Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

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/



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