Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Harold:

Maybe I was not a clear as I should have been.

Here in Jeremiah 5:7 I understand BYT ZWNH as a metaphore for apostate Judah, 
not as a statement concerning visiting a common prostitute. This use is 
consistant with the appellation of apostate Israel and Judah as committing 
(spiritual) adultary and prostitution when they serve other gods (possibly 
physical as well if the worship includes ritual coitus), and consistant with 
the context leading up to this statement.

As for the use of GDD as a verb, it is used only seven times. Psalm 94:21 and 
the varient in Psalm 59:4 are from the root GWD, in Jeremiah 30:23 the verb 
is a hitpolel of GWR.

As for GDWD, it was not the main army (which often called for mustering out 
every able bodied man of the nation), rather a squad, often no more than a 
raiding party. It is a troop "cut out" or split off from the main army.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>

> Dear Karl and Yigal,
> 
> >What I object to here is the giving of a unique definition to a term 
> >without good reason.
> >
> >But in Jeremiah 5:7 GDD does make sense as incising as part of 
> >idolatry, which is the context leading into this verse,  consistant 
> >with 1 Kings 18 as well. This is consistant with the total context 
> >of Tanakh.
> 
> HH: Karl's interpretation combines the ideas of prostitution with 
> cutting oneself. That is a combination I have not seen. The cutting 
> spoken of in the Bible is associated with mourning and desperate 
> pleas to a god. The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew lists two roots 
> for GDD. Karl is thinking of GDD II, but GDD I is listed separately 
> with the meaning "band together." The word is listed in the 
> dictionary for Jer 5:7 and also Jer 30:23. It also appears as a Qal 
> at Ps 94:21 and as a variant at Ps 59:4 (1 MS, Jerome, and Targum). A 
> related noun is GDWD ("troop").
> 
>                               Yours,
>                               Harold Holmyard
-- 
___________________________________________________________
Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com
http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm