Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] One scholar's' opinion

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] One scholar's' opinion
  • Date: Mon, 03 Jul 2006 10:38:06 -0500

JAMES CHRISTIAN READ wrote:

HH: Most scholars apparently do not think that is the best rendering, since major published
translations of the Bible do not have "had become." It is incongruous with the context
which describes things "at the beginning." There is no former state to refer to.
JCR: But of course there is a former state. There was no heavens or earth.
Elohim created [perfective aspect] themand they had come into existence
[perfective aspect] formless and waste. I am unaware of even a single natural
occurence of English 'was' where the aspect is perfective.


HH: So you seem to want to translate: "Now the earth had come into existence formless and void." That's fine with me.


HH:KJV: Gen. 4:21 And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of all
such as handle the harp and organ.
JCR: This translation simply doesn't make sense. The English 'he was the...'
implies that he is no longer such. No such problem is derived from the
perfective translation of 'he became/ended up/came to be/ the...'.


HH: The translation of the NRSV, NIV, and KJV simply accepts the reality that he lived and died.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page