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  • From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Re:morpho-syntax, was Proverbs 5:16 - a declaration or a question ?
  • Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 18:08:25 -0500

Hi Vadim,

Vv. 15-18 are a hortatory discourse. IOW, the speaker is expressing what he wants to take place. He wants the addressee to remain satisfied with his own cistern (his own wife or religion, as you prefer). Allow me to say (without demeaning the recent debate on this forum) that the speaker wants for the issue or the produce of the addressee's life (whether that be children or disciples or a following or influence in the world) to extend into the community. He wants that issue to be holy in origin or to be preserved holy. In hortatory discourse, the imperatives and clause-initial yiqtols are mainline clauses, the backbone of the hortatory discourse. All the clause types in this passage are equally ranked; none are subordinated to the level of commentary, explanation or motivation as a verbless clause, for example, would be or as a weqatal, for another example, might be.

In answer to Steven's question about the parallelism of 15 and 16 with 17 and 18, I see it, but I think it's a matter seperate from the function of syntax in BH, poetry or no. Notice, however, that the section begins and ends with imperatives. The jussives are in the middle of the sandwich. It's a nice, round whole as we often see in BH poetry.

Shalom,
Bryan

you wrote:

However, I believe that the ancients were very
sensitive to this syntactical feature, and I suspect it is at least partly
responsible for the likes of Rashi who interpreted Pro 5:16 as expressing
the hope that one's disciples would increase.

In fact, ancient syntax was so strict as to introduce residual difference in
verb and noun accent.

But I don't see how that point justifies the translation "let." It seems to
me that the implied word is "when":

Drink water of your own cistern (adhere to your religion)
[when] your springs will be dispersed abroad
let them be only your own (don't share your wisdom with Gentiles)

Vadim Cherny





  • Re: [b-hebrew] Re:morpho-syntax, was Proverbs 5:16 - a declaration or a question ?, B. M. Rocine, 01/02/2005

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