Biblical Hebrew Forum

["JAMES CHRISTIAN READ" <JCR128 AT student.apu.ac.uk>]

Yitzhak wrote:
But in light of the
similarity in form and structure between these two
parallelisms
END QUOTE

JCR: While we are considering parallels it seems that 
there is a most important parallel that we are not really 
focusing on but should be as it is the most relevant.

 וחשך על פני תהום ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים

In this parallel we see the form al p:ney (on the face 
of) used twice. It is clear from this context that 
'Tehom', be it a real proper noun or merely a grammatical 
nuance, is paralleled with 'the two waters' (hamayim).

If we are to insist that Tehom is proper noun an idiomatic 
rendition could be 'and darkness was on Tehom's surface 
and Elohim's breath was on the two waters' surface'. 
Even if we were to translate Tehom as a proper noun 
the intuitive reader would easily spot that the proper 
noun 'Tehom' is being used as a parallel of the waters.

James C. Read
Uk





























7�ם ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים

In this parallel we see the form al p:ney (on the face
of) used twice. It is clear from this context that
'Tehom', be it a real proper noun or merely a grammatical
nuance, is paralleled with 'the two waters' (hamayim).

If we are to insist that Tehom is proper noun an idiomatic
rendition could be 'and darkness was on Tehom's surface
and Elohim's breath was on the two waters' surf