Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 04/04/2005 16:09, Jerry Shepherd wrote:

> Good morning,
>
> I'm confused about something I've come across now in two different posts
> on this thread.  In an earlier post, George Somsel stated the sign was
> that " BEFORE THE CHILD IS WEANED the Assyrians will no longer be a
> power."  And now Yigal has said that the sign means that " by the time
> the child was grown, the Assyrians would be gone."  My confusion is that
> I don't see anything at all in the text that indicates a weakening of,
> or departure of, the Assyrians.  The sign, as I have always understood
> it, taught it, etc., is that Israel and Aram will be devastated by the
> Assyrians.  Assyria is very much a force and very much still around.
> What have I missed?  Thanks in advance for any replies.
>
>  
Presumably this is based on something like "the land of the two kings 
you dread will be laid waste (v.16, NIV). This looks like the correct 
translation of the latter part of this verse, assuming that QAC is a 
participle of QWC "loathe". But who are the two kings? In the context, 
surely the king of Assyria is not one of them, but they are Rezin of 
Aram and Pekah of Israel (v.1), whose lands were indeed laid waste by 
the Assyrians within a few years after this.

So I suspect this was George and Yigal's mistake, that they meant 
"Arameans" rather than "Assyrians". Or maybe they are referring to the 
later sign given to Hezekiah that Jerusalem would be saved from the 
Assyrians, 38:5-7.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/



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