The Referent of God (Elohim) in Ps. 45:7
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Back to Psalm 45
Introduction
The Hebrew text of Psalm 45:7a reads as follows:
- כִּסְאֲךָ֣ אֱ֭לֹהִים עוֹלָ֣ם וָעֶ֑ד
- Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. (ESV)
At first reading, the problem lies not in the text or grammar of the verse, but in its addressee. One would expect the psalmist to be speaking to YHWH as "elohim," but the psalmist is (apparently) speaking to the king. Likely due to this theological difficulty, solutions appeal to alternate texts, alternate grammatical construals, as well as ways to understand a remarkable reference to a human king.
Psalm 45 is an ode to an unnamed king, praising him for his idealised royal attributes. In the statement above (v. 7a), the psalmist appears to address this king as elohim ("God"). This form of address for a Judahite king is striking, since the Hebrew Bible normally reserves this title for YHWH or, usually disparagingly, for the national deities of other nations. The Hebrew Bible typically characterises the king as a human who, though serving as sub-regent of YHWH, is himself not divine (though see Pss 2, 110). For this reason, many commentators believe this to be the most exegetically problematic verse in Psalm 45, indeed "one of the most celebrated cruces interpretum in the OT."[1]
This idealogical difficulty has prompted several different interpretations of v. 7, each resulting in a different translation:[2]
Textual
- Option 1: Corrupt text
- a) Original: vb. יהיה (it will be)
- b) Re-vocalisation of כִּסְאֲךָ (your throne) as a verb כִּסֵּאֲךָ (he has enthroned you)
Grammatical
- Option 2: Elohim as the subject of the sentence. ("God is your throne forever and ever.")
- Option 3: Elohim as a modifier
- a) Elohim as part of bound phrase, a genitive ("Your divine throne endures for ever and ever." [RSV])
- b) Elided noun ("Your throne is [the throne of] God forever and ever," or "Your throne is like God’s throne, eternal." [NEB])
Addressee
- Option 4: Elohim as a vocative
- a) YHWH as the addressee (Tg.: "The throne of your glory, O YHWH, endures forever and ever.")
- b) The king as the addressee ("Your throne, God, is forever and ever.")
- c) The Messiah as the addressee
Argument Maps
Corrupt text
Original text was יהיה (it will be)
Some have proposed that the original text was not the n. אֱלֹהִים (God), but the vb. יהיה (it will be). This reading proposes that the MT is the result of a misreading of the vb. as the divine name יהוה (YHWH), which was in turn changed to אֱלֹהִים (God) in a hypothesised Elohistic redaction of the Psalter. Diachronically:
- Original: vb. יהיה ("Your throne will be forever and ever.")
- Misread: divine name יהוה ("Your throne, YHWH, [is] forever and ever.")
- Elohistic redactor: replaced the divine name with אלהים ("Your throne, God, [is] forever and ever.")
With this emendation, the text reads כִּסְאֲךָ יִהְיֶה עוֹלָם וָעֶד ("Your throne will be forever and ever").[3]
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[Original text read יִהְיֶה ("will be")]: The vb. was misread by the elohistic redactor as the divine name יהוה. #dispreferred.
- <No MS witnesses or early versions>: None of the MSS or ancient versions reflect this reading.
+ <Orthographic similarity>: The words “will be” (יהיה) and the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) look very similar (Bruston 1873, 92 :C:). #dispreferred.
_ <Not a known scribal problem>: Textual witnesses do not provide additional examples of confusing the tetragrammaton with the verb יהיה (Allis 1923, 242 :A:).
_ <Paleo-Hebrew script>: In paleo-Hebrew, the script employed when the Eholistic shift is hypothesized to have occurred in the Psalter, the waw and yod are not orthographically similar (compare 𐤅 and 𐤉̇ in the Tetragrammaton 𐤉̇𐤄𐤅𐤄), as in the later square script's ו and י.
_ <Elohim as a relative, not absolute, preference>: The presence of the divine name (43x) in the Elohistic Psalter suggests that the redactor was not forced to replace the divine name with elohim (Allis 1923, 245 :A:).
_ <V. 8 elohim>: The "formule étrange" in the following verse ("God, your God") suggests the editorial work on an original "YHWH your God" (Bruston 1873, 92 :C:). #dispreferred
+ <Ideological consistency>: The idea of an eternal royal throne is elsewhere associated with the Davidic covenant, and is therefore appropriate in this context. #dispreferred
+ [Example]: 2 Sam 7:16 כִּֽסְאֲךָ֔ יִהְיֶ֥ה נָכ֖וֹן עַד־עוֹלָֽם ("your throne will be established forever"). #dispreferred
_ <Syntax is different>: 2 Sam 7:16 (and similar verses), unlike Ps. 45:7a, use the vb. כון ("to establish"), so the syntactical difference somewhat weakens the ideological parallel (Allis 1923, 253 :A:).
+ [יהיה נכון (will be established)]: 2 Sam 7:16; 1 Kgs 2:45; 1 Chron 17:14.
Revocalise כִּסְאֲךָ (your throne) to a verb
A second emendation proposal involves only the re-vocalisation of כִּסְאֲךָ (your throne) to כִּסֵּאֲךָ (he has enthroned you), a denominative piel verb from the same root כסא. The resulting translation is: "The eternal and everlasting God has enthroned you!"[4]
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[Re-vocalisation of כסאך]: The noun כִּסְאֲךָ (your throne) should be re-vocalised to a verb (כִּסְאֲךָ) from the denominative from the root כסא. #dispreferred.
+ <Meaning>: This reading has "manifest good sense." (Dahood 1996, 273 :C:)#dispreferred
- <Unattested verb>: This verb "to enthrone" is not found elsewhere in the OT.
_ <Hebrew verbal system>: Hebrew and Ugaritic are able to create denominative verbal forms from nouns. (Dahood 1996, 273 :C:)#dispreferred
- <Ancient versions>: This reading is unattested in the ancient versions.
- <Emendation>: This reading requires vocalic emendation.
Elohim as subject or predicate
It is also syntactically possible that the n. אֱלֹהִים (God) functions as the subject or the predicate nominative of the sentence:
Elohim is the grammatical subject
"God is your throne forever and ever" (subject). This reading results in a metaphor that draws a comparison between God and the royal authority of the king. The sense is that the authority, power, and right to rule are founded upon God.
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["Elohim" is subject]: The term ''elohim'' is the subject of the sentence. #dispreferred
+ <Syntactically permissible>: The word order allows this interpretation. #dispreferred
+ <Similar metaphors>: God is described as a dwelling place (Deut 33:27; Ps 90:1) and refuge and fortress (Ps 91:2). #dispreferred
_ <Conceptually difficult>: The concept of "God" and of "throne" (=dynasty) are too dissimilar, and such a metaphor is found nowhere else in the Psalter (Harris 1984, 72 :A:).
- <Ancient versions>: There is no support from ancient versions.
Elohim is the predicate nominative
"Your throne is God forever and ever" (predicate).
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["Elohim" is predicate nominative]: The term ''elohim'' renames the subject כִּסְאֲךָ ("your throne"). #dispreferred
- <Ideologically difficult>: "It seems unfitting to assert that any human throne, however כסא be interpreted, belongs to the category of divine beings ('is God')" (Harris 1984, 72 :A:).
- <Ancient versions>: There is no support from ancient versions.
+ <Comparison>: The clause could be read as hyperbolic comparison, as "Your throne is (like) God, forever and ever" (Hoftijzer 1999, 80 :A:).#dispreferred
+ <v. 9>: v. 9 has very similar syntax.#dispreferred
+ [v. 9]: מֹר־וַאֲהָל֣וֹת קְ֭צִיעוֹת כָּל־בִּגְדֹתֶ֑יךָ "All of your clothes are (like) myrrh, aloes and cassia."#dispreferred
<_ <Temporal adverb>: This reading would demote the temporal adverbial as modifying "God," whereas "In all other instances where the royal throne is related to the idea of 'eternity', it is always the eternal existence of this throne which is spoken of, not the fact that a certain identity or characteristic of it is eternal" (Hoftijzer 1999, 82 :A:).
Elohim as modifier
Elohim as genitive
The first modifier possibility reads elohim as a genitival modifier of the noun phrase כִּסְאֲךָ, "Your throne of God [is] forever and ever." This modification could refer to the divine quality of the throne, the divine origin of the throne, the divine source of the throne, etc. Cf. RSV: Your divine throne endures for ever and ever.
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[Modifier of n. phrase כִּסְאֲךָ]: The term ''elohim'' in v. 7 modifies the n. phrase כִּסְאֲךָ (your throne). #dispreferred
- <Grammar>: It is highly unlikely to have a genitive after an otherwise determined noun.
Supply an elided noun כִּסֵּא ("throne of")
The second modifier possibility supplies an implicit, or elided, כִּסֵּא ("throne of") just before elohim. The resulting translation reads, "Your throne [is the throne of] God."
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[Elided n. כִּסֵּא]: The term ''elohim'' modifies an elided noun כִּסֵּא (throne of) (VanGemeren 2008, 400 :C:). #dispreferred
+ ["Divine" throne]: The concept of a king ruling on an earthly throne as God's representative is attested elsewhere in the Bible, e.g., 1 Chr 28:5; 29:23. #dispreferred
+ <Syntax attested elsewhere>: Ellipsis of a noun (construct form) with an explicit qualifier is a known syntactical construction in Biblical Hebrew. #dispreferred
+ [Examples]: Gen 11:1; Deut 33:25; Jer 24:2; Ezek 41:22. #dispreferred
<_ [Dissimilar sense]: The above examples denote material or characteristic of an object ("is made of" or "contains"), but God is not the material of the throne nor the characteristic it possesses (Harris 1984, 74 :A:).
- <Missing preposition>: This rendering presupposes an ellipsis not only of כסא (''throne'') but of ככסא (''like the throne'') (Harris 1984, 74 :A:).
- <Ancient versions>: There is no support from ancient versions.
Elohim as a vocative
The reading taken by the ancient versions and most modern English versions interprets elohim as a vocative of direct address.
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[Vocative]: The term ''elohim'' in v. 7 is a vocative of direct address.
+ <Ancient versions>: Most of the ancient versions support the vocative reading.
+ <Syntax>: Vocative is the most natural reading of the syntax (Allis 1923, 236 :A:).
+ [Syntax]: The preceding and following text addresses the king using 2ms forms.
- <Missing the article>: For the noun to be vocative, it must take the definite article. #dispreferred
- <Anarthrous vocatives>: There are two undisputed vocatives in Ps 45, neither of which has the article (vv. 4, 11).
- <Elohim as title>: When elohim in the voc. is used as a title, it does not take the article (Harris 1984, 80 :A:).
+ [Elohim as title]: See Pss 5:11; 7:10; 25:22; 36:7; 42:2, among others.
<_ <Definite article in poetry>: The definite article is often omitted in poetic texts (including from vocatives). (Joüon-Muraoka §137g :G:).
+ [Examples]: E.g. Ps 34:12; Isa 1:2; Joel 1:5.
- <Missing lamed preposition>: For עוֹלָם to function as the predicate, it would be לְעֹלָם (Dahood 1966, 273 :C:). #dispreferred
+ [Reason]: The noun phrase עולם ועד is found nowhere else in the Bible as the predicate of a verbless sentence (functioning as a temporal adverb). #dispreferred
- <Does not require the lamed preposition>: A preposition is "a more regular construction," but not necessary (Harris 1984, 81 :A:).
+ [Substantive as predicate]: Noun-clauses frequently take a substantive as predicate, "either when no corresponding adjective exists ... or when the attribute is intended to receive a certain emphasis" (GKC §141c :G:; e.g. 2 Sam 2:23; Ps 52:3).
+ [Lamed dropped elsewhere]: The Psalter uses עולם and לעולם interchangeably (Ps 61:8; 66:7; 89:2, 3, 38).
+ [Parallels with adv.]: Temporal adverbs may stand as the predicate in a verbless sentence (Job 8:9; 2 Chron 12:15).
There are three possibilities for reading elohim as a vocative of direct address.
YHWH as addressee
The first understands the addressee here to be YHWH.
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[YHWH as addressee]: "Elohim" is a title of direct address to YHWH. #dispreferred
+ <Targum>: The Targum uses an abbreviation of the divine name instead of the normal Aramaic word for ''elohim''. #dispreferred
+ [Targum]: כּוּרְסֵי יְקָרָךְ יְיָ קַיָים לְעָלְמֵי עַלְמִין. #dispreferred
+ <Theological>: This reading avoids the theological problem of addressing the human ruler as "elohim."#dispreferred
<_ <Psalm 45 context>: The psalm as a whole praises the king in remarkably lofty language, reminiscent of descriptions elsewhere of YHWH.
+ [Descriptions of the king]: See v. 3 "your splendour and your majesty" (הוֹדְךָ֗ וַהֲדָרֶֽךָ); v. 18 "peoples will praise you forever and ever" (עַמִּ֥ים יְ֝הוֹדֻ֗ךָ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד).
- <Addressee>: The surrounding text is addressed to the king, not YHWH; v. 8b in particular is jarring in this reading.
The king as addressee
The king as addressee is the most straightforward reading of the grammar and syntax, but the meaning is challenging.
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[Davidic king as addressee]: The term ''elohim'' in v. 7 is a vocative of direct address to the reigning monarch.
+ <Psalm 45 as ode to the king>: "It makes little sense to take ˒elohim as addressed to God; the poem is addressed to the king and his bride, not to God" (Bratcher and Rayburn 1991, 425 :C:).
+ <Immediate context>: The preceding (v. 6) and following text (v. 8) addresses the king using second person forms.
- <''Elohim'' only used for deities>: The term elohim is used for deities, and the Israelite king was never portrayed as a god. (VanGemeren 2008, 399–400 :C:).#dispreferred
+ <"Elohim" refers to YHWH>: The Targum and some commentators take the referent of the vocative as YHWH, not the king.#dispreferred
<_<Use of elohim in reference to YHWH>: The reference to YHWH as "God, your God" in the near context (v. 8) tempers the use of elohim for the human king, and "may reflect the poet's awareness of an extraordinary use of אֱלֹהִים in v. 7" (Harris 1984, 85 :A:).
<_<Elohim in reference to Messiah>: Some ancient versions may have read the vocative as a reference to a (quasi-)divine figure; e.g. Heb 1:8–9); a "messianic rereading that accentuates the transcendence of the King-Messiah" (Robert and Tournay 1963, 434 :C:).
<_<Honoring kings as "gods">: The reference to the king as "God" was not uncommon in the Ancient Near East and reflects an early stage of Israelite religion (Gunkel 1911, 103 :C:).
+ [Egyptian parallel]: Egyptian texts often referred to the king as “god." (Walton, ZIBBC, 358 :C:) E.g. text about Rameses II: "No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings”; see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67 (NET note :C:).
+ <Ps 45 as "secular" psalm>: Ps 45 is unique within the Psalter as an ode to the king (not addressed to YHWH).
- <Non-deities>: '"Elohim" can refer to non-deities.
+ <Divine characteristics>: The king is called "elohim" because he shares divine characteristics such as "splendor and majesty" (vv. 4–5a; cf. Ps 96:9); "love of truth and righteousness" (vv. 5b, 8a; cf. Ps 33:5; 99:4), and justice (v. 7b; cf. Ps 67:4).
+ <Lexical semantics>: The meaning of the term elohim is "relatively fluid" (Harris 1984, 86 :A:).
+ [Priests]: "Elohim" was used of priests who functioned as judges in the Israelite temple judicial system; see Exod 21:6; 22:8–9 (Walton, ZIBBC, 358 :C:).
+ [Moses "as God"]: Exod 4:16; 7:1.
+ [Eschatological Davidic king]: Isa 9:5 uses the title אֵל גִּבּוֹר, mighty God, in reference to the king.
+ [Post-mortem spirit]: 1 Sam 28:13 (Samuel); Isa 8:19 (?).
+ [Heavenly beings and judges]: Members of the divine council; Ps 8:6; 58:2 (elim); 82:1, 6; 97:7; 138:1.
+ <Relationship, not ontology>: "Deity was fundamentally understood as a relational designation and not an ontological one. To the degree they performed the right functions and roles, the designation “deity” could extend to include the dead, humans, and even cultic objects" (McClellan 2022, 83 :M:).
+ <Hyperbole>: "In the highly poetic language of Psalm 45, the psalm-singer addresses the groom-king with a hyperbolic appellation that reflects the ancient Near Eastern culture" (NICOT :C:), such that "The king of Ps 45 is in many respects addressed in a way in which normally YHWH is addressed" (Blankesteijn 2021, 2 :A:).
- <Possibility of theological impropriety>: Hyperbole is unlikely, because it would be open to misinterpretation. #dispreferred
+ <Literary genre>: As a royal ode, Psalm 45 has an exuberant style generally; see v. 3 ("most attractive of all people"), v. 5 ("your splendor and your majesty"; see Ps 96:6), and v. 18 ("peoples will praise you forever and ever").
+ <Mesopotamian parallels>: By virtue of divine appointment, the Ancient Near Eastern king represented the divine realm (Walton, ZIBBC, 358 :C:).
+ [Assyria]: Assyrian official writes to his king, “The well-known proverb says: ‘Man is a shadow of god’. . . ‘The king is the perfect likeness of the god’”(Parpola, Letters from Assyrian and Babylonian Scholars, no. 207).
The Messiah as addressee
Some traditions understand this royal figure not as a historical king, but as a prophetic reference to the promised eschatological ruler.[5]
Interestingly, the Targum specifies the addressee of v. 7 as YHWH (see above), but identifies the praiseworthy king of Ps 45 as the messiah (v. 3, מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא, "king, messiah").
It is important to recognise that this messianic interpretation and the Judahite king interpretation are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The prophesied messiah was described in distinctly royal (davidic) terms, so it is not difficult to imagine the words of Psalm 45 describing both an historical king and a prophesied future messianic king.
Conclusion (A)
The interpretation preferred here is that "elohim" is a vocative of direct address to the king. Although this is a rare form of address to a Judahite king, the preponderance of evidence (the syntax of the verse, the witness of the ancient versions, the lexical range of the word "elohim", and the literary genre of Psalm 45) points to this reading.
The purpose of this vocative of direct address to the king is a separate matter. If understood as conveying hyperbole, it might be translated into English as divine one, or if understood as a deliberate play on words, as ‘God’.
If understood with a messianic interpretation, then the purpose of the vocative would be to explicitly recognise the blurring of identity so often found in the Psalms between the king and God himself.
Research
Translations
Ancient
- LXX: ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος,
- Heb 1:8: πρὸς δὲ τὸν υἱόν· ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος,
- But to the Son [he said], "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever."
- Tg.: כּוּרְסֵי יְקָרָךְ יְיָ קַיָים לְעָלְמֵי עַלְמִין[7].
- Tg. (unpointed): כורסי יקרך ייי/אלהא בשמיא#1#/ קיים לעלמי עלמין[8]. (The throne of your glory, O YHWH, endures forever and ever; [Variant: The throne of your glory, O God, is in heaven])
- Syr.: ܟܘܪܣܝܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܠܥܠܡ ܥܠܡܝܢ܂[9]
- Jer.: thronus tuus Deus in saeculum et in aeternum[10]
Modern
English
Elohim as Modifier
- RSV: Your divine throne endures for ever and ever.
- NEB: Your throne is like God’s throne, eternal.
- GNT: The kingdom that God has given you will last forever and ever.
- NJB: Your throne is from God, for ever and ever,
Elohim as Vocative
- KJV: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
- ESV: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
- Also, NASB, NIV, NLT, LEB, NET
Other
- Dahood: The eternal and everlasting God has enthroned you!
- CEV: You are God, and you will rule forever as king. FN: Or “God has made you king, and you will rule forever.”
- Kraus: "Your powerful throne" (if ˒elohim is superlative)
Spanish
Elohim as Modifier
- BHTI: Tu trono, como el de Dios, es eterno,
- VBL: Tu trono viene de Dios, y permanecerá para siempre.
Elohim as Vocative
- DHH94I: Tu reinado, oh Dios, es eterno,
- RVR95: Tu trono, Dios, es eterno y para siempre;
Secondary Literature
- Allis, O. T. 1923. "Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever," in The Princeton Theological Review 21:2: 236–66.
- Blankesteijn, D. 2021. "Singing for a King: The Message of Psalm 45," in Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 21.5: 1-15.
- Bratcher, Robert G. & Reyburn, William D. 1991. A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms, UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.
- Bruston, C. 1893. Du texte primitif des psaumes. Paris: Sandoz & Fischbacher.
- Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1–50. WBC 19. Waco, TX: Word.
- Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. Psalms. Vol. 1. Anchor Bible Commentary. New York: Doubleday.
- Harris, Murray J. "The Translation of Elohim in Psalm 45:7–8," TynBul35: 65-89.
- Hoftijzer, Jacob. 1999. "Remarks on Psalm 45:7a," in Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies. Frank Moore Cross Volume: 78-87.
- McClellan, D. 2022. YHWH's Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach, Ancient Near East Monographs 29. Atlanta, GA: SBL.
- Robert, A. & Tournay, R. 1963. Le Cantique des Cantiques: traduction et commentaire. Paris: J. Gabalda.
- VanGemeren, Willem A. 2008. “Psalms,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition), ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, vol. 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
References
Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 19
45:7
- ↑ Murray J. Harris, "The Translation of Elohim in Psalm 45:7–8," TynBul35 (1984), 69 [open-access].
- ↑ For article-length discussions of the issue and proposed solutions, see also Murray J. Harris, "The Translation of Elohim in Psalm 45:7–8," TynBul 35 (1984), available open-access and Jacob Hoftijzer, "Remarks on Psalm 45:7a," in Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies. Frank Moore Cross Volume (1999).
- ↑ See C. Bruston, Du texte primitif des psaumes (Paris: Sandoz & Fischbacher, 1873) 91f.; J. Wellhausen, The Book of Psalms (London: Clarke, 1898), 45, 183; and B. Duhm, Die Psalmen (Leipzig: Mohr, 1899), 129 (cited in Harris, "The Translation of Elohim in Psalm 45:7–8," 69). Cf. James Moffatt's translation – "Your throne shall stand for evermore" (The Old Testament: A New Translation [London; Hodder and Stoughton, 1924], 66) and his translation of Heb 1:8 - "God is thy throne for ever and ever" (The New Testament: A New Translation [New York: Hodder and Stoughton, 1913], 273).
- ↑ Dahood, Psalms I, 273; see also Craigie, Psalms 1–50, 336–37.
- ↑ See, e.g., Allis, "Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever," The Princeton Theological Review 21:2 [1923], pp. 236–66).
- ↑ Frederick Fields, Origen Hexapla (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1875), 162.
- ↑ Pointed text from sefaria.org
- ↑ Unpointed text from CAL; as per Lagarde, Hagiographia Chaldaice with variants (#1#) from Luis Diez Merino, Targum de Salmos (Madrid, 1982), i.e. ms. Zamora and others (#2#) based on the mss. as collected by David M. Stec in his The Targum of Psalms: Translated, with a Critical Introduction, Apparatus, and Notes (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2004)
- ↑ CAL, according to the Leiden critical edition.
- ↑ Roger Gryson, Biblia sacra iuxta vulgatam versionem. Recensuit et brevi apparatu critico instruxit Robertus Weber (Stuttgart, 1994).