Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Steve,

> The first part of Zech 6:8, ÂÃȐÃʍÚ՗ÝÝýð™¦È, 
> is mostly translated "And hecried out to me", 
> which translates the hiphil verb as though it 
> was qal. Andtreats the ýð™¦È as an indirect 
> object rather than a direct object.
>
> A few translations (Jubilee2000, YLT, Stone 
> Tanach)  translate it, as "Andhe called me" 
> which is similar to the way the hiphil verb is 
> translated inJudges 4:10 & 13.
>
> Why doesn't any translation translate it as, 
> "and it [or He] caused me tocry out" which seems 
> to be the most straightforward and the most 
> meaningful?This would attach the first part of 
> verse 8 to the end of verse 7. Thestrong horses 
> going to & fro through the earth in verse 7 
> caused Zechariahto cry out due to the great 
> suffering caused by the strong horses.

HH: Some hiphils are strange. There are 
internally causative hiphils. This is evidently a 
strange one. Here is the definition for it in HAL:

	hif: impf. wayaz{e¦q, yaz{–îqu®; impv. 
haz{eq-; inf. haz{–îq: -1. to utter a plaintive 
cry Jb 35:9; -2. to summon (the militia) Ju 
4:10-13; 2S 20:4f; -3. to make a proclamation Jon 
3:7; -4. with acc. to call out to someone Zech 
6:8 cj. 10:9 (w§}az{–îqe¦m, alt. as 2). Ý
        Der. cj. *za{aq, z§{a¦qa¦h.

HH: "To cause me to hear a call for help" might be "to cry out to me."

                                        Yours,
                                        Harold Holmyard