Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Dear Peter:

My intention was never to be an aconoclast. Thus, when I started with the 
Gesenius/BDB dictionaries, my notes (which have become a lexicon) started 
with noting synonyms, antonyms, special usages and to try to give a tighter, 
more ‘native speaker’ understanding of the words. It was only with reluctance 
that I later came to contradict BDB, and then only when I understand clear 
usage clues for a different definition.

There are too many times I read XSD in a context where I see (often 
undeserved) kind actions as volitional acts where there is no obligation to 
fulfill.

My concept of ‘loyalty’ often is a volitional action where the only 
obligation to fulfill is the obligation to one’s actions he has chosen to do 
and to people he has chosen to associate with.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>

> >
> I think the point here is that you understand XESED quite differently 
> from Reinier. You understand the core meaning as "kindness" (and here 
> you agree with BDB for once!), but Reinier understands the core meaning 
> as more like "loyalty" or "faithfulness", which are one word summaries 
> of his definitions. These notions are not the same, as you seem to 
> suppose, but rather fundamentally contradictory: in English, loyalty is 
> fulfilment of obligations, whereas kindness is doing good things when 
> there is no obligation. Which fits XESED better is not a matter of 
> theology or philosophy but of Hebrew language usage.
>
> --
> Peter Kirk
> peter AT qaya.org (personal)
> peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
> http://www.qaya.org/

--
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