[b-hebrew] Ps 25:17

Steven Miller smille10 at sbcglobal.net
Sat Sep 24 08:42:00 EDT 2005


Mark,
fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and thanks very much!
I have made the correction in my Bible.
how did you get that?

(by the way, I think you have the translations according to 1) & 2) 
reversed)

 I do not know why no other author understands the text this way, but there 
are other such errors in translations. Yours is the most straightforward translation. With the modern translations, it seems the translators believe the Old Testament is inerrant, but not 
perfect.

yours in Christ,
-Steve Miller
Detroit

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Eddy" <markeddy at adams.net>
To: <b-hebrew at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2005 6:36 PM
Subject: [b-hebrew] Ps 25:17


> In Psalm 25:17 just about every translation takes the first word ZaROTH as 
> a
> construct, depending on LBaBiY, which they then take as the subject of the
> verb HiRCHiYBU. But that requires them either
>
> 1) to amend the text by dropping the waw at the end of the verb, turning 
> it
> into an imperative, or
>
> 2) to change the meaning of the hiphil into a hophal, or passive sense.
>
> The translation of 1) becomes: The troubles of my heart are enlarged (ESV)
>
> while the translation of 2) becomes: Relieve the troubles of my heart
> (NRSV).
>
> Why should not the Hebrew text be read without emendation or changing the
> meaning of the verb by reading ZaROTH as the subject, LBaBiY as the 
> object,
> and HiRCHiYBU in the normal hiphil sense "enlarge"?
>
> Thus the translation into English would be literally "Troubles enlarge my
> heart."
>
> This latter idiom is also used in Psalm 119:32 TaRCHiYB LiBBiY: "You will
> enlarge my heart."
>
> The idiom also appears in Greek in 2 Corinthians 6:11.
>
> The problem appears to be visualizing what this means.
>
> It appears to me that the Hebrew is using antonyms. ZaROTH are "tight 
> spots"
> or something narrow. While the Hebrew root RCHB refers to something wide. 
> So
> the Psalmist seems to be saying that what appear to be troubles actually
> widen my experience, as I learn to get through them. I can do this when 
> God
> answers the prayer of the last half of the verse and leads me out of
> MZUQOTHaY, my distress.
>
> Why can I not find any author who understands the text this way?
>
> Mark Eddy





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