Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Tory Thorpe <torythrp AT yahoo.com>]

On Jul 27, 2007, at 9:58 PM, Steve Miller wrote:

> > From: Tory Thorpe
> > > HH:
> > > 16:11. In the Qumran Isaiah A text the letters are
> > > WQR) or "one shall call."
> >
> > It should be noted that QR) in 1QIsa is probably to be pointed as the
> > Qal imperative, "[Ahaz] call" (cf. Isa. viii 3). This agrees with the
> > emphatic pronoun "you" in v. 16.
> >
> > Tory Thorpe
> > _______________________________________________
>
> [Steve Miller] Wouldn't that be quite awkward?
> Behold, the almah is pregnant and bearing a son, and call his name  
> Immanuel.
>
> If the previous verbs were imperative, then I would expect WQR)  
> also to be
> imperative as in Jonah 1:2 & 3:2.
>
> With the previous verbs not being imperative, I could not buy that  
> WQR)
> should be imperative, unless you can find an example of a series of
> non-imperative verbs followed by vav-<imperative> verb in the Tanach.
>
> It is much more straightforward: "and they shall call his  
> name ...", which
> is a common phrase in the Tanach, as in Isa 9:5 (9:6 English).
> -Steve Miller
> Detroit

It cannot be "and they shall call..." in Isa. vii 14 or xi 5 without  
an emendation. The MT followed by LXX Sinaiticus and the Targum read  
"she shall call..." in v. 14. The LXXab, Aquila, Symmachus,  
Theodotion, and Old Latin read "you shall call..." The verb in 1QIsa  
can be pointed either as a Pual perfect (cf. Syriac and Vulgate) or  
as a Qal imperative. The latter makes more sense: the imperatives in  
v. 11 are directed to Ahaz and the emphatic pronoun in v. 16 means  
Ahaz. Also, given the abrupt and unannounced transitions in the 2p in  
the narrative block Isa. vi-viii, if QR) is not what Isaiah wrote in  
v. 14 it is most likely missing the final consonant because an  
interpreter thought Ahaz was supposed to name the child: "Look, the  
young (deflowered) girl is pregnant, and she is about to give birth  
to a son, and you [Ahaz] are to call his name Immanuel."

Tory Thorpe