Biblical Hebrew Forum

[David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>]

It seems to me that this whole discussion regarding the so-called 
indefinite uses of the BH definite article has not appreciated the 
following references I provided earlier in the discussion, viz.:

Ehrensvärd, Martin. 2000a. “Determination of the Noun in Biblical 
Hebrew.” Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 14: 301-314.
Ehrensvärd, Martin. 2000b. “Studies in the Syntax and the Dating of 
Biblical Hebrew.” PhD diss., University of Aarhus.
Müller, Augustin R. 1991. “Zu den Artikelfunktionen im Hebräischen.” 
Pages 313-329 in Text, Methode, und Grammatik: Wolfgang Richter zum 65. 
Geburtstag. Edited by Walter Gross, Hubert Irsigler, and Helmut 
Satzinger. St. Ottilien: EOS Verlag.

These indeed are a good critique of, inter alia, Barr's "'Determination' 
and the Definite Article in Biblical Hebrew."

As Müller and Ehrensvärd convincingly demonstrate, the category of 
"indefinite use of the definite article" is erroneous.

Regards,
David Kummerow.


> Subject:
> [b-hebrew] Definite Article 7:14
> From:
> JoeWallack AT aol.com
> Date:
> Sun, 17 Jun 2007 11:12:40 EDT
> To:
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
>
> To:
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
>
>
>  
> On Mar 22, 2007, at 7:21 PM, Harold Holmyard wrote:
>
> > Dear  Joseph,
> >
> > If you don't like Gesenius, I will give you the same  information from
> > Waltke-O'Connor, Biblical Hebrew Syntax (1990)  #15.5.1e, quoting:
> > The article may also mark nouns definite in the  imagination,  
> > designating either a particular person or thing  necessarily understood to 
> be  
> > present or vividly portraying  someone or something whose identity is not
> > otherwise indicated . . .  .  In some cases the proper English  
> > rendering is  indefinite:
> >
> > Gen 18:7 He gave (it) to _a servant_.
>
>
> JW:
> Yes, looking for examples in the Hebrew Bible is excellent evidence  for 
> meaning. Regarding Genesis 18:7 though a better question than how the 
> Hebrew definite article was translated is how it should 
> have been  translated. For reference purposes:
>
> (_http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/gen18.pdf_ 
> (http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/gen18.pdf) ) 
>  
> _http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0118.htm_ 
> (http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0118.htm) 
>  
> ז  וְאֶל-הַבָּקָר, רָץ אַבְרָהָם; וַיִּקַּח  בֶּן-בָּקָר
>  רַךְ וָטוֹב, וַיִּתֵּן אֶל-הַנַּעַר, וַיְמַהֵר, 
> לַעֲשׂוֹת אֹתוֹ. 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and  
> good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it.
>  
> This wasn't just any old lad, was it? It was Abraham's servant. The  Definite 
> article is what makes that clear. Once again, it sounds okay either way  in 
> English so I don't see an Indefinite translation forced or even preferred  
> here. 
>
>
> Some Jewish Tradition appears to have attached some significance to the  
> definite article here:
>
> (_http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=8213&showrashi=true_ 
> (http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=8213&showrashi=true) ) 
>
>
>
> "7. And to the cattle  did Abraham run, and he took a calf, tender and good, 
> and he gave it to the  youth, and he hastened to prepare it. 
>  
>        a calf, tender and  good  There were three calves, in order to feed 
> them three tongues  with mustard. —      [from B.M.  86b]
>  
>       to  the youth  This was Ishmael, to train him to perform mitzvoth. — 
> [from  Aboth d’Rabbi Nathan, ch. 13]"
>
>
> Since we all agree that the Hebrew definite article for the most part,  
> serves 
> the same purpose as the English definite article, I'm still looking  for 
> really good 
> multiple examples of Hebrew usage that would clearly have an Indefinite  
> English 
> translation in order to support an Indefinite English translation for 7:14.  
> This is 
> all before we look at the surrounding Specific context of 7:14.  
>
>
>
> Joseph