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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] resource material was chalal-perforate/pierce?

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  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: "Bryant J. Williams III" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>
  • Cc: b-hebrew Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] resource material was chalal-perforate/pierce?
  • Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:31:48 -0400

Bryant,

There is, of course, Isaiah 27:1
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ וְעַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן וְהָרַג אֶת-הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם
But here reference, I think, is to A$UR and MICRAIM.
Also the poetical flair of Psalms 74:13-14
אַתָּה פוֹרַרְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ יָם שִׁבַּרְתָּ רָאשֵׁי תַנִּינִים עַל- הַמָּיִם אַתָּה רִצַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁי לִוְיָתָן

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Sep 10, 2007, at 7:40 PM, Bryant J. Williams III wrote:

Dear Isaac,

Isaiah 51:9
מְחוֹלֶלֶת תַּנִּיןעוּרִי כִּימֵי קֶדֶם דֹּרוֹת עוֹלָמִים הֲלוֹא אַתְּ-הִיא הַמַּחְצֶבֶת רַהַב עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי-עֹז זְרוֹעַ יְהוָה
(BHS)
9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake, as in days of old,
the generations of long ago!
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
who pierced the dragon?
(NRSV)
[Hebrew You slew Rahab; you pierced the dragon.]


and the second in Job 26:12-13

רָהַב בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה חֹלְלָה יָדוֹ נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַבְּכֹחוֹ רָגַע הַיָּם וּבִתְבוּנָתוֹ מָחַץ


12 By his power he stilled the Sea;
by his understanding he struck down Rahab.
13 By his wind the heavens were made fair;
(by)his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
(NRSV)

Now regarding the context of Isaiah 51:9.
I. Call to the nation to the trust the Lord in 51:1-8.
II. Call to the Lord to deliver the nation in 51:9-11.
III. Comfort of the Lord to the nation in deliverance in 51:12-16.
IV. Condolences to the nation because of the Wrath of the Lord in 51:17-20.
V. Comfort to the Afflicted in 51:21-23.

There is an appeal to the covenant made with Abraham in verse 2. The appeal to God's righteous character in vss. 4, 5, 7. The appeal to God's power in vss. 9, 10. It is in the midst of these appeals that the power of God is seen in how he dealt with Rahab with the use of a rhetorical question that demands a "yes" as answer in synonymous parallelism. "Rahab/dragon" and "cut in pieces(slew)/ pierced" are parallel to each other. What confirms that XALAL means "pierce," here, is that in order to cut something into pieces is that one has to pierce.

Regarding the passage in Job 26:12-13.

The context is one of Job in reply to Bildar in 25:1-6 where Bildad accuses Job of not knowing God's ways and unable to prove himself before God. Job's reply begins with 6 rhetorical (sarcastic) questions in 26:1-4. All the questions require a "no" as an answer. In 26:5-14 Job uses several illustrations from the created world to describe the omnipotence of God. The parallelism is between "By his power he stilled the Sea/By his wind the heavens were made fair" and "by his understanding he struck down Rahab/his hand pierced the fleeing serpent." Here, "struck" [MaXaC] is paralleled with "pierced" [XALAL].

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III

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