Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)]

On Wed 18 Nov 98 (09:29:24 +0800), zellmer AT cag.pworld.net.ph wrote:
> According to some lexicons, this word is only used in reference to
> Sodom and Gomorrah.  [Holladay inserts *almost* in parentheses
> before the word only.]  If that's the case, is ZaRiYM here a
> reference to the Sodomites?  Also, I assume that that would make
> this construct form an objective genitival usage.  Is it possible,
> if the Sodomites were not the people referred to here, that the
> construct could be subjective?  Or would the preposition K which
> introduces the construct chain force an objective genitive?

 Hi Paul!

 The word HaPaK, to overthrow, typically occurs only in close context with
 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, the four cities of the Vale of Siddim
 which were overthrown by the seismic event of the dropping of the floor
 of the Great Rift Valley in the neighbourhood of the Dead Sea. This was
 accompanied by burning pitch, brimstone and salt as graphically described
 in Genesis 19.

 The NEB and the REB quite gratuitously replace /overthrown by strangers/
 with /Sodom in its overthrow/ (NEB), /Sodom after its overthrow/ (REB).

 The Sodom and Gomorrah context is provided in verses 9-10. In verse 7 we
 have a perfect Chiasmus:
        foreigners
            devour
                it in your presence, and
                it is
            desolate, as overthrown by
        foreigners.

 This Isaianic structural feature should be preserved, IMHO. The land of
 Judah in the days of Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz was languishing in spiritual
 apostasy. This would inevitably lead to destruction by enemies, as Isaiah
 prophesied. Hezekiah managed to stop the rot for a while; but his son
 Manasseh was the wickedest king that Judah ever had. Again the revival
 under Josiah brought another brief respite; but the Babylonian captivity
 became inescapable. But Isaiah with prophetic vision could see beyond
 destruction to restoration...

 ShaLoWM
 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
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