Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Fascicle 2 of this year's volume of Biblica has recently been posted on the 
web-site:
http://www.bsw.org/?l=7183

Three contributions may be of interest to list members:

Joseph A. FITZMYER, «The sacrifice of Isaac in Qumran literature» , Vol. 
83(2002) 211-229.
        Gen 22,1-19 the account of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his 
son Isaac, is discussed first in its Hebrew and Old Greek form; then as it 
was developed in the Book of Jubilees 17,15–18,16, and especially in the 
form of Pseudo-Jubilees, as it is preserved in 4Q225 2 i and ii (4QPs-Juba 
2 i 7-14, 2 ii 1-14), in order to ascertain how much of the development of 
the account can be traced to pre-Christian Palestinian Jewish tradition 
prior to the New Testament. Finally, building on such evidence, the article 
traces the development in other texts of the first Christian century and in 
the later targumic and rabbinic tradition about the Aqedah.


Trevor V. EVANS, «Some Alleged Confusions in Translation from Hebrew to 
Greek» , Vol. 83(2002) 238-248.
        Two remarkable passages in the Greek translation of Numbers have 
recently been identified by Anssi Voitila. Both show a clear influence from 
Hebrew verbal forms on the translator’s choices of Greek verbal forms which 
overrides the semantic indicators of the broader context. Confused 
translations result. Are they isolated phenomena or representative of 
translators’ habits in general? Voitila argues for the latter 
interpretation. He seeks to demonstrate a number of additional instances in 
the Greek Pentateuch and sees here support for the theory of segmentation 
in translation technique, as developed by the Helsinki School. The present 
paper reassesses his examples and draws the opposite conclusion.

and

Thijs BOOIJ, «Psalm 133: "Behold, how good and how pleasant"» , Vol. 
83(2002) 258-267.
        The opening line of Psalm 133 is, literally, about a social 
practice; the comparisons following it suggest that in fact a gathering of 
YHWH’s worshippers is meant. The latter is confirmed by the final line. V. 
3a has a bridging function in that its last words ("on the mountains of 
Zion"), although belonging to the imagery of the comparison, are actually 
direct expression, relating to the statement of v. 1 (‘inversion’). The 
situation hinted at can hardly be other than the gathering in Jerusalem on 
the occasion of a religious festival. In view of the subtle structure and 
inner cohesion of Psalm 133, it is scarcely plausible that its present 
meaning is due to some form of adaptation.





Maurice A. O'Sullivan
[Bray, Ireland]

"Apply yourself wholly to the text; apply the text wholly to yourself."
- Johann Albrecht Bengel