Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

> 
> Dear David,
> 
> The following isquote from TWOT, Vol. 1, page 72, by V.P.H. (Victor P. 
> Hamilton),
> 
>  " 'arek. "Long." Appears only in the construct for 'erek, never in the 
> absolute. It is used fifteen 
> times. It is used ten times in connection with God, four times in 
> connection with man (Prov 14:29; 
> 15:18; 16:32; Eccl 7:8), once in connection with the wingspread of a bird 
> (Ezk 17:3).
>  Applied to either God or man it is used most frequently in construct to 
> the word 'appayim, and is 
> translated "longsuffering, slow to anger/wrath.: Literally, when the Bible 
> says God is 
> "longsuffering" (Ex 34:6; Numb 14:18; Ps 86:15, etc.) it reads "God is long 
> of nose." When he is 
> angry, his nose becomes red and burns. It may be questioned whether in the 
> living language the 
> idioms had not already dropped their etymological associations and did not 
> merely mean to be 
> longsuffering and to be angry. When he is compassionate his nose becomes 
> long, so long in fact 
> that it would take forever to burn completely." 
> 
> I hope this helps?

Thanks, Bryan.  Like the rest of my books, TWOT is still packed.  I do like 
what they 
said about idioms and their etymological associations (or lack thereof); it 
reminds me 
of English expressions like "kick the bucket," whose etymology consists of 
God only 
knows what.  Perhaps this is a similar expression.

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"Don't let your mind wander.  
It's too little to be left alone."