Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Medina, Vincent" <VMedina AT cbcag.edu>]

Hello All:

I have been working on the verse-structure of Isaiah 29:11-12. As you
know, most translations-JPS, NIV, NRSV, typeset these verses as prose.
However, despite a rather high prose-particle count, it looks like
poetry to me. My big problem has been versification. I have tried a
number of approaches including, dividing 11 into three bicola (12 always
comes out as a tricolon in my reckoning), or dividing it into an
introductory bicolon followed by a quatrain. Unfortunately, I have not
been satisfied with either of those schemes. Today I came up with an
alternative which I think might be the answer, but which is also
problematic since it treats vv. 11-12 as an introductory colon
(monocolon?) followed by an octacolon-yikes! I am a little nervous about
this because octacola are rare. Nevertheless, here is what it looks like
with a rough English translation. Would you mind telling me what you
think?

 

v. 11a           Intro.    And every vision has become to you

v. 11b           A         Like the words of the sealed book

v. 11c           B         Which they give it to one who knows writing

v. 11d           C         Saying, read this please

v. 11e           D         But he says, I cannot

v. 11f           A         For it is sealed

v. 12a           B         And the give the book to someone who does not
know writing

v. 12b           C         Saying read this please

v. 12c           D         But he says I do not know writing.

 

Thanks for your feedback.

 

Vince Medina

Associate Professor
Central Bible College
3000 N. Grant Avenue
Springfield, Missouri  65803