Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] red heifer

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: George F Somsel <gfsomsel AT juno.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] red heifer
  • Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 12:53:48 +0000

On 22/12/2004 09:14, George F Somsel wrote:

...

I think you are correct so far as the Hebrew is concerned, but you may be
mistaken in regard to the English. 1 Sam 6.7 reads

W:(aT.fH QfXW. Wa(a:GfLfH Xa:Df$fH )eXfT W.$:T."Y PfRoWT (fLoT )a:$eR
Lo)_(fLfH (a:L"YHeM (oL Wa)a:SaR:T.eM )eT_HaP.fRoWT B.f(a:GfLfH ***
WaHa:$"YBoTeM B.:N"YHeM M")aXa:R"YHeM HaB.fY:TfH ***

Thus it is clear that in Hebrew the PRH could have calved. My English
dictionary (which could stand to be updated) has the definition for
"heifer"

"A young cow, especially one that has not yet given birth to a calf."


This is the definition in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000, at http://www.bartleby.com/61/57/H0125700.html. But I note that English translations tend to use "cow" (or "kine") rather than "heifer" at 1 Samuel 6:7, perhaps because "heifer" is considered inappropriate for a cow which has calved.

By saying "especially" it would indicate that a young cow which had
calved was not totally excluded.


Not totally excluded, maybe, but not generally included. I would expect that a dairy farmer, for whom the distinction between milch cows and heifers is a very important one, would soon find fault with a translation "heifer" in 1 Samuel 6:7.

But there are potentially tricky issues here. In Azerbaijani farming language, a one year old sheep cannot be called with the regular word for a lamb, but a special technical term must be used. But this technical term is unknown to city folk, who would use the regular word for a lamb. This meant that we had to choose in our translation between what was an error to the country folk and what was not understood by the city folk. There may be similar tensions in English, for example if the red heifer is called a "cow", for the sake of people who don't know the word "heifer", if the animal has clearly not given birth.

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






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page