Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Michael Abernathy <mabernathy AT isot.com>]

Vadim,
You said, "I rarely feel a need to consult lexicon, and certainly not a 
grammar, but when someone asks me for a reference, I suggest Steinberg. 
He is head and shoulders above BDB."

I was afraid you might answer like that. The problem I have with this 
statement is that you consistently argue against accepted use as it is 
found in grammars and lexicons. You don't use a grammar but you accuse 
everyone else of ignoring grammar.

Now, I am willing to accept the word of a native language informant on 
how his language should be used. If you can prove to me that you are a 
contemporary of Moses, then I will gladly accept your word that you know 
the grammar as he would have used it. Failing that I need further 
evidence. Since you keep arguing with Hebrew scholars, it would help if 
I knew what your educational background was. Do you have a degree in 
Biblical languages? Further, you need to thoroughly document evidence 
showing that you and not the standard grammars are correct. I would 
suggest you do this in a peer reviewed paper. You cannot adequately do 
this in the short posts we receive on this list.

As far as I can tell, you have not been willing to accept the word of 
native English informants. You keep trying to force translations that do 
not conform to standard English use. That is bad English and bad 
translation even if it isn't bad Hebrew.

You go on to say, "Such usage of le is consistent with dative: “as a 
man, as a serpent” (Russian подобно+dative)."
I thought we were discussing translation from Hebrew into English. 
Properly speaking, English does not have dative.
And I cannot say what some of these passages would mean to an English 
reader if you insist on translating as for le.
Ruth became as a wife. I could only assume would be understood to mean 
Ruth wasn't really a wife. She just lived with Boaz out of wedlock. I 
can appreciate the insight one can gain by understanding how the same 
passage is translated into different languages, but using the rules of 
one language to govern translation into another is bizarre.
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy


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