Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Dear Vadim:

I hesitated  answering this  challenge, as when I looked at your site, you a 
priori rule out some readings for the text, namely certain historical Jewish 
and Christian ones. As a linguist, I think it is important to keep one’s 
philosophical presuppositions apart from one’s linguistic analysis. If one 
tries to combine the two, as it appears that you have done, one usually ends 
up with rather tortured results.

If I had been one of the people to whom you sent your article, I, too, would 
have returned it without comment. I found your “translation” strange.

Do you know modern Hebrew? If so, have you studied the differences between 
modern and Biblical Hebrew? There’s a greater difference between them than 
between, for example, Norwegian and Swedish. You have so many nonstandard 
meanings for lexemes that I suspect they may come from modern Hebrew instead 
of Biblical Hebrew. If I pointed out every one, it would take a very long 
response.

I mention a couple below:

----- Original Message -----
From: unikom AT paco.net

> Gentlemen:
> 
> A few days ago, I posted a request for review of the article on Isaiah 53.
> Since I did not receive much replies, I realize that probably most
> participants are too busy to go through a long article. Therefore, let me
> posit here several most relevant questions on the chapter:
> 
> Verse 9, waiten, usually translated as was given or they gave
> The only two grammatically possible readings are, you (sing.masc.) gave,
ÿ or he gave

I read this as an idiomatic phrase. It reminds me of one that was used in the 
U.S. in the late 1800s, where when person A "laid" person B "in the grave", 
it meant that person A killed person B. I read it as a passive form, "He was 
given his grave with the wicked" ויתן את 
רשעים קברו which, when 
the idiomatic phrase is taken into account, has the meaning of dying with the 
wicked, followed by being in a state of death with the rich.
> 
> Verse 12, lapsheim ifgia, usually translated as interceded for criminals
> Interceded is always encountered in Tanakh with preposition be, meaning
> before someone, and with a clear definition of the goal of intercession,
> such as not to burn the scroll. Preposition le, when employed with ifgia,
> means attached to. Therefore, he was attached to criminals, or, regarded
ÿ as one of the criminals.

PG( פגע has no equivalent in modern English.

To give an example illustrating its use, parakalein in ancient Greek meant to 
call to one’s side. Understood in that call is the reason for calling to 
one’s side: it was to scold, to upbraid, to instruct, to comfort, to exhort, 
to encourage, and maybe a couple other actions. "To call to one’s side" has a 
completely different connotation in English, so a translator tries to 
ascertain from the context which purpose was meant for parakalein and use 
that.

Similarly, PG( פגע had the meaning "to come up to" or "to 
go up to" but understood was the purpose for that action: it could be to 
attack, to request, to discuss, to intercede for (where the person or person 
interceded for is indicated by a L prefix), to lay a burden on, and maybe a 
couple other actions, where the person approached was indicated by a B 
prefix. In Isaiah 53, PG( is found twice, once in verse 6 in the context of 
laying a burden on, and in verse 12 with a L prefix  noun indicating that it 
means to intercede.
> 
> There is no need to comment that this reading does not leave place for the
> Christian messianic interpretation.
> 
> I would appreciate any comments or arguments to the contrary. Thank you
> for the time you may devote to this issue.
> 
> 
> Sincerely yours,
> 
> Vadim Cherny
> 
ÿ P.S. The article is at http://www.anarcho.net/on_religion/Ieshayahu%2053.htm

Both Renier deBlois and I are writing dictionaries from Biblical Hebrew to 
English: we disagree on our methodologies but I respect his scholarship. And 
I am editing many of my entries in response to one of his criticisms: that 
terse, short definitions like what I prefer, are often cryptic to others.

Yours, Karl W. Randolph.

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