Pe
Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul complies with them. Psalm 119:129 NASB
Chabad translations
פְּלָא֥וֹת עֵֽדְוֹתֶ֑יךָ עַל־כֵּ֜֗ן נְצָ֘רָ֥תַם נַפְשִֽׁי
Your testimonies are hidden; therefore, my soul kept them.
פֵּ֖תַח דְּבָרֶ֥יךָ יָאִ֗יר מֵבִ֥ין פְּתָיִֽים
The commencement of Your words enlightens; You make the simple understand.
פִּ֣י פָ֖עַרְתִּי וָאֶשְׁאָ֑פָה כִּ֖י לְמִצְוֹתֶ֣יךָ יָאָֽבְתִּי
I opened my mouth and panted because I yearned for Your commandments.
פְּנֵה־אֵלַ֥י וְחָנֵּ֑נִי כְּ֜מִשְׁפָּ֗ט לְאֹֽהֲבֵ֥י שְׁמֶֽךָ
Turn to me and favor me as is Your custom with those who love Your name.
פְּעָמַי הָכֵ֣ן בְּאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ וְֽאַל־תַּשְׁלֶט־בִּ֥י כָל־אָֽוֶן
Prepare my steps with Your word, and do not allow any iniquity to rule over me.
פְּדֵנִי מֵעֹ֣שֶׁק אָדָ֑ם וְ֜אֶשְׁמְרָ֗ה פִּקּוּדֶֽיךָ
Redeem me from the oppression of man, and I shall keep Your precepts.
פָּנֶ֣יךָ הָ֖אֵר בְּעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ וְ֜לַמְּדֵ֗נִי אֶת־חֻקֶּֽיךָ
Cause Your countenance to shine upon Your servant and teach me Your statutes.
פַּלְגֵי־ מַ֖יִם יָרְד֣וּ עֵינָ֑י עַ֜֗ל לֹא־שָֽׁמְר֥וּ תֽוֹרָתֶֽךָ
Rivulets of water ran down from my eyes because they did not keep Your Torah.
Wonderful – Amazing grace isn’t nearly as amazing as pālāʾ. The fact that God even cares is awe-full.
Preponderantly both the verb and substantive refer to the acts of God, designating either cosmic wonders or historical achievements on behalf of Israel. That is, in the Bible the root plʾ, refers to things that are unusual, beyond human capabilities. As such, it awakens astonishment (plʾ) in man. Thus, the “real importance of the miraculous for faith (is)—not in its material factuality, but in its evidential character … it is not, generally speaking, the especially abnormal character of the event which makes it a miracle; what strikes men forcibly is a clear impression of God’s care or retribution within it” (Eichrodt). We may add that it is essential that the miracle is so abnormal as to be unexplainable except as showing God’s care or retribution. pālāʾ is applied to man around fifteen times. In such cases the thrust of pālāʾ is “to be beyond one’s capabilities,” and hence, unsolvable or inaccessible, and such are God’s mighty and wonderful acts.[1]
Dumbfounded might be another way to say this. It should come as no surprise to the reader of the Psalms. Over and over these poems declare the nearly unimaginable awesomeness of God. But what might be surprising is the psalmist’s next thought. It is because of this nearly numinous quality that his entire person is compelled to follow God’s ways.
You’re invited to a royal palace. As you approach, the magnificence of the building overwhelms you. The towers seem to reach to heaven. The entry is solid gold. The staircase is step after step of the finest inlaid precious stones. Everywhere you look, you think, “This must be what it’s like in Heaven.” Even the atmosphere is filled with sweet perfume and enthralling music. Then you enter the throne room. It is even more spectacular. Beyond your imagination. The king sees you and beckons you to come closer. Gently he asks, “Do you like this place? Would you like to stay?”
And you say, “No thanks. I like my own better.” No, I don’t think so.
Do you throw insult upon your host with such a crass reply? Yet humanity constantly does just that, eschewing the wonders of creation for the hovels of its own construction. There’s nothing pālāʾ about what we’ve done with what God loaned to us. Oh, sure, there’s the Burj Kalif, the Vatican, the Taj. But there’s also 2.5 billion people living (dying) on less than $1 a day while the Sheikh sits in his $620 million yacht or builds a $545 million mosque in Abu Dhabi designed for tourists with an underground shopping mall.[2] All amazing. All arrogant. And nothing compared to this:
I’m sorry to say that Man can’t compete, although he’s been trying since the first ziggurat.[3] The Psalmist sees the truth. God is unmatched. Alignment with His ēdewōtê’ is alignment with the Greatest of All Time. Since you have the invitation, why would you settle for less? Hamilton adds an important qualification. “It is of interest to note that the function of God’s wonders is ultimately to make mercy available to the recipient or reciter, and not just to make a demonstration of power.”[4] The Taj might be magnificent. The Burj amazing. The Sheikh Zayed Mosque spectacular. But they are all about power. God is about mercy. There’s a universe of difference.
Before we leave, we’ll have to comment on the Chabad translation:
“Your testimonies are hidden; therefore, my soul kept them.”
This hardly makes any sense. Do we keep something that is concealed from us? How would you do this? If God’s ēdewōtê’ are concealed, then what do we say about all the narratives in Scripture? The same verb, pālāʾ, is translated as if it means “concealed.” Given the use in Deuteronomy 30:11, it’s hard to see why translators would choose such a word. Moses says (with the same verb): “This commandment is not ‘hidden’—KJV—from you (LXX huperogkos).” That is, it is accessible, and hence knowable. “The same Greek word translates plʾ, in II Sam 13:2 and Lam 1:9. . . The root may also be used negatively to mean ‘unbelievable.’ The reference in Dan 8:24 and 11:36 to the diabolical apocalyptic figure who hatches ‘incredible schemes’ or speaks ‘incredible blasphemies’ illustrates this. We have seen, then, that when plʾ, refers to man it means unsolvable, suprarational, incredible.”[5] Even negatively, it does not mean concealed.
Upon investigation we discover that Chabad follows the commentary of Rashi: “Your testimonies are hidden They are covered, and your testimonies are hidden from the sons of men. There are easy commandments for which He gave a large reward, such as sending away the nest.”[6] Apparently what this means is that those outside the faith can’t see God’s handiwork. But even if that were true, why would it be a reason for observing His instructions? Chabad opts for the tradition of a Jewish authority rather than the lexical meaning of the verb. This is quite amazing (no pun intended). It demonstrates the power of tradition. And since this can happen in the Jewish world where the text is very highly regarded, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find Christian commentators and translators altering the grammar to fit their agendas. In every case, deeper examination is required.
Topical Index: ēdewōtê’, testimonies, pālāʾ, wonderful, awe, Psalm 119:129
[1] Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 1768 פָּלָא. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 723). Moody Press.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Zayed_Grand_Mosque
[3] Genesis 11
[4] Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 1768 פָּלָא. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 723). Moody Press.
[5] Ibid.
[6] https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.119.129?lang=bi&with=Rashi&lang2=en
“In every case, deeper examination is required.” Indeed!… incredibly deeper examination!