Biblica_1_Layout 1 20/01/12 11:43 Pagina 483 483 THE INTERPRETATION OF PS 144,14 1. Reproductive Definition: ~ylbsm This position, however, suffers from the following weaknesses. First, “our cattle” (wnypwla) is accompanied by a masculine, rather than feminine, predicate to describe the alleged pregnancy, ~ylbsm 6. Even so, the conflict can be mitigated by considering wnypwla an epicene noun 7, which can accept modifiers corresponding to either the natu- ral gender (Gen 32,16, tAqynIyme ~yLim;G.) or grammatical gender (Hos 13,8; Prov 17,12, lWKv; bDo) 8. It should be understood, however, that al- though the possibility remains, positive evidence for @wla as an epicene noun is clearly absent (see Jer 3,4; 11,19; 13,21; Mic 7,5; Ps 55,14; Prov 2,17; 16,28; 17,9). Alternatively, if wnypwla functions as a nominalized adjective, “our tame ones” (see Jer 11,19) 9, it would presumably yield dis- tinctive terminations for each gender. Thus, for pregnant cows we would expect WnyteApWLa;* followed by a feminine participle, tAlB'sum..* Likewise, a separate feminine termination would be expected if @wla were a dyadic noun (e.g., rp, “bull”; hrp, “cow”) 10. Second, it is important to recognize that the root lbs is never used elsewhere in the OT (or in other Northwest Semitic languages) to signify pregnancy 11, although it could be argued that such a meaning is conceivable, in light of the typical biblical poet’s cre- ativity and flexibility with words and images, especially in this sec- tion of the psalm. Even so, unless there are compelling reasons for this choice, documented meanings are to be preferred. 6 SAUR, Die Königspsalmen, 254, n. 26; R.G. BRATCHER — W.D. REY- BURN, A Handbook on Psalms (UBS Handbook Series; New York 1991) 1160-1161; ZIEGLER, “Ps 144”, 195; H. GUNKEL, Die Psalmen (KHC; Göt- tingen 1926) 608; F. ZORELL, Psalterium. Ex Hebraeo Latinum (2d revised ed.; Rome 1939) 355. 7 So DELITZSCH, Psalms, vol. 3, 383; GKC 390; CHEYNE, Psalms, 360; F. HITZIG, Psalmen (Leipzig 1863) 443. P. Joüon considers @l,a, to be exclusively masculine. P. JOÜON, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Part Three. Syntax (trans. T. MURAOKA) (Subsidia Biblica; Rome 21996) 498. Nevertheless, $ypla rgv (Deut 7,13; 28,4.18.51) indicates that it may be epicene. Cfr., BAETHGEN, Die Psalmen, 438; CHEYNE, Psalms, 360. 8 B.K. WALTKE — M. O’CONNOR, An Introduction to Hebrew Syntax (Wi- nona Lake, IN 1990) 107; JOÜON, Biblical Hebrew, 493-494; GKC 390. 9 BDB 48; HALOT 54. 10 See WALTKE ‒ O’CONNOR, Hebrew Syntax, 106-107.