Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk"<peter_kirk AT sil.org>]

But surely the Greek (of LXX and Mark) is equally ambiguous? Here we 
have no cantillation to rely on, and if the sentence first 
prepositional phrase is unusual in Greek it may simply have arisen 
from over-literal translation, or perhaps the LXX translator seeking 
to retain the ambiguity in the unpointed MS in front of him.

Now my LXX has a capital E to indicate the "Christian" interpretation. 
But how ancient is that capital E? And how ancient is the "Christian" 
interpretation? I don't think it is necessarily that of the New 
Testament authors, for both are compatible with the quotation being 
used to illustrate a story set in the desert.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
_________________________________
Subject: Re: cantillation makes a difference
Author:  <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk> at Internet
Date:    31/01/2000 18:11


On Mon 31 Jan 2000 (09:46:31), decaen AT chass.utoronto.ca wrote:
> prepositional phrases in hebrew as in english are notoriously ambiguous
> as to syntax. in this case, bammidbar "in the desert", could go both ways. 
> but the cantillation forces the reading,"A voice crying, "In the
> desert make way...."". However, this is a case where the other reading
> has come down to us through the Christian scriptures: "A voice crying out 
> in the desert, "Make way...."". Both are possible without context. Quite 
> different meaning, and again, this happens on a regular basis with such
> syntax.

 A good point, Vincent. But don't you think it was the hellenistic Jewish 
 Septuagint that gave the "Christian" version, FWNH BOWNTOS EN THi ERHMWi 
 hETOIMASATE THN hODON KURIOU, ktl (Isaiah 40:3, quoted in Mark 1:2)?

 Maybe the Massoretes reacted against this in their definitive pointing of 
 the verse in the MT, so as to wrong-foot the Christian interpretation?
 Or is it simply a case of Ben Naftali as against Ben Asher (a la Hillel 
 and Shammai)?

 Shalom
 Ben
--
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) 
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm




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