The Verbal Semantics of Psalm 50:3a

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Introduction

The Masoretic Text of Psalm 50:3a reads as follows:[1]

יָ֤בֹ֥א אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ וְֽאַל־יֶ֫חֱרַ֥שׁ

The verbs of this line have been interpreted as either indicatives or jussives, as illustrated by the CSB and NASB, respectively:

  • Our God is coming; he will not be silent! (CSB)
  • May our God come and not keep silent (NASB)

The CSB interprets this line as a future prediction,[2] while the NASB interprets the line to communicate the author's wish.[3] These two interpretations will be evaluated in the following argument maps.

Argument Maps

Indicative

A slight majority of modern European translations interpret the verbs in this line as indicatives: Our God is coming; he will not be silent! (CSB) 


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[Indicative]: The verbs in Psalm 50:3a are indicatives, expressing a (future) reality: "Our God will come and will not be silent!" (Delitzsch 1871, 126 :C:).
 + <Ancient translations>: The ancient Greek and Latin translations use the subjunctive mood to translate the verbs in this verses, implying that they interpreted the clauses as directives (prayers or wishes).
  + [Ancient translations]: LXX: μὴ δῷς... μηδὲ νυστάξῃ; Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion: μὴ δῴης; Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): non det... nec dormitet.
 + <Context>: The context requires understanding the clauses in v. 3 as assertive: "He will not..." (see esp. v. 4). #dispreferred
 - <Ungrammatical (אַל vs. לֹא)>: If the clauses were assertive, then they would have לֹא instead of אַל. Interpreting the clauses as simple statements, as if it read לֹא instead of אַל, is "completely ungrammatical" (Hupfeld 1871, 290 :C:).
  + <אַל vs. לֹא>: "The negative morpheme אַל is only used in prohibitions" (Sjörs 2018, 167 :M:), whereas the negator לֹא "is typically used to negate independent verbal clauses which act as statements" (BHRG §41.9 :G:).
   <_ <Manuscript evidence>: Kennicott lists one manuscript (150) that reads ולא in place of ואל (VTH vol. 4, 374 :M:).  
   <_ <Special use of אַל with jussive>: "אַל with the jussive (or imperfect...) is used sometimes to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen" (GKC §109e :G:). #dispreferred
    + [Special use of אַל with jussive]: Pss 34:6; 41:3; 50:3; Prov 3:25; Job 5:22; 20:17; 40:32 (GKC §109e :G:; see also Gen 49:6; Prov 12:28, cited by Ibn Ezra :C:). #dispreferred
     - <Not compelling>: "None of the examples in GKC for this use of the jussive are compelling" (NET Bible note).


Argument Mapn0IndicativeThe verbs in Psalm 50:3a are indicatives, expressing a (future) reality: "Our God will come and will not be silent!" (Delitzsch 1871, 126 🄲).n1Ancient translationsLXX: μὴ δῷς... μηδὲ νυστάξῃ; Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion: μὴ δῴης; Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): non det... nec dormitet.n3Ancient translationsThe ancient Greek and Latin translations use the subjunctive mood to translate the verbs in this verses, implying that they interpreted the clauses as directives (prayers or wishes).n1->n3n2Special use of אַל with jussivePss 34:6; 41:3; 50:3; Prov 3:25; Job 5:22; 20:17; 40:32 (GKC §109e 🄶; see also Gen 49:6; Prov 12:28, cited by Ibn Ezra 🄲). n8Special use of אַל with jussive"אַל with the jussive (or imperfect...) is used sometimes to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen" (GKC §109e 🄶). n2->n8n3->n0n4ContextThe context requires understanding the clauses in v. 3 as assertive: "He will not..." (see esp. v. 4). n4->n0n5Ungrammatical (אַל vs. לֹא)If the clauses were assertive, then they would have לֹא instead of אַל. Interpreting the clauses as simple statements, as if it read לֹא instead of אַל, is "completely ungrammatical" (Hupfeld 1871, 290 🄲).n5->n0n6אַל vs. לֹא"The negative morpheme אַל is only used in prohibitions" (Sjörs 2018, 167 🄼), whereas the negator לֹא "is typically used to negate independent verbal clauses which act as statements" (BHRG §41.9 🄶).n6->n5n7Manuscript evidenceKennicott lists one manuscript (150) that reads ולא in place of ואל (VTH vol. 4, 374 🄼). n7->n6n8->n6n9Not compelling"None of the examples in GKC for this use of the jussive are compelling" (NET Bible note).n9->n2


Jussive

A slight minority of modern European translations interpret the verbs in this line as jussives: May our God come and not keep silent (NASB) 


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[Jussive]: The verbs in Psalm 50:3a are jussives, expressing a wish: "May our God come, let him not be silent!" (Ibn Ezra :C:; Meiri :C:).
 + <אַל>: The use of the negator אַל (instead of לֹא) implies a directive speech act.
  + <אַל vs. לֹא>: "The negative morpheme אַל is only used in prohibitions" (Sjörs 2018, 167 :M:), whereas the negator לֹא "is typically used to negate independent verbal clauses which act as statements" (BHRG §41.9 :G:).
   <_ <Exceptions>: "Sometimes in poetry אַל is used in an even looser way, in cases where one would expect לֹא" (JM §114k :G:).
    - <Special pleading>: The appeal to an indicative of the examples provided by JM (namely, Jer 46:6; Pss 41:3; 50:3; Prov 3:25; Job 5:22; Song 7:2; see also Ps 34:6 and Isa 2:9, as mentioned by Delitzsch 1871, 126 :C:). 
 + <Discourse co-text>: The jussives express "the words of the righteous who hope that he will destroy the sinners in it \[Zion\]" (Ibn Ezra :C: own translation).
  + <Parallelism of intensification (vv. 3–4)>: Verse 3 communicates a wish or prayer ("may he not...!"), which, in v. 4, "with the repetition of the sentence with לֹא and the confirming הִנֵּה, rises to a definite (objective) assurance or article of faith, thus producing a beautiful intensification of both verses" (Hupfeld 1871, 290 :C:).
  + <ABAB structure in vv. 1-4>: Interpreting verse 3 as a wish or blessing ("May he not let your foot slip...!") makes "a stylistic parallel with verse 1 in which a question is posed concerning the origin of protection. Both lines (vv. 1 and 3) raise possibilities that are considered invalid for the pilgrim; in a sense they provide a foil for the confessions that follow (vv. 2 and 4) and make those confessions more striking. In this schema of parallelism 'maker of heaven and earth' (121:2b) qualifies 'my help' (121:1b), and 'keeper of Israel' (121:4v) defines 'your keeper' (121:3b)" (Creach 1996, 49–50 :A:).


Argument Mapn0JussiveThe verbs in Psalm 50:3a are jussives, expressing a wish: "May our God come, let him not be silent!" (Ibn Ezra 🄲; Meiri 🄲).n1אַלThe use of the negator אַל (instead of לֹא) implies a directive speech act.n1->n0n2אַל vs. לֹא"The negative morpheme אַל is only used in prohibitions" (Sjörs 2018, 167 🄼), whereas the negator לֹא "is typically used to negate independent verbal clauses which act as statements" (BHRG §41.9 🄶).n2->n1n3Exceptions"Sometimes in poetry אַל is used in an even looser way, in cases where one would expect לֹא" (JM §114k 🄶).n3->n2n4Special pleadingThe appeal to an indicative of the examples provided by JM (namely, Jer 46:6; Pss 41:3; 50:3; Prov 3:25; Job 5:22; Song 7:2; see also Ps 34:6 and Isa 2:9, as mentioned by Delitzsch 1871, 126 🄲). n4->n3n5Discourse co-textThe jussives express "the words of the righteous who hope that he will destroy the sinners in it [Zion]" (Ibn Ezra 🄲 own translation).n5->n0n6Parallelism of intensification (vv. 3–4)Verse 3 communicates a wish or prayer ("may he not...!"), which, in v. 4, "with the repetition of the sentence with לֹא and the confirming הִנֵּה, rises to a definite (objective) assurance or article of faith, thus producing a beautiful intensification of both verses" (Hupfeld 1871, 290 🄲).n6->n5n7ABAB structure in vv. 1-4Interpreting verse 3 as a wish or blessing ("May he not let your foot slip...!") makes "a stylistic parallel with verse 1 in which a question is posed concerning the origin of protection. Both lines (vv. 1 and 3) raise possibilities that are considered invalid for the pilgrim; in a sense they provide a foil for the confessions that follow (vv. 2 and 4) and make those confessions more striking. In this schema of parallelism 'maker of heaven and earth' (121:2b) qualifies 'my help' (121:1b), and 'keeper of Israel' (121:4v) defines 'your keeper' (121:3b)" (Creach 1996, 49–50 🄰).n7->n5


Conclusion (A-)

Research

Translations

Ancient

  • LXX: ἥξει, ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐ παρασιωπήσεται[4]
    • "[God] will come ... our God—and he will not pass by in silence"[5]
  • Iuxta Hebraeos: veniet Deus noster et non tacebit
    • "Our God will come and will not be silent."
  • Peshitta: ܢܐܬܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܘܠܐ ܢܫܬܘܩ[6]
    • "God will come and will not be silent."[7]
  • Targum: ייתי אלהנא ולא ישתוק[8]
    • "Let our God come, and not keep silence."[9]

Modern

Indicative

  • Our God is coming; he will not be silent! (CSB; cf. CEB, CJB, ESV, GNT, KJV, NABRE, NIV, REB)
  • Il vient, notre Dieu, il ne reste pas silencieux (SG21; cf. NBS)
  • Nuestro Dios viene, pero no en silencio (DHH; cf. RVC; RVR95)
  • Unser Gott kommt, und er wird nicht schweigen (ELB; cf. LUT 2017, ZÜR)

Jussive

  • May our God come and not keep silent (NASB; cf. NET, RJPS)
  • Qu'il vienne, notre Dieu, et ne se taise pas ! (TOB; cf. NFC, PDV)
  • Unser Gott möge kommen und nicht schweigen (EÜ)

Secondary Literature

Delitzsch, Franz. 1871. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
Ibn Ezra, Avram. Ibn Ezra on Psalms.
Meiri, Menachem. Meiri on Psalms.
Sjörs, Ambjörn. Historical Aspects of Standard Negation in Semitic. Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics 91. Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2018.

References

50:3

  1. ↑ Text from OSHB.
  2. ↑ Some translations representing the indicative view render the verbs in the present tense. See the modern translations listed at the bottom of this page.
  3. ↑ Some translations representing the jussive view understand this line as an isolated piece of direct discourse. See, e.g., the NET: "'May our God come and not be silent.' Consuming fire goes ahead of him, and all around him a storm rages."
  4. ↑ Rahlfs 1931, 161.
  5. ↑ NETS.
  6. ↑ CAL
  7. ↑ Taylor 2020, 193.
  8. ↑ CAL
  9. ↑ Stec 2004, 104.