Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Dear Reinier:

Looking over your responses below, it appears to me that 
you claim that "expand the heart" in Hebrew is equivalent 
to "fill the mind" in English: filling it with God's Torah in 
Psalm 119:32, with hardships Psalm 25:17, wisdom and 
insight 1 Kings 5:9, with pride Psalm 101:5 and Proverbs 
21:4 and good in Isaiah 60:5.

In other words, while you have claimed that there are at 
least two meanings to the idiomatic phrase "expansive 
heart", you have suggested a unified meaning that fits all 
uses of the phrase, different from what I suggested, but a 
unified one just the same. Yours may be right.

I started this thread with the example of parakalein in 
Greek as being a very plastic term, encompassing many 
actions that could take place when calling a person to 
one's side; from your last response I get the impression 
that "expansive heart" in Hebrew may be a similarly 
plastic phrase, adapting to its surroundings.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Reinier de Blois" <editor AT sdbh.org>
> 
> Hi Karl,
> 
> >
> > ... It appears to me that you already have at 
> > least two unique definitions for the idiomatic phrase "spacious 
> > heart", could there be more?
> >
> >
> There are at least two. That cannot be helped. You seem to be so 
> convinced that a word or idiom can have one meaning only that you 
> have to go very far to find a common denominator that covers each 
> occurrence.
> I think that is pure speculation and does not really inspire 
> confidence. I'd rather stay close to the text and use all the 
> handles that the text offers than relying on my phantasy. If that 
> leads to two meanings, so be it.
> 
> >...
> >
> What you say may be true but I don't find it in the text.
> 
Context, context, context. I repeatedly refer back to context 
to understand verses, especially when I run into a difficult 
wording. Often just a few verses are sufficient to make a 
difficult reading plain, occasionally up to a chapter is 
needed to get sufficient context. What you didn't see in the 
text, I saw in the text from context.

> > ...
> No, these have nothing to do with knowledge but more with pride. 
> After all the text never says specifically what exactly fills the 
> heart. We need the context to figure out what.
> 
> > How does that fit with Psalm 25:17 which started this thread? 
> > That difficulties give much knowledge?
> >
> >
> Psalm 25:17 is as clear as can be. "The troubles of my heart have 
> broadened" . In other words: "they are plenty and completely occupy 
> my thoughts".
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Reinier

I just noticed that you took your response off line. I hope 
you don't mind that I brought it back on line, as it 
discusses a subject brought up by others.

I want to mention that throughout I have been looking for 
patterns of action, and yours of "fill the mind" certainly is a 
pattern that seems to fit. The more I think about it, the 
better it seems to fit than what I originally suggested.

Yours, 

Karl W. Randolph.


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