Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

To All:

To put a new wrinkle on the subject, Sujeta kindly 
sent me a URL to images of the Isaiah scroll, 
http://www.ao.net/~fmoeller/qum-12.htm seventh line 
down third word in looks like MWHBH. The letter 
taken as a resh can be taken either as a resh, or a 
waw. Of course, I could be misreading it as the 
image is not as clear as we would want it to be.

As for the meaning of MRHBH, as a variant it is a 
happax legomenon. When looking at other words from 
the same root, we have RHB the verb, used only four 
times in Tanakh: Isaiah 3:5, Psalms 138:3, Proverbs 
6:3, Song of Songs 6:5; RHB the noun used five 
times: Psalms 40:5, 89:11, 90:10, Job 9:13, 26:12. 
Then there are three times it is used as an epithet 
for Egypt, but the meaning for the epithet is 
determined by its meaning elsewhere.

Looking at the totality of its uses, we find that 
it cannot mean "raging" (unless it has a different 
meaning for each use, in which case it is in 
practice undefined), rather it seems to have the 
force of emboldening also in the sense of 
encouragement, both to the positive and/or to the 
negative. In the positive, emboldening to do what 
is needed, in the negative emboldening to rise up 
against superiors or God to do what it not good.

Thus the proverb, How the one who treats harshly 
has been taken captive, the bold actions have been 
stopped.

If the word is MWHBH, the verb is used about 30 
times, has the meaning of handing over. Again it 
fits the context, as the one who was taking captive 
now is taken captive, therefore the handing over 
(their taking captive of other peoples) is stopped. 
Pual participle. But I consider this a weaker 
connection.

As for buying BHQ, unless it can be carried in a 
pocket, or come as a computer file that can be 
opened by all computers (including handhelds), I 
won't be able to get it. I am a rolling stone, I 
don't have more than a small box for my library. 
Already many of my books are only computer files. 
Next year I may cross oceans again. Even my 
computers are no longer desktops, but notebooks 
at the largest.

Karl W. Randolph.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Harold Holmyard" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
> 
> Karl Randolph wrote:
> 
> > Harold:
> >
> > What is the variant reading?
> >
> >
> 
> HH: ...... The variant
> reading is MRHBH. This is a significant variant because it is also found
> in Symmachus, Theodotion, the Syriac, and the Targum. It means "raging."
> 
> I would save up and buy the Biblica Hebraica Quinta (BHQ) when it comes
> out in full, since even BHS could not make full use of the Qumran
> findings because of its date of publication.
> 
> Yours,
> Harold Holmyard

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