Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Tony Larsson <tony.larsson AT cling.gu.se>]

Dear scholars,


Reading Ps 118, I found a word that mystified me. It says in verse 7:

YHWH       LI           B:(OZ:RAY        (BHS)
Kurios     emoi         bohqos           (LXX)
The Lord   is with me,  he is my helper  (NIV)

Now, what is the meaning of the B:(OZ:RAY compound? The KJV takes it as
"The LORD taketh my part with them that help me", with B as "among" and
the AY as a plural of people. 

But other translations, both modern and the venerable LXX, apparently
understands the AY to be some kind of majestic plural of the participle
(OZ"R, and then perhaps the B could mean something like "in the function
of" - or am I mistaken? Does the word signify that the Lord is the
psalmist's helper, or that he fills the position as his "help", an
abstract noun like "salvation"?


Grateful if you could be (OZ:RAY... :-)

Tony Larsson

___________________________________
"People won't care how much we know
until they know how much we care."
- Chuck Swindoll