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  • From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Flying or Darting in Isaiah 14:29 and 30:6
  • Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 06:57:46 -0500

Jack:

The more I get into lexicography, the more I
realize that there are many words, particularly
among those used fewer than five times in Tanakh,
that are largely unknown as to their meanings. This
is especially true of animal names, even as early
as LXX, many animals that were extent when Tanakh
was written were no longer found in Israel. I
listed the case of NMR where published dictionaries
were unanimous in claiming that it means "leopard",
however in Jeremiah 13:23 it is mentioned as having
stripes. Are there any leopards that have stripes?
I have never heard of any.

Many of the animals are mentioned only once or in
only one context in Tanakh, often in a context
where they are listed with no explanation as to
what sort of animal they are. We'll need to go to
cognate languages or further for clues as to what
animals are listed.

For example, http://www.rae.org/pteroets.html makes
the claim that "flying" was added to distinguish an
Egyptian creature from a locally known one that had
the same name. "Archibald H. Sayce says that the
Egyptian word seref means "flying serpent." An
Egyptian origin for the word appears plausible
since there is archaeological evidence and ancient
accounts of the presence of flying reptiles there.
Since the Israelites had lived there for many
years, it is not surprising that they adopted the
Egyptian name for them." In other words, "flying"
was added to #RP (Egyptian loan word) to
distinguish it from #RP (local word) referring to a
different animal.

Other words in Isaiah 14:29 include NX$ which is
related to the word meaning to divine. I have read
ancient accounts of watching the movement of snakes
for divination, so the connection makes sense.

CP( is a happax legomai. Is it the same creature as
CP(WNY? There is no reason to say that it was.

None of these creatures were mythical nor creatures
of fantasy. But what were they? Are our guesses
correct?

In closing, I see no reason not to accept the
literal readings of the verses.

Karl W. Randolph.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: tladatsi AT charter.net
>
> Hello,
>
> I think the contex is still against a literial reading of *flying*
> whether a pterosaur or a winged snake or a cockatrice. In Isaiah
> 14:26 the sequence of images and metaphors are there is a ordinary
> snake (nakhach) which is a root (sheresh). From this root grows a
> stem or trunk, another ordinary snake (tsefa'). The fruit of this
> root and stem is the *saraf m'ofef*.
>
> I read the sequence as ordinary snake (nakhach) gives rise to
> ordinary snake (tsefa') gives rise to ordinary snake (saraf
> m'ofef). I do not see any pattern or logic that would lead to a
> pattern of *snake - snake - flying snake*. King Ahaz had just
> died and the Philistines were rejoicing as Ahaz had been scourge to
> them. The image is that from the root of Ahaz (someone dangerous
> to the philistines as a snake might be) would arise some just as
> dangerous, his son (an other snake, even more dangerous) so don't
> rejoice. I would venture that the sequence is one of increasing
> degree of deadlyness of the venom of the three snakes. Saraf has
> as its root the sensation of burning, as a snakes venom has. So if
> the reader / listener associate *saraf m'ofef* as the most venomous
> of the three snakes, the sequence makes sense. The aspect of
> flying does add any extra danger.
>
> --
> Jack Tladatsi

--
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