Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>]

At 09:25 AM 6/14/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Reading this verse in the English (as I have no skill in Hebrew) I saw these
>words of blessing:
>
>"[YHWH] shall make fat your burnt sacrifices"

What translation is this?

>
>Is the psalmist saying that God will take the charred remains of our
>sacrifices and turn them back into fat, healthy livestock?

The Hebrew text of 20:4 (its verse 3 only in the english versions) says "may
he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt offerings."

The only thing I can figure is that the translation you have has rendered
<heb>  weolatheka yedashshenah </heb> by the phrase "make fat your burnt
offerings".  However, this is not exactly accurate, though <heb> dashan
</heb> does indeed mean to "grow fat", in this context it is a technical
term for acceptable or favorable.  In other words, the psalmist is asking
God to make his offering fat- so that it will be accepted as an offering.
It does not mean that God takes some ashes and reconstitutes a cow with
them.  Fat animals were prime sacrifices.  The psalmist wants God to make em
acceptable (i.e., fat).

Best,

Jim



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

" The righteous man looks after his own soul, and the bodies of others, 
whereas the hypocrite looks after his own body, and the souls of others"
Rabbi Lionel Blue

Jim West, ThD
jwest AT highland.net
http://web.infoave.net/~jwest