מָלַץ

From the study of Psalm 119:103

Range of meaning

This word appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (a hapax legomenon), so its meaning has to be reconstructed. The standard lexicons (BDB, HALOT, DCH) tentatively link it to a Semitic root meaning "to be smooth, slippery". From that they give "be smooth, agreeable, pleasant", the way food glides pleasantly over the tongue. The form is passive or reflexive in shape but stative in meaning here: "they are pleasant".

Against the English

Every major English version renders it "sweet", which is a reasonable reading in context (honey follows) and goes back to the ancient Greek translation. But the Hebrew does not use the ordinary word for "sweet" (mātôq, as in Ps 19:10). It uses a rarer word that probably carries the feel of smoothness and agreeableness more than sugar as such. English also has to supply "sweeter" in the second half. The Hebrew just says "from honey", meaning "more than honey".

Used elsewhere in the period

Unattested elsewhere in biblical Hebrew. The Greek Septuagint (Ps 118:103) translates γλυκέα, "sweet", and the Latin Vulgate dulcia. Both are probably guided by the honey comparison. Smoothness on the palate is a known Hebrew image: Proverbs 5:3 says the forbidden woman's "palate is smoother than oil" and her lips "drip honey". The same pairing of palate and honey is used there for dangerous persuasion.