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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Alter's translation (Was: Daniel 6:27 (time indefinite) II)

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: Herman Meester <crazymulgogi AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Alter's translation (Was: Daniel 6:27 (time indefinite) II)
  • Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 13:06:58 +0000

On 22/11/2005 05:42, Herman Meester wrote:

First of all we would have to be happy that Alter respected Hebrew
syntax unlike virtually all other commonly used translation, that in
fact all misunderstand Genesis' ouverture.


Well, I can argue that one with you if you like, but it is a separate issue. I don't think you will find any other place in the Hebrew Bible where a WAYYIQTOL verb is preceded by a clause subordinate to it, which seems to be Alter's grammatical understanding. The only objection to the traditional "In the beginning God created..." understanding is that the first word of the Bible is indefinite and possibly construct - but then possibly that very first vowel point was really intended to be qamats rather than sheva.

Second, I don't think the absence of a main verb in English has got
anything to do with bad style. English has a nice way of shortly
stating verbless circumstantial clauses such as "the cat having left
the house, dozens of mice entered and had the time of their lives" or
whatever. I'm no English speaker, and not even sure if this type of
clause is possible, but I never thought it was grammatically wrong. ...


English indeed has "a nice way of shortly stating verbless circumstantial clauses", which Harold used correctly in his proposed version. But Alter did not, for these "verbless circumstantial clauses" (but actually they are phrases not clauses) must be separated from the main clause by a preposition like "with" rather than the coordinating conjunction "and".

... "and God's breath hovering over the waters" is not a main clause in
the Hebrew equivalent, and it's not a main clause in English in this
translation, which to me is a great improvement.


I am not sure what you mean by saying that this "is not a main clause". If your point is that this is subordinate to v.3, I have answered that one already, and Alter is not using any of the normal English ways of indicating a subordinate clause. In Hebrew main clauses can be verbless or have only a participle, and so this can be a main clause; but not in English, in which every clause must have an explicit verb. The correct English form of this as a main clause, or even as a subordinate clause introduced by "when", is "God's breath WAS hovering over the waters".

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





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