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  • From: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Isaiah 9:6 Wonderful Counselor
  • Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 17:21:07 -0600

Dear Jim,

Jim
The simple, straightforward exposition (translation) of the phrase in hebrew is "marvelous advisor" or
the more common "wonderful counselor".

Schmuel
From what you say, I gather either thought "wonderful, counselor" (noun, noun), or "wonderful counselor" (adjective,noun) could possibly be represented with the same Hebrew expression, even though wonderful is grammatically a noun.

Its the construction itself that gives the hint at proper translation. Hebrew is capable of piling up nouns. Here we have a participle and a noun. That combination forms a hendiadys. A hendiadys indicates that two words modify one another- it is literally a "saying one thing with two words".

HH: You may be using the wrong term. A hendiadys joins two terms as one by the conjunction "and." That's what Webster's says, and the Oxford English Dictionary, and Encarta, and the American Heritage Dictionary. Waltke and O'Connor use the term that way, too (#4.4.1b; 4.6.1; 32.3b; 39.2.5). Perhaps you really mean apposition.

Here are some folks who seems to think so. I really don't know if they are right or wrong on the technical Hebrew, so comments here would be welcome. The first one repeats what we know, giving his grammatical interpretation. The second one is either in over his head, or making a deep point :-)

(skip)

HH: The Hebrew word for "wonder" can be in the absolute or the construct. See the similar word MeLeK as a construct in Gen 14:1. So the phrase can be "wonder, counselor" (absolute) or "wonder of a counselor" (construct). A translator would probably render the latter as "wonderful counselor."

Yours,
Harold Holmyard




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