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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Daniel 6:27 (time indefinite)

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Daniel 6:27 (time indefinite)
  • Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 15:45:59 +0000

On 12/11/2005 13:38, Rolf Furuli wrote:

... Word meanings exist in the minds of living people and not in
lexicons!


Normally, yes.

... Translators of
literal translations try to use one English word per Hebrew word, and
therefore they force upon the readers English connotations and nuances that
are connected with the English words but were absent from Hebrew. ...


In other words, they force upon their readers meanings which do not exist in the minds of any living people, in contradiction to what you wrote above, but are supposed to have existed in the minds of dead ancient Hebrews. That is, NLT and similar translations breach the normal rules of the target language and of meaning and semantics. No wonder that they are comprehensible only to those who have effectively studied biblical Hebrew themselves.

...

As for (WLM, I see two possible choices in English that can convey the core
of the concept, namely "concealed time" and "time indefinite". On the basis of my arguments above I would
prefer the latter. To disagree with this choice is your privilege, but it is
unfair to criticize literal translations on the basis of the methods and
goals of idiomatic translations (i.e., smooth renderings where the meaning
of the source language is rendered with good idiomatic expressions in the
target language). ...


So, it is unfair to criticise NLT for being meaningless or miselading because it is deliberately so?

...

NWT has the following rendering in Deuteronomy 15:17, ... The reference of
(WLM
in the case of the freed slave could be one hour, one day, or forty years,


Now you seem to be trying to reinterpret (WLM to mean "for an uncertain time". But that is not what it means, it means "for ever", or at least "for life" i.e. there will be no end to this person's slavery.

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





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