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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Divine Embodiment - Peter Kirk

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  • From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Divine Embodiment - Peter Kirk
  • Date: Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:20:52 -0500


----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Kirk" <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
>
> On 08/09/2005 21:09, Karl Randolph wrote:
>
> > Hey Peter:
> >
> > Here I think you overstate your case. And don't lump me together
> > with Kevin as here I am arguing the same side as you.
> >
> >
>
> I know, Karl. My point is that assuming just one meaning for any
> word can lead people astray in many different directions.
>
>...
>
> -- Peter Kirk
> peter AT qaya.org (personal)
> peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
> http://www.qaya.org/

Peter:

This is why it is so important to try to
analyze each lexeme within the semantic
domains of its parent language, and not as
one would translate it.

CLM is a good example. There's no equivalent
to it in English. The word "shadow" seems to
cover more of its meaning than any other,
but even that is but a shadow (excuse me for
the pun) of the Hebrew meaning. If one
insists that it has only the semantic domain
covered by the English word "shadow", that
is wrong.

To give an example of a language closer to
English, to say "I go on the train" in
German comes out as "Ich fahre mit dem Zug."
The semantic domain for "gehen" is smaller
than for "go" in English, this is where the
semantic domain for "go" intersects with
that of "fahren" in German. Similarly, "mit"
in German has a semantic domain that
intersects with that from "on" in English.
Therefore, if one wants to understand German
thoroughly, one must understand it according
to its own semantic domains, not as how one
would translate it.

Or to say it in mathematical terms, the set
of meaning for "travel" in English is a full
subset of the word "go", while in German the
set of meaning for "gehen" is smaller, so
that the set of meaning for "fahren" only
intersects "gehen" instead of being a subset
thereof. Similarly, the set of meaning for
CLM in Biblical Hebrew is far larger than
the set of meaning for "shadow" in English,
yet the two sets only intersect, each having
meaning outside the intersection. The hard
part is trying to describe the set of
meaning for CLM when there is no close
equivalent in English.

Similarly, when one studies Biblical Hebrew,
one must consider how a word is used in the
language; does it have any complex lexemes,
how does it work in idioms, are there any
metaphoric uses, what about other literary
devices like irony or satire, and so forth?
And above all, I understand Biblical Hebrew
as referring to action or function, with
form only a secondary emphasis. It is within
these considerations that I see a single
meaning, I don't even consider English.

I agree with you, if one insists on a
certain *English* meaning, that can lead to
all sorts of headaches, if not worse.

Karl W. Randolph.



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