Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Numberup AT worldnet.att.net]

Therefore, in his own translation , _The Five Books of Moses_ (Schocken,
1995), Everett Fox translates Genesis 1:2 as "rushing-spirit of God hovering
over the face of the waters."  His footnote reads: "Rushing-spirit: Others,
'wind.'  The Hebrew word ruah can mean bothe 'spirit' and 'wind.'"

Again, I would think that an English _expression_ such as "active force," in
the context, would be fitting.  It might not comprise the totality of meaning
inherent in "ruach," but what single English word does?

Solomon Landers

Bearpecs AT aol.com wrote:
> >From "People Today and the Jewish Bible:  From a Lecture Series" 
> Martin Buber (November 1926) 
> in: 
> _Scripture and Translation_ 
> by Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig 
> translated by Lawrence Rosenwald with Everett Fox 
> Indian University Press, 1994 
>   
> pp. 15-16 
>   
> What, however, does ruah mean?  Opinion has been divided from the beginning
>  
> betyween "wind" -- whether a wind from G-d or a wind called "G-dwind" on
> the  
> basis of its force -- and "spirit" -- whether *the* spirit of G-d or *a*
>  
> spirit of G-d.  Luther, keeping the quesiton always in motion, has first
>  
> "wind" and then "spirit."  Both interpretations rest on the notion that we
>  
> have to choose between them.  But we do not.  The dynamic meaning of ruah,
>  
> which alone enables us to comprehend the passage -- a passage, by the way,
>  
> which even radical source critics have judged "very old" (Gunkel) and "very
>  
> ancient (Procksch) -- is the meaning of a "breathing," a "blowing," a  
> "surging," a "rushing."  ...............................................