Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Alexander Oldernes wrote:

> In Num 17:27 the word "gawa`nu" is used to describe an action that still had 
> not taken place. The verb has the 'perfect' aspect.
>  

HH: That would be 17:12 in English.

> Here is how it's translated:
> ASV: "we perish"
> KJV: "we die"
> NKJ: "surely we die"
> NIV: "we will die"
>
> In Num 20:3 the same word is translated into "had died" in all these 
> translations.
>
> Would it be better to translate "gawa`nu" in Num 17:27b as:
> "We are as good as dead!".
>
> Would it be more close to the original understanding?
>  

HH: That's a good suggestion, but there is a parallel verb right after 
it:  )BDNW ("we're lost"). The Holman Christian Standard Bible has: 
"Look, we're perishing! We're lost; we're all lost."

HH:  You could say: ""Look, we're dead! We're lost; we're all lost."

HH: I suppose the translator of the HCSB, who did use a perfect idea 
with "lost," felt that it would be either too colloquial (slangy) or too 
confusing to use it with "dead," simply saying: "we're dead." And since 
the words "as good as" are not in the Hebrew, he just used an idea that 
was as close to the Hebrew as the English verb allowed. I personally 
think that "we're dead" could work fine because I don't think readers we 
would get confused, with verse 28  following:

Nudm 17:13 (Hebrew17:28): Anyone who comes near the Lord's tabernacle 
will die! Will we all preish?"

HH: Nor does the phrase seem too slangy to me, but that is just my opinion.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard