Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Sorry, for the misunderstanding.  Let put my questions a different way.  To
me, the speaker in the 40th Psalm seems to be saying that the people of his
day believed that God wanted burnt offerings but the speakers ears had been
changed in someway by God to hear God's true desire which is not for burnt
offerings.  The question then is how to describe the change to the speakers
ears so that they can hear something they could not before.  The verb in
question is  KRYH from the root KRH, which in the lexicons I checked is
translated as "to dig" (qal).  Most translators use the English verb "open",
following the analogy with "opening one's eyes".  However the ears do not
have any coverings as the eyes do, so there is generally no way for the ears
to closed, at least in the physical sense and KRH does not seem to have the
sense of "open" as in "opening a door or one's eyes".  However, if it is
taken in the sense of "digging out earwax", which can close the ear opening,
then the translation as "open" does make sense.

I don't see how "pierce" has this sense of changing the ears so that they
can hear something they had not heard before.  Literally there are two parts
of the ear that can be pierced, the outer cartilaginous portion and the
eardrum.  In the later case, the opposite effect is achieved.  In the former
case, the effect on hearing is not obvious.  The reference to Exodus 21:6
does not seem to address the issue.  In that verse, the ear is "bored"
(ratsa', a different verb) with the object of making someone a lifelong
slave.  Thank you for your attention.

David Eugene Kimbrough
Water Quality & Laboratory Supervisor
Castaic Lake Water Agency
27234 Bouquet Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350-2173 USA
V 661.297.1600
F 661.297.0414 or .1611
dkimbrough AT clwa.org