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Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum
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- From: "Bill Ross" <wross AT farmerstel.com>
- To: "Biblical Hebrew \(E-mail\)" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
- Cc: "'Bible Translation'" <BibleTranslation AT listbot.com>
- Subject: RE: Num 14:18
- Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 11:53:13 -0600
<Liz>
My doctor-father, Baruch A. Levine, translates it in the Anchor Bible
Commentary thusly:
"YHWH is long-tempered, and shows great kindness. He forgives iniquity and
disloyalty, but will not grant full exoneration. Rather, he reserves the
punishment due the fathers for their children; for the third and for the
fourth generations."
I wonder if the deferral of punishment to subsequent generations implies the
dilution of the punishment among all the off-spring. The more children you
have, the less each has to bear!
<Bill>
I thank you for your post and feel somewhat affirmed in my understanding of
the verse.
The only comments I would make on your father's reading (which really
captures the main element I was seeing) are:
* "full exhoneration" seems to imply lingering guilt, while I believe the
words are "clear of punishment" which is focused more on the consequences
than the guilt (which is described in glowing terms of full forgiveness)
* "reserves punishment" seems to imply that there will be no consequences to
the perp while that is not necessarily implied in the words "but visits"
* the words "punishment due" seem to imply a "full meting out" of an
incurred penalty, thus negating the sense of the words "not cleanly leaving
unpunished" which implies just a smidgen of what was deserved!
Thanks again for the post...
Bill Ross
-
RE: Num 14:18,
Bill Ross, 03/15/2000
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- RE: Num 14:18, Bill Ross, 03/15/2000
- RE: Num 14:18, Harold R. Holmyard III, 03/15/2000
- Re: Num 14:18, Bryan Rocine, 03/15/2000
- RE: Num 14:18, Harold R. Holmyard III, 03/17/2000
-
Re: Num 14:18,
Todd Young, 03/18/2000
- Re: Num 14:18, Harold R. Holmyard III, 03/18/2000
- Re[2]: Num 14:18, Peter Kirk, 03/18/2000
- RE: Num 14:18, Bill Ross, 03/18/2000
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