Psalms 39:6-7

Context

39:6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.¹

Surely they accumulate worthless wealth

without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”²

39:7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?

You are my only hope!³

[39:6] ¹tn Heb “surely, as an image man walks about.” The preposition prefixed to “image” indicates identity here.

[39:6] ²tc Heb “Surely [in] vain they strive, he accumulates and does not know who gathers them.” The MT as it stands is syntactically awkward. The verb forms switch from singular (“walks about”) to plural (“they strive”) and then back to singular (“accumulates and does not know”), even though the subject (generic “man”) remains the same. Furthermore there is no object for the verb “accumulates” and no plural antecedent for the plural pronoun (“them”) attached to “gathers.” These problems can be removed if one emends the text from הֶבֶל יֶהֱמָיוּן (hevel yehemaun, “[in] vain they strive”) to הֶבְלֵי הָמוֹן (hevley hamon, “vain things of wealth”). This assumes a misdivision in the MT and a virtual dittography of vav (ו) between the mem and nun of המון. The present translation follows this emendation.

[39:7] ³tn Heb “my hope, for you it [is].”