Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lee R. Martin" <lmartin AT vol.com>]

Dear Peter,
"Fearful" is an adjective, not a participle.
Also, I never said that all passive actions involve toleration.  I said that
all passives involving a
"superior" who is in control will involve toleration.  The desert is not a
superior who is in control.  Thus, the toleration is a factor of the
semantics of the verb and the participants involved.  I certainly invite
disagreement, but please read my posts more carefully.
Lee R. Martin


Lee Martin wrote: "According to Even-Shoshan, there is only one niphal
of YR', Psalm 130:4.". Well, according to Brown-Driver-Briggs there
are about 45 niphals of YR', but on closer examination I see that all
but Psalm 130:4 are participles, so I guess Even-Shoshan lists them
separately. Perhaps a similar situation to the question we recently
discussed about whether $FMEAX is verbal or adjectival, but I don't
want to go down that road again. This niphal participle or adjective
is used in Deuteronomy of deserts, and often of God. The desert is not
"tolerating" fear. Need we say that God is?