Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Numberup AT worldnet.att.net]

It is noted that the Hebrew expression in the MT does not follow the usual 
rendering
of numbers in that "70 men" and "50,000 men" are not united by W: but stand 
separate.
The larger number may be an interpolation, but one can only guess at its 
purpose.

Solomon Landers
Memra Institute for Biblical Research
http://www.memrain.org

Robert Vining wrote:

> Two questions- According to the best rendering of the most reliable
> Hebrew text,  did the Lord kill 70 or  50,070  BethShemishites?   Did
> the author deliberately choose the impossible number, 50,070 to signal
> the mythical character of the story? per, Samuel Hooke,  "Middle Easter
> Mythology",  p.154
>
> Robert Vining, Owen Sound, Ontario         rvining AT log.on.ca
>
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