Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

The same expression appears in Exodus 10, when describing the locusts. In
verse 5 it's "And it shall cover the (YN H)RC, and (he/it) shall not be able
to see the earth". Also starnge. The subject of WKSH "and it shall cover" is
the locust; so who is it, exactly, that will not be able to see the earth?

In verse 15, it is the loscust who covers the (YN H)RC and makes the earth
dark.

I think that the idea, that the loscust in exodus and the Israelites in
Numbers are so many that they cover the whole earth, is clear. But what is
the (YN of the earth?

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
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>
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