Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jack Kilmon" <jkilmon AT historian.net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
To: "Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2004 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] question


> Jack:
>
> Yesterday I read the NYT article which had no pictures, but it mentioned
that the two silver scrollettes were written on both sides and not all of
the writing was taken from the Bible. In the picture shown from Marianne's
link in HaAretz, I noticed what appear to be a samech and tsada in the text,
which indicates that this picture was not that of the priestly benediction
as neither letter is in the benediction.
>
> Like you, I'd like to see the whole megillah, and with better images, this
is just an apetizer.
>
> Karl W. Randolph.

>From my notes...I'll look for the sources:
The first line is the name of the owner of the amulet/Mezuzah or whatever it
was..Benayahu.  The next three lines are not readable...but the benediction
begins on the 5th line.

ybr...            ybrkk           May he bless you
yhwh w        yhwh w'        YHWH and....
..$mrk          y$mrk           may he keep you
y)r yh           y)r yhwh        may he make shine YHWH
...pnyw        pnyw             faces of him
..yk w..        )lyk wyhnk     on you and may he be gracious to you
**
..m lk $..      wy$m lk        may he give to you
..wm            $lwm             peace

**26a  of Numbers 6 y$) yhwh pnyw )lyk "May he turn YHWH his faces to you"
is absent.

I think the benediction was common in oral use and later used in Numbers.

Jack Kilmon