Psalm 92/Notes/Grammar.V. 11b.627167

v. 11b – The preferred reading of v. 11b involves revocalizing בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י as an infinitive construct, בְּלֹתִי, from בלה, "my old age" (BDB), as found in the LXX, Symmachus and both of Jerome's translations. The emended prepositional phrase, as found in Symmachus, is also preferred over the MT's בְּ, in light of the similes found elsewhere (see, e.g., Ps 52:10), the previous line, and the easy בְּ/כְּ interchange (cf. Aquila's ὡς ἀτμὸν for the MT's בַּהֶ֥בֶל in Ps 78:33; the LXX and Syr.' ἐν τῇ γῇ and ܒܐܪܥܐ for the MT's כְּ֝אֶ֗רֶץ in Ps 78:69; and TgPss' היך בנפשיה for בְּנַפְשׁ֑וֹ in Ps 105:22). Due to the fragmentary nature of Symmachus (ἡ παλαίωσίς μου ὡς ἐλαία εὐθαλής), it may be read as a verbless clause (requiring also the revocalization of the infinitive—see above—and the emendation of בְּ with כְּ). We have followed this verbless clause as our preferred syntax. Furthermore, we have preferred to read רַעֲנָֽן as the adjectival complement of the copula, "to be," rather than modifying שֶׁמֶן, which never occurs elsewhere in the Bible. For a full discussion of the issue, see the exegetical issue The_Grammar_and_Meaning_of_Ps_92:11b.