Psalm 49/Notes/Grammar.v. 12.77191

In v. 12a, the MT has קִרְבָּם (so, "Their inner thought is that their houses shall be forever, their dwelling-places to all generations"; Perowne, Psalms, 1:399; εβρ, α', σ', ε', Hebr קִרְבָּם; cf. NASB; KJV; ERV; JPS 1917; "Das ist ihr Herz, daß ihre Häuser währen immerdar" [LUTH1545]; HOF; TOB; SG21; BULG; RUSV; UKR, etc). But the LXX (οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν), Syr. (ܩܒܪ̈ܝܗܘܢ; this variant would have been produced due to metathesis of rīsh and bēth), and Targ. (קבורתהון) all read “their grave(s).” Hence, Barthélemy (cf. BHS) understands this variant as highly probable with a certain margin of doubt. Although the more difficult MT can make sense, reading "their graves" with the LXX, Syr. and TgPs is preferable on contextual grounds. The two words (close in idea/meaning contextually; but not entirely synonymous) are paired up here to form an emphatic point in the teacher's instruction. Additionally, inner- and extra-biblical evidence shows that graves were thought of as deceased's final and "eternal" dwelling places, houses. E.g., Qoh 12:5 describes the deceased going to their eternal home (בית עולמו). Goldingay notes that “their inward thought” (MT)/“their grave” (LXX) is "the subject of both cola, which give parallel content to it or offer parallel descriptions of it."