I am not an expert, by any means, but there are a few things to consider. One is that the Masoretic text is actually rooted in much later readings than the LXX (8th c. CE or so v. early 2nd c. BCE). Even the numbering is a bit different. In the LXX, this is
4:5, but it's 4:4 in most English Bibles (which are presumably following a Hebrew system). My understanding of the Vulgate is that Jerome tried to translate from the Hebrew (but the Hebrew text he would have used would predate the Masoretic, but things like
the Dead Sea Scrolls seem to track closer to the LXX than the Masoretic, when there's a discrepancy between the two; again, I would defer to true biblical scholars).
Compungimini
is definitely closer to the LXX, κατανύγητε, which has a grammatical thing that can't be adequately conveyed in translation (it's an
aorist imperative, like ἐλέησον). The Greek does mean to be sorely pricked or gouged (though it could
also mean to arrive at an end, but that seems unlikely here) and that is how the word is used in the NT in Acts 2:37. It might even be worth noting that in Acts, the phrase is actually "sorely pricked in the heart," so there is likely an intentional echo of
the Psalm in the phrase. Furthermore, it immediately follows Luke quoting extensively from the psalms.
All that said, the Greek can also mean to be sort of brought to stunned silence (presumably as a result of being deeply wounded), which would be a reading closer to
tacete. I would be curious to see if the Masoretic actually reads differently from the Dead Sea Scrolls or other early Hebrew texts or if it's a case where the same word could be translated differently or if simply supplying vowel dots made the difference.
In the end, I think the variant reading
does matter. It changes how one interprets the psalm. If you prefer the LXX reading, it calls for repentance that leads to righteous sacrifice. If you prefer the
Hebraica, it is a call for self-control. I would say that the LXX reading is more in keeping with early medieval Christian spirituality (admittedly, I'm a Byzantinist, so what I think might be totally irrelevant for your concerns).
Kurt
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