Biblical Hebrew Forum

["clayton stirling bartholomew" <c.s.bartholomew AT worldnet.att.net>]

Greetings,

I have spent the last few months doing a study of cosmic combat motifs
in the OT and NT. I am currently looking at Nahum 1:2-11. Don't quite
know  what to do with b(l xmh in Nah. 1:2. Looks like b(l could be taken
as a name or as a regular noun. If taken as a noun then we have several
translation options (lord, owner, etc.).

I don't know Hebrew syntax well enough to determine if b(l xmh could be
taken as a chaistic parallel structure with nqm yhwh. If we were to take
it as a parallel structure then what impact would that have on our
understanding of b(l?

Is it possible that our Prophet might have introduced intentional
polysemy with the word b(l? Given that b(l crops up here in a cosmic
combat context it is tempting to discover here something more than the
sense "owner or possessor." Can anyone give me reasons why this
temptation should be resisted?


--
Clayton Stirling Bartholomew
Three Tree Point
P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062