Biblical Hebrew Forum

["David Kimbrough (CLWA)" <dkimbrough AT clwa.org>]

 I went to the NIV and they did indeed translate KRYH as "you pierced",
although almost every other version I checked reads it as "you opened".
However, the context of Psalm 40:6 seems to me to be that the speaker has
been allowed to perceive something new; that God does not want burnt
offerings, the norm at the time.  Translating KRYH as "you opened" fits this
sense, as the speakers (and others) ears had been closed and now are opened
to hear God's true wishes.  Translating KRYH as "you dug [the earwax out]"
fits likewise.  However, translating KRYH as the NIV seems to me to have has
the opposite sense (assuming, as we both do that it does not apply to the
earlobe), piercing the ear results in deafness (a broken eardrum).  In
regards to Exodus 21:6, a different verb root is used "ratsa'", which has
the meaning "to bore", which would be consistent with the use of an awl as
described in that verse.  Thank you again for your assistance.


dkimbrough AT clwa.org