Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>]

On 29/06/2006 16:07, Awohili AT aol.com wrote:
> ...
>  
> In attempting to bring the Greek of Exodus 3:14 closer in meaning to 
> the Hebrew text, the 1st (or 2nd) century translators Theodotion 
> and Aquila gave us ESOMAI (hOS) ESOMAI, "I will be who I will be."
>  
Indeed, but getting (probably) even closer in time to the original, the 
LXX is EGW EIMI hO WN "I am the being (one)", all present tenses. This 
is because, according to many, Hebrew changed from being aspectual to 
being tensed during the Hellenistic period, from the influence of Greek. 
Early in this period, when LXX was translated, the original aspectual 
sense was still understood. By several centuries later, the time of 
Theodotion and Aquila, the aspectual sense was being lost and the verbs 
were being understood as future tense forms.

--
Peter Kirk
E-mail:  peter AT qaya.org
Blog:    http://speakertruth.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.qaya.org/