Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Ex3:14

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Read, James C" <K0434995 AT kingston.ac.uk>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Ex3:14
  • Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 00:33:48 +0100

On 12/09/2005 21:08, Read, James C wrote:

...

The major problem with the translation of ehyeh asher ehyeh is the common supposition that one word should be translated with one word. And thus the debate has become 'I am who I am' vs' 'I will be what I will be'. However, the translators of the LXX evidently did not feel so bound to such one to one translation techniques. They tried to capture the essence of the phrase by translating as EYO EIMI HO WN = I'm eternal/immortal.


This is not what LXX means. ὤν WN (omega-nu) is simply the present participle of EIMI "to be". So Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν EGO EIMI hO WN simply means "I am the being one", or, as Greek participles are commonly equivalent to English (and presumably Hebrew) relative clauses, "I am who I am". This is of course rather good evidence that the Hebrew probably means "I am who I am", and is certainly evidence for a present tense interpretation of the Hebrew.

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



--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.21/96 - Release Date: 10/09/2005





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page