Biblical Hebrew Forum

["John Ronning" <ronning AT ilink.nis.za>]

Paul,

Regarding the translation "let themselves be driven back," the root ng` seems more likely to involve the idea of defeat or some real harm to Joshua's forces, so I would prefer the translation "pretended to be beaten" (so BDB except they change the root to NGP), perhaps to be read as a hithpael (hinnagg`u), with assimilation of taw (compare hinnabbe', etc.). (There is no question that hithpael can refer to some kind of pretense on the part of the subject).

Lee Martin wrote,

"I know that the "tolerative" is an accepted function of the Niphal. I too accepted the terminology until I studied several hundred Niphals in context. I may be wrong of course, but I do not believe "tolerative" is inherent in the Niphal itself, but it may be inferred from the combination of semantics and grammar. etc."

I would agree with this assessment, and think that this explains the examples cited by Ben Crick ("There is a similar construction in Isaiah 65:1, NiD:RaSh:TiY L:LoW' Sha'aLuW NiMTse'ThiY L:Lo' BiQ:ShuNiY, where NiD:RaSh:TiY and NiMTse'ThiY are likewise "tolerative Niphals": "I allowed myself to be consulted by those who did not ask; I let myself be found by them that sought me not". Also Isaiah 55:6, B:HiMMaTs:'oW, "while he lets himself be found". Again in Ezekiel we have the tolerative Niphal: Ha'iDDaRoSh 'iDDaReSh LaHeM "should I indeed let myself be enquired of by them?" (Ezek 14:3); also see examples in Ezekiel 20:3, 31; 36:37; and Zephaniah 1:6, W:'eTh-HaNN:SoWGiYM, the Niphal participle of SuWG "those allowing themselves to turn away...".)

Concerning Isaiah 65:1, the question is whether God was actually sought and found by the people in question, or did he "let himself be sought and found" but was not foundbecause the people did not seek. Those assuming that 65:1 refers to the same people as in 65:2 like the "tolerative" translation, since 65:2 refers to rebelious people who are not going to "find" God.  Isa 58:2, however, says that Israel sought God "day by day," and Isa 58:9 says that God will not say "here I am" to Israel until they repent. Perhaps for this reason Paul (Rom 10:20) takes Isa 65:1 as refering to the Gentiles (to whom God says "here I am"); also because these people are "not called by my name" (Isa 65:1d) (which some versions repoint to "they did not call on my name."

I have also found it useful, as I was taught to, to see Niphals often with a sense that may be translated with words ending in -ible, able.  E.g. the Niphal of 'KL meaning "edible" (obviously the food does not "let itself be eaten").  For Isa 55:6 (translated by Ben as "while he lets himself be found"), this becomes "while he is findable" i.e. more idiomatically, "while he may be found."

John Ronning