Manipulating the Word Order
It is time for the Lord to act, for they have broken Your Law. Psalm 119:126 NASB
For the Lord – Notice the change in the Chabad translation (the same by Robert Alter):
“A time to do for the Lord; they have made void Your Torah.”
What happened? Here’s the Hebrew verse:
עֵת לַֽעֲשׂ֣וֹת לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה הֵ֜פֵ֗רוּ תּֽוֹרָתֶֽךָ
I’ve highlighted the two crucial prepositions. Literally, and in Hebrew syntactical order, the verse reads: “Time for to act for YHVH.” The first verb is an infinitive with a prefixed preposition. The preposition could be translated in a number of ways (as with most Hebrew prepositions): to, towards, until, for, away, from, into, of, about. Obviously, the second preposition prefixed to the noun YHVH has the same range. You’ll notice that the NASB rearranges the syntax so that the verse calls on God to do something because “they” have broken (or destroyed) His Torah. But Chabad and Alter retain the original syntax and therefore read the verse as a call for us to do something for YHVH because “they” have broken His Law. So which is it? Is the psalmist asking God to take care of this problem, or is he calling us to get up and act on God’s behalf?
We need to consider the context of this Ayin section. In this section, the psalmist has emphasized his actions. He’s asked God to be his surety. He’s looked to God for rescue. He’s proclaimed his role as God’s servant. He’s asked to be treated according to God’s ḥesed. In fact, the tenor of this section is his fervent desire to show himself an honorable and faithful follower in every detail. Do you suppose that he would then shift the responsibility for dealing with those who oppose God’s instructions to God? Since when does the servant tell the master what to do?
Why does the NASB make this change in the syntax, and consequently shift the meaning of the entire verse? Oh, the NASB isn’t the only one. At least thirty other English translations follow suit. What reason would these translators have to ignore the original syntax? I can speculate. The modified syntax translation shifts the responsibility of dealing with those opposed to God’s instructions away from me. It’s God’s problem, not mine. All I have to do is remind God that it’s His problem and wait for Him to act. The original syntax places that responsibility directly on my shoulders. I might not be able to fix it all, but I have to do something. I cannot let my Master be dishonored by a swarm of people who act against Him.
How does this show up in theological discussions? It seems to me that there is a tendency among believers to suppose that the evil of the world is something that we can’t do much about, so we wait for “the end” when God or the Messiah will show up and resolve everything. We can sit on our hands, hold our breath, and wait for deliverance. No need to get “involved” now because God will fix it all whenever He wants to. As John says, “‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” I only have to get by while I wait for my exit ticket.
Do you really believe that a servant of the Most High can adopt this stance and still claim to uphold the honor of his Master? Apparently thirty English translations do.
Topical Index: time, do, preposition, act, honor, servant, Psalm 119:126
Skip, you wrote: “I might not be able to fix it all, but I have to do something. I cannot let my Master be dishonored by a swarm of people who act against Him.”
That’s exactly the attitude David had towards the swarms of Philistines and in particular towards that one uncircumcised Philistine who dared defile the armies of the living God whose name was Goliath.
“But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the Name of יהוה of hosts, the Elohim of the armies of Yisra’ĕl, whom you have reproached. “This day יהוה shall deliver you into my hand, and I shall strike you and take your head from you, and give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines today to the birds of the heavens and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth know that Elohim is for Yisra’ĕl, and all this assembly know that יהוה does not save with sword and spear, for the battle belongs to יהוה, and He shall give you into our hands.””
1 Samuel) 17:45-47 TS2009
Sometimes our “something” is big like in the case of Goliath, but mostly it’s something small that we can and must do, if for no other reason than the chilling words of warning spoken by Yeshua: “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33
“…the tenor of this section is his fervent desire to show himself an honorable and faithful follower in every detail.” Amen. The burden… the thrust… the intent is to show himself an honorable and faithful follower… of every detail… as a servant who loves his master and whose ear has been pierced.
The charge of this servant is to please his Master by doing well… by looking after how to be a source of support for sustaining and fulfilling the interests of his Master. This is the vocation… the calling… of a faithful servant who, in love for his Master, has given himself over as bondslave. The bondslave is a servant who, in union with Christ, subjugates his personal interests in favor of the interests of his Master, knowing that his Master will look to provide for the servant’s interests in concert with those of the Master.
The bondslave might not be able to fix it all, but he will do something. He is one who cannot let his Master be dishonored… especially by a swarm of people who act against Him. Emet… and amen.