The Grammar of Ps. 93:4

Back to Psalm 93

Introduction

The MT of Ps 93:4 reads as follows:

מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים

אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם

אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה׃

Interpreters of Psalm 93 have struggled with the syntax of this verse, particularly the status of the second line, אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם. Consider, for example, the following two English translations:

• Mightier than the thunders of many waters (מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים), mightier than the waves of the sea (אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם), the Lord on high is mighty (אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה)! (ESV)
• Greater than the roar of a huge torrent — the mighty breakers of the sea — the Lord on high is majestic. (CSB)

The ESV, along with most modern translations, considers the first two lines as a repeated comparison, with the third line as the main clause. Alternatively, the CSB interprets the second line as appositive to the first line, so there implicitly remains a comparison between the first line and the third line. The ancient translations offer still more options. The LXX, for example, considers the first two lines to be a single clause (the prepositional phrase in the first line modifying the verbless clause in the second line) followed by the third line as an independent verbless clause:

• "Due to the voices of many waters wondrous are the billows of the sea; wondrous on high is the Lord!" (NETS).

Argument Maps

Comparison between the First and Second Lines

The LXX interprets the first two lines as a single clause, the prepositional phrase in the first line modifying the clause in the second line: "Due to the voices of many waters wondrous are the billows of the sea; wondrous on high is the Lord!" (NETS). The Syriac Peshitta similarly interprets the first two lines as a single clause, except it probably understands the prepositional phrase as indicating a comparison: Mightier than the sound of many waters are the tempests of the sea; the Lord is glorious in the heights (Taylor 2020:387). The arguments for interpreting the MT in this way—as a comparative structure between the first two lines, with the third line an independent clause—is as follows:

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[Comparison between the first two lines]: The מִן prepositional phrase in v. 4a (indicating a comparison) modifies the verbless clause in v. 4b (Ehrlich 1905:225; Barthélemy 2005:664). #dispreferred
 + <Simple syntax>: The interpretation of a comparison between the two first lines avoids syntactic issues in the MT. #dispreferred
 + <Ancient versions>: A number of ancient versions understand the verse as a comparison between the first two lines. #dispreferred
  + [LXX, Jerome & Peshitta]: LXX: ἀπὸ φωνῶν ὑδάτων πολλῶν θαυμαστοὶ οἱ μετεωρισμοὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, θαυμαστὸς ἐν ὑψηλοῖς ὁ κύριος (NETS: "Due to the voices of many waters wondrous are the billows of the sea; wondrous on high is the Lord!"); Iuxta Hebraeos: a vocibus aquarum multarum grandes fluctus maris grandis in excelso Dominus ("From the voice of many waters, great are the waves of the sea; great in the height is the Lord."); Peshitta: ܡܢ ܩܠܐ ܕܡ̈ܝܐ ܣܓ̈ܝܐܐ܂ ܥܫܝ̈ܢܝܢ ܡܚܫ̈ܘܠܘܗܝ ܕܝܡܐ܂ ܡܫܒܚ ܒܡܪ̈ܘܡܐ ܡܪܝܐ܂ (Taylor 2020: 387: "Mightier than the sound of many waters are the tempests of the sea; the Lord is glorious in the heights."). #dispreferred
 - <Semantic Tautology>: The entities named in the first two lines (waters and waves) are virtually synonymous, so are unlikely to be compared.
 - <Discourse context>: The whole psalm is about YHWH's superiority over the chaotic waters, so the comparison must involve the third line.
  <_ <Comparative third line>: The third line provides another comparison, analogous to that of the first two lines but on an even greater scale. #dispreferred
   + [Scalar comparison]: Mächtiger als das Tosen dieser vielen Wasser ist die Meeresbrandung, mächtiger noch als sie ist JHVH in der Höhe (Ehrlich 1905: 225; More powerful than the roar of the many waters is the sea waves, more powerful still than these is YHWH in the height).#dispreferred
    - <Big elision>: An additional comparee in the third line, after the comparison is already offered between the first two lines, requires the elision of the entire first line before this second, which seems to be a stretch for the MT's syntax.

Repeated Comparison

Some interpreters think that the main clause in v. 4 is v. 4c and that the first two lines of the verse (v. 4ab) modify v. 4c in a repeated comparison. The ESV, for example, says, Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!

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[Repeated Comparison]: The first two lines (v. 4ab) are appositives, providing the comparative standard against which YHWH is compared (v. 4c) (Rashi :C:;, Kimḥi :C:; Kirkpatrick 1901:565 :C:; Kraus 1960:646; VanGemeren 2008 :C:). #dispreferred 
 + <Similar Semantics>: The noun phrase in the first line, מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם, is semantically similar to that of the second, מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים. #dispreferred
 - <Syntax of the second line>: To repeat the comparison from the first line would require a totally different syntactic structure of the second line: namely, a construct chain between אַדִּירִ֣ים and מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם.
  <_ <Emendation>: The text should be emended to אדירי משברי ים, such that אדירי is in construct with משברי ים. #dispreferred
   + <Dittography>: The final mem of אַדִּירִ֣ים has been mistakenly inserted into the text on account of dittography caused by the initial מ mem of מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם,. #dispreferred
    - <No evidence>: There is no Hebrew manuscript evidence for anything other than the MT's text (Barthélemy 2005: 662-663 :M:).
  <_ <Enclitic mem>: The final mem of אַדִּירִ֣ים is actually an enclitic mem, which is sometimes suffixed to construct nouns. #dispreferred
   + [Examples of enclitic mem]: E.g., in Ps. 59:6, וְאַתָּ֤ה יְהוָֽה־אֱלֹהִ֥ים׀ צְבָא֡וֹת should be read as אֱלֹהֵי־ם צְבָאוֹת (BHRG §28.2; for more examples, see IBHS §9.8). #dispreferred
   <_ <Substantive אדיר>: Under the conditions of an enclitic mem, where אדיר would form the head of the suggested construct chain אַדִּירִ־ם מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם or אַדִּירֵי־ם מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָם, it would have to be read as a substantive adjective, ''mighty one(s) of the waves of the sea'', which does not fit here.
    + [Substantive אדיר]: Substantive אדיר always refers to a "mighty, noble person" (HALOT, DCH, BDB).
 + <Targum Psalms>: Targum Psalms, providing another מ of comparison before its second line, interprets the verse as a repeated comparison. #dispreferred
  + [Targum Psalms]: מן קלן דמיין סגיעין ממשבחייא תברי ימא רבא משבח בשמי מרומא ייי׃ (Stec 2004:204: "More than the sound of the mighty waters and more than the praiseworthy waves of the sea the Lord is great and is praised in the highest heaven"). #dispreferred
 - <Lack of מִן>: There is no comparative מִן either beginning the second line of the MT (as Targum Psalms) or beginning מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם.
  <_ <Elision>: There is no need to repeat the מִן from the first line, when the second is in apposition (Dahood 1968: 342 :C:), so a repeated comparison can be in view even without a second מִן. #dispreferred
  -  <Redivision of words>: The words should be redivided, such that the final ם of אַדִּירִ֣ים is considered part of the next word, מִשְׁבְּרֵי, which would provide the proclitic comparative מִן (Kirkpatrick 1901: 565 :C:; Kraus 1960: 646 :C:; Hossfeld 2005: 447 :C:; Goldingay 2008 :C:).#dispreferred

Apposition with Implicit Comparison

Some interpreters think that the elements introduced in the second line are in simple apposition to the many waters of the first line. Thus: (But) greater than the roar of many waters, mighty (waters), breakers of the sea, was the mighty One on high, O Yahweh! (Tate 1990: 471 ≈ CSB, ISV).

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[Non-comparative Appositives]: The second line is composed of appositives to the first line's "many waters" (Ibn Ezra :C:; Hupfield 1862: 30 :C:; Delitzsch 1887:72, 76 :C:; Baethgen 1904:290 :C:; Tanner 2014 :C:; Alter 2019:223 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <One appositive>: The entire second line is a single noun phrase in apposition to the many waters: "the mighty waves of the sea" (Alter 2019:223 :C:). #dispreferred
  - <Position of the adjective>: The phrase reads אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם, not מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָם אַדִּירִים, so אַדִּירִ֣ים cannot be read as an attributive adjective.
   - <Attributive adjective position>: Attributive adjectives modifying a word in construct follow the entire construct phrase (BHRG §30.2.3).
 + <Multiple appositives>: The constituent אַדִּירִ֣ים is the second adjective modifying מַ֤יִם, so מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם is thus in apposition to מַ֤יִם אַדִּירִ֣ים (More than the thunder of great waters, the noble (waters), the waves of the sea, is noble in the height YHWH; Baethgen 1904: 290). #dispreferred
  + [Exodus 15:10]: For another example of אַדִּירִים modifying מַיִם, see נָשַׁ֥פְתָּ בְרוּחֲךָ֖ כִּסָּ֣מוֹ יָ֑ם צָֽלֲלוּ֙ כַּֽעוֹפֶ֔רֶת בְּמַ֖יִם אַדִּירִֽים׃ (Exod. 15:10). #dispreferred
  - <Masoretic Accents>: The conjunctive accent on אַדִּירִ֣ים in אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם (whether munakh or merekha, as Leningradensis possibly has) is unlikely if אַדִּירִ֣ים and מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם are distinct appositives, especially if אַדִּירִ֣ים modifies the previous מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים, which has its own revia. 
   <_ <Rearrange the accents>: The accents should be rearranged with a pazer over רַבִּים and revia  over אַדִּירִים (Delitzsch 1887: 76) in order to provide a prosodic break between the two distinct appositives, אַדִּירִ֣ים and מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם. #dispreferred

Second Line Parenthetical (preferred)

Some scholars have argued that the second line (אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם) is a verbless clause and thus provides a parenthetical within the tricolon. More than the noises of many waters - the waves of the sea are majestic! – YHWH is majestic in the high place.

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[Parenthetical]: The MT's second line is a parenthetical (Pardee 1988:164 :A:; Hossfeld 2005:447 :C:; Van der Lugt 2014:47 :M:).
 + <MT>: The second line as a parenthetical is the simplest reading of the MT while maintaining the sense of YHWH in the third line as the comparee.
 + <AXB structures>: The "literary insertion" of AXB patterns is common in BH poetry, such that "the unity of the bicolon is kept (Tsumura 2023:vii).
  + [AXB structures]: E.g., Ps. 45:6 (חִצֶּ֗יךָ שְׁנ֫וּנִ֥ים עַ֭מִּים תַּחְתֶּ֣יךָ יִפְּל֑וּ בְּ֝לֵ֗ב אוֹיְבֵ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ); Ps. 68:19 (עָ֘לִ֤יתָ לַמָּר֨וֹם׀ שָׁ֘בִ֤יתָ שֶּׁ֗בִי לָקַ֣חְתָּ מַ֭תָּנוֹת בָּאָדָ֑ם וְאַ֥ף ס֝וֹרְרִ֗ים לִשְׁכֹּ֤ן׀ יָ֬הּ אֱלֹהִֽים׃).
 + <Syntax>: The second line meets the expected syntactic criteria of a parenthetical.
  + <External syntax>: Parentheticals are recognised cross-linguistically to leave the syntax of their host sentence intact (Dehé & Kavalova 2007; Schneider 2014); here, the first and third line alone would make for simple syntax (and semantics, within the discourse context of Ps. 93). 
   + [The first and third line]: מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה.
 + <Prosody>: The second line meets the expected prosodic criteria of a parenthetical.
  + <External prosody>: Prototypical parentheticals have been noted to leave the prosody of their host sentence intact (Dehé 2007); here, the remaining prosodic contour would be a revia gadol and silluq.
   + [Revia gadol and silluq]: For other examples of bicola with only a revia gadol before the silluq see Ps. 5:2; 27:7, 13; 29:7; 34:8; 35:12, 24; 37:27; 41:14, etc.)
  + <Prosodic discontinuity>: Prototypical parentheticals are prosodically detached from their host sentence (Dehé 2007); here, the second line is detached from the first and third by the revia gadol on רַבִּ֗ים and the atnakh on מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם.

Conclusion

The syntactic configuration that most satisfactorily explains both the intended meaning of the clause and that is drawn from a commonly attested structure is that of considering the b-line a parenthetical. The sense of the parenthetical may be concessive, in that, while the psalmist openly recognises the power of the waves, even at that YHWH is more majestic. The resulting reading would be: More than the noises of many waters - (though) the waves of the sea are majestic! – YHWH is majestic in the high place.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: ἀπὸ φωνῶν ὑδάτων πολλῶν θαυμαστοὶ οἱ μετεωρισμοὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, θαυμαστὸς ἐν ὑψηλοῖς ὁ κύριος.
  • "Due to the voices of many waters wondrous are the billows of the sea; wondrous on high is the Lord!"
• Aquila: ... ὑπερμεγέθεις συντριμμοὶ θαλάσσης; ὑπερμεγέθης ἐν ὕψει κύριος.
  • "... great are the destructions of the sea; great is the Lord in the height."
• Gallican Psalter: a vocibus aquarum multarum mirabiles elationes maris mirabilis in altis Dominus
  • "From the voice of many waters, marvelous are the lifting of the sea; marvelous in the height is the Lord."
• Iuxta Hebraeos: a vocibus aquarum multarum grandes fluctus maris grandis in excelso Dominus
  • "From the voice of many waters, great are the waves of the sea; great in the height is the Lord."
• Peshitta: ܡܢ ܩܠܐ ܕܡ̈ܝܐ ܣܓ̈ܝܐܐ܂ ܥܫܝ̈ܢܝܢ ܡܚܫ̈ܘܠܘܗܝ ܕܝܡܐ܂ ܡܫܒܚ ܒܡܪ̈ܘܡܐ ܡܪܝܐ܂
  • "Mightier than the sound of many waters are the tempests of the sea; the Lord is glorious in the heights."
• Targum: מן קלן דמיין סגיעין ממשבחייא תברי ימא רבא משבח בשמי מרומא ייי׃
  • "More than the sound of the mighty waters and more than the praiseworthy waves of the sea the Lord is great and is praised in the highest heaven."

Modern

Repeated Comparison

• Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty! (ESV ≈ GNT, JPS, KJV, NABRE, NASB, NEB, NET, NIV, NLT)
• Mächtiger als das Tosen großer Wasser, mächtiger als die Wellen des Meeres ist der HERR in der Höhe. (Luther 2017 ≈ HFA, NGÜ, EÜ, GNB, ZÜR)
• El SEÑOR en las alturas es más poderoso que el estruendo de muchas aguas, más que las recias olas del mar. (RVA ≈ DHH, BTX4ª)
• Plus encore que la voix des grandes eaux, des flots puissants de la mer, l’Eternel est puissant dans les lieux célestes. (SG21 ≈ BDS, NBS, NFC, NVSR, PDV, TOB)

Apposition with Implicit Comparison

• Greater than the roar of a huge torrent — the mighty breakers of the sea — the Lord on high is majestic. (CSB ≈ ISV)
• Mächtiger als das Tosen gewaltiger Wasser, wuchtiger Brecher des Meeres, ⟨mächtiger⟩ ist der HERR in der Höhe. (ELB)

Secondary Literature

Texts, Editions & Translations

Pietersma, Albert (tr.) 2009. NETS translation of the Psalms.

Stec, David M. 2004. The Targum of Psalms: Translated, with a Critical Introduction, Apparatus, and Notes. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.

Taylor, Richard A. in Bali, Joseph & George Kiraz [eds.]. 2020. The Psalms According to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press

Grammars

BHRG = van der Merwe, Christo H. J., Naudé, J. A. & Kroeze, J. H. 2017. A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar. Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark.

WO = Waltke, Bruce, K. O'Connor, Michael O. 1990. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.

Lexica

DCH = David J. A. Clines, David J. A. (ed). 1993-2011. The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.

BDB = Brown, Francis, Driver, Samuel R. & Briggs, Charles A. 1977. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

HALOT = Ludwig Koehler, Ludwig & Baumgartner, Walter et al. 1994-2000. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Leiden: Brill.

Monographs

Barthélemy, Dominique. 2005. Critique Textuelle de l'Ancien Testament: Tome 4. Psaumes. Fribourg/Göttingen: Vandenhoeck Ruprecht.

Tsumura, David T. 2023. Vertical Grammar of Parallelism in Biblical Hebrew. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press.

Van der Lugt, P. 2014. Cantos and Strophes in Biblical Hebrew Poetry III. Leiden: Brill.

Articles

Dehé, Nicole. 2007. "The Relation between Syntactic and Prosodic Parenthesis." Pages 261-284 in N. Dehé & Y. Kamalova (eds.) Parentheticals. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Dehé, Nicole & Kavalova, Y 2007. "Parentheticals: An Introduction." Pages 1-22 in N. Dehé & Y. Kamalova (eds.) Parentheticals. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Pardee, D. 1988. "The Poetic Structure of Psalm 93." Pages 163-170 in Cananea selecta: Festschrift für Oswald Loretz zum 60. Geburtstag (Studi epigrafici e linguistici sul Vicino Oriente Antico 5). Verona: Essedue Edizioni.

Schneider, Stefan. 2014. "Parenthesis: Fundamental Features, Meanings, Discourse Functions and Ellipsis." Pages 277-300 in M. Kluck, D. Ott & D. M. Vries (eds.) Parenthesis and Ellipsis: Cross-linguistic and Theoretical Perspectives. Berlin: De Gruyter.

Stassen, Leon. 2001. "Comparative Constructions." Pages 993-997 in M. Haspelmath (ed.) Language Typology and Language Universals. Berlin: De Gruyter.

Sylva, Dennis. 2012. "The Rising נהרות of Psalm 93: Chaotic Order." Pages 471-482 in JSOT (36.4).

Commentaries

Alter, R. 2019. The Hebrew Bible (Volume 3): The Writings: A Translation with Commentary. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. Die Psalmen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Dahood, Mitchell J. 1968. Psalms II, 51-100: Introduction, Translation, and Notes. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Delitzsch, Franz. 1877. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 3. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.

Ehrlich, Arnold B. 1905. Die psalmen; neu uebersetzt und erklaert. Berlin: Poppelauer.

Goldingay, John. 2008. Psalms 90-150. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar. 2005. A Commentary on Psalms 51-100. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

Hupfeld, Hermann. 1862. Die Psalmen: Übersetzt und Ausgelegt. Vierter Band. Gotha: Friedrich Andreas Perthes.

Ibn Ezra, Abraham on Psalms.

Kirkpatrick, Alexander F. 1901. The Book of Psalms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kraus, Hans-Joachim. 1960. Psalmen: 2 Teilband. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag.

Radak (Kimchi, David) on Psalms.

Rashi (Yitzchaki, Shlomo) on Psalms.

Tanner, Beth L. in De-Claisse-Walford, Nancy et al. 2014. The Book of Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Psalms 51-100. Dallas, TX: Word Books.

VanGemeren, Willem A. 2008. The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

References

93:4