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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Psalms 68

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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] Psalms 68
  • Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 18:01:20 +0000

On 13/12/2005 17:42, Herman Meester wrote:

...

The accuracy of this or that translation depends on considerations of
text criticism. And if we wonder "what would אלהים Elohim suddenly be
doing in the wilderness?" which I think would be a point, ...


I am not an expert on this. But look at v.8 (in Hebrew). Here we have God marching through the wasteland, Y$YMWN, and bringing rain there. The point in the context would seem to be that the desert is where his enemies live (in a sun-scorched land, v.7), and so he rides out into the desert to defeat his enemies and release those taken captive by the enemy. This makes good sense of vv.2-11. There is also a clear allusion to the Exodus story, when God was understood as travelling with his people through the desert.

... we can take
the Ugaritic formula and He then rides in the skies, heavens, clouds,
an image we often see in Antiquity.


It seems to me that certain exegetes and translators have been so enchanted by an apparent parallel in Ugaritic that they have failed to take proper note of what the Hebrew actually says and means in context.

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





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