Biblical Hebrew Forum

["David N. da Silva" <huyxh8s02 AT sneakemail.com>]

This is the first of a few "alternative readings" for which I would 
appreciate comments; especially from anyone whose grammar is better than mine 
(which is anyone). 

In JPS 1917, Exo 32:4 begins 

And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and 
made it a molten calf;

I presume that in the second millennium, one would make a golden figurine by 
using the lost wax method.  "Tsuwr," which here gets translated "fashioned" 
usually means bind or confine or besiege.   And confine is just what you do 
with the wax form before casting.    Accordingly, I propose:

... and he took from their hands.  He worked with a stylus, and encased it, 
and made a cast bull-calf. 

I didn't want to say explicitly that wax was used, since there is no mention 
of wax.   The author (the Elohist) would presumably have thought that his 
mention of tsuwr was sufficient to indicate the method used, since there is 
no binding or confining in any other method which could have been used. 

David Nunes da Silva 

p.s.  I looked at many translations, but could not find any that translated 
this passage in a way that suggested the lost wax method.  If someone can 
tell me that the Hebrew clearly rules out the idea that lost wax casting was 
meant, I would appreciate it - and also if my proposed translation is 
defective for any other reason.
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