Psalms 77:10 — Word Study
WLCוָ֭אֹמַר חַלּ֣וֹתִי הִ֑יא שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת יְמִ֣ין עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
BSAto forgetshâkach to entreatchannôwth godʼêl ifʼim to gatherqâphats faceʼaph wombracham Selahçelâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וָ֭אֹמַר | and I said | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect first person common singular |
| חַלּ֣וֹתִי | [is] wounding my | Verb piel infinitive construct common, suffix |
| הִ֑יא | it | Pronoun |
| שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת | [the] years of | Noun common, feminine plural construct |
| יְמִ֣ין | [the] right [hand] of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ | [the] Most High |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” |
| KJV | And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. |
| ASV | And I said, This is my infirmity; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. |
| YLT | And I say: 'My weakness is, The changes of the right hand of the Most High.' |
| WEB | Then I thought, “I will appeal to this: the years of the right hand of the Most High.” |
| BBE | And I said, It is a weight on my spirit; but I will keep in mind the years of the right hand of the Most High. |
Where they part company is חַלּ֣וֹתִי — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause introduces the speaker's declaration, with additional phrases providing context and elaboration on the subject of grief.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשָׁכַח
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 77:10
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Reflections on God's Faithfulnessgenerated
Psalm 77:10 captures a moment of deep emotional turmoil for the psalmist, who is grappling with feelings of abandonment by God. The verses surrounding it express a longing for God's grace and compassion, highlighting the tension between faith and doubt. This psalm is a poignant reminder of the struggles believers face when they perceive a shift in God's presence or support, as seen in the preceding and following verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 31:22 | In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help. |
| 2 | Psalm 73:22 | I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You. |
| 3 | Psalm 116:11 | In my alarm I said, “All men are liars!” |
| 4 | Job 42:3 | You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. |
| 5 | Lamentations 3:18–23 | So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חַלּ֣וֹתִי, cha.Lo.tigenerated
The verb חָלָה (chalah) is a piel infinitive construct meaning 'to wound' or 'to be weak.' It conveys a sense of emotional or physical distress, often associated with grief or suffering. In this context, it reflects the psalmist's profound sorrow, suggesting that he feels a deep wound in his spirit due to the perceived change in God's support.
The construction of the word indicates a state of being affected, emphasizing the intensity of the psalmist's feelings. This word encapsulates the essence of his lament, as he grapples with the implications of a God who seems to have altered His course.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse is structured around the finite verb אֹמַר (amar), I said, which serves as the anchor for the statement of grief. The sentence unfolds with a noun phrase followed by a series of clauses that describe the speaker's emotional state and the subject of his lament.
The order places emphasis on the speaker's declaration of grief, followed by the cause of that grief — the perceived change in the right hand of the Most High. This structure highlights the psalmist's internal struggle and the weight of his words.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew חַלּ֣וֹתִי is rendered with the Greek word θεὸς (Theos), which translates to 'God.' This choice shifts the focus from the emotional state of the speaker to a more direct reference to God, suggesting a broader interpretation of the divine relationship and the implications of perceived change.
This rendering indicates an interpretative move that could either emphasize God's nature or the speaker's relationship with Him, showing a different nuance in understanding the text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 77:10 shows the psalmist expressing deep sorrow over a change in God's support. He questions whether God has forgotten His grace, reflecting a moment of doubt and emotional pain. This verse captures the struggle between faith and feelings of abandonment.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist is expressing a deep emotional pain due to a perceived change in God's support, feeling as though God's powerful help is no longer present.
This verse mirrors other psalms where the authors grapple with feelings of abandonment and question God's faithfulness, such as in Psalm 31:22.
The psalmist's lament teaches us that it is okay to express our feelings of doubt and sorrow to God, and that these feelings can coexist with faith.
The right hand symbolizes strength and power in biblical literature, representing God's might and authority, which makes the psalmist's lament about its change even more poignant.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- Have I ever felt abandoned by God, and how did I respond to that feeling?
- In what ways can I express my doubts or sorrows to God, as the psalmist does?
- How do I reconcile my faith with moments of uncertainty or grief?
- What does the imagery of God's right hand mean to me in my own life?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Father Augustine of Hippo reflects on this verse in his work, discussing the psalmist's emotional state and the significance of his words.
"And I said." Now leaping over himself he has said what? "Now I have begun:" [Psalms 77:10], when I had gone out even from myself.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 77 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 77:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd I said, this is my infirmity,.... Referring either to what he had said in the preceding verses; and which is to be considered either as checking and correcting himself for what he had said, and
Read John Gill on Psalms 77 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. -This is the transition point to hope.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 77 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleI said; I thus answered these objections. This is my infirmity; these suspicions of God’ s faithfulness and goodness proceed from the weakness of my faith, and from the mistake of a diseased mind. But I will remember; which words may be understood out of the following verse, as other words frequently are in like cases. The years of the right hand of the Most High; the years wherein God hath done great and glorious works, which are oft ascribed to God’ s right hand, as 20:6 45:4 118:15. But the word rendered years doth also signify changing, and accordingly this verse is by other learned interpreters, and may well be, rendered otherwise, without any such supplement as is in our translation…
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 77 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 77:10 And I said, This [is] my infirmity: [but I will remember] the years of the right hand of the most High.Ver. 10. And I said, This is my infirmity] My frailty and folly. Here he begins to recollect, and recall himself, as every good soul will, after its extravagancies and outbursts. Vatablus rendereth it, Mors mea est, This is my death; Beza, Caedes mea haec, This is my death wound, sc. whereof I should surely die, were it not for the change of God’ s hand upon me. But I will remember, &c.] This is supplied out of the following verse. Some make no such supply, but render the text thus, The right hand of the Most High can change these things. Others, This is the change of the…
Read John Trapp on Psalms 77 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(10) And I said . . .—The word rendered “infirmity” may, by derivation, mean “wounding” or “piercing.” So Symmachus, “my wound;” Aquila, “my sickness.” Gesenius says, “that which makes my sickness.” If we keep this meaning we must understand mental sickness or “madness,” and understand the poet to say that to indulge in despairing cries is mere madness (comp. King Lear’s, “Oh! that way madness lies”), he will recall God’s ancient deliverances, and so re-establish his faith. But it seems more natural to take a sense which the cognate verb very commonly bears (Leviticus 19:8; Ezekiel 36:22; Psalms 74:7; Psalms 89:39), and render, “I said this (such despair) is on my part profanation…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 77 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 10. And I said, This is my infirmity] The Hebrew is very obscure, and has been differently translated: ואמר חלותי היא שנות ימימן עליון vaomar challothi hi shenoth yemin elyon; "And I said, Is this my weakness? Years the right hand of the Most High." If חלותי challothi comes from חלה chalah, and signifies to pray, as De Dieu has thought, then his translation may be proper: Precari hoc meum est; mutare dextram Altissimi. "To pray, this my business; to change the right hand of the Most High." I can do nothing else than pray; God is the Ruler of events. Mr. N. M. Berlin translates, "Dolere meum hoc est; mutare est dextra Altissimi." To grieve is my portion; to change (my condition)…
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 77 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges10–20. The history of the past is the most convincing answer to these questions, the best cordial for his fainting spirits. Cp. Isaiah 63:7 ff.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 77 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleAnd I said, This is my infirmity - The meaning of this phrase is not, as would appear from our translation, that his reflections on the subject were to be traced to his weakness, or were a proof of
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 77 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
Then I thought, “I will appeal to this: the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
So I said, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought that the sovereign One might become inactive.
Tyndale line
And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
And I said, This is my infirmity; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.
And I said, This is my infirmity; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.
And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.
And I sayde, This is my death: yet I remembred the yeeres of the right hand of the most High.
Strictly literal
Then said I, This is my weakness: — the years of the right hand of the Most High
And I say: 'My weakness is, The changes of the right hand of the Most High.'
And I say: “My weakness is, || The changes of the right hand of the Most High.”
(77:11) And I said, This shall be my entreaty, [for] the years of the right hand of the Most High.
I said, “This is my sorrow: the changing of the right hand of the Most High toward us.”
From the Latin
They kept not the covenant of God: and in his law they would not walk.
Simplified
Then I said, “This is what hurts me the most: the Most High doesn't treat me the way he used to.”
And I said, It is a weight on my spirit; but I will keep in mind the years of the right hand of the Most High.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording for this verse, indicating a consistent transmission of the text across these traditions. Both versions convey the same emotional weight and thematic elements, reinforcing the psalmist's lament.
וָ֭אֹמַר חַלּ֣וֹתִי הִ֑יא שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת יְמִ֣ין עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 77:10
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
Say
Say in the heart (= think)
Promise
Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
base
H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say
. Say in the heart (= think)
. Promise
. Command (esp. late)
. be said, told
. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
. act proudly, boast
559 'amar aw-mar'
a primitive root; to say (used with great
latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,
certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),
commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,
publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),
utter, X verily, X yet.
אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.
1) to say, speak, utter
1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch
Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Hc/Vqw1cs — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect first person common singularHc/Vqw1cs
The Hebrew word חָלָה (*chalah*) is built from a primitive root meaning to be rubbed or worn, covering a range of meanings related to weakness, sickness, and grief. It can refer to becoming weak or ill, making oneself sick, or even entreating favor. The entries indicate various grammatical forms, including Qal, Piel, and Hiphil, which express different nuances of these concepts.
חָלָה vb. be weak, sick
Qal
be or become weak
become sick, ill
Niph.
make oneself sick, fig. for strain oneself
be made sick
Pi. make sick
Pu. be made weak
Hithp. make oneself sick
Hiph.
make (sick, i.e.) sore thy smiting
make sick
shew (signs of) sickness, become sick
Hoph. make sick = wounded
base
[חָלָה] vb. only Pi. mollify, appease, entreat the favour of
base
H2470a חָלָה be weak, sick .. be or become weak
. become sick, ill
. . make oneself sick, fig. for strain oneself
. be made sick
. make sick
. be made weak
. make oneself sick
. . make (sick, i.e.) sore thy smiting
. make sick
. shew (signs of) sickness, become sick
. make sick = wounded
H2470b חָלָה only Pi. mollify, appease, entreat the favour of
2470 chalah khaw-law'
a primitive root (compare 2342, 2470, 2490); properly, to be
rubbed or worn; hence (figuratively) to be weak, sick,
afflicted; or (causatively) to grieve, make sick; also to
stroke (in flattering), entreat:--beseech, (be) diseased, (put
to) grief, be grieved, (be) grievous, infirmity, intreat, lay
to, put to pain, X pray, make prayer, be (fall, make) sick,
sore, be sorry, make suit (X supplication), woman in travail,
be (become) weak, be wounded.
see HEBREW for 02342
see HEBREW for 02470
see HEBREW for 02490
חָלָה (cha.lah) — be weak: weak.
: weak/disabled
1) to be or become weak, be or become sick, be or become diseased, be or become grieved, be or become sorry
1a) (Qal) to be weak, be sick
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to be or become weak, feel weak
1b2) to become sick, become ill
1c) (Niphal)
1c1) to make oneself sick
1c2) to be made sick
1c3) to be tired
1d) (Pual) to be made weak, become weak
1e) (Hithpael) to make oneself sick
1f) (Hiphil)
1f1) to make sore
1f2) to make sick
1f3) to show signs of sickness, become sick
1f4) to grieve
1g) (Hophal)
1g1) to be made sick
1g2) to be wounded
חָלָה (cha.lah) — to beg.
1) (Piel)
1a) (CLBL) to mollify, entreat, pray, beg
חָלָה (cha.lah) — be weak: ill.
: ill/injured
1) to be or become weak, be or become sick, be or become diseased, be or become grieved, be or become sorry
1a) (Qal) to be weak, be sick
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to be or become weak, feel weak
HVpcc/Sp1bs — Verb piel infinitive construct common · suffixHVpcc/Sp1bs
הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
It resumes the subj. with emph.
Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
As an emph. predicate, of God
In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
base
H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
. It resumes the subj. with emph.
. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
. As an emph. predicate, of God
. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
1931 huw' hoo
of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a
primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or
it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also
(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;
sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally
(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),
it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,
this, those, which (is), who.
הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.
pron 3p s
1) he, she, it
1a) himself (with emphasis)
1b) resuming subj with emphasis
1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)
1d) (anticipating subj)
1e) (emphasising predicate)
1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron
2) that (with article)
HPp3fs — PronounHPp3fs
שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.
שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])
base
H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])
8141 shaneh shaw-neh'
(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year
(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,
year(X -ly).
see HEBREW for 08138
שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.
1) year
1a) as division of time
1b) as measure of time
1c) as indication of age
1d) a lifetime (of years of life)
Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)
HNcfpc — Noun common · feminine plural constructHNcfpc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
The Hebrew word יָמִין (*yamiyn*) means 'right hand' or 'right side,' and it can also refer to the direction south, as the right hand points south when facing east. It is derived from the root word for 'to be strong' and covers various contexts, including body parts and directional references.
יָמִין 137 n.f. right hand
right hand
of situation on, or direction toward the right
of other parts of the body
= south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
base
H3225 יָמִין right hand . right hand
. of situation on, or direction toward the right
. of other parts of the body
. = south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
3225 yamiyn yaw-meen'
from 3231; the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or
other object (as the stronger and more dexterous); locally,
the south:--+ left-handed, right (hand, side), south.
see HEBREW for 03231
יָמִין (ya.min) — right.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
Also means: ya.min (יָמִין ": south" H3225H)
יָמִין (ya.min) — right: south.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
יָמִין (ya.min) — [Ben]jamin.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.35.18;
son of: Israel (H3478) and Rachel (H7354);
brother of: Joseph (H3130);
half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);
HNcfsc — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
עֶלְיוֹן (elyown) means 'high' or 'upper,' and is used to describe both physical elevations, such as the upper part of Bethhoron, and metaphorical heights, referring to God as the 'Most High.' It can also denote rulers, including monarchs and angelic beings. The term is derived from a root meaning elevation.
עֶלְיוֹן 22 adj.
high
upper Bethhoron, the upper (opp. lower) of house
base
עֶלְיוֹן n.m. Highest, Most High
name of God
of rulers, either monarchs or angel-princes
base
H5945a עֶלְיוֹן . high
. upper Bethhoron, the upper (opp. lower) of house
H5945b עֶלְיוֹן Highest, Most High . name of God
. of rulers, either monarchs or angel-princes
5945 'elyown el-yone'
from 5927; an elevation, i.e. (adj.) lofty (compar.); as
title, the Supreme:--(Most, on) high(-er, -est),
upper(-most).
see HEBREW for 05927
עֶלְיוֹן (el.yon) — high.
adj
1) high, upper
1a) of Davidic king exalted above monarchs
עֶלְיוֹן (el.yon) — Most High.
Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
עֶלְיוֹן (el.yon) — Upper (Beth Horon).
Combined with bet cho.ron (בֵּית חוֹרֹן " Beth-horon" H1032H)
§
עֶלְיוֹן (el.yon) — (LORD) Most High.
Combined with ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068)
HAamsa — HAamsa