[b-hebrew] barak (bless? curse?) in the Book of Job
Harold Holmyard
hholmyard3 at earthlink.net
Wed Jan 28 15:21:19 EST 2009
Karl,
>
> Harold, do you have any evidence for the scribal amendation other than your
> presuppositions? I am very uncomfortable with changing the consonantal text
> without very good reason. The best reason is textual evidence, such as that
> of the Nahal Heber scrap on Psalm 22 that justifies two changes that better
> fit the context. But without evidence, to claim that "curse" was changed to
> "blessing" is pretty hard to swallow.
>
>
HH: Scribal emendation is a well-known issue accepted by biblical
scholarship. Here is one discussion by Earl Kalland at the International
Bible Society, speaking about how the NIV handled them:
http://www.ibsstl.org/niv/mct/3.php
Throughout textual history various classifications of variants have
arisen, and reference to some of these appears in the footnotes of the
NIV under the phrase "ancient scribal traditions." One such category is
the /tiqqune sopherim, /the "corrections of the scribes." These usually
contain anthropomorphisms objectionable to the scribes and were
therefore changed to a more satisfactory reading. While there is no
agreement regarding the number of these "corrections," the Masorah
generally lists eighteen passages. Nine of these are mentioned in the
NIV footnotes. The /tiqqune sopherim /are known only through references
in Rabbinic commentaries and Masoretic studies. The nine "ancient
scribal traditions" in the NIV footnotes are in Genesis 18:22; Judges
18:30; 1 Samuel 3:13; 2 Samuel 12:14; Job 7:20; 32:3; Jeremiah 2:11;
Hosea 4:7 (two citations). This is but one of many types of variants.
It has been estimated that there are more than fifteen hundred variants
known as Kethiv ("written") or Qere ("read"). These grew out of
variations that arose because the early texts had consonants only. The
Sopherim and the Masoretes after them used various signs to indicate
what vowels should be added to complete the words. Several systems grew
up, and differences of opinion finally produced the Kethiv (K) and Qere
(Q) notations in /Biblia Hebraica /and other critical texts. Relative to
this the NIV Preface says:
Sometimes vowel letters and vowel signs did not, in the judgment of
the translators, represent the correct vowels for the original
consonantal text. Accordingly some words were read with a different
set of vowels. These instances are usually not indicated by footnotes.
HH: Here is discussion about one of these "tiqqune sopherim":
http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/2007/11/does-god-wait-on-us.html
In the book of Genesis, Yahweh and his two companions come to pay a
visit to Abraham to announce that Sarah would conceive a child and to
tell him the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). In the story,
Yahweh's two companions depart to go to Sodom and Yahweh and Abraham
remain alone, with Abraham standing before the Lord, as a servant before
his master and as man before his God (Deuteronomy 4:10; Jeremiah 35:19;
2 Chronicles 9:7).
The text says: "The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham
remained standing before the Lord" (Genesis 18:22).
The footnote of the NIV has an important note. The note says: "Masoretic
Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the LORD remained standing
before Abraham."
According to the Masoretes, the text originally read, "And the Lord
stood before Abraham," but the scribes changed the text because, in
their eyes, it was not proper to speak of God standing in the presence
of a creature. This emendation of the scribes is called a tiqqune sopherim.
According to Masoretic tradition, there are eighteen passages in the Old
Testament that have been emended by scribes for theological reasons.
These changes were made by the scribes early in the transmission of the
text to remove irreverent expressions concerning God. One of these
emendations is Genesis 18:22 where the text was emended in order to
remove the idea that Yahweh waited on Abraham.
Some scholars accept the text as it appears in the Old Testament and
reject the idea that Genesis 18:22 is a tiqqune sopherim, that is, that
the text contains a scribal emendation. However, as Walter Brueggemann
(Genesis. Interpretation [Atlanta, John Knox Press, 1982], p. 168) wrote:
The relation of Abraham and Yahweh in this passage is worth noting
in detail. We may observe a remarkable textual problem which
illuminates the matter. As it stands, the text in 18:22 now says,
"Abraham stood before the Lord," suggesting the subordination of
Abraham to Yahweh. This is what we should expect. But a very early
text note (not to be doubted in its authority and authenticity)
shows that the text before any translation originally said, "Yahweh
stood before Abraham." The picture is one which agrees with our
comments about Abraham as Yahweh's theological instructor. It is as
though Abraham were presiding over the meeting. But that bold image
of Yahweh being accountable to Abraham for this theological idea was
judged by the early scribes as irreverent and unacceptable.
Therefore, the text was changed to read as we have it. But the early
version suggests with remarkable candor what a bold posture Abraham
assumes and how presumptuous is the issue he raises. Whether the
textual change is accepted or not, this text reports that Yahweh
must think a quite different theological thought. God is pressed by
Abraham to consider an alternative.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
More information about the b-hebrew
mailing list