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  • From: "Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • To: "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] BLG in Jer. 8:18
  • Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2004 09:18:05 +0200

The first word of Jer. 8:18, "MBLYGYTY on (or for) sorrow". AV translates
"When I would comfort myself against sorrow". NRSV has "My joy is gone, grief
is upon me".

The root BLG is very rare. In Amos 5:9, Hammavlig is "that stengtheneth" in
AV and "who makes... flash out" in NRSV. In Ps. 39:14 (13 in Engish),
Ve)avligah is "that I may recover strength" in AV and "that I may smile
again" in NRSV. The same form in Job 9:27 is "and confort myself" in AV and
"and be of good cheer" in NRSV; while for Job 10:20 AV has "that I may take
comfort" while NRSV has "find... comfort" with a note that "Heb: That I may
brighten up".

The Jewish commentators, such as Kimhi, seem to understand the word as
meaning "to hold back", "I hold back my sorrow". This, by the way, is the
meaning that has been adopted into modern Hebrew.

So: does BLG mean strength, comfort, cheer, sorrow or holding back?

Yigal




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