The Doctrine of Sîyach

Introduction: In order for us to understand the tenor of this psalm, we need to know if David is asking God merely to hear his prayer or to hear his complaint to God. Therefore, we must examine the Hebrew word sîyach.

Topics
Pronunciation and Spelling	Meanings	An Examination of All Scriptural Occurrences
	Conclusion

Charts, Maps and Doctrines

An Examination of All Scriptural Occurrences

1. Pronunciation and spelling: masculine singular noun (usually found with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix) sîyach (ַחי ̣) [pronounced SEE-ahkh]. This word and its cognates are found only in Hebrew poetry.

2. Meanings already attributed to :

a. KJV renderings: complaint, meditation, communication, prayer, babbling.

b. Strong's renderings: a contemplation; by implication an utterance: - babbling, communication, complaint, meditation, prayer, talk (Strong's #7879)

c. BDB translations: complaint; musing; anxiety, trouble; talk (BDB #967).

d. Gesenius translations: a shrub, a bush (different Strong’s #7880, but with the same spelling ); speech, discourse; quarrel; mediation.

3. Cognates:

a. Feminine noun: sîychâh (הָחי.) [pronounced see-KHAW], which means, meditation, communication. This word is only found in Job 15:4 Psalm 119:97, 99. In Psalm 119, there is no way that this means complaint or prayer. Its verbal cognate means to communicate, therefore, some form of communication is involved. However, the psalmist calls God’s Law and His testimonies his sîychâh all day long—therefore, it would be reasonable for this to mean meditation, study, Bible study—it is God’s communication to man. The passage in Job would also allow for this understanding. Bera in mind that the feminine cognate of a verb may take on some meanings, and the masculine may take on the others. One may be very material and the other more conceptual. Strong’s #7881 BDB #967.

b. Both of these nouns come from the verb sîyach (ַחי ̣) [pronounced SEE-ahkh], which means to communicate, to declare, to speak of, to talk about; to meditate and possibly to complain; and this word is found primarily in poetry (Judges 5:10 Job 7:11 Psalm 119:15, 23, 27). There are times when this word clearly means to communicate (Judges 5:10 Job 12:8 Prov. 6:22). Strong’s #7878 BDB #967. It would do us well to examine this verb further:

i. Where this verb could mean to meditate, to study: I Chron. 16:9 Psalm 105:2 119:148. Where to meditate, to study are the only reasonable meanings: Psalm 77:12 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 148 143:5 145:5.

ii. Where this verb could mean to communicate, to declare, to speak of: Judges 5:10 I Chron. 16:9 (the context really seems to be one of communication) Job 7:11 12:8 Psalm 55:17 69:12 (favored by context) 105:2 (context favors this rendering). Where these meanings would be the only reasonable meanings: Judges 5:10 Job 12:8 Prov. 6:22. Note: all of the Qal imperatives are found here.

iii. Where this verb could mean to complain: Job 7:11 Psalm 55:17 69:12. Where to complain is the only reasonable meaning: nowhere. In Job 7:11, the verb could easily be rendered to communicate, to declare, and the communication could be seen as a complaint.

iv. Passages where any one of these three meanings would work: Psalm 77:3, 6 (however, Psalm 77:12 most likely means to meditate, to study) Isa. 53:8 (however, to communicate, to study; to consider would be the most reasonable renderings).

4. Passages: I Sam. 1:16 I Kings 18:27 II Kings 9:11 Job 7:13 9:27 10:1 21:4 23:2 Psalm 55:2 64:1 102 title 104:34 142:2 Prov. 23:29.

In our study of Psalm 142:2, Barnes questioned that this word meant complaint, which led me to question the same thing. I have a great deal of respect for Barnes, even though I don’t always agree with him. Obviously, the easy way out would have been to take a stand without examining this; however, that is a piss-poor way of dealing with God’s Word.

An Examination of All Scriptural Occurrences of the Word

First, and most importantly, the verbal cognate in the Qal can reasonably be associated with the three sets of meanings: to communicate, to declare; to meditate, to study; to complain. However, we do not have a single instance where the verb would have to be rendered to complain, only a handful of passages where such a rendering would not cause a problem with the context.

Passage	Morphology and Additional Comments
I Sam. 1:16: Do not consider your maidservant a base woman because of the abundance of my complaint and my frustration [or, emotional state] I have spoken until now.	Although we could certainly render sîyach in this passage as my complaint, it could also render translated my communication, my speaking, my prayer.
I Kings 18:27: At noon, Elijah began to mock them, saying, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is communicating or he’s stepped out or he’s on a journey or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”	The context of this is, Baal was not responding to his prophets, so Elijah chides them as to what he might be up to, since he is a god. His first suggestion is that Baal is communicating, praying, meditating, studying or complaining. Unfortunately, the context does not allow us to tie this down further, although praying is probably not a reasonable rendering. The idea is that Baal is otherwise occupied, and therefore, cannot respond immediately to his prophets.
II Kings 9:11b: And he said to them, “You know very well the man and his talk.”	In the context, communication is the key; meditation would make no sense; complaint would be a possible rendering, however (although Elisha, the one referred to, wasn’t complaining, the king could have still said that he was).
Job 7:13: “If I say, ‘My bed will comfort me; my couch will hear my complaint.’ ”	Although my communication would be a reasonable rendering, my complaint more accurately communicates Job’s feelings.
Job 9:27a: “Though I say, I will forget my complaint...”	As above.
Job 10:1: “I loathe my own life. I will give full vent to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.”	My complaint is the only reasonable rendering here.
Job 21:4a: “As for me, is my complaint to man?”	Although my communication would work here, my complaint seems to be a better fit.
Job 23:2a: “Even my complaint is rebellion.”	Here, we could get away with my prayer, my communication.
Every instance of this word’s use in the book of Job is by Job.
Psalm 55:2: Listen to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint and definitely distracted.	David could mean my communication, but my complaint is a better fit.
Psalm 64:1a: Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint.	My communication would also be a reasonable translation.
Psalm 102 title: A Prayer of the Afflicted, when he is faint, and pours out his complaint before Jehovah:	Again, although my communication is reasonable, complaint or concern better communicate the speaker’s feelings.
Psalm 104:34: Let my mediation be pleasing to Him. As for me, I will be glad in Jehovah.	Although my communication would also work here, my complaint just would not.
Psalm 142:2: I will pour out my complaint before Him; I will declare my trouble before Him.	Given the second half of this verse, complaint or concern communicate David’s thoughts better than declaration, communication.
Prov. 23:29: Who has woes? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?	Quite obviously, this is stronger than simply a declaration or a communication. Given the other words of this passage, even a vocalized concern might be too weak.
Although we could probably get away with generally rendering sîyach as a voiced concern, even that seems a bit too weak for the passages in Job. My thinking would be that this noun (and verb) went through a transformation over the years. In Job’s day, sîyach meant complaint; however, this became a vocalized concern and then simply a communication. Since communication works both ways, this also has a more passive sense, where the person receives the communication; in other words, he studies or meditates.

5. Conclusion: the verb and noun can both be consistently rendered to complain (complaint) for the passages of Job, which is very early Hebrew. However, this verb (and noun) came to mean to voice a concern, to communicate, to declare and, in a passive sense, to mediate, to study.