Psalm 46/Notes/Phrasal.v. 3.878722

V. 3 contains several construct and prepositional phrases (on which see further the Grammatical Diagram above). The collocation (lit.) "in the changing of the earth" (בהמיר ארץ) indicates that the earth is the entity performing the changing. בהמיר ארץ is also a prepositional phrase, wherein the preposition ב functions temporally with the infinitive construct, i.e., when the earth changes. Although the Hebrew has a temporal clause, the smoothest English translation (cf. NIV) is with the conditional/subjunctive. Hence, here, it is rendered as “We will not fear, though the earth change...” (cf. NIV, NRSV; ESV; NKJV; NASV; JPS1917; etc.).