Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Paul Zellmer <zellmer AT cag.pworld.net.ph>]

Doug Kasten wrote:

> I'm suggesting that the WAYYHI and the ensuing INF verb of perception
> help create the sense necessary in verse 15.  From what the King of Ai
> saw (the verb in the inf following WAYYHI, there was no reason to
> believe, from his perspective, that Israel was not being beaten before
> him.  He didn't see the ruse being set--and this is the perspective the
> narrator wants us to see things from.
>
> My concern in all this is that, no matter how the translation is
> rendered, the semantic values of verbs are respected, and I simply didn't
> see that in the case of 'allowed themselves to be driven back' or similar
> renditions in the English translation traditions of Josh 8:15.

Doug,

I've spent a bit of time thinking about this since you brought up the verse, 
and I'm
not sure if the average English reader, taking this verse in isolation, or 
even taking
everything from verse 10-17, *would* necessarily think everything was going 
according
to plan if "allowed themselves" were not included here.  Of course, I have no 
idea
what the normal interpretation would be in the language in which you work.  
But, were
the tolerative form not used in this case, I feel certain that an uninitiated 
reader
of English would see the retreat as being another failure.  Although there 
was an
unknown ambush set, a "simple" passive here would imply that Joshua and 
Israel were
not planning on being driven back.

What clues the reader in to this actually being a part of the plan is the 
relating of
the plan in verses 4-9.  Verse 5 makes it clear that the flight of the army 
was on
purpose.  Now, this might be considered a bit far from verse 15, so that 
might be why
the translators felt it necessary to express the tolerative here.

I'm curious if the Niphal is used in verse 15 to show that the army *did* put 
up a bit
of resistance to make the ruse work.  After all, the men of Ai might become 
suspicious
if the army fled too quickly!

Paul

--
Paul and Dee Zellmer, Jimmy Guingab, Geoffrey Beltran
Ibanag Translation Project
Cabagan, Philippines

zellmer AT faith.edu.ph