Biblical Hebrew Forum

["wattswestmaas" <wattswestmaas AT eircom.net>]

I am really having trouble understanding this construction.  Comparisons
with the three other scriptures where the first word (NaKeH) is used do not
help me to feel my way through to a solution.  the second word is not a
problem (he will not be GUILTLESS) this is clear even to me.

How can this first word be changed from its clear meaning of: 'guiltless,
'pure', 'clean' into "Guilty"??? What makes this more baffling is the fact
that the modern hebrew definition of this biblical word (as given by
evan-shoshan) is 'to purify, to cleanse, to purge' (TiHeR);  and to acquit,
to exonerate, to vindicate. (ZiCaR) and he lumps it with all the other Piels
which express the expected meaning.

I know that the answer is obvious to most of you on the board, but I could
not even begin to figure out where in the grammar books to look up since I
don't have the foggiest clue under what grammatical speciality this
construction would be indexed or viewed.

Thankyou, Chris, Ireland.