Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>]

At 01:35 PM 1/1/00 -0800, you wrote:
>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?

B(l is not surprising as a synonym for yhwh.  I think the notion of
parallelism here is right on the mark.

>
>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?

Give in to your temptation because it is temptation to correctness.


best,

jim

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jim West, ThD
jwest AT highland.net
http://web.infoave.net/~jwest