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  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] David's article
  • Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:50:02 -0500

Dear David,

Here are a few of Ehrensvärd's arguments leading up to Isa 7:14:

(7) When he reached a certain place [HMQWM], he stopped for the
night (Gen 28,11)
As has been suggested in the literature, the article probably refers
to the fact that Jacob came to a known place, i.e. the holy place at
Bethel.

(8) He and his two daughters lived in the cave [HM(RH] (Gen 19,30)
“The cave” probably refers to a known cave (as
Gesenius/Kautzsch themselves consider).

(9) The mule went under the thick branches of a large oak
[H)LH HGDWLH] (2 Sam 18,9)
“The large oak” was most likely a known oak.

(10) They took Absalom, threw him into the great pit [HPXT HGDWL]
in the forrest (2 Sam 18,17)
“The great pit” was probably a known pit.

(11) He found him sitting under the oak tree [H)LH] (1 Kgs 13,14)
A known oak tree.

(12) There he went into a cave [HM(RH] (1 Kgs 19,9)
A known cave.

(13) The virgin [H(LMH] shall be with child (Isa 7,14)
To whom H(LMH refers is a vexed question. It could be to
Isaiah’s wife, to Ahaz’s (preferred) wife, to the mythological (LMH
etc., nevertheless, there is good reasons to believe that a specific and
hence definite (LMH is meant.

While these are possible arguments, they in no way eradicate the category that he is attacking. For it almost strains credulity that these are all well-known entities. It is much easier to suppose a certain generic quality is expressed by the definite article, so that we should use the indefinite article in English. Take example 9. In this battle occurring in the forest of Ephraim with Absalom, a battle "spread out over the whole countryside" (2 Sam 18:8), it seems unlikely that the reader would be expected to know one particular tree out of them all as "the large oak."

In example 11, a prophet of God traveled from Judah to Bethel and was heading back to Judah, The sons of a man show their father the road that the man of God was taking back to Judah. The father followed the prophet and found him sitting under "the oak tree." Are we to suppose there was only one oak tree on the road from Bethel to Judah, especially when the text does not specify which road it was? There was evidently more than one road the man of God could have taken; otherwise the sons would not have had to show their father the road. If the readers don't even know the precise road, how can they know the one oak tree on it (or the well-known one)?

In example 12, Elijah flees to "the cave" on Horeb. This was a desert area, so why would there be a well-known cave? And since it was a mountain, one suspects there would be more than one cave (the same can apply to example 8). That is probably why translators have taken the words to imply "a cave."

Part of the problem is that this author is contradicting the judgment of Bible students over the centuries in very commonsense matters of judgment where the definite translation would have been easier because of the presence of the definite article. The translators in these cases had to go against what was normal and easy to judge that an indefinite translation was more suitable. Ehrensvärd is rejecting this accumulated wisdom with arguments that are not compelling.

Again, it is the generic use of the Hebrew definite article that can make it suitable for cases where we would use the indefinite.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard








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