Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Steven,

The word NA-MUT of Xabakuk 1:12 consists of the personal pronoun NA  
followed by the act MUT, 'die'. At first sight this NA appears to be  
the usual contracted )ANU, 'we', personal pronoun, putting NAMUT in  
the recognized qal form of 'we [will, shall] die'. But I tend to  
think that this NA is here in reference to God Himself in the nifaal  
sense, so that LO NA-MUT Y' is here 'God which is deathless, God  
which is everlasting', corresponding to the previous 'from ever  
before [MI-QEDEM]'. The rest of the verse, I think, is in reference  
to the terrible, war loving, invincible, GOY of verse 6. I would thus  
tentatively translate verse 12 as: "It is up and obvious that, God,  
you are from ever before, my sacred God, for ever lasting God. You  
appointed him to mete out justice, and strong as a mighty rock [V- 
ZUR] you made him to spread rebuke".
I know that this reading of mine does not sit well with the  
traditional cantillation marks, and the strict, customary Hebrew  
grammar, but it restores sense into an otherwise difficult verse, by  
means of only a bit of sensible grammatical flexibility.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jul 20, 2007, at 8:12 PM, schmuel wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>
> On this next verse the discussion is usually about "we shall not  
> die" and
> the issue of the tiqqune sopherim.   However there is another question
> as well textually.
>
> The KJB and the Judaica Press Bible read similarly.
>
> Habakkuk 1:12
> Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One?
> we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment;
> and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
>
> Chavakuk - Habakkuk
> http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=16197
> Judaica Press
> Are You not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
> We shall not die. O Lord, You have ordained them for judgment,
> and, O Mighty God, You have established them for correction.
>
> Yet many versions read
>     "O Rock"       or
>     "(my) Rock)"  rather than
>     "O Mighty God".
>
> Would anyone be able to give the textual and translational and  
> contextual issues involved.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Shalom,
> Steven Avery
> Queens, NY
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Messianic_Apologetic
>
>
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