Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Moshe,

> > Vadim Cherny wrote:
> > > dkr in Zech12:10 undoubtedly refers to thrusting with sword. Always took
> > > that for granted. The nations that cut him [Israel] (came against 
> > Jerusalem)
> > > will repent.
> > > I'm less familiar with the Christian issues, but I frankly don't 
> > see how you
> > > could read ca-ari in Ps22:17 as "pierced."
> > > As a lion [they have encompassed (transposition from the earlier 
> > phrase)] my
> > > hands and feet.
> > HH: There are variant textual readings, and it is
> > those variants that people are reading as "pierced."
>
>
> Harold, none of the variants can correctly translated as 'pierced.' 
> The word in Hebrew and Greek means to dig (as in digging a hole).

HH: A nail would dig a hole in your hands and 
feet, but "pierced" is more idiomatic English. The 
Old Greek translation of the Tanakh has the verb 
ORUSSW here (LXX Ps. 21:17), which means dig. It 
also has it at Ps 40:6, of God digging, or 
opening, the ear in creating a human being. So 
while the literal translation would be dig, the 
concept in English might be rendered as pierced.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard