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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 22 fragment: "my son"?

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Stephen Goranson <goranson AT duke.edu>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 22 fragment: "my son"?
  • Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 04:50:26 -0800

On 18/03/2004 03:59, Stephen Goranson wrote:

Apparently, here is a photograph of a Genesis 22 fragment, said to be from Qumran, that is mentioned in a recent news article:

http://www.deadseaexhibit.com/downloads/Press_Images/Genesis_Frag-hi.jpg

This was mentioned in 13 Sept 2003 Star Telegram:

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/religion/6753955.htm

According to the 18 March 2004 Akron Beacon Journal

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/8215027.htm

Hanan Eshel proposes that Abraham is told here not to take Isaac "your son" but Isaac "my son."

That reading has been questioned, as has the proposed association of this fragment with 4Q252.

best,
Stephen Goranson

P.S. A related news article concerns financial disputes aamong the fragment exhbitors.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/8212995.htm


It looks to me as if the second line of this fragment reads [י]שחק בנו [Y]#XQ BNW, i.e. "Isaac his son" with the non-standard spelling used in Psalms, Jeremiah and Amos but not in Genesis (# = unpointed shin), followed by קחאתה[...] QX)TH[...]. These letters do not occur together even approximately in Genesis 22; nor does אלהים לאבר[הם] )LHYM L)BR[HM] in the previous line; and so this must be a free retelling of the story. ִיצחק בנו YCXQ BNW occurs several times in narrative in this chapter; יצחק בנך YCXQ BNK "Isaac your son" appears nowhere, so this fragment cannot be a corruption of those words. I am aware that yod could look like vav in the DSS, but this uncertain letter is much longer than the yod in אלהים )LHYM in the line above.

So it seems far more likely to me that the second line here is taken from a narrative sentence and בנו BNW should be read, meaning "his [Abraham's] son". I would suggest a retelling of verse 6: Abraham says to ישחק בנו Y#XQ BNW "his son Isaac": קח את האש QX )T H)#, "take the wood".

(PS sorry if some of the square brackets are out of place relative to the Hebrew text.)

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





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