Symmachus uses the lexeme πύκασμα in his translation of Psalm 117[118]:27. The relevant passage reads as follows in the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text:

1. Hexaplaric Evidence for πύκασμα (σ' Ps 117:27b)

The Göttingen Hexapla Database, which is in its Beta version, gives the following information for Psalm 117[118]:27b:

1.1. MT

The Tiberian Masoretic Text has the prepositional phrase בַּעֲבֹתִים.¹ The lexeme represented by the plural nominal עֲבֹתִיםis ambiguous; it could either be the word for “cord” (עֲבֹת) or the word for “branch” (עָבֹת).² Modern English and German translations are divided between these two interpretations: “with cords/ropes/Stricken” (NJPS, ESV, NLT, CSB, REB, NET, ELB); “with boughs/branches/Zweigen” (NIV, GNT, HFA, NGÜ, EÜ, GNB; cf. LUT: “Maien”). The ancient translations were similarly divided, with the Aramaic translations, for example, reading “with chains” (בשושלוון/ܒܫܫ̈ܠܬܐ) and Jerome (iuxta Hebr.) reading “with leafy [branches]” (in frondosis).³

            The “branch” interpretation is reflected in a passage in the Mishnah, which associates the use of branches at the feast of Sukkot with Psalm 118 (Sukkah 4:5):⁴

The religious requirement of the willow-branch (מִצְוַת עֲרָבָה): How so? There was a place below Jerusalem, called Mosa. [People] go down there and gather young willow-branches (מֻרְבִּיּוֹת שֶׁל עֲרָבָה). They come and throw them up along the sides of the altar, with their heads bent over the altar. They blew on the shofar a sustained, a quavering, and a sustained note. Every day they walk around the altar one time and say, “save now, we beseech thee, O Lord! We beseech thee, O Lord, send now prosperity (אָנָּא ה' הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא, אָנָּא ה' הַצְלִיחָה נָּא) (Ps 118:25).”

The principal connection between Psalm 118 and the use of branches at feast of Sukkot appears to be the word עֲבֹתִים, which occurs in the instructions for Sukkot found in the Torah: “On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees (עֵץ־עָבֹת), and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (Lev 23:40, NRSVue). The same association between branches and Psalm 118 can be seen in the New Testament: “So they took branches of palm trees (τὰ βαΐα τῶν φοινίκων) and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel! (Ps 118:26)’” (John 12:13, NRSVue).⁵

1.2. Secunda

The Secunda column of the Database reads βααβεθθίμ. The Database has drawn this reading from Field, who, in turn, got it from Montfaucon, who, in turn, claims to have drawn it from an anonymous commentary preserved in the Catena edited by Corderius.⁶ The anonymous source in Corderius’ Catena is none other than Chrysostom; the wording of the passage is identical to Chrysostom’s commentary (see below). Yet Corderius’ edition does not read βααβεθθίμ, but rather βαὰδὀθθίμ, which also appears in the direct witnesses to Chrysostom’s commentary (see below), e.g., Ra 9107:

Venice, BNM, Z. 562, (Ra 9107), f. 208r

The reading βαὰδ ὀθθίμ, which is not what one would expect based on the Hebrew text בַּעֲבֹתִים, is probably a corruption of the original Secunda reading, perhaps *βααβοθθίμ.*⁷

1.3. LXX

The Greek Psalter uses the participle τοῖς πυκάζουσιν (lexical form: πυκάζω), which, according to Muraoka, means “to be thickly covered.”⁸ Theodoret glosses the phrase ἐν τοῖς πυκάζουσιν in this verse as “crowded” (πεπυκνωμένοι) and“massed in a crowd” (τῷ πλήθει στενοχωρούμενοι), and he notes that πεπυκασμένον (lexical form: πυκάζω) is a dialectical variant of πεπυκνωμένον

(lexical form: πυκνόω) (Th.117.86):⁹

            Elsewhere in the Septuagint, the verb πυκάζω is used to translate the Hebrew words רַעֲנָן/ רַעֲנָנָה and to describe thickly covered trees (Hos 14:9; Job 15:32).¹⁰ It appears, then, that the Greek translator interpreted עֲבֹתִים in Psalm 117[118]:27 as a reference to branches rather than to cords.¹¹ The focus on “thickness” or “density,” which is the basic sense of the πυκ- word group, might represent a perceived connection between the word עָבֹת and the root עבה (“be thick;” cf. עָבָה, עֲבִי, מַעֲבֶה). The translator thus chose a word that represented both the sense (“thickness”) and the referent (“branch”) of the word in question.

1.4. Aquila, Theodotion, and the Quinta

According to the Database, Theodotion and the Quinta agree with the Septuagint (ἐν τοῖς πυκάζουσιν), while Aquila reads ἐν πιμελέσιν.¹² These readings are preserved in the 10^th century Catena manuscript Ra 1175 (Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 754):¹³

Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 754 (Ra 1175), f. 292v

The reading for Aquila (ἐν πιμελέσιν) is also preserved in the commentaries of Eusebius and Chrysostom (see below) as well as in the Syro-Hexapla:¹⁴

Codex Ambrosianus (Syro-Hexapla), f. 33r

The Syro-Hexapla renders the Greek phrase ἐν πιμελέσιν as ܒܚܒܠܐ, “with cords.”¹⁵ The reading is accompanied by a scholion that explains in more detail the meaning of the word in question:¹⁶

If the Syriac translation and scholion are accurate, then Aquila appears to have interpreted עֲבֹתִים as “cords,” specifically, “intestines,” which resemble thick cords. Furthermore, he chose a word that captured the sense of “thickness” or “fatness,” perhaps based on a perceived connection to the Hebrew root עבה (see above). He also uses the word πιμελής in Judges 3:17, to describe the fat Moabite king, Eglon (Hebrew: בָּרִיא).¹⁷ Chrysostom paraphrases Aquila’s translation in Psalm 117:27b as “sacrifice splendid sacrifices (θύσατε θυσίας λιπαράς)” (see below).

1.5. Symmachus

According to the Database, Symmachus reads πυκάσματα. The Database, in its Beta version, has drawn this reading from Field, who, in turn, notes the following sources: “Euseb., et sine nom. Chrysost.”¹⁸ The following section discusses these two sources.

2. Manuscript Attestation and Patristic Evidence (σ' Ps 117:27b)

2.1. Eusebius

Eusebius’s commentary on Psalm 117 is only preserved indirectly in various catena traditions. The passage on Psalm 117:27b, where he quotes Symmachus, is preserved in the Palestinian Catena (Ra 1675, Ra 1756), the Monophysite Catena (Ra 1133, Ra 1215), and the Paraphrase tradition (Ra 142, Ra 1175).¹⁹ Based on these sources, Risch critically reconstructs the relevant passage as follows:²⁰

            Note that the word in question (πυκνάσματα) differs slightly from the reading provided in Field’s edition (πυκάσματα). This word is not uniformly attested in the manuscript tradition. Most of the witnesses, including the Palestinian Catena (Ra 1675, Ra 1756) and the Paraphrase tradition (Ra 142, Ra 1175), read πυκνάσματα, which Risch adopts in his critical text. See, for example, the quotation as it appears in Ra 1756:

Patmos 215 (Ra 1756), f. 200v

The Monophysite Catena manuscripts (Ra 1133, Ra 1215), however, read πυκάσματα (without a nun). See, for example, the quotation as it appears in Ra 1133: 

Paris, BNF, Grec 139 (Ra 1133), f. 378r

Montfaucon, in his earlier edition of Eusebius’s commentary, followed the reading πυκάσματα, which then became the reading in Field’s edition and, eventually, the reading found in the Beta version of the Göttingen Hexapla Database.²¹

            Another difference between Risch’s text and Field’s edition is the prepositional phrase: ἐπὶ πανηγύρει (so Risch) vs ἐν πανηγύρει (so Field). The latter appears in Ra 1133, Ra 1215, and Ra 1175.²² Eusebius’ commentary seems to assume the reading ἐπί, since he goes on to talk about the πυκνάσματα/πυκάσματα being “hung up high” (ἀναρτήσανταςἐν ὕψει). Perhaps the reading ἐν arose as an assimilation to the phrase in the Septuagint ἐν τοῖς πυκάζουσιν.

2.2. Chrysostom

Chrysostom gives the reading πυκάσματα, which he attributes to “a different version” (ἕτερος), as is his normal practice. The reading in Chrysostom thus agrees with the Monophysite Catena manuscripts for Eusebius (Ra 1133, Ra 1215). This reading can be seen, for example, in the following two copies of Chrysostom’s commentary, Ra 9101 and Ra 9107:

Paris BNF, Grec 644 (Ra 9101), f. 199v 

Venice, BNM, Z. 562, (Ra 9107), f. 208r

The full passage according to the Göttingen preliminary edition (Chr.117.419–433), together with an English translation by Robert Hill, reads as follows:²³

            Chrysostom not only provides the readings for Aquila and Symmachus (sine nomine), but he also paraphrases their translations. Symmachus’ translation – συνδήσατε ἐν πανηγύρει πυκάσματα – he paraphrases as “tie wreathes and shoots/branches to the temple” (στεφανώματα καὶ κλάδους ἀνάψατε τῷ ναῷ) and Aquila’s – δήσατε ἑορτὴν ἐν πιμελέσιν – as “sacrifice splendid sacrifices” (θύσατε θυσίας λιπαράς). That Chrysostom is paraphrasing the aforementioned versions (rather than introducing new versions) is clear, not only from the transparent agreement in sense, but also from his use of the article (κατὰ μὲν τὸν ἕνα … κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἕτερον …), which implies that the paraphrases are referring back to the versions that he has already noted.²⁴ It appears, then, that Chrysostom interpreted the word πυκάσματα in Symmachus’ translation as a reference to “wreathes and shoots/branches” (στεφανώματα καὶ κλάδους).

2.3. Refined Representation of Hexaplaric Evidence (σ' Ps 117:27b)

It is difficult to determine whether the original Symmachus reading is πυκνάσματα or πυκάσματα. Either reading might have arisen as a scribal error or, perhaps, as an assimilation to expected linguistic usage.²⁵ At this point, it is worth noting that the word πυκάσματα is also attributed to Symmachus in the margins of Ra 86 (Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Barber. gr. 549), with reference to the text of Ezekiel 31:14:²⁶

Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Barber. gr. 549 (Ra 86), f. 284r

The underlying Hebrew word in Ezekiel 31:14, which Symmachus translates as πυκάσματα, is עֲבֹתִים, the same form that occurs in Psalm 117:27b. This additional piece of evidence from Ezekiel tips the scales in favor of the reading πυκάσματα in Psalm 117:27b. If Symmachus used πυκάσματα to translate עֲבֹתִים in Ezekiel, then it is likely that he would have used the same word to translate עֲבֹתִים in Psalm 117.

            A refined representation of the reading in question and its attestation looks like this:

3. Analysis of σ' πύκασμα in Ps 117:27b

The word πυκάσματα in Psalm 117:127b is a neuter plural noun in the accusative case. The lexical form is πύκασμα. The consulted lexica analyze this lexeme as follows:

Some of the lexica identify a πύκασμα as a “cord” (Montanari, Bailly – Hugo-Chávez 2020), others as a “thick branch” (Biel and Mutzenbecher, Schleusner), and others, more generally, as “that which is covered or thick” (Liddell and Scott, Dimitriakos). All of the lexica treat the word as a hapax legomenon, citing only Psalm 117[118]:27. Yet, as seen above, the word also occurs in Symmachus’ translation of Ezekiel 31:14 (Ra 86). It also occurs once in the writings of Cyril of Alexandria (De adoratione et cultu in spiritu et veritate, book 13):²⁷

Cyril uses the term πυκάσματα to describe cloth coverings. The term belongs to the same lexical domain as the words ἱμάτιον (“cloth, covering”) and περίβλημα (“covering”), and it appears to be largely synonymous in this context with περίβλημα. In this passage, it does not describe something that is covered (cf.  Liddell and Scott, Dimitriakos), but rather something that covers.

            Symmachus appears to use the word with the same basic sense of “(thick) covering,” though he uses it in the context of trees and branches rather than cloth. The association with trees is clear in Ezekiel 31:14 and, in light of the early interpretations of עֲבֹתִים in Psalm 118[117] as “branches” (see above), it is likely that his use of πύκασμα in this passage is also associated with trees and branches. Indeed, this is how Chrysostom understood the term, which he paraphrased as “crowns/wreaths and branches (στεφανώματα καὶ κλάδους).”²⁸ Eusebius also associated the word πύκασμα with crowning: “The Word commands that God’s house be filled with many treasures and crowned (στεφανοῦν) with dense votive offerings (ἀναθήμασι πυκνοῖς).”

            It is natural that these native Greek speakers should associate πύκασμα with crowns/crowning, because the related verb πυκάζω often describes the act of crowning. The following table presents data from Montanari’s lexicon, showing how πυκάζω often means “to crown with a garland,” even when the patient is an inanimate object like a house (δώμα) or an altar (βωμός):

Because nouns with the derived suffix -μα generally indicate the “result or effect of an action,”²⁹ it makes sense that πύκασμα, with the basic sense of “covering,” might refer in some contexts to a crown or wreathe (στέφανος/στεφάνωμα) that covers someone or something.

            In the context of Symmachus’ translation, where the πυκάσματα are “tied” (συνδήσατε; cf. Chrysostom: ἀνάψατε“attached”) “onto the festal assembly” (ἐπί πανηγύρει), the reference is probably to branches or garlands that collectivelycover (cf. Eusebius: “fill” and “crown”) the temple precincts (cf. Chrysostom: τῷ ναῷ), all the way up to the altar. This fits well with the description in the Mishnah (Sukkah 4:5): “[People] go down there and gather young willow-branches (מֻרְבִּיּוֹת שֶׁל עֲרָבָה). They come and throw them up along the sides of the altar.” Hence, the word πυκάσματα in Symmachus’ translation of Psalm 117[118] might be glossed “(dense) coverings.” The reference is to the branches (cf. Chrysostom: κλάδοι) that “cover” or “crown” (cf. Eusebius: στεφανοῦν) the (place of) assembly. The covering is so thick – and the branches around the altar resemble a wreath/crown – that the word πύκασμα (πυκ- “thick,” cf. Hebrew עבה) is especially appropriate. The relevant line might be translated as follows: “Tie dense coverings (of branches) to the (place of) festal assembly.”