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  • From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Iron sharpeneth iron? (Prov. 27:17)
  • Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 16:18:37 -0400

Hi Luke, you wrote:

The Hebrew sentence in question, without the vowels, is as follows: -
brzl bbrzl yhd w'yš yhd pny r'hw

The dispute is over the vowel points in Hebrew word that's translated
traditionally as 'sharpens', or possibly as 'united'. Without the
vowel points the Hebrew word is ' yhd ', I think (sorry if that's
not how the MCW puts it).

Actually, I don't see what vowels have to do with it. Even with the vowels as in the BHS, the word is ambiguous, meaning "together" or "it (he) sharpens."

So (if you could actaully follow that!), is it possible that Prov.
27:17 could be read as "Iron in iron is united and a man is united to
faces of his friend"?

I think it's possible. We might think of this as a paraphrase: "iron with iron is welded; [likewise,] a man is inseperable from his friend."


Shalom, Bryan

B. M. Rocine
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206

ph: 315.437.6744
fx: 315.437.6766






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