Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George F Somsel <gfsomsel AT juno.com>]

On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 11:48:43 -0500 lizfried AT umich.edu writes:
> 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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While )iY$ may be used as a collective and thus take a plural verb and
$iL:XoH could be repointed as a 3 c. pl., it would seem that the
collective idea is absent here and that the emphasis is upon the
individual.  Apparently the massoretes considered $iL:XoH to be a noun
since they pointed it thus and probably for this very reason (as well as
the traditional reading in the synagogue).  Of course, that they didn't
take time to go to the bathroom is impossible though they might perform
the function in place.  I'm inclined to accept the pointing here. 
Perhaps it should be read as "Each had his weapon [in] his hand" or "Each
had his weapon at hand."

george
gfsomsel
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