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Psalm 31 Exegetical Issues
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Psalm 31/Exegetical Issues
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Psalm 31
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Exegetical Issues Video
Introduction to Exegetical Issues
Presented here are the top three Exegetical Issues that any interpreter of the psalm—whether they’re reading the text in Hebrew or looking at a number of translations—are likely to encounter. These issues usually involve textual criticism, grammar, lexical semantics, verbal semantics, and/or phrase-level semantics, though they sometimes involve higher-level layers as well.
Exegetical Issues for Psalm 31
- The first word of this verse is a first person verb, "I hate" (שָׂנֵאתִי). Some modern translations, however, choose to read a second person singular verb, "you hate" (שָׂנֵאתָ), instead. The choice between rendering the verb in the first or second person affects the meaning of the verse. The MT version (שָׂנֵ֗אתִי) means the psalmist (1st person) hates idol worshippers. The alternative version (שָׂנֵאתָ) means that YHWH (2nd person) hates idol worshippers.
- Two issues complicate the translation of this verse. First, the min preposition at the beginning of the verse (מִכָּל־צֹרְרַי) can be interpreted as causative (because of all my enemies), agentive (by all my enemies), or a marker of comparison (more than all my enemies). Second, the word מְאֹד causes difficulties, as modern translations often emend the Masoretic reading.
- There are four issues that complicate the interpretation of the final phrase in this verse (בְּעִ֣יר מָצֽוֹר): (1) Should the reading of the MT be retained or emended? (2) If the MT should be retained, should one understand מָצוֹר as "besieged" or "fortified"? (3) Is the phrase בְּעִ֣יר מָצֽוֹר a reference to a literal event or is it meant to be a simile? (4) Does the phrase בְּעִ֣יר מָצֽוֹר refer to David's situation or YHWH?