Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Shai Heijmans" <shaih AT post.tau.ac.il>]

Dear Mr. Anstey,

You wrote:

> The meaning of the phrase ואת־חרשׁיה תגרמי is uncertain. Ancient
> Versions: Targum Jonathan emends to ותגמרין "and you will make an end
> of"

With all due respect, that's not what targum Jonathan sais. The verse goes:

MT: ve-shatit otah u-matsit, we-et haraseyha tegaremi
TJ: ve-tishtan yatah vetigmerin, ve-yat por'anutah teqabbelin

The word "ve-tigmerin" is not an emendation, but the predictable translation
of "u-matsit".

The targum for the phrase "we-et haraseyha tegaremi" is "ve-yat por'anutah
teqabbelin". This is not a litteral translation, but an echo of the
midrashic commentary regarding this verse (cf. Sifrei Devarim, paragraph
324, Finkelstein's edition p. 375; see also Yalqut Shim'oni, remez 946).
This kind of midrashic insertions is very common in TJ. Hence it cannot
contribute much to the litteral meaning of the phrase.

IMHO, the hebrew text presents no real problems, see Rashi to Numeri 24:8.
But your syriac version is interesting. Can you quote it litteraly?

Regards,

Shai Heijmans