Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: FW: [b-hebrew] Re: paraphrases, etc

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • 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: FW: [b-hebrew] Re: paraphrases, etc
  • Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2005 01:23:28 +0000

On 08/01/2005 00:31, Harold R. Holmyard III wrote:

...
HH: You can't prove that it doesn't refer to the organ, and there are verses that suggest it, for example Ex 28:29, where the breastpiece is worn over the heart. The Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew gives fifteen verses where they think it means the physical heart, and other five verses where they think it is possible.

OK, you may be right. I was following BDB which never suggests a reference to the physical heart, but in a few cases to the breast, a more generalised concept. Was Aaron's breastpiece to be worn asymmetrically over his left side, where his heart is, or symmetrically over the breast? I think the latter is usually assumed.

The words have only a limited domain of semantic overlap, which certainly does not cover this expression. If you want to preserve the thematic repetition (although a rather weak one if it occurs only one per 8 chapters on average), a better way to do so would be to translate "he said to himself".


HH: In general, LB can be translated heart. That is how the lexicons translate it. ...


BDB gives "heart" only as the fourth general gloss, which looks rather like a sop to tradition, and not in any of the more specific references.

... But it can cover a lot of ideas and so context is the key. In this concept of "say in the heart" I don't have a problem with "said to himself" or "thought to himself." But I think there are places where heart might be good, even with this phrase.


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



--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.6.9 - Release Date: 06/01/2005





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page