100 Th. Booij (3) In v. 5a, turning his eye to the future, the speaker makes his prayer a practical wish. a. Some authors take dsj and var ˆmv as nominal clauses following a conditional or optative element (24). These clauses, however, would be rather exceptional, since in principle they should have a subject, or resuming subject, and a predicate (25). There is yet another consideration. The pronominal suffix in µhytw[r, ‘their evil things’ (v. 5b), can only refer to the ‘gentlemen’ mentioned in v. 4. If dsj and var ˆmv are taken as clauses, strong interruptions are effected, blurring the relationship between the suffix and its antecedent. So there is reason to assume, in accordance with the massoretic accentuation, that v. 5a has only one major caesura, which is after ynjykwyw. The noun dsj is an adjunct then (‘in kindness’, ‘caringly’) (26), while after ynmlhy, taken as a jussive (‘let him strike me’), ynjykwyw may be read as an ‘indirect’ jussive: ‘to discipline me’, ‘for discipline’ (27). In the second stich yvar, ‘my head’, is logically subject. By var ˆmv excellent oil is meant (cf. Exod 30,23 var µymcb, ‘spices, top’: finest spices) (28). In translation, the characterizing force of var ˆmv may be underscored by ‘so’ or ‘like that’ (cf. Ps 95,10 rwd, ‘a generation like that’; Job 15,13 ˆylm, ‘such words’) (29). Instead of ayny (awn hi., ‘oppose, keep off, refuse’), the ‘standard’ text has yny, which ‘incorrect’ form may well be origi- nal (30). The use of la, not al, makes the statement emotional and emphatic (31). b. Our text can hardly refer to strokes with the rod as mentioned in Proverbs, since there “a rod is for the back” (Prov 10,13; 26,3). We may think of a box on the ears, suitable for teaching one (cf. Prov 19,25). The speaker, as a good student, will gratefully accept that chastisement (cf. Prov 9,8; 27,5- 6; 28,23): “oil so excellent my head will not refuse” (cf. e.g. Ps 92,11). The wordplay var (‘top’) - yvar (‘my head’) fits in with the imaginative turn of phrase. (4) The third stich of v. 5, especially its beginning, is the core of the problem in our psalm. a. To find a solution, we may notice — as has been done (32) — the analogy of w dw[ with w f[m dw[ (Exod 17,4; Jer 51,33; Hos 1,4; Ps 37,10). In f[m dw[ the element dw[ can be taken as ‘yet’, and f[m as ‘short time’ (cf. Hag 2,6; 2 Chr 12,7). However, f[m actually means ‘a little’; and since dw[ can mean ‘a good while’ (Gen 46,29) and ‘continually’ (Ps 84,5), its primary sense appears to be ‘continuance, duration’. So w f[m dw[ can be understood as ‘continuance-of-a-little and...’, ‘(yet) a little while and...’, that is: soon. By analogy, w dw[ can be taken as ‘continuance and...’, ‘(yet) a while and...’, that is: in the end. (24) yvar ynyAla is considered either a relative clause then or an independent element. (25) See GESENIUS–KAUTZSCH, § 140a; JOÜON–MURAOKA, § 154a-d. (26) Cf. GESENIUS–KAUTZSCH, § 118q. (27) See JOÜON–MURAOKA, § 116d (3). (28) On account of the LXX (e[laion de; aJmartwlou') many read [v;r: instead of var. (29) Cf. the translation issued by the Jewish Publication Society of America, rendering the text as “Oil so choice let not my head refuse”. (30) See GESENIUS–KAUTZSCH, § 74k. (31) See S.R. DRIVER, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew. And Some Other Syntactical Questions (Oxford 31892) § 58. (32) See e.g. L.C. ALLEN, Psalms 101–150 (WBC 21; Nashville 2002) 340.