The Greek translators' mistranslations and alterations of sense in psalms 1 to 18 (with a translation of the Hebrew and the Greek

in parallel columns) By David Bruce Gain. For brevity, relatively minor differences are ignored. A reference to the discussion of a word in italics can be found in the alphabetical index of words at the end of the file. My translation of the Hebrew of the psalms is based on a study of all occurrences of words in the Hebrew Bible, taking cognate languages also into account; it often differs strikingly and in important ways from the most used translations of the psalms, which are ultimately based on the work of men who had no Hebrew concordance and instead often relied on the Old Greek (hereafter OG), sometimes improved by the use of other Greek translations (for a sample of which see my translations and commentary on psalm 18) to give the sense of the Hebrew; how misleading this can be in the psalms can be be seen from comparing his translation (translated in blue below) to the Hebrew (given in translation in parallel in red). I claim no more for my translation than that it is a reasonable approximation to the sense of the Hebrew; an attempt to assign a more precise sense to a word in a particular passage may result (as often in OG in psalms) in foisting a context based guess or one's own (or someone else's) preconceptions onto the author. Greek texts used: Old Greek (hereafter OG): Rahlfs, A. Psalmi cum Odis, 1931. Aquila, Symmachus and the Quinta (the fifth column in Origen's hexapla): Mercati, J: Psalterii hexapli reliquiae, 1958. For Aquila and Symmachus I have printed for psalm 18 the retroversions from Syriac found in Field, F: Origenis hexaplorum quae supersunt, 1875, printed in ordinary characters to show their conjectural nature. The OG is in blue, and other translations (cited only in the commentary on psalm 18) agree with it in the Mercati fragment (ignoring minor differences) unless specifically mentioned; in other parts of psalm 18 Aquila and Symmachus must be understood to survive only in words between | marks; colours: Aquila Symmachus Quinta; agreements are coloured as follows: Aquila with Symmachus olive, Aquila with Quinta maroon, Aquila with Symmachus and Quinta grey, Symmachus with Quinta green. The < sign indicates an omission. Biblical Hebrew verbs have a prefix form and a suffix form; they do not differ detectably in sense; they sometimes present problems to those wanting to put in tenses; if the author is obviously talking of the past or the future, there is no problem, but putting tenses into the psalms, usually timeless utterances, is an arbitary procedure. OG, generally followed by later translators, generally gave these forms the tenses they have in Aramaic, the prefix form the future and the suffix form the past, leading to a strange shortage of present tenses. I discuss his and other Greek translators' tenses only in the commentary on psalm 18. In the translation of the Hebrew of psalm 18 I have indicated prefix forms of verbs by underlining the first letter of the verb. Transcription of Hebrew and Aramaic: )bgdhwzxtyklmns(pcr$+ Transcription of Greek: ABGDEZHQIKLMNXOPRSTUFCYW Psalm 1 1 The advancement of the man not going accor- 1 Acclaimed, the man who has not travelled according to the advice of the condemnable and not ding to the decision of the irreverent and has not placed on that forwarding of the punishable and been placed on the way of failures and has not sat not staying on that stayed on of the fluent 2 but on the seat of the pestilent, 2 but his wish in the his delight in the teaching of Yahweh and his dispensation of the master and he will reflect on sounding his teaching day and night 3 and of his dispensation day and night 3 and be as his being as wood planted by streams of water wood planted at ways out of waters which will giving its fruit at its time and of that of its give its fruit at its time and its sprout will not above not being a residue and of his succeedburst off and all he does will be on a desirable ing in all of his doing. 4 Not so the condemnway. 4 Not so the irreverent, not so, but as chaff able, but as chaff of the breath's causing to which the wind casts out from the face of the drift. 5 So of the condemnable not standing at land. 5 From this, the irreverent will not rise at the decision and the punishable at that joining the judgement nor failures at the deciding of the the clear. 6 Of Yahweh being connected to that regulated, 6 because the master knows the forwarding the clear and of that forwarding the way of the regulated and the way of the irrevercondemnable being lost. ent will be destroyed. 1 condemnable r$( irreverent ASEBHS: the Greek translator translates the adjective r$( once, 36, 2, by PARANOMOS (against the dispensation), once, 109,7, by KATADEDIKASMENOS (against regulations) and by ASEBHS (irreverent) given first, and AMARTWLOS (failure) given second, this number of

times: in 1-17: 11, 9; 18-58: 6, 18; 59-150: 0, 36. The translators of Job and Proverbs overwhelmingly use ASEBHS (over 100 times). It seems that the translator, as he went on, felt more and more unhappy with the translation "irreverent", after 58 abandoning it altogether. 1 fluent lcym pestilent LOIMOI. The word is found once elsewhere in psalms, at 119.51: zdym hlycny (of those boiling being fluent against me), UPERHFANOI PARHVOMOUN (the arrogant have been against the dispensation). It seems that the translator did not know this word, found in Ge 42,23: whm l) yd(w ky $m( ywsp ky hmlyc bynhm (and of their not being connected, yes, to Joseph's listening; yes, of there being one fluent between them), presumably because the wordbook (on which see on 2 sounding) had the translation ERMHNEUTHS (interpreter) taken from the OG at this point (lcc does not occur elswehere in the hexateuch) but guessed the meaning from the context; here irreverent and failures suggested pestilent. At 119.51 the arrogant hlycny as far as very; I have not leant aside from thy dispensation suggested have been against the dispensation. 2 Yahweh yhwh the master KURIOS. The translator replaces the Hebrew with the standard OG mistranslation (found 6,814 times) which is based on the Hebrew )dny (my master), referring to Yahweh, which occurs 547 times in the Hebrew Bible, translated 478 times in the OG with KURIOS (master), as at 2,4. 2 sounding yhgh reflect on MELETHSEI. It seems that there was a rather faulty wordbook of Hebrew Greek equivalents, partly drawn from the hexateuch, used by both the translator of psalms and the translator of Isaiah, among others. Jo 1.8 reads: l) imw$ spr htwrh hzh mpyk whgy+ bw ywmm wlylh (of this indication of the teaching not disappearing from thy mouth and of thy intoning it day and night); KAI OUK APOSTHSETAI H BIBLOS TOU NOMOU EK TOU STOMATOS SOU KAI MELETHSEIS EN AUTWI HMERAS KAI NUKTOS (and the document of the regulations will not be displaced from thy mouth and thou wilt reflect on it day and night); the translator may have known the real meaning "intone" of hgh (in which case his "reflect on" is a free translation, which does not accord well with "mouth", which must refer to intoning) or he may not, in which case he guessed the meaning; it seems his translation came into the wordbook and was copied by the Isaiah translator 6 times and the psalms translator 13 times; he only abandons it when the context clearly shows that sound is meant: 5,2: Cause thine ears to be on that of my saying, Yahweh; understand my sounding; Let my communications be in the ears, master; have insight into my cry. 9,17: sounding; exalt! a song of plucking between. 92,4: to the sound of the harp; with song on the harp. 115,7: of their not sounding in that of theirs for chewing with; they will not voice in their throat. On the wordbook see also on 1,1 fluent, 4,5 be still, 10,8 18,30 trial. 4 from the face of the land; there being no obvious reason why this should have been omitted from the Hebrew, it seems to be an addition, either by the translator or by some early copyist. 5 that joining (d+; the translator had a text in which this had been corrupted to (c+ the advice of (or he misread it as such or, under the influence of the judgement preceding, changed it to such), giving his translation. 5 clear cdyqym regulated DIKAIWN; the usual (very common) translation in the psalms and everywhere in the OG, obviously thinking of the Mosaic law. Psalm 2 1 Why tribes assembling and folk sounding that empty? 2 Of the chiefs of the land stationing themselves and the preeminent founding as one against Yahweh and against his anointed one. 3 And of our tearing off that disciplining of theirs and dropping that thick of theirs away from us. 4 Of the one staying in the heavens being entertained; of my master ridiculing them. 5 Of his speaking to them then in his snorting and harrying them in his blazing. 6 And of my libating my chief on Zion, the hill of my dedication. 7 Of my indicating that marked out by Yahweh; of his saying to me: "Thou my creation. Of my birthing thee this day. 8 Ask me and of my giving tribes as thy gain and the ends of the land as thy possession. 9 Of thy harming them with a shoot of iron; of thy strewing them as a shaper's utensil". 10 And now, chiefs, be enlightened; be disciplined, deciders of the land. 11 Work for Yahweh with fear and revel in quivering. 12 Clasp that produced, in case of his snorting and thy being lost on that forwarding, with his snorting blazing in a little. The advancement of all trusting him! 1 Why have clans pranced around and people reflected on that empty? 2 The rulers of the land have placed themselves nearby and the firsts gathered to the same against the master and against his anointed one. Plucking between. 3 We must burst through their ties and cast off their yoke from us. 4 The one with a household in the heavens will laugh at them and the master will snort at them. 5 Then he will speak to them in his anger and unsettle them with his feelings. 6 I have been placed as ruler by him, on Zion his sacred hill, 7 being a messenger of the master's arrangement; the master said to me: "Thou art my son; I begot thee today. 8 Request me and I will give clans as thy dispensed allotment and the ends of the land as thy holdng. 9 Thou wilt shepherd them with an iron stick, impact them as a potter's equipment". 10 And now, rulers, have insight; be trained, all judging the land. 11 Serve the master with fear and exult in him with trembling. 12 Take training, in case the master be angry and you are destroyed from the way of regulation when his feelings quickly burn. Acclaimed all trusting him!

1 assembling rg$w; assembling suits 55,15: of our sweetening participation in the house of Elohim, going in the assembly (rg$); the Greek pranced around EFRUAXAN does not suit 55,15 (where the translator has OMONOIAI, in agreement in consideration); clearly, he is here dramatizing to suit the context. 2 founding nwsdw; the Greek, with gathered SUNHCQHSAN seems to have read nw(dw (joined), unless gathered is used to continue the sense of placed themselves nearby. 6 And of my libating my chief on Zion, the hill of my dedication w)ny nskty mlky (l cywn hrqd$y; I have been placed as ruler by him, over Zion his sacred hill EGW DE KATESTAQHN BASILEUS UP' AUTOU EPI SIWN OROS TO AGION AUTOU; the translator considered David to be the author of all the psalms, including this one, hence changed the Hebrew from a reference to David's libating a ruler to one of David's being appointed ruler. 7 creation bn; connected to bne create; the mistranslation son UIOS is found 3,670 times in the OG and 94 times in the psalms; it is strange in many passages, e.g. 29,1: sons of rams, 29,6 son of lonehorned ones, and downright peculiar in others, such as in the very common formula a creation of x years, as at Ge 11,10 Shem a creation of a hundred years, Shem the son of a hundred years. It is also mistranslated with TEKNON "child" 129 times in the OG, as at 34,12, where it creates the false impression that the psalmist is not addressing adults. 9 Of thy harming them +r(m; taken up in the second half of the verse, referring to smashing people as one would smash a pot, this showing that thou wilt shepherd them (from r(h) POIMANEIS AUTOUS is a mistranslation. 12 that produced br; training PAIDEIAS; clasp that produced, since it is all important; if you produce nothing you are a useless worker and will be destroyed; it seems that the translator took br as the Aramaic word meaning "one produced", referring to a son (although this makes no sense and a son has already been referred to with the Hebrew bny (my creation) in verse 7) and so wrote take PAIDIOU the son, emended to give a semblance of sense to take PAIDIAS training. Psalm 3 1 A paean of David's at his speeding from the 1 Plucking for David when he was running from the face of Absalom his creation. face of Absalom his son. 2 Yahweh, how plentiful those clamping me, 2 Master, why have those cramping me been causplentiful those standing against me, 3 plented to be full? Many have risen against me. 3 Many iful those saying before my face: "No freemessage that invigorating me: "There is no prodom for him from Elohim!" Exalt! 4 And thou, tection for him from his God"; plucking between. 4 Yahweh, that hedging me, that solid of mine Thou, master, art my receiver, my honour and and the elevator of my head. 5 Of my calling heightening my head. 5 I have clamoured to the with my voice to Yahweh and of his beginning master with my voice and he has listened to me to me from the hill of his dedication; exalt! 6 from his sacred hill; pluckiug between. 6 I have lain Of my lying down and sleeping; of my waking; down and slept, raised myself, because the master yes, of Yahweh sustaining me. 7 Of my not will receive me. 7 I will not fear a myriad of people, fearing a plenitude of people circling me. those established together in a circle against me. 8 Stand, Yahweh! Free me, my ELohim! Yes, 8 Rise, master, protect me, my God, because thou of thy striking all mine enemies on the hast smitten all at enmity with me for nothing, cheek; of thy breaking the teeth of the conimpacting the teeth of failures. 9 Protection the demnable. 9 From Yahweh, freedom for thy master's and thy message as desirable on thy people, thy blessing; exalt! people. 1 A paean mzmwr plucking YALMOS; a rather strange translation; the words and singing are what is important, the accompaniment with a plucked instrument, if any on a particular occasion (other types of instruments or no instruments are also possibilities) only secondary; the translator loved his plucking; he also uses it to translate "music" (e.g. 4.1), and "plucking between" to translate "exalt" (e.g. verse 3). 3 exalt slh, taking this as the same word as sll exalt; an instruction to do something visible and or audible in honour of Yahweh Elohim; it occurs 71 times in the psalms (3 times in the psalm in Habbakuk); plucking between DIAYALMA (a guess; the translator had plucking on the brain) occurs 92 times in the OG; this variation (the OG has it 21 times more than our current Hebrew text) proves at least one episode of additions; there may well have been many more; none of the occurrences need come from men who composed or revised the text; some or all could be from men responsible for actual performances; so, that "exalt" is not always (though it usually is) appropriate to the actual words before it does not prove that the translation is wrong; its correctness is supported by the consideration that slh should be standard Hebrew, understood by everybody; it seems improbable that there was such a word slh whose sense is completely unknown to us from elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. 8 on the cheek lxy for nothing MATAIWS; it seems that, in the translator's copy, the y had been accidentally dropped from lxy and the resulting lx corrupted to or misread by the translator as lh (x and h are very similar in Hebrew/Aramaic writing); he read this as for nothing (cf Da 4,32: klh x$ybyn they are thought of as nothing).

Psalm 4 1 To the perpetuator: to music; a paean of David's. 2 At my calling, begin for me, Elohim of my clearness; of thy expanding for me at the pressing; accept me and listen to my causing consideration. 3 Creations of a man, continuing to when my solidity for humiliation, your wanting that empty, your seeking lies? Exalt! 4 And be connected to Yahweh's distinguishing the loyal for himself; of his listening at my calling him. 5 Be convulsed and be not punishable; say to your hearts on that of your lying on and be still; exalt! 6 Slaughter slaughterings of clearness and be secure in Yahweh. 7 Plenty say: "How our seeing that pleasing?" Try the brightness of thy face on us, Yahweh. 8 Of thy giving rejoicing to my heart beyond the time of their grain and their vintage being plenty. 9 As release, of my, as one, lying down and sleeping; yes, of thy, Yahweh, apart causing me to stay secure. 1 To the fulfilment, with plucking; a song for David. 2 At my calling, the God of my regulatedness has listened to me; thou hast broadened for me in cramping; pity me and listen to my supplication. 3 Sons of men, until when heavy hearted? Why do you love nothingness and seek the false? Plucking between. 4 And know that the master hasastonished his hallowed one; the master will listen to me at my crying to him. 5 Be angry and fail not; message in your hearts and be stabbed on those of your lying on; plucking between. 6 Slaughter slaughtering of regulations and be confident in the master. 7 Many message: "Who will show us the desirable?" The light of thy face has been indicated to us, master. 8 Thou hast given desirable thought to my heart; they have been filled from the time of their grain and wine and oil. 9 I will lie down and sleep in peace at the same because thou, master, alone, hast caused me to have a household in confidence.

1 To the perpetuator lmncx; the heading instructs perpetuators, ones responsible for the psalms' continued use; OG translated the participle mncx "the one perpetuating" as if it were the noun ncx "perpetuity", giving his nonsensical to the fulfilment EIS TO TELOS which is found in 50 psalm titles. Symmachus' that of victory EPINIKION at 18,1 comes from the OG and the contents of the psalm (he is also known to have used it in 30 other psalm titles); Aquila's for the victory maker TWI NIKOPOIWI changes that of victory to a reference to Yahweh (Aquila did not, of course, get that of victory from Symmachus, who wrote after him, but from some earlier version, copied by Symmachus). 1 to music bngynwt with plucking EN YALMOIS; the translator had plucking on the brain. 2 begin for me (nny has listened to me EISHKOUSEN MOU; the translator "improves" a plea for help to a statement that help has been granted. 3 my solidity for humiliation kbdy lklmh; the translator read kbdy lb lmh (k and b are very similar in Hebrew writing), giving solidity of heart? Why; hence his translation, but the psalmist is talking of his own suffering; talk of those causing his suffering themselves suffering is quite out of place. 3 wanting )hb love AGAPAN; the verb )hb occurs 38 times in the psalms, always translated by AGAPAN except at 88,19, where it is translated with FILOS (cordial), the noun )hbh twice, translated with AGAPAN or AGAPHSIS. That "love" is a mistranslation is shown by passages such as Nu 10,19: and of your wanting a dependent; yes, of your being dependents in the land of Egypt. 4 distinguishing hplh; the Greek translator read hpl) surpassing; this not making much sense, he changed it to astonishes EQAUMASTWSEN. 4 the loyal xsyd his hallowed one TON OSION AUTOU; this inadequate translation of this word and the mistaken translation "concern" or the like for xsd have lead to very significant misunderstandings of the meaning of the psalms and other books of the Hebrew bible. Israel is loyal to Yahweh because he is their God; Yahweh is loyal to Israel because they are his people; family and clan and others with mutual obligations are loyal to each other. xsd occurs 246 times in the Old Testament, 126 in the psalms; xsyd occurs 32 times, 24 in the psalms; combined they occur 278 times, 152 in the psalms. The translator always translates xsyd with OSIOS, hallowed; he always translates xsd with ELEOS, concern, or derivatives, except at 44.27 ONOMA (name), 52.3 ANOMIA (that contrary to dispensation), where a case could be made for the other xsd (revile), and 109.12 OIKTIRMWN (pitying). Clearly, xsd and xsyd are forms of the same word, which can't mean both concern and hallowed; loyal and loyalty fit both forms. 5 be convulsed rgzw; read this with the whole verse; the sense: "Even if you are convulsed, Yahweh will not punish you; at night on your bed think of Yahweh's protection and you will be calmed"; be angry ORGIZESQE makes little sense; rather a poor translation. 5 be still dmw be stabbed KATANUGHTE; same nonsensical mistranslation at 30,12 and 35,15. At Le 10,3: wydm )hrn (and of Aaron being still) the translator has KAI KATENUCQH AARWN (and Aaron was stabbed, i.e. very disturbed); the translator felt the Hebrew "being still" was too weak, as Aaron's sons were in very serious trouble (10,1-2); it seems the wordbook (on which see 1,2 sounding) took the translation in Leviticus as an exact and literal translation of the Hebrew; hence the psalm translator's nonsensical mistranslation here, used also by the translator of Isaiah 47,5: $by dwmm (stay silent), KAQISON KATAVEVUGMENH (sit stabbed).

7 try the brightness of thy face on us nsh (lynw )wr pnyk; the translator took nsh as from a verb connected with ns "banner", giving of the brightness of thy face being a banner for us, hence his the light of thy face has been indicated to us, master ESHMEIWQH EF' HMAS TO FWS TOU PROSWPOU SOU. 8 and oil KAI ELAIOU; an addition, by the translator or an early copyist, to make the harvest complete.

Psalm 5 1 To the perpetuator: on gains, a paean of 1 To the fulfilment; on the woman with a disDavid's. pensed allotment; plucking for David. 2 Cause thine ears to be on that of my saying, 2 Cause my communications to be in the ears, Yahweh; understand my sounding. 3 Be attentive master; have insight into my cry. 3 Have the voice to the voice of my imploring, my chief and my of my entreaty, my ruler and my God, because Elohim; yes, of my causing consideration from I will supplicate thee, master. 4 Thou wilt listen thee. 4 Yahweh, of thy listening to my voice at to my voice early; I will be placed near thee early sunrise; of my arranging for thee at sunrise and and see, 5 because thou art not a God wishing watching. 5 Yes, thou not an El delighting in the for that contrary to the dispensation, nor will the condemnable; of harm not being a dependent demeaning one have a household near thee. 6 of thine. 6 Of those praising themselves not beThose against the dispensation will not remain ing stationed to tell thine eyes; of thy hating all opposite thine eyes; thou hast hated all working achieving disorder. 7 Of thy causing those that contrary to the dispensation. 7 Thou wilt speaking lies to be lost; and of Yahweh loathing destroy all speaking that false; the master a man of blood and destruction. 8 And of my loathes a man of blood and a deceitful one. 8 coming to thy house in the plenitude of thy I will proceed to thy household in the fullness loyalty; of my prostrating myself towards the of thy concern, prostrate myself before thy habitation of thy dedication in fear of thee. 9 sacred shrine in fear of thee. 9 Master, conduct Yahweh, conduct me in thy clearneess because me on the way in thy regulatedness because of of my foes; straighten that forwarding of thine mine enemies; direct thy way in my sight, 10 bebefore my face. 10 Yes, of there not being that cause there is no truth in their mouth, their established in their mouth; havoc that belongheart nothingness, their throat that open for ing to them, that of theirs for chewing with that for burial at, open; of their being smooth with burial at; they have deceived with their tongues. their tongue. 11 Penalize them, Yahweh; of their 11 Judge them, God; let them fall by their decisiofalling by their advice; because of the plenitude ns; because of the fullness of their irreverence, of their rebellion, drive them out; yes, of their push them out, because they have been bitter being bitter against thee. 12 And of all trusting against thee, master. 12 And let all confident in thee rejoicing until that remote; of their crying thee think that desirable; they will exult for an out and thy sheltering them and of those wantage and thou wilt tent among them and all loving ing thy name exulting in thee. 13 Yes, of thy thy name will boast in thee, 13 because thou wilt blessing the clear, Yahweh, as with a shield; of message the regulated as desirable, master; thou hast garlanded us with that arming of rethy wreathing him in satisfaction. gard as desirable. 1 on gains )l hnxylwt; the gains are what Yahweh gives; as seen by A. Pietersma Septuagint Exegesis 461 in Flint, P: The book of psalms (2004), to the translator the y infix in hnxylwt made the word into a verbal (hiphil) raher than the noun nxlh; the Hebrew article as well as the wt ending suggested a nominalized participle; as wt is feminine, he made his translation feminine (THS and the OUSHS ending of KLHRONOMOUSHS); nxl and its derivatives are normally translated in the OG with KLHRONOMEIN (have a dispensed allotment) and derivatives (159 times) (indicating a belief (very common in the Hebrew Bible) that the Israelis were entitled to the land they had conquered). The translator thus ended up with the translation UPER THS KLHRONOMOUSHS; there being no feminine noun preceding for this to refer to, this means on the woman with a dispenses allotment; the translator was oblivous to the fact that this is nonsense. 8 habitation hykl shrine NAON; hykl is found 13 times in the psalms, always translated with NAOS, except at 45,9, where the translation is free. Since the word refers to a chief's house at 45,16 "the habitation of the chief" and elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, it is clear that NAOS, shrine, is a mistranslation. 11 rebellion p$( irreverence ASEBEIA; in the 16 other places of the psalms where p$( is found, the translator has a different (better) translation; his irreverence here is clearly caused by his shrine in verse 8. Psalm 6 1 To the perpetuator: to music; for the eighth; a paean of David's. 2 Yahweh, convince me not in thy snorting and 1 To the fulfilment, in hymns; for the eighth woman; plucking for David. 2 Master, question me not in thy feelings nor

in thy heat discipline me not. 3 Accept me, Yahweh; yes, of my being languid; restore me, Yahweh; yes, of my bones being harried 4 and of my body being very harried; and thou, Yahweh, continuing to when? 5 Return, Yahweh; be vigorous for my body; free me in thy loyalty. 6 Yes, of there being no heeding thee in death; who teaching of thee in the underworld? 7 Of my being weary from my moaning; of my causing, all nights, that stretched out to swim; of my dissolving my bed with my distillation. 8 Of mine eye wasting from rage, abstracted because of all those pressing me. 9 Remove yourselves from me, all achievers of disorder; yes, of Yahweh listening to the voice of my weeping. 10 Of Yahweh listening to my causing acceptance, of Yahweh taking that of mine causing consideration. 11 Of all mine enemies being ashamed and very harried; of their returning; of their being ashamed in a relaxation.

train me in thine anger. 3 Be concerned for me, master, because I am mightless; heal me, master, because my bones have been unsettled 4 and that invigorating me has been very unsettled; and thou, master, until when? 5 Move, master, draw out that invigorating me; protect me in thy concern, 6 because there is no one heeding thee in death; who will agree in message with thee in Hades? 7 I have been struck in my groaning; I will wash my bed each night, wet that overlaid of mine with my tears. 8 Mine eye has been unsettled from feelings; I have been old because of all mine enemies. 9 Be placed away from me, all working unregulatedness, because the master has listened to the voice of my wailing. 10 The master has listened to my entreaties; the master has accepted my supplication. 11 May all mine enemies be very shamed and unsettled, very moved back and ashamed quickly.

1 for the eighth (l h$myny+ eighth is feminine (+ ending); clearly, the author of this heading couldn't possibly have intended the meaning "for the eighth woman", hence there must be a noun understood; the obvious one is Snh (year); the eighth year is the one after the sabbatical year, in which nothing must be planted (Le 25,3-4); conceivably, the author of the heading is stating that this psalm (and also 12, which has the same heading) should be sung to inspire confidence during this year, there being a valid religious reason for its harship (Le 25.22: and of your seeding in year eight and eating from that caused to come, that old, continuing to year nine); conceivably, those who first thought of using psalm 12 for this purpose were motivated by verse 7: that spoken by Yahweh - that spoken of unpollutedness, silver refined in that plucking, extracted on the land - seven (times), this suggesting: "Observing the seven year cycle, culminating in the seventh, sabbatical year, when nothing is sown, will purify us like the silver heated seven times to remove impurities; on the eighth year we will be purified, like this silver". UPER THS OGDOHS; the translator mechanically copied the feminine of his source; it can't have the same meaning as the Hebrew, as year in Greek, ETOS, is neuter; it should mean the nonsensical for the eighth woman. 4 my body np$y that invigorating me H YUCH MOU; this is by far the most common translation of np$ in the OG (705 times) and the psalms (134 times); that it is wrong is shown by Le 19,28: not giving gashes to your flesh because of a body {i.e. dead body}, 21,11: {a priest} not coming to all dead bodies. Thus np$ does not contain the idea of a soul as something distinct from the body. Psalm 7 1 David's ignorance, that of his singing of to Yahweh concerning that spoken concerning Cush the Benjaminite. 2 Yahweh, my Elohim, of my trusting thee; free me from all my pursuers and rescue me, 3 in case of their, as a wild one, lacerating my body, sundering, and of there being no one rescuing. 4 Yahweh, my Elohim, granted my doing this, granted there being plucking with that outstretched of mine, 5 granted my bestowing harm on one welcome to me and being vigorous agaInst one pressing on me emptily, 6 of mine enemy pursuing my body and reaching and trampling my life on the land and causing that solid of mine to dwell in the dust; exalt! 7 Stand, Yahweh; in thy snorting lift thyself up against the fury of those pressing me and be aroused for me; of thy commanding a decision. 8 And of that joined of folk circling thee; and return over it, elevated. 9 Of Yahweh championing peoples; decide concerning me, Yahweh; according to my clearness and my completeness in me. 10 Now, of the harm of the condemnable being concluded and of thy establishing the clear and testing the hearts and kidneys, clear Elohim. 11 That heging me on Elohim, freeing the straight of heart. 12 Elohim a clear decider, and an El denouncing all days. 13 Granted his not return1 Plucking for David, which he sang for the master on the message of Chousi the son of Iemeni. 2 Master my God, I have been confident in thee; protect me from all pursuing me and draw me out 3 in case, as a lion, they seize that invigorating me with no one releasing or protecting. 4 Master my God, if I have done this, if there is unregulatedness in my hands, 5 if I have given in turn that undesirable to those giving in turn to me, may I fall empty from mine enemies, 6 may mine enemy pursue that invigorating me and receive and strew my life on the land and tent my honour in the soil; plucking between. 7 Rise, master, in thine anger; be high at the ends of mine enemies; be raised, master my God, at the arrangement which thou hast ordered. 8 And a gathering of people will circle thee; and move high because of it. 9 The master will judge peoples; judge me, master, according to my regulatedness and my undesirablelessness in me. 10 Let that demeaning of failures be fulfilled and thou wilt direct the regulated, God testing hearts and kidneys. 11 My help regulated from God protecting the straight of heart. 12 God a regulated judge and {strong and long of feelings} not conducting anger every day.

ing, of his whetting that desiccating of his, forwarding his bow and establishing it. 14 And of his establishing for himself the utensils of death, achieving his shafts against those inflamed. 15 Lo! of his controlling disorder and conceiving labour and birthing that false. 16 Of his preparing a pit and digging it and falling into that gouged of his achieving. 17 Of his labour returning against his head and his violence descending against his crown. 18 Of my declaring ing Yahweh because of his clearness and paeaning the name of Yahweh, the one above.

13 If you do not move, he will flash his sword; he has stretched his shooter and prepared it 14 and prepared on it the equipment of death; he has raised those impelled of his against the burning. 15 See! he has been in labour with unregulatedness, received exertion inside and birthed that contrary to that dispensed. 16 He has dug a pit and trenched it and will fall into the excavation which he has worked. 17 His exertion will move against his head and his unregulatedness will go down against his top. 18 I will agree in message concerning the master because of his regulatedness and pluck to the name of the master the highest.

1 ignorance, $gywn; Benjaminite hostility to David is found in 1 Sa 24-26 and 2 Sa 16,5 and 20,1; Cush is not mentioned elsewhere; ignorance suggests that David was at some stage unaware of Cush's hostility to him; plucking YALMOS; the translator, not understanding the reference, substituted his usual plucking for it. 1 Cush the Benjaminite kw$ bnimini Chousi the son of Iemeni COUSI UIOU IEMENI; the translator has taken a single word as two, so creating a fictitious person Iemeni. 3 sundering, and of there being no one rescuing prq w)yn mcyl; the translator, feeling that the lack of rescue needed more emphasizing, took sundering out of its place, giving and of there being no one sundering or protecting MH ONTOS LUTROUMENOU MHDE SWIZONTOS; in its Hebrew position sundering refers to the animal tearing him apart, in the Greek, to his being separated from the animal. 5 and being vigorous against one pressing on me emptily w(xlch cwry ryqm; i.e. failing in defending myself against my enemies; the translator seems not to have liked this, hence he substituted may I fall empty from mine enemies APOPESOIN ARA APO TWN ECQRWN MOU KENOS, suggested by the following verse. 7 fury (brwt; the translator thought this noun came from the very common word (br pass through, hence meaning passings through, hence his ends, despite its lack of sense in the context. 12 an El )l {strong and long of feelings} not {ISCUROS KAI MAKRQUMOS} MH; the translator's translation not is impossible, as )l meaning not can't go with a participle, and not contradicts the next verse, in which he does show his aggression. Someone added another translation of )l, strong, connecting it with )yl (tall), and he or someone else added long of feelings (= restrained), attempting to justify not conducting anger every day, sensing the fact that it contradicted the next verse.

Psalm 8 1 To the perpetuator; at the grape-pressing; a paean of David's. 2 Yahweh our Elohim, how magnificent thy name on all the land! Of my serving thy glory above the heavens! 3 Of thy founding that formidable from the mouth of sucklings and those sucking because of those pressing on thee, to return the enemy and the avenger. 4 Yes, of my seeing thy heavens, that made by thy digits, the moon and the stars, those of thy establishing. 5 Who man? Yes, of thy heeding him. And the creation of a mortal? Yes, of thy being concerned with him 6 and causing him to lack little compared to Elohim and wreathing him with solidity and eminence, 7 causing him to rule all made by thy hands, causing all to be under his legs, 8 flocks and kine and also animals of the countryside, 9 birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea passing the ways of the seas. 10 Yahweh our Elohim, how magnificent thy name in all the land! 1 To the fulfilment; on troughs; plucking for David. 2 Master our master, how astonishing thy name on all the land, because thy significance and fittingness has been lifted above the heavens! 3 Thou hast renewed praise from the mouth of infants and sucklings because of thine enemies, to loosen the enemy and the regulator, 4 because I will see the heavens, the work of thy digits, the moon and the stars, which thou hast founded. 5 What is a human, that thou shouldst heed him, or the son of a human, that thou shouldst watch him? 6 Thou hast lessened him insignificantly compared to proclaimers; thou hast garlanded him with honour and value 7 and placed him over the works of thy hands, subjecting all beneath his feet, 8 flocks and all oxen and, besides, the possessions of the plains, 9 birds of heaven and the fish of the waters, those travelling the paths of the seas. 10 Master our master, how astonishing thy name in all the land!

1 at the grape-pressing (l hg+y+ the heading indicates that the psalm was at some stage used at

grape pressing; on troughs UPER TWN LHNWN; the translator presumably chose the plural instead of the singular "on a trough" as that would tend to imply a particular trough was intended; it would not be easy to take it in a generic sense, of troughs in general; the translation is inadequate; not all readers would have immediately guessed that the troughs were for holding juice trodden from grapes, when there is nothing about grape pressing in the psalm. 2 Of my serving thy glory )$rtnh hwdk thy significance and fittingness has been lifted EPHRQH H MEGALOPREPEIA SOU; the translator, not understanding the verb, guessed something appropriate. 3 that formidable (z praise AINON; the translator softens the Hebrew. 6 Elohim )lhym proclaimers AGGELOUS; again the translator softens the Hebrew, thinking saying human beings are almost on a level with God blasphemous. 7 his legs rglyw his feet TWN PODWN AUTOU; the OG translators translate rgl correctly as leg 3 times, incorrectly as foot 221 times. Foot is that outstretched of the leg (Ge 8,9; De 2,5; 11, 24, 28; 35, 28, 56, 65; Jo 1,3; 3,13; 4,18 etc). (qrsl (Ps 18,37 = 2Sa 22,37) also seems to mean "foot") At 1Sa 17,6 there are "greaves of bronze on his legs" (not his feet); at Ex 4,25 Zipporah is "cutting her creation's foreskin and touching his legs" (i.e. his penis between his legs; no one has a penis between his feet).

Psalm 9 1 To the perpetuator: on the death of Laban; a paean of David's. 2 Of my declaring to Yahweh with all my heart, 1 To the fulfilment; on that hidden of the son; plucking for David. 2 I will agree in message concerning thee, master, with all my heart; I will detail all that astoniindicating all that surpassing of thine, 3 rejoicing shing of thine. 3 I will think of thee as desirable and exulting in thee, paeaning thy name, one aband exult in thee; I will pluck to thy name, highove. 4 At mine enemies returning after, of their est one. 4 At mine enemy moving behind they collapsing and being lost before thy face. 5 Yes, will be mightless and be detroyed before thy of thy making a decision on me and that champface, 5 because thou hast made judgement for ioning me, staying on a seat, deciding with clear- me and regulations for me; thou hast sat on a seat, the one judging regulatedness. 6 Thou hast ness, 6 rebuking the tribes, causing the condem- warned clans and the irreverent one has been nable one to be lost, wiping out their name until destroyed; thou hast rubbed out their name for that remote and continuing. 7 Of the enemy bean age and for an age of an age. 7 The swords of ing completed, that desiccated in perpetuity; of the enemy have left to the fulfilment and thou thy eradicating settlements; they - of heeding hast received settlements; heeding of them them being lost. 8 And of Yahweh staying until has been destroyed with resounding. 8 And the that remote; of his establishing his seat for demaster remains for an age; he has prepared his cision 9 and of his deciding concerning the seat for judgement 9 and he himself will judge world with clearness, championing peoples with that with households with regulations; he will straightness. 10 And of Yahweh being that outjudge peoples with straightness. 10 And the master has come to be that to flee to for the reaching for the dangling, that outreaching in poor, a help in desirable times in cramping. 11 times of pressure. 11 And of those connected to And may those knowing thy name be confident thy name being secure in thee; yes, of thy not in thee, because thou hast not left those seekleaving those claiming thee, Yahweh. 12 Paean ing thee, master. 12 Pluck for the master with a Yahweh, staying in Zion; tell peoples his pluckhousehold in Zion; proclaim his use among the ing. 13 Yes, of the one claiming blood heeding clans, 13 because, seeking their blood, he has them; of his not forgetting the appeal of the subheeded; he has not overlooked the cry of the jugated. 14 Accept me, Yahweh; see my subjugpoor. 14 Be concerned for me, master; see my ation by my haters, one elevating me from the humbling by mine enemies, thou heightening gates of death, 15 beginning my indicating all thy me from the gates of death, 15 so that I may propraises at the gates of the daughter of Zion, reclaim all thy praises at the gates of the daughter velling in thy freeing. 16 Of the tribes being fastof Zion; I will exult in thy protection. 16 The clans ened in that gouged out of their making; of their have been placed in the injury which they have leg being captured in the net of their secreting. made; their foot has been received in that plac17 Of Yahweh connecting himself, making decising in which they have hidden.17 The master is ions; of his snaring the condemnable by the known as making judgements; the failure has achievement of that outstretched of his; soundbeen received in the works of his hands; a song ing; exalt! 18 Of the condemnable returning to of plucking between. 18 May failures be moved the underworld, all the tribes forgetting Elohim. back to Hades, all the clans overlooking God, 19 19 Yes, of the needy not being forgotten in perbecause the beggarwill not be overlooked to the petuity, the expectation of the subjugated fulfilment; the remaining of the poor will not be continuing to be lost. 20 Stand, Yahweh; of men destroyed for an age. 20 Rise, master; let humnot being formidable; of tribes being decided ans not control; may clans be judged in thy about before thy face. 21 Yahweh, cause there to sight. 21 Place over them, master, an establisher

be fear in them; of tribes being connected - they men; exalt!

of that dispensed; let the clans know that they are humans; plucking between.

1 on the death of Laban (l mwt lbn on that hidden of the son UPER TWN KRUFIWN TOU UIOU; the translator took the first two words as one word (lmwt, connecting it with (lm, that remote, hence his "that hidden", and the last word as two words l bn "of the son"; as usual, his effort makes no sense; the translator certainly read our present Hebrew text, but it is hard to believe anyone wrote it, as there is nothing in the psalm (or in 10, which the acrostics prove is part of the same psalm) about the death of Laban; this suggests it is corrupt. 7 Of the enemy being completed, that desiccated in perpetuity h)wyb +mw xrbw+ lncx the swords of the enemy have left to the fulfilment TOU ECQROU EXELIPON AI ROMFAIAI EIS TELOS; xrb, that desiccating, referring to a weapon used to kill and so desiccate, i.e. cause the dead body to dehydrate, is mistranslated with ROMFAIA, sword, 198 times in the OG, 17 times in the psalms; any weapon could be used, e.g. a knife, not necessarily a sword; the translator took that desiccated as the active, that desiccating, changed the subject the enemy into of the enemy, dependent on that desiccating, and translated being completed as have left; his mistranslation is nonsense. 7 they hmh; the translator, with with resounding MET' HCOUS, has taken hmh as a participle, "being loud", although it can't stand by itself and makes no sense with the noun heeding. 12 his plucking (lylwtyw his use TA EPITHDEUMATA AUTOU; the Greek softens the Hebrew. 13 the subjugated (nyym the poor TWN PENHTWN; (ny (nh and (nw are translated by PTWCOS, beggar, 24 times in the psalms, by PENHS, poor, 5 times; the translations are inadequate, as the poor and beggars are not necessarily subjugated. 21 fear mwrh an establisher of that dispensed NOMOQETHN; the translator introduces, as often, a reference to the Mosaic law. Psalm 10 1 Why, Yahweh, thy being placed far, causing thyself to be remote in times of pressure? 2 In the pride of the condemnable, of his being inflamed against the subjugated; of their being held in that devised of their thinking out. 3 Yes, of the condemnable praising the yearning of his body and of the plunderer blessing, laughing at Yahweh. 4 Of the condemnable, in the height of his snorting, never seeking; all his devising: there being no Elohim. 5 Of that forwarding him thrusting at all times; of thy decisions being elevated away from telling him; all those pressing him - of his expiring at them. 6 Of his saying in his heart: "Of my never slipping, not harmed to lifetime and lifetime". 7 Of his mouth being filled with adjuration and destruction, labour and disorder under his tongue. 8 Of his staying in ambush in clusters, in concealment, killing the immune; of his eyes immuring thy thrust one. 9 Of his ambushing in concealment as a wild one, ambushing in his shelter to waylay the subjugated, waylaying the subjugated at his drawing him into his net. 10 Of the thrust of the cowering being suppressed, gouged and falling by his energy. 11 Of his saying in his heart: "Of El forgetting, concealing his face, never seeing in perpetuity". 12 Stand, Yahweh El; lift thy hand; of thy not forgetting the subjugated. 13 Why the condemnable laughing at Elohim and saying in his heart: "Of thy not claiming"? 14 Of thy seeing, yes, thou, labour and looking at rage, to give into thy hand; of thy thrust one, the unprotected, leaving to thee; of thy being the helper. 15 Break the arm of the condemnable and the harmful; of thy claiming his condemnability; of thy never finding. 16 Yahweh chief to that remote and continuing; of the tribes being lost from his land. 17 Of thy listening to the yearning of the subjugated, Yahweh, establishing their heart, being attentive with thine ear, 18 to decide for the unprotected and the crushed; of the man of the land never continuing to add to terror. 1 Why, master, art thou placed a long way away, dost thou see from above at desirable times in cramping? 2 At the irreverent being arrogant the beggar is on fire; they are received in the decisions which they message, 3 because the failure is praised in the feelings of that invigorating him and the unregulated is messaged as desirable. 4 The failure has been sharp against the master; he will not seek in the fullness of his anger; God is not in his sight. 5 His ways are profaned at all times; thy judgements are taken away from his face; he will master all his enemies. 6 He has said in his heart: "I will not waver, without that undesirable from birth to birth". 7 Whose mouth is packed with curse and bitterness and deceit, struggl and exertion under his tongue. 8 He abides in ambush with the rich, to kill the exonerated in hiding; his eyes look at the beggar. 9 He ambushes in hiding as a lion in his den; he ambushes to seize the beggar at his dragging him. 10 He will humble him in that placing in of his; he will stoop and fall in his mastering the poor. 11 He has said in his heart: "God has overlooked; he has moved his face away so as not to look to the fulfilment". 12 12 Rise, master God; let thy hand be high; overlook not the poor. 13 Why has the irreverent been sharp with God? He has said in his heart: "He will not seek". 14 Thou lookest, because thou considerest exertion and feelings, to give them into thy hands; so the beggar is left to thee; thou hast been the one helping the orphan. 15 Impact the arm of the failure and the demeaning; his failure will be sought and will not be found because of it. 16 The master will be chief to an age and to an age of an age; you will be destroyed, clans, from his land. 17 The master has listened to the feelings of the poor; thine ear has had the preparedness of their heart 18 to judge for the orphan and the humble, so that a human will not add to vaunting his significance on the land.

2 of his being inflamed against the subjugated ydlq (ny; the translator took (ny as the subject, not the object of the verb, giving the absurd sense the beggar is on fire EMPURIZETAI O PTWCOS, i.e. every time he feels arrogant, he sets a beggar on fire. 3 the plunderer blessing bc( brk n)c yhwh; blessing is a euphemism for cursing; the translator misunderstood it to mean what it says and supplied "himself", hence his the unregulated is messaged as desirable O ADIKWN ENEULOGEITAI; he also softened the plunderer to his favourite the unregulated. 5 of his expiring at them ypyx bhm he will master KATAKURIEUSEI; in the Hebrew, mere expiring, blowing out, is devastating; the Greek destroys the vivid expression with the paraphrase "he will master". 8 in clusters xcrym with the rich META PLOUSIWN; xcr is mostly translated in the OG with court AULH (125 times) and EPAULIS (16 times), suggesting this was the translation in his wordbook (on which see on 1,2); he then wrote in a contrast by changing in courts ... thy thrust one to with the rich .. the beggar. 10 of the thrust of the cowering being suppressed, gouged and falling by his energy wdkh y$x wnpl b(cwmyw xl k(ym he will stoop and fall in his mastering the poor KUYEI KAI PESEITAI EN TWI AUTON KATAKURIEUSAI TWN PENHTWN; the translator didn't like the idea of the bad doing so well, so he changed it to the bad doing badly. 18 add to terror vaunting his significance on the land; the translator softens the Hebrew and adds on the land.

Psalm 11 1 To the perpetuator: of David. 1 To the fulfilment; plucking for David. Of my trusting Yahweh; how your saying to my I trust the master; how will you say to that invigbody: "Flitter to your hill, a bird"? 2 Yes, lo! of the orating me: "Settle on the hills as a sparrow"? condemnable forwarding the bow, establishing 2 Because, see! failures have stretched the shotheir shaft on that outstanding, to cast in the oter; they have prepared those impelled for the conveyer, to shoot at the dark moon at the blackness at the straight of heart. 3 Yes, of that straight of heart, 3 because they have received causing to be being smashed; what the clear what thou hast renewed; what has the regulated achieving? 4 Yahweh in the habitation of his dedone? 4 The master in his hallowed shrine, the dication, Yahweh, his seat in the heavens; of his master, his seat in heaven; his eyes look at the eyes envisioning, his orbs testing the creations poor, his eyelids enquire about the sons of of mortals. 5 Of Yahweh testing the clear and of mortals. 5 The master enquires about the regulhis body hating the condemnable and the one ated and the irreverent; one loving unregulatedwanting violence. 6 Of his raining charcoal of fire ness hates that invigorating of his. 6 He will wet and sulphur on the condemnable; and a breath that placing in on failures, fire and sulphur and a of that alarming - the allocation of their cup. 7 breath of a squall the portion of their drink, 7 Yes, Yahweh clear, wanting that clear; of his because the master is regulated and has loved face envisioning the straight. regulatedness; his face has seen straightness. 5 The translator had a text in which $n) had replaced $n)h (or he misread it or emended it to $n)); with this text the feminine noun np$ (body) is no longer the subject of hating, being replaced by the maculine )hb (one wanting), hence the translator's translation, in effect: "5 Yahweh wants to know about the condemnable, but whether he actually finds out anything about them is unknown; the condemnable hate themselves. 6 Therefore he punishes them"; clearly, a statement that "Yahweh hates the condemnable" is required before "he will punish them", as in the Hebrew. Psalm 12 1 To the perpetuator: for the eighth: a paean of David. 2 Free, Yahweh; yes, of the loyal being concluded; yes, of the reliable being transient among the creations of mortals. 3 Of their speaking, a man, that ruinous to his clansman, speaking with smooth lips, with a heart and a heart. 4 Of Yahweh cutting off all smooth lips, a tongue speaking that prominent, 5 those saying: "Of our being superior with our tongue; our lips with us; who our master?" 6 "From the guzzling of 1 To the fulfilment; for the eighth; plucking for David. 2 Protect me, master, because the hallowed has left, because truths have been caused to be little among the sons of humans. 3 Each has spoken nothingness to one close to him; deceitful lips; they have spoken with a heart and a heart. 4 May the master remove all deceitful lips and a tongue significant of communication, 5 those saying: "We are significant in our tongue; our lips are with us; who is our master?" 6 "From wretch-

the subjugated, from the shrieking of the needy, of my now standing" Yahweh saying, "Of my causing to be in freedom"; of his expiring at him. 7 That spoken by Yahweh - that spoken of unpollutedness, silver refined in that plucking, extracted on the land - seven. 8 Of thy attending to them, Yahweh, upholding them from this lifetime until that remote. 9 Of the condemnable going, circling, as the elevating of lavishing among the creations of mortals.

edness of beggars and from the groaning of the poor I will now rise", the master messages; "I will establish in protection; I will communicate all in him". 7 The message of the master a purified message, silver fired, regarded on the land, cleaned sevenfold. 8 Thou, master, wilt guard us and watch us from this birth and for an age. 9 The irreverent walk around in a circle; thou hast had much time for the sons of humans, according with thy height.

2 the reliable )mwnym truths AI ALHQEIAI; the translator has replaced a straightforward statement about people with a rebarbative abstraction. Pilate was absolutely right when he said: "What is truth?" Forms of ALHQHS are used 59 times in the psalms to translate forms of )mn. 6 of his expiring at him ypyx lw; Yahweh gives him freedom by breathing on him; I will communicate all in him PARRHSIASOMAI EN AUTWI; the translator makes this part of Yahweh's speech and paraphrases, but gives the right general sense. 9 as the elevating of lavishing among the creations of mortals krm zlw+ lbny )dm thou hast much time for the sons of humans, according to thy height KATA TO UYOS SOU EPOLUWRHSAS TOUS UIOUS TWN ANQRWPWN; I suggest that in the Greek translator's text zlw+ had been corrupted to $lw+; he took krm as "as the elevation", and supplied "thy", giving his according to thy height; he translates $lwy at 73,12 with EUQHNOUNTAI, they are desirably abundant; hence it is reasonable to suppose he could have translated $lw+ here with thou hast much time; needless to say, his translation makes no sense in the context. Psalm 13 1 To the perpetuator: a paean of David. 2 Until when, Yahweh, thy forgetting me? In perpetuity? Until when thy concealing thy face from me? 3 Until when my causing advice to be in my body and affliction in my heart all day? Until when mine enemy elevated over me? 4 Look, begin to me, Yahweh mine Elohim; brighten mine eyes, in case of my sleeping death, 5 in case of mine enemy saying: "Of my being able against him", those pressing me revelling, yes, at my slipping. 6 And of my trusting thy loyalty; of my heart revelling in thy freeing; of my singing to Yahweh; yes, of his bestowing on me. 1 To the fulfilment; plucking for David. 2 Until when, master, wilt thou overlook me? To the fulfilment? Until when wilt thou move thy face from me? 3 Until when will I establish decisions in that invigorating me, sufferings in my heart for days? Until when will mine enemy be high over me? 4 Look, listen to me, master my God; light mine eyes, in case I sleep into death, 5 in case mine enemy messages: "I have been strong against him"; those cramping me will exult if I waver. 6 I have been confident in thy concern; my heart will exult in thy protection; I will sing to the master working that desirable for me and pluck to the name of the master the highest.

6 and pluck to the name of the master the highest; addded from 7,18. Psalm 14 1 To the perpetuator: of David. 1 To the fulfilment: plucking for David. Of the residue saying in his heart: "Of there beThe unthinking has said in his heart: "God is ing no Elohim"; of theirgouging, being loathsome not"; they have injured and been loathsome in in their plucking; of none doing that desirable. 2 their uses; there is no one doing that needed, Of Yahweh viewing the creations of mortals there is not one. 2 The master has stooped from from the heavens to see, ones enlightened, heaven towards the sons of humans to see if there is anyone with insight or seeking God. 3 claiming Elohim? 3 Of all removing themselves All have leant aside, together not causing that as one, being vile; of none doing that pleasing, needed; there is no one doing that needed; not even one. 4 They not connected, all the achithere is not one. 4 Will not all working unregulevers of disorder, eating my people, eating atedness know, eating my people with the confood, not calling Yahweh? 5 Of their dreading suming of bread? They have not called on the master. 5 They have cowered with fear there dread there; yes, Elohim with the lifetime of the where there was no fear, because God is with clear. 6 Of thy shaming the advice of the subjugregulated birthed ones. 6 You have shamed the ated; yes, Yahweh his trust. 7 Who giving freedecision of the beggar, because the master is his confidence. 7 Who will give protection for dom for Israel out of Zion? At Yahweh's returnIsrael out of Zion? At the master's moving the ing the seizure of his people, of Jacob revelling, captivity of his people, let Jacob exult and Israel Israel rejoicing. think it desirable. 3 being vile n)lhw not causing that needed OUK ... POIWN CRHSTOTHTA; the translator has softened

the Hebrew. Psalm 15 1 A paean of David. Yahweh, who a dependent in thy tent, who dwelling on the hill of thy dedication? 2 One going complete and achieving clearness and speaking that reliable in his heart, 3 not spying with his tongue and not doing harm to his clansman and not lifting mockery against one belonging to him. 4 Of his despising those shed in his eyes and 1 Plucking for David. Master, who will have a household near thy tent and who will tent on thy sanctified hill? 2 One travelling blameless and working regulatedness, speaking truth in his heart, 3 who has not deceived with his tongue nor done that undesirable to one close to him and not receiving despising against those nearest to him. 4 The demeaning is scorned in his sight; he honours solidifying those fearing Yahweh; of his swearthose fearing the master; he is one promising ing to a clansman and not varying, 5 not giving his one close to him and not disestablishing. 5 He silver on interest and not taking an inducement has not given his silver for productivity and has against the immune; of one doing this not slipnot received gifts against the exonerated; one ping until that remote. doing this will not waver for an age. Psalm 16 1 That divulged of David's. Attend to me, El; of my trusting thee. 2 Of thy saying to Yahweh: "Thou my master; never that pleasing me in thee". 3 Those dedicated in the land - they and the soaring ones of all my delight in them. 4 Of their causing their strain to be plentiful, being quick afterwards; of my never libating their libations of blood and never lifting their names onto my lips. 5 Yahweh the allocaton of my share and my cup; of thy grasping my lot. 6 Of those apportioning falling for me in that longed for; the gains now inviting for me. 7 Of my blessing Yahweh, the one advising me; of my kidneys now disciplining me in the night. 8 Of my levelling Yahweh telling me regularly, yes, at my right; of my never slipping. 9 So, of my heart rejoicing and my solidity revelling; of my flesh now dwelling secure. 10 Yes, of thy not leaving my body for the underworld; of thy not giving thy loyal one to see that gouged. 11 Of thy connecting me to the way of life; enough rejoicng in thy face; that longed for in thy right in perpetuity. 1 Pillar record for David. Guard me, master, because I have been confident in thee. 2 I have said to my master: "Thou art my master, because thou hast no need of that desirable of mine". 3 He has caused all his wishes in them to astonish the sanctified ones in his land. 4 Their mightlessness has been filled; they have been quick after this; I will not gather their gatherings of blood nor heed their names with my lips. 5 The master the portion of my dispensed allotment and that of mine for drinking from; thou art the one placing my dispensed allotment for me. 6 Reed-chains have fallen for me in that most controlled and my dispensed allotment is most controlled for me. 7 I will message the master, the one causing me to have insight, as desirable; my kidneys have trained me besides until night. 8 I have seen the master before me in my sight in all, because he is at my right so that I will not waver. 9 So, my heart has thought that desirable and my tongue exulted; besides, my flesh will tent in confidence, 10 because thou hast not left that invigorating me for Hades nor wilt thou give thy hallowed one to see injury. 11 Thou hast caused me to know the ways of life; thou wilt fill me with desirable thoughts with thy face, pleasures in thy right to the fulfilment.

1 That divulged mktm pillar record STHLOGRAFIA; the translator was presumably ignorant of the word ktm, occuring elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible only at Je 2,22: (wnk nktm of thy guilt being divulged, where the OG translator mistranslates KEKHLIDWSAI EN TAIS ADIKIAIS SOU thou hast been stained by thine unregulatedness, guessing the meaning of the verb from the context of washing. Here the translator's guess pillar record is a bad one; psalm 16 is not the sort of thing one would find on a pillar record. 2 thy saying )mr+ I have said EIPA; the psalmist trusts El (verse 1), but someone else, the thy of verse 2, says never that pleasing me in thee twb+y bl (lyk; the psalmist introduces this other person to emphasize, by contrast, his trust in El. The Greek translator's I have said introduces the absurdity of the psalmist saying of my trusting thee and then totally contradicting himself in the very next verse by saying never that pleasing me in thee. He gets over that by mistranslating the Hebrew as because thou hast no need of that desirable of mine OTI TWN AGAQWN MOU OU CREIAN ECEIS; but "you're my master because you don't need me" is also nonsense. 3 Those dedicated in the land - they and the soaring ones of all my delight in them lqdw$ym )$r b)rc hmh w)dryry kl xpcy bm He has caused all his wishes in them to astonish the sanctified ones in his land TOIS AGIOIS TOIS EN THI GHI AUTOU EQAUMASTWSEN PANTA TA QELHMATA AUTOU EN AUTOIS; the psalmist talks of his delight; the Greek translator has changed this to God's delight; he has introduced a reference to God astonishing and left out a reference to the soaring ones; it can't be said that his translation is successful.

6 longed for n(mym inviting $prh controlled KRATISTOIS KRATISTH; the translator is a control freak. 7 in (no word in the Hebrew) until EWS; this introduces the absurdity of the kidneys' training sudenly ceasing to operate in the night. Psalm 17 1 Causing consideration, of David. Listen, Yahweh, to that clear; be attentive to my cry; cause thine ears to be on my causing conideration from lips not of destruction. 2 Of the decision about me coming from before thy face; of thine eyes seeing straightness. 3 Of thy testng my heart, organizing by night, refining me, never finding devices in me; of their never passing my mouth. 4 The achievements of mortals from that spoken by thy lips, of my attending to the ways of the bursting, 5 that advancing me holding on thy cartways; of my steps never sliping. 6 Of my calling thee; yes, of thy beginning to me, El; stretch thine ear to me; listen to that of my saying. 7 Distinguish thy loyalty, freer of those trusting thy right against those standing. 8 Attend to me as that sable, the daughter of the eye; conceal me in the shade of thy wings 9 from the face of the condemnable guzzling me, the enemies of my body encircling me. 10 Of their shutting that rich of theirs, speaking that proud with their mouth. 11 That advancing us - of their now circling me, causing their eyes to be for stretching out on the land. 12 That conceived of him as a wild one craving that lacerated and as a lion staying in concealment. 13 Stand, Yahweh; be to the dawn of his face; cause him to crouch; save my body from the condemnable, that desiccating of thine, 14 from menfolk, thy hand, Yahweh, from menfolk, from mortality, their share among the living; and of their belly being filled with that immured of thine; of their creations having enough; and of their causing that outstanding of theirs to rest for their sucklings. 15 I - of my envisioning thy face in clearness, having enough from thy appearance at waking. 1 Supplication of David. Listen, master, to my regulatedness; have upon my entreaties; cause thine ears to be on my supplication not from deceitful lips. 2 May judgement of me proceed from thy face, mine eyes see straightness. 3 Thou hast regarded my heart; thou hast watched at night, fired me, and unregulatedness has not been found in me. 4 So that my mouth will not speak the works of humans I have, from the message of thy lips, guarded against hard ways. 5 Ready my steps on thy paths, so that my steps will not waver. 6 I have clamoured, because thou hast listened to me, God; lean thine ear to me and listen to my communication. 7 Astonish with thy concern, one protecting with thy right those confident in thee against those placed against them. 8 Guard me as the maiden of the eye; thou wilt defend me with the defence of thy wings 9 from the face of the irreverent causing me to be wretched; mine enemies have been around that invigorating me, 10 have enclosed their plumpness; their mouth has spoken arrogance. 11 They have now, impelling me out, circled me; they have established their eyes to lean out on the land. 12 They have received me as a lion prepared for hunting and as a cub with a household in hiding. 13 Rise, master; have the advantage of them and cause a leg to be underneath them; draw that invigorating me away from the irreverent, thy sword from the enemies of thy hand. 14 Master, apportion them in their life away from the little in the land; and their inwards have been filled with that concealed of thine; they have fed on sons and have let that left be for their infants. 15 I shall be seen in regulatedness before thy face; I shall be fed at thy honour being seen.

2 thine eyes (ynyk; it seems that the translator's text lacked k, giving mine eyes OI OFQALMOI MOU; the thy testing of the next verse shows that thine is correct. 8 that sable, the daughter of the eye )y$wn bt (yn the maiden of the eye KORAN OFQALMOU; the pupil; the absence of "that sable" from the Greek suggests it may be a gloss. 11 that advancing us - of their now circling me )$rynw (th sbbwny; there is anacoluthon - the psalmist started a construction, then broke it off to begin another; the translator seems to have read, from interchange of y and w, )$rwny of their advancing me (or misread )$rynw as this or emended it to this) and to have taken advancing to mean impelling out, hence his translation they have now, impelling me out, circled me EKBALLONTES ME NUNI PERIEKUKLWSAN ME; but advancing (putting in a more favourable position) can't mean impelling out (putting in a more unfavourable position); his translation certainly makes sense, but is not a legitimate interpretation of his corrupted Hebrew. 12 that conceived of of him dmynw; the translator read (or misread or emended) dmynw as dmwny by interchange of y and w, giving of their conceiving of me; this makes no sense; they, not he, are like a lion; it seems, however, that the translator had a hazy idea of the meaning of dmh, taken from 48,10: of our conceiving of thy loyalty, Elohim and/or 50,21: of thy conceiving of it being my being as thee, where he also translates dmh, as here (they have received me UPELABON ME) with UPOLAMBANEIN; it gives here the wrong sense, of their seizing me. 12 lion kpyr cub SKUMNOS; also translated with SKUMNOS at 104.21, with LEWN (lion) at 35,17; 58,7; 91,13, with PLOUSIOS (rich) at 34,11. Cub here is just an attempt to distinguish the word from lion earlier in the verse. Samson kills a kpyr at Ju 14,5-6; the author can't have meant he killed a mere cub. 13 save my body from the condemnable, that desiccating of thine, 14 from menfolk, thy hand, Yahweh, from menfolk, from mortality, their share among the living plth np$y mr$( xrbk 14 mmtym ydk yhwh mmtym mxld xlqm bxyym; that desiccating of thine and thy hand indicate the objects to be

used to save (English would put with with them both); the translator took that desiccating of thine as another object of save and emended mtym to the construct mty, giving menfolk of thy hand; he took xlqm their share as a verb and object share them, omitted the second from menfolk as an unnecessary repetition and added in the land to round out the sentence, giving save my body from the condemnable, that desiccating of thine 14 from menfolk of thy hand, Yahweh; share them among the living away from mortality in the land, hence his mistranslation draw that invigorating me away from the irreverent, thy sword from the enemies of thy hand. 14 Master, apportion them in their life away from the little in the land PUSAI THN YUCHN MOU APO ASEBOUS POMFAIAN SOU APO ECQRWN THS CEIROS SOU 14 KURIE APO OLIGWN APO GHS DIAMERISON AUTOUS EN THI ZWI AUTWN, which states that Yahweh's sword has somehow got into the hands of his enemies and invents a "them" to be rescued from the psalmist's enemies whereas it is, of course, the psalmist himself who has to be rescued from them. 14 of their creations having enough y$b(w bnym they have fed on sons ECORTASQHSAN UIWN; the translator absurdly took creations as the object, not the subject, making them cannibals. 15 of my envisioning thy face ... thy appearance )xzh pnyk ... +mwn+k I shall be seen before thy face ... thy honour OFQHSOMAI TWI PROSWPWI SOU ... THN DOXAN SOU; the translator has removed as impious the idea of seeing God's face. Psalm 18 1 To the perpetuator: of the worker of Yahweh, of David, the one speaking to Yahweh that spoken of this song on the day of Yahweh's rescuing him from that outstretched of all his enemies and from that outstretched of Saul. 2 And of his saying: Of my enwombing thee, Yahweh my strength. 3 Yahweh my crag and that dissociated of mine and my saviour, my El, my rock (of my trusting him) that hedging of mine and the horn of my freedom, that outreaching of mine, 4 to be praised; of my calling Yahweh and being freed from mine enemies. 5 Yes, of the apportioners of death surrounding me and the wadis of decay of assistance terrifying me. 6 Of the apportioners of the underworld circling me, the snares of death dawning on me. 7 In my pressure, of my calling Yahweh and imploring my Elohim; of his listening from his habitation to my voice and my imploring before his face coming to his ears. 8 And of the land surging and shaking and the foundations of the hills being convulsed and surging; yes, of his blazing. 9 Of smoke ascending from his snorters and fire from his mouth eating; of embers from him consuming. 10 Of his stretching out the heavens and descending and gloom under his legs. 11 And of his being powered by a Cherub and flying and swooping on the wings of the breath 12 and causing darkness to be a cover, his shelter circling him, darkness of water, thick ones of the turningpoint. 13 Of hailstones and embers of fire passing from the radiance telling him, his thick ones. 14 Of Yahweh blasting from the heavens and the one above giving his voice, hailstones and embers of fire, 15 and sending his shafts and strewing them and causing lightning to be plentiful and harassing them. 16 And of the channels of water being seen and the foundations of the world being stripped at thy rebuke, Yahweh, from the exhalation of the breath of thy snorter. 17 Of his sending from elevat1 |For the victory maker that of victory to the fulfilment||for the master's||servant boy||David| what he spoke to the master - the message of this song on the day on which the master drew him out of the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he said:

|I will love thee| master my strength. 3 The master my |rock solidity| and that of mine to flee to and my one drawing out, my |strong one my solid one ? God my helper| and I will be confident in him |my safeguard ? the one shielding me| and the horn of my protection, my receiver 4 |to be praised. Praising| I will call the master and he will protect me from mine enemies. 5 |The reed-chains the wounds the contractions||<of death| have been upon me and the stormflows of |displacement ? that contrary to that dispensed|have||caused me to be in turmoil startled me unsettled me| 6 The contractions of Hades have circled me |the prickles ? that placing in| of death has had the advantage of me. 7 And, in my being cramped. I have called the master and clamoured to my God; he has listened to my voice from his hallowed shrine and my cry in his sight will proceed to his ears. 8 And |the land has asserted and shaken ? the land has wavered and come to be trembling| and the foundations of the hills |have been tumultuous have wavered have been unsettled| and |? have turned around have wavered| because God has been angry with them. 9 Smoke has gone up in his anger and |fire ? fire||eats were overpowering has been kindled||from his face| embers from him have aroused. 10 And he has caused |the heavens heaven| to lean and |? has gone down has gone down||? through mist and gloom| under his feet. 11 And he has gone on |? a flying Cherub Cherubin| and has been arranged, arranged on the wings of the winds. 12 And he has established darkness for his hiding, his tent in a circle round him |darkness of waters in fatness of turning points gloom of waters in fatness of the air dark water in the clouds of the air| 13 |? ... has procceded through from the lustre opposite him from the quickness of his clouds the clouds have proceeded from the gleam from far in his sight||? hail and embers of fire| 14 And the master has roared from heaven |? and the highest given| his |? resounding voice| 15 and dispatched that impelled and effused them and caused |a fullness of lightning ? a fullness of lightning| and |battened on ? unsettled| them. 16 And |that pouring out ? the springs| of the waters have been seen and the foundations of that with households uncovered from thy warning, master, from the |? blowing breathing| of the breath of thine anger. 17 He has dispatched from on high and received me |encircled me sucked me out received me|

ion, taking me, retrieving me fom plentiout of many waters. 18 He will draw me out from my ful water, 18 rescuing me from my formpowerful enemies and from those hating me, because idable enemy and from those hating me, they have been solid over me. 19 They have had an adyes, alert compared to me. 19 Of their vantage over me |? on the day of my wretchedness on dawning on me on the day of my disaster; the day of undesirability for me| and the master has and of Yahweh being my steadier 20 and come to be my support 20 and has conducted me out causing me to proceed to that expansive, |? into a wide part into that broad| he will draw me out, vigorous for me, yes, delighting in me. 21 |because he has decided for me ? because he has Of Yahweh bestowing on me as my clear- wished for me| 21 And the master will give in turn to me ness, returning to me as the cleanness in accordance with my regulatedness and give in turn of my hands. 22 Yes, of my attending to to me in accordance with the cleanness of my hands, 22 that forwarding of Yahweh's and not being because I have guarded the ways of the master and not condemnable away from my Elohim. 23 been irreverent away from my God, 23 because all his Yes, all his decisions telling me and that judgements in my sight and I |have not displaced his demarked out of his - of my not being reterminations ? have not placed his regulatedness| away moved from it. 24 Of my being complete from me. 24 And I will be blameless with him and will before him and attending to being away guard against that of mine contrary to that dispensed. from my guilt. 25 And of Yahweh returning 25 And the master will |move back ? give in turn| to me to me as my clearness, as the cleanness according to my regulatedness and according to the of my hands telling his eyes. 26 Of thy becleanness of my hands in the sight of his eyes. ing loyal to the loyal + and complete to the 26 Thou wilt be hallowed with the hallowed + <and complete superior one, 27 clean to wilt be |fulfilled unmixed exonerated blameless| with the |fulthe clean and twisted to the devfilled unmixed exonerated blameless| man 27 <and wilt be ious 28 and freeing a subjugated |chosen clean| with the |chosen clean| and |moved around people and lowering elevated crooked| to the |twisted crooked| 28 because thou wilt protect eyes. 29 Yes, of thy causing my a |poor mild humble| people and humble the eyes of the |high flame to be bright; of Yahweh my arrogant| 29 because thou wilt |manifest light| my lamp <mastElohim causing my darkness to be er; my God, thou wilt |lustre light| my darkness, 30 because, in radiant. 30 Yes, with thee, of my thee I will |be drawn out run|| desirably girded against a band battering slashers; with my Elofrom trials lone girded| and in my God I will go over a wall. 31 him, of my leaping over a pale. 31 |The strong one God's My God| <his way |fulfilled blameless| El - that forwarding of his complete; |Yahweh's the master's||message communication||fired that said by Yahweh refined; he a thought out| he is a |safeguard shielder| of all |confident in hedge for all trusting him. 32 Yes, trusting| him, 32 because who God |from above except||Yahwho El except Yahweh and who a weh the master| and who |solid controlling God| except our rock except our Elohim, 33 the El God, 33 <the |strong one God| girding me with |desirable girding me with thrust? And of his travelling power| and |he has given he has established havgiving that forwarding me as coming| my way as |fulfilled blameless| 34 |equalizing readying| plete, 34 levelling my legs with my feet |as a deer with those of deers as deers'| and |he will rams and of his placing me on place placing me| on heights, 35 teaching my hands for war my plateaux, 35 instructing my and |thou hast equiped seating thou hast established| my hands for fight and of mine arms arms as a bronze shooter 36 and |given giving| me the |safepulling a bow of bronze. 36 And of guard shield| of my protection and thy right has |strengthened thy giving me the hedge of thy supported received| me and |thy mildness listening to thee freedom and of thy right aiding me thy training||has filled me will cause me to grow has straightand of subjugation to thee causing ened me to the fulfilment will fill me| 37 Thou |wilt broaden plenty for me. 37 Of thy expanding hast parted widely hast broadened| my steps under me < my paces under me and of my feet |and my limbs are not unstretched out so that my vertebrae not sliding. 38 Of my pursuing mine will not turn around and my tracks are not mightless| 38 I enemies and reaching them and |will pursue have pursued| mine enemies and |will receive not returning continuing to their have received| them and |will not move have not moved| beinf finished. 39 And of my until |they are fulfilled I have overpowered them they are left smearing them and of their not off| 39 |I will attack them I have weakened them I will press being able to stand; of their falling them| and |they will not have the power they have not had the under my legs. 40 And of thy girdpower||to rise to be in place||they will fall have fallen| under ing me with thrust for the fight, my feet. 40 And thou |hast girded me hast established around causing those standing against me me||with desirable travel power as if a root with power| for to crouch under me 41 and causing war, underfooted all > placed over me under me 41 and hast mine enemies to give me that for |given had out for| me mine enemies enemies'||the bulge beheading at and those hating me nape the back| and those hating me |I will remove them thou - of my obliterating them, 42 Of hast made voiceless thou hast removed| 42 |They will shout their imploring and of there being they have called they have clamoured| and there |will be has no one freeing, to Yahweh and of been| no one protecting, to |<the master Yahweh| he has not his not beginning to the. 43 Of listened to them. 43 And I |will smooth them out have struck my crumbling them as dust before them with peeling will peel them| as soil before |<the face of| the face of the breath, emptying the <wind |will empty them outside have ? them will smooth them them as the clay outside. 44 And out| as the clay of that broad. 44 |Thou wilt protect me ? me of thy saving me from contention Thou wilt draw me out from the||regulating counter message| with people, causing me to be the of |people ? peoples| establish me as |first head| of clans; a head of tribes; of people of my not people whom I do not know |will serve have served| me. 45

being connected to working for They |will listen have listened| to me with the listening of the me. 45 At the listening fo the ear, ear; sons of |a deguested one different ones| have been false of their listening to me; of creatto me. 46 Sons of |a deguested one different ones||will be ions of a stranger pretending to drawn out will be devalued have been old| and |will be disme. 46 Of the creations of a stranpatched together will be turned have been crippled| away ger being residue and quitting from |that closed of theirs that fenced around of theirs their that shutting in of theirs. 47 Yahpaths| 47 |The master Yahweh| lives and is messaged as weh living; and blessed my rock desirable, my |solid one controlling one God| and the God of and of the Elohim of my freedom my protection |will be heightened may he be heightened| 48 being elevated, 48 the El giving the |strong one God||giving having for| me |regulation revenge| me vengeance and of his savagand |he will push together subjecting| peoples > under me, ing peoples under me 49 and one 49 the one drawing me out from mine angerable enemies; saving me from mine enemies; of thy now elethou wilt heighten me from those placed against vating me from those standing against me, resme, draw me out from an unregulated man. 50 cuing me from a man of violence. 50 So, of my Because of this, I will agree in message condeclaring to thee, Yahweh, among the tribes and cerning thee among the clans, master, and paeaning thy name, 51 causing the freedom of pluck to thy name, 51 causing the protection of his chief to be prominent and making loyalty to his ruler to be significant and making concern his anointed, to David and to his seed, continufor his anointed, for David and for his seed until ing to that remote. an age. 2 of my enwombing thee )rxmk I will love thee AGAPHSW SE; elsewhere the translator translates rxm with OIKTIREIN pity (102,14; 103,13, 13) and ELEEIN be concerned (116.5) unaware of the real meaning of the word; his translation love here is reasonable, although missing the metaphor of a mother loving her child; his other translations do not fit this passage, as the psalmist would certainly not talk of pitying or being concerned about God. 5 the apportioners xbly the contractions WDINES; at 16,6; 78,55; 105,11; 119,61 and 140,6 reed-chains OG gives a reasonable translation of xblym; here, and in the next verse and 116,3, the following of death (or the equivalent of Hades in verse 6) seduces him into the translation contractions (the intense pain of childbirth, used metaphorically, as sometimes in other writers, of intense pain in general). Aquila's reed-chains restores the normal reasonably accurate translation; Symmachus writes the wounds to make contractions more understandable. 11 The OG translator uses the Aramaic plural Cherubin, not the Hebrew plural Cherubim. 12 of the turning-point $xqym of turning points ROPWN; the Hebrew plural is not a true plural; it seems to have been used for this word on the analogy of $mym (the heavens); Aquila would have done better to have translated with the singular; the meaning of the Hebrew can be seen from Is 40.15 k$xq m)znym (as the turning-point of the balance), referring to the centre of gravity of the two sides of scales, where OG correctly translates $xq with ROPH; the turning-point or pole of the sky (around which the stars turn) is used by metonymy for the whole sky, as in Greek poetry, where POLOS (pole) is sometimes used for the whole sky. 17 retrieving me ym$ny encircled me Aquila's usage here is similar to that in 32,7: DIASWZWN PERIKUKLWSEIS ME (protecting, thou wilt encircle me); sucked me out; Symmachus dramatizes. 26 +: non OG translations start in Mercati. 30 of my battering slashers )rc gdwd; )rc comes from rcc; the translators derive it from rwc (run): OG turned to his wordbook (on which see on 1,2) and found there for gdwd trial, unintelligently given as a universal equivalent of gdwd, taken as usual from the hexateuch, in this case Ge 49.19: gd gdwd ygdwdnw w hw) ygd (qb (Gad: of slashers slashing and his slashing at the heels): GAD PEIRATHRION PEIRATEUSEI AUTON AUTOS DE PEIRATEUSEI AUTWN KATA PODAS (Gad: trial will try him and he will try their feet); this gave of my running trial; this nonsense was too much even for him, with his tremendous tolerance for nonsense, so he changed it to of my running from trial, hence his I will be drawn out from trial RUSQHSOMAI APO PEIRATHRIOU. Quinta, with DRAMOUMAI MONOZWNOS I will run lone girded, has taken "lone girded" from the OG translation of gdwd found in this psalm at 2Sa 22.30 (it is also found in 6 other places in the OG); slashers, with hit and run tactics, had to be unencumbered, hence the translators' "lone girded", i.e. wearing perhaps only a pelvis sheath with a weapon stuck in it; Aquila's DRAMOUMAI EUZWNOS I will run desirably girded seems to come from a desire to be improve on this, "lone girded" sounding rather odd; Symmachus' KATADRAMOUMAI LOCOU I will run against a band is better than the others, at least giving the right general sense. 31 El h)l the strong one O ISCUROS a mistranslation also found at 7,12 (see note) and elsewhere in the OG; Aquila seems to have been motivated by a desire to represent the Hebrew article h with the Greek (O), but articles don't always exactly correspond in different languages; God's TOU QEOU and My God O QEOS MOU are better translations. 32 except mbl(dy |from above except|| Aquila analyses the Hebrew as m from b and l at (dy above, so getting the wrong sense. 34 heights this word is missing in all columns of the MS; I have given the word in the OG; the word or words used by the other versions is unknown. 36 subjugation to thee causing plenty for me (nwtk +rbny; Aquila and Quinta with thy mildness has filled will fill me PRAOTHS SOU EPLHQUNEN ME H PRAUTHS SOU PLHQUNEI ME mistranslate (nwtk subjugation to thee as thy subjugation and, subjugation being ridiculous of God, change it to mildness; OG, with his fixation on the Mosiac law, changes the Hebrew to thy training has straightened me to

the fulfilment, H PAIDEIA SOU ANWRQWSEN ME EIS TELOS; at least he got some of the idea of causing plenty with his to the fulfilment (taken of course from his fiftyfold mistranslation of psalm headings); Symmachus, with listening to thee will cause me to grow TO UPOKOUEIN SOI AUXHSEI ME is the only one to produce a reasonably accurate translation. 36 OG MSS offer, at the end of the verse, and thy training, it will teach me KAI H PAIDEIA SOU AUTH ME DIDAXEI; but, as a scholiast quoted by Field says: this and thy training, it will teach me is Theodotion's, for the and thy training has straightened me to the fulfilment of O'. 37 < Quinta is missing from here until verse 40 > sign. 39 of my smearing them y)mxcm they are dead (finished in the previous verse) and smeared, i.e. covered in all the blood that has poured out of them; I will attack them PAISW AUTOUS I will press them EKQLIYW AUTOUS contradict the previous verse, which says they are dead (translators who fail to consider the sense of tenseless Hebrew often come up with the wrong tenses); I have weakened them SUGKATEAXW at least finds the right tense, although the verb is much too weak. 40 underfooted all; all columns of the MS are missing; I have given the words in the OG; the word or words used by the other versions is unknown. 40 > Quinta begins again. 41 that for beheading at (rp the backNWTON; this mistranslation contradicts what follows, talking of obliterating my haters; they can't be obliterated if they've merely been allowed to run away; the bulgeTENONTA: Aquila seems to be thinking of the translation NEUROKOPEIN strike the sinew used in the OG at De 21,4: (rpw $m )+ h(glh (of their beheading the heifer there) the translator supposing that the process consisted of ripping out the jugular vein; nape AUCENA; Symmachus' is much the best translation. 41 of my obliterating them )cmytm I will remove them EXOLOQREUSW AUTOUS; Aquila keeps the "them" the other translators omit for Greek idiom; thou hast removed EXWLOQREUSAS; this mistranslation contradicts 42-3, where they are still around for the psalmist to attack; Symmachus saw this, and hence wrote thou hast made them voiceless AFWNOUS EPOIHSAS but this won't do either; if they are voiceless, how can they suddenly start crying out in the next verse? 42 Of their imploring and of there being they will shout they have called they have clamoured| and there |will be has been| Symmachus, the OG and Quinta misunderstand the Hebrew; what they did in the past is of no importance; it is their wailing now that it important, because the psalmist is going to attack them (verse 43); Aquila's futures give the right sense. 43 the face of pny |<the face of| EPI KATA PROSWPON; Symmachus removes this Hebraistic expression. 43 < from here to the middle of 45 none of Aquila is preserved in the MS (a little of him at the beginning of 44 is preserved from another source); of Symmachus we only have some fragments from the ends of columns. 44 people (m |people LAOU ? peoples LAWN| Quinta seems to use the plural to emphasize that the psalmist is referring to foreigners, not to Israelis. 45 have been false; all columns of the MS are missing; I have given the words in the OG; the word or words used by the other versions is unknown. 46 quitting that shutting in of theirs yxrgw mmsgrw+yhm; earlier in the verse they are described as residue; they are ex-convicts (that shutting in = prison); yxrgw (quitting) had been corrupted in OG's text to yxgrw (sheathing), a corruption actually found in the other place where this psalm is found, 2Sa 22,46, giving sheathing that shutting in of theirs; this being nonsense, combining a hint from his translation, old with his favourite theme of the Mosiac law, he came up with have been crippled away from their paths ECWLANAN APO TWN TRIBWN AUTWN, so completely missing the sense of the Hebrew; will be dispatched together away from that closed of theirs SUSTALHSONTAI APO EPIKLISMWN AUTWN and will be turned away from that fenced around of theirs ENTRAPHSONTAI APO PERIFRAGMATWN AUTWN get the right general sense. 48 vengeance nqmwt regulation EKDIKHSEIS; the normal concentration on the Mosaic law of the OG translator; revenge TIMWRIAS: an accurate translation. 48 > the other translations end.

Places where particular words are discussed: allotment 5,1 beggar 9,13 body 6,4 clear 1,1 concern 4,4 condemnable 1,1 creation 2,7 desiccating 9,7 dispensed dispensed allotment 5,1 exalt 3,3 gains 5,1 habitation 5,8 hallowed 4,4 invigorating 6,4 irreverent 1,1 love 4,3 loyal loyalty 4,4 master 1,1 paean 3,1 perpetuator 4,1 plucking plucking between 3,1; 3,3 poor 9,13 rebellion 1,1 regulated regulation 1,1 reliable 12,2 shrine 5,8 son 2,7 subjugated 9,13 sword 9,17 truth 12,2 victory victory maker 4,1 want 4,3 Yahweh 1,1 unregulated 1,1