Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Steve:

There are two problems that I see with your argument:

1) You admitted that there is no DSS example for the verse in
question. Therefore you don't have a DSS argument specific for this
verse.

2) While I have not studied the issue myself, it is my understanding
from those who have that the DSS scribes varied in the amount they
added materes lectionis to the text as compared to the MT. Thus, even
if you did have a DSS reference for this verse, and it did not have a
waw, that still is not proof that Haggai wrote that with a singular
meaning in mind.

3) You are using evidence from one scroll, Isaiah, and making a
sweeping generalization that may or may not be true. Further, when
looking at the contexts of the Isaiah examples, a plural is indicated,
therefore the DSS evidence is not needed for the holem in those cases,

4) Finally, we *know* that the Masoretes were sometimes wrong in their
pointing, and we really can't *prove* anything from the Masoretic
points.

Looking at the phrase in question:

WB)W  third person masculine plural perfective verb with a prefixed
waw. From its form it is Qal. What is its subject? Object? You have
not answered these questions.

XMDT feminine noun, either singular in construct form (the tau ending
to a feminine noun is found in a non-construct context, though far
from common) or when standing alone most often a plural.

KL adjective to the following noun.

GOYM masculine plural noun.

> From this analysis, frankly, this makes no sense. If we allow that a
scribal error changed an initial yod to the present waw, then the verb
can be read as a hiphil imperfective, GOYIM as the subject, XMDT as
the object. Then it would read as "all the nations bring their valued
things".

To sum up, you don't have DSS evidence for this verse, and the context
actually argues against your position.

Karl W. Randolph.