Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lisbeth S. Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>]

Dear Karl,
Interesting theory, but people didn't bathe or
shower
in them thar days. They anointed themselves with
oil.
Maybe they bathed once before their wedding day,
and
menstruating women (which were rare) once a month.
This verse refers to a man sending out his water.
There's only one way a man does that, that I know
of.
Liz

Lisbeth S. Fried, Ph.D.
Frankel Center for Judaic Studies and the
Department of Near Eastern Studies
University of Michigan
2068 Frieze Bldg
105 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Karl Randolph
[mailto:kwrandolph AT email.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 2:08 AM
> To: lizfried AT umich.edu; Uri Hurwitz
> Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Neh. 4:17
> 
> Uri and Liz:
> 
> Those words are in the context of taking off
their
> clothes, rather they just rinsed themselves off
dressed
> instead of stripping and taking a dip in a tub.
That's
> how I read it.
> 
> Basically, Nehemiah was fairly competant in
Hebrew
> language, but as a post Exile Jew from Susa,
Hebrew
> was not his native tongue. As a result, this was
his
> way to try to say that he, his brothers and so
forth
> simply took quick showers with their clothes on.
> 
> Karl W. Randolph.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: lizfried AT umich.edu
> 
> >
> > Hi Uri,
> > I dicuss this in my book. I translate it that
> > they didn't even take the time to go to the
bathroom
> > (to send out his water)!
> > Best,
> > Liz
> >
> > Quoting Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>:
> >
> > >
> > >   Any suggestion for the meaning of the last
three
> words in Neh. 4:17,  ish
> > > shilh(.)o hamayim?
> > >
> > >  Each word is perfectly clear but not when
> combined in a phrase. I seem to
> > > remember that it was omitted in one of the
LXX
> versions; I interpret this to
> > > mean that the ancient translator felt, like
me now,
> that the phrase was too
> > > garbled to have a meaning..
> > >
> > >   Uri
> 
> --
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