Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Dear Karl,

Thanks, I see your interpretation better now, but I gave you good 
information from an up-to-date lexicon. Apparently the word GDD with 
the meaning "band together" also occurs in the Damascus Document (CD 
1:20). I have a translation of the verse that reads: "They 
overstepped covenant, violated law; and they conspired together to 
kill the innocent, for all those who lived . . . ." Evidently the 
words representing the GDD verb are "they conspired together," or 
"they banded together."

                                Yours,
                                Harold Holmyard

> 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.