Psalm 46/Notes/Phrasal.v. 7.6319

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In with his [God's] voice (בקולו), the only construct phrase in v. 7, the preposition ב is instrumental, i.e., it represents "the means or instrument [or even the personal agent], as something with which one has associated himself in order to perform an action”.[1] Here, it would be God using his voice as an instrument, literally, "giving with his voice", which in turn can be read as he [God] thundered with his voice.[2]

Such description of God and the use of his voice coheres well with a number of extra-biblical accounts related to storm deities and their manifestations. E.g., an Akkadian inscription which speaks of the Babylonian storm-god Adad as the one "... at whose voice the mountains rock the seas swell" (The Kurbaail Statue of Shalmaneser 111, 1.6). Or "Ishkur . . . great storm, . . . who masses the clouds, at his rushing in the storm wind he causes the earth to tremble. In broad heaven he is a mighty wind which roars, whose [rum]ble is abundance. At his roar the land and the great mountains are afraid. . . At his thundering (over) the sea (and) covering the land with ra<diance>, great (hail)stones rain" (Sin-Iddinam).[3] Using his voice in v. 7, God not only defeats the city's enemies but also, potently, impacts the whole earth, that is, he makes it melt (מוג).[4]

  1. ↑ GK§119o.
  2. ↑ In v. 7b, the MT has נתן בקולו, which literally means "he gave with his voice". Per GK119q, the noun "voice" with the preposition ב is taken as an adverbial complement, "he thundered with his voice" (i.e. "mightily"; cf. IBHS 11.2.5d; cf. GNV; GNT; cf. ISV: "his voice boomed", etc.; plus ANE theophanies featuring storm deities). In 2 MSS, קולו appears without the preposition ב; but נתן + ב + קול is well-attested in the Hebrew Bible (cf. Ps 68:33/34; Jer 12:8) and can be viewed as a variant of נתן + קול (cf. Goldingay 2007: npn.; cf. JM 125m; cf. IBHS 11.2.5d).
  3. ↑ Both texts are cited in Tsumura 2014: 158.
  4. ↑ Generally, Psalm 46 does not use many articles, and is inconsistent in its usage with ארץ. In v. 7, the MT does not have it with ארץ; but some MSS and the LXX read "the earth".