The Grammar and Meaning of Psalm 29:7

Exegetical Issues for Psalm 29:

• The Syntactic Function of קוֹל יְהוָה in Psalm 29
• The Grammar of Psalm 29:6
• The Grammar and Meaning of Psalm 29:7
• The Text and Meaning of Psalm 29:9

Introduction

Psalm 29:7 reads, according to the traditional Hebrew text: קוֹל־יְהוָ֥ה חֹצֵ֗ב לַהֲב֥וֹת אֵֽשׁ׃.

The KJV and NASB, following all the ancient versions, translate this as "The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire." Most modern translations render this as: "The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire" (NRSV, ESV; cf. NEB/REB, ELB, LUT, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR), and "flames of fire" is taken to mean "lightning" (GNT, cf. CEV, HFA, NGÜ). Other translations, however, reflect a different interpretation. The NIV, for example, reads, "The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning" (NIV, cf. NLT, NET, NVI). Still others say "The voice of the LORD heweth out flames of fire" (JPS-1917; cf. NASB-1977).

There are two main issues involved in the interpretation of this verse:

1. Lexical Semantics. What is the meaning of the verb חֹצֵב?
   1. "divide"
   2. "flash"
   3. "strike"
   4. "hew (out)"
2. Grammar. What is the syntactic function of the phrase לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ?
   1. Direct object
   2. Adverbial accusative

Argument Maps

The Meaning of חֹצֵב

The first issue to be addressed is the meaning of the verb חֹצֵב. Does it mean "divide" (LXX, Symmachus, Jerome, Syriac, Targum, KJV), "strike" (NIV, NLT, NET), or "hew" (JPS-1917, NASB-1977)?

"Hew" (preferred)

The arguments for חֹצֵב meaning "hewing" or "mining" are as follows:

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["Hew"]: חֹצֵב means "hews" or "mines" (SDBH :L:; JPS-1917).
 + <Standard meaning>:"The verb חצב means always to hew, never to cleave, or to scatter" (Hengstenberg 1863, 478 :C:).
  + [חֹצֵב as "hew"]: E.g., hewing out dressed stones (1 Chr 22:2; cf. 2 Kgs 12:13), hewing out bronze (Deut 8:9), hewing out a well (Jer 2:13; Deut 6:11; 2 Chr 26:10), hewing out a grave (Isa 22:16), hewing out a wine press (Isa 5:2), hewing out the pillars of a house (Prov 9:1).
 + <Mountains>: The occurrence of the verb in Ps 29:7 comes right after the mention of mountains in the previous verse (Lebanon and Sirion). This is significant, since חצב is associated with mountains as the location where the action often takes place.
  + [Mountains]: E.g., Deut 8:9: וּמֵהֲרָרֶ֖יהָ תַּחְצֹ֥ב נְחֹֽשֶׁת; cf. the phrase חצב בהר in 1 Kgs 5:29; 2 Chr 2:1, 17.

"Divide">"Flash"

Some argue that the clause means "to divide flames of fire." The translation "flashes forth flames of fire," found in many modern translations, appears to be an idiomatic rendering which reflects the same interpretation.

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["Divide"]: חֹצֵב means "divides" or "splits" (LXX, Sam, Jer, Syr, Tg; BDB :L:, DCH :L:; Hupfeld 1868, 164 and 174-175 :C:; Baethgen 1904, 82 :C:)#dispreferred
 + <Ancient support>: All of the ancient versions understood the verb to mean "divide" (LXX, Sam, Jer, Syr, Tg).#dispreferred
 - <Usage>: "It is difficult to get divide, cleave from hew out, and there is no justification in usage" (Briggs 1906, 256 :C:).
  - [Isa 10:15 (split)]: In Isaiah 10:15, the verb means "splits (wood)" (BDB :L:; Hupfeld 1868, 164 and 174-175 :C:).#dispreferred
   - [Isa 10:15 (hew)]: The verb has its usual meaning (to hew out) in Isa 10:15 (SDBH :L:).
 + <Related roots>: Related roots in Hebrew mean "divide" or "split" (e.g., חצה, חטב)#dispreferred

"Strike"

Some have argued that the verb חֹצֵב here means "strikes."The arguments for this view are as follows:

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["Strike"]: חֹצֵב means "strike" (NET, NIV, NLT)#dispreferred
 + <Hos 6:6>: 'In Hos 6:5 it seems to mean “cut in pieces,” “knock down,” or perhaps “hack” (see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea AB, 428)' (NET).#dispreferred
 + <Ugaritic>:'The Ugaritic cognate can mean “assault”' (NET).#dispreferred

The Syntactic Function of לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ

The second issue to be addressed concerns the phrase לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ. Most agree that the phrase refers to "lightning bolts." Scholars and translators disagree, however, on the syntactic function of the phrase לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ within the clause. Is it the direct object ("hews flames of fire"), or is it an adverbial accusative ("hews with flames of fire")?

Direct Object

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[Direct Object]: לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ is the direct object of the verb חצב. #dispreferred
 + <Direct Object>: The verb חצב is transitive, and the phrase לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ is not marked as an adjunct. Therefore, לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ is naturally taken as the direct object.#dispreferred
  - <Nonsensical>: This would be difficult to make sense of. What would it mean to "hew out flames of fire (=lightning bolts)"?
   - [Possible Interpretation]: YHWH strikes the clouds with his hammer so that they "burst forth into lightnings and thunderbolts" (Calvin :C:, cf. Hupfeld 1868, 164 and 174-175 :C:).#dispreferred

Adverbial Accusative (preferred)

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[Adverbial Accusative]: The phrase לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ is adverbial ("with flames of fire") (NIV, NLT, NET; Hengstenberg 1863, 478 :C:)
 + <Instrument>: The action of "hewing" (חצב) involves a (weapon-like) instrument (usually indicated with ב), and "flames of fire" (=lightning bolts) are naturally understood as the instrument in this context.
  + [חצב + beth of instrument]: E.g., Isa. 10:15; Hos. 6:5.
  + [Ps 18 arrows]: Psalm 18:14-15 depicts YHWH's lightning bolts as arrows.
  + [Baal]: The god Baal is depicted in Ugaritic texts and images as wielding lightning as a weapon.
  + [להבה as "spear-head"]: The noun להבה ("flame") can refer to the head of a spear (1 Sam 17:7).
 - <No preposition>:The absence of a ב preposition means that the phrase cannot indicate the instrument.#dispreferred
  - [Adverbial accusative]:Sometimes, adjuncts that are normally marked by ב may occur without it (adverbial accusative) (GKC §118 :G:; IBHS §10.2.2 :G:).
   <_ [Accusative never as instrument]:"The accusative never denotes the instrument except with the passive participle" (Hupfeld 1868, 164 and 174-175 :C:).#dispreferred

Conclusion (B)

The sound of YHWH hewing with lightning bolts!

The following observations argue in favor of interpreting חצב as "hew." (1) This is the usual meaning of the verb חצב (qal) in biblical Hebrew. (2) The occurrence of the verb in Ps 29:7 comes right after the mention of mountains in the previous verse (Lebanon and Sirion). This is significant, since חצב is associated with mountains as the location where the action often takes place (e.g., Deut 8:9: וּמֵהֲרָרֶ֖יהָ תַּחְצֹ֥ב נְחֹֽשֶׁת; cf. the phrase חצב בהר in 1 Kgs 5:29; 2 Chr 2:1, 17). If חצב is interpreted in this way, then לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ (which most interpret as a reference to "lightning bolts") is probably the instrument rather than the patient, since it is easier to conceive (especially in the context of this psalm) of "lightning bolts" as sharp and potentially deadly instruments for hewing (cf. Isa 10:15 [a pick-axe]; Hos 6:5 [as a deadly weapon]) than as the products of hewing. Psalm 18:14-15 depicts YHWH's lightning bolts as arrows, and the god Baal is depicted in Ugaritic texts and images as wielding lightning as a weapon. The noun להבה ("flame") can even refer to the head of a spear (1 Sam 17:7). To be sure, the beth preposition might have been expected in this case (cf. Isa 10:15; Hos 6:5). Dahood suggests that the absence of a beth "may have been prompted by the fact that ḥōṣēb ends in b." The image in Ps 29:7, therefore, is that of YHWH's thunderous voice blasting craters in the mountain rock with lightning bolts. Whereas human miners use man-made tools for hewing in the mountains, YHWH hews with "flames of fire."

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: φωνὴ κυρίου διακόπτοντος φλόγα πυρός
• Symmachus: καταδιαιρουντος
• Jerome (Hebr.): vox Domini dividens flammas ignis
• Peshitta: ܩܠܗ ܕܡܪܝܐ ܕܦܣܩ ܫܠܗܒܝܬܐ ܕܢܘܪܐ܂
• Targum: קלא דיהוה מנסר שלהובין דינור

Modern

The meaning of the verb חֹצֵב

Hew

• The voice of the LORD heweth out flames of fire (JPS1917)
• The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire (NASB1977)

Divide/Flash

• The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire (KJV)
• The voice of the LORD divides flames of fire (NASB)
• The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire (NRSV)
• The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire (ESV)
• The voice of the LORD makes flames of fire burst forth (NEB)
• The voice of the LORD makes flames of fire burst forth (REB)
• The voice of the LORD makes the lightning flash (GNT)
• The voice of the LORD makes lightning flash (CEV)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht Feuerflammen (ELB)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht Feuerflammen (LUT)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht flammendes Feuer (EÜ)
• Zuckende Flammen sprüht seine Stimme (GNB)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht Feuerflammen (ZÜR)
• Die Stimme des HERRN lässt Blitze zucken (HFA)
• Die Stimme des HERRN lässt feurige Blitze zucken (NGÜ)

Strike

• The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning (NIV)
• The voice of the LORD strikes with bolts of lightning (NLT)
• The LORD's shout strikes with flaming fire (NET)
• La voz del Señor destruye con rayos de fuego (NVI)

The Syntactic Function of לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ

Object

• The voice of the LORD heweth out flames of fire (JPS1917)
• The voice of the LORD hews out flames of fire (NASB1977)
• The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire (KJV)
• The voice of the LORD divides flames of fire (NASB)
• The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire (NRSV)
• The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire (ESV)
• The voice of the LORD makes flames of fire burst forth (NEB)
• The voice of the LORD makes flames of fire burst forth (REB)
• The voice of the LORD makes the lightning flash (GNT)
• The voice of the LORD makes lightning flash (CEV)
• The voice of the LORD kindles flames of fire (JPS1985)
• YHWH's voice carves out lightning shafts (NJB)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht Feuerflammen (ELB)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht Feuerflammen (LUT)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht flammendes Feuer (EÜ)
• Zuckende Flammen sprüht seine Stimme (GNB)
• Die Stimme des HERRN sprüht Feuerflammen (ZÜR)
• Die Stimme des HERRN lässt feurige Blitze zucken (NGÜ)
• Die Stimme des HERRN lässt Blitze zucken (HFA)
• La voix du Seigneur fait jaillir des feux flamboyants (NBS)
• La voix de l'Éternel fait jaillir des flammes de feu (NVSR)
• La voix de l’Eternel ╵fait jaillir des éclairs (BDS)
• La voix du Seigneur fait jaillir les éclairs (PDV)
• La voix du Seigneur fait jaillir les éclairs (NFC)
• La voix du SEIGNEUR taille des lames de feu (TOB)

Adverbial

• The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning (NIV)
• The voice of the LORD strikes with bolts of lightning (NLT)
• The LORD's shout strikes with flaming fire (NET)
• La voz del Señor destruye con rayos de fuego (NVI)

Secondary Literature

Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. Die Psalmen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Briggs, Charles A., and Emilie Briggs. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Vol. 1. ICC. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.

Calvin, John. Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Translated by James Anderson. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Dahood, Mitchell. 2008. Psalms II: 51-100: Introduction, Translations, and Notes. Vol. 17. Anchor Yale Bible. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

Hengstenberg, Ernst Wilhelm. 1863. Commentary on the Psalms. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. 1993. Die Psalmen I: Psalm 1–50. Neue Echter Bibel. Würzburg: Echter.

Hupfeld, Hermann. 1868. Die Psalmen. Vol. 2. Gotha: Friedrich Andreas Perthes.

Ibn Ezra. Ibn Ezra on Psalms.

Keel, Othmar. 1997. The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.

Radak. Radak on Psalms.

References

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