Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lisbeth S. Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>]

Dear Trevor,
>
>
> Liz wrote:
>
> > Why is happleyTah in the singular in Neh. 1:2?
>
> I don't think it ever appears in the plural. It's probably an
> abstract noun
> (escape) that takes on a collective meaning to refer to those
> who escape.
> Maybe "remnant" captures what's going on, at least grammatically. If
> "remnant" is understood to refer to a group of people, you
> don't call them
> "remnants," but it would not be inappropriate to refer to
> them with plural
> pronouns.
Ohhhhhhh, OK. Thanks.
>
> [snipped]
>
> > Oh, and if anyone has any idea what the verse means, I'd
> like to hear
> > that too.
>
> Chanani and some unnamed men from Judah come to Nechemya, and
> he asks them
> about the Jewish escapees and about Jerusalem. Just looking
> at this verse in
> isolation, I'd be inclined to think that these escapees are
> those who were
> never taken captive to begin with.
Is one group spoken of here, or two groups?
And why would Nehemiah ask about the ones who were not
taken captive, and why would he call them "Jews"? It doesn't
seem in character.
Maybe he means the Jews who had (recently) escaped, i.e., the Jews who
had been (until then) left behind in the captivity in Babylon.

Liz
>
> Trevor Peterson
> CUA/Semitics
>
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