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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 2:6

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  • From: "Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>
  • To: "Peter Kirk" <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 2:6
  • Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 12:07:03 +0300

Lord God brought forward the man. Dust of the ground blew into his face. The man became a breath of life to a living soul.

Whatever you may think of it exegetically, it is based on such a total misunderstanding of Hebrew syntax that I will simply suggest that you go away and learn some elementary Hebrew rather than expect me to correct your obvious mistakes.


Peter, I have no idea why do you consider your knolwedge of Hebrew above elementary.

What does my translation have to do with syntax? It is a matter of punctuation. And I don't expect you to correct my mistakes - because there are none. True, with certain laxity toward punctuation many Hebrew phrases could be read alternatively, but in this case I feel justified in changing Masoretic punctuation.

Now, I will point some problems with your preferred translation.

1. alah min has the attested meaning of "to go away" to another land. To use for [the mist] "emerge" is gross twisting.
2. Ancients were somewhat of farmers, and knew that mist could not suffice to water the land.
3. The meaning of 'ed as "mist" is entirely arbitrary, especially since Hebrew has an attested word for "mist" or "dew." If 'ed is related to Akkadian at all, it is rather something related to "upheaval," conforming with the root meaning "to turn."
4. hishka has an established connotation of giving a drink to the thirsty. In a few instances, like "giving a drink to the alley," it is also very pinpointed. hishka cannot reasonably mean large-scale watering.
5. The translation "nostrils" is entirely arbitrary. That meaning is very rare, and the entries translated as "nostrils" could be equally translated as "face," at least in most cases.
6. puah b means to "blow into someone's face", to reject. It entirely lacks the meaning "to breath the life into someone." Ezekiel, indeed, uses the word in such sense, but his line is based upon the Gen2:6.
7. izr or nzr has no connotation of making something from something else. It is (nzr), "to branch out," "to bring forward," or, at the most (izr), "to dedicate" or "to creatively, mentally form."

All this besides the supposed sheer stupidity of putting two contradictory accounts of the creation together.

Vadim Cherny




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