Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Yes, I was misled here by looking at English translations which are 
barely recognisable as based on the Hebrew, and by remembering 20:11 
etc. The more literal English translations of 18:7,8 are meaningless. 
But I stand by my general line of interpretation.

We cannot look at 18:7,8 in isolation, but must look at the whole 
passage, in which the phrase "uncover nakedness" occurs repeatedly 
from verse 6 to verse 23. We must also look at how the same expression 
is used in 20:10-21. 18:6 I think provides the key opening summary, 
with the phrase "lo' tiqrebu legallot `erwa" (similarly in verse 19). 
The "do not approach" here is surely a reference to sexual 
intercourse, as also are $KB in verses 20,22,23 and `MD in verse 23. 
The use of QRB and $KB in such contexts seem to be euphemisms, and we 
need to think of "uncover nakedness" as perhaps another euphemism.

I also assume a clear distinction between 18:7 and 18:8 rather than 
mere repetition of the thought. In a polygamous society (which is 
obviously reflected in verses 9 and 18) a father's wife is not 
necessarily a mother, and probably verse 8 is mainly referring to 
stepmothers.

As 18:7 must mean something, I think we must be right in assuming it 
to mean more or less the same as 20:11 (less the last part). We might 
translate 18:7 "Don't do a shameful thing to your father by doing a 
shameful thing to your mother. After all, she is your mother, so don't 
do a shameful thing to her." The second and third shameful things are 
of course sexual intercourse (perhaps with a broader definition than 
Bill Clinton uses); the first is only indirectly so.

We must presume however that it was OK for a man to "uncover the 
nakedness" of women not related or more distantly related to oneself - 
for otherwise the details here are meaningless. Presumably such 
relationships were equivalent to marriages, and cannot be translated 
"shameful thing". But it is unclear what happened when the woman was 
already married but not to a close relative. There are some 
interesting semantics of euphemisms to be looked at here!

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
_________________________________
Subject: Re: uncover that nakedness!!  :-)
Author:  <hholmyard AT ont.com> at Internet
Date:    05/04/2000 09:10


Dear Peter,
     You write:

No, I don't think this expression is about sexual relations. The first part 
of these verses is, but the part about "uncovering nakedness" is not. I 
remember we translated these verses to mean something like
"bring shame or disgrace". We don't understand shame well in western 
cultures, but (to overgeneralise) in eastern cultures even today people are 
much more concerned than we understand about not doing
things to bring shame on the family. I think that is the point here: a 
person's sexual misdemeanours bring shame on the father or mother 
comparable with stripping them naked in public - though this metaphor 
may be a dead one.

Peter, it is the first part of these verses that mentions uncovering the 
nakedness of someone. You say that the first part of the verses concern 
sexual relations, but not this phrase. "The nakedness of the father" in 
verse 7 receives explanation from verse 8, where it is clear that the wife 
of the father is in view. The idea seems to be possession. The nakedness of 
the father's wife belongs to the father; so it is not for the son to expose 
it. "Nakedness" would refer to nakedness for the sake of sexual relations. 
Further, you are right that the idea of shame is implied. Verse 7b explains 
"uncover the nakedness of your mother" in verse 7a. A man is not to expose 
the nakedness of his mother because she is his mother. He should be ashamed 
to do something like that.

                                        Yours,
                                        Harold Holmyard




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