Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)]

On Mon 29 Mar 99 (22:04:25), kdlitwak AT concentric.net wrote:
> what East does MZRC and MRHWQ refer to in Isaiah 43:5-6?  I
> presume this east is likely Babylon, though it could have a further
> reach I suppose.  What might that be?  What would constitute far away? 
> I'm not convinced that it has to be Babylon, because nothing prior to
> this tells us that is the case (Isa 40, as I'm sure you all know, never
> mentions Babylon).

 Dear Ken,

 ISTM that God is not talking through Isaiah about any definite geographical
 location, but about all possible geographical locations: he mentions east
 west north and south. No matter how far flung His people have become
 scattered to the four corners of the earth, He will regather them all from
 thence.

> Regarding grammar, I was able to find the root RHQ but not the form
> RHWQ.  What am I missing?

 MiMMiZ:RaC from the east: MiZ:RaC is from ZaRaC meaning to rise, as the
 sun rises in the East. `eReB is the evening, i.e. the sunset: the West.
 ZTsaPoWN is the north; TeYMaN is a denominative from YaMiYN, the right
 hand (i.e. south when you are facing the sunrise). 

>  ALso, more importantly, at the start of 43:5,
> )TKh seems to have no place in the sentence:  "For you I from the East
> will bring your seed.  I don't see what )TKh is doing there.

 'iTT:Ka is 'eT with 2 ms pronominal suffix, "with thee". "Fear not, for
 I am with thee". 'aL-TiYRa' KiY 'iTTeKa-'aNiY , etc.

 Happy Easter/PeSaC +oWB
 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
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