The Roots מצ″י and מצ″ץ in the Psalms according to the Babylonian Tradition

Abstract The root ‮ מצ ″ י ‬‎ occurs twice in the Psalter in the Tiberian tradition. Ps 73:10 contains the niphal ‮ יִמָּצוּ ‬‎, while the qal ‮ יִמְצוּ ‬‎ is read in Ps 75:9. Half of the Babylonian manuscripts containing Ps 73:10 exhibit a different morphology, possibly to avoid ambiguity between the intended root ‮ מצ ″ י ‬‎ and ‮ מצ ″ א ‬‎, though more likely derived from the geminate ‮ מצ ″ ץ ‬‎. The latter reading comes close to the commonly conjectured revocalisation, ‮ יָמֹצּוּ ‬‎, though the niphal is almost certainly in view, rather than the supposed qal . Four out of six Babylonian manuscripts containing Ps 75:9 also provide a unique reading in comparison to the Tiberian tradition. Two are identical to their forms in Ps 73:10, while one possibly contains the niphal ‮ מצ ″ י ‬‎ (as the Tiberian ‮ יִמָּצוּ ‬‎ in Ps 73:10) and another definitely does so. These four manuscripts provide previously undocumented Hebrew manuscript support for the LXX ’s syntax, with the passive ἐξεκενώθη .