Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Peter Kirk wrote:

> On 15/04/2006 01:07, Harold R. Holmyard III wrote:
>
> > ...
> > HH: The real question with the traditional reading ("In the beginning 
> > God created the heavens and the earth") is the absence of a definite 
> > article with "in" followed by "beginning":  BR)$YT. ...
>
>
> It is also worth noting that this definite article would be marked 
> only in the subtleties of vowel pointing, with qamets for the definite 
> version rather than sheva as found in the Masoretic text. But then the 
> LXX rendering EN ARCHi without the definite article points to an early 
> undertanding of R)$YT as indefinite, but not a construct as "created" 
> (actually rendered as just EPOIHSEN, "made") is a main verb, not 
> subordinate to EN ARCHi.


HH: The LXX rendering EN ARCHi without the definite article need not 
point to an early understanding of R)$YT as indefinite. The Greek often 
leaves out article in situations such as this (arguing for the 
possibility that Hebrew might as well?). Here is Smyth's Greek Grammar:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0007&query=head%3D%23332

§1127.  The article is omitted in many adverbial designations of time, 
mostly with prepositions (except hêmera_s by day, nuktos by night).

Thus, peri mesa_s nuktas about midnight, hama heôi just before daylight, 
hôrai hetous at the season of the year. So with orthros daybreak, deilê 
afternoon, hespera_ evening, ear spring; and ek paidôn from childhood. 
Most of the above cases are survivals of the older period when the 
article had a demonstrative force.

§1128.  The article is very often omitted in phrases containing a 
preposition: en archêi tou logou in the beginning of the speech D. 37.23 
, exô belôn out of reach of the missiles X. A. 3.4.15 , Êiona tên epi 
Stru_moni Eion on the Strymon T. 1.98 .

Yours,
Harold Holmyard