Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Charles David Isbell" <cisbell AT home.com>]

There are certain well known superlatives from Hebrew, attested in Shir
ha-Shirim ("song of songs" or "the greatest song") or havel havalim ("the
most value-less thing of all") or qodesh ha-qodashim ("holy of holies" or
the holiest place).

There is also another liturgical phrase, describing YHWH as melekh malkey
ha-melakhim, "king of the kings of the kings," which surely means "the
greatest of all kings" or "the king who is greater than the greatest among
the kings."  I think the referential field implied by melekh ha-'olam should
fall here by analogous extension="king for all time [and space!]."  Still,
the necessity of putting this concept into manageable English is difficult.
I think you are on the right track to consider the wide range of meaning
implied in the phrase.  No single English phrase can carry the complete
weight of the Hebrew, as you have noted.  But any of several that have been
suggested may be adequate for a translation that must function in an English
context.
Charles David Isbell
Louisiana State University
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Petersen" <Richard.Petersen AT noaa.gov>
To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 4:38 PM
Subject: Re[2]: MELEK HA(WOLAM


>
>      Since, according to the HB, God created all things; all matter, and
>      therefor space and time: God transcends time.  This being the case,
it
>      seems both 'king of eternity' and 'eternal king' would both fall far
>      short of describing God's relationship with time.  Is this why there
>      is no English equivalent to the Hebrew phrase in question?
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
> Subject: Re: MELEK HA(WOLAM
> Author:  hholmyard AT ont.com at EXTERNAL
> Date:    4/10/2000 2:58 PM
>
>
> The choice between the eternal king or the king of eternity seems to be
one
> of English usage, where the two can be equivalent. The king of eternity
> corresponds to the Hebrew, but it is not especially meaningful in English
> today; so I would favor "the eternal king." The issue is also a matter of
> what the phrase meant to the Jews who used it.
>
>
>
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