Devotional Short Note to Psalm 27: Ever wondered what Bible to purchase and use for study? It is probably a good idea to provide some notes regarding this matter here, using Psalm 27 to illustrate. The Word of God was written from the beginning not due to human engineering but God’s initiative. That said, the Spirit chose humans and their culture to speak to humans. Truth was scattered throughout the Corpus so that the Corpus is not easily boring. Truth has to be hunted for and hunting requires that one should be a seeker. That is why bits and pieces of eschatology or end-time events are in narratives, poetry, prophecies, prayers, sermons, wisdom sayings and really everywhere. The Word of God was originally written in Hebrew. That is the language of Psalm 27 as well.

The Hebrew consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition is the very Words of David and the very Word of God. They are found in a late document dating to 1008 CE but when one compares this document with the transmission accuracy of Daniel at Qumran, (see 4QDana) then one is surprised to find a 99.9% accuracy rate. This means that other books of the Masoretic Text is also reliable and thus the preservation of the Word of God was very careful for millennia.

All other ancient translations like Greek (in all its forms including the so-called LXX), Coptic, Syriac, Old Latin, Vulgate, Armenian, Arabic, Ethiopian are all later derivates and texts with inner translation and transmission problems. They are secondary witnesses to the Word of God but not the exact Word of God.

On a same level as these ancient secondary witnesses are the modern contemporary translations, although the degree of literalness in corresponding with the primary source, will place these contemporary translations either closer or further down the ladder of the secondary sources. The NIV for example will be more literal than the NEB and the KJV was intended to be very literal. Calvin's translation is more literal than Luther and both are better than the so-called LXX which is nothing but a byzantine dating tradition in form, since a transformation took place of its form since it was originally written in 287 BCE in Alexandria.

So faith starts and ends with a very literal translation of the Hebrew which is the original Word of God for the Old Testament.

We want to focus on Psalm 27 in this writing and more than 20 translations will be used to look at the psalm. The so-called byzantine LXX, Syriac and the Vulgate are the only ancient secondary witnesses that we will be using. All the other texts are contemporary texts that we will be using. Some are from the Reformation era like Luther, Knox, Dutch Staten Vertaling, Leidse Vertaling, the translation of prof. dr. Obbink, the translation of Petrus Canisius, but Enlightenment scholars like Julius Wellhausen's translation of 1897, A. Maclaren of 1893, H. J. Kraus, A. Weiser of 1962, B. Gemser of 1968, the RSV, the Old Afrikaans translation of 1957, the New Moffatt translation of 1941, the Jerusalem Bible, M. Dahood, NIV, Peter Craigie, New Afrikaans vertaling of 1983, TEV are all available for comparison here.

Text translated by literally from the consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition (Hebrew) will look like this:

Psalm 27

1a The Lord is my light and my salvation.

1b From who shall I fear?

The TEV makes it a direct statement but the rhetorical question is kept by the RSV, JB, NEB, Old Afrikaans and the New Afrikaans versions.

So what is happening here? The TEV and the New Afrikaans versions are idiomatic untimely free translations. They are dangerous since they can manipulate the meaning and deviate from the original. The focus is to make the brain feel pleasant reading it and not what the original writer wrote. On the other hand, the RSV, KJV and Old Afrikaans translations, Spanish translation of Cassiodoro de Reina of 1569 and the Portuguese translation of João Ferreira de Almeida 1719; German translation of Martin Luther in 1540; the Middle English translation of John Wycliffe 1384; the Old Latin in 190 A.D., the Vulgate of Jerome in 387 A.D.; and the list can go on with other languages are all modified non-highly literal translations. They are all attempting to represent the Hebrew text and attempts to let the writer of the Bible speak with the translator or reader in the background.

Then there is also the issue of the denomination involved in the translation: JB (1966) is a Catholic version as is NAB (1936-1970). NEB, Afrikaans 1954, New Afrikaans (1970-1983) are Protestant Bibles. NIV (1965-1978) were translated by teams of inter-denominational scholars. RSV (1946-1952) was endorsed by Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants. The RSV is considered to be a formal traditional Church version. The translation is direct, plain and meaningful English.

1c The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

1d From who shall I be afraid?

2a In the approaching over me from *evil doers

*Some modern translators saw the three kinds of evil people, although three different Hebrew words as descriptive of the same group of men (RSV, NIV, New Afrikaans, Old Afrikaans). Other modern translators saw the three kinds of people as different people (JB, Douay Version, Latin Vulgate 1956, NEV.  

2b to **eat my flesh

**This is the Hebrew original kept by literal translations but idiomatic translations played with figurative language “slander” (RSV) and “kill”.

What should one do with this situation? Instead of mere emotional inner attacks, it refers to strong physical danger. There is a semantic difference at stake here.

The NEB, JB and NIV exchanged “eat” for “devour”.

2c (my adversaries and my foes to me)

2d they stumble and fall.

3a If an army ***shall encamp against me

***This is the way the JB, NEB and Old Afrikaans read it and it represents the original Hebrew well. A figurative idiomatic rendering is “If an army should stand together/arrayed against me” as in the Douay, New Moffatt (1941); Knox (1945), New Afrikaans translation and the so-called Byzantine Septuagint.

3b not ****shall my heart fear.

****The future verbal form is in the original and preserved by the RSV, Old Afrikaans, Weiser, NIV, Dahood, Craigie, so-called Byzantine Greek Septuagint. On the other hand, preterist-inclined translators gave it a present verbal form spin contrary to the Hebrew text: Wellhausen (1897); Gemser (1968) “my heart knows no fear”; H. J. Kraus; A. MaClaren (1893). The reason a contemporary replacement is made rather than keeping to the original literal form, is that a descriptive phrase or better known perceived synonym should replace what they consider as an idiomatic expression of the Ancient Near East.

The principle for a good Seventh-day Adventist is to stay clear from idiomatic “mind-control or thought control” translations. To make David’s future fear a present reality is to misunderstand David and is very dangerous doctrinally.

3c If war *shall arise over me

*The New Afrikaans took liberties: “Even if the attack would start on me”. So also the TEV. These translators wish to convert the metaphor into something more direct and to make the translation more picturesque. The problem with this approach is that an artist walks into the Dutch Museum and takes a brush and add modifications to Van Gogh’s painting to make it more “contemporary” or “picturesque”. The art of homiletics do it daily and in essence the Holy Spirit will guide a person to bring out what is not more than what is in the text. The word “even” is not in the original and some other words are leading to different nuances here which can be dangerous in doctrinal pursuit.

3d In this I **am trusting

**This is also the way the Byzantine Greek Septuagint read it. Craigie read it as “in spite of this I am confident”. This is a bit loose since it just says: “in this” in the original. The Dutch Staaten Translation has it “so I trust in it”. This is also a wrong literal translation. The Douay Latin Vulgate (1956) translated it as a future: “in this I will be confident”. What is “in” a number of scholars twisted and swing in all directions: “even, then” (Wellhausen; NIV; Dahood; Old Afrikaans translation; MaClaren; Weiser; Gemser; New Dutch Bible). Others read “yet” (RSV; Leidse Dutch Translation; Peter Canisius [Dutch], Kraus). Some others still venture on “still” (JB; New Afrikaans; New J. Moffatt; Knox). Language is a tool that creates semantical patterns in the brain and if one is careless with the Word of God, one ends-up with loose attitudes towards religion and towards doctrines.

HIS WISH

4a One thing I ask from the Lord

4b I will ***seek it (Craigie)

***Wellhausen introduced an extra pronoun since he did not care about the preservation of the Word of God: “this is my longing”. The New J. Moffat translation left out the pronoun “it” here “do I desire” (Gemser; Kraus; Canisius; Dr. Obbink; Luther). This is not correct since the original says that an internal activity will move towards an external object.

4c I may dwell in the house of the Lord

4d all the days of my life.

4e *to gaze in the **loveliness of the Lord

*The root is the same that appears many times in Daniel for “see, appearance, vision” and related words. “Contemplate” is also used. The Douay Vulgate Latin translation read “to look at”. A number of translations followed “to gaze upon” (Old Afrikaans; Craigie; Dahood; NN; Wellhausen; RSV; so-called Byzantine Septuagint; Gemser; Weiser; MaClaren). JB and the New Afrikaans Translation reads “to enjoy” but that is taking liberties too far.

The semantic consideration is here a mere looking; or an involved looking/contemplation; view to experience. ** Loveliness: Translators of the Canaanite Inscriptions from Phoenicia; Ammon, Edom, Moab and Aramaic have translated the next word “loveliness/graciousness”with “delight”. Some made it a depersonalized quality of the appearance of the Lord: “beauty” (RSV; Wellhausen; Dahood; Craigie; so-called Septuagint: NIV; JB); “sweetness” (Douay; Gemser). Others made it a depersonalized quality of the actions of the Lord: “graciousness” (Kraus); “friendliness” (MaClaren); “pleasantness” and “goodness”. The New Afrikaans made it a personalized quality of the actions of the Lord: “to experience his goodness” and the JB made it a personalized quality of the appearance of the Lord: “to enjoy the sweetness”. Depersonalized constructions are personalized and nominal constructions are changed into a verbal construction. This is by idiomatic free translations instead of literal translations.

4f to ***work in His temple

***The semantics of the Hebrew word is not known. Many translation resulted in many options: “inquire” (RSV; Old Afrikaans; Craigie); “meditate” (MaClaren; Gemser; New Afrikaans); “say prayers” (Weiser); “seek” (NEB; NIV); “visit” (Douay; Wellhausen; Luther); “consult” (JB); “awaking each dawn” (Dahood); “survey” (so-called Byzantine Septuagint; New Dutch Bible; Leidse [Dutch]; Staaten Translation); “consider” (Conisius); “bestow delight” (Hebrew English Dictionary of Koehler and Baumgartner). There is an Egyptian word b3k meaning “to serve/to work”. Normally in Egyptian they said: b3k n = “work in”. In this case it is b3k r which is also possible. Is David using an Egyptian loanword common to his time here for work?

DAY OF JACOB’S TROUBLE SCENARIOS (vv. 5a-6c)

5a For He will hide me in a booth

5b on the day of evil.

5c He will hide me in the shelter of His tent

RESURECTION DAY

5d on a rock He will cause me to be raised up.

MEETING IN THE AIR

6a And now, my head is raised up

6b over my enemy that surrounds me.

ENTERING THE NEW JERUSALEM WITH MUSIC

6c and I will sacrifice in His tent

6d sacrifices of joy.

6e I will sing and I will make music to the Lord.

DAVID’S SITUATION IN CALLING FOR HELP

7a Hear my voice O Lord, I will call

7b and pity me and answer me.

8a To you my heart speaks

8b they seek my face.

8c Your face, O Lord, will I seek.

9a Do not hide Your face from me.

9b Do not cast in anger Your servant

9c my help are You.

9d Do not reject me and do not abandon me

9e my God saving me.

10a *When my father and my mother forsake me

*Some translators have “if” and the direct literal translation is the RSV with “For, my father and my mother have forsaken me”. This is actually the Hebrew.

10b and the Lord will collect me.

DESIRE FOR PROPER EDUCATION

11a **Teach me, O Lord, Your way

** The meaning is considered ambigious: “the way You walk” or “the way You want me to walk in”. The first was translated as such by Wellhausen; NIV; Dahood; Craigie; Gemser; Weiser; Kraus; MaClaren; NEB; RSV; Old Afrikaans; New J. Moffatt; New Afrikaans. The second option was translated such by Douay; Knox; so-called Byzantine Septuagint; and the TEV translated “what You want me to do”.

11b and lead me in the path that is level.

IF HE DOES NOT BELIEVE THE RESULT IS FATAL

12a Do not put me in the ***soul of my adversaries

***will (JB; RSV; Douay; Knox; Luther); desire (NIV; Septuagint; Old Afrikaans); rage (Wellhausen); greed (Craigie; NEB; Weiser); lust (Gemser; New Dutch); fury (New J. Moffatt).

12b for false witnesses stand on me.

12c and one that *breathes violence (Gemser 1968)

*Wellhausen’s translation is not acceptable with “those who breath forth violence”. He is adding too much that is not in the original.

13a [Unless I not believed], to see

[ ] This is left out of some Hebrew manuscripts; so-called Septuagint; Alexandrinus; Symmachus (170 A.D.); Syriac; Jerome (389 A.D.).

13b in the goodness of the Lord

13c **in the land of the living.

**Dahood interpreted it as “in the land of life eternal”. The TEV has the opposite: “in this present life”. This illustrates that one should be very careful with the text that is selected for the reading of the Word of God since not all translations are representing the Word of God exactly as it is in the original Hebrew.

DELAY NECESSITATES WAITING

14a Wait unto the Lord.

14b Be strong and keep steadfast your heart,

14c and wait unto the Lord.