Psalm 46/Notes/Phrasal.v. 4.129156

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In the phrase its surging (בגאותו) the third masculine singular suffix (ו) refers back to the sea as subject, indicating its turbulence (i.e., the surging which is performed by the sea). The precise function of the preposition ב in this phrase is not straightforward. Given its context, it could serve either temporally, i.e., the mountains quake at or when the surging of the sea takes place[1], or instrumentally (or causatively), i.e., the mountains shake “with” (or “because of”) the sea's surging.[2] In this psalm, the two uses of ב can be taken as coinciding, that is, the sea causes the mountains to move (instrumental/causative), and the mountains begin to move at the point of the sea's impact on them (temporal).

  1. ↑ GK §119h
  2. ↑ GK §119h. Cf. Tsumura's analysis: "At first glance, c' (bégaaåwatô) in v. 3 and C (natan béqôlô) in v. 6 appear completely unrelated, but in their context (parallelism) it can be said that they fulfill analogous roles. While in the case of the first it is stated that “by the swelling of its water” (c') the mountains tremble, in the case of the second God’s uttering his voice (C) is the ultimate case of the nations’ raging and the kingdoms’ shaking..." (Tsumura 2014: 160).