Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Hi Dora,

I think you've got the meanings reversed. "Ish" means "man" - an adult
male - resumablly a male who is past puberty. It never means "man and
woman". "Zakhar" is a male of any age. So what is forbidden, is for a "man"
to lie with any male (child or adult).

Yigal

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dora Smith" <villandra AT austin.rr.com>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 6:43 AM
Subject: [b-hebrew] 'iysh and zakar


> In Leviticus 18 and 20, it says that an 'iysh shall not sleep with a
zakar.
>
> Biggs, Meyers et al translate zakar to mean "male".
>
> When I printed out all of the verses that use the term zakar, it means
> "male" person or animal.
>
> I have not analysed it further.   But I found it argued that in every case
> where 'iysh is paired with zakar, zakar refers to someone who is not yet
an
> adult?
>
> It is also questioned why the verses would specify the gender of teh
person
> who is slept with as with a woman, and not the person who initiates it.
> 'iysh can mean man, or "man or woman".    Why specify the gender of the
> second person as male but call the first person 'iysh?
>
> What do people here understand these words to mean, and their usage?
>
> Yours,
> Dora Smith
> Austin, Texas
> villandra AT austin.rr.com
>
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