Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Joshua Family Kfar Etzion" <joshm AT kfar-etzion.co.il>]

John Ronning wrote:

>Literal translation (of Ex. 6:3b) : "and my name Yhwh I was not known to
them [the
>fathers]."
>This problem is usually solved by adding the preposition "by" before "my
>name."  Grammarians usually list a dozen or so similar examples - the
>problem is they're all from poetry, so in my view that doesn't solve
>the  problem.  F. Anderson solved the missing preposition at the expense

>of syntax:  "And my name is Yhwh.  Surely I made myself known to them"
>(taking lo' as asseverative).


>I would rather solve the grammatical problem by seeing lo' as the
>preposition LOW - "as for my name Yhwh, BY IT I had been known to
>them."

In an encompassing article in JBL 111/3 (1992) p.385-408 W. Randall Garr
makes a grammatical and contextual analysis of this verse. His analysis
brings him to a reading of  Ex. 6:3
I(=G-d) appeared to the patriarchs  as El-Shaddai,  but I, my name YHVH, was
not (fully) known to them (in a covenantal relationship)".

He maintains that
 "  "YHVH" is not only the content of G-d's "name" but "YHVH" is G-d
himself. That is, "YHVH" lies in (synonymous) apposition to "my" as well as
defines the "name"."

He has no need for emmendation and this analysis highlights the issue of
continuity and contrast that underlies the passage.

>Accepting this solution for the grammatical problem also solves (2) -
>[the response to Moses' complaint is that he must use this name to
>Pharaoh because of its historical priority] -

What complaint are you referring to?
Even continuing your method (ignoring documentary hypothesis), if it be to
Mose's complaint that things got worse since he came, in YHVH's name this
means that he came as a representative of YHVH and has nothing to do with
the use of the divine name itself.

Where is the issue of "historical priority" raised between Moses and
Pharoah? If anything the name is used in the plague narratives to bring
about a knowledge of  YHVH's total active control over the world and has
nothing to do with knowledge of the name per se.

> and (3) - the patriarchs
>did indeed know this name, and in fact the first "I am Yhwh" occurs in a
>passage predicting the enslavement and exodus (Gen 15:7), i.e. the very
>circumstances in which Moses is commanded to say to Pharaoh, "thus says
>Yhwh."

note that example you cite,the the first "I am YHWH" (Gen 15:7)  introduces
G-d as one who has ACTED (as in the opening of the Decalogue) and not as one
who is promising or predicting.

Of course these texts have nothing to do with the dispute concerning the
historical independance of El and YHVH in Ancient Israel.

Maybe someone wants to contirbute from Tigay on the use of divine names in
Ancient Israel?

All the best,
Myron Joshua
Kibbutz Kfar Etzion