Psalm 68/Notes/Grammar.v. 18.170041

18a and b must be treated together since some versions depart from the common understanding of a due to a textual problem in b.

• The LXX, Vulgate and any modern translations (ESV, ASV, HCSB, KJV, NASB1995, NIV, DELUT; ELBBK; BCC1923; LSG; cf. BDS; NET [both of which have two clauses, perhaps reflecting the same grammar] PDV2017; LBLA) translate the first half of the verse as if it were a verbless clause, viz., ‘The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands’
• However, some translations subordinate the first half of the verse to the second half as a consequence of emending the word בָם to בא, e.g., ‘With his many thousands of mighty chariots, the Lord comes from Sinai into the holy place’ (GNT, cf. NLT; RSV). Note that this is perhaps how Symmachus is understanding the verse as a whole, since his translation of 18a does is fragmentary on its own (ὄχησις τοῦ θεοῦ μυριάδων, χιλιάδες ἠχούντων ‘riding of the god of myriads—thousands of those pealing’.)
  • There is no textual basis for this emendation. Every version reflects a text containing the consonants בם: LXX (ἐν αὐτοῖς); Gallican Psalter (in eis); Vulgate (in eis); and the Peshitta (ܒܗܘܢ).
  • Barthélemy proposes an attractive interpretation. The 3mp suffix on בם refers back to רכב אלהים (perhaps construed collectively). The host to which the רכב אלהים refers is ostensibly that mentioned in Deut. 33:2 and 2 Kings 6:17. The parallelism between סיני and אדני (not to mention the sound correspondence) also suggest that the סיני here is to be read as the previous זה סיני; thus, ‘he of Sinai'.