Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter_Kirk AT SIL.ORG]

This sounds a great idea in theory but how far do you take it? Idioms 
from the original often just don't communicate properly. I guess )FP 
taken alone doesn't mean "anger" any more than it means "face", and 
)EREK )APPAYIM is just an idiom... but would you really translate (in 
Exodus 34:6 etc) that YHWH has a long nose?! :-)

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
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Subject: Re: Translation
Author:  tiphillips AT infoave.net at internet
Date:    28/10/1998 11:17


This has been my problem with (English) translations, and also Fox but to a 
lesser extent. I would like to see the Tanak presented as the non-English, 
non-Western document(s) it/they are. Idioms say a lot of how the writers and 
their culture thought. They should be retained as much as possible. That's 
why I began working on my own translation again. Won't be perfect, maybe not 
"flowing verse" but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Fox still makes 
too many accommodations.

Shalom,
Tim

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