Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Blankinship, Benjamin wrote:
> > Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 08:06:54 -0500
> > From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
> > Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 12:3
> > To: Chris Gummer <chrisgumms AT hotmail.com>
> > Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org, kgraham0938 AT comcast.net
> > Message-ID: <620F3D51-C7ED-4432-939F-46F65A7FB276 AT math.bu.edu>
> > Content-Type: text/plain;       charset=US-ASCII;       
> > delsp=yes;      format=flowed
> >
> > It is probably only a slip of pen, but in Genesis 12:3 ("And I will  
> > bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee") there  
> > are many blessers but only one curser. Blessers has two successive  
> > suffixes (attached personal pronouns), as in English, but curser=curs 
> > +er has only one, as in English.
> >     
>
> I never noticed that. The NLT and NIV missed it, too (NLT: "and curse
> those who curse you" NIV: "whoever curses you I will curse"). Is there a
> consensus as to significance of "him that curseth thee"? Or is it a
> synecdoche for "all those who curse you"?
>   

HH: "The one who curses you" simply individualizes the outcome. Hebrew 
often switches from plural to a distributive or individualizing singular 
where the idea is still general.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard