Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk" <Peter_Kirk AT sil.org>]

Greg, you are not, I think, a list moderator (nor am I). So I don't think it
is for you to try to lay down a rule that all arguments must be based
directly on the Hebrew text. Over a number of years there has been useful
discussion of the Hebrew Bible on this list from people with all levels of
Hebrew from almost none to high level scholars. I, for one, would like to
keep the list that way. If you would like a change, you should work through
the moderators to seek a proper consensus for such a change. Without such
consensus you have no right to lay down the law, especially in terms which
must seem a real put-down to someone like Stoney who is trying to understand
the text as best he can from the background he has.

Stoney has made a plausible case, based on one of the possible proper
understandings of the meaning of the underlying Hebrew, for an understanding
of this passage as an expression of divine irritation. I actually think that
he has made quite a strong case which deserves further exploration. If you
have proper evidence against this understanding, rather than feelings and in
addition to the argument from silence that "There is no contextual indicator
pointing to irritation", please present them properly. But please don't
retreat into the ad hominem type of argument "I know more Hebrew than you
do, therefore I am right".

One specific point: "I'll be" is etymologically the same as "I will be" (or
perhaps "I shall be", the correct form as I was taught). But etymology is a
poor guide to meaning. Actually "I will be" etymologically means "I want to
be", but you take the weaker understanding of it as a simple future. Stoney,
as a literary scholar, probably knows English better than you do and
realises that there are significant differences in nuance, as well as in
level of language, between "I'll be" and "I will be".

Peter Kirk

-----Original Message-----
From: GregStffrd AT aol.com [mailto:GregStffrd AT aol.com]
Sent: 20 May 2001 05:01
To: Biblical Hebrew
Cc: stoney AT touchwood.net
Subject: Re: _)aSHER_ in Ex. 3:14 (was "I AM")

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