Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Steven,

>  Your views on the grammar, word-forms and prefixes, and the proper translation ? :-) 
>
>   I am less concerned with the doctrinal thinking, which seems to predominate
> in the discussions.  Especially any grammar or word usage imperative or 
> preference
> leaning towards either ..
>
> magnified thy word above all thy name                      or 
> magnified Your word according to all Your name.
>  

HH: The BHS apparatus shows no textual variants. However, the apparatus 
suggests two possible emendations.

1) BHS says that one should probably read "all your word." This assumes 
that the second "your name" has intruded itself from the first mention 
early in the verse and should be removed as a scribal duplication. What 
is left would be something like: "because you have magnified (it) above 
all your word" or "because you have magnified above all your word."

2) The second suggestion involves several changes so that one has: 
"because you have magnified above all your names your Name and Your 
word." I don't know how they arrived at this mixture of things.

HH: The text as it stands without emendations joins "all" with "Your 
name" by a maqqeph, a dash that joins words together for pronunciation 
purposes and implies semantic connection as well. The word "above" can 
also mean "according to" or "on account of." Earlier in the verse it 
means the latter twice: "I will praise Your name on account of Your 
lovingkindness and on account of Your truthfulness." So the final clause 
could read: "For you have magnified, on account of all Your name, Your 
word."

HH: This idea would tie "Your word" back to "Your truthfulness," and 
both the concepts would be linked by "Your name." A lot of people may 
think "above" suits a common use of this verb to speak of magnifying one 
person or thing over another, but I do not find an exactly parallel 
usage. Once there is:

NIV Job 19:5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my 
humiliation against me,

HH: But the NRSV translation seems more  normal here:

Job 19:5     If indeed you magnify yourselves against me,
       and make my humiliation an argument against me,

HH: So along with Bryan I may be offering another alternative 
translation possibility.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard