The Heavens Declare and the Law Revives

Psa 19:4-6 (Hebrew_Bible_19:5-7) Since אמר and דברים are the speech and words of the heavens, which form the ruling principal notion, comprehending within itself both יום and לילה, the suffixes of קוּם and מלּיהם must unmistakeably refer to השׁמים in spite of its being necessary to assign another reference to קולם in Psa 19:4. Jer 31:39 shows how we are to understand קו in connection with יצא.

The measuring line of the heavens is gone forth into all the earth, i. e. , has taken entire possession of the earth. Psa 19:5 tells us what kind of measuring line is intended, viz. , that of their heraldship: their words (from מלּה, which is more Aramaic than Hebrew, and consequently more poetic) reach to the end of the world, they fill it completely, from its extreme boundary inwards.

Isaiah’s קו, Psa 28:1-9 :10, is inapplicable here, because it does not mean commandment, but rule, and is there used as a word of derision, rhyming with צו. The ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν of the lxx (ὁ ἦχος αὐτῶν Symm.) might more readily be justified, inasmuch as קו might mean a harpstring, as being a cord in tension, and then, like τόνος (cf. τοναία), a tone or sound (Gesenius in his Lex .

, and Ewald), if the reading קולם does not perhaps lie at the foundation of that rendering. But the usage of the language presents with signification of a measuring line for קו when used with יצא (Aq. κανών, cf. 2Co 10:13); and this gives a new thought, whereas in the other case we should merely have a repetition of what has been already expressed in Psa 19:4.

Paul makes use of these first two lines of the strophe in order, with its very words, to testify to the spread of the apostolic message over the whole earth. Hence most of the older expositors have taken the first half of the Psalm to be an allegorical prediction, the heavens being a figure of the church and the sun a figure of the gospel. The apostle does not, however, make a formal citation in the passage referred to, he merely gives a New Testament application to Old Testament language, by taking the all-penetrating praeconium coelorum as figure of the all-penetrating praeconium evangelii ; and he is fully justified in so doing by the parallel which the psalmist himself draws between the revelation of God in nature and in the written word.

The reference of בּהם to השׁמים is at once opposed by the tameness of the thought so obtained. The tent, viz. , the retreat (אהל, according to its radical meaning a dwelling, from אהל, cogn. אול, to retire from the open country) of the sun is indeed in the sky, but it is more naturally at the spot where the sky and the קצה תבל meet. Accordingly בהם has the neuter signification “there” (cf.

Isa 30:6); and there is so little ground for reading שׁם instead of שׂם, as Ewald does, that the poet on the contrary has written בהם and not שׁם, because he has just used שׂם (Hitzig). The name of the sun, which is always feminine in Arabic, is predominantly masculine in Hebrew and Aramaic (cf. on the other hand Gen 15:17, Nah 3:17, Isa 45:6, Mal 4:2); just as the Sabians and heathen Arabs had a sun-god (masc.)

. Accordingly in Psa 19:6 the sun is compared to a bridegroom, who comes forth in the morning out of his חפּה. Joe 2:16 shows that this word means a bride-chamber; properly (from חפף to cover) it means a canopy (Isa 4:5), whence in later Hebrew the bridal or portable canopy (Talmud. בּית גּננא), which is supported by four poles and borne by four boys, at the consecration of the bridal pair, and then also the marriage itself, is called chuppa .

The morning light has in it a freshness and cheerfulness, as it were a renewed youth. Therefore the morning sun is compared to a bridegroom, the desire of whose heart is satisfied, who stands as it were at the beginning of a new life, and in whose youthful countenance the joy of the wedding-day still shines. And as at its rising it is like a bridegroom, so in its rapid course (Sir.

43:5) it is like a hero (vid. , on Psa 18:34), inasmuch as it marches on its way ever anew, light-giving and triumphant, as often as it comes forth, with גּבוּרה (Jdg 5:31). From one end of heaven, the extreme east of the horizon, is its going forth, i. e. , rising (cf. Hos 6:3; the opposite is מבוא going in = setting), and its circuit (תּקוּפה, from קוּף = נקף, Isa 29:1, to revolve) על־קצותם, to their (the heavens') end (= עד Deu 4:32), cf.

1 Esdr. 4:34: ταχὺς τῷ δρόμῳ ὁ ἥλιος, ὅτι στρέφεται ἐν τῷ κύκλῳ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ πάλιν ἀποτρέχει εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τόπον ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ. On this open way there is not נסתּר, anything hidden, i. e. , anything that remains hidden, before its heat. חמּה is the enlightening and warming influence of the sun, which is also itself called חמּה in poetry.

Psa 19:7-9 (Hebrew_Bible_19:8-10) No sign is made use of to mark the transition from the one part to the other, but it is indicated by the introduction of the divine name יהוה instead of אל. The word of nature declares אל (God) to us, the word of Scripture יהוה (Jahve); the former God’s power and glory, the latter also His counsel and will. Now follow twelve encomiums of the Law, of which every two are related as antecedent and consequent, rising and falling according to the caesural schema, after the manner of waves.

One can discern how now the heart of the poet begins to beat with redoubled joy as he comes to speak of God’s word, the revelation of His will. תּורה does not in itself mean the law, but a pointing out, instruction, doctrine or teaching, and more particularly such as is divine, and therefore positive; whence it is also used of prophecy, Isa 1:10; Isa 8:16, and prophetically of the New Testament gospel, Isa 2:3.

But here no other divine revelation is meant than that given by the mediation of Moses, which is become the law, i. e. , the rule of life (νόμος), of Israel; and this law, too, as a whole not merely as to its hortatory and disciplinary character, but also including the promises contained in it. The praises which the poet pronounces upon the Law, are accurate even from the standpoint of the New Testament.

Even Paul says, Rom 7:12, Rom 7:14, “The Law is holy and spiritual, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. ” The Law merits these praises in itself; and to him who is in a state of favour, it is indeed no longer a law bringing a curse with it, but a mirror of the God merciful in holiness, into which he can look without slavish fear, and is a rule for the direction of his free and willing obedience.

And how totally different is the affection of the psalmists and prophets for the Law, - an affection based upon the essence and universal morality of the commandments, and upon a spiritual realisation of the letter, and the consolation of the promises, - from the pharisaical rabbinical service of the letter and the ceremonial in the period after the Exile! The divine Law is called תּמימה, “perfect,” i.

e. , spotless and harmless, as being absolutely well-meaning, and altogether directed towards the well-being of man. And משׁיבת נפשׁ restoring, bringing back, i. e. , imparting newness of life, quickening the soul (cf. Pil . שׁובב, Psa 23:3), to him, viz. , who obeys the will of God graciously declared therein, and enters upon the divine way or rule of salvation.

Then in the place of the word תורה we find עדוּת, - as the tables of the Ten Commandments (לחוּת העדוּת) are called, - from עוּד (העיד), which signifies not merely a corroborative, but also a warning and instructive testimony or attestation. The testimony of Jahve is נאמנה, made firm, sure, faithful, i. e. , raised above all doubt in its declarations, and verifying itself in its threatenings and promises; and hence מחכּימת פּתי, making wise simplicity, or the simple, lit.

, openness, the open (root פת to spread out, open, Indo-Germ. prat , πετ, pat , pad ), i. e. , easily led astray; to such an one it gives a solid basis and stability, σοφίζει αὐτὸν, 2Ti 3:15. The Law divides into פּקּוּדים, precepts or declarations concerning man’s obligation; these are ישׁרים, straight or upright, as a norma normata , because they proceed from the upright, absolutely good will of God, and as a norma normans they lead along a straight way in the right track.

They are therefore משׂמּחי לב, their educative guidance, taking one as it were by the hand, frees one from all tottering, satisfies a moral want, and preserves a joyous consciousness of being in the right way towards the right goal. מצות יהוה, Jahve’s statute (from צוּה statuere ), is the tenour of His commandments. The statute is a lamp - it is said in Pro 6:23 -and the law a light.

So here: it is בּרה, clear, like the light of the sun (Sol 6:10), and its light is imparted to other objects: מאירת עינים, enlightening the eyes, which refers not merely to the enlightening of the understanding, but of one’s whole condition; it makes the mind clear, and body as well as mind healthy and fresh, for the darkness of the eyes is sorrow, melancholy, and bewilderment. In this chain of names for the Law, יראת ה is not the fear of God as an act performed, but as a precept, it is what God’s revelation demands, effects, and maintains; so that it is the revealed way in which God is to be feared (Psa 34:12) - in short, it is the religion of Jahve (cf.

Pro 15:33 with Deu 17:19). This is טהורה, clean, pure, as the word which is like to pure gold, by which it is taught, Psa 12:7, cf. Job 28:19; and therefore עמדת לעד, enduring for ever in opposition to all false forms of reverencing God, which carry their own condemnation in themselves. משׁפּטי ה are the jura of the Law as a corpus juris divini , everything that is right and constitutes right according to the decision of Jahve.

These judgments are אמת, truth, which endures and verifies itself; because, in distinction from most others and those outside Israel, they have an unchangeable moral foundation: צדקוּ יחדּו, i. e. , they are צדיקים, in accordance with right and appropriate (Deu 4:8), altogether, because no reproach of inappositeness and sanctioned injustice or wrong clings to them.

The eternal will of God has attained a relatively perfect form and development in the Law of Jahve according to the standard set up as the law of the nation.

Psa 19:7-9 (Hebrew_Bible_19:8-10) No sign is made use of to mark the transition from the one part to the other, but it is indicated by the introduction of the divine name יהוה instead of אל. The word of nature declares אל (God) to us, the word of Scripture יהוה (Jahve); the former God’s power and glory, the latter also His counsel and will. Now follow twelve encomiums of the Law, of which every two are related as antecedent and consequent, rising and falling according to the caesural schema, after the manner of waves.

One can discern how now the heart of the poet begins to beat with redoubled joy as he comes to speak of God’s word, the revelation of His will. תּורה does not in itself mean the law, but a pointing out, instruction, doctrine or teaching, and more particularly such as is divine, and therefore positive; whence it is also used of prophecy, Isa 1:10; Isa 8:16, and prophetically of the New Testament gospel, Isa 2:3.

But here no other divine revelation is meant than that given by the mediation of Moses, which is become the law, i. e. , the rule of life (νόμος), of Israel; and this law, too, as a whole not merely as to its hortatory and disciplinary character, but also including the promises contained in it. The praises which the poet pronounces upon the Law, are accurate even from the standpoint of the New Testament.

Even Paul says, Rom 7:12, Rom 7:14, “The Law is holy and spiritual, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. ” The Law merits these praises in itself; and to him who is in a state of favour, it is indeed no longer a law bringing a curse with it, but a mirror of the God merciful in holiness, into which he can look without slavish fear, and is a rule for the direction of his free and willing obedience.

And how totally different is the affection of the psalmists and prophets for the Law, - an affection based upon the essence and universal morality of the commandments, and upon a spiritual realisation of the letter, and the consolation of the promises, - from the pharisaical rabbinical service of the letter and the ceremonial in the period after the Exile! The divine Law is called תּמימה, “perfect,” i.

e. , spotless and harmless, as being absolutely well-meaning, and altogether directed towards the well-being of man. And משׁיבת נפשׁ restoring, bringing back, i. e. , imparting newness of life, quickening the soul (cf. Pil . שׁובב, Psa 23:3), to him, viz. , who obeys the will of God graciously declared therein, and enters upon the divine way or rule of salvation.

Then in the place of the word תורה we find עדוּת, - as the tables of the Ten Commandments (לחוּת העדוּת) are called, - from עוּד (העיד), which signifies not merely a corroborative, but also a warning and instructive testimony or attestation. The testimony of Jahve is נאמנה, made firm, sure, faithful, i. e. , raised above all doubt in its declarations, and verifying itself in its threatenings and promises; and hence מחכּימת פּתי, making wise simplicity, or the simple, lit.

, openness, the open (root פת to spread out, open, Indo-Germ. prat , πετ, pat , pad ), i. e. , easily led astray; to such an one it gives a solid basis and stability, σοφίζει αὐτὸν, 2Ti 3:15. The Law divides into פּקּוּדים, precepts or declarations concerning man’s obligation; these are ישׁרים, straight or upright, as a norma normata , because they proceed from the upright, absolutely good will of God, and as a norma normans they lead along a straight way in the right track.

They are therefore משׂמּחי לב, their educative guidance, taking one as it were by the hand, frees one from all tottering, satisfies a moral want, and preserves a joyous consciousness of being in the right way towards the right goal. מצות יהוה, Jahve’s statute (from צוּה statuere ), is the tenour of His commandments. The statute is a lamp - it is said in Pro 6:23 -and the law a light.

So here: it is בּרה, clear, like the light of the sun (Sol 6:10), and its light is imparted to other objects: מאירת עינים, enlightening the eyes, which refers not merely to the enlightening of the understanding, but of one’s whole condition; it makes the mind clear, and body as well as mind healthy and fresh, for the darkness of the eyes is sorrow, melancholy, and bewilderment. In this chain of names for the Law, יראת ה is not the fear of God as an act performed, but as a precept, it is what God’s revelation demands, effects, and maintains; so that it is the revealed way in which God is to be feared (Psa 34:12) - in short, it is the religion of Jahve (cf.

Pro 15:33 with Deu 17:19). This is טהורה, clean, pure, as the word which is like to pure gold, by which it is taught, Psa 12:7, cf. Job 28:19; and therefore עמדת לעד, enduring for ever in opposition to all false forms of reverencing God, which carry their own condemnation in themselves. משׁפּטי ה are the jura of the Law as a corpus juris divini , everything that is right and constitutes right according to the decision of Jahve.

These judgments are אמת, truth, which endures and verifies itself; because, in distinction from most others and those outside Israel, they have an unchangeable moral foundation: צדקוּ יחדּו, i. e. , they are צדיקים, in accordance with right and appropriate (Deu 4:8), altogether, because no reproach of inappositeness and sanctioned injustice or wrong clings to them.

The eternal will of God has attained a relatively perfect form and development in the Law of Jahve according to the standard set up as the law of the nation.

Psa 19:7-9 (Hebrew_Bible_19:8-10) No sign is made use of to mark the transition from the one part to the other, but it is indicated by the introduction of the divine name יהוה instead of אל. The word of nature declares אל (God) to us, the word of Scripture יהוה (Jahve); the former God’s power and glory, the latter also His counsel and will. Now follow twelve encomiums of the Law, of which every two are related as antecedent and consequent, rising and falling according to the caesural schema, after the manner of waves.

One can discern how now the heart of the poet begins to beat with redoubled joy as he comes to speak of God’s word, the revelation of His will. תּורה does not in itself mean the law, but a pointing out, instruction, doctrine or teaching, and more particularly such as is divine, and therefore positive; whence it is also used of prophecy, Isa 1:10; Isa 8:16, and prophetically of the New Testament gospel, Isa 2:3.

But here no other divine revelation is meant than that given by the mediation of Moses, which is become the law, i. e. , the rule of life (νόμος), of Israel; and this law, too, as a whole not merely as to its hortatory and disciplinary character, but also including the promises contained in it. The praises which the poet pronounces upon the Law, are accurate even from the standpoint of the New Testament.

Even Paul says, Rom 7:12, Rom 7:14, “The Law is holy and spiritual, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. ” The Law merits these praises in itself; and to him who is in a state of favour, it is indeed no longer a law bringing a curse with it, but a mirror of the God merciful in holiness, into which he can look without slavish fear, and is a rule for the direction of his free and willing obedience.

And how totally different is the affection of the psalmists and prophets for the Law, - an affection based upon the essence and universal morality of the commandments, and upon a spiritual realisation of the letter, and the consolation of the promises, - from the pharisaical rabbinical service of the letter and the ceremonial in the period after the Exile! The divine Law is called תּמימה, “perfect,” i.

e. , spotless and harmless, as being absolutely well-meaning, and altogether directed towards the well-being of man. And משׁיבת נפשׁ restoring, bringing back, i. e. , imparting newness of life, quickening the soul (cf. Pil . שׁובב, Psa 23:3), to him, viz. , who obeys the will of God graciously declared therein, and enters upon the divine way or rule of salvation.

Then in the place of the word תורה we find עדוּת, - as the tables of the Ten Commandments (לחוּת העדוּת) are called, - from עוּד (העיד), which signifies not merely a corroborative, but also a warning and instructive testimony or attestation. The testimony of Jahve is נאמנה, made firm, sure, faithful, i. e. , raised above all doubt in its declarations, and verifying itself in its threatenings and promises; and hence מחכּימת פּתי, making wise simplicity, or the simple, lit.

, openness, the open (root פת to spread out, open, Indo-Germ. prat , πετ, pat , pad ), i. e. , easily led astray; to such an one it gives a solid basis and stability, σοφίζει αὐτὸν, 2Ti 3:15. The Law divides into פּקּוּדים, precepts or declarations concerning man’s obligation; these are ישׁרים, straight or upright, as a norma normata , because they proceed from the upright, absolutely good will of God, and as a norma normans they lead along a straight way in the right track.

They are therefore משׂמּחי לב, their educative guidance, taking one as it were by the hand, frees one from all tottering, satisfies a moral want, and preserves a joyous consciousness of being in the right way towards the right goal. מצות יהוה, Jahve’s statute (from צוּה statuere ), is the tenour of His commandments. The statute is a lamp - it is said in Pro 6:23 -and the law a light.

So here: it is בּרה, clear, like the light of the sun (Sol 6:10), and its light is imparted to other objects: מאירת עינים, enlightening the eyes, which refers not merely to the enlightening of the understanding, but of one’s whole condition; it makes the mind clear, and body as well as mind healthy and fresh, for the darkness of the eyes is sorrow, melancholy, and bewilderment. In this chain of names for the Law, יראת ה is not the fear of God as an act performed, but as a precept, it is what God’s revelation demands, effects, and maintains; so that it is the revealed way in which God is to be feared (Psa 34:12) - in short, it is the religion of Jahve (cf.

Pro 15:33 with Deu 17:19). This is טהורה, clean, pure, as the word which is like to pure gold, by which it is taught, Psa 12:7, cf. Job 28:19; and therefore עמדת לעד, enduring for ever in opposition to all false forms of reverencing God, which carry their own condemnation in themselves. משׁפּטי ה are the jura of the Law as a corpus juris divini , everything that is right and constitutes right according to the decision of Jahve.

These judgments are אמת, truth, which endures and verifies itself; because, in distinction from most others and those outside Israel, they have an unchangeable moral foundation: צדקוּ יחדּו, i. e. , they are צדיקים, in accordance with right and appropriate (Deu 4:8), altogether, because no reproach of inappositeness and sanctioned injustice or wrong clings to them.

The eternal will of God has attained a relatively perfect form and development in the Law of Jahve according to the standard set up as the law of the nation.

Psa 19:10-14 (Hebrew_Bible_19:10-14) With הנּחמדים (for which, preferring a simple Shebâ with the gutturals, Ben-Naphtali writes הנּחמּמדים) the poet sums up the characteristics enumerated; the article is summative, as in השּׁשּׁי at the close of the hexahemeron, Gen 1:31. פּז is the finest purified gold, cf. 1Ki 10:18 with 2Ch 9:17. נפת צוּפים “the discharge (from נפת = Arab.

nft ) of the honeycombs” is the virgin honey, i. e. , the honey that flows of itself out of the cells. To be desired are the revealed words of God, to him who possesses them as an outward possession; and to him who has received them inwardly they are sweet. The poet, who is himself conscious of being a servant of God, and of striving to act as such, makes use of these words for the end for which they are revealed: he is נזהר, one who suffers himself to be enlightened, instructed, and warned by them.

גּם belongs to נזהר (according to the usual arrangement of the words, e. g. , Hos 6:11), just as in Psa 19:14 it belongs to חשׂך. He knows that בּשׁמרם (with a subjective suffix in an objective sense, cf. Pro 25:7, just as we may also say:) in their observance is, or is included, great reward. עקב is that which follows upon one’s heels (עקב), or comes immediately after anything, and is used here of the result of conduct.

Thus, then, inasmuch as the Law is not only a copy of the divine will, but also a mirror of self-knowledge, in which a man may behold and come to know himself, he prays for forgiveness in respect of the many sins of infirmity, - though for the most part unperceived by him, - to which, even the pardoned one succumbs. שׁניאה (in the terminology of the Law, שׁננה, ἀγνόημα) comprehends the whole province of the peccatum involuntarium , both the peccatum ignoranitiae and the peccatum infirmitatis .

The question delicta quis intelligit is equivalent to the negative clause: no one can discern his faults, on account of the heart of man being unfathomable and on account of the disguise, oftentimes so plausible, and the subtlety of sin. Hence, as an inference, follows the prayer: pronounce me free also מנּסתּרות , ab occultis ( peccatis , which, however, cannot be supplied on grammatical grounds), equivalent to mee`alumiym (Psa 90:8), i.

e. , all those sins, which even he, who is most earnestly striving after sanctification, does not discern, although he may desire to know them, by reason of the ever limited nature of his knowledge both of himself and of sin. נקּה, δικαιοῦν, is a vox judicialis , to declare innocent, pronounce free from, to let go unpunished. The prayer for justification is followed in Psa 19:14 by the prayer for sanctification, and indeed for preservation against deliberate sins.

From זוּד, זיד, to seethe, boil over, Hiph . to sin wilfully, deliberately, insolently, - opp . of sin arising from infirmity, Exo 21:14; Deu 18:22; Deu 17:12, - is formed זד an insolent sinner, one who does not sin בּשׁננה, but בּזדון (cf. 1Sa 17:28, where David’s brethren bring this reproach against him), or בּיר רמה, and the neuter collective זדים (cf. סטים, Psa 101:3; Hos 5:2) peccata proaeretica or contra conscientiam , which cast one out of the state of grace or favour, Num 15:27-31.

For if זדים had been intended of arrogant and insolent possessors of power (Ewald), the prayer would have taken some other form than that of “keeping back” (חשׂך as in 1Sa 25:39 in the mouth of David). זדים, presumptuous sins, when they are repeated, become dominant sins, which irresistibly enslave the man (משׁל with a non-personal subject, as in Isa 3:4 , cf.

Psa 103:19); hence the last member of the climax (which advances from the peccatum involuntarium to the proaereticum , and from this to the regnans ): let them not have dominion over me (בי with Dechî in Baer; generally wrongly marked with Munach ). Then (אז), when Thou bestowest this twofold favour upon me, the favour of pardon and the grace of preservation, shall I be blameless (איתם 1 fut .

Kal , instead of אתּם, with י as a characteristic of ē ) and absolved (ונקּיתי not Piel, as in Psa 19:13, but Niph. , to be made pure, absolved) from great transgression. פּשׁע from פּשׁע(root פש), to spread out, go beyond the bounds, break through, trespass, is a collective name for deliberate and reigning, dominant sin, which breaks through man’s relation of favour with God, and consequently casts him out of favour, - in one word, for apostasy.

Finally, the psalmist supplicates a gracious acceptance of his prayer, in which both mouth and heart accord, supported by the faithfulness, stable as the rock (צוּרי), and redeeming love (גּואלי redemptor, vindex , root גל, חל, to loose, redeem) of his God. היה לרצון is a standing expression of the sacrificial tôra, e. g. , Lev 1:3. The לפניך, which, according to Exo 28:38, belongs to לרצון, stands in the second member in accordance with the “parallelism by postponement.

” Prayer is a sacrifice offered by the inner man. The heart meditates and fashions it; and the mouth presents it, by uttering that which is put into the form of words.

Psa 19:10-14 (Hebrew_Bible_19:10-14) With הנּחמדים (for which, preferring a simple Shebâ with the gutturals, Ben-Naphtali writes הנּחמּמדים) the poet sums up the characteristics enumerated; the article is summative, as in השּׁשּׁי at the close of the hexahemeron, Gen 1:31. פּז is the finest purified gold, cf. 1Ki 10:18 with 2Ch 9:17. נפת צוּפים “the discharge (from נפת = Arab.

nft ) of the honeycombs” is the virgin honey, i. e. , the honey that flows of itself out of the cells. To be desired are the revealed words of God, to him who possesses them as an outward possession; and to him who has received them inwardly they are sweet. The poet, who is himself conscious of being a servant of God, and of striving to act as such, makes use of these words for the end for which they are revealed: he is נזהר, one who suffers himself to be enlightened, instructed, and warned by them.

גּם belongs to נזהר (according to the usual arrangement of the words, e. g. , Hos 6:11), just as in Psa 19:14 it belongs to חשׂך. He knows that בּשׁמרם (with a subjective suffix in an objective sense, cf. Pro 25:7, just as we may also say:) in their observance is, or is included, great reward. עקב is that which follows upon one’s heels (עקב), or comes immediately after anything, and is used here of the result of conduct.

Thus, then, inasmuch as the Law is not only a copy of the divine will, but also a mirror of self-knowledge, in which a man may behold and come to know himself, he prays for forgiveness in respect of the many sins of infirmity, - though for the most part unperceived by him, - to which, even the pardoned one succumbs. שׁניאה (in the terminology of the Law, שׁננה, ἀγνόημα) comprehends the whole province of the peccatum involuntarium , both the peccatum ignoranitiae and the peccatum infirmitatis .

The question delicta quis intelligit is equivalent to the negative clause: no one can discern his faults, on account of the heart of man being unfathomable and on account of the disguise, oftentimes so plausible, and the subtlety of sin. Hence, as an inference, follows the prayer: pronounce me free also מנּסתּרות , ab occultis ( peccatis , which, however, cannot be supplied on grammatical grounds), equivalent to mee`alumiym (Psa 90:8), i.

e. , all those sins, which even he, who is most earnestly striving after sanctification, does not discern, although he may desire to know them, by reason of the ever limited nature of his knowledge both of himself and of sin. נקּה, δικαιοῦν, is a vox judicialis , to declare innocent, pronounce free from, to let go unpunished. The prayer for justification is followed in Psa 19:14 by the prayer for sanctification, and indeed for preservation against deliberate sins.

From זוּד, זיד, to seethe, boil over, Hiph . to sin wilfully, deliberately, insolently, - opp . of sin arising from infirmity, Exo 21:14; Deu 18:22; Deu 17:12, - is formed זד an insolent sinner, one who does not sin בּשׁננה, but בּזדון (cf. 1Sa 17:28, where David’s brethren bring this reproach against him), or בּיר רמה, and the neuter collective זדים (cf. סטים, Psa 101:3; Hos 5:2) peccata proaeretica or contra conscientiam , which cast one out of the state of grace or favour, Num 15:27-31.

For if זדים had been intended of arrogant and insolent possessors of power (Ewald), the prayer would have taken some other form than that of “keeping back” (חשׂך as in 1Sa 25:39 in the mouth of David). זדים, presumptuous sins, when they are repeated, become dominant sins, which irresistibly enslave the man (משׁל with a non-personal subject, as in Isa 3:4 , cf.

Psa 103:19); hence the last member of the climax (which advances from the peccatum involuntarium to the proaereticum , and from this to the regnans ): let them not have dominion over me (בי with Dechî in Baer; generally wrongly marked with Munach ). Then (אז), when Thou bestowest this twofold favour upon me, the favour of pardon and the grace of preservation, shall I be blameless (איתם 1 fut .

Kal , instead of אתּם, with י as a characteristic of ē ) and absolved (ונקּיתי not Piel, as in Psa 19:13, but Niph. , to be made pure, absolved) from great transgression. פּשׁע from פּשׁע(root פש), to spread out, go beyond the bounds, break through, trespass, is a collective name for deliberate and reigning, dominant sin, which breaks through man’s relation of favour with God, and consequently casts him out of favour, - in one word, for apostasy.

Finally, the psalmist supplicates a gracious acceptance of his prayer, in which both mouth and heart accord, supported by the faithfulness, stable as the rock (צוּרי), and redeeming love (גּואלי redemptor, vindex , root גל, חל, to loose, redeem) of his God. היה לרצון is a standing expression of the sacrificial tôra, e. g. , Lev 1:3. The לפניך, which, according to Exo 28:38, belongs to לרצון, stands in the second member in accordance with the “parallelism by postponement.

” Prayer is a sacrifice offered by the inner man. The heart meditates and fashions it; and the mouth presents it, by uttering that which is put into the form of words.

Psa 19:10-14 (Hebrew_Bible_19:10-14) With הנּחמדים (for which, preferring a simple Shebâ with the gutturals, Ben-Naphtali writes הנּחמּמדים) the poet sums up the characteristics enumerated; the article is summative, as in השּׁשּׁי at the close of the hexahemeron, Gen 1:31. פּז is the finest purified gold, cf. 1Ki 10:18 with 2Ch 9:17. נפת צוּפים “the discharge (from נפת = Arab.

nft ) of the honeycombs” is the virgin honey, i. e. , the honey that flows of itself out of the cells. To be desired are the revealed words of God, to him who possesses them as an outward possession; and to him who has received them inwardly they are sweet. The poet, who is himself conscious of being a servant of God, and of striving to act as such, makes use of these words for the end for which they are revealed: he is נזהר, one who suffers himself to be enlightened, instructed, and warned by them.

גּם belongs to נזהר (according to the usual arrangement of the words, e. g. , Hos 6:11), just as in Psa 19:14 it belongs to חשׂך. He knows that בּשׁמרם (with a subjective suffix in an objective sense, cf. Pro 25:7, just as we may also say:) in their observance is, or is included, great reward. עקב is that which follows upon one’s heels (עקב), or comes immediately after anything, and is used here of the result of conduct.

Thus, then, inasmuch as the Law is not only a copy of the divine will, but also a mirror of self-knowledge, in which a man may behold and come to know himself, he prays for forgiveness in respect of the many sins of infirmity, - though for the most part unperceived by him, - to which, even the pardoned one succumbs. שׁניאה (in the terminology of the Law, שׁננה, ἀγνόημα) comprehends the whole province of the peccatum involuntarium , both the peccatum ignoranitiae and the peccatum infirmitatis .

The question delicta quis intelligit is equivalent to the negative clause: no one can discern his faults, on account of the heart of man being unfathomable and on account of the disguise, oftentimes so plausible, and the subtlety of sin. Hence, as an inference, follows the prayer: pronounce me free also מנּסתּרות , ab occultis ( peccatis , which, however, cannot be supplied on grammatical grounds), equivalent to mee`alumiym (Psa 90:8), i.

e. , all those sins, which even he, who is most earnestly striving after sanctification, does not discern, although he may desire to know them, by reason of the ever limited nature of his knowledge both of himself and of sin. נקּה, δικαιοῦν, is a vox judicialis , to declare innocent, pronounce free from, to let go unpunished. The prayer for justification is followed in Psa 19:14 by the prayer for sanctification, and indeed for preservation against deliberate sins.

From זוּד, זיד, to seethe, boil over, Hiph . to sin wilfully, deliberately, insolently, - opp . of sin arising from infirmity, Exo 21:14; Deu 18:22; Deu 17:12, - is formed זד an insolent sinner, one who does not sin בּשׁננה, but בּזדון (cf. 1Sa 17:28, where David’s brethren bring this reproach against him), or בּיר רמה, and the neuter collective זדים (cf. סטים, Psa 101:3; Hos 5:2) peccata proaeretica or contra conscientiam , which cast one out of the state of grace or favour, Num 15:27-31.

For if זדים had been intended of arrogant and insolent possessors of power (Ewald), the prayer would have taken some other form than that of “keeping back” (חשׂך as in 1Sa 25:39 in the mouth of David). זדים, presumptuous sins, when they are repeated, become dominant sins, which irresistibly enslave the man (משׁל with a non-personal subject, as in Isa 3:4 , cf.

Psa 103:19); hence the last member of the climax (which advances from the peccatum involuntarium to the proaereticum , and from this to the regnans ): let them not have dominion over me (בי with Dechî in Baer; generally wrongly marked with Munach ). Then (אז), when Thou bestowest this twofold favour upon me, the favour of pardon and the grace of preservation, shall I be blameless (איתם 1 fut .

Kal , instead of אתּם, with י as a characteristic of ē ) and absolved (ונקּיתי not Piel, as in Psa 19:13, but Niph. , to be made pure, absolved) from great transgression. פּשׁע from פּשׁע(root פש), to spread out, go beyond the bounds, break through, trespass, is a collective name for deliberate and reigning, dominant sin, which breaks through man’s relation of favour with God, and consequently casts him out of favour, - in one word, for apostasy.

Finally, the psalmist supplicates a gracious acceptance of his prayer, in which both mouth and heart accord, supported by the faithfulness, stable as the rock (צוּרי), and redeeming love (גּואלי redemptor, vindex , root גל, חל, to loose, redeem) of his God. היה לרצון is a standing expression of the sacrificial tôra, e. g. , Lev 1:3. The לפניך, which, according to Exo 28:38, belongs to לרצון, stands in the second member in accordance with the “parallelism by postponement.

” Prayer is a sacrifice offered by the inner man. The heart meditates and fashions it; and the mouth presents it, by uttering that which is put into the form of words.

Psa 19:10-14 (Hebrew_Bible_19:10-14) With הנּחמדים (for which, preferring a simple Shebâ with the gutturals, Ben-Naphtali writes הנּחמּמדים) the poet sums up the characteristics enumerated; the article is summative, as in השּׁשּׁי at the close of the hexahemeron, Gen 1:31. פּז is the finest purified gold, cf. 1Ki 10:18 with 2Ch 9:17. נפת צוּפים “the discharge (from נפת = Arab.

nft ) of the honeycombs” is the virgin honey, i. e. , the honey that flows of itself out of the cells. To be desired are the revealed words of God, to him who possesses them as an outward possession; and to him who has received them inwardly they are sweet. The poet, who is himself conscious of being a servant of God, and of striving to act as such, makes use of these words for the end for which they are revealed: he is נזהר, one who suffers himself to be enlightened, instructed, and warned by them.

גּם belongs to נזהר (according to the usual arrangement of the words, e. g. , Hos 6:11), just as in Psa 19:14 it belongs to חשׂך. He knows that בּשׁמרם (with a subjective suffix in an objective sense, cf. Pro 25:7, just as we may also say:) in their observance is, or is included, great reward. עקב is that which follows upon one’s heels (עקב), or comes immediately after anything, and is used here of the result of conduct.

Thus, then, inasmuch as the Law is not only a copy of the divine will, but also a mirror of self-knowledge, in which a man may behold and come to know himself, he prays for forgiveness in respect of the many sins of infirmity, - though for the most part unperceived by him, - to which, even the pardoned one succumbs. שׁניאה (in the terminology of the Law, שׁננה, ἀγνόημα) comprehends the whole province of the peccatum involuntarium , both the peccatum ignoranitiae and the peccatum infirmitatis .

The question delicta quis intelligit is equivalent to the negative clause: no one can discern his faults, on account of the heart of man being unfathomable and on account of the disguise, oftentimes so plausible, and the subtlety of sin. Hence, as an inference, follows the prayer: pronounce me free also מנּסתּרות , ab occultis ( peccatis , which, however, cannot be supplied on grammatical grounds), equivalent to mee`alumiym (Psa 90:8), i.

e. , all those sins, which even he, who is most earnestly striving after sanctification, does not discern, although he may desire to know them, by reason of the ever limited nature of his knowledge both of himself and of sin. נקּה, δικαιοῦν, is a vox judicialis , to declare innocent, pronounce free from, to let go unpunished. The prayer for justification is followed in Psa 19:14 by the prayer for sanctification, and indeed for preservation against deliberate sins.

From זוּד, זיד, to seethe, boil over, Hiph . to sin wilfully, deliberately, insolently, - opp . of sin arising from infirmity, Exo 21:14; Deu 18:22; Deu 17:12, - is formed זד an insolent sinner, one who does not sin בּשׁננה, but בּזדון (cf. 1Sa 17:28, where David’s brethren bring this reproach against him), or בּיר רמה, and the neuter collective זדים (cf. סטים, Psa 101:3; Hos 5:2) peccata proaeretica or contra conscientiam , which cast one out of the state of grace or favour, Num 15:27-31.

For if זדים had been intended of arrogant and insolent possessors of power (Ewald), the prayer would have taken some other form than that of “keeping back” (חשׂך as in 1Sa 25:39 in the mouth of David). זדים, presumptuous sins, when they are repeated, become dominant sins, which irresistibly enslave the man (משׁל with a non-personal subject, as in Isa 3:4 , cf.

Psa 103:19); hence the last member of the climax (which advances from the peccatum involuntarium to the proaereticum , and from this to the regnans ): let them not have dominion over me (בי with Dechî in Baer; generally wrongly marked with Munach ). Then (אז), when Thou bestowest this twofold favour upon me, the favour of pardon and the grace of preservation, shall I be blameless (איתם 1 fut .

Kal , instead of אתּם, with י as a characteristic of ē ) and absolved (ונקּיתי not Piel, as in Psa 19:13, but Niph. , to be made pure, absolved) from great transgression. פּשׁע from פּשׁע(root פש), to spread out, go beyond the bounds, break through, trespass, is a collective name for deliberate and reigning, dominant sin, which breaks through man’s relation of favour with God, and consequently casts him out of favour, - in one word, for apostasy.

Finally, the psalmist supplicates a gracious acceptance of his prayer, in which both mouth and heart accord, supported by the faithfulness, stable as the rock (צוּרי), and redeeming love (גּואלי redemptor, vindex , root גל, חל, to loose, redeem) of his God. היה לרצון is a standing expression of the sacrificial tôra, e. g. , Lev 1:3. The לפניך, which, according to Exo 28:38, belongs to לרצון, stands in the second member in accordance with the “parallelism by postponement.

” Prayer is a sacrifice offered by the inner man. The heart meditates and fashions it; and the mouth presents it, by uttering that which is put into the form of words.

Psa 19:10-14 (Hebrew_Bible_19:10-14) With הנּחמדים (for which, preferring a simple Shebâ with the gutturals, Ben-Naphtali writes הנּחמּמדים) the poet sums up the characteristics enumerated; the article is summative, as in השּׁשּׁי at the close of the hexahemeron, Gen 1:31. פּז is the finest purified gold, cf. 1Ki 10:18 with 2Ch 9:17. נפת צוּפים “the discharge (from נפת = Arab.

nft ) of the honeycombs” is the virgin honey, i. e. , the honey that flows of itself out of the cells. To be desired are the revealed words of God, to him who possesses them as an outward possession; and to him who has received them inwardly they are sweet. The poet, who is himself conscious of being a servant of God, and of striving to act as such, makes use of these words for the end for which they are revealed: he is נזהר, one who suffers himself to be enlightened, instructed, and warned by them.

גּם belongs to נזהר (according to the usual arrangement of the words, e. g. , Hos 6:11), just as in Psa 19:14 it belongs to חשׂך. He knows that בּשׁמרם (with a subjective suffix in an objective sense, cf. Pro 25:7, just as we may also say:) in their observance is, or is included, great reward. עקב is that which follows upon one’s heels (עקב), or comes immediately after anything, and is used here of the result of conduct.

Thus, then, inasmuch as the Law is not only a copy of the divine will, but also a mirror of self-knowledge, in which a man may behold and come to know himself, he prays for forgiveness in respect of the many sins of infirmity, - though for the most part unperceived by him, - to which, even the pardoned one succumbs. שׁניאה (in the terminology of the Law, שׁננה, ἀγνόημα) comprehends the whole province of the peccatum involuntarium , both the peccatum ignoranitiae and the peccatum infirmitatis .

The question delicta quis intelligit is equivalent to the negative clause: no one can discern his faults, on account of the heart of man being unfathomable and on account of the disguise, oftentimes so plausible, and the subtlety of sin. Hence, as an inference, follows the prayer: pronounce me free also מנּסתּרות , ab occultis ( peccatis , which, however, cannot be supplied on grammatical grounds), equivalent to mee`alumiym (Psa 90:8), i.

e. , all those sins, which even he, who is most earnestly striving after sanctification, does not discern, although he may desire to know them, by reason of the ever limited nature of his knowledge both of himself and of sin. נקּה, δικαιοῦν, is a vox judicialis , to declare innocent, pronounce free from, to let go unpunished. The prayer for justification is followed in Psa 19:14 by the prayer for sanctification, and indeed for preservation against deliberate sins.

From זוּד, זיד, to seethe, boil over, Hiph . to sin wilfully, deliberately, insolently, - opp . of sin arising from infirmity, Exo 21:14; Deu 18:22; Deu 17:12, - is formed זד an insolent sinner, one who does not sin בּשׁננה, but בּזדון (cf. 1Sa 17:28, where David’s brethren bring this reproach against him), or בּיר רמה, and the neuter collective זדים (cf. סטים, Psa 101:3; Hos 5:2) peccata proaeretica or contra conscientiam , which cast one out of the state of grace or favour, Num 15:27-31.

For if זדים had been intended of arrogant and insolent possessors of power (Ewald), the prayer would have taken some other form than that of “keeping back” (חשׂך as in 1Sa 25:39 in the mouth of David). זדים, presumptuous sins, when they are repeated, become dominant sins, which irresistibly enslave the man (משׁל with a non-personal subject, as in Isa 3:4 , cf.

Psa 103:19); hence the last member of the climax (which advances from the peccatum involuntarium to the proaereticum , and from this to the regnans ): let them not have dominion over me (בי with Dechî in Baer; generally wrongly marked with Munach ). Then (אז), when Thou bestowest this twofold favour upon me, the favour of pardon and the grace of preservation, shall I be blameless (איתם 1 fut .

Kal , instead of אתּם, with י as a characteristic of ē ) and absolved (ונקּיתי not Piel, as in Psa 19:13, but Niph. , to be made pure, absolved) from great transgression. פּשׁע from פּשׁע(root פש), to spread out, go beyond the bounds, break through, trespass, is a collective name for deliberate and reigning, dominant sin, which breaks through man’s relation of favour with God, and consequently casts him out of favour, - in one word, for apostasy.

Finally, the psalmist supplicates a gracious acceptance of his prayer, in which both mouth and heart accord, supported by the faithfulness, stable as the rock (צוּרי), and redeeming love (גּואלי redemptor, vindex , root גל, חל, to loose, redeem) of his God. היה לרצון is a standing expression of the sacrificial tôra, e. g. , Lev 1:3. The לפניך, which, according to Exo 28:38, belongs to לרצון, stands in the second member in accordance with the “parallelism by postponement.

” Prayer is a sacrifice offered by the inner man. The heart meditates and fashions it; and the mouth presents it, by uttering that which is put into the form of words.

To Psa 19:1-14 is closely attached Psa 20:1-9, because its commencement is as it were the echo of the prayer with which the former closes; and to Psa 20:1-9 is closely attached Psa 21:1-13, because both Psalms refer to the same event relatively, as prayer and thanksgiving. Psa 20:1-9 is an intercessory psalm of the nation, and Psa 21:1-13 a thanksgiving psalm of the nation, on behalf of its king.

It is clearly manifest that the two Psalms form a pair, being connected by unity of author and subject. They both open somewhat uniformly with a synonymous parallelism of the members, Psa 20:2-6; Psa 21:2-8; they then increase in fervour and assume a more vivid colouring as they come to speak of the foes of the king and the empire, Psa 20:7-9; Psa 21:9-13; and they both close with an ejaculatory cry to Jahve, Ps 20:10; 21:14.

In both, the king is apostrophised through the course of the several verses, Psa 20:2-6; Psa 21:9-13; and here and there this is done in a way that provokes the question whether the words are not rather addressed to Jahve, Psa 20:6; Psa 21:10. In both Psalms the king is referred to by המּלך, Ps 20:10; Psa 21:8; both comprehend the goal of the desires in the word ישׁוּעה, Psa 20:6, cf.

Psa 20:7, Psa 21:2, Psa 21:6; both delight in rare forms of expression, which are found only in these instances in the whole range of Old Testament literature, viz. , נדגל Psa 20:6, נתעדד Psa 20:9, ארשׁת Psa 21:3, תחדהו, Psa 21:7. If, as the לדוד indicates, they formed part of the oldest Davidic Psalter, then it is notwithstanding more probable that their author is a contemporary poet, than that it is David himself.

For, although both as to form of expression (cf. Psa 21:12 with Psa 10:2) and as to thoughts (cf. Psa 21:7 with Psa 16:11), they exhibit some points of contact with Davidic Psalms, they still stand isolated by their peculiar character. But that David is their subject, as the inscription לדוד, and their position in the midst of the Davidic Psalms, lead one to expect, is capable of confirmation.

During the time of the Syro-Ammonitish war comes David’s deep fall, which in itself and in its consequences made him sick both in soul and in body. It was not until he was again restored to God’s favour out of this self-incurred peril, that he went to his army which lay before Rabbath Ammon, and completed the conquest of the royal city of the enemy. The most satisfactory explanation of the situation referred to in this couplet of Psalms is to be gained from 2 Sam 11-12.

Psa 20:1-9 prays for the recovery of the king, who is involved in war with powerful foes; and Psa 21:1-13 gives thanks for his recovery, and wishes him a victorious issue to the approaching campaign. The “chariots and horses” (Psa 20:8) are characteristic of the military power of Aram (2Sa 10:18, and frequently), and in Psa 21:4 and Psa 21:10 we perceive an allusion to 2Sa 12:30-31, or at least a remarkable agreement with what is there recorded.

Psa 20:1-5 (Hebrew_Bible_20:2-6) Litany for the king in distress, who offers sacrifices for himself in the sanctuary. The futures in Psa 20:2, standing five times at the head of the climactic members of the parallelism, are optatives. ימלּא, Psa 20:6, also continues the chain of wishes, of which even נרננה (cf. Psa 69:15) forms one of the links. The wishes of the people accompany both the prayer and the sacrifice.

“The Name of the God of Jacob” is the self-manifesting power and grace of the God of Israel. יעקב is used in poetry interchangeably with ישראל, just like אלהים with יהוה. Alshêch refers to Gen 35:3; and it is not improbable that the desire moulds itself after the fashion of the record of the fact there handed down to us. May Jahve, who, as the history of Jacob shows, hears (and answers) in the day of distress, hear the king; may the Name of the God of Jacob bear him away from his foes to a triumphant height.

שׂגּב alternates with רומם (Psa 18:49) in this sense. This intercession on the behalf of the praying one is made in the sanctuary on the heights of Zion, where Jahve sits enthroned. May He send him succour from thence, like auxiliary troops that decide the victory. The king offers sacrifice. He offers sacrifice according to custom before the commencement of the battle (1Sa 13:9.

, and cf. the phrase קדּשׁ מלחמה), a whole burnt-offering and at the same time a meat or rather meal offering also, מנחות; for every whole offering and every shelamim - or peace-offering had a meat-offering and a drink-offering as its indispensable accompaniment. The word זכר is perfectly familiar in the ritual of the meal-offering. That portion of the meal-offering, only a part of which was placed upon the altar (to which, however, according to traditional practice, does not belong the accompanying meal-offering of the מנחת נסכים, which was entirely devoted to the altar), which ascended with the altar fire is called אזכּרה, μνημόσυνον (cf.

Act 10:4), that which brings to remembrance with God him for whom it is offered up (not “incense,” as Hupfeld renders it); for the designation of the offering of jealousy, Num 5:15, as “bringing iniquity to remembrance before God” shows, that in the meal-offering ritual זכר retains the very same meaning that it has in other instances. Every meal-offering is in a certain sense a מנחת זכּרון a esnes .

Hence here the prayer that Jahve would graciously remember them is combined with the meal-offerings. As regards the ‛olah , the wish “let fire from heaven (Lev 9:24; 1Ki 18:38; 1Ch 21:26) turn it to ashes,” would not be vain. But the language does not refer to anything extraordinary; and in itself the consumption of the offering to ashes (Böttcher) is no mark of gracious acceptance.

Moreover, as a denominative from דּשׁן, fat ashes, דּשּׁן means “to clean from ashes,” and not: to turn into ashes. On the other hand, דּשּׁן also signifies “to make fat,” Psa 23:5, and this effective signification is applied declaratively in this instance: may He find thy burnt-offering fat, which is equivalent to: may it be to Him a ריח ניחח [an odour of satisfaction, a sweet-smelling savour].

The voluntative ah only occurs here and in Job 11:17 (which see) and Isa 5:19, in the 3 pers . ; and in this instance, just as with the cohortative in 1Sa 28:15, we have a change of the lengthening into a sharpening of the sound (cf. the exactly similar change of forms in 1Sa 28:15; Isa 59:5; Zec 5:4; Pro 24:14; Eze 25:13) as is very frequently the case in מה for מה.

The alteration to ידשּׁנה or ידשׁנהּ (Hitzig) is a felicitous but needless way of getting rid of the rare form. The explanation of the intensifying of the music here is, that the intercessory song of the choir is to be simultaneous with the presentation upon the altar (הקטרה). עצה is the resolution formed in the present wartime. “Because of thy salvation,” i.

e. , thy success in war, is, as all the language is here, addressed to the king, cf. Psa 21:2, where it is addressed to Jahve, and intended of the victory accorded to him. It is needless to read נגדּל instead of נדגּל, after the rendering of the lxx megaluntheeso'metha. נדגּל is a denominative from דּגל: to wave a banner. In the closing line, the rejoicing of hope goes back again to the present and again assumes the form of an intercessory desire.

Psa 20:1-5 (Hebrew_Bible_20:2-6) Litany for the king in distress, who offers sacrifices for himself in the sanctuary. The futures in Psa 20:2, standing five times at the head of the climactic members of the parallelism, are optatives. ימלּא, Psa 20:6, also continues the chain of wishes, of which even נרננה (cf. Psa 69:15) forms one of the links. The wishes of the people accompany both the prayer and the sacrifice.

“The Name of the God of Jacob” is the self-manifesting power and grace of the God of Israel. יעקב is used in poetry interchangeably with ישראל, just like אלהים with יהוה. Alshêch refers to Gen 35:3; and it is not improbable that the desire moulds itself after the fashion of the record of the fact there handed down to us. May Jahve, who, as the history of Jacob shows, hears (and answers) in the day of distress, hear the king; may the Name of the God of Jacob bear him away from his foes to a triumphant height.

שׂגּב alternates with רומם (Psa 18:49) in this sense. This intercession on the behalf of the praying one is made in the sanctuary on the heights of Zion, where Jahve sits enthroned. May He send him succour from thence, like auxiliary troops that decide the victory. The king offers sacrifice. He offers sacrifice according to custom before the commencement of the battle (1Sa 13:9.

, and cf. the phrase קדּשׁ מלחמה), a whole burnt-offering and at the same time a meat or rather meal offering also, מנחות; for every whole offering and every shelamim - or peace-offering had a meat-offering and a drink-offering as its indispensable accompaniment. The word זכר is perfectly familiar in the ritual of the meal-offering. That portion of the meal-offering, only a part of which was placed upon the altar (to which, however, according to traditional practice, does not belong the accompanying meal-offering of the מנחת נסכים, which was entirely devoted to the altar), which ascended with the altar fire is called אזכּרה, μνημόσυνον (cf.

Act 10:4), that which brings to remembrance with God him for whom it is offered up (not “incense,” as Hupfeld renders it); for the designation of the offering of jealousy, Num 5:15, as “bringing iniquity to remembrance before God” shows, that in the meal-offering ritual זכר retains the very same meaning that it has in other instances. Every meal-offering is in a certain sense a מנחת זכּרון a esnes .

Hence here the prayer that Jahve would graciously remember them is combined with the meal-offerings. As regards the ‛olah , the wish “let fire from heaven (Lev 9:24; 1Ki 18:38; 1Ch 21:26) turn it to ashes,” would not be vain. But the language does not refer to anything extraordinary; and in itself the consumption of the offering to ashes (Böttcher) is no mark of gracious acceptance.

Moreover, as a denominative from דּשׁן, fat ashes, דּשּׁן means “to clean from ashes,” and not: to turn into ashes. On the other hand, דּשּׁן also signifies “to make fat,” Psa 23:5, and this effective signification is applied declaratively in this instance: may He find thy burnt-offering fat, which is equivalent to: may it be to Him a ריח ניחח [an odour of satisfaction, a sweet-smelling savour].

The voluntative ah only occurs here and in Job 11:17 (which see) and Isa 5:19, in the 3 pers . ; and in this instance, just as with the cohortative in 1Sa 28:15, we have a change of the lengthening into a sharpening of the sound (cf. the exactly similar change of forms in 1Sa 28:15; Isa 59:5; Zec 5:4; Pro 24:14; Eze 25:13) as is very frequently the case in מה for מה.

The alteration to ידשּׁנה or ידשׁנהּ (Hitzig) is a felicitous but needless way of getting rid of the rare form. The explanation of the intensifying of the music here is, that the intercessory song of the choir is to be simultaneous with the presentation upon the altar (הקטרה). עצה is the resolution formed in the present wartime. “Because of thy salvation,” i.

e. , thy success in war, is, as all the language is here, addressed to the king, cf. Psa 21:2, where it is addressed to Jahve, and intended of the victory accorded to him. It is needless to read נגדּל instead of נדגּל, after the rendering of the lxx megaluntheeso'metha. נדגּל is a denominative from דּגל: to wave a banner. In the closing line, the rejoicing of hope goes back again to the present and again assumes the form of an intercessory desire.

Psa 20:1-5 (Hebrew_Bible_20:2-6) Litany for the king in distress, who offers sacrifices for himself in the sanctuary. The futures in Psa 20:2, standing five times at the head of the climactic members of the parallelism, are optatives. ימלּא, Psa 20:6, also continues the chain of wishes, of which even נרננה (cf. Psa 69:15) forms one of the links. The wishes of the people accompany both the prayer and the sacrifice.

“The Name of the God of Jacob” is the self-manifesting power and grace of the God of Israel. יעקב is used in poetry interchangeably with ישראל, just like אלהים with יהוה. Alshêch refers to Gen 35:3; and it is not improbable that the desire moulds itself after the fashion of the record of the fact there handed down to us. May Jahve, who, as the history of Jacob shows, hears (and answers) in the day of distress, hear the king; may the Name of the God of Jacob bear him away from his foes to a triumphant height.

שׂגּב alternates with רומם (Psa 18:49) in this sense. This intercession on the behalf of the praying one is made in the sanctuary on the heights of Zion, where Jahve sits enthroned. May He send him succour from thence, like auxiliary troops that decide the victory. The king offers sacrifice. He offers sacrifice according to custom before the commencement of the battle (1Sa 13:9.

, and cf. the phrase קדּשׁ מלחמה), a whole burnt-offering and at the same time a meat or rather meal offering also, מנחות; for every whole offering and every shelamim - or peace-offering had a meat-offering and a drink-offering as its indispensable accompaniment. The word זכר is perfectly familiar in the ritual of the meal-offering. That portion of the meal-offering, only a part of which was placed upon the altar (to which, however, according to traditional practice, does not belong the accompanying meal-offering of the מנחת נסכים, which was entirely devoted to the altar), which ascended with the altar fire is called אזכּרה, μνημόσυνον (cf.

Act 10:4), that which brings to remembrance with God him for whom it is offered up (not “incense,” as Hupfeld renders it); for the designation of the offering of jealousy, Num 5:15, as “bringing iniquity to remembrance before God” shows, that in the meal-offering ritual זכר retains the very same meaning that it has in other instances. Every meal-offering is in a certain sense a מנחת זכּרון a esnes .

Hence here the prayer that Jahve would graciously remember them is combined with the meal-offerings. As regards the ‛olah , the wish “let fire from heaven (Lev 9:24; 1Ki 18:38; 1Ch 21:26) turn it to ashes,” would not be vain. But the language does not refer to anything extraordinary; and in itself the consumption of the offering to ashes (Böttcher) is no mark of gracious acceptance.

Moreover, as a denominative from דּשׁן, fat ashes, דּשּׁן means “to clean from ashes,” and not: to turn into ashes. On the other hand, דּשּׁן also signifies “to make fat,” Psa 23:5, and this effective signification is applied declaratively in this instance: may He find thy burnt-offering fat, which is equivalent to: may it be to Him a ריח ניחח [an odour of satisfaction, a sweet-smelling savour].

The voluntative ah only occurs here and in Job 11:17 (which see) and Isa 5:19, in the 3 pers . ; and in this instance, just as with the cohortative in 1Sa 28:15, we have a change of the lengthening into a sharpening of the sound (cf. the exactly similar change of forms in 1Sa 28:15; Isa 59:5; Zec 5:4; Pro 24:14; Eze 25:13) as is very frequently the case in מה for מה.

The alteration to ידשּׁנה or ידשׁנהּ (Hitzig) is a felicitous but needless way of getting rid of the rare form. The explanation of the intensifying of the music here is, that the intercessory song of the choir is to be simultaneous with the presentation upon the altar (הקטרה). עצה is the resolution formed in the present wartime. “Because of thy salvation,” i.

e. , thy success in war, is, as all the language is here, addressed to the king, cf. Psa 21:2, where it is addressed to Jahve, and intended of the victory accorded to him. It is needless to read נגדּל instead of נדגּל, after the rendering of the lxx megaluntheeso'metha. נדגּל is a denominative from דּגל: to wave a banner. In the closing line, the rejoicing of hope goes back again to the present and again assumes the form of an intercessory desire.