Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Tory,

OK, this is the prevailing wisdom, but where did the translators get   
HA-QODRIYM as "They are dark" or "They are black"? In any event, in  
my opinion the pre-positioned HA- refers to mountains not water.  
Also, notice that Dalman is being careful in saying that the water is  
only never clear [niemals klar]. And what about the snow supposedly  
vanishing over them, is it above them on mount Xermon?

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jun 21, 2007, at 2:11 PM, Tory Thorpe wrote:

> --- Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu> wrote:
>
> > Harold,
> >
> > I want to use this opportunity to register once more
> > my strong objection to the translation of the first
> part of
> > Job 6:16 HA-QODRIYM  MINI QARAX as "They are dark
> > because of ice". In my opinion HA-QODRIYM is
> certainly
> > not "They are dark" or "They are black". This
> translation
> > makes no sense factually, since how can something be
> dark
> > because of ice, and not linguistically.
>
> Perhaps an observation from G. Dalman will help:
> "Dies Schwellwasser ist niemals klar" (Arbeit und
> Sitte in
> Palästina, I/2 [Gütersloh, 1928], p. 308). The
> Jordan river will
> swell in late spring (late April-early May) if enough
> of the
> precipitation in the form of snow and ice on Mount
> Hermon
> melts. This increases the river's flow and churns up
> the earth
> in its bed, which darkens the water. Thus, the water
> does
> actually become "dark" as a result of (melting) "ice".
>
> Tory Thorpe