THE MEANING OF DEREKH (???? דּרֶֶ ) IN PSALM 1:6: A SEMANTIC STUDY OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE ON THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WAY OF THE WICKED
Keywords:
derekh, Psalm 1:6, lexical semantics, covenantal-relational model, Hebrew poetryAbstract
This study examines the semantic meaning of derekh (???? דּרֶֶ ) in Psalm 1:6, a verse whose apparent
simplicity conceals a grammatical anomaly: derekh appears in both cola, yet functions as the object of divine cognition (yada') in the first and as the subject of a verb of destruction ('abad) in the second. A path, in ordinary Hebrew usage, does not perish. Existing scholarship on Psalm 1 has concentrated on date, provenance, relationship to Jeremiah 17:5–8, and canonical function, while the semantics of derekh in verse 6 has generally been treated as a transparent metaphor for conduct. This study addresses that gap through a qualitative biblical exegesis design anchored in lexical semantics, componential analysis, collocational mapping, semantic field construction, and syntactic-structural criticism, drawing on the Hebrew text, ancient versions, and peer-reviewed lexicographic and exegetical scholarship. No statistical or interview data are reported. The analysis argues that derekh in Psalm 1:6 is semantically overdetermined, operating simultaneously at locative, ethical, and relational-covenantal levels. The study proposes the Covenantal-Relational Derekh Model, a three-layer semantic framework, and identifies the construction of derekh as subject of 'abad as theologically motivated rather than stylistically incidental. It contributes a replicable semantic procedure applicable to other Hebrew path terms such as 'orach, nathiv, and mesillah.
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