Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lewis Reich" <lewreich AT javanet.com>]

 Jim West wrote:

 > 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).

 The verb also D$N also appears in a more familiar context in Psalm 23,
where
 the Hebrew that is (I believe) generally translated as "you anoint my head
 with oil"  is *dishantah ba'shemen ro'shi*.

 Lewis Reich