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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Alleged meaning of ecclesia in OT

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Alleged meaning of ecclesia in OT
  • Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 17:29:06 +0000

On 18/12/2004 16:51, Harold R. Holmyard III wrote:

Dear Peter,

The )oHeL MoW("D is called the SKHNH MARTURIOU in the LXX. See Ex 33.7.


But this is a mistranslation based on a misunderstanding of MW(D. This word does not mean "witness" or "testimony", from the root (WD, but "congregation", from the root Y(D, as was recognised by BDB.


HH: Or tent of meeting (BDB).


Well, "meeting" has various possible meanings. Is the meaning here "meeting" in the noun sense "assembly", or "meeting" in the verbal sense, suggesting that the tent was the place where people met with God?


The same confusion underlies the translation of ("DW.T as "testimony", also used with )OHEL for the Tabernacle, and especially in Psalms 19 and 119. This word is also derived from Y(D and refers to something appointed by God, rather than to a witness or testimony.



HH: Is this something new? BDB lists eduth, (DWT, under the root (WD, "bear witness."


Well, it is newer than BDB (1906), which is wrong here.

It is generally recognised, even by BDB, that there are two senses of (DH `eda, one "testimony" and the other "congregation". It makes much more sense to relate `edut (plural: `edwot) to the latter than to the former. But I don't have time to justify this just now.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/






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