Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Dear Steve,

> Steve,
> While your translation is possible, the 
> following "and he spoke to me" tends to confirm 
> the usual "and he called to me" or something 
> like it. When in doubt (and in any case!), look 
> at the context.
> Yigal
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve 
> Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>To: "B-Hebrew" 
> <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>Sent: Sunday, 
> November 20, 2005 4:56 AMSubject: [b-hebrew] 
> Zech 6:8
>
>  > The first part of Zech 6:8, 
> ÂÃȐÃʍÚ՗ÝÝýð™¦È, is mostly translated "And > 
> he> cried out to me", which translates the 
> hiphil verb as though it was qal. > And> treats 
> the ýð™¦È as an indirect object rather than a 
> direct object.>>>> A few translations 
> (Jubilee2000, YLT, Stone Tanach)  translate it, 
> as "And> he called me" which is similar to the 
> way the hiphil verb is translated in> Judges 
> 4:10 & 13.>>>> Why doesn't any translation 
> translate it as, "and it [or He] caused me to> 
> cry 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. The> strong horses going to & 
> fro through the earth in verse 7 caused 
> Zechariah> to cry out due to the great suffering 
> caused by the strong horses.>>>> Thank you,>> 
> -Steve Miller,>>


HH: This might be a case like section 27.3c in 
Waltke-O'Connor describes, where a Hiphil verb 
expecting two objects drops one. Just as a verb 
that is ordinarily transitive in the Qal can 
appear without an object, so Hiphils that 
normally take two objects can appear with only 
one, which is usually a person. Waltke-O'Connor 
give the following as examples of "three place 
predicates" (one subject and two objects):

1) They stripped Joseph of his coat (they caused 
Joseph to put off his coat) (Gen 37:23).
2) You shall cause this people to inherit the land (Josh 1:6).

HH: As examples of this type of verb where one object is dropped, they give:

1) Did I not inform you (lit. "cause you to hear") (Isa. 44:8).

2) just as he showed you (lit., "caused you to see") on the mount (Ex 27:8)

3) I teach you (lit., "Cause you to know") today (Prov 22:19).

HH: So here the verb might take another object "cry," but it might be dropped:

"He caused me to hear a cry."

HH: This could be equivalent to "He summoned" me, 
as Kelton said, or "He implored me," "alerted 
me," "signaled me." Whether verbs take 
prepositions is often a feature of a specific 
language. Verbal ideas that in one language take 
a preposition might not in another language. So 
there could be in Hebrew ideas like "he yelled 
me," "he screamed me," or something like that 
(caused me to hear a yell, scream, etc.).

                                        Yours,
                                        Harold Holmyard









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