The Semantics of Psalm 11:3

Exegetical Issues for Psalm 11:

• The Text, Grammar, and Meaning of Psalm 11:1c
• The Semantics of Psalm 11:3
• The Division of Psalm 11:5

Introduction

The traditional Hebrew text of Psalm 11:3 reads as follows:

כִּ֣י הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת יֵֽהָרֵס֑וּן

צַ֝דִּ֗יק מַה־פָּעָֽל

The ESV is representative of the vast majority of modern translations of this verse:

"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (ESV/NRSV, cf. NIV, KJV, NET, NEB, NJB, JPS1985, EÜ, ZÜR, RVR95, NVI, DHH)

Despite the agreement among modern translations of this verse, the verse is not easy to interpret. There are several issues involved in the interpretation of this verse:

1. The meaning of הַשָּׁתוֹת (v. 3a)
   1. "Foundations" (literal)
   2. "Foundations" (figurative)
2. The meaning of כִּי (v. 3a)
   1. Conditional ("if")
   2. Causal ("for")
3. The verbal semantics of v. 3ab
   1. Irrealis ("if" / "then")
   2. Future / Past
4. The identity of צַדִּיק (v. 3b)
   1. YHWH, the Righteous One
   2. Generic righteous person

These issues are discussed in the following argument maps.

Argument Maps

The Meaning of הַשָּׁתוֹת

The noun שתות occurs only here in the Bible. Most scholars today agree, however, that it means "foundations" (BDB, HALOT, DCH, SDBH). The questions is whether "the foundations" are literal (i.e, the foundations of a city wall) or figurative (i.e., the moral or legal foundations of society).

"Foundations" figurative

"The foundations" should be interpreted figuratively (as in, "the foundations of law and order").

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["Foundations" (figurative)]: The word הַשָּׁתוֹת means "foundations" and refers figuratively to "the foundations of law and order" or "the foundations of society" (NLT, cf. Jerome Heb., Symmachus, BDB :L:, DCH :L:). #dispreferred
 + <Ancient support>:Some of the ancient translators understood the word in this sense. #dispreferred
  + [Ancient support]: Symmachus (οι θεσμοι), Jerome Heb. (leges). #dispreferred
 + [Psalm 82:5]: In Psalm 82:5, "the earth's foundations" (מוֹסְדֵי אָרֶץ) refers to the foundations of society. #dispreferred

"Foundations" literal (preferred)

"The foundations" should be interpreted literally (as in, the foundations of an architectural structure, perhaps a city wall).

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["Foundations" (literal)]: The word הַשָּׁתוֹת means "foundations" and refers literally to "the foundations" of an architectural structure, perhaps a city wall (Quine 2017, 473 :A:).
 + <Context (vv. 1-2)>: The previous verses suggest a context of siege warfare. In this context, "foundations" is best understood literally as the foundations of the city wall or citadel.
  + <"Bird" (v. 1)>: The image of a bird trapped or fleeing is associated with siege warfare (Quine 2017, 470–479 :A:).
   + <Sennacherib siege of Jerusalem>: E.g., "As to Hezekiah the Jew, he did not subject to my yoke, I laid siege to 46 of his strong cities, walled forts, and to the countless small villages in their vicinity and conquered (them)... Himself I made a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage" (Pritchard 1969, 288).
  + <"Bows" (v. 2)>: Bows were a critical offensive weapon in a siege (cf. Eph'al 2013, 87 :M:; Schwartz 2018, 509 :A:).
   + <Siege of Lachish>: See e.g., the 8th-7th century BC relief of the Assyrian siege of Lachish.
  + <"Foundations" (v. 3)>: Cities are protected by fortifications (e.g., walls and towers), which have foundations (e.g., Mic 1:6), and a besieging army might attempt to destroy the foundations of these fortifications (cf. Yadin 1963, 16-20 :M:).
   + <Roman Siege of Jerusalem>: "...they undermined its foundations, and with great pains they removed four of its stones..." (Josephus, 6.15ff :M:).

Verbal Semantics and כִּי

There are at least two ways of interpreting the semantics of כִּי and the verbs in this verse:

1. The כִּי is conditional ("if") or temporal ("when"), and the verbs are irrealis: "If/when the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
2. The כִּי is causal ("for"), and the verbs are future and past respectively: "For the foundations will be destroyed. What has the righteous one done?"

The arguments for and against these views are given below.

"If" (v. 3a) / "Then" (v. 3b)

The כִּי should be interpreted as conditional (“if”) or temporal (“when”), with the verbs understood as irrealis: “If/when the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

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["When/If... what can...?"]: The clause in v. 3a is the protasis ("if the foundations are destroyed") and the clause in v. 3b is the apodosis ("what can the righteous do?"). #dispreferred
 + <כי conditional or temporal>: The כי is cataphoric and conditional or temporal ("if/when"). #dispreferred
  + <כי as conditional/temporal>: כי is often cataphoric and conditional or temporal (cf. BHRG 40.29.1 :G:). #dispreferred
 + <פָּעָל modal>: The qatal verb פָּעָל has modal/irrealis semantics ("what can the righteous one do?"). #dispreferred
  - <Qatal not modal>: Qatal is typically past-tense indicative, not modal (BHRG 19.1.5 :G:). If the psalmist meant to say, "what can the righteous do?" he would have probably used a yiqtol instead of a qatal (Baethgen 1904, 31 :C:; cf. Briggs and Briggs 1906, 90 :C:; Craigie 2004, 131 :C:; Calvin :C:).
   <_ <Potential perfect>: "The perfect tense in this line has a very rare nuance of potential perfect, 'what can they do?'" (Ross 2011, 340 :C:). #dispreferred

Future (v. 3a) / Past (v. 3b) (preferred)

The כִּי should be interpreted as causal (“for”), with the verbs understood as future and past, respectively: “For the foundations will be destroyed. What has the righteous one done?”

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["Future / Past"]: The clause in v. 3a is future ("For the foundations will be destroyed") and the clause in v. 3b is past ("what has the righteous one done?").
 + <כי as causal>: The כי is causal ("For").
  + <Ancient witnesses>: All of the ancient translators of this passage understood the כי as causal.
   + [Ancient witnesses]: LXX (οτι), Aquila (οτι), Symmachus (οτι), Peshitta (ܡܛܠ), Jerome Heb. (quia), Targum (מטול), Άλλος (οτι).
  + <Parallel with v. 2>: Given the similarity of the ki clause in v. 3a to the previous ki clause in v. 2a (ki + NP + yiqtol with final nun), it is best to interpret them in the same way (cf. Hupfeld 1855, 237 :C:; Hengstenberg 1863, 178 :C:). Because the previous ki clause (v. 2a) is clearly causal (stating a reason why David should flee), the second ki clause (v. 3a) should be read similarly: as providing another reason for David to flee.
 + <פָּעָל past indicative>: The qatal verb פָּעָל is past-perfective indicative ("what has the righteous one done?").
  + <Qatal>: Qatal is typically past-tense indicative (BHRG 19.1.5 :G:).
  + <Ancient support>: All of the ancient translators of this passage understood the verb as past tense.
   + [Ancient support]: LXX (ἐποίησεν), Aquila (κατειργασατο), Symmachus (εδρασεν), Peshitta (ܥܒܕ), Jerome Heb. (operatus est), Targum (עבד).

The Identity of צַדִּיק

Another issue in this verse is the identity of "the righteous one" (צַדִּיק) in v. 3b. There are at least two options:

1. YHWH, the Righteous One
2. A generic righteous person

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[Generic righteous person]: "The righteous one" (צַדִּיק) is a generic righteous person (most interpreters).
 + <Substantival צַדִּיק referring to people>: צַדִּיק as a substantival adjective almost always refers to a person or to people and only rarely to God (DCH :L:).
 + <"Upright in heart" (v. 2)>: The previous verse (v. 2) mentions "those who are upright in heart," making them the most likely referent of צַדִּיק.

[YHWH the Righteous One]: "The righteous one" (צַדִּיק) refers to YHWH (cf. Ehrlich 1905, 23 :C:; Dahood 1966, 69 :C:; Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 91 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Coherence>: "The sense of this much-canvassed verse becomes pellucid once צַדִּיק is recognized as a divine appellative which recurs in Pss 31:19 and 75:11" (Dahood 2008, 69 :C:). #dispreferred
 - <Substantival צַדִּיק referring to people>

Conclusion (B)

We have rendered Psalm 11:3 as "For the foundations are about to be destroyed. What has the righteous person done?" The following points summarize the conclusions reached in this discussion:

• The siege imagery in the previous verses ("bird" v. 1, "bows" v. 2) suggest that "the foundations" are literal foundations (i.e., the foundations of the city wall).
• Despite the fact that virtually all modern translations interpret the qatal in v. 3b as a modal ("what can the righteous do?") there is little support for this interpretation. Qatal is typically past-perfective and indicative, and this is the way in which all of the ancient translators understood it. If the psalmist meant to say, "what can the righteous do?" he would have probably used a yiqtol instead of a qatal.
• If the qatal is understood as past tense indicative, then there is no reason to see the כִּי as conditional/temporal ("if/when"). Given the syntactic similarities between v. 3a and v. 2a, it is more likely that the כִּי in v. 3a functions the same as the causal כִּי in v. 2a. The interpretation of כִּי in v. 3a as causal is also supported by all of the ancient translations.
• Finally, the צַדִּיק ("righteous one") is probably a reference to a generic righteous person or group and not a reference to YHWH. This is because צַדִּיק, as a substantival adjective, almost always refers to people and rarely to YHWH. Furthermore, the mention of "upright in heart" in v. 2c makes it likely that this same participant is in view in v. 3b.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: ὅτι ἃ κατηρτίσω, καθεῖλον / ὁ δὲ δίκαιος τί ἐποίησεν;
  • "Because what you fashioned they took down. But the righteous-What did he do?"
• Aquila: οτι οι θεμελιοι καθαιρεθησονται / δικαιος τι κατειργασατο;
  • For the foundations will be destroyed; what has the righteous person done?
• Symmachus: οτι οι θεσμοι κατεληθησαν / δικαιος τι εδρασεν;
  • For the statutes/laws have been dissolved; what has the righteous person done?
• Άλλος: οτι αι διδασκαλιαι συντριβησονται
  • For the teachings/instructions will be shattered/broken.
• Peshitta: ܡܛܠ ܕܡܕܡ ܕܥܬܕܬ ܣܚܦܘ ܙܕܝܩܐ ܕܝܢ ܡܢܐ ܥܒܕ܂
  • "For that which you made ready they have overthrown; but what is the righteous going to do?"
• Jerome Heb.: quia leges dissipatae sunt / justus quid operatus est
  • For the laws have been destroyed; what has the righteous one done?
• Targumמטול דאין אשייתא יתרעון זכאה מטול עבד טובא צדיקא ׃
  • "For if the foundations are shattered, why does the righteous do good?"

Modern

Foundations (literal)

• "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (NRSV/ESV, cf. NIV, KJV, NET, NEB, NJB, JPS1985, EÜ, ZÜR, RVR95, NVI, DHH).

Foundations (figurative)

• "The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?" (NLT, cf. LUT, HFA, GNB).

Conditional/Temporal כִּי & Irrealis Verbs

• "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (ESV, cf. KJB, NIV, NET, NLT, NRSV, NJB, NEB/REB, RVR95, NVI, DHH, PDV, BDS, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR, TOB, NBS, NVRS, BDS, PDV, NFC, S21).

Causal כִּי with Future & Past Verbs

• "Porque los fundamentos serán derribados. ¿El justo qué ha hecho?" (JBS, cf. also Geneva Bible of 1587, DRB, CPDV, and the footnotes for the ESV, the JPS1985, the NBS, and the NVRS.).

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.

Craigie, Peter C. 2004. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 1–50. 2nd ed. Vol. 19. Nashville: Nelson Reference & Electronic.

Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. Psalms I: 1–50. Anchor Bible. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

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

Ehrlich, Arnold B. 1905. Die Psalmen. Berlin: Verlag Von M. Poppelauer.

Eph'al, Israel. 2013. The City Besieged: Siege and Its Manifestations in the Ancient Near East. Jerusalem: Hebrew University Magnes Press.

Josephus, Flavius. “The Wars of the Jews,” 6.15ff. In The Works of Flavius Josephus. 1895. Translated by William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley.

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. 1855. Die Psalmen. Vol. 1. Gotha: Friedrich Andreas Perthes.

Pritchard, James B., ed. 1969. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement. 3rd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Quine, Cat. 2017. “The Bird and the Mountains: A Note on Psalm 11.” Vetus Testamentum 67: 470–79.

Ross, Allen. 2011. A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1: 1-41. Kregel Exegetical Library. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional.

Schwartz, Mark. 2018. “Warfare in the World of the Bible.” In Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts, edited by Jonathan S. Greer, John W. Hilber, and John H. Walton, 506–14. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

The 8th-7th Century BC Relief of the Assyrian Siege of Lachish

Yadin, Yigael. 1963. The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands: In the Light of Archaeological Study. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill.

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