Lectionary Year A
April 7, 2002
Psalm 16

Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation


A. Comparing Translations

(JFC) The New English Translation and the New Living Translation differ some:

1 Protect me, O God, for I have taken shelter in you. - NET
Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. - NLT

2 I say to the Lord, "You are the sovereign Master, my only source of well-being." - NET
I said to the LORD, "You are my Master! All good things I have are from you." - NLT

3c and the leading officials I admired so much. NET
are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them. - NLT

4 their troubles multiply, they desire other gods, - NET
Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow. - NLT

I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods, - NET
I will not take part in their sacrifices, - NLT

nor will I make vows in the name of their gods. - NET
or even speak the names of their gods. - NLT

5 Lord, you give me stability and prosperity, you make my future secure. - NET
LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. - NLT

6 It is as if I have been given fertile fields or received a beautiful tract of land. - NET
The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! - NLT

7b yes, during the night I reflect and learn. - NET
even at night my heart instructs me. - NLT

8 I constantly trust in the Lord; . . . I will not be upended. - NET
I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, - NLT

9c My life is safe. - NET
My body rests in safety. - NLT

10 You will not abandon me to Sheol; . . . to see the pit. - NET
For you will not leave my soul among the dead . . . to rot in the grave. - NLT

11c you always give me sheer delight. - NET
and the pleasures of living with you forever. - NLT

B. Textual Criticism

(JFC) 2 Some, maybe several, manuscripts replace T.r>m;a', a qal, perfect, second person, with yTirma, or Tirma, and rightly or correctly, the editors of the BH3 claim, with the Septuagint and Syriac, Jerome, forms in the first person, which certainly seems more likely to have been the original. Next, the editors would "probably delete" yn"doa], which would make the verse shorter by that one word, so, might be original, but not necessarily. And, more significantly, for the final term in this verse, ^yl,['-lB;, Jerome and Targum propose ^ydi,['l.bi lB;, with advice to confer with the next verse, 3, where the editors call it corrupt; referring to the Septuagint's, toij agioij toij en th gh autou eqaumastwsen panta ta qelhma(ta) autou en autoij = Thou art the Holy One in this world having no need of the goodness of mine in it. Several other alternative readings are suggested by other manuscripts, as well. Nevertheless, the original must be somewhere near the text as printed, as we shall see anon.

4 For rxea;, the editors suggest plurals, ~xra, or ~yrxa, or wrymh, which seem prudent unless the singular is understood to be collective. Is it? Delitzsch thinks it is, for he takes it "to be equivalent to ~yrxa, (as in Job viii. 19)."

5 For tn"m., it is suggested we read T;ynimi, which does fill out the otherwise incomplete reading as printed.

6 For tl'x]n:, a pronominal suffix is recorded by the Septuagint and the Syriac witnesses and is recommended by the editors, ytil'x]n;, which would add an otherwise possibly unclear object for the recipient of the gift in this verse.

9 Some manuscripts read xm;f.yi, for the printed text's xm;f', trying, evidently, to make it less questionable who is doing the praising here. Then, more significantly, for ydIAbK., the editors want to read ydIbeK., admittedly with a question mark following this suggestion in the apparatus and then it refers to verses 7,6, the Septuagint's ynimewovl., as well, which might or might not be more nearly original for it means very much the same.

C. Rough Translation

(JFC) 1 Keep/watch/preserve me (O) God for I am seeking refuge (qal, perfect) in You. 2 I said (qal perfect) to Yahweh my God, "You are my good/welfare/benefit hardly anything notwithstanding." 3 The Holy Ones who are in the land are the great/majestic ones all I delight in them. 4 Will be their sorrow other they hastened to pour out libations (hiphil, imperfect) as their drink offerings of blood. And hardly will I lift up/bear up/carry unto their very names. 5 Yahweh is the portion/share of my possessions and my cup. You are holding (qal, participle) my lot/portion. 6 The measuring lines/cords are falling (qal, participle) to me in pleasantries/beauties also/indeed the heritage is pleasing (qal, perfect) upon/unto me. 7 I blessed (piel, imperfect) Yahweh who gave me counsel (qal, perfect) also/furthermore in the nights He disciplined me the seats of my emotions/affections. 8 I set/place Yahweh before me continuously for out of/on account of me right side/beside not shall I be shaken (niphal, imperfect).
9 Therefore, rejoiced (qal, perfect) my heart and will exult (qal, imperfect) my glory also/yea my flesh shall dwell/lodge (qal, imperfect) in security/safety. 10 For not will you leave/forsake my soul in Sheol. Nor will you give the faithful/godly/holy one to see a pit. 11 You will cause me to know (hiphil, imperfect) the path of lives fullness of joys is in Your presence pleasantries are in Your right hand everlastingly.

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