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b-hebrew - Re: "your [sing. and plural] God"

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  • From: ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: "your [sing. and plural] God"
  • Date: Thu, 12 Nov 98 16:25:52


On Wed 11 Nov 98 (19:29:02), a.c.smith AT juno.com wrote:
> The sentences listed above are all part of one speech, given at one
> time, to the same crowd of people. Why the variations?

Dear Andrew:

Do you think it at all possible that we have here an example of the common
numerical ambiguity with *collective* nouns? The God of Israel is "your
God, O Israel". Do we say "Israel HAS (singular) a God", or Israel HAVE
(plural) a God"? Israel IS the Chosen Race; or Israel ARE the Chosen Race?

This numerical ambiguity so common in English (This team is a good team /
this team are a good team) would IMHO be sufficient to explain the numerical
bivalency we observe in the Hebrew.

ShaLoWM

Ben
--
Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
<ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm







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