Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Numberup AT worldnet.att.net]

Todah, Shoshanna, for demonstrating that in each case in point given, that 
"ehyeh"
could indeed be rendered as "future."  Granted, the last word has not been 
said on the
Hebrew verbal system (as evidenced even by the dialogue by learned scholars 
on this
list).  And, according to whose view one accepts, there is no rigidity in the
imperfect - perfect designations.  Nevertheless, it remains clear that when 
noted
ancient Greek translators actually *translated* "ehyeh asher ehyeh,"  rather 
than just
"interpreting" it, they came up with ESOMAI (future) rather than EIMI 
(present).  And
in the context, "I Will Be" fits better, as the whole salvation saga is just 
about to
begin.

God said to Moshe:
EHYEH ASHER EHYEH/ I will be-there howsoever I will-be there.
And he said:
Thus shall you say to the Children of Israel:
EHYEH/ I-Will-Be-There sends me to you.  -- Exodus 3:14, from "The Five Books 
of
Moses," by Everett Fox, Shocken Books (1995)

Solomon Landers



Shoshanna Walker wrote:

> > >  From a 1930 edition, "The Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament"
> > > Printed in London for the British and Foreign Bible Society
> >
> >Is this supposed to be significant?
>
> No - just that it was not a text with Jewish commentary, and it does
> not appear to have been translated with the commentary in mind,
> therefore I would expect the translation to be more in tune with the
> one dimensional perspective of mere linguistic dissecting, but even
> in this translation, the word Ehyeh is not past or present.
>
> ****************************