Monday, January 23, 2012

Psalm 1:1a

אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים

אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי -Blessed (Happy)

הָאִ֗ישׁ- def article + man

אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀- relative pronoun - who, which, that

לֹ֥א - no, not

הָלַךְ֮- verb Qal 3Masc. Singular "go, come, walk

בַּעֲצַ֪ת prep+ noun in construct, in + counsel, advice

II. עֵצָה constr. עֲצַת (from the root יַעַץ to counsel, for יְעֵצָה), f.

(1) counsel—(a) which any one gives or receives, 2 Sam. 16:20; 1 Ki. 1:12; Ps. 119:24, אַנְשֵׁי עֲצָתִי “my counsellors.” Used of predictions, Isa. 44:26, compare 41:28 (root No. 4).[2]

עֵצָה (ʿē∙ṣā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 6098; TWOT 887a—1. LN 33.294–33.298 advice, counsel, i.e., the act. of telling someone what they should do based on a plan or scheme (2Sa 15:34), plan, scheme, purpose, i.e., to think about a course of action, often including consultation with a counselor or advisor (Ps 14:6)[3] From TWOT (Theological Wordbook of the OT)


רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים- noun masc. plural "wicked, guilty (before God)"

1. usually as subst., one guilty of crime, deserving punishment; sometimes also wicked;. 2. guilty of hostility to God or his people, wicked enemies: . 3. guilty of sin, against either God or man, wicked: from רָשָׁע



My Translation: Blessed is the man who does not walk in the advice of the wicked,

*note- I think "counsel of the wicked" is a better translation, but "advice" seems like more natural language for me personally... although probably not for most people... and since it's my translation, I get to pick.

*note- I chose to stick with the word "man" instead of "person" or "one", even thought the clear sense here is "person" or "one". I did this because in other Bible verses translating the term "man" becomes an interpretive issue and not simply a translation issue. And to me and the way I have always read English man can either mean "male" or "human" depending on the context. Since this is the case in both English and Hebrew I choose to leave the translation as "man", although I know that perhaps using "man" for mankind is becoming a bit archaic.

[2] Gesenius, W., & Tregelles, S. P. (2003). Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures (647). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[3] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.




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