Trouble with Psalm 68.27, רגמתם

[EstherWalker]

Psalm 68.27 reads שם בנימן צעיר רדם שרי יהודה רגמתם שרי זבלון שרי נפתלי (with MT's vocalization שָׁם בִּנְיָמִן צָעִיר רֹדֵם שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה רִגְמָתָם שָׂרֵי זְבֻלוּן שָׂרֵי נַפְתָּלִֽי).

There's quite a plurality of translational approaches here (several of which propose an emendation). The most contentious word appears to be רִגְמָתָם.

Things like NRSV translate "There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in a body" (cf. NASB's "...The princes of Judah in their throng") - as if from רִגְמָה, "heap (of stones)." NJPS translates "There is little Benjamin who rules them, the princes of Judah who command them" (don't really see the logic of this reading, though LXX and - to some extent - the Targum have something like this).

While I understand that in poetic literature, prepositions can often be simply inferred, and needn't actually be present in the text itself, is it really best to construe שרי יהודה רגמתם as "the princes of Judah in their <whatever>"? What exactly is the logic of a "multitude" of princes? (Or is it the multitude of Judah?). Even if we might dispute that basis for NJPS's enigmatic derivation of some root (presumably) like "(to) command," is still it possible that רִגְמָתָם is sort of like a gerund with an objective force? (But then what would רגמת signify?)


Thanks,
Esther Walker

[Isaac Fried]

The entire three sentences of Ps. 68-26-28 are

קדמו שרים אחר נגנים בתוך עלמות תופפות
  במקהלות ברכו אלהים אדני ממקור ישראל
  שם בנימן צעיר רדם שרי יהודה רגמתם; שרי זבלון, שרי נפתלי

with a pause mark under רגמתם RIYGMATAM.

I will venture a somewhat creative explanation to this:

שם בנימן צעיר BINYAMIN CAIR, 'the young one of BINYAMIN', is possibly the king himself.

רדם שרי יהודה RODEM SAREIY YHUDAH is with the act RADAM, which is possibly a variant of RAZAM, 'enclose, hide' as in Job 15:12, or RATAM, 'bind, harness' as in Mich. 1:13. Hence RODEM SAREIY YHUDAH is 'dressing up the princes of Judah (and Zbulun, and Naptali)'.

רגמתם RIYGMATAM is like RIYQMATAM, 'their embroidered regal dress', in which they presented themselves before God. Recall Ezek. 16:10
ואלבישך רקמה ואנעלך תחש ואחבשך בשש ואכסך משי
"I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk."

Isaac Fried Boston University

[kwrandolph]

Psalm 68.27 … The most contentious word appears to be רִגְמָתָם. … (But then what would רגמת signify?)

Thanks,
Esther Walker

Good question.

Just thinking out loud, it appears to be from the same root as “‎רגם to throw together ⇒ to stone”. Another word seems to be “‎מרגמה pile of stones Pr 26:8 αλ”. It’s used only once, in this verse. If we have the etymology correct, it appears that it has the meaning of people thrown together into a gathering.

Next question: how do we divide the verse into its clauses?

שם בנימן צעיר רדם שרי יהודה רגמתם שרי זבלון שרי נפתלי

שם בנימן צעיר looks like the first clause — He places Benjamin to be small

רדם שרי יהודה their rulers the princes of Judah.

רגמתם שרי זבלון שרי נפתלי their throwing together the princes of Zebulun, princes of Naphtali.

Is what I wrote above correct? Is it possible that we are dealing with copyist errors that make this verse more difficult to understand? Any clues from the DSS?

The LXX has εκει βενιαμιν νεωτερος εν εκστασει αρχοντες ιουδα ηγεμονες αυτων αρχοντες ζαβουλων αρχοντες νεφθαλι

Just my 2¢ while thinking out loud.

Karl W. Randolph.

[SteveMiller]

There is no DSS for this verse