Psalm 68/Notes/Grammar.v. 31.404415

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The form and grammar of מתרפס LXX reads a negative purpose clause here (so τοῦ μὴ...), perhaps interpreting the mem as the preposition מן followed by an infinitive in order to express the movement away from a negative situation (cf. Van der Merwe §39.14) Jerome and Symmachus do reflect semantics similar to 'trampling', but Bartélemy (2005, 457) argues that it does not approximate the hitpael. Many commentators deem the problem too complex (Baethgen 1904 leaves this line blank in his translation). The solution will largely depend on the meaning of the word (Hupfeld 1860 argue that the word is active [Prov 6.30] and not reflexive). Modern translations generally reflect the following grammatical options:

  • Option 1: Independent clause (although the TAM of the verb varies, and some understand an elided conjunction)
    • GNT, NLT, HCSB, KJV, NLT, RSV, ELBBK, BDS, NTV, NET.
    • This option is difficult to reconcile with the morphology, especially given that Psa 68 probably reflects Archaic Hebrew.
  • Option 2: Adverbial to גער (sometimes; viz., 'rebuke...trampling')
    • ASV, NASB1995, NIV.
  • Option 3: Attributive phrase describing עמים
    • DELUT, LSG, LBLA.