Biblical Hebrew Forum

[ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk (Ben and Jo Crick)]

On Sat 21 Feb 2004 (10:42:23), roodee AT thummy.com wrote:
> In 1 Samuel 1:5 the word aph is giving me a bit of grief. The typical 
> meaning from NIDOTT is anger or nostrils. In Samuel it refers to some 
> some of portion Samuel gives to Hannah. Can anyone shed some light on 
> this word? Is it some idiomatic expression that I don't have the tools 
> to decipher? Any help would be appreciated.


 Dear Rudy,

 This has been a conundrum from antiquity. The Targum offers B:XiYR, "choice",
 but this has no cognate relationship to 'aPPiYM. The KJV offers "a worthy
 portion".

 The LXX makes a tacit emendation, reading apparently 'ePeS KiY (PLHN hOTI),
 with a Samech for a terminal Mem. Compare Numbers 13:28, 'ePeS KiY-`aZ Ha`aM,
 a similar construction. This ignores the pause with athnach of course.
 "Nevertheless he loved Hannah; but YHWH had shut up her womb".

 Jerome in the Vulgate translates 'aPPiYM with /tristis/: /Annae autem dedit
 partem unam tristis quia Annam diligebat. Dominus autem concluserat vulvam
 eius./  Sad, because he loved her and the LORD had shut her womb?  Angry 
even?
 Compare Daniel 11:20 Lo' B:'aPPiYM not in anger. But Elqanah's anger was
 against the LORD in that case, not against his beloved Hannah.

 Gesenius offers "one portion of two people"; but while the synechdoche of
 a part for the whole can allow 'aP (nostril) to stand for PaNiYM (face),
 it is stretching it to make even two nostrils mean the owners of one nostril
 each. Snorting down one's nostrils implies rage or anger; hence the normal
 use of 'aP meaning anger. NIV and NRSV seems to follow this line; "a double
 portion".

 So relax, Rudy: you are in good company!

 Shalom
 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick BA CF, and Mrs Joanna (Goodwin) Crick  ZFC Yb
 <ben.crick AT NOSPAM.argonet.co.uk>
 Acorn RPC700 RO4.03+Kinetic Card, 126MB, 4.3GB HD, CDROM
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)