Exegetical issues for Psalm 13: Exegetical Issues for Psalm 13:

Introduction

Psalm 13:6 reads as follows:^[1]

וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ בְּחַסְדְּךָ֣ בָטַחְתִּי֮

יָ֤גֵ֥ל לִבִּ֗י בִּֽישׁוּעָ֫תֶ֥ךָ

אָשִׁ֥ירָה לַיהוָ֑ה כִּ֖י גָמַ֣ל עָלָֽי׃

The final clause, כִּ֖י גָמַ֣ל עָלָֽי, has been interpreted a number of ways, as illustrated by the following translations:

I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me (ESV)
I will sing to the Lord when he vindicates me (NET)
I will sing to the Lord that he has done good to me (LUT2017)^[2]

The ESV interprets כִּי as causal, the NET as temporal, and the Luther Bibel 2017 as a complementizer. These interpretations are discussed in the following argument maps.

Argument Map

Causal כִּי

A number of translations contain a causal interpretation of the כִּי in Psalm 13:6, such as the ESV: "I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me."

 

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[Causal clause]: The כִּי of Psalm 13:6 should be read as causal (Delitzsch 1871 :C:; Kirkpatrick 1895, 65 :C:;  Kraus 1993, 212 :C:; Goldingay 2006, 209).
 - <Abrupt change of attitude>: The abrupt attitude change from negativity to positive praise between vv. 5 and 6 is less than natural. #dispreferred 
  <_ <Psalms of Lament>: Such a change of attitude and positive confession even amidst suffering is common in psalms of lament, such as Pss 3 and 6 (Villanueva 2008, 48–69 :M:).
   <_ <Mood shift>: "What triggers the move from lament to praise is still not satisfactorily accounted for, with some scholars appearing to be uncertain as to whether an answer will ever present itself." (Strawn & Strawn 2024, 438 :A:).#dispreferred
 - <Current Situation>: Why would the psalmist confess being dealt with well if he seems to be currently suffering? #dispreferred
  <_ <Oracle of deliverance>: "Somewhere, sometime, the psalmist has encountered the graciousness of God, and confidence in that grace has become the ground and support of his life. It is the reality that no other experience can diminish and with which he undertakes to live through every other experience" (Mays 1994, 56 :M:; cf. Kirkpatrick 1895, 65; Kraus 1993, 216 :C:).
  <_ <Future reference>: The verb גָמַ֣ל is "referring to the deed that is still future but will be actual when the praise is offered" (Goldingay 2006, 209 :C:). 
 + <Similar שׁיר clauses>: All other passages with a כִּי clause following the verb שׁיר are unambiguously causal (see, e.g., Exod 15:1, 21; Jer 20:13; Ps 138:5).
 + <Similar גמל clauses>: All other passages with גמל עלי in a כִּי clause are unambiguously causal (see, e.g., Pss 116:7; 142:8).
 + <Ancient translations>: This is the interpretation of both Jerome Heb. and Targum Psalms.
  + [Ancient translations]: Jerome Heb.: "I will sing to the Lord because (quia) he has given back to me"; Targum Psalms: "I will sing before the Lord because (מטול ד) he has requited me well" (Stec 2004, 44).

Temporal כִּי

A number of scholars argue for a temporal interpretation of the כִּי in Psalm 13:6, as reflected in the NET: "I will sing to the Lord when he vindicates me."

 

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[Temporal clause]: The כִּי of Psalm 13:6 should be read as temporal (Radak :C:; Ḥakham 1979, 59 :C:; Craigie 2004, 140 :C:).#dispreferred
 + <Common function>: The temporal function of כִּי is commonly attested in Biblical Hebrew (CGBH, "Temporal Clauses").#dispreferred
  <_ <Clausal order>: The temporal כִּי clause typically precedes the matrix clause (Bandstra 1982, 123 :M:).
   + [Psalm 32:3]: When I kept silent (כִּֽי־הֶ֭חֱרַשְׁתִּי), my bones began to waste away" (CBC).
   <_ <Exceptions>: There are many exceptions to this preferred clausal order (see, e.g., Gen 30:33; Ezek 14:23; 1 Chr 6:21; 2 Chr 6:27).#dispreferred
  <_ <שׁיר clauses>: A temporal כִּי clause nowhere else follows the verb שׁיר.

Complementizer כִּי

A number of translations contain a complementizer interpretation of the כִּי in Psalm 13:6, such as the Luther Bibel 2017: "I will sing to the Lord that he has done good to me."^[3]

 

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[Complementizer clause]: The כִּי of Psalm 13:6 should be read as a complementizer.#dispreferred
 + <Common function>: The complementizer function of כִּי accounts for about 20% of appearances of כִּי in the Bible (CGBH, "Content Clauses").#dispreferred
  <_ <שׁיר clauses>: A complementizer כִּי clause nowhere else follows the verb שׁיר.

Conclusion (B)

Although כִּי very commonly introduces both temporal and content clauses in Biblical Hebrew, we recommend the causal interpretation, "because." Nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible is a כִּי clause following שׁיר ("sing") interpreted as either a temporal or content clause. Rather, the other instances of כִּי following שׁיר all introduce a causal clause (see Exod 15:1, 21; Jer 20:13; Ps 138:5). Further, other גמל verb phrases following a כִּי are contained in causal clauses (see Pss 116:7; 142:8). This interpretation also has the support of Jerome Heb. and Targum Psalms.

The major difficulty of this interpretation is not syntactic, but contextual: How can the psalmist claim that YHWH has provided generously for him in his current state of distress? There are two possible solutions to this problem. First, the psalmist may be referring to a past experience: because YHWH has provided generously for him in the past, he trusts that he will continue to do so. Alternatively, the psalmist may have understood YHWH to have answered his prayer following v. 5, enabling him to respond in confident anticipation of future deliverance. In this sense, the act of lament itself becomes an agent of transformation, as evident in other personal lament psalms that end in praise.

Research

Translations

Ancient

LXX: ᾄσω τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ εὐεργετήσαντί με^[4]
- "I will sing to the Lord, my benefactor.^[5]
Jerome (Gall.): cantabo Domino qui bona tribuit mihi
- "I will sing to the Lord, who has given me good things."
Jerome (Hebr.): cantabo Domino quia reddidit mihi
- "I will sing to the Lord because he has given back to me."
Targum: אשבח קדם יהוה מטול דפריע עלי טבתא^[6]
- "I will sing before the Lord because he has requited me well."^[7]
Peshitta: ܘܐܫܒܚ ܠܡܪܝܐ ܕܦܪܩܢܝ^[8]
- "I will praise the Lord who has saved me."^[9]

Modern

Causal

because he has dealt bountifully with me (ESV; cf. CEB, CJB, GNT, NABRE, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, REB)
weil er mir Gutes erwiesen hat (NGÜ; cf. HFA, EÜ, GNT, ZÜR)
car il m’a fait du bien (NBS; cf. BDS, NVSR, SG21)^[10]
porque me ha hecho bien (RVR1995; cf. RVC)^[11]

Temporal

when he vindicates me (NET)

Complementizer

dass er so wohl an mir tut (Luther 2017; cf. ELB)

Miscellaneous

who has been good to me (RJPS)

Secondary Literature

Bandstra, Barry L. 1982. The Syntax of the Particle 'KY' in Biblical Hebrew and Ugaritic. Yale University Graduate School.

Craigie, Peter C. 2004. Psalms 1–50, 2nd ed. Nashville, TN: Nelson.

Delitzsch, F. 1871. A Biblical Commentary on the Psalms. Volume 1. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.

Goldingay, J. 2006. Psalms 1–41. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. The Book of Psalms: Books 1–2 (Hebrew). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.

Kirkpatrick, A. F. 1897. The Book of Psalms: I-XVI. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kraus, J. 1993. A Continental Commentary: Psalm 1–59. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

Mays, J. L. 1994. The Lord Reigns: A Theological Handbook to the Psalms. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Radak. Radak on Psalms.

Strawn, Brent A. and Strawn, Brad D. 2024. "The Shift from Lament to Praise in the Psalms: A Psychodynamic Phenomenon." Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 48.4: 433–457.

Villanueva, F. 2008. Uncertainty of a Hearing: A Study in the Sudden Change of Mood in the Psalms of Laments. Leiden: Brill.

References

Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 13

13:6 Approved

↑ Text from OSHB.
↑ Ich will dem Herrn singen, dass er so wohl an mir tut. A minor position is that of a relative modifier, as illustrated by the RJPS: "I will sing to GOD, who has been good to me." It is not generally recognized, however, that כִּי can function as a relativizer, so this possibility will not be further discussed on this page.
↑ Ich will dem Herrn singen, dass er so wohl an mir tut.
↑ Rahlfs 1931, 95.
↑ NETS
↑ CAL.
↑ Stec 2004, 44.
↑ CAL.
↑ Taylor 2020, 41.
↑ A similar result, though with slightly different syntax, is the TOB: "pour le bien qu’il m’a fait" (cf. NFC, PDV).
↑ A similar result, though with slightly different syntax, is the DHH: "por el bien que me ha hecho."

[1] Text from OSHB.

[2] Ich will dem Herrn singen, dass er so wohl an mir tut. A minor position is that of a relative modifier, as illustrated by the RJPS: "I will sing to GOD, who has been good to me." It is not generally recognized, however, that כִּי can function as a relativizer, so this possibility will not be further discussed on this page.

[3] Ich will dem Herrn singen, dass er so wohl an mir tut.

[4] Rahlfs 1931, 95.

[5] NETS

[6] CAL.

[7] Stec 2004, 44.

[8] CAL.

[9] Taylor 2020, 41.

[10] A similar result, though with slightly different syntax, is the TOB: "pour le bien qu’il m’a fait" (cf. NFC, PDV).

[11] A similar result, though with slightly different syntax, is the DHH: "por el bien que me ha hecho."

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The Grammar and Meaning of Psalm 13:6c

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