Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

I think the problem here is that the English words "eternal" and 
"eternity" have become debased and are popularly understood to refer 
to infinite future time. But originally they meant much more like the 
Hebrew, referring to the timelessness of God as distinct from the 
time-boundedness of the created order. In that sense "eternal King" or 
"King of eternity" is a good rendering.

Whereas the exact phrase in the subject line is post-biblical, Psalm 
10:16 reads YHWH MELEK (OWLFM WF(ED, which differs only in lacking the 
definite article, and in linking (OWLFM with (ED. Does this link 
stress the temporal character here, or perhaps rather stress the 
other-worldly character? In other cases e.g. Psalm 29:10 we have 
phrases like MELEK L:(OWLFM. But this stresses the futurity, as 
distinct from the past eternity in focus in Psalm 93:2 M"(OWLFM )FT.FH 
. See also Psalm 145:13.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
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Subject: Re[2]: MELEK HA(WOLAM
Author:  <Richard.Petersen AT noaa.gov> at Internet
Date:    10/04/2000 17:38


     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 
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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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