Biblical Hebrew Forum

["daleofberkeley" <daleofberkeley AT yahoo.com>]

Hello Biblical Hebrew,

I have been recommended to you by the helpful folks at the Biblical 
Studies Group.  

I was asking for some assistance with the translation of a phrase in 
the book of Daniel.  At the end of the first verse of chapter 12, the 
KJV has: "everyone that shall be found written in the book."  I was 
wondering if it would be possible to translate this as: "everyone 
that finds the writing in the book." or "everyone that has found what 
is written in the book."  I was informed that the problem with such 
alternatives as these is that the original language requires that 
the "found" be in the passive voice, which, if so, I can take as a 
final answer to my question.  All I need to know now is what the 
indicator is, in the original text, which determines a passive voice 
for this verb.  

My rational for considering the possibility for this alternative 
translation is that the whole book seems to be very much concerned 
with "secrets" and their interpretation.  With God presented as 
a "revealer of secrets," and the mention of the "interpretation of 
hard sentences," the "dissolving of doubt" (or solving of riddles), 
and the whole phantom hand "writing on the wall" episode, it is 
difficult not to see a suggestion that something has been concealed, 
which is intended to be uncovered through translation, presumably one 
alternative to the normal, or obvious, and yet allowable within the 
rules of the grammar.  On top of that we are told of a mysterious 
book whose "words" are "sealed," so in this context, the proposed 
alternative would seem to be consistent.  But, if it is impossible, 
even as something deliberately intended to be ambivalent, then I 
suppose it will just be another one of my ideas that didn't fly.

Thanks for any advice you might be able to give me here.

Cheers,
Dale Robertson