Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Karl,

How many times have you read Tanakh cover to 
cover? I mean starting in Genesis and reading 
chapter to chapter until you reach the end of 
Chronicles?

HH: That's not how I read the Scripture in Hebrew, and I don't keep count.

> Basically, the critique I hear from you is that 
> you disagree with my method because it comes up 
> with a result with which you disagree. That is 
> not a critique of the method, for my results may 
> have come about from my not consistently 
> applying my method. That is why I asked what is 
> your method? (To me it appears to accept on 
> blind faith what experts and commentators have 
> said.)

HH: I never criticized your method. I always 
criticized your results. You brought up your 
method. I may have said that your results 
suggested a flaw in your methodology.

> Do you want to continue discussing the 
> definition of XBL? If so, which one verse do you 
> want to discuss next? So far we discussed 
> Nehemiah 1:7 which can’t serve as a proof 
> passage either way because it can be read both 
> ways, and Song of Songs 2:15 where foxes do not 
> damage vineyards, nor vines, nor blossoms, only 
> compete with man for the ripe fruit. So which is 
> the next one verse you want to discuss?

HH: Don't you understand that foxes which eat 
fruit are damaging vineyards? From the 
perspective of vineyard owners they are damaging 
the vineyard.

> Concerning Proverbs 1:19, )RX has as its root 
> meaning the concept of travelling long distances 
> from place to place. Path or way, at least in 
> American English, has the concept of being only 
> local. What word would you use to carry road and 
> long distance travel?

HH: You disagree with the lexicons again. The 
verb )RX in BDB means to wander, journey, go. In 
DCH it is journey or go, with the participle 
meaning wanderer, traveller. Yet both lexicons 
state that the noun )RX means way or path. 
Perhaps they felt that the noun had a specific 
sense according to its contexts. BDB says that 
only in Judges 5:6 does the word have the sense 
of highways. So your limitation seems 
unnecessary. I am used to the word having the 
meaning path.

                                        Yours,
                                        Harold Holmyard