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  • From: Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>
  • To: BHebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] "their altars" or "his/its altars"?
  • Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 12:37:40 +0200

For what it's worth, I find it more fitting to use )$ryw rather
than mcbtm or mzbHtm, because the subject in verse 11
is replaced by a singular subject in verse 12, and what I
do find problematic is that it is in the masculine rather than
the expected feminine, and the fact that mcbtm and mzbHtm
use the plural rather than singular. If I had to explain it, I
might suggest that two distinct versions are combined here,
supported by the fact that several phrases appear twice:
$mr lk (34:11) vs. h$mr lk (34:12), pn tkrt bryt lyw$b h)rc
(34:12 vs. 34:15), as well as the consecutive ky (three
times in 34:13-14). If separated, this would form (version
a): all of 34:11, ky through t$brwn of 34:13, and all of
34:15-16, as opposed to (version b): all of 34:12, )t a$ryw
tkrtwn of 34:13, and all of 34:14. This division is a lot
more sensible. It still doesn't explain why )$ryw is
masculine though, although now the issue is the
absence of one letter (t) as opposed to replacing two
letters (tm) by a different two (yw). As a masculine it
reads more simply as a reference to some cult object
than a deity consort, in my opinion, because I would
expect words for consorts to be feminine.

Yitzhak Sapir




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