The Syntax of Ps 95:7-8

Introduction

The Masoretic Text of Ps 95:7-8 reads as follows:

כִּ֘י ה֤וּא אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ  וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ עַ֣ם מַ֭רְעִיתוֹ וְצֹ֣אן יָד֑וֹ  הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ׃ 

 אַל־תַּקְשׁ֣וּ לְ֭בַבְכֶם כִּמְרִיבָ֑ה  כְּי֥וֹם מַ֝סָּ֗ה בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃

The clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ has been interpreted a few ways, as illustrated by the NET and ESV:

• "For he is our God; we are the people of his pasture, the sheep he owns. Today, if only you would obey him. He says, “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, like they were that day at Massah in the wilderness..." (NET)
• "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness" (ESV)

The NET interprets the particle אִם as an optative particle in a clause with aposiopesis, whereas the ESV interprets אִם as a conditional particle, introducing the protasis for which v. 8 serves as the apodosis. Another suggestion most recently advocated for by Schniedewind, though not present in any translation consulted, is to read הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ as the protasis of what precedes it:

• For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand today, if you will obey his voice and not harden their hearts."

We explore these three possible functions of הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ in the argument maps below.

Argument Maps

Protasis of v. 7ab

The clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ in Ps 95:7c should be understood as the protasis of the preceding apodosis, reading "For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand today, if you will obey his voice and not harden their hearts."

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[Protasis of v. 7ab]: Ps 95:7c is the conditional protasis of the apodosis found in v. 7ab (Saadia—Qafaḥ 1965, 216 :C:; Ḥakham 1979, 200 n. 8 :C:; Schniedewind 1995 :A:). #dispreferred
 + <Theological sense>: Obedience-conditional covenantal relationship is to be expected of post-Deuteronomy literature, such that "In order to be God's people, Israel must obey God and not be like the people mentioned in v. 10" (Schniedewind 1995, 547 :A:); cf. 1 Kgs 8:25.#dispreferred
  + [1 Kgs 8:25]: "You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me" (1 Kgs 8:25, ESV).
 + <The "rest" of v. 11>: The original context of v. 11's oath was entering the promised land after the Exodus, which served as a model for the exilic community in Babylon, such that "The Babylonian exile was their Egypt and wilderness, and the psalmist enjoins them to listen to God's voice so that they may "enter into his rest," that is, so they might again be his people and might return to the land of Israel" (Schniedewind 1995, 547 :A:).#dispreferred
 <_ <Conditional constructions>: Biblical Hebrew conditionals rarely have the אִם protasis follow the apodosis (J-M §167v :G:).
 - <Masoretic accents>: The strongest disjunctive accent of the verse precedes "today" (falling on יָד֑וֹ "his hand"), so "today" is unlikely to be read as part of the apodosis.
 - <Participants>: It is unclear why the speaker's belonging to YHWH's people would depend on his addressees listening to the voice of YHWH.
 - <Larger syntax>: It is unlikely that a conditional protasis would fall under the scope of v. 7's כִּי, that is, further grounding why we should bow down before God our maker (first person plural), if you (second person plural) listen to his voice (Prinsloo 1995, 402 :A:). 

Protasis of v. 8 (preferred)

The clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ in Ps 95:7c should be understood as the protasis of the following verse, reading "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness" (ESV).

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[Protasis of v. 8]: Ps 95:7c is the conditional protasis of the apodosis found in v. 8 (Briggs & Briggs 1906-7, 295 :C:; Goldingay 2006, 94-95 :C:). 
 + <Conditional and prohibition>: The construction אִם "if" followed by a prohibitive אַל "do not" is very common.
  + [Conditional and prohibition]: See, e.g., Gen 18:3; Exod 33:15; Josh 22:22; 1 Sam 6:3; 2 Kgs 9:15; Hos 4:15; Job 11:14; Prov 1:10; Eccl 10:4.
 - <Tautology>: Since the construction "שָׁמַע בְּ signifies not merely to hear, but to hear obediently, ver. 7c cannot be a conditioning protasis to what follow" (Delitzsch 1877, 87 :C:), in which case both the protasis and apodosis posit the same proposition.#dispreferred
  + <Paying attention>: Listening to YHWH is an essential element of belonging to YHWH's people.#dispreferred
   + [Exod 19:5]: "Now if you obey me fully (וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י) and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession" (NIV).#dispreferred
  - <Verbal semantics>: The yiqtol of the conditional אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ should be read with agent-oriented modality of desire (see Khan, yiqṭol, 147 :G:), in which case the protasis and apodosis often contain similar semantics.
   + [Yiqtol of desire]: See also "But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it" (Judg 13:16, NET); "If you want to take it for yourself, then take it" (1 Sam 21:10, CSB); "If you want to ask, ask" (Isa 21:12, NET); "Israel, if you want to come back, then come back to me" (Jer 4:1, ERV); "if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you" (Ruth 3:13, NIV); "If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so" (Ruth 4:4, NET).
 - <Masoretic versification>: This interpretation requires a single sentence crossing verse boundaries.#dispreferred
  - <Verse enjambment>: Sentence syntax often crosses Masoretic verse divisions.
   + [Verse enjambment]: See, e.g., "Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth" (Ps 96:12-13, ESV); "Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth" (Ps 98:8-9, ESV); "For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, 11 because (מִפְּנֵֽי) of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down" (Ps 102:10-11, ESV); and possibly "Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; 9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god" (Ps 81:9-10, KJV) and "do not further their evil plot. Selah 10 Those who surround me lift up their heads (Ps 140:9-10, NRSV, cf. Symmachus; Heb .אַל־תָּ֝פֵ֗ק יָר֥וּמוּ סֶֽלָה׃ רֹ֥אשׁ מְסִבָּ֑י).
 + <Ancient interpretation>: Hebrews 3:7-3:7, the only quotation of this Psalm in the NT or Early Church literature, reads v. 7c as the protasis to v. 8.
  + [Ancient interpretation]: "So, as the Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts'" (Heb 3:7-8a, NIV).

Optative

The clause הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ in Ps 95:7c should be understood as as an optative in a clause with aposiopesis, reading "For he is our God; we are the people of his pasture, the sheep he owns. Today, if only you would obey him. He says, “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, like they were that day at Massah in the wilderness..." (NET).

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[Optative]: Ps 95:7c is an independent optative with aposiopesis (Hitzig 1863, 254 :C:; Delitzsch 1877, 85 :C:; GKC §151e :G:; Kraus 1966, 659 :C:; BDB, 50 :L:; Ḥakham 1979, 200 :C:; Bratcher & Reyburn 1991, 830 :C:; Howard 1997, 57 :M:; Tate 1998, 497 :C:; Hossfeld 2005, 458 :C:; Tanner 2014, 716 :C:).#dispreferred
 + <v. 11b>: The last clause in the psalm is also an incomplete sentence.#dispreferred
  + [v. 11b]: אִם־יְ֝בֹא֗וּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי lit. "if they will enter my rest."#dispreferred
 + <Function of אִם>: There are other clear examples of aposiopesis headed by אִם both in the Psalms and other books.#dispreferred
  + [Aposiopesis with אִם]: See, e.g., יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל אִם־תִּֽשְׁמַֽע־לִֽי "if you would only listen to me, Israel!" (Ps 81:9, NIV); אִם־תִּקְטֹ֖ל אֱל֥וֹהַּ׀ רָשָׁ֑ע "If only you, God, would slay the wicked!" (Ps 139:19, NIV); הַ֭צֵּל לְקֻחִ֣ים לַמָּ֑וֶת וּמָטִ֥ים לַ֝הֶ֗רֶג אִם־תַּחְשֽׂוֹךְ "Rescue those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to the slaughter, Oh hold them back!" (Prov 24:11, NASB); see also Gen. 30.27; Exod. 32.32; 1 Sam 12.14; 1 Chr. 4:10.#dispreferred
   <_ <No apodosis>: The most unambiguous examples of aposiopesis headed by אִם lack an apodosis (e.g., Ps 139:19).
   <_ <Ps 81:9>: Ancient translations—among them the LXX—interpret this אִם clause as a conditional protasis.
    + [Ps 81:9-10 LXX]: ἄκουσον, λαός μου, καὶ διαμαρτύρομαί σοι· Ισραηλ, ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς μου, οὐκ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ θεὸς πρόσφατος, οὐδὲ προσκυνήσεις θεῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ "Listen, my people, and I will testify to you. Israel, if you listen to me, there will not be among you any new god, nor will you bow down to a strange god."
  <_ <Adverb "today">: All of the other suggested examples of aposiopesis are headed by אִם; Ps 95:7c begins with the sentence adverb הַ֝יּ֗וֹם "today."
 - <Syntax of wishes>: If Ps 95:7c was supposed to be read as an optative, one would expect initial לוּ, not אִם (Goldingay 2006, 95)—and certainly not הַיּוֹם אִם.

Conclusion (B+)

Most commentators and a large portion of modern translations understanding Ps 95:7c as an optative with aposiopesis. Nevertheless, with the initial הַ֝יּ֗וֹם "today" and a suitable candidate for an apodosis in the following poetic line, the similarities with clearer instances of aposiopesis are few. Rather, the ancient versions all point to the interpretation of v. 7c as the protasis of v. 8a, as does Hebrews 3:7-4:7, the earliest—and, indeed, most detailed—interpretation of our present verse.

While this conditional requires crossing Masoretic verse boundaries, such a phenomenon occurs in numerous other passages in the Psalms. Further, though one could level the accusation that such a conditional would be tautologous if it read "If you obey his voice, do not harden your hearts" (since one entails the other), a proper understanding of the verbal semantics avoids such tautology. Indeed, אִֽם־בְּקֹל֥וֹ תִשְׁמָֽעוּ should be understood as a yiqtol with modality of desire, such that we read the full sentence as "Today, if you want to obey his voice, do not harden your hearts like at Meribah."

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡμεῖς λαὸς νομῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ πρόβατα χειρὸς αὐτοῦ. σήμερον, ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε, μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.
  • "because he is our God and we are people of his pasture and sheep of his hand! Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at the embittering, like the day of the trial in the wilderness."
• Iuxta Hebraeos: quia ipse est Deus noster et nos populus pascuae eius et grex manus eius hodie si vocem eius audieritis nolite indurare corda vestra sicut in contradictione sicut in die temptationis in deserto
  • "Because he is our God and we the people of his pasture and the flock of his hand. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart as in the strife, as in the day of temptation in the desert."
• Peshitta: ܡܛܠ ܕܗܘܝܘ ܐܠܗܢ ܘܚܢܢ ܥܡܐ ܕܝܠܗ ܘܥܢܐ ܕܡܪܥܝܬܗ ܝܘܡܢܐ ܐܢ ܒܩܠܗ ܬܫܡܥܘܢ ܠܐ ܬܩܫܘܢ ܠܒ̈ܘܬܟܘܢ ܠܡܪܓܙܘܬܗ ܐܝܟ ܡܡܪ̈ܡܪܢܐ ܘܐܝܟ ܝܘܡܐ ܕܢܣܝܘܢܐ ܕܒܡܕܒܪܐ
  • "For he is our God; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts so as to provoke him to anger, like the rebellious and like the day of testing in the wilderness."
• Targum: ארום הוא אלהנא ואנחנא עמיה ועאן רעית אידיה יומא דין אם במימריה תקבלון׃ לא תקשון לבכון היך במצותא היך יומא דנסיתון אלהא במדברא׃
  • "For he is our God, and we are his people and the flock of the pasture of his hand. O that this day you would listen to his Memra! Do not harden your heart as at Strife, as in the day when you tested God in the wilderness."

Modern

Optative

• For he is our God; we are the people of his pasture, the sheep he owns. Today, if only you would obey him. He says, “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, like they were that day at Massah in the wilderness..." (NET; cf. CEB, CJB, JPS, NABRE, NIV, REB)
• Car il est notre Dieu; nous sommes le peuple qu'il fait paître, le troupeau qu'il garde. – Aujourd'hui, pourvu que vous obéissiez à sa voix! Ne durcissez pas votre cœur comme à Mériba, comme au jour de Massa dans le désert (TOB; cf. NBS ≈ NFC)
• Denn er ist unser Gott, wir sind das Volk seiner Weide, die Herde, von seiner Hand geführt. Würdet ihr doch heute auf seine Stimme hören! Verhärtet euer Herz nicht wie in Meríba, wie in der Wüste am Tag von Massa! (EÜ; cf. ZÜR)

Protasis of v. 8a

• For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, (ESV; cf. CSB, KJV, NASB)
• Denn er ist unser Gott, und wir sind das Volk seiner Weide und die Herde seiner Hand. Heute, wenn ihr seine Stimme hört, verhärtet euer Herz nicht, wie zu Meriba, wie am Tag von Massa in der Wüste. (ELB; cf. LUT)
• El Señor es nuestro Dios, y nosotros somos el pueblo de su prado; ¡somos las ovejas de su mano! «Si hoy escuchan ustedes mi voz, no endurezcan su corazón, como en Meriba, como en el día de Masah, en el desierto. (RVC)
• car il est notre Dieu et nous sommes le peuple dont il est le berger, le troupeau que sa main conduit. Aujourd’hui, si vous entendez sa voix, n’endurcissez pas votre cœur comme à Meriba, comme lors de la journée de Massa, dans le désert. (SG21)

Secondary Literature

Atkinson, I. Forthcoming. "Aposiopesis, Anacoluthon & Compound Subordinate Clauses," in G. Khan (ed.) The Cambridge Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers & University of Cambridge.

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

Bratcher, R. G. & Reyburn, W. D. 1991. A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms, UBS Handbook Series. New York, NY: United Bible Societies.

Briggs, Charles A. & Briggs, Emilie G. 1906-1907. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. New York, NY: C. Scribner’s Sons.

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

GKC = Gesenius, Wilhelm & Kautsch, Emil. 1909. A. E. Cowley (trans.) Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Goldingay, J. 2006. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 90–150. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. ספר תהלים: ספרים ג–ה (in Hebrew; The Book of Psalms: Books 3-5). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.

Hitzig, Ferdinand. 1863. Die Psalmen: Übersetzt und Ausgelegt. Leipzig und Heidelberg: C. F. Winterische Verlagshandlung.

Hossfeld, F. 2005. "Psalm 95." Pages 458-462 in K. Baltzer (ed.) A Commentary on Psalms 51-100. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press.

Howard, D. M. 1997. The Structure of Psalms 93-100. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.

JM = Joüon, Paul & Muraoka, Takamitsu. 2006. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Rome: Pontificio Istituto Biblico.

Khan, G. Forthcoming. "Yiqṭol," in G. Khan (ed.) The Cambridge Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers & University of Cambridge.

Kraus, H. 1959. Psalmen: 81-150. Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag.

Prinsloo, W. S. 1995. "Psalm 95: If only you will listen to his voice!" Pages 393-410 in M. Daniel Carroll R; David J. A Clines; Philip R Davies & J. W Rogerson (eds.) The Bible in Human Society: Essays in Honour of John Rogerson. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.

Saadia = Qafaḥ, Y. 1965. The Psalms with Translation and Commentary of Saadia Gaon (in Hebrew: תהלים עם תרגום פוירוש הגאון). Jerusalem: The American Academy for Jewish Research (האקדימיה האמריקאנית למדעי היהדות).

Schniedewind, W. M. 1995. "'Are we his people or not?' Biblical Interpretation during Crisis." Biblical 76, no. 4: 540-550.

Tanner, B. 2014. "Psalm 95," in B Tanner & R. A. Jacobson, The Book of Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014.

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

References

95:7