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  • From: "Lewis Reich" <lewreich AT javanet.com>
  • To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: End of Malachi: Kherem.
  • Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 01:33:07 -0500


I happened to look at a translation of the last two verses of Malachi today
and was somewhat surprised to see "pen avo v'hiketi et ha'aretz kherem"
(my apologies for not following our usual transliteration scheme) translated
as "lest I come and strike the land with a curse".

The traditional Jewish commentaries indicate that some dire destruction or
desolation is portended here, which is not what I associate with the literal
meaning of "kherem", but strikes me as a reasonable interpretation. What
puzzled me is why the English would have "curse", rather than, say "strike
the land desolate"..

Is this the generally accepted rendering in English (I have only one
translation at hand)?

Lewis Reich






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