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

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • Cc: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] red heifer
  • Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:58:27 +0000

On 22/12/2004 13:44, Yigal Levin wrote:

All very intersting, but my question was, why the translators took such a
general term as "cow" and translated it as the more narrow "heifer". Did
they have any reason to think that this particular cow was special in any
way, besides its color?


I would guess that the translators linked Numbers 21:2 with Genesis 15:9 where a three-year-old animal is specified, and with Deuteronomy 21:3 where the animal has never been worked, and so is presumably young. LXX has DAMALIS in each case, although not everywhere for PARAH e.g. not in 1 Samuel 6:7. So this was the interpretation of the LXX translators, which in this case might give an indication of ancient practice.

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






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