Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Dear Friends,
Many thanks for the fine responses from Prof. Niccacci and Bryan Rocine.
One more question.  What is the relationship between ## 16&17?  Bryan said
that #16 indicates a new time frame, and he is correct. However, is #17
subsequent to #16, or is #16 a summary of #17ff ?  Consider the following
translations of verse 10:

NRS  Judah went against the Canaanites ...
NAB Judah also marched against the Canaanites ...
NKJ  Then Judah went against the Canaanites ...
NJB  Judah next marched on the Canaanites ...

The NRS, along with KJV, REB, and many other translation, seems to view v. 9
as a summary that includes v. 10, that is, the "Canaanites living in the
hill country" (v.9)  would include the "Canaanites in Hebron" (v.10).  The
NAB, NKJ, NJB, as well as Reina-Valera, (which uses "luego" to begin v.10)
seem to suggest that v. 9 is previous to v. 10 and two marches are in view.
My understanding of  x-qatal causes me to lean toward one march, not two.
Or, to put it another way, v.9 is a campaign, and v. 10 is one march in the
campaign.  I would translate vv. 9-10 paraphrastically "Aftward, when the
Judahites went south to make war on the Canaanites living in the highlands,
the Negev, and the Shephelah, they marched against the Canaanites in
Hebron...."

Is this reasonable?


"Lee R. Martin" wrote:

>
>
> 16 x-qatal - And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight
>                    against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain,
>                    and in the south, and in the valley.
> 17 wayyiqtol - And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt
>                         in Hebron: ... and they slew Sheshai, and .....
>

--

Lee R. Martin
Pastor, Prospect Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee
Instructor in Hebrew and Old Testament
Church of God Theological Seminary
http://www.earth.vol.com/~lmartin/