Planted or Transplanted?

Psalm 1:3—”He will be like a tree planted by streams of water that bears its fruit in its season, and whose leaves do not wither. He will prosper at whatever he does.”

The word שָׁתוּל is usually translated, “planted,” in English translations; however, there may be an exegetical point in this lexical choice. The psalmist could have used נתע to convey the meaning “plant.” Though the verb שׁתל can also mean “plant” (Hos 9:13), it often takes on the nuanced meaning “transplant”—that is, to move something from its natural, or original, habitat to another location (see esp. Ezek 17 and 19). The translational challenge is observable in differences between Jerome’s translation on the basis of the Greek (Origen’s Hexaplaric recension) and his later translation on the basis of the Hebrew. His initial translation is plantatum est (“is planted”), which translates the Greek πεφυτευμένον; however, he later adjusts his translation toward the Hebrew and renders it transplantatum (“transplanted”). The difference is also observed in Aquila’s translation of שָׁתוּל here: μεταπεφυτευμένον, which is translated, “transplanted.” So is it planted or transplanted?

Rendering the Hebrew as “transplanted” brings out an interpretation that the blessed person (of v. 1) is moved by his engagement and delight in the Lord’s instruction. You could say he is moved from the necrotic environment that the wicked/sinners/scoffers produce to a place of fruitful life where he can thrive and prosper in what he does. The person’s natural habitat is with the wicked/sinners/scoffers where death prevails, but in knowing and delighting in God’s instruction the person is moved from there to a life-giving place. Alternately, if one renders the Hebrew שָׁתוּל with “planted,” then it yields a less nuanced interpretation, but one that nonetheless indicates the full life that the person who delights in the Lord’s instruction will enjoy. The blessed person is said to be planted in a place that fosters life. As a Christian, I like the rendering “transplanted,” because it indicates the movement from death to life that has taken place in someone who delights in the Lord’s instruction. Additionally, I think the general usage of שׁתל supports this translation.