Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Deborah Millier <deborahmillier AT yahoo.com>]

S. Heijmans wrote:

> I think this is an early midrashic 
> interpretaion that has been 
> incorporated into the LXX :
>
> The midrash states that "bar" in 
> this verse means "the instructions 
> of the Tora" (in hebrew: "elu tsava'ot 
> ve'azharot shel hatora, sheniqret bar; 
> kema de'at amar nashqu bar..."), and 
> nashqu bar means therefore "get hold 
> of the instructions of the tora". 
> See Vayyiqra Raba (Vilna), parasha 12.5 
> and parallels (Bamidbar Raba 10.4; 
> Midrash  Mishlei 11.24; Yalqut Shimoni 
> II 964; and cf. Bavli.Sanhedrin 92a 
> [the bit before what Ron Tavalin 
> quoted]).
>
> I am not that good in Greek, but in 
> my Greek-Dutch dictionary (good old
> Wolters-Noordhoff) "drassomai" means 
> "vatten, grijpen, vangen" which seems
> good enough for my explentation.
> 
> As I mentioned before on this list, 
> the ancient translations are full 
> of these midrashic interpretations 
> (especially where the hebrew is 
> diffcult), and the LXX is no exception.
>
> Regards,
>
> Shai Heijmans
> Tel Aviv university

I have seen these midrashic expansions before,
particularly in LXX Jeremiah.  And I suspected as much
with Psa. 2:12, but I couldn't work out the mechanics
by myself.  Thanks *SO* much for your useful
documented comments which pretty much settle the
matter for me.

Please give regards to Dr. Anson Rainey on behalf of
both myself and my wife Deborah, if you see him there
at Tel Aviv University.

-- Michael Millier


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