Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 02/12/2003 15:05, David Kimbrough (CLWA) wrote:

> My point was that a previous correspondent had identified the LXX as a
> source supporting a translation the 22nd Psalm, Verse 16 as "they pierce"
> when in fact, it reads "they dug", irrespective of my ad hoc transliteration
> of the Greek.  The debate was how to translate "karu", as "they dug" vs.
> "they pierced".  The LXX supports the former.  Whether or not the author
> meant "they dug" to mean "they pierce" was not the point per se. 
>
> dkimbrough AT clwa.org
>
>  
Well, David, I would have more confidence that you had done your 
homework on the meaning of the verb in question if you had correctly 
identified its dictionary form. Your "oruko" suggests that you did not 
actually check on the meaning of ORUSSW/ORUTTW, with no letter which 
could possibly be transliterated "k".

I accept that the primary meaning of ORUSSW is "dig". But we need to 
look closely at scholarly dictionaries and preferably at its usage in a 
wide range of actual Greek texts before we can be at all safe in 
declaring that it cannot mean "pierce" but 'is unambiguously "to dig"'.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/