Biblical Hebrew Forum

[unikom AT paco.net]

Dear Harold,

As you can see, Ezek27-28 clearly addresses people as a whole, even while
nominally addressing a ruler in the chapter 28. Likewise, Ezek28:20
addresses Sidon as a collective plural. The prophet specifically says ngid
in the second verse, a somewhat unusual word (verse 12, starting a
seemingly different speech, employs standard melekh); even if ngid is
taken for "leader," the connotation is "one who assembles [the people]."
So no doubt that "deaths" is employed towards the collective, not a single
person, which is an explicit meaning of Is53.

>HH: Ezekiel is addressing the king of Tyre in the second person
singular. Chapter 27 concerns Tyre. While the prophecy in Ezekiel 28
has obvious implications for the entire nation, it is addressed to an
individual.<

Isaiah never use impersonal verb in the chapter, and I don't remember him
fond of this form at all. Even in the verse 3 he is careful to clarify,
[despised] by men, although "the men" is clearly excessive.
Moreover, even if you take "he gave" as "one gave," you immediately have a
problem with suffix waw in bemotaw. To say "one gave him death" (a very
unusual construction, indeed), Isaiah would probably say mot lo. However,
it is moto here; thus, "one gave his death." Overall, "one gave in his
death to rich" bears more than a tint of twisting.

>HH: The verb at the beginning of Isa 53:9 is an impersonal verb: "one
gave." This kind of verb is often translated in English in the
passive. "He was given" can have the same force as "one gave."<


Best regards,

Vadim Cherny