Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Peter,
> Eva wrote: 
>   
> > could you guys translate Sirach 30:17 for me. I translated it and it does not
> > make since. I do not think the traditional translation makes since eighter
> > Eva Ritsema
> >     
>  
> Is that verse in Sirach one that we have a Hebrew fragment for? If you happen 
> to have the Hebrew characters for what should be translated, that would 
> certainly help. I know parts of it are extant in Hebrew.
>
> Harold, you added this comment in your answer:
>   
> > Sirach is not Scripture and so I don't have to agree with it.
> >     
>
> That's merely an opinion of no relevance to answering her question. This is 
> after all b-Hebrew, not b-protestant canon. A Scripture is but a Writing, and a vast majority of people that read Sirach are convinced it is a Hebrew Writing on par with the Tanakh as accepted by non-Christian Jews.
>   

HH: It seemed relevant to me. She said that the text did not make sense 
to her, and the answer is that it doesn't have to make sense to her 
because it is not Scripture.  The Jews did not and do not consider it to 
be Scripture, and they ought to know their own canon. I have studied all 
this to my satisfaction and in depth. If you don't agree, fine. There's 
nothing wrong with the standard translation about which she had doubts. 
Her doubts are an inward intuition that the statement is not true. I 
agree with that intuition.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard