Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 07/01/2005 23:54, B. M. Rocine wrote:

> Hi Peter,
>
> It seems like you are pretending that the English word *heart* only 
> refers to the blood-pumping organ.  It also means the center of a 
> thing (as in "the heart of the sea") ...


I accept that this usage is an overlap. I don't think it's a common 
English usage, perhaps it is derived from the biblical idiom.

> ... and the seat of the emotions (as in "I love him with all my 
> heart"). ...


This is an English sense of "heart", but is it a Hebrew one? According 
to BDB this is only a minor sense.

> ... These latter are very well shared with the Hebrew *leb*.  I am 
> sure *heart* means a lot of other things, too, some of which are 
> shared with the Hebrew *leb* and some of which are not.
>
> English *nose* does not mean anger, is hardly connected to anger, so 
> *nose* will not always work as a translation for Hebrew *aph*.


Yes, and English "heart" does not refer to the mind, the will, moral 
character, conscience, or appetites, all of which are senses of Hebrew 
LEB according to BDB. If these references are rendered "heart" in a 
translation, there is a serious danger (and one which is arguably 
reflected in modern churches etc) that injunctions to use one's reason, 
will and moral character will be misunderstood as encouragement of 
emotionalism. The common Hebrew expression KWN LEB, often rendered "set 
[your] heart on", should refer to determination of the will but the 
English version is easily misunderstood as an injunction to romantic love.

> This is not so hard.
>
> In another post you quoted as problematic:
>
> > Jeremiah 4:4 "circumcise your hearts" (some kind of surgery?)
> > Jeremiah 6:10 "their ear is uncircumcised" (more surgery not carried 
> > out?)
>
>
> Jer 4:4 doesn't read like that. ...


?? This is a direct quote of this verse in NIV. The verse can easily be 
understood as requiring the Judahites to undergo physical circumcision 
not in the usual place (where it had presumably already been done) but 
in their hearts.

> ...  Anyway, let me mention the expression (Jer 6:10), "their ear is 
> uncircumcised."   It would be a shame, IMO, to express this any other 
> way.  Jeremiah is inventing a figure.  It is meant to be an arresting 
> expression.  It is supposed to make people think.  It is supposed to 
> be a little wild or shocking.  It is meant to collocate a cultic 
> procedure with a part of the human being that is not only not usually 
> associated with the procedure; it is a literally or naturally 
> impossible image.  It is meant to confuse some people until they ask 
> others who they respect what it means. ...


Well, I take your point. But the arresting expression is only arresting 
to those who have an idea what it is all about.

> ... If we render this expression something like "their ear is closed" 
> in our new dynamic equivalence Bible, we have not translated the 
> expression, we have explained it.  The cover of our book should read 
> *Explanation of the Bible*, not *Holy Bible* or *Tanakh*.
I would conclude from that that *any* translation should be so labelled. 
After all, you seemed to agree that a literal translation of God having 
a long nose could not be used. But if that one can be explained, why 
can't the circumcised heart or ear? After all, just as "English *nose* 
does not mean anger, is hardly connected to anger", English "circumcise" 
does not mean what Jeremiah had in mind. Where is the difference?

There is an Italian expression that a translator is always a traitor. 
And in some sense that is correct. If people want to read precisely what 
the original text said, they have to read the original. Translations 
have to do the best they can, which in some cases like this is perhaps 
not very good. So it all goes back to Bill's contract between the 
translator and the reader. If the reader wants something they understand 
without learning Hebrew, they need a translation. But they can't have 
their cake and eat it.

--
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