yea, he will rein in his words with judgment.
h 'tob-aiw konn umlvvh iclcl dbriv bmwp't	7 9	'tvb aiw kvnn vm/lvh icl/cl dbr\iv bm/wp't
כִּֽי־לְעוֹלָ֥ם לֹא־יִמּ֑וֹט לְזֵ֥כֶר ע֝וֹלָ֗ם יִהְיֶ֥ה צַדִּֽיק		6 Causing him never to be moved. Lasting forever in memory is one who is righteous.
v ci-lyolm la-iimo't lzcr yolm ihih xdiq	6 9	ci l/yvlm la i/mv't l/zcr yvlm i/hih xdiq
מִשְּׁמוּעָ֣ה רָ֭עָה לֹ֣א יִירָ֑א נָכ֥וֹן לִ֝בּ֗וֹ בָּטֻ֥חַ בַּיהוָֽה		7 Messages of evil he does not fear. Now his heart is prepared, trusting in Yahweh.
z mwmuyh ryh la iira ncon libo b'tuk bihvh	8 9	m/wmvy\h ry\h la i/ira n/cvn lb\v b'tk b/ihvh
סָמ֣וּךְ לִ֭בּוֹ לֹ֣א יִירָ֑א עַ֖ד אֲשֶׁר־יִרְאֶ֣ה בְצָרָֽיו		8 Supported is his heart, he does not fear, Even when it is that he sees his troubles.
k smuç libo la iira yd awr-irah bxriv	7 8	smvc lb\v la i/ira yd awr i/rah b/xr\iv
פִּזַּ֤ר ׀ נָ֘תַ֤ן לָאֶבְיוֹנִ֗ים צִ֭דְקָתוֹ עֹמֶ֣דֶת לָעַ֑ד קַ֝רְנ֗וֹ תָּר֥וּם בְּכָבֽוֹד		9 Prodigal of love, he gives to the-many needy. Standing for ever is his righteousness. Quite full his horn, exalted in glory.
't pizr ntn labionim xdqto yomdt lyd qrno trum bcbod	16 7	pzr ntn l/abivn\im xdq\tv ymd\t l/yd qrn\v t/rvm b/cbd
רָ֘שָׁ֤ע יִרְאֶ֨ה ׀ וְכָעָ֗ס שִׁנָּ֣יו יַחֲרֹ֣ק וְנָמָ֑ס תַּאֲוַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד		10 ♪~ Rebel will see and will grieve. So will his teeth gnash and decay. The desire of rebels will perish.
i rwy irah vcys winiv ikroq vnms tavvt rwyim tabd	15 8	rwy i/rah v/cys wn\iv i/krq vn/ms t/av\t rwy\im t/abd

We will come to Lamentations in the next post.

The middle words of the Decalogue

The middle of the 10 Commandments has impressed itself on my mind these past several months. It focuses for me the attack on both precedent and truth that hit us forcibly in the years from 2016-2020. Such attacks are much more common than the obvious ones in these years. I have listed commands 5 to 8 (depending on how you count them).

Are these commandments or promises? Is this the foundation of a mandate for reasonable social order? Or is reality a free-for-all at anyone's expense or a structure of lies embedded in institutions? 

It so reminds me of the book of Jonah, both Nineveh at the opening (their evil has come up in my face) and poor Jonah at the end with his anger overcoming him.  The appeal to Torah in Jonah consists of the one brief reference to Exodus 34:6.

Aside: Another purpose of the Psalter is to reveal the character of God, that we might learn to love Yahweh's instruction. A good God gives good laws, worth entering into as promises. It's all relational - make it a conversation. 

Exodus 20:12-15

כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ ס		12 Glorify your father and your mother, so that prolonged are your days on the ground that Yahweh your God gives to you.
ib cbd at-abiç vat-aimç lmyn iaricun imiç yl hadmh awr-ihvh alohiç notn lç s	11 26	cbd at ab\ic v/at am\c lmyn i/arc\vn im\ic yl h/adm\h awr ihvh alh\ic ntn l\c
לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח ס		13 ♪f You will not murder.
ig la trxk s	3	la t/rxk
לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָֽ֑ף ס		14 ♪B You will not commit adultery.
id la tnaf s	3	la t/nap
לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב ס		15 ♪B You will not steal.
'tv la tgnob s	3	la t/gnb

The 10 commandments are incredibly compact. I have, by the way, no idea why tradition translates cbd in verse 12 as honour. Perhaps glory (cbd) and honour (hdr) are identical, but the words are different. In fact tradition overlaps words frequently in this domain, glory, majesty, honour, beauty are all jumbled in the KJV and the authorized tradition that stems from it. One can get away with random synonyms sometimes, but there are places where the whole tone of a book is destroyed by such careless work. 

Deuteronomy 5:16-19

כַּבֵּ֤ד אֶת־אָבִ֙יךָ֙ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֔ךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן יַאֲרִיכֻ֣ן יָמֶ֗יךָ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ יִ֣יטַב לָ֔ךְ עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ ס		16 Glorify your father and your mother as Yahweh your God is commanding you, so that prolonged are your days, and so that it may be good for you over the ground that Yahweh your God is giving to you.
'tz cbd at-abiç vat-aimç cawr xivvç ihvh alohiç lmyn iaricun imiç ulmyn ii'tb lç yl hadmh awr-ihvh alohiç notn lç s	22 31	cbd at ab\ic v/at am\c c/awr xv\c ihvh alh\ic lmyn i/arc\n im\ic v/lmyn ii/'tb l\c yl h/adm\h awr ihvh alh\ic ntn l\c
לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽח ס		17 ♪f You will not murder.
iz la trxk s	3	la t/rxk
וְלֹ֖֣א תִּֿנְאָֽ֑ף ס		18 And you will not commit adultery.
ik vla tnaf s	4	v/la t/nap
וְלֹ֖֣א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב ס		19 And you will not steal.
i't vla tgnob s	4	v/la t/gnb

You can see that the instructions in verses 13-15 of Exodus 5 and 17-19 of Deuteronomy 20 are almost vanishingly short! Sing them. Note the differences. The 4 shortest verses in the Hebrew Bible are two words and three syllables. (Shorter than what Wikipedia reports. My list includes their Genesis 26:6 tied for 39th place if I drop the music, but 192nd place if I don't.)

And ponder. The first of these, the fifth commandment addresses us as children of parents. The seventh addresses us as adults. The point of view changes rapidly. We know what Jesus made of the one in the middle on murder - he related it to the heart of anger. How will we 'be angry and not sin'? (This is a NT verse, Ephesians 4:26. It is not a reference to Psalms 4:5 which reads more accurately, Shudder and do not sin.)

If we fail on the seventh, we will make the fifth difficult for our children. We may also make failure on the sixth easier. Crimes of passion. What will we do with such responsibility and power? It is much easier to count syllables.

Psalms and the book of consolation

Reading this document from 1888, the height of British Christendom and Empire, one would think that the citation of a few proof-texts would clinch any argument about the overall theme and purpose of the Psalms in their sequence.

Forbes certainly has a unique approach to the Psalter structure, dividing book 5 into three pieces to create a menorah structure. But his stated purpose to read without mention of the New Testament's use of the Psalms (in his opinion) has not been achieved so far. 

He asks us to compare several aspects of the Psalter to prove his association of Book 4 with the exile.

The next. Book IV. (xc.-cvi.), ought therefore to refer to the captivity, and to have as its counterpart, or corresponding prophetical book, Isa. xl—lxvi. with its consolatory purpose...

So he asks us to compare: 

'Ps. xcvi. 1 with Isa. xlii. 10; Ps. xcviii. 4, 8, with Isa. xlix. 13 and lv. 12).' One whole line in Ps. xcviii. 3, "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God," is identical in the Hebrew with Isa. lii. 10.'

(That's what he says. We'll see.) It was common to use Roman numerals. Very hard to read. That's Psalms 96:1 and Isaiah 42:10. 

Fig. 1 Psalms 96:1 (one of 6 instances of  'sing a new song' in the Psalter)

שִׁ֣ירוּ לַ֭יהוָה שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֑שׁ שִׁ֥ירוּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ		1 ♪B Sing to Yahweh a new song. Sing to Yahweh all the earth.
a wiru lihvh wir kdw wiru lihvh cl-harx	7 8	wir\v l/ihvh wir kdw wir\v l/ihvh cl h/arx

Fig. 2 Isaiah 42:10

שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיהוָה֙ שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֔שׁ תְּהִלָּת֖וֹ מִקְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ יוֹרְדֵ֤י הַיָּם֙ וּמְלֹא֔וֹ אִיִּ֖ים וְיֹשְׁבֵיהֶֽם		10 ♪C Sing to Yahweh a new song, praise from the extremity of the earth, those descending to the sea and its fullness, coasts and their inhabitants.
i wiru lihvh wir kdw thilto mqxh harx iordi him umloao aiim viowbihm	16 13	wir\v l/ihvh wir kdw t/hl\tv m/qxh h/arx iv/rd\i h/im v/mla\v ai\im v/iwb\ihm

Yes Isaiah knew this Psalm or vice versa and the prophet uses a phrase that is used 6 times in the Psalter. Something to ponder. Many other connections there are in the language as this comparison shows for Isa 42:10-12 and Psalms 96:9-13.

Fig. 3 Comparing Isaiah 42:10-12 with Psalms 96:9-13

Then, he says, look at Isaiah ten before 50 and nine after, 13 (49:13) and fifty and five after fifty, 12 with Psalms ten before 100 and 8 after, 4 and 8 (98 verses 4 and 8). I wish he would point out the similarity he wants us to look at. Maybe he does this later.

Fig. 4 Psalms 98:4

Fig. 5 Psalms 98:8

הָרִ֣יעוּ לַֽ֭יהוָה כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ פִּצְח֖וּ וְרַנְּנ֣וּ וְזַמֵּֽרוּ		4 Raise a shout to Yahweh all the earth. Erupt and shout for joy and sing a psalm.
d hriyu lihvh cl-harx pxku vrnnu vzmru	9 9	h/riy\v l/ihvh cl h/arx pxk\v v/rnn\v v/zmr\v
נְהָר֥וֹת יִמְחֲאוּ־כָ֑ף יַ֝֗חַד הָרִ֥ים יְרַנֵּֽנוּ		8 Rivers clap a lapping palm. Hills as one shout for joy.
k nhrot imkau-cf ikd hrim irnnu	7 8	nhr\vt i/mka\v cp ikd hr\im i/rnn\v

[clap, מחא (mka) once in the Psalter. The clapping of the lapping palm is the high five (Psalm 47) of the rivers, the turbulence of the moment, even from chaos, rejoicing in the judgment.]

Fig. 6 Isaiah 49:13

רָנּ֤וּ שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְגִ֣ילִי אָ֔רֶץ וּפִצְח֥וּ הָרִ֖ים רִנָּ֑ה כִּֽי־נִחַ֤ם יְהוָה֙ עַמּ֔וֹ וַעֲנִיָּ֖ו יְרַחֵֽם ס		13 Shout for joy, heaven, and rejoice, earth, and erupt, hills, with a loud shout, for Yahweh has comforted his people, and his afflicted he will nurture.
ig ronu wmiim vgili arx upxku hrim rinh ci-nikm ihvh ymo vyniiv irkm s	16 14	rn\v wmim v/gil\i arx v/pxk\v hr\im rn\h ci nkm ihvh ym\v v/yn\iv i/rkm

Fig. 7 Isaiah 55:12

כִּֽי בְשִׂמְחָ֣ה תֵצֵ֔אוּ וּבְשָׁל֖וֹם תּֽוּבָל֑וּן הֶהָרִ֣ים וְהַגְּבָע֗וֹת יִפְצְח֤וּ לִפְנֵיכֶם֙ רִנָּ֔ה וְכָל־עֲצֵ֥י הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִמְחֲאוּ־כָֽף		12 For in gladness you will go out and in peace you will be escorted. The hills and the hillocks in your presence will erupt with a shout of joy and all the trees of the field will raise a high five.
ib ci bwmkh txau ubwlom tublun hhrim vhgbyot ipxku lpnicm rinh vcl-yxi hwdh imkau-cf	13 26	ci b/wmk\h t/xa\v vb/wlvm tv/bl\vn h/hr\im vh/gby\vt i/pxk\v l/pn\icm rn\h v/cl yx\i h/wdh i/mka\v cp

Psalms 98:3 = Isaiah 52:10? I wonder what text he is reading. Mine is not exactly the same.

Fig. 8 Psalms 98:3

זָ֘כַ֤ר חַסְדּ֨וֹ ׀ וֶֽאֱֽמוּנָתוֹ֮ לְבֵ֪ית יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל רָא֥וּ כָל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ אֵ֝֗ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ		3 ♪~ He remembered his mercy and his faithfulness for the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth saw, the salvation of our God.
g zcr ksdo vamunto lbit iwral rau cl-apsi-arx at iwuyt alohinu	14 6 8	zcr ksd\v v/amvn\tv l/bit iwral ra\v cl aps\i arx iwvy\t alh\inv

Fig. 9 Isaiah 52:10

חָשַׂ֤ף יְהוָה֙ אֶת־זְר֣וֹעַ קָדְשׁ֔וֹ לְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְרָאוּ֙ כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֔רֶץ אֵ֖ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ ס		10 Yahweh has stripped his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
i kwf ihvh at-zroy qodwo lyini cl-hgoiim vrau cl-apsi-arx at iwuyt alohinu s	17 16	kwp ihvh at zry qdw\v l/yin\i cl h/gvi\m v/ra\v cl aps\i arx at iwvy\t alh\inv

Look closely at the psalm verse. It has two rests, so the first is an ole-veyored and the second an atnah. Or in musical terms, the first is a rest on the supertonic and the second a rest on the subdominant.
Musicians should know this as a tricolon because their Coverdale Psalter will read as a bicolon. 

Coverdale reforms almost every verse as a doublet separated by the ' : ', this representing the atnah most of the time, but below it is clearly on the ole-veyored and the atnah is ignored. The Psalms often have a tricolon marked by the ole-veyored (Fig 8, bar 4-5 above on the word Israel) and atnah. I should have put in a pause in the music because it is not always obvious. When performing Coverdale, it is legitimate to pause on the word seen below. The pause there can be longer than at the colon. There is rest in the seeing. And what have we seen? Both that he hath remembered his mercy and truth and that it is: The salvation of our God.

He hath remembered his mercy and truth toward the house of Israel : and all the ends of the world have seen /// the salvation of our God.

So introduce a bit of musical tension on that word 'have seen'. I used 'saw' to indicate finality. It is perfect - not imperfect. English helping verbs are ambiguous as to their temporal aspect. Time itself is one of those great scientific mysteries - it stops at the speed of light and it is unknown prior to the inflationary period of the origin of the universe. (All this is part of the music of the spheres.)

Isaiah of course does not use an ole veyored since that book uses the prose cantillation marks. So the music differs and you will note that the Hebrew is not the same. There's a vav connecting the two part phrase in Isaiah. The form of the verb differs in mine and traditional translation. That's because mapping verb forms in Hebrew to those in English is subject to all sorts of tensions. Biblical Hebrew does not think in past, present, and future. But neither does English when you give it some thought. And time is non-trivial, non-linear, and probably not to be interpreted as precisely as the power-hungry would like.

Book 4 in my reading is a recall to Moses and the instruction noted in Psalms 1 after the failure of the monarchy. Moses occurs 7 times in Book 4. (Once in Book 3 and a hint in Book 1 with the phrase, he will draw me out (mwh) of many waters - imwni mmim rbim.) I think that the sevenfold reference to Moses is a suggestion that Moses and what he stands for, the good and beneficial instruction of Yahweh, is a key to Book 4. Of course it hearkens back to Psalms 1.

And what does the instruction of Yahweh allow us to do: to become like God, judging with equity, showing mercy to thousands, kind, but not clearing the guilty. This is very hard work. The ten words give us considerable pause.

The Psalter (Forbes 1888) #5

Continuing the examination - slowly - of Forbes work on the Psalter from 1888.

Forbes begins to sketch his view of the overall structure of the Psalter. 

As Book I. began with the inauguration on his throne of the Lord's Anointed King and Son, and the predicted conquest of all his opposing foes which David's warlike reign imperfectly prefigured, so Book II. closes with the companion picture (in Ps. lxxii.) of the final establishment of Messiah's empire as a kingdom of " peace and righteousness "—of which Solomon's peaceful reign was a faint adumbration). The first two Amen Books are thus linked together, and their principal subject clearly indicated by its being placed first and last. But their connection and mutual bearing are still further signified by the note appended to their close, "The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended." The obvious meaning of these words, in the position they hold, is that David's highest aspirations—what formed " all his salvation and all his desire " (2 Sam. xxiii. 5)—will be answered when the consummation, anticipated in the immediately preceding Psalm, arrives.

Forbes doesn't seem to connect Psalms 1 and 2. The focus continues on the king. The capitalization above is 'reading in' to the text.  

This necessitates us to regard Ps. lxxii. as primarily, in the idea of the author, a prayer for the coming of that perfect kingdom of "righteousness and peace," the expectation of which had been awakened by the promises made by God to David, with the tacitly implied petition, no doubt secondarily, that Solomon's reign (whether the Psalm was written by him or for him) might, in its imperfect measure, foreshadow it. The Messianic import of the Psalm is fully borne out by several expressions in it which can apply only to the Messiah, as, e.g., the universality of the King's dominion, and of the homage paid him by " all kings and all nations " (vers. 8-11), by the correct interpretation of the generally misconstrued terms of ver. 15, but above all by the closing words in ver, 17, " all nations shall bless themselves in him " (i.e. adore him as the foundation and source of all their blessings)—words which manifestly point back to the crowning blessing to Abraham (" In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves," Gen. xxii. 18),—vouchsafed to him in that supreme moment of his life when he had just exhibited the highest instance of faith and obedience ever shown by a mere man, and to which we cannot doubt the Saviour alluded when He said, "Abraham saw my day, and was glad" (John viii. 56). 

The appeal to the Akeda here is not without ambiguity. Again, Forbes is reasoning entirely from the point of view of the NT attitudes to Abraham.

When next we turn to Book III. (lxxiii.-lxxxix.), we find strong confirmation that all three Amen Books are so arranged as to create an earnest expectation and longing for the coming of the Messianic King. With the closing Psalm (lxxii.) of Book II., for which Solomon's reign gave occasion, the monarchy" in its visible form reached its culmination and highest earthly splendour. With Book III. begins its decline and fall. Dire forebodings of the final catastrophe follow each other in ominous succession (see particularly Psalms lxxiv., lxxix., lxxx.), until at last in Psalm lxxxix. the end of the earthly kingdom is close at hand, and the desponding lament is heard, " Thou hast cast off and rejected ; Thou hast been wroth with Thine anointed ; Thou hast profaned his crown even to the ground " (vers. 38, 39), Yet, nevertheless, the Psalmist and the Church are only the more resolved to hold fast to the covenanted truth of God's word, " The mercies of Jehovah for ever will I sing " (ver. 1), and all the glorious promises made to David are repeated and dwelt upon at great length, and God's power and faithfulness invoked for their certain fulfilment (vers. 1-37). 

If, now, we regard all three Amen Books in their connection, not only does the Messianic King meet us at the beginning and end, but when we apply the parallelistic rule already referred to, we are struck with finding the central subject of the whole to be the same, marked in the clearest manner. The eighty-nine Psalms which constitute the three Amen Books are divided into two equal halves by Ps. xlv., there being two alphabets (2x22) of Psalms on the one side and two on the other. The purpose of those who finally arranged the Psalter cannot be mistaken in their selecting for the central position a Psalm beginning with the words, " My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter ; I speak the things which I have made touching the King" (Ps. xlv. 1). Thus the Messianic King meets us at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the Amen Books, and the Hebrew word melech = " king," or malach = " is king," never again appears in the Psalter applied to the Messianic King ; henceforth the King is Jehovah. Regarded even by itself, Ps. xlv. points to one " fairer than the children of men," endowed with " grace, majesty, righteousness, and the oil of gladness above his fellows," and to whom are ascribed a "throne [enduring] for ever and ever," and the title of " God " (ver. 6)—language, surely, which even in its first conception looks higher than to a Solomon or any merely human sovereign. ([fn]Even, therefore, if we must find an historical occasion for every Psalm (a very questionable assumption), it need be but as suggesting to the Psalmist a higher theme, which forms his direct subject.[/fn]) But whatever may have been its first import, so soon as it was chosen to form part of the devotional Psalm-Book of Israel, and placed in the remarkable relation it holds to the opening and closing Psalms of the Amen Books, the Messianic interpretation becomes alone admissible—which, too, is also that of the Chaldee Paraphrast, and even of the later Jews before, and some time after, the coming of Christ. With Ps. lxxxix., the closing Psalm of the three Amen Books, is evidently meant to be concluded the series of earthly representatives of David's royal race, thus bringing us down to the commencement of the Babylonish captivity. The next. Book IV. (xc.-cvi.), ought therefore to refer to the captivity, and to have as its counterpart, or corresponding prophetical book, Isa. xl—lxvi. with its consolatory purpose, " Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God "—an inference corroborated by the striking similarity of many of the Psalms in Book IV. to the later chapters of Isaiah (cf. Ps. xcvi. 1 with Isa. xlii. 10; Ps. xcviii. 4, 8, with Isa. xlix. 13 and lv. 12). One whole line in Ps. xcviii. 3, "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God," is identical in the Hebrew with Isa. lii. 10.

Would you say that the Psalms are ultimately anti-monarchy, rather than pro-Messiah? I am very much in favour of what Jesus Christ (=Messiah) shows us, but I am against the tendency to use such example and instruction as a club, or a threat, or anything else that smacks of the human will-to-power. 

OK - in the next post let's look at some of these things Forbes invites us to look at. Particularly the connections between Book 4 and Isaiah. 

By the way, I may be out to lunch, but I have not assumed that we only hear of the exile beginning in Book 4. Psalms 42 and 43 are exilic laments over the three interruptions of temple worship (at least according to Rashi). I doubt that Forbes will cite a single Jewish interpretation in this essay. 1888 is at the height of the power of Christendom and the Shoah is on the horizon. This is the problem with the will-to-power of triumphalism.

For parallelistic I suggest we read chaistic or circular because he is describing the search for the centre of a structure defined by numbers or words. I.e. nothing to do with the original definition of parallelism as I understand it. [see the use of this odd word by Adele Berlin here. 

Parallelism is the most prominent rhetorical figure in ancient Near Eastern poetry, and is also present, although less prominent, in biblical prose. It can be defined as the repetition of the same or related semantic content and/or grammatical structure in consecutive lines or verses. For example, in Ps 103:10 we find that both the sense and the structure of the first line are echoed, in different words, in the second:

Not according to our sins did he deal with us;

And not according to our transgressions did he requite us.

But, while the definition cited here works well for the most part, and the example of Ps 103:10 would be universally accepted as a parallelism, there is no consensus on precisely what parallelism is or how it works, and therefore no absolute criterion for identifying parallelisms. As we move farther away from identity or similarity between the two lines, more questions arise and there is more disagreement about the identification of a parallelism. For instance, some scholars would consider Ps 106:35 to be a parallelism while others would insist that it is not.

They intermingled with the nations;

They learned their ways.

What does seem certain, though, is that parallelism is a matter of relationships—between lines and/or parts of lines. 

You might want to read on further in Adele's paper, particularly since she quickly shows that Lowth's three categories are too few.

Also Michael Legaspi on Lowth here.]

Michael has a description of Lowth's intent (P 486)

 ... Whether the interpreter decides in favor of an extant reading or creates a new one through conjectural emendation, his or her final responsibility is to offer a sound, rationally defensible reading. The reading will be successful to the extent that it is “agreeable to the context, to the exigencies of the place, to parallel and similar passages, to the rules and genius of the language, and to the laws of sound and temperate criticism.”

Much is at stake in the production of a good English translation. For Lowth, translation comprises all of the interpretive virtues that contribute to good scholarship: a judicious temperament, philological rigor, poetic sensibility, methodological transparency, and a critical stance toward tradition. Put simply, a good translator is a good interpreter. Yet, the good translator is good in another sense: he or she is also useful. Well translated, the Bible is restored to the profitable use of the Christian public.

Good advice for any age. 

The Psalter (Forbes 1888) #4

Continuing the exploration of the introduction that Forbes writes (see previous posts), maybe I should read the whole 300 pages so I can better understand his 20 page introduction. 

But whatever may be thought of the original purport of these Psalms, when we look at the place which has been assigned them in the Psalter as now constituted (arranged certainly in its present form a considerable time before the Septuagint version), and to the order and connection in which they stand, it becomes impossible with any fairness to deny that they were intended to excite in the Jewish worshippers an expectation of the Messiah, and must have been the means for hundreds of years of preparing them for the coming of that great seed of David in whom all the promises made to him were to be fulfilled.

Our author assumes his desired conclusion and then states it again without justification. So continuing, he wishes to buttress his assertion. But maybe we should read the 300 pages first... because I think he is summarizing his argument in the introduction.

In order to judge aright of their significance in this respect, two things must be kept in mind: 1st, The very fact that after the extinction of the kingdom Psalms respecting the king in Israel were retained in the Devotional Manual of the Jewish Church, is inexplicable except on the ground of an unshaken expectation, still continuing, of a greater king yet to come than either a David or a Solomon ; and 2nd, The remarkable and prominent position assigned to these Psalms shows the high significance attached to them.

With bated breath, we await his argument... 

In Book I. (after an introductory Psalm) the keynote of the first three books, not to say of the whole Psalter, is immediately struck by a Psalm (ii.) setting forth the inauguration of a king whom Jehovah styles His son, and sets on His holy hill of Zion. The language of the Psalm, by whomsoever composed, could not have been meant for David, since the words, " Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee " (ver. 7), are evidently borrowed from the great promise made to David (in 2 Sam. vii. 12-16) with reference, not to himself, but to a " seed " to be set upon his throne when he should " sleep with his fathers," and of whom the Lord says, " I will be his Father, and he shall be my son" (ver. 1-4), Neither could the Psalm be meant for Solomon (the Peaceful), since the king designed is evidently to be a man of war, against whom " the nations and peoples rage, and their kings and rulers take counsel together "—whom he shall " break with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." The Psalm, if we will take its words in their plain, obvious meaning, can apply to none but the Messiah ; for to what king else can the promise of Jehovah be referred without hyperbole, " Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession " (ver. 8) ? The king here invested with so universal dominion, the reflecting Israelite would naturally identify with the seed of Abraham, in whom " all the nations of the earth were to bless themselves."

Mr. Forbes, DD, LDD, you cannot answer me back, so I must answer for you. Difficult, since between us is a great gulf fixed, the gulf of time and culture and assumption. Solomon was not peaceful. He began his reign with more than one political murder. And you will say, Yes, but his name signifies wholeness even if he did not achieve it in himself.

But the Messianic character of the book was still further signalized, to those familiarly acquainted with the principles of parallelistic [sic] arrangement, by the trilogy of Psalms (xx., xxi., xxii.) placed in the middle of the book (with nineteen on either side) to mark the central thought around which the whole book revolves. The three Psalms set forth the great conflict in which the king is to be engaged in behalf of his people, nay, of the whole world. Ps. xx. is the people's prayer for the successful issue of the contest, in which their interests are closely involved : " We will triumph in thy salvation" (ver. 5). Ps. xxi. expresses their thanksgiving for the anticipated victory, and the priceless boon which the king attains for himself and his people. " He asked life of Thee, Thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever " (ver. 4). Ps. xxii. sums up both the preceding Psalms. The first two strophes of ten verses each (linked together by an interjaculatory [sic] prayer in ver. 11) describe the suffering and conflict in which the king, compassed about by fierce enemies on all sides, is " brought down into the dust of death," and, in the last extremity only, is " saved out of the lion's mouth" (ver. 21). In the final strophe of ten verses (vers. 22-31) "all the seed of Israel" is first called upon (in five verses) to " glorify the Lord " for the salvation obtained, and to come and partake of the sacrificial feast which the rescued sufferer institutes in remembrance of his deliverance, that they may "eat and be satisfied " (ver. 26), and their " heart live for ever." Nay, so universal and far-reaching is the victory achieved, that (in the remaining five verses) it is declared " all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord " (ver. 27) ; and such shall be the life-restoring and satisfying virtue of the feast prepared, that all, rich and poor alike, " the fat ones of the earth " as well as " they that go down to the dust," and " he that cannot keep his soul alive," " shall eat and worship "—each successive " generation declaring unto a people that shall be born that He hath done it" (vers. 29-31). Unto whom else can such mighty results be meant to be ascribed, but to that " seed " of the woman who was to undo the curse of death brought on man, by bruising the serpent's head ?

Wow! who can compete with such language and such a summary! It is a curiosity that 41 = 19+3+19 but a little more work is required to show that the centre is deliberate. And as for parallelistic - that stretches the notion of parallel for me.

There's a lot riding on that word "seed". Must move on or I'll never finish this ...

Psalms 23

 Just for the fun of it, here is Psalms 23.

A version of Psalms 23 that I did the underlay for in 2017 or so.

Syllables: 130. Words: 57. Roots: 53. Root Recurrence: 14%. Average per verse: 1.3.

ac arc ath bit gia gm dvd dwa dwn hlc hm zmr kih ksd ksr 'tvb ihvh (2) ivm (2) ira iwb cvs ci (2) cl la (2) lmyn mim nah ngd nhl nvk nkh nkm npw ygl yl ym yrc pnh xdq xlmvt xrr raw rbx rdp rvh ryh ryy wb't wvb wlkn wm wmn wyn

מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד יְהוָ֥ה רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר		1 A psalm of David. Yahweh is my shepherd. I will not lack.
a mzmor ldvid ihvh royi la aksr	5 7	m/zmr l/dvd ihvh ry\i la a/ksr
בִּנְא֣וֹת דֶּ֭שֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי עַל־מֵ֖י מְנֻח֣וֹת יְנַהֲלֵֽנִי		2 In verdant loveliness he makes me recline. By waters at rest he refreshes me.
b bnaot dwa irbixni yl-mi mnukot inhlni	8 10	b/na\vt dwa i/rbx\ni yl mi m/nk\vt i/nhl\ni
נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַֽנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֝֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ		3 My being he repairs. He guides me in tracks of righteousness for the sake of his name.
g npwi iwobb inkni bmygli-xdq lmyn wmo	5 13	npw\i i/wvb\b i/nk\ni bm/ygl\i xdq lmyn wm\v
גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי		4 ♪C Furthermore because I walk in the gorge shadowing death, I will not fear evil, because you are with me. Your sceptre and your staff, they re-create me.
d gm ci-alç bgia xlmvvt la-aira ry ci-ath yimdi wb'tç umwyntç hmh inkmuni	16 15	gm ci a/lc b/gia xlmvt la a/ira ry ci ath ym\di wb't\c vm/wyn\tc hm\h i/nkm\ni
תַּעֲרֹ֬ךְ לְפָנַ֨י ׀ שֻׁלְחָ֗ן נֶ֥גֶד צֹרְרָ֑י דִּשַּׁ֖נְתָּ בַשֶּׁ֥מֶן רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י כּוֹסִ֥י רְוָיָֽה		5 You arrange facing me a table in front of my adversaries. You fatten with oil my head. My cup is saturated.
h tyroç lpnii wulkn ngd xorrii diwnt bwmn rawi cosi rvvih	12 13	t/yrc l/pn\i wlkn ngd xrr\i dwn\t b/wmn raw\i cvs\i rvh
אַ֤ךְ ׀ ט֤וֹב וָחֶ֣סֶד יִ֭רְדְּפוּנִי כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑י וְשַׁבְתִּ֥י בְּבֵית־יְ֝הוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים		6 ♪C Surely goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life, and I will sit in the house of Yahweh for length of days.
v aç 'tob vksd irdpuni cl-imi kii vwbti bbit-ihvh laorç imim	14 12	ac 'tvb v/ksd i/rdp\vni cl im\i ki\i v/wb\ti b/bit ihvh l/arc im\im

1	lack חסר (ksr) compare Psalm 8:6, 34:10-11, Song 7:2.
3	being, נפשׁ (npw) trad. soul = the whole me including thought, engagement, and action over a lifetime. repairs, שׁוב, (wvb) or turn, restore, compare Psalm 19:8 tracks, עגל (ygl) stronger than a path, well-worn by wagon wheels, compare Psalm 65:12.
4	גַּם כִּי (gm ki), trad. even though, the pair of words is rare in the writings. I have kept 'because' to show the limited recurrence in this psalm. gorge, גיא same word as the salt gorge in Psalm 60:2. re-create, נחם (nkm) or comfort.
5	fatten, דשׁן, (dwn) A word used in this verbal form only twice in the psalms, here and Psalm 20. The word sounds like the verdant of verse 2. Traditionally we bypass the word in Psalm 20. And here we accept anoint as the translation, but it is not the same word as anoint elsewhere. cup כוס (cvs), also owl, due to the shape of the face of the owl. It has the sense of unclean. But the poet is telling us that a cup or vessel that is saturated because God fills it cannot be unclean.
6	reproof, חסד (ksd), or mercy, loving-kindness, covenant presence. hunt, רדף (rdf) persecute (Psalm 7:2,6) or hound length, ארך, (arc), slow and long, as in slow to anger, compare Psalms 21:5, 86:15, 91:16, 93:5.

Isaiah 40

 Isaiah 40 was the lesson last night. I was surprised at my rendering so I checked the old version and the notes I made 4 years ago. The things we can't remember!

Who can search for a nettle in a hapax? Bob the Butcher. 

There are many surprises in this chapter. And if you think about them, they make sense, but not according to the careless synonyms of traditional translations with their presumed theologies. Is acceptance of iniquity the gospel or the beginning of a radical atheism?

One thing about my translation is that the decisions are transparent  and not hidden in the notes of a committee. Just use the concordance and see how rarely I have overlapped my glosses. Then by all means and with all tools, question.

Let us make up what is lacking in the suffering of the people who do not know their left hand from their right, not to mention all the animals.