Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lee R. Martin" <lmartin AT vol.com>]

Niels Peter Lemche wrote:

> One of the basic parts of the training at universities is to tell people to
> read a text in context. You cannot isolate one verse from it context and
> claim that you can interpret it out of context.

Dear Niels,
Your statement above is condescending.  We all know that texts must be read in
context.

> Gen 1:1 can be translated in
> several different ways, e.g. because the first word does not say in the
> beginning but as it stands in the Leningradiensis (and Aleppo for that
> matter) 'at a beginning'.

Gen. 1:1 does not say "at a beginning."  The reason BeReShiTH does not have 
the
article is that it is in construct.  It takes its definiteness from the word
following.  The construct used with a finite verb is attested many times in 
the HB and
it is always definite.  Thus, Gen. 1:1 says, "In the beginning of God's 
creating the
heavens and the earth."  The statement may be interpreted in several ways, 
but God's
creation of heaven and earth cannot be excised from verse one or from the 
whole
chapter.
--

Lee R. Martin
Pastor, Prospect Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee
Instructor in Hebrew and Old Testament
Church of God Theological Seminary
http://earth.vol.com/~lmartin/