Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Dan Wagner <Dan.Wagner AT dstm.com>]

Peter Kirk says, "Genesis 4:1 ... credits YHWH with helping [in the birth of
Cain]."

I'm curious as to why you agree with the common but anomalous translations
of the 'eTH before YHWH in this verse which appear to assume a "with" of
agency, something not otherwise attested in BH. It seems almost to be a
semantic anglicism (though i can't imagine that for the translators) since
our English "with" has that latitude, but Hebrew does not. In BH, is not
'eTH always one of association (or such as that), but never agency ["by the
help of," "from," "by" etc.]? All translations i've consulted, English and
otherwise, seem to struggle with it but never escape the problem. I'm not
impressed with Waltke & O'Conner's support for that meaning of 'eTH here.

I'm interested in other opinions, especially any which take 'eTH as the sign
of the direct accusative here. Is some sort of double accusative possible?
Are there any parallel examples to a construction like this (regardless of
how one interprets it) in the MT?

Thanks,
Dan Wagner


-----Original Message-----
From: peter_kirk AT sil.org [mailto:peter_kirk AT sil.org]
Sent: Friday, December 31, 1999 6:19 PM
To: Biblical Hebrew
Subject: Re: Serpent Seed Doctrine


Dear Wondell,

The answer is very simple. Genesis 4:1 states clearly that Cain was 
the son of Adam as well as Eve, and also credits YHWH with helping 
here. Also, while the word "know" (YD`) means "have sexual relations" 
in a few cases (BDB lists 17 references), in the great majority of its 
943 occurrences it simply means "know". If there is an underlying 
theme of sexual seduction in Genesis 3, it is not this word which 
indicates it.

It should also be made clear that (despite the similar sounds in 
English) the names Cain (Qayin) and Canaan (Kena`an, 9:18) are quite 
different and unrelated in Hebrew.

Peter Kirk