Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Hi Bryan,

Where else is (YN used as "the view of"?

Yigal

----- Original Message -----
From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
To: "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 1:00 AM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] "The eye of the earth"


> Hi Yigal,
>
> You wrote:
> ------------------------------
>
>
> Shalom Y'all,
>
> In Balak's message to Balaam (Num. 22:5), which he repeats to God in verse
> 11, he refers to the Israelites as "there is a people come out from Egypt,
> behold, they cover )t (YN H)RC (et `ein ha-arec)". This is usually
> translated as "the face of the earth". The general meaning is clear, they
> are so many that they cover the whole land.
>
> However, an (YN, literally "eye", is usually something small and
localized.
> It's most common use outside of anatomy is for "spring" or "well".
>
> So what exactly is "the eye of the earth"? Why should "eye" mean "face"?
>
> Yigal
> -----------------------------
>
> "Face of the earth" seems to be an attempt at expressing a Hebrew
anatomical
> idiom with an English anatomical idiom.  That's ambitious, but maybe a
> little too ambitious.  I think `ayin does not mean "face" here.  I think
it
> means "what one sees (with the eye)."  So I think the idea is that the
> people were so numerous one couldn't "eye" the earth.  hinneh kissah 'et
> `eyn haa'rec translated literally, would be "behold, it has concealed the
> view of the earth."
>
> Shalom,
> Bryan
>
> B. M. Rocine
> Living Word Church
> 6101 Court St. Rd.
> Syracuse, NY 13206
>
> ph: 315.437.6744
> fx: 315.437.6766
>
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