Sunday, July 5, 2026

Psalm 59:10, 12

In the German translation of Psalm 59, I found two instances of significant assonance.

First, verse 11:
Gott erzeigt mir reichlich seine Güte, Gott läßt mich auf meine Feinde herabsehen.
In the ESV, this is verse 10:
My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
Although a translation of the German is something more like:
God richly shows me His goodness; God lets me look down on my enemies.
The repetition involved in the assonance in the first half of the verse ("Gott erzeigt mir reichlich seine Güte" "God richly shows me His goodness") provides a sense of this abundance (for "reichlich" "richly").

Second, verse 13:
Das Wort ihrer Lippen ist nichts als Sünde; darum sollen sie sich fangen in ihrer Hoffart mit all ihren Flüchen und Lügen.
In the ESV, this is verse 12, with the division between sentences coming earlier and the second sentence extending into the next verse:
For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride.  For the cursing and lies that they utter,
Again, a translation of the German is a bit different:
The word of their lips is nothing but sin; therefore, they should be caught in their pride with all their cursing and lying.
It's a smaller instance, but like the above, the repetition involved in the assonance in "Flüchen und Lügen" ("cursing and lies") gives a slight sense of the large amount ("all").