Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Proverbs 30:19 (LMH

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Karl Randolph <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • Cc: Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Proverbs 30:19 (LMH
  • Date: Wed, 01 Oct 2003 02:58:04 -0700

On 30/09/2003 23:54, Karl Randolph wrote:

Peter:

I still don’t see the parallelism when [‘almah] “virgin” is used, but at
least I think I know how you approach this verse. Correct me if I am wrong, I
think you are looking at it with the focus on the object (heavens, bare rock,
sea, virgin) while I’m looking at it with the emphasis on the action (flight
of the eagle, snake crossing bare rock, ship sailing in sea, man going in
unknown). As long as I understood it as “virgin”, the parallelism based on
action broke down and I was unsatisfied with every answer I got. ...

In each case the action is of course implied. Surely it doesn't take much imagination to understand the action of a man with a woman. And by making the action implicit in each case the author cleverly avoids having to use a euphemism.

... But when I realized that with different points the word could mean
“unknown”, then the parallelism throughout the verse fits.


The problem is, the word doesn't mean "unknown". At least, if it does it is an unknown word. This kind of speculation is just about OK when there is no known word which fits the sense. But in this case there is a perfectly good and well known word, which is supported by the Masoretic pointing and presumably the Jewish tradition behind it. LXX has NEOTHS, "youth" in the abstract or collective sense, cf. Hebrew `ALUMIYM which could have an unattested singular, and this is a possible reading which probably connotes the same kind of thing. But, as far as I know, there is no evidence at all for your speculation. You can't just make the Bible say what you think it ought to mean and make up new meanings for well-known words to fit your own understanding.

(Incidently, I read a research project a few years ago where scientists found
out just how does a snake get across a bare rock? Fascinating.)

And I don’t have to use a euphemism. ;-)

Karl W. Randolph.




--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page