Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>]

At 03:04 AM 6/16/00 +0300, you wrote:
>Dear Jim, Avigdor, and Lewis,
>I have a suspicion that the Hebrew text of Jonah 3:8 was not consulted in
>the present discussion.
>Jim, there is nothing in Jonah 3:8 which could be construed as the land
>mourning.   

Of course not- and if my post implied otherwise I apologize.  I was merely
wondering about the meaning of the notion of mourning lands/animals in the
near easter milieu.

> it seems to me much more likely that we have here a case
>of vertical dittography (from this same phrase h'dm whbhmh in the previous
>verse which according to the number of letters between them [60] could
>well have been directly or nearly directly above in the previous line
>[based on letters per line counts which I did at random for about 30 lines
>in 1QISa arriving at an average of just over 51.5 letters per
>line]).   The main evidence for this is both the absence of any precedent
>for animals putting on sackcloth in mourning (the only other case appears
>to be Judith 4:10 which appears to be based on this verse in Jonah) and
>the fact that the same donning of sackcloth for mourning is also mentioned
>in Jonah 3:5-6 referring only to human beings.   As in II Kings 19:1,2 =
>Isa. 37:1,2, there are separate verses referring to the donning of
>sakcloth for the king and other people.   While the phrase h'dm whbhmh
>certainly fits Jonah 3:7, it is absolutely unnecessary for Jonah 3:8 (the
>term 'y$ "each person" in the middle of the verse could surely refer to
>each of the verbs in verse 8 beginning with wytksw) and its inclusion
>causes all the aforementioned problems.   Try reading 3:8 without these
>two words and you will see how much smoother the verse becomes!

wow!  this is very insightful!  thanks!!

>As for 'bl II "to be dry, dry up, wither", I dealt extensively with the
>nine verses (in my opinion) in which this verb is found in my word study
>of this verb in my new book CONTEXTUAL PRIORITY IN BH PHILOLOGY, which
>hopefully will be published by the end of the year. 

again please, by whom will this be published?

> 
>Finally, the text from Tel Halaf quoted in translation by Jim
>in his initial letter is from Weidner in J. Friedrich et al., DIE
>INSCHRIFTEN VOM TELL HALAF [= AfO, Beiheft 6 (1940)], pp. 13-14.   A
>different translation is offered by J. Sasson, JONAH [AB] (New York,
>1990), p. 245: "A Royal message.   To Mannu-ki-Assur: Over a three-day
>period, you and your district's citizens should pray and perform a public
>weeping before the god Adad.   Purge all your land and fields, and offer
>many burnt-sacrifices.   The purification of the nakarka:nu-house should
>be undertaken within one full day, so that you can bring about the
>reconciliation of Adad." (I also do not have access to the original text).
>If this translation is correct, there is no mourning and praying of the
>land in the Akkadian text, just as this feature is also not present in
>Jonah 3:8.


AHAH!
thanks!


>All the best,
>Chaim Cohen
>  
> On Wed, 14 Jun 2000, Jim West wrote:
>
>> howdy, in an edict from 793 BC from the governor of Gozan, Mannu-ki-Assur,
>> we read:  "Decree of the king- you and all the people, your land, your
>> meadows will mourn and pray for three days before the God Adad and repent.
>> You will perform the purification rites so that there may be rest".
>> 
>> The same sort of thing is found in Jonah 3:8 (where beasts are supposed to
>> mourn too).
>> 
>> My question- and its a simple minded one---  HOW can land mourn?  And what
>> does this idea imply?  Is it the case that the land is to lay fallow?  Or 
>> is
>> it to be plowed under?  How bout the animals?  Do they mourn by being
>> slaughtered? 
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 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
>> 
>> 
>
>
>
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Survey data shows that 98% of Jews approved Janet Reno's retrieval of Elian
Gonzalez. They know what it is like to be trapped in Miami with relatives.

:)

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