Psalm 68/Notes/Grammar.v. 12.516903

The relationship between the two lines

• Nearly every modern translation takes these as two simple clauses ‘The Lord gives the word’ and ‘those who bring great news are a great host’. This reading is also sound textually.
• Every ancient version, however, tries to relate the clauses in some way.
  • The LXX makes המבשרות the indirect object and the phrase צבא רב the direct object of that verbal idea: κύριος δώσει ῥῆμα τοῖς εὐαγγελιζομένοις δυνάμει πολλῇ, 'The Lord will give a word to those who bring good news to a large host' (cf. Symmachus). This, however, requires too much elision.
  • Jerome translates המבשרות צבא רב as one big construct chain acting as the indirect object of יתן (...adnuntiatricibus fortitudinis plurimae). Neither is this as parsimonious as two separate clauses
  • The Peshitta takes אמר המבשרות evidently as a construct chain functioning as the direct object of יתן. This division, however, does not respect the masoretic accents.