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  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] virgin vs young woman
  • Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:45:16 -0500

kenneth greifer wrote:
Harold,

I don't think Leviticus 11:41 and 43 about not eating "creeping things that creep" (or "swarming things that swarm") is a repetition that means "creeping things that creep on earth" as opposed to swarming or creeping things in the sea (Genesis 1:26) because Leviticus 11:9-12 already discusses what they can and cannot eat that lives in the water. Of course, anything is possible.

Anyway, there are more examples of unnecessary repetitions in the Tanakh, so a virgin that has not known a man might be just one more example of a repetition. I don't think anyone can know for sure why it says "that a man has not known" after betula.

A few more possibly unnecessary repetitions: Deuteronomy 17:1 "a defect, any bad thing", Numbers 19:2 "perfect, that has no defect in it". Deuteronomy 1:45 says G-d did not listen to them two different ways. He did not listen to their voice, and He did not give ear (listen) to them.

HH: The repeated $RC in 11:41 can still give clarification, as it evidently does, despite an earlier paragraph. The earlier paragraph might particularly make the clarification helpful. I don't have time to look at all these verses, which you have knack for finding. There is no doubt that Hebrew uses repetition, particularly in synonymous parallelism as a form of poetry and proverb. But remember that phrases could have an idiomatic value, so in Deut 1:45 the idea could have been that God would not accede to their request or even listen to them. I agree that we may not be able to know exactly what the implication of the words are when the text says "that a man has not known" after betula.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard





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