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  • From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • To: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Psalm 40:7 final phrase
  • Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 10:40:50 -0500

Yigal:

The parallelism is noted as a good argument against my
possible reading. But then I remember that outward shows
of piety are often the refuge of scoundrels so also verses
like Hosea 6:6 and other verses that contrast public piety
with following God. The context around Psalm 40:7 allows
this understanding.

Other options include that this is a copiest error that
made it to the mainstream, that it really should read X+)T
(what say other manuscripts?) and/or an old tradition that
may be wrong.

Peter Kirk mentioned that the Masoretic pointing support
the reading of "burnt and sin offerings" also the LXX,
but while I view these sources as those that are to be
consulted, neither are authoritative, no more than the
multiple translations that Harold Holmyard quotes. The
Masoretic pointing reflect a pronunciation tradition
that existed at the time of the Masoretes, where the
probability that it preserves the pronunciation from a
thousand years earlier is almost nil (hence I read the
text without points), and the translators of the LXX
either used manuscripts that read X+)T or they possibly
misunderstood the verse as well.

The above are just some of the thoughts that were going
through my mind as I considered the verse. I haven't made
up my mind which reading is best, either is possible.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>

>
> Hi Karl,
>
> The first part of the verse reads "Sacrifice and offering You did not
> desire". The parallelism makes it clear that the last part has a similar
> meaning. It's possible that the poet used the unusual form xa+a)h to rhyme
> with (olah.
>
> Yigal
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
>
>
> > B-Hebrew chaberim:
> >
> > The usual translation of the final phrase of Psalm 40:7 is
> > "burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not ask for" or
> > something better in English than this. However, there are
> > some linguistic questions that put a little doubt on that
> > translation.
> >
> > First, I noticed that X+)H has a different meaning in all
> > other of its uses. While this could be a typo (copiest
> > error) for X+)T, in which case it would fit, the usual
> > meaning for X+)H is, in theological terms, "sinfulness".
> >
> > Secondly, (WLH is found in Tanakh from two different
> > roots: one from (WL [hard waw] meaning injustice,
> > often in the judicial sense; the other from (LH as a
> > varient spelling for burnt offering.
> >
> > Hence the phrase could read "you have not asked for
> > injustice and sinfulness".
> >
> > What think ye?
> >
> > This is something that I just noticed, as I was looking
> > at something else.
> >
> > Karl W. Randolph.

--
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