Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Maurice A. O'Sullivan" <mauros AT iol.ie>]

At 14:15 27/04/02, Bill Ross wrote:

> Psalms 98:7  Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and
> they that dwell therein.
>
> It seems that this verse is couched in a very positive segment. My
> question then is, is there anything in the Hebrew here to indicate that
> this "roaring" is a positive or a negative thing? I mean, can it mean to
> roar in anguish rather than pleasure?

Bill:
I think you are relying too much on the syntax of one English translation.
Contrast these translations:
The JPS has: " Let the sea and all within it thunder "
Grail: "        "Let the sea and all within it, thunder"
Mesorah:        " The sea and its fullness will roar "

Exactly the same phrase in Hebrew appears in Ps. 96:11 where the Mesorah 
translation notes, quoting Radak, that _its fullness_ refers to the fish 
which fill the sea; they, too, will sing God's praises -- "for the 
universal abundance and peace which will envelop the earth in the Messianic 
era ".

Regards
Maurice




Maurice A. O'Sullivan  [ Bray, Ireland ]
mauros AT iol.ie