Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <596547 AT ican.net>]

Hi Bill,

Heh, it's a good reminder to allow the book to impact our theology rather
than try to impact the book with our theology.  :-)

On the side of the mundane, I believe the root AHB is used to express
Isaac's love for Esau's game(meat).  On the side of the human the word is
used of Jacob's love for Joseph, Jonathon's love for David, Samson's love
for Delilah.  On the side of the divine, well you know...He loves mankind,
and mankind is to love Him.  On the whole, His love for mankind and certain
specific individuals is often spoken of as conditional.  

The Septuagint sometimes uses Gk _FILEW_ for Hb _AHB_ and as in the
reference to Jacob's love for game, but most often the Gk is _AGAPAW_. 

It is interesting to me that the Masoretic Text only attests the root AHB
in the Piel stem in the participle form where the consonant _mem_ is
pre-formed to the word and the Piel was "forced" upon the Masoretes.  The
root in the Piel stem is more likely to mean passionate love, a concept the
Masoretes may have found immodest to express.

You may want to invest in a Brown, Driver, Briggs _Hebrew and English
Lexicon of the Old Testament_.  Even though there are more thorough and
up-to-date lexicons, the BDB is a great value at around $25.

Shalom,
Bryan


B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13208

315-437-6744(w)
315-479-8267(h)

----------
> From: Bill Ross <wross AT farmerstel.com>
> To: B-Hebrew <B-Hebrew AT virginia.edu>
> Subject: Re: AHEB: Loved? or is Liked OK?
> Date: Monday, August 10, 1998 10:51 PM
> 
> {Jonathon}
> Any takers?
> 
> {Bill}
> I was disturbed to read this morning in Deut 7:12-13 the following:
> 
> "And it shall be, because you hear judgments, and keep and do them, even
> YHWH your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He
swore
> to your fathers. And He will love [AHEB] you, and bless you..."
> 
> What disturbed me was the implication of earning God's love. So, I looked
up
> "love" [AHEB], and it appears to be the most commonly used word for love,
> but it also means "like" (according to Strong's dictionary, though not
> Young's).
> 
> Theologically I can live with "earning" being "liked".
> 
> * would it be appropriate Hebrew to translate this word "like"?
> * is there a different Hebrew word for "to like"?
> * what is the range of meanings for AHEB?
> 
>