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  • From: "Maurice A. O'Sullivan" <mauros AT iol.ie>
  • To: "Chosefu Chemorion" <chosefu_chemorion AT wycliffe.org>
  • Cc: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>,
  • Subject: Re: an adversary
  • Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 12:32:53 +0000


At 14:46 31/10/2002, Chosefu Chemorion wrote:

However, going by what Howard has done in his translation, one would
imagine that "the anger of the Lord" is a separate person from the
Lord in this context.In Sabaot language, it is hard to translate "the
anger of the Lord" without identifying this anger with the Lord
himself being angry. Therefore the Sabaot rendering of "the anger of
the Lord" would be "God was angry at..."

Could I point out that the JPS translation [ Jewish Publication Society. (1997, c1985). Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures : A new translation of the Holy Scriptures according to the traditional Hebrew text. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society. ] renders 2 Sa 24:1
>> The anger of the Lord again flared up against Israel; and He incited David against them, saying, Go and number Israel and Judah. >>

You might like to consult: Scherman, Nosson, ed. The Prophets. Vol. 2. The Early Prophets: I - II Samuel, New York: Mesorah Publications, 2000.

This has a commentary "anthologized from the rabbinic writings", and at this juncture points to b.T Beracoth 62b as giving the reason as to why "He" should have incited David.
It goes back to 1 Sa 26:19, and the commentator writes: << The reason God _incited_ David was in retribution for a misstatement of his. In his last confrontation with Saul, when he said once again that he bore Saul no malice, David said " _If it is HaShem Who has incited you against me ...... _ ." 1 Sa
26:19

The Talmud passage reads:
<< If it be the Lord that hath stirred thee up against me, let Him accept an offering. R. Eleazar said: Said the Holy One blessed be He, to David: Thou callest me a 'stirrer-up'. Behold, I will make thee stumble over a thing which even school-children know, namely, that which is written, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel according to their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul into the Lord. ... [that there be no plague among them] etc. Forthwith, Satan stood up against Israel; and it is further written, He stirred up David against them saying, Go, number Israel. And when he did number them, he took no ransom from them and it is written, So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed.<<

The reference to Satan is 1 Chr 21:1, and the commentator notes that Radak renders it " an evil impulse ".

Maurice A. O'Sullivan [ Bray, Ireland ]
mauros AT iol.ie








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