Ps 112:2 – TIPs

acrostic in Psalm 112

The Hebrew text of Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)

While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. The Natügu translation is one such exception. Boerger (see above) cites a strong tradition in singing the psalms and the fact that Natügu, like Hebrew, also has 22 possible initial letters as motivating factors to maintain the acrostics in that language.

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu

1 Awibzku mz Yawe! Murde amrlzle ncblo kx
Bilvzle natqde x amrluele nide.
2 Clvele mrnyzde kcng naxplrng mz nzaclve-krdr.
Doa nedeng kxnztubqng, sa na-amrlz Gct.
3 Esalz-ngrbz Gct bade da kxmrlzting kxkqlu.
Gct okatrle nide murde natubq.
4 Ipq ncblo lc kztedeng mz nzvz-nqblq-krde zmrlz ngrde, nzryckr drtwrde, x nztubq-krde.
Jzsle da kx naokatrle leplz kc-kzng, mz nzngini-krbzle lrpzki badr.
5 Kabzle da kxkqlu mz krkcng trnzrngiscung.
Lalztqbzle mz Gct x alele da kx rsakrlrngr mz nzwz-krde.
6 Murde ncblo kxtubq kxtr-rnrcti-lzbqu
Nadcpx zvz mz drtwr leplz.
7 Obqtipx-zvzle Yawe x
Prlxpxle kx nabzde trtaprlzpuu mz nrpa kxtrka.
8 ?Rnrcti-lzbq-ngrde? Trtingr, a’ tu-amqngile.
Sa namcle nzaovxiokr Yawe enqmi rdeng.
9 Tresakiu nzrka-krbzle da mz kxrsuti drtwr.
Vz zvz nzayzlu-krbz Gct bade mz nqmq krde lc tqtubq.
Wxbu me matq mz mzlir leplz.
10 X angya drtwr kxdrka’-ngrng mzli kc namc-ngrdr nide.
Ycpwz pipz kxdrka’-ngrng lcng sa namrbr, x mane nzmadqti-krdr nqngidr mz zngya.
Zbz da amrlx kcng tqmrlzbz badr sa nangitx brmrda x sa na-apulr zsikapu kx ngilia.

The Danish Bibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.) also translated Psalm 112 into an acrostic. Due to the higher number of Danish letters, it skips the Danish letters C, Q, W, X, Z, Å, and Ø.

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Danish

1 At adlyde Herren giver velsignelse.
Budene er til for at blive overholdt.
2 Du og dine efterkommere får fremgang og magt,
enhver, der handler ret, bliver velsignet.
3 Familien vil opleve velstand,
gode mennesker vil altid blive husket.
4 Herren gør de gudfrygtige til et lys midt i mørket,
især når de er venlige og barmhjertige.
5 Ja, velsignet er de gavmilde og hjælpsomme,
kendetegnet på deres handlinger er ærlighed.
6 Lever de sådan, får de styrke og fasthed,
mennesker med et godt ry bliver husket længe.
7 Når modgangen kommer, som kunne skabe frygt,
opgiver de ikke, for de stoler på Herren.
8 På trods af fjendens angreb
rider de stormen af og ender med sejr.
9 Sådanne mennesker giver gavmildt til dem, der er i nød,
taknemmelighed og ære bliver dem til del,
uselvisk godhed vil aldrig blive glemt.
10 Ved at se en sådan velsignelse bliver de gudløse vrede.
Ynkeligt sidder de tilbage med tomme hænder,
ærgrelsen står malet i deres ansigter.

There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the two Dutch translations

Naardense Bijbel:

1
Alleluia!- zalig een man die vreest de Ene, ✡
behagen heeft
in zijn geboden bovenal!-

2
capabel zal worden op aarde zijn zaad, ✡
de oprechten: gezegend hun geslacht!-

3
en geld en geluk vullen zijn huis, ✡
fleur houdt zijn gerechtigheid
voor altijd;

4
genadig, barmhartig en rechtvaardig, ✡
helpt in het duister licht de oprechten;

5
iemand die gul en genadig uitleent
gaat het goed,- ✡
ja, die zijn woorden naar recht onderhoudt;

6
kwijnen zal hij voor eeuwig niet, ✡
leven in gedachtenis
is er voor een rechtvaardige voor eeuwig;

7
merkt hij kwaad gerucht op,
hij vreest niet, ✡
nergens zo vast en zo veilig
zijn hart als bij de Ene;

8
ondersteund wordt zijn hart,
hij vreest niet, ✡
prijst God bij het zien van zijn benauwers;

9
ruimschoots heeft hij gegeven
aan de armen,
stand houdt zijn gerechtigheid
voor immer, ✡
ten slotte wordt met glorie verheven
zijn hoorn;

10
vol wrok moet de booswicht dat aanzien,
weg kwijnt hij,
tandenknarsend vergaat hij: ✡
zo gaat de toeleg van bozen teloor.

The Tot Lof van God translation:

Looft Jah!

Ah, hoe gelukkig, de mens die ontzag heeft voor Jehovah,
bijzonder behaagd hebben hem Diens geboden.
Daardoor zal zijn zaad op aarde machtig zijn,
en dat geslacht der oprechten zal gezegend zijn.
Fraaie zaken en rijkdom sieren zijn huis weliswaar,
glanzender nog is zijn rechtvaardigheid, die eeuwig stand houdt.
Hij is voor de oprechten stralend opgegaan, als licht in het duister,
immer goedgunstig, barmhartig, rechtvaardig.
Ja, het gaat hem goed, hij is gul en leent goedgunstig uit,
kwijtend zich van zijn zaken naar recht en behoren. Levend op deze wijze zal hij nimmer wankelen,
maar wordt, rechtvaardig levend, tot een blijvende gedachtenis.
Negatieve verhalen of geruchten deren hem niet,
omdat hij, standvastig van hart, op Jehovah vertrouwt.
Pal en onwrikbaar van hart is hij; hij is onbevreesd,
raakt ook niet van slag, geconfronteerd met wie tegen hem zijn.
Strooiend bijkans deelt hij wijd en zijd aan de behoeftigen uit,
tot zijn eigen rechtvaardigheid ook; die houdt voor eeuwig stand.
Uiteindelijk zal zijn positie qua heerlijkheid v/orden verhoogd.
Voor wie gewetenloos slecht is, is het pure ergernis dat te zien,
waardoor die tandenknarsend bezwijkt.
Zo zal de begeerte vergaan van wie doortrapt gewetenloos zijn.

In the Zürich German dialect (Züritüütsch) of Swiss German, the Psalms were translated while maintaining the acrostic by Josua Boesch (publ. 2009 ).

Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Zürich German

1 Halleluja!
Am beschte gaat s dèm, wo uufrächt vor IMM labt,
Bi siine wiisige bliibt vo ganzem hèrze.
2 Chasch dèm sini naachkome gaar nüme zele.
Die wèrded gsägnet als gschlächt vo de graade.
3 Er hat au riichtum und woolschtand im huus.
Für siini bewèèrig mues me nöd soorge, die blübt.
4 Graade straalt imer es liecht im tunkle:
Hoffnig, vertrouen und liebi.
5 Iich glaube dèm lieber, wo vo hdrze vertleent,
Kän fuule drèè macht mit sine sache.
6 Lueg nu, de uufrichtig cha me nöd legge.
Me wiird an en tänke dur gänerazione.
7 Nüüt mues er füürche vom bööse gschwätz.
Ooni en wank vertrout er uf INN.
8 Pass uuf, dè bliibt getrooscht, er hat ja nüüt z füürche.
Ruig chan er waarten uf s änd vo de find.
9 Still täilt er den aarmen und dürftigen uus.
Tröi bliibt d grächtigkäit biin em für imer.
Und gachtet wiird er vo ale.
10 Vill z tänke und èèrger git daas bi de rueche.
Wie sell s die nöd pötzli verjage vor wuet!
Zietscht schwiint ene jedi hoffnig uf s glück, wo s gmäint händ chönid s erzwänge.

The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains almost every Hebrew acrostic (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letter K, X, Y, and Z.

1 A blessed man is he, who fears the Lord, bearing great love to his commandments.
2 Children of his shall win renown in their country; do right, and thy sons shall find a blessing.
3 Ease shall dwell in his house, and great prosperity; fame shall ever record his bounty.
4 Good men see a light dawn in darkness; his light, who is merciful, kind and faithful.
5 It goes well with the man who lends in pity, just and merciful in his dealings.
6 Length of days shall leave him still unshaken; men will remember the just for ever.
7 No fear shall he have of evil tidings; on the Lord his hope is fixed unchangeably.
8 Patient his heart remains and steadfast, quietly he waits for the downfall of his enemies.
9 Rich are his alms to the needy; still his bounty abides in memory. The Lord will lift up his head in triumph;
10 ungodly men are ill content to see it. Vainly they gnash their teeth in envy; worldly hopes must fade and perish. (Source )

Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997):

Hallelujah!

A man who bows himself to the Lord is in clover,
Blest with the joy he finds in divine directives;
Celebrated far and wide for his children’s accomplishments,
Delighting in their integrity most of all.
Every good thing shall have place within his house,
For his own heart is a just and intelligent measure;
Good is his beacon in all things, even in darkness,
Honest men find him a great encouragement;
In generosity nobody will outdo him,
Just in his dealings, jealous of his good name;
Let things go against him, he’ll never bend or buckle;
Men will long remember his name with respect.
News of disaster will not dismay him
Or ever unsettle the trust he puts in the Lord;
Patience and perseverance are his watchwords,
Quiet in spirit as enemies triumph, and fail.
Rich is the man who freely gives to the needy,
Sustained by the Lord who so freely gives to his own;
Trusting and true, he may hold his head up high.
Ungodly souls shall be aggrieved to see it,
Violent hatred and envy shall tear them in two,
While all their evil hopes are disappointed.

And lastly, Brenda Boerger (2024) translated this psalm while maintaining the acrostic (click or tap here for the complete psalm in Boerger’s translation),

1 Allelu-Yah! Give him well-deserved praise!
Blessed is the person who humbly obeys,
Clings to Creator’s commands all his days.
2 Descendants of his are mighty on earth.
Each upright off-spring is blessed from his birth.
3 Funding and fortune are found in their land.
Great their integrity. Watch it expand.
4 Hope dawns from God’s light in darkness’s face.
It helps the honorable heed and embrace
Justice and gentleness, righteousness, grace.
5 Kind, honest people who copiously lend,
Look to their Lord and are blessed in the end.
6 Moreover the moral are not rejected;
Not one of them is ever neglected.
7 Ominous news gives the upright no fright,
People like that trust in Yahweh’s great might.
Quaking hearts quiet; his help is in sight.
8 Resting in Yahweh, their worried hearts clear,
Safe in the Sovereign, not yielding to fear —
Triumph o’er foes from the one they revere.
9 Unstintingly they share with those in need,
Vindicated ever, avoiding greed.
While it’s respect which the godly have earned,
10 Exasperated, vexed, wicked are spumed.
Yet yelling is useless; they’re gone in a flash.
Zap! How desires of the wicked are dashed.

Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.

Another 19th century translation with maintained acrostics is the German 1883 commentary and translation by Franz Delitzsch . Unlike the other translations, he translates the acrostics of this and the other acrostic psalms by following an approximation of the German sound of the 22 letters (alef/א‎ = a; bet/ב‎ = b; gimel/ג‎ = g; dalet/ד = d; he/ה‎ = h; vav/ו = u; zayin/ז‎ = s; chet/ח‎ = h; tet/ט = t; yod/י‎ = i or j; kaf/כ = k; lamed/ל = l; mem/מ = m; nun/נ = n; samech/ס‎ = s; ayin/ע = e; pe/פ = f; tsadi/צ‎ = z; qof/ק = k; resh/ר = r; shin/ש‎ = sch; tav/ת = t).

bless(ed)

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The Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Aramaic that is translated into English as “(to) bless” or “blessed” is translated into a wide variety of possibilities.

The Hebrew term barak (and the Aramaic term berak) also (and originally) means “kneel” (a meaning which the word has retained — see Gen. 24:11) and can be used for God blessing people (or things), people blessing each other, or people blessing God. While English Bible translators have not seen a stumbling block in always using the same term (“bless” in its various forms), other languages need to make distinctions (see below).

In Bari, spoken in South Sudan, the connection between blessing and knees/legs is still apparent. For Genesis 30:30 (in English: “the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned”), Bari uses a common expression that says (much like the Hebrew), ‘… blessed you to my feet.'” (Source: P. Guillebaud in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 189ff. .)

Other examples for the translation of “bless” when God is the one who blesses include (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):

“think well of” (San Blas Kuna)
“speak good to” (Amganad Ifugao)
“make happy” (Pohnpeian)
“cause-to-live-as-a-chief” (Zulu)
“sprinkle with a propitious (lit. cool) face” (a poetic expression occurring in the priests’ language) (Toraja Sa’dan) (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
“give good things” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)
“ask good” (Yakan) (source: Yakan Back Translation)
“praise, say good things” (Central Yupik) (source: Robert Bascom)
“greatly love” (Candoshi-Shapra) (source: John C. Tuggy)
“showing a good heart” (Kutu) (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
“good luck — have — good fortune — have” (verbatim) ꓶꓼ ꓙꓳ ꓫꓱꓹ ꓙꓳ — ɯa dzho shes zho (Lisu). This construction follows a traditional four-couplet construct in oral Lisu poetry that is usually in the form ABAC or ABCB. (Source: Arrington 2020, p. 58)
wodala — denoting a person who is considered fortunate because he/she has something good that the majority of people do not have. It also acknowledges someone as a causative agent behind “being blessed.” (Chichewa) (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

In Tagbanwa a phrase is used for both the blessing done by people and God that back-translates to “caused to be pierced by words causing grace/favor” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation) and in Benabena a term denoted “good spell” or “good magic” (source: Renck 1990, p. 112).

Ixcatlán Mazatec had to select a separate term when relating “to people ‘blessing’ God” (or things of God): “praise(d)” or “give thanks for” (in 1 Cor. 10:16) (“as it is humans doing the ‘blessing’ and people do not bless the things of God or God himself the way God blesses people” — source: Robert Bascom). Eastern Bru and Kui also use “praise” for this a God-directed blessing (source: Bru back translation and Helen Evans in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 40ff. ) and Uma uses “appropriate/worthy to be worshipped” (source: Uma back translation).

When related to someone who is blessing someone else, it is translated into Tsou as “speak good hopes for.” In Waiwai it is translated as “may God be good and kind to you now.” (Sources: Peng Kuo-Wei for Tsou and Robert Hawkins in The Bible Translator 1962, pp. 164ff. for Waiwai.)

Some languages associate an expression that originally means “spitting” or “saliva” with blessing. The Bantu language Koonzime, for instance, uses that expression for “blessing” in their translation coming from either God or man. Traditionally, the term was used in an application of blessing by an aged superior upon a younger inferior, often in relation to a desire for fertility, or in a ritualistic, but not actually performed spitting past the back of the hand. The spitting of saliva has the effect of giving that person “tenderness of face,” which can be translated as “blessedness.” (Source: Keith Beavon)

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the Danish Bibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: “As for ‘blessing’, in the end we in most instances actually kept the word, after initially preferring the expression ‘giving life strength’. The backlash against dropping the word blessing was too hard. But we would often add a few words to help the reader understand what the word means in a given context — people often understand it to refer more to a spiritual connection with God, but in the Hebrew texts, it usually has to do with material things or good health or many children. So when e.g. in Isaiah 19:25 the Hebrew text says ‘God bless them’, we say ‘God bless them’ and we add: ‘and give them strength’. ‘And give them strength’ is not found in the overt Hebrew text, but we are again making explicit what we believe is the meaning so as to avoid misunderstanding.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

complete verse (Psalm 112:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 112:2:

Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“His children will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the righteous hearted will be blessed.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“His children will be great in the land,
The descendants of the good person will be blessed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“His children will-be-prosperous,
for the descendants of the people/men who live rightly will-be-blessed by God.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Laarim:
“His children will be powerful in all the land.
God will bless the children of his children who are good.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Wa jamaa yake watakuwa na nguvu duniani,
watoto wa mnyofu watabarikiwa sana.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Their children will prosper in their land;
and their descendants will be blessed by God.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Psalm 112:1 - 112:3

For Praise the LORD, see 104.35.

Verse 1 sets the tone for the whole psalm. To “fear Yahweh” is to honor and respect him, to obey him. For Blessed see 1.1, where Good News Translation also translates as “Happy.” In verse 1b the meaning of delights in his commandments is “is happy to obey his commandments,” “takes pleasure in doing what Yahweh commands.”

The rewards for obeying Yahweh’s commands are prosperity and wealth, not only for the man himself but also for his family and descendants (verses 2-3). In verse 2a the Hebrew word translated mighty is generally used of military might, but here it may mean prosperity, wealth. In the same line in the land is the land of Israel; the Hebrew does not mean “on earth” (as Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy have it).

It seems probable that in verse 2b the generation of the upright means the descendants of the good man referred to in the preceding line (see New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible); Biblia Dios Habla Hoy combines the two lines as follows: “The descendants of the honorable man will be blessed and will be powerful on earth.” The verb translated blessed is not the same as the word so translated in verse 1b by Revised Standard Version; here it means “will be blessed by God” (see comments on the verb in 16.7).

Three Hebrew words are used in verses 2a-3 to speak of the family and descendants of the righteous man: “seed … generation … house.” Generation … will be blessed must often be recast to say “God will give good things to his descendants.” Wealth and riches are synonymous and in many languages will be translated by a single term.

It is not easy to determine the precise meaning in verse 3b of tsedaqah (usually translated righteousness). The exact same statement is made of Yahweh’s tsedaqah in 111.3b; in both instances the line starts with the letter waw, the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is better to take it here to refer to the reward for being righteous (see Anderson, Briggs, Kirkpatrick), that is, prosperity (as in Pro 8.18). New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, and Dahood take the meaning to be “generosity, beneficence,” but it seems rather strange to switch so suddenly from the good man’s rewards (verses 2-3a) to one of his virtues. So Bible en français courant translates here “God’s approval is his forever.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, however, has “his faithfulness to the Lord lasts forever.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Psalm 112: Layer by Layer

The following is a presentation by the Psalms: Layer by Layer project, run by Scriptura .

Step into the multitudes of languages of the Bible and join the worldwide conversation!

Verse: Psalm 112:2