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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Judges 14:19 & Judges 16:1

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  • From: "Joel C. Salomon" <joelcsalomon AT gmail.com>
  • To: Biblical Hebrew list <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Judges 14:19 & Judges 16:1
  • Date: Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:06:29 -0400

dwashbur AT nyx.net wrote:
> On 26 Sep 2009 at 11:57, Dianne Burke wrote:
>> Samson was a Nazarite and part of the vow is to avoid touching dead
>> bodies.
<snip>>
>> My oponent is arguing that the word "nakah" in this instance doesn't
>> mean> that these men were completely dead.
>
> To be honest, I find such an approach just silly. Samson was flawed;
> that's one of the
> things that makes him such a fascinating character. But even more
> important, his life's work
> was killing Philistines.

Yes, and that was an essential part of his Nazerite status. Notice that
the angel who tells Mr & Mrs Manoach how to raise their son warns them
of giving him grape products and cutting his hair, not keeping him away
from corpses. Samson’s is a somewhat exceptional status in this regard.

> As Randall pointed out, he had just been scooping honey out of a
> lion's carcass, so he touched a dead body there.

That’s less relevant; Numbers 6:6 says
כל־ימי הזירו לידוד על־נפש מת לא יבא׃
—is there any indication that “נפש מת” ever applies to non-human corpses?

—Joel Salomon



  • Re: [b-hebrew] Judges 14:19 & Judges 16:1, Joel C. Salomon, 10/06/2009

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