Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

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/