Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>]

On 04/10/2006 03:26, kgraham0938 AT comcast.net wrote:
> Hello Peter,
>  
> I am curious about your statement about WAYIH:YW = become as opposed 
> to 'were.'  What do you think is the difference btw Judges 16:30 and 
> Genesis 2:25?
>  
> WAYIH:YW $N"HEM `RWMMIYM....  would you translate this as "They became 
> naked.." or am I misreading your point?  Thanks
>  
Sorry to be slow replying to this. I have been out of touch. But others 
have said it all. They came into being naked. They did not become naked 
in the sense of having previously been clothed. But this is the next 
stage in the story.

But the chapter division is perhaps unfortunate for it misses the 
contrast between this verse and the next one, in which HYH `ARUM is used 
with a different construction commonly used to mark contrast with the 
previous WAYYIQTOL clause. I even wonder if "naked" is a mistranslation 
here. A different word form (although obviously related) is used in 
3:10,11. So perhaps the point in 2:25 is that they became shrewd or 
"streetwise", in other words over time in the garden they learned by 
experience. This would be an event, for which "became" is obviously 
appropriate.


--
Peter Kirk
E-mail:  peter AT qaya.org
Blog:    http://speakertruth.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.qaya.org/