Psalm 37/Notes/Textual.v. 20.978525

v. 20c: Many witnesses appear to read כעשן (with a kaf), including 4Q171 (כלו כעשן כולו), LXX (ὡσεί), Jerome iuxta Hebr (sicut), Peshitta (ܘܐܝܟ), and more than 30 medieval Hebrew mss listed by Kennicott (cf. Isa 51:6—כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֜יִם כֶּעָשָׁ֤ן נִמְלָ֨חוּ֙; Hos 13:3). Only MT and the Targum (ובתנן גהנם) clearly read a beth preposition (cf. the similar issue in Ps 102:4—כִּֽי־כָל֣וּ בְעָשָׁ֣ן יָמָ֑י), which is probably best interpreted as a beth essentiae (Baethgen 1904, 106; cf. GKC 119i). If the phrase כִּיקַר כָּרִים in the previous line refers to the "fat of lambs," then the beth preposition fits well, since animal sacrifices go up "in/as smoke." It makes sense, then, that the Targum, which interprets כָּרִים to refer to lambs, would also read a beth preposition. But if the phrase כִּיקַר כָּרִים refers to the flowers of a field (see exegetical issue), then the beth preposition "in/as smoke" does not work as well, unless we are to think that the image in this verse is that of a field set on fire (cf. Dahood 2008, 230). If כִּיקַר כָּרִים refers flowers in a field, then the kaf preposition ("like smoke") fits better. The verse compares YHWH's enemies to two different things: flowers which quickly fade (v. 20b) and smoke which quickly vanishes (v. 20c). Rather than a single image (a field on fire), the verse gives us two images, flowers and smoke, both images of transience. Cf. Hosea 13:3—"Therefore they will be like the morning mist (כַּעֲנַן־בֹּ֔קֶר), like the early dew (כַטַּ֖ל) that disappears, like chaff (כְּמֹץ֙) swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke (כְעָשָׁ֖ן) escaping through a window" (NIV).