Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

> <Kerry>
> > But isn't this the same usage as found in the beginning (GRIN!) of the
> Gospel of John? En Arche ho Logos.......
> > There is says "the", or am I really beginning to show of my vast fund of
> ignorance
> > on things Greek as well? Laugh!
>
> <Liz>
> >No, there is no "the" just "in beginning" or "When beginning," or "while
> beginning" or "at first".
> I agree, it's not a separate witness, just a quotation from the LXX.
>
> <Bill>
> I'm starting to warm up to "at first". Does anyone have a problem with that?
>
> Also, there are zero occurences of "EN H ARCH" in the NT,

Bill,
That's because H is the nominative article, while after the
preposition ARCH is in the dative.  It should be EN TH ARCH, but
this phrase is not in the NT either.  In the LXX it only occurs in Dan
9:21, as opposed to 29 occurences of EN ARCH.  The list is as
follows:
Ge 1:1 (LXX)
Jdg 7:17 (LXX)
Jdg 7:19 (LXX)
Jdg 7:19 (LXX)
Jdg 20:18 (LXX)
Jdg 20:18 (LXX)
Ru 1:22 (LXX)
2 Sa 17:9 (LXX)
2 Sa 21:9 (LXX)
2 Sa 21:10 (LXX)
1 Ki 21:9 (LXX)
1 Ki 21:12 (LXX)
2 Ki 17:25 (LXX)
1 Ch 16:7 (LXX)
2 Ch 13:12 (LXX)
Ezr 4:6 (LXX)
Ezr 9:2 (LXX)
Ps 137:6 (LXX)
Pr 8:23 (LXX)
Sir 36:14 (LXX)
Is 51:9 (LXX)
Je 25:20 (LXX)
Je 28:58 (LXX)
Je 33:1 (LXX)
Eze 21:19 (LXX)
Eze 36:11 (LXX)
Eze 42:10 (LXX)
Da 9:23 (LXX)
Da 9:23 (LXX)

Numbers in Jeremiah and Ezekiel may be a little...odd because of
LXX differences.  The Ruth passage is especially interesting,
because it refers to EN ARCH of barley harvest.  In this case it
pretty well has to be definite despite the lack of the article.

[snip]
> It seems that EN ARCH is Koine for "in the beginning" or "at first".

Yup.


Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"Éist le glór Dé."