Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryan Rocine" <brocine AT earthlink.net>]

Dear Thomas,

Trevor gave you an example when the when a
construct-absolute combination taken as a whole is definite
according to the "rules," but translators don't, and
probably should not, use "the" in their translations.  There
are many instances when the opposite situation is true as
well, when the whole construct-absolute combination (which,
btw, some teaching courses refer to as a construct chain) is
indefinite by the "rules," but the translators use "the" in
their translations.  This happens most often, I think, in
the poetic books, for example 'erets xayyim from Psalms,
most often tranlsated "*the* land of *the* living."

The multitude of translations wherein the definiteness or
indefiniteness of the whole construct-absolute combination
seems to be ignored does not mean the "rules" about the
definiteness of construct chains are not worth learning.
For one, there is an overwhelming multitutude of multitudes
of cases when the rules give a good translation.  Second,
most people who are learning Hebrew should be doing it to
better understand the text, not to merely translate it
again.  I.e. how the Hebrew translates is merely a point of
discussion for most people who read Hebrew.

Hoping to help, Bryan

B. M. Rocine
Associate Pastor
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206

(office) 315-437-6744
(home) 315-445-3085