The Meaning of לְהַזְכִּיר in Psalm 70:1

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Introduction

The Masoretic Text of Psalm 70's superscription reads as follows:[1]

לַ֝מְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָוִ֥ד לְהַזְכִּֽיר׃ 

The meaning of the final phrase, לְהַזְכִּֽיר, is unclear and has been interpreted in various ways in translation, as illustrated by the following:

  • For the music leader. Of David. For the memorial offering. (CEB)
  • For the choir director. Of David. To bring remembrance. (CSB)[2]

The CEB interprets לְהַזְכִּֽיר as a purpose clause with the nominal "memorial offering." The CSB interprets it as a verbal idea to remind ➞ to bring to remembrance. Within the latter interpretation, however, the entity reminded could plausibly either be the psalmist's community, or YHWH as the addressee.[3] We consider these three possibilities in the following argument maps.

Argument Maps

Memorial offering

Some translations interpret לְהַזְכִּֽיר as a purpose clause with the nominal "memorial offering." 


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[Memorial offering]: The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי identifies the subject discussed in the scroll: "about me." (xxx).#dispreferred


Argument Mapn0Memorial offeringThe prepositional phrase עָלָֽי identifies the subject discussed in the scroll: "about me." (xxx).


A reminder

Some translations interpret לְהַזְכִּֽיר as a verbal idea to remind ➞ to bring to remembrance. The desired recipient of this reminder could be the psalmist's community or YHWH.

A reminder for the community


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[A reminder for the community]: The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי refers to instructions the psalmist must follow (Meiri :C:; Kirkpatrick 1897, 211 :C:; Briggs and Briggs 1906, 355 :C:; Ḥakham 1979, 231 :C:; Gruber 1996, 178 :C:; Goldingay 2006, 574 :C:). #dispreferred


Argument Mapn0A reminder for the communityThe prepositional phrase עָלָֽי refers to instructions the psalmist must follow (Meiri 🄲; Kirkpatrick 1897, 211 🄲; Briggs and Briggs 1906, 355 🄲; Ḥakham 1979, 231 🄲; Gruber 1996, 178 🄲; Goldingay 2006, 574 🄲).


A reminder for YHWH


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[A reminder for YHWH]: The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי specifies where the scroll is written (Böhler 2021, 724 :C:; Lasater 2024, 261 :A:; Botha 2025, 13 :A:). #dispreferred


Argument Mapn0A reminder for YHWHThe prepositional phrase עָלָֽי specifies where the scroll is written (Böhler 2021, 724 🄲; Lasater 2024, 261 🄰; Botha 2025, 13 🄰).


Conclusion (B+)

Out of the three possible interpretations of the prepositional phrase עָלָֽי, the focus of attention, "about me," is the most plausible. It is the clear interpretation of both the LXX and Jerome's Iuxta Hebraeos. Out of only six other instances of כתב על with a human referent in the Bible, this is the most plausible interpretation of two of them (2 Kgs 22:13; Esther 8:8), while neither the control/obligation nor locative interpretations are possible in any of the six. Further, as a psalm of David, it makes perfect sense that the "book of writing" (מְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר) would be written about the king and his obligation to obey it, in light of the crucial text of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 in this regard.[4]

Research

Translations

Ancient

  • LXX: Εἰς τὸ τέλος· τῷ Δαυιδ εἰς ἀνάμνησιν, 2εἰς τὸ σῶσαί με κύριον.[5]
    • "Regarding completion. Pertaining to Dauid. As a reminder, 2(1) for the Lord to save me.'"[6]
  • Jerome (Hebr.): Victori david ad recordandum
    • "For victory of David. For remembering."
  • Targum: לשבחא על יד דוד למדכר על צריר לבונתא׃[7]
    • "To the singer. By David: to make a memorial[8] over a bunch of frankincense[9]

Modern

For the memorial offering

  • For the music leader. Of David. For the memorial offering. (CEB; cf. ESV)
  • For the music director. A Psalm of David; for a memorial. (NASB)
  • Von David, vorzusingen, zum Gedenkopfer. (LUT 2017; cf. EÜ)

To bring to remembrance

  • For the leader: for David: for commemoration (REB; cf. NABRE)
  • For the choir director. Of David. To bring remembrance. (CSB)
  • For the leader. By David. As a reminder (CJB)
  • For the music director, by David; written to get God’s attention. (NET)
  • Dem Chorleiter. Von David. Zum Gedächtnis. (ELB)
  • Für den Chormeister. Von David. Zur Verkündigung. (ZÜR)
  • Au chef de chœur. De David, comme mémorial. (SG21; cf. NFC, TOB)
  • Del maestro de coro. De David, para hacer recordar. (DHH; cf. RVC, RVR95)
  • Al músico principal. Salmo de David. Para conmemorar. (RVC; cf. RVR95)
  • Au chef de chœur. Un psaume de David pour se rappeler au souvenir de Dieu. (BDS)
  • Chant de David, pris dans le livre du chef de chorale pour que Dieu se souvienne. (PDV)

Miscellaneous

  • A psalm by David; a lament. (GNT)
  • For the director of music. Of David. A petition. (NIV)
  • Du chef de chœur. De David. En évocation. (NBS)

Secondary Literature

Böhler, Dieter. 2021. Psalmen 1–50. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder Verlag.
Briggs, Charles A. & Briggs, Emilie G. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Volume 1. New York, NY: C. Scribner’s Sons.
Craigie, Peter C. 2004. Psalms 1–50. Second edition. Nashville, TN: Nelson.
Delitzsch, Franz. 1871. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
Goldingay John. 2006. Psalms 1–41. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Gruber, Meir. 1996. "Chapter 40" (in Hebrew). Pages 176–180 in Psalms: Volume 1. Olam HaTaNaKh. Tel Aviv: דודזון–עתי.
Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. The Book of Psalms: Books 1–2 (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.
Hitzig, Ferdinand. 1863. Die Psalmen: übersetzt und ausgelegt. Erster Band. Leipzig und Heidelberg: C. F. Winterische Verlagshandlung.
Jacobson, Rolf A. & Tanner, Beth. 2014. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41,” in The Book of Psalms (NICOT). Grand Rapids, MI; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Kirkpatrick, Alexander, F. 1897. The Book of Psalms with Introduction and Notes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Meiri, Menachem. Meiri on Psalms.

References

Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 70

70:1

  1. ↑ Text from OSHB.
  2. ↑ Outliers include the GNT's "A psalm by David; a lament" and the NIV's "For the director of music. Of David. A petition." In terms of lexical semantics, there is nothing in the verbal root זכר which hints at either a lament or petition.
  3. ↑ This position is explicit in the PDV: "Chant de David, pris dans le livre du chef de chorale pour que Dieu se souvienne."
  4. ↑ In this sense, the larger semantic and contextual result is similar to the control/obligation interpretation, yet the syntax prepositional phrase עָלָֽי does not lend itself directly to this reading (just as in 2 Kgs 22:13—see above). Further, this interpretation seems to be influenced by the function of על prepositional phrases as predicates to indicate necessity or responsibility to carry out a certain action (see, e.g., 1 Kgs 4:7; Ezra 10:4, 12; Neh 13:13; cf. Mor 2017, 28–29). This is quite a rare and late feature in Biblical Hebrew, becoming much more common in Rabbinic Hebrew.
  5. ↑ Rahlfs 1931, 195.
  6. ↑ NETS
  7. ↑ CAL.
  8. ↑ Some manuscripts of Targum Psalms are lacking the word "to make a memorial" (למדכר).
  9. ↑ Stec 2004, 137.