Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Daniel Wagner" <dan.wagner AT netzero.net>]

In defining a word, we need to not merely find a bunch of possible glosses 
that work in a target language, and then plug in whichever one seems 
appropriate when translating a particular given passage, but rather we seek 
to determine a word's function in the original language. 

Thus, what's wrong with taking _)asher_ generally as the "sign of 
subordination"? That works in *all* contexts. It's not a relative pronoun, 
and it has no *intrinsic* translatable meaning such as "what" "where" or 
anything like that. All it does as a "function word" is to indicate 
subordination.

If you do a word study, let me know what you think or if you find any 
exceptions. 

Dan Wagner

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Bearpecs AT aol.com>
To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 1:31 AM
Subject: A new tack on 'asher



Here's (as far I know) an approach to Exodus 3:14 that we haven't considered 
yet in our discussion.  I explored this option when I was struggling to 
translate Psalm 95.  Verse 9 has been translated with various approaches to 
the first word of the verse, which is (you guessed it) 'asher, e.g.  "when 
your fathers put me to the test ..." (NJPS).  For 'asher as "when", see GKC 
§164c.  Dahood (Anchor Bible), however, translates: "Where your forefathers 
tested me, ...",  For 'asher as "where", see BDB pp. 81ff. (esp. p.82 meaning 
4b).  (I think it is likely that "where" is the older meaning, since Akkadian 
ašar = where.)

If we consider the possibility of 'asher as "where", we could translate 
Exodus 13:4 :  "I (can and) will be wherever I will (to) be."  This would fit 
the context in an important and different way.  It would make a lot of sense 
if G-d were telling Moses:  Even though I am the G-d of your ancestors who 
lived in Canaan, I am not a regional god like Baal or Hemosh but rather just 
as I was with them in Canaan, I can and will be with you in Egypt, and will 
be with you afterwards when you leave Egypt.

By the way, I took a different approach to translating Ps 95:9.
I translated Ps. 95:9a:  "There your ancestors were a trial to Me,"
and footnoted my use of "there" as follows:
While radical, translating Heb. ’ašer as“there” accords with its apparent 
Semitic origin.  (See  BDB pp. 81ff. and compare Akkadian ašru = “place”.)  
It is logical in context and better fits the phrasing.

Later in Psalm 95, I translated verse11:
There I swore in My anger that they would not come into My rest.”
In this verse I footnoted "there":
As in the footnote on verse 9, although here one could readily translate “So 
I swore…”(see GKC §165).
(In case you were wondering, although irrelevant to this discussion, I 
footnoted my use of "they would not":  For this use of Heb. ’im, see BDB p.50 
and GKC §149b.)




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