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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Ambiguities, doubling meanings and puns

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  • From: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Ambiguities, doubling meanings and puns
  • Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 17:00:07 -0500

Dear Bill,

I'm curious how your theory handles situations where
the writer is deliberately creating double-meanings,
ambiguities, and puns. We discussed one very recently
about David and Uriah where a list member quoted Sternberg
to suggested the writer of the text was intentionally
creating a story where it is possible to understand it
with Uriah knowing David had gotten his wife pregnant
and also with Uriah not knowing of David's wrong doing.
Here the ambiguity is result of good writing not sloppiness.

HH: Really, what would be the utility of creating such confusion? Either he knew or he didn't. Scripture does not indicate to me that he knew.

If my memory serves me correctly (I don't have a Hebrew text at
work) another is Gen 16:2 where Sarah is wanting a son through Hagar,
yet the text does not explicitly say so. That meaning comes from
understanding the word play, which I recall as depending on a single
word. In one sense it means to be built up, but it also means Sarai
wants a son through Hagar.

HH: Why do you think the text does not say so? It seems perfectly explicit.

If lexemes only have one meaning how, in your theory, does Hebrew create
these double meanings, particularly in the case where the double meaning
depends on a single word?

HH: These don't seem to be good examples for what seems to be a good question.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard





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