Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <brocine AT earthlink.net>]

Dear Ted,
You wrote:
> The following is forwarded on behalf of:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Theodore H Mann <thmann AT juno.com>
> >
> > I recently purchased a new English translation of the
OT,
> published by
> > Living Stream Ministry in Anaheim, CA.  I have owned
their
> NT for some
> > years, and have not been too favorably impressed with
it.
> I know enough
> > Greek to be somewhat critical ( in the healthy sense ),
> but  I know
> > nothing at all of Hebrew.  On a video they supplied, the
> following few
> > comments about their OT were made, and I wonder what the
> experts might
> > have to say:
> >
> >    1.  They primarily used the Leningrad Codex.  Would
> responsible
> > translators do this?

The Leningrad Codex B19 or Leningradensia is the standard
Masoretic text to which translators will refer if they are
so inclined to refer to Masoretic Hebrew texts at all, which
I think it is safe to say, most are.  It is the oldest dated
manuscript of the entire Hebrew Bible (ca. 1000 CE).  Like
any hand-made copy it has obvious errors, probably corrupt
passages, and variants with other manuscripts, which are
addressed by the editors of the Biblia Hebraica (BHK) and
the later Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) in a text
critical apparatus at the bottom of each page.

> >
> >    2.  They used the Dead Sea Scrolls for Isaiah 14:4.
> Same question as
> > above.

In the Leningradensis a word in this verse appears with the
Hebrew letters mem-dalet-he-bet-he (madhevah), resulting in
a non-word.  The Hebrew dalet looks very much like a resh,
and if we read mem-resh...(marhevah) the result is a word
meaning something like *insolence*.  According to the
critical apparatus in the BHS, the *marhevah* is born out by
numerous manuscripts/ancient translations, including one or
more manuscripts from Qumran.

> >
> >    3.  They translate Ps. 104:16 as: "The trees of
Jehovah
> are full of
> > sap, the cedars of Lebanon, which He planted..."  Does
> this seem like an
> > acceptable                            translation?

"sap" is supplied by a number of English translations.  It
has no counterpart in the Leningradensis.  The verb for
"full" is a form of the root SB`, which means *sated*.  I
get the idea that the trees are healthy and well-nourished.
Does "full of sap" mean that?  I am not sure, but in any
case, the translation you ask about is typical on this
point.

> >
> >    4.  They translate YHWH as Jehovah throughout ("
> Jehovah is my
> > shepherd...", for example, for Ps.23 ).

Probably a bad choice, as Jim mentioned.

Shalom,
Bryan



B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206

(office) 315.437.6744
(home) 315.479.8267