מִשְׁאָלָה

From the study of Psalm 20:5

Range of meaning

A request or petition, the thing asked for. From šāʾal, 'to ask, inquire'. It occurs only here and in Ps 37:4 ('the requests of your heart').

Against the English

'Petitions' (BSB, ESV, KJV), 'requests' (WEB, NIV), 'prayers' (NLT). All are fair. 'Prayers' is a little broader and loses the sense of particular things asked for.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 37:4 'he will give you the requests (mišʾălōt) of your heart' is the only other use. The verb šāʾal is used in 1 Kings 3:5-13 when God tells Solomon to 'ask' and Solomon asks for wisdom; there the king's request at a sacrifice is answered.

From the study of Psalm 37:4

Range of meaning

'Request, petition, thing asked for.' It is built from shaʾal, 'to ask, request, inquire,' with the prefix mi- that forms nouns for the thing or result of an action. It occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible: here and in Psalm 20:5 (Hebrew 20:6).

Against the English

'Desires' (BSB, KJV, ESV, NIV, NASB, WEB) widens the word into longings or wants of any kind. YLT's 'petitions' and the Latin 'petitiones' are closer to the Hebrew. 'Your heart's desires' (NLT) leans even further toward personal wishes.

How it drifted

'The desires of your heart' has become a stock English phrase for life dreams and personal ambitions. That ties the verse to wanting. The Hebrew ties it to asking.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Psalm 20:5 the people pray for the king before battle: 'May Yahweh fulfil all your requests (mishʾalotekha)'. There the requests are for victory and rescue. The Septuagint renders our verse τὰ αἰτήματα (ta aitēmata), 'the requests,' the same word family as aiteō, 'to ask,' which the New Testament uses for prayer (e.g. 1 John 5:15, 'we have the requests we asked of him'). The Vulgate has petitiones, 'petitions.'