Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben and Jo Crick)]

On Thu  1 Aug 2002 (12:36:44 +0200), tony.larsson AT cling.gu.se wrote:
> 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. 
 [snip]

 Compare Psalm 54:4 (54:6 BHS)
 HiNNeH 'e:LoHiYM `oZeR LiY :  'a:DoNaY B:SoMe:KeY-NaP:$iY.

 But to 118:7, Kirkpatrick writes in his commentary
 "7.  Jehovah is on my side as my helper] Cp. liv.4.  The expression is an
 idiomatic one. It denotes not merely /among my helpers/, as one among many,
 but 'in the character or capacity of my helpers,' 'as a host of helpers.'
 'He sums up in Himself the qualities of a class, viz. the class of helpers.'
 (Cheyne)."
 (AF Kirkpatrick DD, /The Book of Psalms/ from /The Cambridge Bible for 
Schools
 and Colleges/, CUP 1902, reprinted 1903, p695).

 This use of the preposition Beth is what I have heard described as "Beth
 essentia", IIRC.

 Shalom

 Ben
-- 
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