Psalm 46/Notes/Textual.v. 3.567924

In v. 3b, MT has בְּהָמִיר, which is usually taken as the hiphil infinitive construct of מור I/“to change” (thus, “though the earth change..." or is "altered”; cf. NRSV, NASB1995, KJ21, etc.; cf. α': ἐν τῶι ἀνταλλάσσεσθ(αι) γῆν from "to change/exchange"). The LXX, however, has ἐν τῷ ταράσσεσθαι (from "to be agitated, troubled", "to be disquieted/restless"; cf. Pesh. ܕܙܝܥܐ , "to shake"). Accordingly, some (e.g., HALOT, 560 s.v. II מור; BHS) suggest emending בְּהָמִיר to a niphal of מוּר II, i.e., "to shake" (cf. NASB, NET, NLT [“So we will not fear when earthquakes come... ”], HFA, NGÜ, ELB, EÜ, GNB; CSB, CEB [“That’s why we won’t be afraid when the world falls apart...”]) or to הִמּוֺג, a niphal of מוג/“to melt/dissolve” (SDBH) (e.g., Kraus goes with הִמּוֺג rendering it as "shaking"; cf. the use of מוג in v. 7b, in parallel to מוט; cf. Ps 75:3 which has נמגים, a niphal of מוג with the "earth" and its inhabitants as subject). With "shaking" here, as well as later in v. 7 (ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ, "the earth was shaken" [NETS; a generalization via the LXX's preferred word in the Psalter]; cf. Pesh.: ܘܙܥܬ ܐܪܥܐ "and the earth shakes"), the LXX and Pesh. seem to understand the image of an earthquake throughout the psalm, not only in vv. 2-4. Additionally, in v. 4, the LXX uses the same word with waters (ἐταράχθησαν τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῶν) and mountains (ἐταράχθησαν τὰ ὄρη) (NETS [45:3-4]: "Therefore we will not fear, when the earth is troubled and mountains be transposed in hearts of seas. Their waters roared and were troubled; the mountains were troubled by his force"). As it stands, the MT's בְּהָמִיר is viable semantically and is reflected in many modern translations.