51:7 Sprinkle me 1 with water 2 and I will be pure; 3
wash me 4 and I will be whiter than snow. 5
148:8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, 6
O stormy wind that carries out his orders, 7
1 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
2 tn Heb “cleanse me with hyssop.” “Hyssop” was a small plant (see 1 Kgs 4:33) used to apply water (or blood) in purification rites (see Exod 12:22; Lev 14:4-6, 49-52; Num 19:6-18. The psalmist uses the language and imagery of such rites to describe spiritual cleansing through forgiveness.
3 tn After the preceding imperfect, the imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates result.
4 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.
5 sn I will be whiter than snow. Whiteness here symbolizes the moral purity resulting from forgiveness (see Isa 1:18).
6 tn In Ps 119:83 the noun refers to “smoke,” but here, where the elements of nature are addressed, the clouds, which resemble smoke, are probably in view.
7 tn Heb “[that] does his word.”