Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Isaiah 29:11-12

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Medina, Vincent" <VMedina AT cbcag.edu>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Isaiah 29:11-12
  • Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 23:24:51 +0100

On 08/07/2004 20:31, Medina, Vincent wrote:

Hello All:

I have been working on the verse-structure of Isaiah 29:11-12. ... 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.


I don't much like the way you have divided 11e and 11f, even making this a break between stanzas.

It might help to look at the Hebrew accent structure, at least to see how the Masoretes understood the structure of these verses. Here I repeat your translation with some reordering but with / corresponding to the less important Hebrew disjunctive accents, new lines for intermediate disjunctives, and blank lines for major disjunctives:

And has become to you / Every vision
Like the words of / The sealed book

Which they give it
To [one who] knows writing saying, / Read this please

But he says, / I cannot
For is sealed / It

And they give the book
To [someone] who does not know writing saying, / Read this please

But he says,
I do not know / Writing.

I'm not sure what to make of this in terms of poetic lines, except to suggest that the first two lines, as I have laid it out, make a good bicolon, and there is no major division between "cannot" and "For it is sealed".

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page