Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim West" <jwest AT highland.net>
>
> Trent Butler, of the Word Biblical Commentary, skips the problem
altogether
> in his comments.  He offers no text critical note at all.  L. Daniel Hawk,
> in Berit Olam Joshua notes the "phrase [about 36] seems awkward in
> connection with the more exact number but succeds in drawing the
connection
> between the plan, its execution, and its consequences" (p. 114).  BHS has
> no textual note. Evidently it wasn't a problem to early copyists or
> translators.  Gesenius does not offer a note on it.  Neither does Rudolf
Meyer.

I know. But some of the Jewish commentaries do take note - though none come
up with a reasonable explanation.

>
> In my opinion, it seems that ki should here be understood in the sense of
> "like" = "approximately".  To be sure, as you point out, 36 is an exact
> number- but perhaps there was uncertainty in the writers mind if the
number
> was in fact exact.  Perhaps he meant "something like 36 men" etc.
>




> Best
>
> Jim
>
> ++++++++++++++++++++
> Jim West, ThD
> Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies
> Quartz Hill School of Theology
>
> http://web.infoave.net/~jwest Biblical Studies Resources
> http://biblical-studies.blogspot.com Biblical Theology Weblog
>
>
>
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