Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 32

Verse-by-Verse Notes (Academic)

This resource is in the process of reformatting.

Welcome to the Verse-by-Verse Notes for Psalm 32!

The Verse-by-Verse Notes present scholarly, exegetical materials (from all layers of analysis) in a verse-by-verse format. They often present alternative interpretive options and justification for a preferred interpretation. The Verse-by-Verse Notes are aimed at consultant-level users.

The discussion of each verse of this psalm includes the following items.

A link to the part of the overview video where the verse in question is discussed.
The verse in Hebrew and English.^[1]
An expanded paraphrase of the verse.^[2]
A grammatical diagram of the verse, which includes glosses for each word and phrase.^[3]
A series of notes on the verse, which contain information pertaining to the interpretation of the psalm (e.g., meaning of words and phrases, poetic features, difficult grammatical constructions, etc.).

Introduction

The purpose of Psalm 32 is to encourage faithful people to confess their sin. The message involves a reminder that no destruction comes upon those who confess their sin, but rather, only YHWH's faithful forgiveness. David uses his own experience with delayed confession and the consequences thereof as an example from which to offer wisdom to the righteous congregation. He provides a reminder that those who are truly happy are those who confess their sin, and he exhorts them to not stubbornly delay—as he had done—but to be quick to pray to YHWH, so that they can experience his restoration and the celebrations of the faithful community.

From the text of the psalm itself, we can gather that David has sinned against YHWH and did not confess his sin for a period of time. Only YHWH's discipline brought him to confession, after which David experienced YHWH's forgiveness and restoration. He recounts this experience in vv. 3–5. The speech time of the psalm involves David's decision to turn and counsel others (cf. Ps 51:15), whom he hopes will heed his advice and confess their sin before having to endure YHWH's discipline. This can be visualized by the following summary story triangle of the psalm:

File:Psalm 32 - Story Behind Summary.jpg

Thus, the background events prior to the psalm's speech time are the following:

Psalm 32 is very much an expansion on the idea of Proverbs 28:13–14: "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble" (NIV; cf. 1 John 1:8–9).

Other background ideas that help make sense of the psalm involve the following:

David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, Uriah (2 Sam 11). He did not confess his sin during the entirety of Bathsheba's pregnancy, until after the baby was born (2 Sam 11:27), when Nathan the prophet confronted him (2 Sam 12). After repenting of his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Sam 11) and being restored, David committed himself to counseling other sinners (Ps 51:15) based on his experience and telling them all that God had done for him (cf. Ps 66:16).
After being restored from a period of suffering or distress, one could participate in a thanksgiving ceremony (Pss 22:23, 26; 35:18; 56:13; 69:33; 109:30) "to repay any vows, to give thanks to YHWH and to give witness about his or her salvation, sharing in a joyful celebration of the fullness of life granted by YHWH together with the community of worshippers."^[4]

It has been convincingly argued by scholars that, just as Psalm 1 begins Book 1 of the Psalms, Psalm 32 begins the final collection of psalms in Book 1, ranging from Psalms 32–41.^[5] This is fitting, in light of the remarkable number of correspondences between Psalm 1 and Psalm 32. Both begin with the word אַשְׁרֵי—twice in Psalm 32:1–2 (after not occurring since Psalm 2:12)—and conclude with a contrast between the wicked (רְשָׁעִים) and the righteous (צַדִּיקִים). Between these two frames, we have "day and night," which do not appear in between Psalms 1 and 32, and correspondence between the exact lexemes or verbal roots of "know," "teach," "walk," "advice/advise," "on the way," and "being like." The reader who is aware of Psalm 1 and its content will be alert to this later elaboration and elucidation of its message. The intended effect is to communicate that not only does true happiness come from meditating on the instruction of YHWH day and night (Ps 1), but rather, that very meditation will lead one to confess their sins and find forgiveness in YHWH, such that true happiness and blessedness must, indeed, be found in the state of forgiven sins and a relationship with YHWH characterized by integrity. Further, the wicked and righteous are to be contrasted not only in how YHWH cares for the way of the righteous, whereas the way of the wicked perishes (Ps 1), but rather, the contrast between the righteous and the wicked is evident even now: the wicked suffer from not confessing their sins, while the righteous exhibit integrity and—though not sinless—are quick to confess their sins. Only they, then, enjoy the communal thanksgiving for their deliverance, in the "group of the righteous" (Ps 1:5).

Following the poetic structure, our At-a-Glance visual of the psalm is as follows:

Delayed Confession (vv. 1–5)

As mentioned above, the first major section of the psalm's poetic macrostructure consists of vv. 1–5.

This is largely determined by the inclusio of the "sin" lexemes in vv. 1–2 and 5, with the middle section, vv. 3–4, structurally characterized by the subordinator/discourse marker כִּי and the root יוֹם "day." The "sin" lexemes include פֶּשַׁע, חֲטָאָה and עָוֹן. As illustrated by the following Hebrew-to-Hebrew Venn diagram, there is considerable semantic overlap between the three words:^[6]

On the other hand, though SDBH defines פֶּשַׁע as an "action by which humans or groups defy an authority or a standard of behavior; by extension, can also refer to the punishment or guilt incurred from a transgression," generally speaking "pešaʿ, unlike either ʿāwōn or ḥaṭṭāʾṯ, refers only to the offense itself rather than simultaneously also to the sanction" (TDOT, פֶּשַׁע), though there are exceptions (see, e.g., Ps 39:9). Indeed, see the specific differentiation between פֶּשַׁע as the offense and עָוֹן as the punishment in 1 Samuel 25:24, 28: "On me alone, my lord, be the guilt (הֶעָוֺן) ... Please forgive the trespass (שָׂא נָא לְפֶשַׁע) of your servant" (ESV). Thus, we have preferred "guilt" as the gloss for עָוֹן, "offense" for פֶּשַׁע and the generic "sin" for both חֲטָאָה and חַטָּאת.

Admiration (vv. 1–2)

The first sub-section of "Delayed Confession" (vv. 1–5) consists of the macro-speech act of admiration towards the truly happy person:

Only here and in the final section (vv. 9–11) is David, the psalmist, addressing the congregation.

These verses describe an ongoing reality, rather than a one-off event. YHWH does not count guilt against the person who confesses their sin, but rather, it is those with deceit in their mind (i.e., lacking the integrity to confess their sin) who end up suffering and missing out on true happiness:

v. 1

Hebrew	Verse	English
לְדָוִ֗ד מַ֫שְׂכִּ֥יל	1a	By David. A maskil.
אַשְׁרֵ֥י נְֽשׂוּי־פֶּ֗שַׁע	1b	How happy is the one whose offense is taken away,
כְּס֣וּי חֲטָאָֽה׃	1c	whose sin is covered!

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

By David. A maskil, which offers wisdom to those who will pay attention. After sinning and not confessing my guilt until YHWH disciplined me, I am in admiration of those who readily confess their sin without having to suffer first, and I think, how happy is the one whose offense is taken away, whose sin is covered!

Verse 1 offers the first of two exclamations concerning the happiness of those who have experienced forgiven sin.

For our interpretation of By David (לְדָוִד) as indicating authorship, see the arguments in Ledavid.
Though there is debate concerning the term maskil (מַשְׂכִּיל), such that we have left the word transliterated, the root is repeated in v. 8 ("I will give you understanding," אַשְׂכִּילְךָ), such that the interpretation of "maskil" as a poem that offers wisdom is entirely suitable for this psalm.^[7]
The construct head אַשְׁרֵי is a Biblical Hebrew idiom, literally: "The happiness of x." It is an exclamative fragment, though has been translated more idiomatically as "Happy is" as early as the Septuagint.^[8] We follow this implied copular reading, though maintain the exclamative flavor of the Hebrew idiom, How happy is...! For the speech-act significance of אַשְׁרֵי, see the notes on Psalm 1:1.
The verb take away (נשׂא) comes from "a common Semitic root referring to the physical movement of raising, lifting up, and carrying, along with every conceivable association."^[9] In the current context of sin (cf. v. 5), this concrete physical sense could entail "lifting up" ➞ "carrying away." The image is similar to that of Psalm 103:12, though there the hiphil רחק is used: "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed (הִרְחִיק) our transgressions from us" (NIV). One of the fundamental images of the verb נשׂא being used in the context of forgiveness of sins is that of the scapegoat in Leviticus 16, where v. 22 says "The goat will carry (וְנָשָׂא) on itself (עָלָיו) all their sins (אֶת־כָּל־עֲוֺנֹתָם) to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness" (NIV).^[10] In light of the nominal uses of this root (see, e.g., מַשָּׂא and מַשְׂאֵת "load, burden," BDB), there seems to be more to the root נשׂא in this context than simply removal. Indeed, SDBH defines the verb as "literally: to bear; hence: = action by which humans or deities let go of any anger or resentment with regard to the wrongdoing or sin of (other) humans." Thus, more so than simply carrying away (which is true in the case of the scapegoat of Lev 16 and Ps 103:12), the forgiving entity carries upon itself (see עָלָיו in Lev 16:22) the shame, guilt or punishment (TDOT) without enacting just retribution, as shown by parallel contexts containing √עבר: "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity (נֹשֵׂא עָוֺן) and passing over transgression (וְעֹבֵר עַל־פֶּשַׁע)?" (Mic 7:18; ESV).^[11] For a similar sense, see Psalm 25:18 with forgiveness of חַטָּאת and Psalm 85:3 with forgiveness of עָוֹן.
As discussed in the poetic feature, Covered sin and covered sinner, the word covered (כְּסוּי) appears again in v. 5, though with a distinct sense. Here, the passive adjective implies that YHWH is the one covering, i.e., forgiving, the happy person's sin. In v. 5, David claims to have not covered, i.e., hidden, his guilt. The theme of covering in terms of protection is prevalent throughout vv. 6–7 (see esp. "shelter" in v. 7a).

The distinct senses of the same verb כסה in Psalm 32 creates a correspondence and development from one instance to the next. The person whose sins are covered by YHWH is happy (v. 1). Nevertheless, this state of true happiness is only reached by those who do not cover over their own guilt (v. 5), but rather pray to YHWH. Only then will YHWH cover them like a shelter and protect them from affliction and distress.

Both construct phrases of this verse (נְשׂוּי־פֶּשַׁע and כְּסוּי חֲטָאָה) communicate a relationship of specification, that is, characteristic with regard to. Those that are considered happy, then, are taken away ➞ forgiven with regard to offense and covered with regard to sin. In other words, their offense has been taken away and their sin covered.

v. 2

Hebrew	Verse	English
אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי אָדָ֗ם לֹ֤א יַחְשֹׁ֬ב יְהוָ֣ה ל֣וֹ עָוֺ֑ן	2a	How happy is the person against whom YHWH does not count guilt
וְאֵ֖ין בְּרוּח֣וֹ רְמִיָּה׃	2b	and in whose mind there is no deceit!

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

This can only happen when YHWH takes it away, so how happy is the person against whom YHWH does not count guilt and in whose mind there is no deceit! If they had thoughts of being deceitful, they would cover up their sin, not confess it, and therefore it would not be forgiven. This happened to me before YHWH disciplined me, so

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 2 offers the second of two exclamations concerning the happiness of those whom YHWH does not count guilt and who have no deceit in their mind—that is, who do not cover over or ignore their sin.

Following the elaboration of the happy person by means of the compound relative clause, the macrosyntactic unit of vv. 1–2 concludes here:

For the sense of counting guilt,^[12] see the following Venn diagram, in comparison with the gloss "consider" (see, e.g., the CEB):

See, similarly, Genesis 15:6: "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness" (ESV).^[13]

For the sense of רוּחַ as mind, see SDBH. In Psalm 32, having one's sin forgiven (vv. 1, 5c) follows confessing one's sin (v. 5a–b), such that a mind that is not deceitful is one that confesses its sin. The implication is that someone with deceit in their mind is someone who decides not to confess their sin (see vv. 3–4), either because they do not think there is anything to confess or because they consider themselves better off without confessing. These decisions are made in the mind.

Explanation (vv. 3–5)

David now turns to address YHWH and explains his admiration for those who have had their sins forgiven. It was precisely the state he had not attained when he kept silent about his sin and, therefore, did not experience YHWH's forgiveness until upon confession (v. 5).

The emotions of this section are not as consistent as David's impressed state of admiration in the previous verses, but joy is only apparent in v. 5, whereas vv. 3–4 are more pensive and serious, with a touch of shame.

v. 3

Hebrew	Verse	English
כִּֽי־הֶ֭חֱרַשְׁתִּי בָּל֣וּ עֲצָמָ֑י	3a	When I kept silent, my bones began to waste away
בְּ֝שַׁאֲגָתִ֗י כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃	3b	in my groaning all day.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

"come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he did for me" (Ps 66:16). When I kept silent and did not confess my sin, my bones began to waste away in my groaning all day. If only I had confessed my sin and trusted YHWH to forgive it and restore me, then I would have experienced healing and refreshment in my bones (Prov 3:5, 8)! But I was acting like who who has no understanding (v. 9), and I suffered the consequences,

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 3 begins David's testimony concerning his own experience of keeping quiet about his sin.

The initial כִּי in these verses, preceding the main clause, indicates the presupposition of its content ➞ "since, when" (cf. Gen 3:14),^[14] such that "In some contexts [of כִּי] it is not clear whether a temporal or causal relation is involved."^[15] Here, however, the temporal sense when is preferable.
Since the temporal reference point has already been made explicit by the preceding when clause and is further modified by the following all day (כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם), we are left without a concrete beginning and end of the action, so we have preferred an inchoative reading (began to) of the qatal בָּלוּ, as is commonly found with change-of-state verbs.^[16]
The prepositional phrase in my groaning (בְּשַׁאֲגָתִי) introduces localization, though within a temporal frame,^[17] as made explicit by the following phrase "all day" (כָּל־הַיּוֹם). Similar periods of time are described in Psalm 39:4's "while I meditated" (NIV; בַּהֲגִיגִי) and possibly Psalm 31:11's בַּאֲנָחָה, if not read as manner: [fade away] with groaning.^[18]

v. 4

Hebrew	Verse	English
כִּ֤י ׀ יוֹמָ֣ם וָלַיְלָה֮ תִּכְבַּ֥ד עָלַ֗י יָ֫דֶ֥ךָ	4a	For day and night your hand was weighing down upon me.
נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְשַׁדִּ֑י בְּחַרְבֹ֖נֵי קַ֣יִץ סֶֽלָה׃	4b	My vigor was changed like in the drought of summer. Selah.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

for day and night your hand was weighing down upon me, bringing affliction. My vigor was changed like one drying up in the drought of summer. Selah .

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 4 elaborates on the nature of David's suffering as he continued to refuse to confess his sin.

The For (כִּי) at the beginning of this verse grounds the entire content of v. 3.^[19]
Since for a stative reading of the verb כבד we would expect the qatal (cf. 1 Sam 5:11; Job 23:2), the yiqtol here signifies a dynamic weighing down.^[20]
For the poetic significance of the עַל prepositional phrase your hand ... upon me, see the poetic feature, From groaning to shouting for joy:

There are two עַל prepositional phrases in Psalm 32 involving body parts attributed to YHWH: his hand upon David (v. 4) and his eye upon the faithful person praying to him (v. 8). David's silence concerning his sin brought YHWH's hand of chastisement upon him and resulted in his groaning. For those, however, who decide to pray and confess their sin, YHWH's eye is upon them as he counsels and advises them.

The noun vigor (לָשָׁד) only occurs here and Numbers 11:8. If לָשָׁד in Psalm 32:4 and לָשָׁד in Numbers 11:8 are the same word (see SDBH), then the use of this word in Numbers 11:8 can shed light on its meaning in Psalm 32:4.^[21] In sum, the head noun of the construct chain לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן in Numbers 11:8 refers either to a cake-like product containing oil, or the physical consistency of oil (i.e., "moisture"). The latter appears most plausible in connection with our present psalm.

Targum Psalms is the only ancient version to render the word according to the MT's syntax, with "my juice/moisture was changed,"^[22] probably in analogy to Numbers 11:8. With bones "wearing out" in the previous verse, the "drying out" effect of one's moisture (vigor) being changed like "drought of summer" (see the following phrase, בְּחַרְבֹנֵי קַיִץ), one can draw the parallel with Psalm 22:16: "My strength has dried up like a potsherd and my tongue clings to the roof of my mouth."^[23]

The head noun of the prepositional phrase like in the drought of summer (בְּחַרְבֹנֵי קַיִץ), only occurring here in the Bible, is quite unambiguously derived from the root חרב, "to be dry, dry up."^[24] Morphologically, the noun belongs to the qiṭṭālōn pattern,^[25] similar to other abstract nouns (cf. e.g., זִכָּרוֹן "memory"), such that its independent form is most likely חֵרָבוֹן (so BDB, DCH) and the sense of "drought" is most plausible (see the CJB, JPS, KJV, REB). The prepositional phrase introduces a temporal frame,^[26] as made explicit by the construct dependent "summer" (קַיִץ). Compare the בְּ preposition in בימי קיץ (Ben Sira (B) 50:8).^[27] As occurs elsewhere in terse Biblical Hebrew poetry, either בְּ or כְּ can stand in for the sense of both prepositions (though this is typically only observed for overt כְּ requiring the local sense of בְּ,^[28] such that בְּחַרְבֹנֵי קַיִץ introduces a simile "as in the summer drought" (JPS; cf. most modern translations). Alternatively, the בְּ could be interpreted as causal, as the ESV's "as by the heat of summer." For the imagery of drought as suffering, see the following table:

My vigor was changed like in the drought of summer (v. 4b)
	drought	YHWH's discipline
Duration	prolonged	prolonged, if necessary (vv. 3–4)
Force	destructive (Deut 28:22; 1 Kgs 8:37; Amos 4:9)	destructive
Instigation	lack of rainfall	unrepentant sin
Result	desolation (חָרֵב)	languid state
Alleviator	YHWH	YHWH himself (Jer 30:12–17; Pss 6:9–10; 30:11)
Blend	Suffering brought on from sin causes languishing as severe as a drought
Implicatures	Suffering, allowed by YHWH's discipline in the present verse, can last a considerable length of time (cf. vv. 3–4) if accompanied by a lack of repentance for a significant time. YHWH's discipline results in a languid state for the stubborn sufferer and can only be alleviated by YHWH himself.
Prominence	MEDIUM The noun חֲרָבוֹן only appears here in the Bible. Preceding a Selah, its position in the psalm is somewhat prominent. It provides the climax of the two verses describing the psalmist suffering (vv. 3–4) and is introduced only by a temporal בְּ, though is best interpreted as also communicating the simile "like" (see the Grammar notes).

The Selah concludes the macrosyntactic unit of vv. 3–4:^[29]

v. 5

Hebrew	Verse	English
חַטָּאתִ֨י אוֹדִ֪יעֲךָ֡ וַעֲוֺ֘נִ֤י לֹֽא־כִסִּ֗יתִי	5a	"I will make known my sin to you." I did not cover my guilt;
אָמַ֗רְתִּי אוֹדֶ֤ה עֲלֵ֣י פְ֭שָׁעַי לַיהוָ֑ה	5b	I decided: "I will confess to YHWH about my offenses,"
וְאַתָּ֨ה נָ֘שָׂ֤אתָ עֲוֺ֖ן חַטָּאתִ֣י סֶֽלָה׃	5c	and you took away the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

I decided:"I will make known my sin to you." I did not cover my guilt anymore, since that had only brought trouble upon myself; I remembered that whoever covers his offenses will not prosper, but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will receive mercy (Prov 28:13), that's why I decided: "I will confess to YHWH about my offenses," and you —according to your character and promises, as I should have known— took away the guilt of my sin. Selah .

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 5 recounts David's decision to confess his sin to YHWH and YHWH's subsequent forgiveness.

For the sin lexemes, sin, guilt and offense, and their inclusio structure in this verse and vv. 1–2, see the introduction to this section above.
There are three fronted topic shifts in the present verse, the first two, my sin and my guilt loosely resembling a poetic structure of repetition, while you introduces YHWH as the topical entity for the verse's final line.

Translations and commentators have struggled with the yiqtol I will make known to you (אוֹדִיעֲךָ), since it seems to be governed by the past reference point and similarity to the following clauses. Modern translations typically render it with a past perfective, as also the LXX's aorist "I made known" (NETS; ἐγνώρισα). One possibility, then, could be to interpret the yiqtol as a preterite yiqtol. Since this phenomenon is not found unambiguously elsewhere in the psalm, however, it is not to be preferred. Alternatively, since the agent-oriented modality of wish/desire is common with yiqtol verb forms, this yiqtol could contain this modality, as "I wanted to make known my sin." Aquila and Symmachus, however, provide a future form,^[30] as expected from the yiqtol and as we have preferred.^[31] The temporal reference is not problematic if one notices the parallel structure between this and I will confess (אוֹדֶה) in the following line. The difference is the explicit quotative frame, I decided, in the second line, which has been understood as backwards-gapped, or at least implied, in the present line (hence the quotation marks in our Close-but-Clear).^[32]
For the function of אמר as decide see also Deuteronomy 32:26; Jeremiah 48:8; Joel 3:5 (Eng. 2:32); 1 Chronicles 23:27, though typically such a construction of will or intention is accompanied by a לְ infinitive construct (see Ps 119:57 and the notes there). Compare, especially, Ruth 4:4: "So I thought (אָמַרְתִּי) I would tell you" (ESV) ➞ "I decided to tell you."

Faithful Response (vv. 6–8)

With "because of this" in v. 6, the discourse takes a turn from David's past experience with YHWH, to encouraging every faithful person to pray and confess their sin without delay.

The emotions of this section are dominated by determination, passion and confidence in YHWH's response, as the psalmist encourages the faithful to pray.

The participants throughout these verses – and especially the identity of the speaker in each verse – are complicated and scholarship is largely divided. For a full discussion, see the exegetical issue, The Participants of Psalm 32:7-9. In short, we understand the praying person to be quoted in v. 7, with YHWH as the addressee, while YHWH responses to this person's prayer in v. 8. (As we will see below, David then resumes his speech to the righteous congregation throughout vv. 9–11; cf. vv. 1–2).

v. 6

Hebrew	Verse	English
עַל־זֹ֡את יִתְפַּלֵּ֬ל כָּל־חָסִ֨יד ׀	6a	Because of this, every faithful person should pray
אֵלֶיךָ֮ לְעֵ֪ת מְ֫צֹ֥א	6b	to you at the time of discovery [of his sin].
רַ֗ק לְ֭שֵׁטֶף מַ֣יִם רַבִּ֑ים	6c	But in the flood of many waters,
אֵ֝לָ֗יו לֹ֣א יַגִּֽיעוּ׃	6d	they will not reach him.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

Sometimes we are unaware of our sin and someone has to reveal it to us, like the prophet Nathan did for me (2 Sam 12), but we should not wait until having to go through suffering before we confess. Because of this experience that I put myself through, every faithful person should pray to you at the time of discovery [of his sin]. But, they need not fear that confession will bring destruction upon them. Instead, it will result in their protection, since in the flood of many waters, they, the waters, will not reach him. Just as you cover their sins, you also cover them from ongoing distress like a shelter. Indeed, every faithful person can pray and confess to you:

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 6 encourages every faithful person to turn to YHWH in prayer and confession as soon as they discover their sin—not to delay, as David himself had done and paid the consequences. While some may be concerned about the consequences of confessing their sin, it is, in fact, not those who confess that are in danger, but those who keep silent about their sin.

The prepositional phrase Because of this (עַל־זֹאת) grounds the following action,^[33] with "this" referring to the previous discourse as a whole. The feminine singular is the prototypical choice of demonstrative for such discourse anaphora. In other words, it does not refer to one feminine entity, but to the content of the previous section of discourse, namely: "that you take away guilt."^[34] Its functional equivalent is often translated as a logical conjunction Because of this ➞ Therefore (CSB, ESV, JPS, NABRE, NASB, NIV), So (GNT, REB).
The yiqtol should pray (יִתְפַּלֵּל) most likely contains agent-oriented modality of obligation: "That’s why all the faithful should pray to you" (CEB; cf. CJB, GNT, NABRE, NET, PDV). Alternatively, though very similarly, the yiqtol could be interpreted as a jussive: "Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you" (ESV).
The faithful person is presented as the ideal subset of the congregation, who will duly pray to YHWH when convicted of his sin and experience the same relief David did. Indeed, they are abundantly blessed with forgiven sin (vv. 1–2) and will be able to confess that YHWH surrounds them with celebrations of deliverance (v. 7) in the same way faithfulness surrounds all who trust in YHWH (v. 10).
Both לְ prepositional phrases in this verse are temporal. The first phrase at the time of discovery (לְעֵת מְצֹא), indicates the time specifications with limited intervals (see The meaning of מְצֹא in Psalm32:6),^[35] and the second phrase (לְשֵׁטֶף מַיִם רַבִּים) indicates the time determination based on events.^[36]
It is possible that the infinitive construct discovery (מְצֹא) contains modality of possibility, as reflected in the CEV: "whenever we find out that we have sinned." Because of the complications of the lack of explicit object of finding, as discussed in the exegetical issue, The meaning of מְצֹא in Psalm32:6, such an interpretation is not generally reflected in modern translations. The major interpretations of the elision involve the time itself being found, God being found, emendations involving a time of distress/anxiety, or the moment of discovery of sin. We prefer the latter possibility, as reflected by [of his sin] in the Close-but-Clear.
The particle רַק (But) scopes over the entire second line of this verse, such that it has been considered a discourse marker, rather than a focus particle of an individual constituent. It is "interpreted as limiting and countering something in the context."^[37] In other words, it "sets a limit and counters the implications of the content of a directly preceding utterance."^[38] In the present case, it limits the (mistaken) implications of the previous clause—viz., that the expected outcome of confession of sin is disaster and counters that disaster will not, in fact, come upon the one who confesses. Though this instance of רַק has been deemed "difficult to interpret,"^[39] it is one of only two in the Psalms, the other of which is also unambiguously a sentence-level adversative particle (see the notes at Ps 91:8).
The prepositional phrase in the flood of many waters (לְשֵׁטֶף מַיִם רַבִּים) could be understood as one of specification, i.e., concerning, and thus left-dislocated.^[40] This is perhaps supported by the accents, which place an atnakh on רַבִּ֑ים.^[41] Nevertheless, the plural verb in the main clause, they will reach (יַגִּיעוּ), leads one to expect a plural subject, though "the flood of many waters" is grammatically singular, so cannot stand in apposition to a singular subject. Our preferred reading understands "in the flood of many waters" as an adverbial, though the implied grammatical subject is "many waters" (מַיִם רַבִּים), as indicated by the plural verb.
Also found as a metaphor for anger (Prov 27:4: "anger is overwhelming"), the noun שֶׁטֶף is found in the context of waters in Job 38:25: "Who has split open a channel for the flood (לַשֶּׁטֶף)?" (NASB) and implied in Nahum 1:8: "But with an overflowing flood (בְשֶׁטֶף) he will make a complete end of the adversaries" (ESV). For the imagery of the flood of waters as destruction in general, see the following table:

But in the flood of many waters, they will not reach him (v. 6b)
	flood	destruction
Appearance	sudden and unexpected	sudden and unexpected
Duration	can be gradual (Ps 69:2–3)	can be gradual (vv. 3–4)
Effect	destruction of livelihood	destruction of life, strength and vigor
Cause	storms, excessive rainfall	enemy (Ps 18:17); those who hate me (Ps 69:15); those who rise up against us (Ps 124:2); the hand of foreigners (Ps 144:7); YHWH's discipline (vv. 3–4)
Prevention	YHWH	YHWH (Pss 32:6; 124:1–2)
Blend	Suffering brought on from sin is as destructive as a flood
Implicatures	The suffering allowed by YHWH's discipline can lead to destruction in the absence of repentance. Destruction, brought upon by either enemies or YHWH's discipline, is unstoppable, can come upon the experiencer suddenly and last a considerable length of time (cf. vv. 3–4). Only YHWH can prevent both natural floods and protect his people from destruction.
Prominence	HIGH The image of destruction as a flood occurs a number of times in the Psalms. Its position in this psalm is relatively prominent. It appears in the first verse of the psalm's second half, in the only four-line verse of the psalm, covers two lines, is introduced by the discourse marker רַק and is introduced as an adverbial and provides the implied subject of the clause (see the grammar notes). Within the message of the psalm, it corresponds to David's experience in vv. 3–4 and is precisely what David is warning the hearer to avoid.

The double fronting of in the flood of many waters ... to him (לְשֵׁטֶף מַיִם רַבִּים אֵלָיו) is best interpreted as a temporal frame setter followed by the narrow focus constituent (see the same information structural configuration in Ps 61:3).

v. 7

Hebrew	Verse	English
אַתָּ֤ה ׀ סֵ֥תֶר לִי֮ מִצַּ֪ר תִּ֫צְּרֵ֥נִי	7a	You are a shelter for me; you will protect me from distress.
רָנֵּ֥י פַלֵּ֑ט תְּס֖וֹבְבֵ֣נִי סֶֽלָה׃	7b	With celebrations of deliverance you will surround me. Selah.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

" You are a shelter for me; you will protect me from distress. With celebrations of deliverance you will surround me while I pay my vows among the congregation and they also give thanks for my deliverance (Ps 22:23)." Selah.

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 7 models the prayer that the faithful person who confesses their sin can pray to YHWH.

For the imagery of YHWH as a shelter for his people, see the following table:

You are a shelter for me (v. 7a)
	shelter	YHWH
Source	a large / tall object (cave, tree, rock)	YHWH's tent (Ps 27:5); YHWH's wings (Ps 61:5); the Most High (Ps 91:1)
Function	to protect and surround	to protect (cf. Ps 119:114) and surround (v. 7c)
Threat	natural elements (e.g., rainfall, a flood—cf. v. 6)	enemies, sickness, distress (v. 7b)
Blend	YHWH protects his people like a shelter
Implicatures	YHWH protects his people from sickness, distress and suffering (v. 6b). YHWH's protection is as effective as a shelter from a storm. YHWH surrounds his people with his protection and faithfulness (vv. 7c, 10b), which is primarily mediated in the house of YHWH (cf. Ps 27).
Prominence	MEDIUM The metaphor of YHWH as a shelter is explicit and accompanied by the affirmations that he will protect the praying person from distress and surround the praying person with celebrations of deliverance. Though quite a clear image, it is further developed throughout the rest of v. 7.

Though most modern translations understand the yiqtols in this verse as present (see, e.g., JPS), just as the verbless clause at the beginning of the verse, You are a shelter for me, it is preferable to interpret them as a future conviction that YHWH will protect the praying person. As discussed in the exegetical issue, The Participants of Psalm 32:7-9, as the faithful person discovers his sin and turns to YHWH in prayer, he declares YHWH to be the one who will restore him (see also the following verse). Compare the NIV: "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" (cf. Jerome, Aquila, Quinta). Likewise, in contrast to the present reading of "surrounds him" (יְסוֹבְבֶנּוּ) in v. 10, the form you will surround me (תְּסוֹבְבֵנִי) in v. 7 is best understood as future yiqtol.^[42]
Though only occurring here in the Bible, it is quite certain that רָנֵּי in celebrations of deliverance (רָנֵּי פַלֵּט) belongs to the root √רנן "shout" with either joy or lament (cf. רִנָּה and רְנָנָה). Indeed, one finds support for this sense in Targum Psalms: "[with] joy of salvation."^[43] Although the qal of √רנן can involve either positive or negative connotations, the piel (from which the nominal is most likely derived—see the gemination of נ)^[44] is dominated by positive shouts of joy. For a similar sense of the communal relief, cf. Psalm 118:15: "A voice of rejoicing (קוֹל רִנָּה) and salvation is in the tents of the righteous."^[45] This analogous passage implies that here the psalmist appeals to the shouts caused by deliverance, which would surround one in the appeal for deliverance or after the act of deliverance.^[46]
The adverbial רָנֵּי פַלֵּט could be understood as comparative: "just like shouts of deliverance," though we prefer to read it as instrumental with.^[47]
Both מִצַּר and רָנֵּי פַלֵּט are fronted within their respective clauses, as illustrated in the excerpt of our macrosyntax visual below. This clausal fronting creates a certain pattern of repetition between the two poetic lines of our verse. Further, the placement of מִצַּר before תִּצְּרֵנִי creates phonological cohesion between the sounds miṣṣar and tiṣṣər, and the placement of רָנֵּי פַלֵּט following תִּצְּרֵנִי creates phonological cohesion between the sounds rēnî and ronnê. Finally, line-(and discourse unit-)final תְּסוֹבְבֵנִי provides correspondence to the verse-final יְסוֹבְבֶנּוּ of v. 10.

For the repetition of the roots √רנן and √סבב, see the correspondence between v. 7 and vv. 10–11:^[48]

v. 8

Hebrew	Verse	English
אַשְׂכִּֽילְךָ֨ ׀ וְֽאוֹרְךָ֗ בְּדֶֽרֶךְ־ז֥וּ תֵלֵ֑ךְ	8a	I will give you understanding and I will teach you about the way in which you should walk.
אִֽיעֲצָ֖ה עָלֶ֣יךָ עֵינִֽי׃	8b	I will advise [you] with my eye upon you.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

YHWH will then respond to that person who prays: " I will give you understanding so that you will be quick to confess when you discover you have sinned. And I will teach you about the way in which you should walk, in order to avoid sin, surrounded by my faithfulness. I will advise [you] with my eye upon you, listening when you cry out to me (Ps 34:16) and delivering you from distress (Ps 33:19)."

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 8 is YHWH's response of assurance to the faithful person who has prayed and confessed to YHWH.

The preposition בְּ often functions as "figurative contact by means of mental process."^[49] Similarly, the hiphil ירה, teach, in our present verse can also be interpreted as "cause to pay attention to" when accompanied by בְּ.^[50] See also 1 Samuel 12:23; Psalm 25:8, 12; Job 27:11, in contrast, for example, to the direct object (lacking בְּ) in Psalm 86:11 (הוֹרֵנִי יְהוָה דַּרְכֶּךָ).
The yiqtol you should walk (תֵלֵךְ) contains agent-oriented modality of obligation;^[51] see the REB: "in the way you should go" (cf. ELB, ESV, EÜ, GNT, LUT 2017, NABRE, NASB, NET, NIV, ZÜR) and Saadia "I will show you the way which it is fitting for you to walk in."^[52]
For the imagery of way as conduct, see the following table:^[53]

and I will teach you about the way in which you should walk (v. 8a)
	physical path	faithful conduct
Individual	traveler	the praying person (v. 7)
Goal	physical destination	faithful life within YHWH's covenant and community
Decision (1)	travel the correct path	confess one's sins to YHWH
Decision (2)	travel the wrong path	stray like an untrained horse or mule (v. 9)
Risk	getting lost and falling into danger	enduring suffering as destructive as a flood
Ideal destination	end of the path	happiness (vv. 1–2)
Blend	Life is a journey
Implicatures	YHWH guides his people into faithful conduct and confession of sin, so that they will not have to suffer.
Prominence	LOW The metaphor "Life as journey" is well-studied in Conceptual Metaphor Theory^[54] and central to the prototypical Psalm in this respect, Ps 119.^[55] Here, it only functions in passing to describe a faithful response to YHWH's call to confess sin. Its sense is clear, functioning alongside "giving wisdom" and "advising," though the image is not compounded by these other two promises of v. 8.^[56]

For the poetic significance of the עַל prepositional phrase, see the poetic feature, From groaning to shouting for joy, as discussed at v. 4 above. The result of YHWH's eye being on the one seeking wisdom is that of Psalm 33:18–19: "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine" (NIV).^[57]

Righteous Rejoicing (vv. 9–11)

Verses 9–11 introduce the final speech act of the psalm—namely, advice from David directed towards the community of the righteous.

See David's resolution after repentance in Psalm 51:15: "Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you" (NIV). See, similarly, Psalm 66:16–20: "Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me" (NIV).

The emotions in this final section are divided between disappointment and worry for the wicked and those who refuse to confess their sin, on the one hand, and passion and confidence regarding the righteous and those who have been forgiven, on the other.

v. 9

Hebrew	Verse	English
אַל־תִּֽהְי֤וּ ׀ כְּס֥וּס כְּפֶרֶד֮ אֵ֤ין הָ֫בִ֥ין	9a	Do not be like a horse, like a mule in whom there is no understanding.
בְּמֶֽתֶג־וָרֶ֣סֶן עֶדְי֣וֹ לִבְל֑וֹם	9b	One must restrict its walking with a bit and reins,
בַּ֝֗ל קְרֹ֣ב אֵלֶֽיךָ׃	9c	otherwise it will not come near you.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

After I was restored to YHWH, I promised to teach other sinners how to turn back to you (Ps 51:15). So, do not be stubborn like a horse, like a mule in whom there is no understanding —foolish like I was while I refused to confess my sin. One must restrict its walking with a bit and reins, otherwise it will not come near you, just like I had to be reined in by going through suffering and distress, otherwise I would not have turned and confessed my sin to YHWH.

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 9 begins David's final exhortation to the community of the righteous. His first message is not to be like a stubborn mule, as he had been when he had delayed his confession.

For the imagery of stubborn mule, see the following table:^[58]

Do not be like a horse, like a mule in whom there is no understanding. One must restrict its walking with a bit and reins, otherwise it will not come near you. (v. 9)
	a horse/mule	congregation
Wisdom	no understanding	potentially foolish (Prov 26:3)
Nature	stubborn	hard-hearted (Prov 28:13–14)
Physicality	strong (SDBH)	strong-willed, like David (cf. vv. 3–4)
Mechanism for control	bit and reins	divine discipline
Desire	walking near its master in a controlled manner	walking in faithful community with YHWH and his people
Blend	People as stubborn as a mule
Implicatures	Those who do not willingly confess their sin need to undergo discipline before they will show understanding (Prov 26:3). By walking in faithful communion with YHWH, this suffering can be avoided.
Prominence	HIGH The comparison of stubborn people to a horse and mule is explicitly present as a simile, and its implications are spelled out throughout the rest of v. 9—namely, mules have no understanding. Thus, the congregation show themselves to have no understanding if they continue to refuse to confess their sin. Indeed, those who refuse to confess their sin are bound for suffering to return them to the correct path, since, like a stubborn mule, their walking (cf. v. 8) must be restricted with a bit and reins.

While a bit (מֶתֶג) is a "short bar, ◄ usually made of metal, ► placed in the mouth of a horse; its ends, which project from the mouth of the animal, are attached to ropes or leather straps that fit over the head" (SDBH), a set of reins (רֶסֶן) is the "set of ropes or leather straps; ► fitted over the head of a horse and connected to the bit; used to steer the horse" (SDBH).
The common understanding of עֶדְיוֹ as from עֲדִי "adornment" has repeatedly been questioned in the scholarly literature, such that the word has been deemed "probably corrupt."^[59] We consider the word to neither be corrupt nor related to √עדה "adorn oneself." Castellino notes, "Psalm xxxii is not an easy one ... There is one passage which we deem rather important, and which the critics' guesses and corrections have not succeeded in patching up satisfactorily at all. We refer to v. 9."^[60] Although the conjectural emendations suggested by Castellino are entirely unnecessary and his interpretation of the entire verse is erroneous, we agree entirely with his conclusion on עֶדְיוֹ, that "The general meaning of the verb is to be considered the one given in Job xxviii 8."^[61] This verb is the homophonous root √עדה, "to walk along,"^[62] is found in parallel with √דרך: "Proud beasts have not set foot on it (הִדְרִיכֻהוּ), and no lion has passed along it (עָדָה עָלָיו)" (NET), such that עֶדְיוֹ is best understood as the horse's walking along (cf. James 3:3).^[63]
The double fronting of with a bit and reins ... its walking (בְּמֶתֶג־וָרֶסֶן עֶדְיוֹ) precedes the infinitive, which, as an impersonal, requires an unspecified agent: "it is to restrict" ➞ "one must restrict." The first and second constituents are unambiguously read as focus followed by topic:

For the infinitive "one must restrict" (לִבְלוֹם), only occurring here in the Bible, the LXX provides "to squeeze," or "to strangle, throttle,"^[64] while Aquila contains "to turn" (whether transitive and intransitive).^[65] Jerome provides constringe "squeeze" in both of his translations,^[66] while Targum Psalms has "to be silenced ➞ muzzled."^[67] Likewise, the lexicons supply appropriate glosses, according to the context, of "curb, hold in" (BDB), "bind" (DCH), "restrain" (HALOT), and "to block, obstruct" (לַחְסוֹם; Kimḥi, SeferHaShorashim).

The nearest passage we have in the Bible to a similar form is that of Job 26:7: "He it is who stretched out Zaphon over chaos, Who suspended earth over emptiness (עַל־בְּלִי־מָה)" (JPS). The maqqef (hyphen) in בְּלִי־מָה points unambiguously towards the interpretation of "without something," though there is Talmudic play on this as the same root—silenced/muzzled.^[68] Furthermore, such a sense developed in other Talmudic collections, such as Yalḳuṭ Num. 743: "the mouth of the people of Moses is tied up (we dare not talk); but can he tie up (disable) (יכול הוא לִבְלוֹם) the nail of any of them (the Canaanites)?"^[69] in similar manner to the Modern Hebrew לִבְלוֹם "hold back, stop, obstruct."^[70] In the end, although there is very little support within the Biblical Hebrew corpus, later Rabbinic developments and early Aramaic evidence as attested in late Assyrian texts support the sense of "bind, restrict."

For the infinitive "one must restrict" (לִבְלוֹם) as expressing deontic modality of "must" (cf. the KJV: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle) see also 2 Kings 4:13, 14; Isaiah 5:4; Jeremiah 51:49; Hosea 12:3; Psalm 49:15; Job 30:6; Ecclesiastes 3:15.^[71] Though most modern translations recognize the impersonal nature of the clause, they render the infinitive in the passive voice, "must be x-ed." Nevertheless, the infinitive לִבְלוֹם is in the qal stem, so we have preferred to avoid the passive reading with "one must, people must."
For a full discussion and our preferred reading of the final line of this verse, see the exegetical issue, The Syntax and Meaning of Psalm 32:9c.

v. 10

Hebrew	Verse	English
רַבִּ֥ים מַכְאוֹבִ֗ים לָרָ֫שָׁ֥ע	10a	The sorrows of the wicked are many,
וְהַבּוֹטֵ֥חַ בַּיהוָ֑ה חֶ֝֗סֶד יְסוֹבְבֶֽנּוּ׃	10b	but the one who trusts in YHWH—faithfulness surrounds him.

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

The sorrows of the wicked are many, since whoever hardens their heart, like I did, only finds trouble (Prov 23:14), but the one who trusts in YHWH and knows that YHWH will respond in mercy to confessed sin —faithfulness surrounds him.

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 10 confirms that the wicked, who sin without any confession, are those who experience suffering. On the other hand, those who trust YHWH and confess their sins openly to him are surrounded by his faithfulness.

On the contrast between the wicked and "righteous ones" (vv. 10–11), compare Psalm 1:5–6, as discussed in the poetic feature, Who really is the happy person of the Psalms? (see the introduction to this page).
One could read many sorrows (רַבִּים מַכְאוֹבִים) as the grammatical subject (since, as a modifier, רבים can either follow or precede its head noun—JM §141b), as indicated by the accents separating this phrase from the supposed predicate (in this case), לָרָשָׁע. The result would be the predication that "many wounds belong to the wicked." Nevertheless, it is preferable to read רַבִּים as the predicate, highlighting the quantity of wounds, with מַכְאוֹבִים לָרָשָׁע "the wounds [belonging] to the wicked" as the subject, against the indication of the accents.^[72] Among modern versions, see the JPS's "Many are the torments of the wicked" and רבים המכאובים שיש לרשע in HaEdut (cf. the ESV, NASB, NIV, REB; but, alternatively, the CSB's "Many pains come to the wicked" and LUT 2017's "Der Gottlose hat viel Plage").
The left-dislocated phrase the one who trusts in YHWH (הַבּוֹטֵחַ בַּיהוָה), resumed by the suffix on surrounds him (יְסוֹבְבֶנּוּ), introduces a topic shift from the wicked of the previous line. (This structure could also have been employed to ensure a suffix on the verb as a poetic connection to תְּסוֹבְבֵנִי of v. 7—see above.)

v. 11

Hebrew	Verse	English
שִׂמְח֬וּ בַֽיהוָ֣ה וְ֭גִילוּ צַדִּיקִ֑ים	11a	Rejoice in YHWH and be glad, you righteous ones,
וְ֝הַרְנִ֗ינוּ כָּל־יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃	11b	and shout for joy, all you with integrity in your heart!

Diagrams Expanded Paraphrase

Expanded Paraphrase The words in italics provide a fuller sense of the psalm; the text itself is in bold.

Instead of hiding from YHWH, find your refuge in him, so that you can rejoice in YHWH and be glad, you righteous ones who do not live deceitfully but openly confess your sin, and shout for joy, all you with integrity in your heart, with celebrations for those among the congregations being delivered from sin and suffering!

Notes

Summary
Notes

Verse 11 invites the congregation to rejoice and shout for joy, since they can be counted among the happy ones whose sins are forgiven and against whom YHWH counts no guilt (vv. 1–2).^[73]

The only two vocatives in the psalm, you righteous ones and you with integrity in your heart, are found in this final verse. Their positions are both clause- and line-final, such that they function to delimit lines phonologically and facilitate processing of the syntax.^[74]
The final vocative, including the construct head יִשְׁרֵי, also provides a phonological inclusio with אַשְׁרֵי in vv. 1-2 (ashre // yishre). Furthermore, in similar manner to the first verse of the psalm, the final construct phrase (יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב) communicates a relationship of specification, that is, characteristic with regard to, i.e., upright regarding their heart ➞ you with integrity in your heart (cf. the CEB's All you whose hearts are right, the NET's all you who are morally upright, and the REB's all you of honest heart).

Legends

Grammatical diagram

Visualization	Description
	The clause is represented by a horizontal line with a vertical line crossing through it, separating the subject and the verb.
	The object is indicated by a vertical line that does not cross the horizontal line of the clause. Infinitives and participles may also have objects. If the direct object marker (d.o.m.) is present in the text, it appears in the diagram immediately before the object. If the grammar includes a secondary object, the secondary object will appear after the object, separated by another vertical line that does not cross the horizontal line of the clause.
	The subject complement follows the verb (often omitted in Hebrew) separated with a line leaning toward the right. It can be a noun, a whole prepositional phrase or an adjective. The later two appear modifying the complement slot.
	When a noun further describes or renames the object, it is an object complement. The object complement follows the object separated by a line leaning toward the right.
	In a construct chain, the noun in the absolute form modifies the noun in the construct form.
	Participles are indicated in whatever position in the clause they are in with a curved line before the participle. Participles can occur as nominal, where they take the place of a noun, predicate, where they take the place of a verb, or attributive, where they modify a noun or a verb similar to adjectives or adverbs.
	Infinitives are indicated by two parallel lines before the infinitive that cross the horizontal line. Infinitive constructs can appear as the verb in an embedded clause. Infinitive absolutes typically appear as an adverbial.
	The subject of the infinitive often appears in construct to it. In this situation, the infinitive and subject are diagrammed as a construct chain.
	The object of the infinitive is indicated by a vertical line that does not cross the horizontal line of the infinitival clause.
	Modifiers are represented by a solid diagonal line from the word they modify. They can attach to verbs, adjectives, or nouns. If modifying a verb or adjective, it is an adverb, but if modifying a noun, it is an adjective, a quantifier, or a definite article. If an adverb is modifying a modifier, it is connected to the modifier by a small dashed horizontal line.
	Adverbials are indicated by a dashed diagonal line extending to a horizontal line. These are nouns or infinitives that function adverbially (modifying either a verb or a participle), but are not connected by a preposition.
	Prepositional phrases are indicated by a solid diagonal line extending to a horizontal line. The preposition is to the left of the diagonal line and the dependent of the preposition is on the horizontal line. They can modify verbs (adverbial) or nouns (adjectival).
	Embedded clauses are indicated by a "stand" that looks like an upside-down Y. The stand rests in the grammatical position that the clause fulfills. Extending from the top of the stand is a horizontal line for the clause. If introduced by a complementizer, for example כִּי, the complementizer appears before the stand. Embedded clauses can stand in the place of any noun.
	When clauses are joined by a conjunction, they are compound clauses. These clauses are connected by a vertical dotted line. The conjunction is placed next to the dotted line.
	Within a clause, if two or more parts of speech are compound, these are represented by angled lines reaching to the two compound elements connected by a solid vertical line. If a conjunction is used, the conjunction appears to the left of the vertical line. Almost all parts of speech can be compound.
	Subordinate clauses are indicated by a dashed line coming from the line dividing the subject from the predicate in the independent clause and leading to the horizontal line of the subordinate clause. The subordinating conjunction appears next to the dashed line.
	Relative clauses also have a dashed line, but the line connects the antecedent to the horizontal line of the relative clause. The relative particle appears next to the dashed line.
	Sentence fragments are represented by a horizontal line with no vertical lines. They are most frequently used in superscriptions to psalms. They are visually similar to discourse particles and vocatives, but most often consist of a noun phrase (that does not refer to a person or people group) or a prepositional phrase.
	In the body of the psalm, a horizontal line by itself (with no modifiers or vertical lines) can indicate either a discourse particle or a vocative (if the word is a noun referring to a person or people group). A discourse particle is a conjunction or particle that functions at the discourse level, not at the grammatical level. Vocatives can appear either before or after the clause addressed to them, depending on the word order of the Hebrew.
	Apposition is indicated by an equal sign equating the two noun phrases. This can occur with a noun in any function in a sentence.

Hebrew text colors
Default preferred text	The default preferred reading is represented by a black line. The text of the MT is represented in bold black text.
Dispreferred reading	The dispreferred reading is an alternative interpretation of the grammar, represented by a pink line. The text of the MT is represented in bold pink text, while emendations and revocalizations retain their corresponding colors (see below).
Emended text	Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is represented by bold blue text, whether that reading is preferred or dispreferred.
Revocalized text	Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is represented by bold purple text, whether that reading is preferred or dispreferred.
(Supplied elided element)	Any element that is elided in the Hebrew text is represented by bold gray text in parentheses.
( )	The position of a non-supplied elided element is represented by empty black parentheses. For example, this would be used in the place of the noun when an adjective functions substantivally or in the place of the antecedent when a relative clause has an implied antecedent.

Gloss text colors
Gloss used in the CBC	The gloss used in the Close-but-Clear translation is represented by bold blue text.
Literal gloss >> derived meaning	A gloss that shows the more literal meaning as well as the derived figurative meaning is represented in blue text with arrows pointing towards the more figurative meaning. The gloss used in the CBC will be bolded.
Supplied elided element	The gloss for a supplied elided element is represented in bold gray text.

Shapes and colours on grammatical diagram

Visualization	Description
	The prepositional phrase is indicated by a solid green oval.
	The construct chain is indicated by a solid yellow oval.
	When the conjunction ו appears at the phrase-level (not clause-level), it is indicated by a solid light purple oval.
	The article is indicated by a solid blue oval.

Expanded paraphrase

(For more information, click "Expanded Paraphrase Legend" below.)

Expanded paraphrase legend
Close but Clear (CBC) translation	The CBC, our close but clear translation of the Hebrew, is represented in bold text.
Assumptions	Assumptions which provide background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences are represented in italics.

Bibliography

Atkinson, Ian. 2026. "Demonstrative Pronouns," in The Cambridge Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Edited by Geoffrey Khan et al. Cambridge: Open Book & University of Cambridge.

Auffret, Pierre. 2011. "'Et toi, tu as enlevé la faute de mon péché': nouvelle étude structurelle du Psaume 32." Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society 32 (1): 9 pages.

Blau, Joshua. 2010. Phonology and Morphology of Biblical Hebrew: an Introduction. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press.

Böhler, Dieter. 2021. Psalmen 1-50. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder Verlag.

Botha, Phil J. 2019. "Psalm 32: A Social-scientific Investigation," in OTE 32.1: 12-31.

Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William David. 1991. A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms, UBS Handbook Series. New York, NY: United Bible Societies.

Brockelmann, Carl. 1956. Hebräische Syntax. Neukirchen: Verlag der Buchhandlung des Erziehungsvereins.

Castellino, George. 1952. "Psalm XXXII 9," in VT 2(1): 37–42.

Hoftijzer, J. & Jongeling, K 1995. Dictionary of the North-West Semitic Inscriptions. Leiden: Brill.

Jastrow, Marcus. 1903. A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature. London: W.C. Luzac & Co.

Jenni, Ernst. 1992. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 1: Die Präposition Beth. Stuttgart: Verlag W. Kohlhammer.

Jenni, Ernst. 2000. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 3: Die Präposition Lamed. Stuttgart: Verlag W. Kohlhammer.

Keel, Othmar. 1997. The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms. Leiden: Brill.

Levinsohn, S. H. 2011. "רַק and ְאַךְ: Limiting and Countering." Hebrew Studies 52(1): 83–105.

Khan, Geoffrey. 2026a. "Qaṭal," in Geoffrey Khan et al. (eds.) The Cambridge Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers & University of Cambridge.

Khan, Geoffrey. 2026b. "Yiqṭol," in Geoffrey Khan et al. (eds.) The Cambridge Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers & University of Cambridge.

Kovecses, Zoltan. 2010. Metaphor: A Practical Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Miller, Cynthia L. 2010. "Vocative Syntax in Biblical Hebrew Prose and Poetry: A Preliminary Analysis." Semitic Studies 55(1): 347–364.

Mena, Andrea K. 2012. "The Semantic Potential of עַל in Genesis, Psalms, and Chronicles." MA Thesis, Stellenbosch University.

del Olmo Lete, Gregorio & Sanmartín, Joaquín. 2015. A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition, Third Revised Edition. Leiden: Brill.

Potgieter, J. H. 2014. "The structure and homogeneity of Psalm 32," HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 70(1), Art. #2725.

Procházková, Ivana. 2021. The Torah / Law is a Journey: Using Cognitive and Culturally Oriented Linguistics to Interpret and Translate Metaphors in the Hebrew Bible. Prague: Karolinum Press.

von Soden, Wolfram. 1968. "Aramäische Wörter in neuassyrischen und neu- und spätbabylonischen Texten. Ein Vorbericht. II." Orientalia 37(3): 261-271.

von Soden, Wolfram. 1977. "Aramäische Wörter in neuassyrischen und neu- und spätbabylonischen Texten. Ein Vorbericht. III." Orientalia 46(2): 183–197.

Sokoloff, Michael. 2014. A Dictionary of Christian Palestinian Aramaic. Leuven: Peeters.

Sjörs, Ambjörn. 2026, "The Infinitive Construct," in Geoffrey Khan et al. (eds.) The Cambridge Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers & University of Cambridge.

Qafaḥ, Yosef. 1965. The Psalms with Translation and Commentary of Saadia Gaon (in Hebrew: תהלים עם תרגום פוירוש הגאון). Jerusalem: The American Academy for Jewish Research (האקדימיה האמריקאנית למדעי היהדות).

van der Lugt, Pieter. 2024. The Beatitude אַשְׁרֵי and the Confession of Sins in Psalms 32-41, in VT 74: 115-136.

van der Merwe, C. H. J., Naudé, Jacobus and Kroeze, Jan. 1999. Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar. London: Bloomsbury.

Wagner, Norman E. 1960. "רִנָּה in the Psalter." VT 10(4): 435–441.

Weitzman, M. P. 1999. The Syriac Version of the Old Testament: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Yuditsky, Alexey Eliyahu. 2017. A Grammar of the Hebrew of Origen's Transcriptions (Hebrew). Jerusalem: The Academy of the Hebrew Language.

Footnotes

32

Legends

Grammatical diagram

Grammatical Diagram Legend

Visualization	Description
	The clause is represented by a horizontal line with a vertical line crossing through it, separating the subject and the verb.
	The object is indicated by a vertical line that does not cross the horizontal line of the clause. Infinitives and participles may also have objects. If the direct object marker (d.o.m.) is present in the text, it appears in the diagram immediately before the object. If the grammar includes a secondary object, the secondary object will appear after the object, separated by another vertical line that does not cross the horizontal line of the clause.
	The subject complement follows the verb (often omitted in Hebrew) separated with a line leaning toward the right. It can be a noun, a whole prepositional phrase or an adjective. The later two appear modifying the complement slot.
	When a noun further describes or renames the object, it is an object complement. The object complement follows the object separated by a line leaning toward the right.
	In a construct chain, the noun in the absolute form modifies the noun in the construct form.
	Participles are indicated in whatever position in the clause they are in with a curved line before the participle. Participles can occur as nominal, where they take the place of a noun, predicate, where they take the place of a verb, or attributive, where they modify a noun or a verb similar to adjectives or adverbs.
	Infinitives are indicated by two parallel lines before the infinitive that cross the horizontal line. Infinitive constructs can appear as the verb in an embedded clause. Infinitive absolutes typically appear as an adverbial.
	The subject of the infinitive often appears in construct to it. In this situation, the infinitive and subject are diagrammed as a construct chain.
	The object of the infinitive is indicated by a vertical line that does not cross the horizontal line of the infinitival clause.
	Modifiers are represented by a solid diagonal line from the word they modify. They can attach to verbs, adjectives, or nouns. If modifying a verb or adjective, it is an adverb, but if modifying a noun, it is an adjective, a quantifier, or a definite article. If an adverb is modifying a modifier, it is connected to the modifier by a small dashed horizontal line.
	Adverbials are indicated by a dashed diagonal line extending to a horizontal line. These are nouns or infinitives that function adverbially (modifying either a verb or a participle), but are not connected by a preposition.
	Prepositional phrases are indicated by a solid diagonal line extending to a horizontal line. The preposition is to the left of the diagonal line and the dependent of the preposition is on the horizontal line. They can modify verbs (adverbial) or nouns (adjectival).
	Embedded clauses are indicated by a "stand" that looks like an upside-down Y. The stand rests in the grammatical position that the clause fulfills. Extending from the top of the stand is a horizontal line for the clause. If introduced by a complementizer, for example כִּי, the complementizer appears before the stand. Embedded clauses can stand in the place of any noun.
	When clauses are joined by a conjunction, they are compound clauses. These clauses are connected by a vertical dotted line. The conjunction is placed next to the dotted line.
	Within a clause, if two or more parts of speech are compound, these are represented by angled lines reaching to the two compound elements connected by a solid vertical line. If a conjunction is used, the conjunction appears to the left of the vertical line. Almost all parts of speech can be compound.
	Subordinate clauses are indicated by a dashed line coming from the line dividing the subject from the predicate in the independent clause and leading to the horizontal line of the subordinate clause. The subordinating conjunction appears next to the dashed line.
	Relative clauses also have a dashed line, but the line connects the antecedent to the horizontal line of the relative clause. The relative particle appears next to the dashed line.
	Sentence fragments are represented by a horizontal line with no vertical lines. They are most frequently used in superscriptions to psalms. They are visually similar to discourse particles and vocatives, but most often consist of a noun phrase (that does not refer to a person or people group) or a prepositional phrase.
	In the body of the psalm, a horizontal line by itself (with no modifiers or vertical lines) can indicate either a discourse particle or a vocative (if the word is a noun referring to a person or people group). A discourse particle is a conjunction or particle that functions at the discourse level, not at the grammatical level. Vocatives can appear either before or after the clause addressed to them, depending on the word order of the Hebrew.
	Apposition is indicated by an equal sign equating the two noun phrases. This can occur with a noun in any function in a sentence.

Hebrew text colors
Default preferred text	The default preferred reading is represented by a black line. The text of the MT is represented in bold black text.
Dispreferred reading	The dispreferred reading is an alternative interpretation of the grammar, represented by a pink line. The text of the MT is represented in bold pink text, while emendations and revocalizations retain their corresponding colors (see below).
Emended text	Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is represented by bold blue text, whether that reading is preferred or dispreferred.
Revocalized text	Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is represented by bold purple text, whether that reading is preferred or dispreferred.
(Supplied elided element)	Any element that is elided in the Hebrew text is represented by bold gray text in parentheses.
( )	The position of a non-supplied elided element is represented by empty black parentheses. For example, this would be used in the place of the noun when an adjective functions substantivally or in the place of the antecedent when a relative clause has an implied antecedent.

Gloss text colors
Gloss used in the CBC	The gloss used in the Close-but-Clear translation is represented by bold blue text.
Literal gloss >> derived meaning	A gloss that shows the more literal meaning as well as the derived figurative meaning is represented in blue text with arrows pointing towards the more figurative meaning. The gloss used in the CBC will be bolded.
Supplied elided element	The gloss for a supplied elided element is represented in bold gray text.

Shapes and colours on grammatical diagram

Phrasal Diagram Legend

Visualization	Description
	The prepositional phrase is indicated by a solid green oval.
	The construct chain is indicated by a solid yellow oval.
	When the conjunction ו appears at the phrase-level (not clause-level), it is indicated by a solid light purple oval.
	The article is indicated by a solid blue oval.

Expanded paraphrase

Legend

Expanded paraphrase legend
Close but Clear (CBC) translation	The CBC, our close but clear translation of the Hebrew, is represented in bold text.
Assumptions	Assumptions which provide background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences are represented in italics.